A Simple, Pineapple Gift

I was gifted this one Christmas season & I fell in love with the idea. 

So simple, so fresh, so good!

Teeny, Tiny Usefulness

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!  Looking forward to some good family time & good eating.

Likely, we will all be ready to get back to greens & kale soon!

Wanted to quickly share a teeny, tiny addition in my kitchen that I am using all the time.

It's a little shot glass measuring cup that measures up to 6 tsps or 2 Tbsps.  I love it!  I am one of these cooks that likes to measure out all my ingredients before I start cooking/baking.  I actually have two of these & they are so handy for that.  This is a perfect little gift/stocking stuffer.

One caveat: do not wash in the dishwasher if you use LemiShine or something similar.  You will soon have a whiskey shot glass instead of a measuring cup!  The writing will come off.  I actually contacted Anchor about this & they said that they are working on printing that can withstand the lemon -- interesting.  Anyway, I don't mind washing them for their usefulness!

A Perfect Gift -- and not just another cookbook!

A special friend of mine gifted me this cookbook when I was about 30 years old.  Up until this time, I had not needed to have any cooking expertise (I escaped it that long :).  I always said I didn't enjoy cooking but I realize in hindsight that it was simply because I didn't know how.  I read this book from front to back.  It is most interesting (even for the experienced cook), starting with giving a list of the essential equipment & tools of any kitchen, a list of the three basic knives, etc.  One particular section that I love is the vegetable pages.  The book takes one vegetable per page teaching you how to buy & prepare it and ways to it cook (with times!).  I'm blushing, but it was with this book that I learned to make mashed potatoes!  I can say now that I've come far beyond that & love to cook!

Here's a very condensed list of recipes from the book that are now my standbys (and pretty much committed to memory):

Potato Soup (yes, you've seen that on this blog)
Broccoli Soup
Orange-Glazed Pork Chops
Fried Rice
Potato Salad
Roasted Garlic
Spanish Rice
Beef Stew

(The only recipe that I did not care for was Turkey Salad with Fruit.)

So, if you need a gift for a new bride or graduate, this is perfect!  And if you want to take a peek for yourself, check it out at the library. (ISBN: 9-780028-624518)