More New Gadgets

Having a Bed, Bath and Beyond three miles from house sounds like it would be pretty cool, but I really need to get these compulsive, before-dinner trips under control. This week I ran up there not once, but twice right before dinner to pick up items that I needed, or thought I needed, to make my dish.

The first trip was on Tuesday when I was making a cheesy corn souffle with poblano peppers and black beans. The recipe called for a shallow, 3-dish, which I wasn't sure what that was or if I had it. I have 1 and half quart dishes and 9x13 pans, but I didn't have anyting that said 3 quart. So I run up to BBB looking for this mysterious dish, which it turns out I already have. I didn't waste the trip, however. I left with a set of Pyrex glass storage bowls, which I have been wanting anyway. I am so sick of plastic storage containers that get all gross and warped in the microwave and dishwasher.

The second compulsive trip was on Saturday when I was making cream of broccoli and cheddar soup. It was the third time in about two weeks that I made a soup that needed to be blended. Usually I just transfer it to my food processor and blend in batches, but that is kind of pain, so I told my husband I wanted to go get an immersion blender and I got him to agree to buy. Score! I got this handy, dandy Cuisinart stick blender that is going to be very useful when I make marinara sauce, soups and even milkshakes or smoothies.

Even though these trips were spontaneous, they weren't wasteful. I got items that I have been wanting for awhile and will use over and over. Plus it's BBB so you know I had 20 percent off coupons that I used.

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New Toys

I took a little trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond today, mainly because I needed a new nonstick skillet. I decided on this Cuisinart Green Gourmet. It is a newer line from them and boasts a ceramic base, scratch resistant nonstick surface and petroleum free. It's a little pricier, but I used a 20% off coupon.

The other new toy I bought was the Vidalia Onion Wizard. It makes chopping so much faster. I used it today for the onions, celery and carrots for my marinara sauce. It worked great.

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New Electronics!

So I finally bought a new computer and it is glorious! I don't know why I waited so long to bite the bullet. My last Dell served me well for five years, and my husband is still using it, so I decided to go with another Dell Inspiron. I got the top of the line 15 series. It has tons of memory and Windows 7. It is so nice to just turn it on and be able to start working immediately. I am totally in love with it.

My birthday is in a couple of days and my husband surprised me with a new camera. (He wanted me to have one for my upcoming trip to Chicago.) In a matter of 48 hours I made a huge leap in the technology world. This is like my first digital camera, I know pretty sad. I just have never been a big picture-taking person. Nonetheless, I am excited. I am going to try really hard to post more pictures of the dishes I make. It also has video capabilities, so I am going to try to upload instructional videos. Stay tuned...

By the way, the camera is a Canon Powershot.

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New Kitchen Gadgets from Sur La Table

My husband and I were in Sarasota this past weekend for a friend's wedding. (Shout out to Brook.) We were hanging around downtown Sarasota looking for a place to have dinner. We turned a corner to park the car and saw a Sur La Table. It was totally meant to be. (Another cool find was the Whole Foods right across the street, also a very fun place.) For those of you who don't know what it is, Sur La Table is a kitchen retail store kind of like William Sonoma. I was very excited and we immediately went inside to check it out. They have everything you can imagine and we picked out a couple of fun kitchen gadgets to take home with us. Here is what we purchased:

4-set of silicone cutting boards
These are awesome. They are color coded for vegetables, fish, chicken and meat to prevent cross contamination. Plus, they are flexible and the bottom sticks to most surfaces, so they don't slide around while chopping and slicing.

Ceramic Scraper

This scraper is great for pots and pans when you are food caked onto them. It is even safe on nonstick surfaces. A major plus! A multi-mixer/emulsifier
This little gadget is great for making salad dressings and marinades. I used it tonight and it combines oil and vinegar really well.

Flexicado Avocado Slicer

You know I think avocado is the most perfect fruit/vegetable out there, so I was stoked about this little tool. I used this tonight and I have to say I wasn't all that impress. It's supposed to slice your avocado in one fell swoop, but mine didn't come out too pretty. Maybe I just need to practice more.

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My New Kitchen Appliance

I finally got a new coffeemaker and I am so excited. My previous coffeemaker was a coffeemaker/cappuccino maker and it was just too big. I needed that little bit of extra counterspace so I got a regular coffeemaker. Plus, I never used the cappuccino side, not even once. I got a black/stainless steel Black & Decker coffeemaker that has a program feature to auto-brew and it shuts off automatically. This machine was made for a person with OCD, because it has a thermal pot, once the coffee brews it shuts off right away. No warmer is needed. First, the people at Revlon made my automatic shut-off flat iron and now the Black & Decker people make an auto-shut off coffeemaker? This is awesome! Two less rituals to perfom in the morning now. (Who am I kidding? I'm still going to check that both our unplugged before I leave the house.)

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Ten Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets

I got an email today from thenest.com and the first article was about must-have kitchen gadgets, so it of course caught my attention. I thought I would share the list with everyone. Here is the link if you want to check them all out in detail: http://ideas.thenest.com/dinner-recipes/cooking-advice/Slideshows/must-have-kitchen-tools.aspx?MsdVisit=1. Some of them are really genius and I will run out and get them ASAP.

1. Collapsible Measuring Cups & Spoons - I have to get some of these. They would save so much room in my drawers.

2. Garlic Press - duh, already have

3. Silicone Nonstick French Rolling Pin - Genius, but I already have a rolling pin, so I probably won't go out and buy this one.

4. Glass Prep Bowls - I need to get some of these, it would probably make cooking easier and faster.

5. Palm Held Pizza Wheel - Very cool gadget that looks like it would make cutting pizza super easy.

6. Swinging Mandoline - A mandoline is a contraption that can slice veggies very quickly. However, it is very sharp. I have one, but have never used it because I am terrified that I will cut a finger or two off.

7. Recipe Divider - Totally genius! Perfect for single ladies and couples, since most recipes have a serving size of 4 or more. Can also be used to multiply a recipe to serve a crowd.

8. Two-in-One Citrus Squeezer - Neat gadget, but for $22 I'll squeeze my citrus by hand.

9. Fancy Corkscrew - $60! I don't think so. Plus, after opening wine bottles for more than 4 years at an up-scale restaurant, I think I can manage with my little wine opener.

10. Block Set of Cutlery - I don't have one of these, but I should. It is a great investment.

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My Evil New Flat Iron

My Revlon flat iron that I had for years finally died. Seriously it was at least 4 years old, my mom bought it for me one Christmas. So I went and bought a new one. I decided to get another Revlon since my other one lasted so long. I found this cute pink one that benefited breast cancer research. Even more exciting was the auto shut-off feature, so if you forget to, it will shut itself off after an hour.

This was a huge deal for me because I am always paranoid that I leave my flat iron on. I have major OCD when it comes to appliances. I check like 5 times before I leave the house to make sure the flat iron, the toaster oven, and the coffee maker are all off.

So yesterday, I used it for the first time. It has 20 different settings and I had it on like 10 because I have pretty thick hair and that's what the package said to set it at. Well, the damn thing got so bloody hot it singed my hair! Thank God it was just a small section underneath.

I decided then that maybe I should read the directions. My bad because it said the first time you use it to start off on the lowest setting. Oops. Well, today I am pissed because I turned it on, the light came on, but the panels never got hot. Now I am going to have to return it for another one. What a pain in the ass. Next time I suppose I'll read the directions first.

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New Kitchen Tool

I'm sure everyone has organizational challenges in the kitchen like me, especially if you're limited on space. I'm not so much limited on space as I am unlimited on stuff. One of my biggest headaches was the shelf where I keep all my spices and seasonings. I have a spice rack, but I have so much other miscellaneous spices that I have an entire shelf in my cupboards for them. Well, my problem was finding certain seasonings when I needed them. Of course, each time I cooked what I needed was in the back, and I am short, so I would have to take everything out to find what I needed. Today, I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond on a mission to find a shelf organizer. I got this little step organizer where I can place everything on different rows and levels, making it not only look more neat and organized, but I can actually see everything when I open the cupboard door.

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The Story of a Girl and Her Mission to Get a KitchenAid Mixer

I have been wanting a KitchenAid Standing Mixer since I registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond for my wedding three years ago. I didn't get the mixer as a wedding gift, which is understandable, they cost up to $300 or $400.

My second chance for a KitchenAid mixer was last Christmas. I thought for sure my husband was going to buy me one, my sister even bought me an attachment for it. But instead, my husband bought me diamond earings... the nerve of him!!

So, when Black Friday approached this year I was determined to find one for a great deal. I searched the ads on Thanksgiving Day for the best deal I could find, and there were some good ones out there, but the best one was at Wal-Mart for $130! Awesome! I decided I would do the leg work and try to get it, if my husband would pay for it as an early Christmas present. He agreed.

Now, I don't usually go shopping on Black Friday, but this year I was on a mission. I committed myself to going to as many Wal-Marts as it took until I found my cherished mixer. So, I got up early Friday morning and was out the door, arriving at the first Wal-Mart by 7:00 a.m. I ran in, zig-zagged through the crowds of people, heading straight to the kitchen department. I asked for assistance and felt a sting of disappointment when the associate told me all the mixers were gone.

I was off to the next location. I ran out of the store, got in my car and speeded down the road to the next closest Wal-Mart. I got there in record time, thanks to all the green lights I caught on Dale Mabry. Again, I ran into the store, zig-zagged and arrived at the kitchen department. I didn't see what I was looking for. But, I didn't panic. I asked an associate and she took me to the aisle and said, "I think we're all out of those." But something inside me didn't believe her. I went up to another associate and a manager and asked them. The associate took me to the area where they had been on display. We saw a lone mixer, the one priced for $130, in a shopping cart. We looked around wondering if it was someone's cart. After a few seconds, no one claimed it, so I grabbed it and wheeled it straight to the nearest checkout aisle.

Was it someone else's cart? I don't know. But look, if you leave your cart unattended on Black Friday, that's your fault. You're asking for someone to jack your stuff.

Mission: Accomplished!

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