Sur La Table — a tie with Williams-Sonoma for my favorite kitchenware store — is having their big annual sale right now. Time to stock up on kitchen basics and fun new items! Here are a few things I’d put on my list:
flour sack towels
Red Deco Dot Apron
Deviled Egg Platter
Porcelain Cake Stands
Bamboo Salt Box
These sparrow clips are infinitely cuter than the metal office clips we occasionally end up using here at my house to preserve an open bag of cereal or chips. Wouldn’t these make a great gift?
Sparrow Clips available at MoMA store
After our upcoming kitchen remodel, my goal is to have as few things as possible cluttering the countertops. There are certain essentials, however, that need to be there — like our KitchenAid mixer and our Boos board.
We love our Boos board and use it everyday for chopping vegetables and herbs. We are careful to use a separate plastic board, though, for working with meats of any kind so that we can keep everything sanitary and clean.
I recently fell in love with this cutting board system by Joseph Joseph which offers an organized solution for keeping cutting boards from “cross-contamination.” Its sleek storage container and four color-coded chopping boards are not only aesthetically interesting, but practical as well. The illustrated tab on each board helps a cook easily identify the boards to ensure the same board is used each time for similar food types.
I am not sure if I need to add anything else to my already very full kitchen cabinets and countertops, but if I did, it might be this!
Index Cutting Boards available on A+R
a great way to organize cutting boards
One of my dearest friends is in town this week from Kansas City with her seven-year-old daughter. When she mentioned they wanted to do some site-seeing downtown, I asked — OK, begged — her if she’d be willing to include the National Museum of American History on the list. The good sports that she and her daughter are, we all went today to the Museum. As soon as we walked in the doors it was all I could do to not run to the Julia Child kitchen.
Bon Appetit! Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian
If you have not seen the Bon Appetit exhibit, I highly commend it to you. To literally peer into Julia Child’s famed kitchen is a thrill. One of the things that always impresses me with the kitchen are the pots and pans. Paul Child, Julia’s husband, traced each of Julia’s pots onto a pegboard wall in their kitchen so that each pot could easily be returned to its rightful home.
And, oh, the gadgets! I love Julia’s kitchen gadgets. The self-proclaimed gadget freak, Julia had quite the collection. I was particularly impressed with the “boil over disk” — a tool that I had never heard of — that prevents pots from boiling over. Clever! Some of Julia’s favorites kitchen gadgets are discussed in a Food & Wine magazine article which is worth checking out.
The sheer feat of getting Child’s kitchen to the museum to establish an exhibit was incredible. The Smithsonian chronicled the painstakingly detailed process in a website.
What's Cooking? Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian
For DC Area locals, we are so fortunate that the Museum is just around the corner. In honor of Julia Child and the release of Julie & Julia, I encourage you to plan a trip to the American History Museum and visit the exhibit. It would make for a great excuse to pack a picnic (check out this post for inspiration) to enjoy on the Mall.
If you are not able to make it to the museum this weekend, consider going on Saturday, August 29, when author Laura Shapiro will be there to sign her new book, Julia Child: A Life.
When: Saturday, August 29, 2009, 2 – 4 PM
Location: American History Museum, Outside Mall Museum Store, 2nd Floor
Cost: Books available for sale in Museum Store
For more Julia-inspired blog posts, check out Day One and Day Two of the series, and stay tuned for more posts this week!
One of the things my childhood friends often mention when we riminisce about the old days is the ice cream we used to have when we were over at my house. “I learned how to eat ice cream at your house,” a friend once said to me. And by that she meant that when we ate ice cream at my house. We. Ate. Ice. Cream. No tiny scoops in small bowls. These were mounding portions in giant cereal bowls. (Were it not for naturally slender frames, I think my family would have have ballooned over time with the outrageous portions we ate!)
Ice cream was our chosen nightly dessert, and my mother would always have a new way to make it more enjoyable. First it was cones. Then sprinkles (we call them “jimmies”). Then hot fudge and whipped cream. Then waffle cone bowls… When we ate ice cream. We. Ate. Ice. Cream.
And so when I saw this new gadget from Cuisipro, I couldn’t help but think of the good ‘ol days of eating ice cream as a child.
Cuisipro Ice Cream Scoop & Stack
The Ice Cream Scoop & Stack would be a nice tool to use when making and serving homemade ice cream or gelato. I love making homemade ice cream (my husband, actually, makes the best homemade ice cream ever!) but serving it can sometimes be a challenge.
I also love the architecture this can bring to a dessert presentation by giving it height and depth.
Inspiring Ice Cream Treat, using Cuisipro Ice Cream Scoop & Stack
For children’s parties (and who’s kidding whom — for grownups, too!) this would be a great way to make well-portioned ice cream sandwiches.
I think I found another gadget to add to my kitchen collection… just in time for summer!
P.S. Just for the record, my favorite flavor is black raspberry.
The Rex & Regina Blog shares both trendy and traditional ways to extend gracious hospitality through weddings, other social occasions, and at-home entertaining. Learn more about Rex & Regina.