Pasta with Greens, Prosciutto, Raisins, & Pine Nuts

I first learned about this recipe when I lived in Rome. My friend Kristen made it for a group of American college students who came to Rome on their spring break to join with us in ministry.  She braised some chicken in this gorgeous, stewy sauce of cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, and other ingredients.  She served the chicken/beans with a lovely pasta of farfalle, sautéed spinach and garlic, pine nuts, raisins, prosciutto, a heavy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and lots of grated Parm.

 

I totally forgot about this pasta dish--- and in our almost 3 years of marriage, I don't think I've ever made it for Dr. Bud!  How sad.  Granted, with ingredients like prosciutto, pine nuts, and real Parmigiano-Reggiano, it's kind of an expensive dish.

 

I don't know what made me remember this pasta tonight, but I'm so glad I did!  I texted my friend Chris for a refresher on the ingredients needed for it-- and got to work.

 

Pasta with Greens, Prosciutto, Raisins, & Pine Nuts

serves 2

 

First, I diced some red onion-- about 1/4 cup, but you could easily use shallots, OR leave this out altogether... and 1 clove of minced garlic. (or 2 if you're feeling frisky.) :)

 

Add this to your pan with a few swirls of olive oil.

 

Saute your onions/garlic with whatever greens you'd like.

Tonight, I used a mixture of baby spinach and baby kale. (probably 3ish cups raw)

Also, I did NOT have any Prosciutto sitting around in my fridge... but I did have some nitrate-free deli ham. LOL. I used about 5 slices, diced them up, and threw them in.  (If you do this as well, note that it's worth your time to separate the little slices to give the thinly-sliced-Prosciutto-effect). :)

 

 

Next, cook and drain 1/2 a box of pasta.  Add the pasta to the pan of greens/etc.

 

 

While your pasta water is hot, add in 1/4 to 1/3 cup (or so) of raisins. You can use any kind you want. I think it's a genius move to put your raisins directly in a spider strainer like this- so that after a couple minutes, you can lift them right out and add them to the pan!

NOTE: Even if you don't like raisins-- TRY THEM in this dish! :)

 

 

Next, add in a couple handfuls of pine nuts------- maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

 

ohhhhh PARM <3

 

 

Okay- now grate yourself a mountain of Parm, cause it's delightful.

Stir to incorporate----- swirl extra olive oil if you feel it needs it.

Salt and pepper to taste. :) 

 

 

Now serve yourself a bowl or plate full... and go ahead and grate another Parm-mountain. You deserve it. :)

 

Buon appetito! :)

 

End note: upon eating this when he eventually got home at 10pm (oh vascular service...), he said, "Hey! This is just like the Italian version of 'Korma!"  Gosh. With the raisins and pine nuts-- and sweet/savory taste... He is SO. RIGHT. :)  My husband never ceases to amaze me!! <3

Shea Moisture - LOVE!

SheaMoisture:
Oh how in loooove I am with this company!!!




I first learned about SheaMoisture from my sister-in-law, Sarah, who bought their amazing leave-in hair treatments for her daughter.  I thought these products were for sure purchased in a fancy salon or natural health foods store since they are just SO AMAZING, but turns out-- Sarah told me she got them at TARGET! :)

The SheaMoisture Company makes products for babies and adults both = shampoos, conditioners, leave-in conditioners/styling products, bar soaps, shower gels, bubble baths, lotions, hand creams, etc... Basically everything wonderful you'd want to get ready!

Check out the list of what is NOT included in SheaMoisture products!!! =

• No Parabens
• No Phthalates
• No Paraffin
• No Gluten
• No Propylene Glycol
• No Mineral Oil
• No Synthetic Fragrance
• No Synthetic Colors
• No PABA
• No DEA
• No Sulfates
• No Animal Ingredients

Doesn't that make your heart skip a beat?! :)  If not, listen to the company's story printed on the back of the bottle:
"Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912. By age 19, the widowed mother of four was selling Shea Butter, African Black Soap, and her homemade hair and skin preparations all over the countryside. Sofi Tucker was our grandmother and SheaMoisture is her legacy. With this purchase, you help empower disadvantaged women to realize a brighter, healthier future."

Doesn't that make you SWOON?!? :)

Additionally, you know your bath and body products are FRESH and REAL when they have an **expiration date** on the bottom of the bottles!  Haha! :)  Along with being so fresh and good for you, SheaMoisture products are never tested on animals, and only use ethically traded, sustainably produced ingredients.

So far, I've tried several products from SheaMoisture.  I LOVE their Organic Raw Shea Butter Hand Cream with Frankincense & Myrrh.  I even bought it for the women who are in my Bible study to make their times connecting with the Lord even sweeter-- to be able to put on this hand cream and smell fragrances that were around at the time of Jesus-- how COOL! :)



My favorite thing about the Olive & Green Tea Body Wash is that a little bit goes a LONG way!  I can sometimes be a product hog and use WAY too much-- but I've seriously been using that bottle for months and it's taking *forever* to deplete!  Awesome!

The "African Black Soap" is so worth it-- if you want somewhere to start with Shea Moisture but don't want to spend $10 on a body wash or lotion, spend $3 and grab a bar of this magical soap.  It has oats in it to naturally exfoliate and my mind never ceases to be blown that the soap suds are grayish/black from this soap and I actually wash my face with it-- haha-- but it is WONDERFUL stuff!!!! :)



The Coconut & Hibiscus Body Lotion smells SO YUMMY especially for summertime-- and it is SO moisturizing!

Lastly, the Yucca & Baobab Thickening Shampoo is delightful, too, *but* I think this product would probably be best on hair that is VERY dry and needs extra moisture.  My hair tends to get greasy somewhat easily and isn't brittle or dry.  But if your hair constantly needs more moisture-- due to your natural texture and/or color treated reasoning-- I'd *definitely* check out this shampoo! :)  It smells GREAT and is super moisturizing (but for me, I only use it a couple times a week... if I use it every day, I get too greasy).

Like I said, I always buy my SheaMoisture stuff at Target, but according to the company, you can buy their products at all Walgreens stores, as well as select Target, CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby, Christmas Tree Shops, Harmon Face Values, Duane Reade and Meijer stores. (info via their website)

Why I LOVE SheaMoisture in a nutshell: Easily available bath & body products that are good for me (very affordable! fantastic ingredients!), good for the environment (sustainable & organic ingredient production!), and good for others (fair trade!).

Check out SheaMoisture for yourself- let me know what you think! :)

100% homemade fresh strawberry pie

you know what else reminds me of my Grandma Marilyn? peonies. :)

My Grandma Marilyn used to make THE BEST strawberry pie.
ever.

:)

I have *fond* memories of picking strawberries alongside her; my sister and I could barely keep up because Grandma was such an awesome picker.  I bet that lady could do a quart every 2 minutes. :) 

Some of my favorite childhood memories include time spent in Grandma & Grandpa's *huge* garden behind their house in the country.  I think this is the only time I used to see either of them in jeans--- haha! :)  Grandma was such a classy lady and hardly ever wore plain denim slacks--- but for gardening, she'd throw on her denim, grab the old radio, put on a pretty plaid button-up shirt, and come outside with Kayla and I.

As soon as she got the radio set to a classic AM station (I remember 1220 WERT and 1190 WOWO)--- we'd get down in the patch and start picking. :)

Kayla and I could definitely dominate a few quarts by ourselves-- but when Grandma would say, "Girls, don't eat too many cause I'm makin' a pie later today!" ...we definitely found some self-control. :)  Grandma Marilyn's strawberry pie was just... OUTSTANDING!  I never understood why the strawberry pies in the restaurants didn't taste as good as Grandma's-- and I think now that I'm older, I realize that Grandma didn't use the premade gel packets you can buy in the stores.  As a lady born in what Tom Brokaw has labeled "The Greatest Generation," she knew how to make anything from anything and just make do with--- or without!  Grandma's pie was awesome because she MADE the filling from scratch--- no store-bought "goo," no box of Jello with food coloring added, no nothing!......not a single bite was phony, but instead filled with luscious strawberry goodness. :)

Oh how I loved spending time with my Grandma--- and miss her every day!!!

Even though amidst all the recipes I *do* know of hers, the strawberry pie recipe is one I've never found.  I was inspired by this recipe on the internet though, and modified it for me. :)  Don't be scared away by making pie if you've never done it--- this recipe is SO EASY!!!!!!

I think Grandma would be proud!!! <3

fresh strawberry pie
ingredients:
2 quarts strawberries (fresh from the farm are desired!)
scant 1/2 cup water
scant 3 Tbsp cornstarch
   *check your local food stores for non-GMO Cornstarch!
3/4 cup sugar (if your berries are really sour for some weird reason you could bump this to 1 cup)
1/2 Tbsp butter
one, 9" pie crust (either make it yourself or buy one from the store.)
    *I tried Paula Deen's flaky pie crust recipe from her "Southern Cooking Bible" last night and it was great!
    *If you've never made pie crust before, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you spend a teeny bit of money and purchase a pastry cloth and a rolling pin cover.  You will NEVER be sorry you did! I never thought I could make pie, until my dear mother-in-law taught me how to use a pastry cloth & rolling pin cover.  LIFE-CHANGING!!! :)

directions

• if you're making your own pie crust, do this FIRST.  Roll out and bake the empty pie shell (don't forget to put your pie weights on top of your crust to keep it from bubbling up!! I used a bag of dried black-eyed peas because I don't have any fancy clay pie weights) :)  When your crust is baked, remove the weights/dried beans and let it cool!
• take a few of the less-pretty (but just-as-tasty!!) strawberries; rinse them off, and crush them up till you have 1 cup of crushed berries (I did the crushing right in my pyrex clear liquid measuring cup so I knew right when I had 1 cup!)
• To a small saucepan, add the 1 cup crushed strawberries, plus the water, cornstarch, and sugar.
• Cook this mixture on medium-high heat until it boils, stirring constantly.
• At the beginning of this, I used my immersion blender to really blend everything together.  I highly recommend doing this step! If you don't own an immersion blender, maybe you can make the strawberry mixture in a food processor at first!  OR if you don't own any blending/processing equipment, your "filling" mixture will still be GREAT!  It will just be a little more 'chunky' rather than smooth. :)
• When the strawberry filling mixture reaches a bubbling boil, let it cook for exactly 2 more minutes **stirring constantly**!
• Take the filling off the heat and add your 1/2 tablespoon of butter.  Stir the butter in, then let your filling cool for a while.  Honestly I put mine right in the fridge and let it sit until it wasn't super-hot... then moved it to the freezer to cool even quicker. I only had my filling in the freezer for 10 minutes or less.  Just enough to get it to room temp!
• while you're waiting on the filling (and maybe crust) to cool, take all of your remaining strawberries and rinse, dry, set aside for pie.  Maybe you like to slice your strawberries... but I remember Grandma always left them whole--- so I did, too! :)  I did, however, cut the really big strawberries in half or thirds so all the berries/berry pieces were about the same size.
• Arrange the strawberries in the baked pie shell.
• When the glaze is cool enough/room temperature, pour the filling over all the berries. If needed, spread it around with a spatula to help it get in all the cracks.
• Let pie cool in the fridge for about an hour (or until you can't wait anymore! haha!) :)

Definitely serve with whipped cream!  I bought a pint of whipping cream and added about a tablespoon of sugar and whipped my own!  So worth it!!!!!

 Enjoy!! It is SO EASY and THE BEST! :)

just look at that mountain of strawberry gloriousness!!!  the Doctor and I dominated a good bit of it last night! soooo good! :)

speaking of grandmothers... at my husband's Grandma Vera's house, a sign that you loved your pie was that you lick the plate clean! :)  I'm so glad that both of us keep our grandparents' traditions alive in our own home today! :)

1 Dozen Hearty Pumpkin Muffins

When you're a small family like the doctor and myself, you definitely need muffin recipes that only make a dozen.  It's just SO NICE to a) not use up a ton of ingredients at one time, b) not eat whatever type of muffins for days and days and days and days, and c) do a one-bowl, one-pan operation that is faster to bake and faster to clean up!

I adapted this recipe from this website I just found that I will be frequenting!  Looks like the author posts a ton of great stuff! :)  

**Please note that my heart in adapting this recipe was to make them healthy-- I cut down on the sugar, I substituted coconut oil for the butter, didn't use all-purpose flour and subbed whole wheat white plus ground flax seeds (SO GOOD for your heart!).. added more spices for flavor, etc... So when you take a bite of these and they don't knock you over the moon with their sugary-sweetness, don't be disappointed!  Just pat yourself on the back that you made something GOOD for you-- and treat yourself to a second muffin, guilt-free! ;)

And yes, I know it's springtime and 60 degrees Fahrenheit outside... and I should be posting recipes like "Citrus-Marinaded Chicken" or "Asparagus and Pea Shoot Linguine" or springy-sounding things.... But this is one of many posts dedicated to *cleaning out my freezer* from last summer/fall's bountiful harvest.  Today, I wanted to use up some of the AWESOME pumpkin puree I have.... so here goes!

Hearty Pumpkin Muffins (makes 12 regular muffins)

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

*Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. (Lately I've been using fancy parchment cupcake liners and they are divine! SO worth the money!)

Ingredients:

1/4 C coconut oil

1/3 C dark brown sugar

3/4 C (heaping!) pumpkin puree

1/4 C milk (can use whatever kind you want! almond, rice, soy, etc. if you want dairy-free!)

1/4 C brewed coffee (could use water OR extra milk if you hate coffee!--- but I don't know how anyone could hate coffee.....?) :)

2 eggs

1 C White Whole Wheat Flour (I just bought some at Trader Joe's and I am IN LOVE!)

1/2 C ground flax seeds

1/2 C oat bran (NOT oatmeal!-- but oat bran!)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. (heaping!) ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

couple shakes of ground nutmeg

couple shakes of ground gloves

Mix oil and sugar.  Carefully beat in pumpkin puree, milk, coffee, and eggs.  In the same bowl, carefully scoop out all the dry ingredients, (just go down the list!), and add them right on top of the wet mixture.  Mix all the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

I used a large cookie/cupcake scoop to scoop out the batter into the 12 muffin cups... but if you don't have on in your kitchen, just use a big spoon or a clean 1/4 cup measuring cup! :)

Before I popped them in the oven, I sprinkled each scoop of batter with some Caramel-Cinnamon Sprinkles my Mom got me.  If you don't have those, you could either 1) leave them plain 2) sprinkle with cinnamon and "sugar in the raw"-type Turbinado Sugar 3) make a streusel topping with flour/butter/brown sugar/cinnamon 4) sprinkle walnuts or pecans... etc.. the possibilities are endless! :) 

Bake at 375*F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean!

ENJOY!  These mighty muffins are PACKED with GREAT ingredients you can really feel good about eating!!!! :)

butternut squash soup

ok how have I not blogged since SEPTEMBER? :(

shame on me.

I'm not even gonna go there and say "For my New Year's Resolution, I'm going to blog once a week!"...... cause we all know that isn't gonna happen.  But for reals, I'm gonna get better y'all.

To kick start 2013, let me share one of the FAVES from this household: Butternut Squash Soup :)  Oh the joy of eating vegetables!  YUMMMMMMMM :)

INGREDIENTS:

Olive oil

1 little onion (or half a medium onion)

2 garlic cloves

1 medium butternut squash

2-4 red potatoes OR 1 Idaho russet (if I were y'all I wouldn't worry about peeling the potatoes if they are red BUT if you use a russet, I'd peel that bad boy)

1 pint homemade pumpkin puree OR 1 15ish ounce can pureed pumpkin (not pie filling)

good sprinkling of kosher salt & black pepper

1, 15-ounce can of chicken broth/vegetable broth/whatev. ...heck you could probs just use water if desperate :)

a teeny bit of rubbed sage (I crumbled one dry sage leaf I dried from our garden this summer. Maybe it was 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon?)

some thyme (again I used dried stuff I saved from this summer's garden- I used probably 4-5 sprigs worth; it was probably 1/2 teaspoon)

2-4 Tbsp. dark brown sugar (or light, but I like dark better)

a couple shakes of cinnamon (maybe 1/4 tsp. total?)

teeny shake of pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this you can do a teeny bit of nutmeg, or frankly, just forget it altogether.) ;)

1 pat of unsalted butter (not margarine!...) (...less than a Tbsp) 

Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, for serving

FIRST, PREP! :)

• Peel the butternut squash.  Cut it in half; remove the seeds and all the stringy fibers (just like you do with a pumpkin when making a Jack-o-Lantern). :)
• Dice the onion; peel and mince the garlic.
• Again, if you have a Russet potato, peel it and slice; if you're using Golds or Reds just wash and slice them.

THEN, COOK!

• In your big soup pot/Dutch oven/cauldron/whatever you use :)....... saute the onion in the olive oil just for a bit till they look a little more translucent & tender. Add the garlic and stir; saute only for about a minute (garlic burns easily)!  Give all this a sprinkle of salt & pepper.
•  Add the cubed butternut squash AND the potato slices. Stir all this around so it coats nicely with the sauteed onion/garlic.
• Add the can of broth. Then, fill up your can with water and add slowly till everything is almost covered with liquid (don't drown it though. Just get it almost covered).
• Add your Thyme and Sage.  Maybe season with a little more S & P. :)
• Let all this come to a boil and then turn down your heat and simmer this till everything is tender. (maybe 10 minutes at the least, 25 mins at the most).
• When everything is tender, turn your heat off, and puree the soup with an immersion blender OR transfer everything, in batches, to a food processor or blender (NOTE: I've only ever done this with an immersion blender, so I have no idea how much of a pain the other two pieces of equipment are?.... If you have a FP I'd go for that first; use a blender at last resort).  Puree the soup until everything is "creamy" and bisque-like. :)
• Add your pumpkin puree, and stir (the soup should be blazin' hot and will heat your pumpkin puree in no time).
• Carefully add your dark brown sugar, cinnamon, (and pump. pie spice if using) to taste. START SMALL: as my Momma would say, "You can always add, but you can't take away!!!"
• Season with salt and pepper only if necessary!
• Lastly, if you're feeling naughty (which I usually am in this dimension of life), add a pat of butter to the pot. :)  Cause a pat of butter makes most things BETTER. :) But again, if you're counting cals and are trying to be good, by all means, leave the butter out. :)

Serve in bowls with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  And enjoy something that is not only GOOD FOR you---but also GOOD! :) 

p.s. while you grate some Parm on your bowl, watch this classic Italian TV commercial, advertising for Parmigiano-Reggiano. :)  Oh I LOVE Italians. and their cheese. :) <3 (p.s. thanks Beccs for introducing me to this vid) :)

isaiah 55

Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    My steadfast, sure love for David.

Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.

Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
    and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for He has glorified you. 

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

    call upon him while He is near.

let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him,

    and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

 

  

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are My ways higher than your ways
    and My thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

    and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth;
    it shall not return to Me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

 

 

"For you shall go out in joy

    and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,

    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

thought it might be nice to post one of my (and my husband's!) favorite chapters of Scripture. hope it is a blessing to you today and a reminder of God's GOODNESS, faithfulness, and steadfast-forever-kind-of-love. all pictures are mine-- from various adventures i've had with the Lord. if you want to know more about the stories behind them, feel free to let me know. :)  God's blessings on you today!

balsamic-rosemary chicken

when i lived in Rome, i used to eat a lot of pasta & pizza.

and no, i never got sick of it!  :)

however, when some of my roommates were feelin' the anti-pasta bug, we always made up a huge roaster pan full of super-yummy chicken & vegetables and it was always a winner!  and like ALL good italian-based recipes---- this dish won't send you to the store with a monstrously-long grocery list, is seriously good-for-you, and suuuper EASY!

 

balsamic-rosemary chicken

*NOTE: this recipe is GREAT for tailoring to what you have in your fridge, and also for how much/little you want to make.  i'm not going to give amounts because i think you get the gist of the meat-to-vegetable ratio from the above picture.. and i'm pretty certain you can just do what ya want in your own kitchen!!! ;)  if you don't like onion, leave it out! etc! :)

ingredients:

chicken (use whatever cut you like! for the pan above, i bought a split-breast, skin on)

potatoes

zucchini or summer squash

onion (sweet Spanish, Vidalia, red, whatever!)

sweet bell peppers (i always use a color combination!)

rosemary

thyme

parsley

 ***get fresh herbs if you can-- but if not, dried are fine! :)

salt & pepper

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

ridiculously easy instructions:

preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

chop all veggies into whatever sized pieces you like.

put veggies into pan (obviously if you're not making very much you could use an 8x8 little pan or you can go for the roaster-size like we used to bust out in our Roman apartment to feed all of us!) ;)

nestle meat in veggies

generously season with salt and pepper.

use as much thyme, parsley, and rosemary as you like (omit the other herbs if you want but rosemary is what really makes this dish special.) :)

drizzle olive oil over everything.

give everything a loving several splashes of that gorgeous balsamic vinegar.

cover pan & pop in oven for 20-30 minutes (shorter if smaller pan, longer if larger) :)

check on it -- leave uncovered for the last 5-15 minutes--- but keep an eye on it!-- and if it looks like it's drying out but obviously still isn't done, then cover it back up.

eat when chicken reaches 165-170 degrees on a meat thermometer and make sure potatoes are tender and veggies appear roasted and beautiful!

buon appetito! :)

favorite kitchen tools

saw the actors & actresses who played the Von Trapp kiddos from The Sound of Music this afternoon on The View.  it made me think of raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens..... and a few of MY favorite things.

 

one of my favorite rooms in the house is the kitchen, so here are a few of my favorite things for this beloved space. :)

 

Microplane zester/grater

LOVE my Microplaner--- use it to do everything from zesting lemons to finely grating hard cheeses!

 Martha Stewart magnetic/stackable measuring spoons 

my Momma got these for me and I LOVE how the magnets in the middle of the spoons stack together!  My baking drawer is a lot less cluttered due to this.  I also LOVE being able to use ONE spoon at a time and not dirty the rest of them (like in sets where they are all connected by a common ring).

KitchenAid toaster

On my wedding registry, I chose a KitchenAid toaster because my Momma has had hers for 10-15 years now and it's taken MANY lickins' and has kept on tickin'!  I do declare, these things are indestructible.

KitchenAid immersion blender

LOVED using this all fall and winter to puree soups!

Silpat

Every baker should have a Silpat!  Much easier than fussing with Parchment Paper-- and a greener/cheaper choice, too, I'd imagine!  Buy one-two Silpats and use them *hundreds* of times!

All-Clad pots and pans

golly, i feel so SPOILED every time i use my All-Clad pots and pans. they are so, SO nice. Heat evenly, cook things perfectly, clean up is a breeze (for a 1st time stainless-steel user, i was scared of this------ but Bar Keeper's Friend makes clean up no big deal!)  Can't say enough good things about these pots & pans!

Calphalon 12" covered fryer

This is a great all-purpose fryer.  Love the 12" size-- i can always fit a lot of stuff in this skillet. and love the see-through lid, too!

Cutco knives

My Cutco knives (2 of them-  6" and 10"trimmers) were passed on to me by my husband's Grandma Vera. (you should make her Dutch Apple pie today!!)  I LOVE these knives because Cutco will sharpen your knives for FREE (you just pay s&h) -- for LIFE!  And if your knives ever wear out for any reason, they will always replace them!  WONDERFUL company, wonderful product, wonderful customer service!!!!!! 

Bialetti espresso pot

I was introduced to this little beauty when I lived in Rome.  It's the favorite way, really, of Italians to make coffee at home.  It operates in the style of an old-fashioned "percalator" -- with water in the bottom, bubbling up through the coffee grounds and filter-- and spewing out into the top carafe until it's full of espresso goodness!

Aerolatte milk frother

along with the Bialetti espresso pot, you've GOTTA have a way to take your milk and get it foamy for your morning cappuccino.  The cheapest way (that is SO effective!) to do this: the Aerolatte milk frother.  Go grab one today at Bed Bath!  You won't regret it!  It's great quality & lasts forever.  It will change your cappuccino forever!!!

Martha Stewart cutting board mats

i LOVE these cooking mats-- I use them on top of my wooden cutting board for sanitary separation of ingredients, as well as saving me time on constant clean up!  I've also used them a TON on my counter tops------ transforming any flat, hard surface into a cutting board!  Love these mats.