Stinkerpants

Favorite Things: Every Day Food

June 9, 2009 in I Freakin' Love This Thing! • I Freakin' Love this Kitchen Stuff!

Whoo, it’s been awhile since I did a “Favorite Things,” hasn’t it?!  Well, here is another one of my favorite things, courtesy (once again) of my friend Sarah.

When I first started cooking, Sarah told me about this magazine and let me borrow a few of her old copies.  HOLY MOLY.  The recipes in here are fantabulous.  Furthermore, every issue teaches you about a different type of food and a different type of kitchenware.  I feel my brains expanding everytime I read one, let me tell you.  Most of the recipes are healthy (with the exception of the dessert section), and I haven’t had one yet that was less than 90% tasty.

I got a free subscription for reviewing a few of my vendors on WeddingWire (which I happily would have done anyway!), but I will definitely renew my subscription when the free one ends.  Highly recommended!

If I were Kate Spade…

February 12, 2009 in I Freakin' Love This Thing! • I Freakin' Love this Kitchen Stuff!

I would most definitely create a teapot to match our wedding china.  It’s the “Gwinnett Lane Crème” Collection from Lenox, designed by Kate Spade.  I adore it.  As a matter of fact, it’s one of my Favorite Things.

Can you imagine the magnificence that would be a matching teapot?

Maybe one day Kate will google herself (come on, everybody does it!) and come across this post.  Surely she hasn’t thought to make such a teapot, or she would have already done it.  Right?

The New Lady in My Life

February 3, 2009 in I Freakin' Love This Thing! • I Freakin' Love this Kitchen Stuff!

Here is a random fact about me: I tend to personify inanimate objects.

For example, I feel like I am having an affair.  I really have guilt about it, but the affair is just sooo wonderful.  I am going to leave my old relationship for my new one.

You see, I am cheating on my refrigerator.  I met the most wonderful, beautiful refrigerator in the whole world.  And so I invited her over to my house.  And she opened up her gorgeous stainless steel french doors and showed me her deli drawer–and WHEW!  It was over.

But seriously: I do feel guilty.  They brought in our new fridge yesterday, and seeing it next to our old one made me feel really sorry for the old one.  The new one is just so much better looking.  I mean, really.  Just look at her:

She practically GLOWS she is so beautiful.  It is not normal to be this excited about an appliance.  The delivery guy even said he’d never met anyone as excited about a refrigerator as I am.  I am really excited.  This is us when we first met:

Here she is being delivered:

And of course, she passed Lulu’s sniff test (she’s a classy lady, after all!):

 Needless to say, I am very excited about the new lady in my life.  She isn’t even plugged in yet and she’s changed my life.

But anyway.

Yeah, that’s all.

Favorite Things: Cuisinart Mini Prep

January 30, 2009 in I Freakin' Love This Thing! • I Freakin' Love this Kitchen Stuff!

 Wow, I am having a really hard time focusing today.  I feel like I had too much caffeine or something!  I have a list of about 10 things I’m really excited to, but I keep jumping from one thing to the next.  I must have said, “I should update my blog!” to myself about five times by now, but I keep getting distracted.

I know my Favorite Things has been dominated by kitchen-related items, but it’s because we’re having the kitchen done and I’m really loving kitchens right now (I swear I do like other things!).  Besides, maybe this will help some of you with your registries?  :)

Once again thanks to Sarah, I have something I use almost every day:

It’s Cuisinart’s Mini Prep.  I also have the big 11-cup food processor, but I don’t use that one as often because there are more parts to clean.  This baby is $50 (but I got it on sale for $24!) and is very easy to clean.  It’s perfect for chopping onions, garlic, parsley, etc.  I heart it!

Favorite Things: Le Creuset French Oven

January 27, 2009 in I Freakin' Love This Thing! • I Freakin' Love this Kitchen Stuff!

I have been cooking a lot of soup recently.  Partly, it’s because it’s been soup weather.  I’m also not quite sure what to do with some of the items in our CSA box except make soup.  I intend to get more creative when the kitchen is done.

But I digress.

I’ve been using this wonderful piece of kitchen equipment at least 3 times a week since I got it:

It’s the le Creuset 4 Quart French oven (in Kiwi).

I did a lot of research before we decided to get the le Creuset (that is, register for it).  Martha Stewart makes one that looks very similar, and it’s basically a quarter of the price.  I just looked it up on macys.com and it’s on closeout!  So if you want to buy a Martha Stewart one, now’s a good time.  I decided against the Martha Stewart dutch oven for two reasons:

1. It just didn’t seem quite as nice.  The le Creuset would last forever, but the Martha Stewart one?  Probably not.  I’m all for creating less waste, so I’d rather spend the extra money now on something I’m not going to replace.  Plus I like the idea of an heirloom pot.  Yes, I know this is weird.
2. The le Creuset makes me feel special.  I love it.

I’m not going to lie: this sucker is expensive.  It has a lifetime guarantee, though.  Also, I’ve heard you can sometimes find them at TJ Maxx for much cheaper.  I’ve looked around periodically to add to my collection, but I haven’t had much luck.

Thanks to Y’s Aunt Linda for getting us the le Creuset off our registry!