I have a drawer full of aprons in my kitchen. None of them, however, are as adorable as these vintage-inspired looks. Turn up the fashion in the kitchen by donning one of these feminine creations.
chambray apron from Anthropogie
cotton and lace trim apron from Anthropologie
color block apron from Anthropologie
half apron from Sur La Table
toille apron from Sur La Table
Parisian apron from Jessie Steele
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
A friend recently told me about these amazing, practical cutting boards nested in bowls. Brilliant! — as the Brits would say. (Which is fitting since they are sold by a UK store…).
Cutting board bowls from Made in Design
One of my favorite kitchen appliances is my Krups ice cream machine. I love it so much, in fact, that I have two so that I can make more than one flavor of homemade ice cream at a time. Taking the ice cream anywhere, though, can be a challenge, which is why I find this little container ingenious!
Insulated Portable Ice Cream Container available at Spoon Sisters
I’ve been up in Massachusetts on location at wedding and had the opportunity to visit my Aunt and Uncle. They are master gardeners and have amazing vegetable and flower gardens. They also have rows and rows of blackberry bushes — one of my favorite berries. So I chucked when I saw these porcelain berry containers from Jayson Home and Garden. Adorable!
Farmers Market Baskets from Jayson Home & Garden
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
We’re remodeling our kitchen in a couple of weeks and so I’ve begun the process of cleaning out cabinets and drawers in preparation for the new cabinets. It’s amazing what kitchen tools we’ve accumulated over the years. As people who love to cook, we’ve become “gadget and appliance freaks,” always loving to try new tools.
But the process of purging and sorting has really made me think about what the essential tools of the kitchen really are. What are the things that I could not do without? Here’s a list of my essentials — which I’d highly recommend adding to any registry!
All Clad Measuring cups and spoons — I am in love with these measuring cups and spoons and am still grateful to the friends who gave them to us as a wedding present! I love that the 1 cup measuring cup has marks for smaller quantities like 1/4 cup and 3/4 cups, that way I don’t have to dirty multiple measuring cups. They are also very sturdy and feel substantial in the hand.
All Clad measuring cups and spoons
Kitchen Aid Mixer — Makes the perfect batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. Need I say more?
Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer
Heat-resistant silicone spatula — I use this when I cook, when I bake… it is my go-to mixing spoon and I love that I never have to worry about it melting.
OXO heatproof silicone spatula
Nesting bowls — I use these every day. Ev-er-y-day! I keep them in the cupboard in two sets so that they are easier to lift out.
glass nesting bowls
Colander — I prefer this type of colander to the large mesh colanders as the latter are very hard to clean — especially after draining pasta.
Footed Colander
Creamer — My Apilco Creamer comes in handy for not only serving up cream with coffee, but also when making small batches of vinaigrettes or for serving sauces.
Apilco Porcelain Creamer
Zester — We use this microplane zester way more than I ever would have imagined. It is easy to use and washes fairly easily, too.
Microplane Rasp Grater
Whirly Pop — OK, this may not be an essential, but I really can’t live without it! My husband and I love homemade popcorn and the Whirly Pop makes the best popcorn we’ve ever had.
Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper
Julia Child would have turned 97 years old today. With or without the recent release of the movie Julie & Julia, Child’s birthday is certainly a significant day in the culinary world.
There are so many wonderful ways to celebrate the day and honor her talents, ranging from cooking one of her recipes, watching one of her PBS shows, or hosting a party in her honor. And, of course, there are smaller ways to tip your cap to the culinary legend.
For example, how adorable is this apron from Sara Smedley on Etsy?! She’s taken the motif from the cover of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 and replicated it on a linen apron. Matching tea towels are also available.
Julia Vol. 1 Butcher's Apron by Sara Smedley on Etsy
For more of Rex & Regina’s thoughts on ways to celebrate Julie Child, check out Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, and Day Five of our recent series counting down to Julie & Julia and remembering the great Julia Child.
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!
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.