My dear cousin Brooke asked me a very thoughtful question in an overlooked blog comment (is there a way to get notified when you get a comment on blogger?). She asked what 10 or so kitchen gadgets I considered a “must.” Brooke is smart and funny and wonderful and good at EVERYTHING and always has been. So it’s really a treat that she would ask me about a subject I enjoy so much. Here’s what I came up with in no particular order.

Of course you need a lot of the basic utensils, spatulas, whisks, etc. But my current top “must” is
1) A good box grater. Something sturdy with four sides and different sized holes for different cheeses or even to zest or grate spices if needed. I have a flimsy a-frame one that collapses on me. I enjoy grating cheese fresh from blocks and save a few bucks not buying the pre-shredded.

2) At least one good chef knife. I have a massive block of knives and use the same two or three over and over. I chop garlic, onions, or herbs almost every night.

3) A blender. A multi-purpose dream. Smoothies, frozen drinks and the norm but also good for smoothing soups or combining things when your lazy.

4) A food processor is something I lived too long without. Started with a little 1-cupper. Bad news. Get the big one. But no need to spend more than $30 or so. Really better than the blender for hot things like soups. I used this week to chop nuts, make breadcrumbs and pulverize cheerios. Again, the lazy chopper’s friend.

5) A good cutting board can’t be overlooked. And like knives can be very personal. I like about 1 in thick, heavy wood. Mines about a foot square. Some people like massive ones. Some like plastic. Others like those color coded ones for veg, meat, and other. It is important not to cross contaminate. But wood helps with that and is easy to clean. There are a million types.

6) Also, don’t underestimate nesting bowls. Not everyone has them and I can’t live without them. Easy to store. Mine came in about 8 sizes. Great for pre-measuring out ingredients, mix in, heat food in the microwave or cover and store in the fridge. They’re everywhere and cheap.

7) A big deep pasta pot with a built in strainer and steam basket was a wonderful Christmas gift. I use it all the time. Soup, pasta, steam veggies.

8) A toaster oven. I mocked Mike saying “really? The oven broils. Can’t we just get a plain toaster?” he won. I use it daily.

9) Lame, but research. Cook books aren’t always the answer to a happy cook or happy kitchen. I find endless inspiration for magazines that cover seasonal or regional foods and web sites like Chow.com.

10) And also intangible, Imagination. It also helps me look at items I have--say, a tea cup—and come up with ways to use it in different ways. Use it to serve a dessert, a dip, put toothpicks in it, attach a fun label and use it as a place card.

You should probably tell me what YOU can’t live without in the kitchen. It’s very personal, no?

so THIS is how the greats do it. you should see my cabinets when i'm in "the zone." swiped from Smitten Kitchen blog.

i miss you all. i miss cooking. i was hoping PGUK would be a good thing but so far getting low response from friends on facebook. like one or two who would want to follow. guess i could tell me mom? :) whats the progress on the blog launch J & J?

Dinosaur escape strategy. Its my new band name. Dont let harper tell you otherwise.

come say hello

i haven't heard back from many of you besides johanna and jesse lately. i wish there was more adventures to speak of, but i'm actually glad there isn't. work has been smooth and the last two weekends have been filled with family visits and spring happenings.

i did some shopping at the farmer's market saturday very early. it was chilly, and there isn't much available just yet besides greens, green garlic, spring onions some lettuce and spinach. nothing that went with my planned recipes for the weekend so wild oats had to fill in.

i made my Beet and goat cheese grilled cheese sandwich. mine:



and of course the inspiration from bon apetite:



on sunday i planned to make this strange dish that looked great in the april issue of ba. pasta with peas, asparagus, butter lettuce, and prosciutto. but was it a salad? pasta? was there a sauce?

theirs:


and mine:

reading the recipe was the hardest part. but really it's just sauteing green onion and shallot in a bit of butter and oil, cooking briefly the asparagus and peas then pasta. it's all tossed together with the butter lettuce (which served NO point and clearly isn't wilted in their photo though that's the instruction) and parmesean cheese. you only need a bit of salt and pepper because after plating you pop in a few pieces of prosciutto ham that adds nice salty bites. the parm is also salty. it calls for parsley but i forgot to add it. overall a tasty and healthy dish. TONS of veg. only scant pasta. i recommend it if you want something bright to serve at a small dinner party or you love veggies and want something other than traditional primavera or steamed veggies on pasta.

the weekend is closing. the ironing is calling. my favorite boy is playing (plastic) guitar behind me and my heart is happy. i wish we had off work one week a month to do nothing together.

bitchalittle

i read joh's post....and though she prolly has a legit reason for being down, i do not. and i'm not down in the traditional blah leah sense. just very aware of time passing quickly. i don't know what that means. i do know that sometimes it just feels better to complain. and so i shall.

i've developed a nasty habit of waking up at 7am and leaving the house at 7:45am. i usually have an idea of what i'll wear in mind. but today is certainly a dirty, messy (not in a good way) hair day. but you know what? i don't care. even at 8:15 i was the first one here. so no coffee. i make the coffee. the crappy industrial tasting sludge. and i'll have 3 or 4 cups. it's a lovely cloudy day and my amazing office is sitting ready and waiting for me to move in. only the person in charge of getting my furniture here from the warehouse is pretty unhelpful but i'm not their boss and i can't say anything. so i walk by my empty office and look out my window a few times a day. it's early. i desperately need a manicure and pedicure. and yet i chose to wear peep toe shows today. i'm settling for a facial tonight for the first time in over a year. (i know, my life is hard). last time i went to get my eyebrows done i said "i'm embarrassed. my skin is so bad." and she said "yes, it really is. come get a facial. i want you under the steamer for at least 15 to 20 minutes." gee.

you should probably tell me what's making you blah today.

in other news i had a really fun night tuesday with harpstar. i grumbled all day about lack of weekend plans (we'll be having weekend 2 of family fun. this time with his). all grumbles went away and we had a great dinner at one of our favorite italian places (now with a second location conveniently located by our house. thanks garlic rose!) great conversation and lots of laughs. i got him an itunes card. i'm such a lame gift giver. he seemed to like it though.

i ramble.

also, i hear music and think things like, "this would be great in the next twilight movie"



and when i woke up this morning this song was in my head. think it was like a dawson's creek-esqu dream? cause this is a lame soundtrack

take what you can get

i've decided....to TRY...to limit youtube music to mondays. mixtape mondays. take it or leave it. i will likely change my mind tomorrow.

"slow down you are out of control"


"hope it's gunna make you notice"


"at my best when i'm at my worst" (there is a bomb break at about 3:00)

.

we just got back from my mom's. we left 24 hours ago and we're back. it's strange to drive 3 hours, see lots of family, eat lots of food and drive back in one day. but we did and it was nice. especially after my dreadful friday. one of the many reasons we like to go see my mom is that it looks like this in every direction














when we aren't eating we get to do things like this:




i think all the halo has helped. he did pretty good and looked good doing it.



heart you hearties.