The kitchen is often the centerpiece of a home. It's a place to gather, catch up with the family and of course prepare food. But, for me it's not just about making a meal. It's about learning and growing. Experimenting with recipes until I find one that works for us. It's about putting my love into the meals that will feed my family. This room is one of my happy places. And to create that serenity, I have a few favorites that are a part of my everyday life.
Mixing bowls:
I am not sure I could have enough of these. I especially love the bigger ones with the rubber grip on the bottom. I try to hold myself back at Marshall's or TJ Maxx when I see gigantic bowls. I always want to get "one" more. Oh...and my big wooden spoon. We have a great stand mixer, but I've always loved mixing by hand. There's something about making cookies with a big wooden spoon that transports me back in time.
Knives:
You know how it's considered strange to give knives as gifts? Well not with us! My husband and I have exchanged knives at Christmas and as random little tokens of love. A good sharp knife is one of the simplest tools any cook should have. Before I met my husband, I was clueless on the correct way to hold and use a knife. After a little coaching, I like to think I may even be faster at chopping than he is (shh don't tell him I said that)! The third one in is my "baby". It's a Portuguese 6" knife that just seems to fit my hand perfectly.
Food Processor:
When I am pressed for time and need to get a bunch of things prepped in the kitchen, I break out the food processor. I will admit, it wasn't until recently that I started using this incredible gadget. I get intimidated easily by machines. Putting this together with all it's parts made me curse like a trucker (no child was present). I like to think that she and I had a love/hate relationship. Now, we are best buddies. It has practically taken up residence on my counter, I use it so much.
Cast Iron Pots:
Oh how I love thee...
This pot makes the perfect vessel for all things one pot meals. I have made countless soups, stews, braised beans, etc in this pot. Sigh, if only money grew on trees for us to splurge on Le Creuset. I keep my eye out for sales, in hopes that one day we will own a huge dutch oven from the renowned company. Until then, I will use/care for this one lovingly.
Portuguese Ceramics:
My husband and I are both Portuguese. Funnily enough, I never thought I'd even date a Portuguese man (I was almost convinced they were all stubborn, hard to deal with men). Until, I met Marc. He was the most mild tempered man I had ever come across. We bonded over our heritage and I have even learned more of the language, since his first language is actually Portuguese. I've come to appreciate the beauty in the hand painted ceramics or the plentiful crocheted tablecloths we've acquired. Having them out, just brings a bit of the old country into our home.
Blue Glass and Yorktowne dishes:
Nestled in my China cabinet next to Portuguese ware is my beloved late stepmother's collection. She loved collecting Yorktowne pieces and blue glass. She would go in search of these and was always happy to bring a new piece home to add to the hutch. Those dishes were used on mostly special occasions, but when they were taken out, we knew we were going to enjoy wonderful meals on them. When my stepmother passed almost ten years ago, I was blessed with these and quite honestly it feels like I was gifted with a piece of her. I find myself spying blue glass while out at yard sales. It just brings a smile to my face. I am reminded of her every time I walk into my dining room.
COFFEE:
Yes, that is in all caps. I am a coffee drinker. Hi, I'm Kristine and I am a coffee snob. I can't really drink all coffee. I love the bold stuff. The bolder the better. I like to start my day with a nice steaming cup of joe, that was until our Cuisinart drip coffee maker died on us the other day. What is a girl to do? Thankfully, we also have an espresso machine. It may take more effort, but now I can make lattes/iced lattes to get me through.
Dishtowels:
One can never have too many dishtowels. For one reason, when making breads, I need to keep them covered to rise. And since bread making is a weekly occurrence, I go through them fast. The other reason? When you live with a guy, they just see any towel as a place to wipe everything off their hands. I could have a really pretty Food Network dishtowel out and in one afternoon it is covered in dirt, sauce or grease. I've now learned to only put out the "good" towels when company comes over.
King Arthur Flour:
Since I've discovered the art of bread making, I go through flour like crazy. There isn't a bag big enough at the store, so I run to BJ's Wholesale to get there 10lb bag. Believe it or not, that won't be big enough soon. I can't say enough about King Arthur Flour, it's pretty consistent for turning out perfectly baked goods. Plus, their recipes that they are provide are fabulous. I don't always use all purpose, I like to experiment with whole wheat or mix and match. Another flour I'm learning to love is Buckwheat flour (I'll share a recipe soon!). It's gluten free and makes the lightest, fluffiest cookies ever!
Aprons:
Sometimes, I like to think that I'm a domestic goddess lol. I can whip up a meal, clean like the dickens and spend real quality time with my family. I fantasize about wearing pretty house dresses and aprons like they did in the 50's and have a martini ready for the husband when he gets home. In reality, I'm often covered in flour, in a pair of jeans and hoodie and what's waiting for the husband is a messy haired wife and overly excited child. One little piece of my fantasy that is true, is my cheery little Williams-Sonoma apron. I pride myself on little bargain finds. As much as I love that store, it's a little rich for my blood. So, I often peruse and check out the clearance section. I lucked out digging through their bins and found their well-made apron in yellow for only $6.99! I wear this every day and love it.
Butter:
One things a cook cherishes, butter. It's gotten a bad rap. Yes, it is fattening, but when you want to create flaky pie crusts, delicious cookies and countless other things, it's better than the alternative. I can't even look at margarine or any other impostors at the grocery store. The ingredients scare the crap out of me. I like to look at a product and see one ingredient, cream. I love Cabot butter. Unsalted has always been used in baking, but I've recently started using it in cooking as well. If we want to top toast, I started buying a European style butter that has a fresher, almost grassy taste. And a little goes a long way.
Olive Oil:
Speaking of fats. Olive oil is a staple in our kitchen. We buy it in bulk, because it's used to cook with, dress salads and top off soups. This Portuguese kind is great and reasonably priced too. We cook with pure olive oil and save the extra virgin stuff for salads.
Music:
I don't what I would be without music. In any facet of my life, music is often what keeps me sane. I love to sing, it soothes me. I've been able to connect with a song or a melody and get through whatever life has thrown at me. Cooking and music go together like peanut butter and jelly. As soon as I get started taking out my ingredients, I immediately put on Pandora on the phone. I have a few stations that just scream Kristine. One in particular is the Sara Bareilles station (I will share some favorite songs in a future post). I put on a song, close my eyes and start singing. When the song is done, it's like I've had the best 3 minute therapy session of my life. All troubles seem to melt away. I love that this has passed on to my son. He has the ability to feel music and I love that is growing up to be a sensitive, artistic child.
Reference Material:
I partially blame my mother for my obsession for cookbooks. I noticed that she always collected them. Her entire library was practically cookbooks! So, it wasn't a big surprise that I started stocking up too. I think it started when I was only a teenager. I was curious about cooking/baking and found more entertainment in reading a cookbook than a regular paperback. If it's a good book or magazine, I read it cover to cover. Some favorites are Vegetarian Times, Food Network, America's Test Kitchen, Pioneer Woman, the list goes on and on.
The Trio:
When I am stumped on how to prepare veggies, I fall back on three things that we are never without in our kitchen. Coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add a tiny bit of olive oil and your veggies turn out delicious (as long as you don't overcook them!) We like spicy foods in our house, even our son, these flakes are homegrown. They come from super tiny hot Thai peppers that my husband has dried. Literally one or two flakes is all you need to kick up a dish.
Bulletin Board:
I'm sure most of you need some kind of organization for bills. I dread, absolutely dread opening up the mailbox and seeing a bunch of bills that have to be paid all at the same time. Instead of our old system of leaving them on the table for them to mysteriously get lost, I invested in a cork board to organize by the date they are due. And since I have to look at their ugly little paper faces, I needed room to fill the board with happiness. So, I started hanging up works of art by my little guy next to them. This makes the "bill" board more tolerable!
Love:
The cheesiest, but most important thing about our kitchen, is the love that fills it. As a little family of 3 (okay 4 cat included...or 28 if you include the chickens!), we cherish our time together. We learn from each other, we respect each other and most of all love unconditionally. My husband and I made a pact before we got married to always remain honest with each other, even if that meant hurting each others feelings. But we always manage to regain our ground and think about the things that made us fall in love in the first place. We still try to do little gestures to surprise each other. One day, he came into the kitchen with this. A wooden heart he had created in his workshop. Something small, but meant the world.
I encourage you to look around your home and admire the things that have a special place in your heart. Sometimes, taking a beat to acknowledge those little things can really change your perspective.
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