I posted a picture of a cup of this tea on my instagram, but I can't stop talking about it so here we go again.

When I reached out for tea recs a few weeks ago, multiple people recommended this and I was so skeptical. I've tried so many kinds of turmeric tea and really disliked them. Nor am I a big ginger fan: I like it in savory cooking but really dislike it in sweets. Ginger and I also have a difficult relationship because of how much it's supposed to ease morning sickness symptoms and it helps me none with my five months of all day sickness. But I do really like Ginger Rogers, and as a seven year old I pretty much scoffed at anyone else who tried to dance with Fred.

As compatible as Ginger and Turmeric.

I didn't love my first sip of the tea, but I knew we could warm up to each other. And twenty cups in I'm in love. It has this all around mouth feel that gets deeper the longer it brews and it doesn't get bitter.

I let Jacob taste it and he said blankly: "Vata tea." Like it was something everyone in the world grew up drinking. But, Mr. Rhodes, not everyone was raised by a hippy.

Let's see if I can think of anything else to say about this tea. Yes! I can! But I won't! So you're welcome.

And thank you to Jordan and Kate who first recommended this tea! I wouldn't be who I am today without it.

~~~

I've been baking sourdough recently. I got inspired by this new friend and she gave me some of her starter and sent me to this sourdough blog, and I was up and running, and I've had so much more baking success than I ever expected to have! I've seriously wanted this to be part of my routine since forever ago.

My crust is really tough and my shaping efforts are pretty laughable and I'm still learning how to gauge when the dough is fully proofed. But I'm loving it. This beginner loaf has been consistently good - I also made some OK pizza dough and a decent sandwich loaf.

Yesterday I took some fresh bread to my neighbor who just had a baby. I put it in a brown paper bag and walked it over hand in hand with Lucy June who was hankering for a peek at some newborn toes. The late afternoon light was stunning, and I thought: *this* is life.

~~~

I finished Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird this morning. I've been familiar with it for so long and read excerpts of it before, but I'd never read the whole thing. I can't recommend it enough if you like reading about writing. Which is one of my favorite things to read about so it's totally my cup of ginger turmeric tea.

~~~

How many books do you read at a time?

I read like five books at a time. I wonder if I would finish more books if I stuck to one, but I find myself craving different types of books at different times of day. Morning reading needs to be thoughtful. Naptime reading needs to be effortless. Evening reading needs to be gripping. In bed reading needs to be beautiful.

Currently, my bedtime book is Gilead. It's amazing. I read a couple pages and steep in the richness of it until I'm drowsy. I never want it to end.

~~~

Jacob and I went on a date last week (this restaurant for you Htown peeps) to use a Christmas gift card. It was amazing. Like entire pigs hanging in the meat locker kind of cool...so maybe that's not your thing...but I loved it.

Afterwards we went tipsy shopping at the Goodwill in the ritzy part of town. Tipsy thrifting on date night: highly recommend. I scored a couple Anthro dresses and barely used brand name shoes for the kids. I also giggled a ton because thrift stores can be so hilarious if you're two drinks in with somebody fun.

~~~

Ok. More secondhand clothes, because this is a fashion blog.

Last summer I used a two year old gift card and bought myself these shorts from Madewell. Full price! Because I am an adult. And I had a gift card.

Here they are on me!

Madewell models roll them up. I roll them down. Because enough white thigh is enough. It was everything I could do not to crop out my forehead wrinkles for this pic because #petty. But I didn't because #authenticity and they're a gift from my dad and I'm turning 32 next week so #embrace.

They have been such great shorts: they run laps around my Target shorts, which is good because I spent $75 on them. On shorts. Despite loving them, I wasn't sure I could throw down like that again.

Yesterday I remembered that I had a ThredUp credit from some clothes I sent in two years ago and voila! $90 Madewell denim shorts in my size for $26! Now I'm basking in the glow of buying (heavily discounted) quality.

Moral of the story: I have commendable shopping habits and you should try ThredUp. Just like everyone else already told you.

~~~

Jacob and I have a standing argument about how to feed a baby. His mess tolerance is very low and prefers to sit down, play the spoon game, and scrape the mouth and chin with every bite.

I'm the opposite. I'd much rather eat my food with my own hands and let baby do the same and then deal with the fallout.

My way:

 Jacob's way:

[NOT PICTURED]

[Because TEDIOUS AND BORING]

Visit Kelly for more takes and Happy Mardi Gras!

Banana Coconut Cream Popsicles

 The kiddos and I made popsicles this morning.

They helped pour ingredients into the blender and turn the on and off switch. Their eyes widened with expectation and delight as we filled the molds. And then I whisked the popsicles away and said they wouldn't be ready till after naps. I remember reading in Bringing Up Bébé how, when French families make treats together, they make the bébés wait to eat them until the culturally accepted snack time. It teaches patience or something? So I felt very French as I tucked our treats in the freezer...and kinda mean. And I liked it.

I confess that I'm not such a big popsicle fan. I'd just rather be eating ice cream, so I do. The kids however love them, and since you can tweak recipes to make them more nutritious, I think they're real winners as far summer treats go.

As soon as we've made popsicles more than twice, I can justify upgrading from our dollar store molds and land me some of these. My minimalist leanings always fly out the window when I want to embark on some vaguely nutritious new kitchen adventure. I feel like I'm doomed to fail if I don't have all the right gear. Do you suffer from this?

Say hello to a popsicle recipe that's hardly dessert it's so good for you. Well, the popsicles are very sweet, so there is the sugar thing, but otherwise: Snarf 'em down kiddies! Even your hippy grandmother would approve because I snuck in some maca root and grassfed gelatin!

Banana Coconut Cream Popsicles

1 can Coconut Cream
2 Frozen Bananas
2-3 T. Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Gelatin optional
1 tsp. Maca Powder optional
1 Tbs. chocolate sauce optional

Blend all ingredients except chocolate in blender, pour into molds, dollop some chocolate sauce on top (bottom?) and feel very fancy while twirling it in.

If you have some killer popsicle recipes/ingredients/tips/gear - or if your name is Jenna and you make gorgeous popsicles and blog at Wilber Huset - you should divulge in the comment section!!!

I would be grateful. My kids would be grateful! And my husband would be grateful...so long as the kids eat them outside mostly naked and I tackle them with a wet wipe on their way back inside. #messophobicfather.

Things I'm Loving this Summer

Hullo, July! I'd like you to note how relatively cool June was and its manageable number of mosquitos. Its watermelons however weren't that great, so you could totally one up her on that account.

Anyhoo, some things I've been loving this summer:

- 1 -

Grilling Pizza: We love pizza. A year ago I started using this recipe for crust from The Kitchn and haven't looked back. It's remarkably easy. Sometimes I'll put in a little semolina flour if I want a more crackery crust. We put out toppings and build our own pizzas on parchment paper and then toss them on the grill.

My brother in law even cracked an egg on his last week, and it was just about the most beautiful sunnyside up I'd ever seen.

- 2 -

Homemade Ice Cream: We have my mom's Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker on loan, and Costco has been keeping us in some decent quality cream. I've LOVED being able to try out all different flavors especially since our summer has been Blue Bell-less. And by all different flavors, I mostly just mean different ratios of malt and salt.

- 3 -

Hang Drying Laundry: I've gotten back in the habit of hang drying laundry. (I LOVE hang drying laundry. I even have a post in my draft folder all about how much I love hang drying laundry, but every time I try to publish it, I get nervous that it sounds all "Rah rah simple life! I'm doing it better than you!" - and since I am #nonconfrontational #forevah, in the draft folder it stays.)

Our dryer has been taking a looooong time to dry clothes, so out on the line they go, and I'm reminded of how much I love the activity. Admittedly, Houston is kinda soggy and even the sunny day turns on you in a matter of minutes, so while hanging the clothes out on the line may feel like a breezy pioneer poem, many a load has been frantically retrieved to the tune of thunder and in an onslaught of Braxton Hicks as I waddle dash outside to save the dry laundry.

- 4 -

A Zoo Membership: At the beginning of the summer we got a zoo membership. This is apparently something you "just do" if you're a mom in the city. I have no idea how to urban parent. All the parents I knew growing up just sent their kids to the creek and told them to watch out for fire ants. Things like theme parks and zoos were HUGE annual efforts. While I balked at getting a zoo membership, I love it. We can have a day there or a morning there or just drop by when we're in the neighborhood. We can plan a morning playdate there and see half a gorilla and call it good. We can picnic and get the kids completely zonked at the splash pad and head home in time for naps. And nobody makes any comments about how close your kids are together...because it's already a zoo.

- 5 -

Lentil Salad: A friend of mine tuned me into this lentil salad recipe recently, and it's changed my relationship to the blah lentil. I typically make it with more balsamic vinegar than ACV, maybe not quite so much mustard, and whichever of the spices I happen to have. New Roots calls it the best lentil salad ever, and I can't really attest to that, because it's the only lentil salad I've ever had, but it's delish. I've tried all kinds of add-ins, and haven't gone wrong yet.

Linking up with Jenna!

Cream Cheese Sausage Queso

I am not, nor will I ever be, a food blogger.

I might send you to someone else's water kefir tutorial. I might have Michael Ruhlman's Ratio on hold at the library. I might complain about my persistent baking woes. And very very occasionally I will venture into recipe land. Like today.

Today I'm giving you a recipe, but instead of sheepishly, I'm doing it boldly. Boldly! Because I've recently realized that some (maybe even most????) people don't know about this sausage dip. I want to change that.

First let me remind you that I'm a Texan. Born and raised. My ancestors came over with the good ole Stephen F and though our original homestead has literally been swallowed by the Gulf of Mexico, our flag is still planted.

That means I grew up eating Velveeta and Rotel. I don't know if this is just a Texas thing, but it basically wasn't a party when I was little without a lukewarm crockpot of queso getting that lovely plastic-y film on top.

I love Velveeta and Rotel. Even if the words "Processed cheese product" send chills up my spine and clog my whole food trumpet, I still love Velveeta and Rotel. So if you're like me, and you've got this whole foods itch, but you still love a good queso, this recipe is for you. It's not good for you, but at least the cheese is real cheese.

Cream Cheese Sausage Queso

Despite my relentlessly inferior food photography: this stuff is so good and so easy.

Three ingredients.

1 lb of sausage (italian or breakfast sausage.) 

8oz of cream cheese 

One can of Rotel 

(You of course know that you're never supposed to eat canned tomatoes, right? Good.)

Three steps.

Brown the sausage. Add the cream cheese and tomatoes. Stir occasionally while cheese melts

There's a lot of wiggle room in the ratio of these ingredients. This specific ratio is pretty sausage heavy. Which is not a bad thing...

Serve with chips and then come back and tell me how you like it.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

Oatmeal.

It's cheap. It's filling. It's easy. It's gluten free. Did I mention it's cheap? Well it's cheap.

And.......it's.........boring.

Unless you put your back into it just a little little bit. And bake it. Then it's cheap, filling, still pretty easy, still gluten free.

And.......DELICIOUS!!

There are lots of baked oatmeal recipes floating around the internet. My Baked Oatmeal Muffin recipe is a spin off of this one, but that one calls for WAY too much sugar and the final product is a little too crumbly. Jake has full body fits when his baked goods fall apart, so no can do for our resident tyrant. He actually won't let anyone but me make them anymore after one particularly crumbly experience when his father was at the baking helm.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins
Makes 12 muffins.

3 c. oats
1 c. water
1/2 c. milk (almond milk, coconut milk, whatever milk)
2 eggs
1/2 c. coconut oil
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. fixins (blueberries, dried cranberries. . . chocolate chips . . .)

Preheat oven to 350. Oil a muffin tin. Mix together the oats, water, milk, eggs, vanilla, and coconut oil, and set aside. In a separate bowl mix together sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Combine the dry bowl with the wet bowl. Mix well. Stir in your fixins. Spoon batter into your muffin tin and bake until set and the tops are beginning to brown. About 12 minutes.

*******DISCLAIMER*******The muffins will tend to fall apart if you don't let them cool a little in the pan. This may not be a big deal if your eaters are. . . rational.

Enjoy!!

7 Quick Takes: Spaghetti Squash Carbonara and Nap Strikes

Just another naptime. Just another case of writer's block. So...Quick Takes!!

- 1 -

We ate this Baked Spaghetti Squash Carbonara for dinner one night this week. It was delish. I love The Kitchn. I also regularly use her thin crust pizza recipe, because I like my pizza papery thin but I have absolutely no skill when it comes to baking, and she's been like my little guardian pizza angel. 

- 2 -

Hopefully most of you already follow Kelli Seeley. I met her at Edel, and I've gawked at her photos ever since.

Do yourself a favor and pay her a visit!!

- 3 -

Half of the internet seems to be on the Whole 30.

I tip my hat to you!

If I Whole 30ed, I would eat so many hard squashes and potatoes. I do not do well off carbs. I feel terrible. I think the longest I've gone without heavy starches or grains is like 36 hours and it was basically the worst 36 hours of my life. Shaking. Sweats. Headaches. Weakness. Jacob got home from work, took one look at me, and then force fed me spaghetti.

#goodman

Do you just have to power through that initial carb withdrawal??

- 4 -

NAP TALK

I'm really only a good mother when my children nap simultaneously. The occasional missed nap is not a big deal because I typically have some reserves to get through the day, but when the missed naps start compiling, things get bad fast. Jake will spend his nap yelling from behind his closed door "Is it all done???" and then the rest of the day having overtired fits, and I'll spend the rest of the day about to cry/crying. I have no patience for either kid or my husband or my brother who lives with us. It's no bueno.

After one of these afternoon fiascos, I was driving the kids to my friend's house for a get together. Jake was getting very excited about all the school buses we were seeing on the road. From his car seat in the back, he said: "Someday I'm going to go to school and you're going to stay home and then I'm gonna get really big and go far away."

And...I really thought that sounded just fine.

Umm....Nope. Not feelin you, mama bunny.

- 5 -

MORE NAP TALK

Yesterday I was determined to break the napstrike from hell. I told Jake that if he followed his naptime rules (lying in bed quietly) we could do something special after naptime was done - WHATEVER he wanted. He then decided he wanted to make cookies and eat them in a tent in his room with tea and milk while watching Diego on my computer. I said yes to everything and the kid was asleep approximately 75 seconds later.

Bribery in the name of sanity. Maybe I'll stop this by the time I have a seven year old.

- 6 -

So. I'm kinda into reading about parenting at the moment. Often my desire to read up on certain subjects doesn't coincide with my life events, and so far into parenting I've had approximately ZERO interest in reading up on child development. But my three year old is stretching me big time, and now I've got the itch.

Also, Jacob has agreed to read exactly ONE book with me. He will listen to it in the car, but whatever, I'll take it. So which ONE will it be?? Give me your recommendations.

- 7 -

On a final and very different note.

I posted yesterday about my dear friend, Wendy, whose 17 year old brother has Leukemia. He was diagnosed less than a month ago, and he is doing really really poorly. Please please pray for John Kozak.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends. Go see Jen for more takes!

Make Your Own Yogurt, You Yogurt Eater You

To make or to buy? This debate spans all kinds of industry, but is especially hot when it comes to yogurt. Is it really worth the hassle? Not surprisingly, I think it is. I tend to prefer my food life to be served up with a whole lot of unnecessary fuss in the name of "simplicity" however, and maybe you're like the polar opposite and that's fine. So here are some reasons to make yogurt at home.

- 1 -

It's Cheaper

Homemade yogurt is cheaper. Our homemade yogurt costs about $1.50/quart and our preferred storebought yogurt costs $4.00/quart. That means it's at least twice as expensive to buy it at the store. Your margins might be different, but this is true for us.

Maybe you're a frugalista like me, and you calculate how much you save by doing things yourself and then converting that into an hourly wage. I've been making yogurt for a long time, and it honestly only takes me about five minutes of "active" time. So if I make a half gallon of yogurt that saves me 5$ and it only takes me five extra minutes, it's kind of like earning 60$/hour.

But let's say making yogurt takes a lot more time than that for you, maybe you like to watch the pot boil and the temperature rise and you did nothing but stare at it for that entire half hour. Even in that scenario, I bet you'd still come out above minimum wage.

- 2 -

You Have Control Over the Milk Quality

I'm picky about my milk. I like it local and non-homogenized and grassfed and not ultra-temp pasteurized and preferrably organic but at least hormone/antibiotic free, blah blah blah. Yogurt that truly meets my dairy criteria is very hard to find and VERY expensive. But I can find the milk for $6.00/gal at Whole Foods, and the milk begets the yogurt.

- 3 -

You Have Control Over the Additives

So many yogurts are chock full of not only sugar but thickening agents and all kinds of other things that I'm sure do something, but I'm one of those really annoying types that likes to be able to pronounce everything on my food labels.

Back when Breyer's did that commercial with the kids who were trying to read the ingredient list of various ice cream brands and they could only read the Breyer's label because the ingredients were so basic. I loved that commercial. I was like "Preach it, kindergarteners!"

- 4 -

It isn't hard to do. 

I've never totally botched a batch of yogurt: I've had batches with better or worse consistency, but never a total fail. I'm pretty good at following directions, but I manage to screw up lots of kitchen efforts despite following the directions religiously. So I can say with the authority of the botcher: yogurt isn't hard to make. Making it takes forethought, but once it's part of your routine, it's a breeze.

- 5 -

You Can Find a Method That Works for You

There are lots of ways to make yogurt. You can make it in a Crock Pot. You can make it in your oven. You can make it with a cooler. You can make it in the yogurt maker you scored at Goodwill. Lots of options. See my way at the end of the post. Or Google it and find one that works with your life and your schedule.

- 6 -

You Can Strain it to Make Greek Yogurt

Real Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt because the whey has been strained out. (You can do this by dumping your yogurt into a cheese cloth draped over a strainer and letting the whey drip out for a few hours.)

Just think: someday when you skip your nightly ice cream scoop to indulge in your homemade Greek yogurt sweetened with raw local honey, not only will you get to eat something delicious that you made all by your little self and is pretty good for you on the dessert scale, you'll also get to contemplate how in Rhodes Log estimation you've reached the epitome of coolness.

- 7 -

Our Method

Gather ingredients: Milk and "Starter Yogurt" (Use yogurt from your last batch or if it's storebought, make sure it has "live and active cultures.)

Place jar(s) in stock pot.

Pour milk into jar(s).

Fill stockpot with water.

Boil jars in your pot till milk reaches a temp of 185 degrees-ish. (No thermometer? They're pretty cheap, or you can just heat it till the milk has a skin on top.) I start my batches of yogurt when I know I'm going to be in the kitchen for at least a half hour because that's about how long it takes to heat the milk in the stock pot.

Remove jar from pot to cool.

Check back in a couple hours. When the milk reaches a temperature of 110-120 degrees, gently stir in 1/4 c. yogurt per quart of milk. (No thermometer? Cool it till it's very warm but not so hot that you can't hold the jar comfortably in your hands.)

Put lid on jar and store in warm place (like your oven with the light on) for 8-24 hours.

Once yogurt has set, transfer it to the fridge. Don't stir it and try not to jostle it before it's chilled, that seems to be the key for better texture.

And Voila! Thoughts? Tips? Advice? Beef? I'd love to hear any and all of it. Linking up with Kathryn!

7QT: Transient Facial Paralysis and Salt Lamps

Joining Jen for her Quick Takes on this fateful Thursday evening because by some craziness I managed to finish everything I wanted to get done today.

- 1 -

So on two different occasions Lucy June has thrown up everything in her stomach and then some. We think the culprit is avocado. She'd eaten avocado without incident but the first time she had more than a few bites she threw it up a couple hours later. I suspected the avocado, but I willfully ignored it because...well because avocados are the most perfect food. But then low and behold a week later and we found ourselves in barf city after she'd eaten about a quarter of an avocado.

Poor little sweet little poor little thing. Any thoughts from you mothers out there? I just want someone to tell me she's gonna get over it. But it would also be fair to just tell me to take my fat baby with her random food sensitivity and be grateful.

- 2 -

So I wrote a post about my Whirley Pop. Guess who else wrote a post about her Whirley Pop? The Brez Herself. Another reason for her to be both our favorites.

- 3 -

One thing I miss about California is always being only a few miles away from Sprouts.

There are a few of them in Houston but none anywhere close to us. So I used Jacob's afternoon off to drag the whole family there Wednesday afternoon because Wednesdays are Double Ad Wednesdays, and I had to scratch my Sprouts itch. 4 mangos for a dollar? 2 dollar blueberry pints? I know I'm a born and bred Texan and my mother is from Corpus Christi and therefore I'm supposed to defend HEB to the bitter end. But, Sprouts, you have my heart. 

- 4 -

When visiting a friend in Fredericksburg she showed me her Himalayan Salt Lamp. Jacob of course had heard of them before but I hadn't.

It allegedly purifies the air. I really want one because I never met something with "natural ionization" on the label that i didn't like. But it's hard to classify it as a real need, so I'm thinking about calling it a nightlight and counting it as a birthday present for the toddler.

- 5 -

I've been to the dentist five times in the last three weeks. I went first for a cleaning and then back for a couple fillings. Then I went back twice to get one of the fillings filed down because it was causing me pain. She finally put in a new filling today. Not sure whether we're out of the woods painwise, but I did get to take some great selfies of my mild "Transient Facial Paralysis" because the dentist was a little heavyhanded with the lidocaine.

Ah, the joys of motherhood-inspired tooth decay.

- 6 -

I'll finish off with a couple gems from the little man who must be going through a growth spurt or something because it's all food all the time with him.

After seeing him chewing on something in my rearview mirror:

Me: What are you eating?

Jake: Just the breakfus I found in my car seat.

- 7 -

After forfeiting his treat for the day because he didn't stay in his bed during naptime. I overheard him talking to a stuffed animal:

Jake: "It'll be forever that I don't have ice cream."

#meanmom

I'm also linking up with Blythe's Hot Mess Link Up because I think between the vomit, the temporary facial paralysis, and the car seat buffet we more than qualify.

The Whirley Pop

So I started this post about mothering earlier today. About how it's hard and wonderful and how I'm learning so much about my attitude. Complete with a little anecdote and some neat one liners. You know. The usual fair from the R Log when Kate gets deepish and introspective.

But then my little brother redboxed Ironman 3, and I'm a sucker for a weeknight blockbuster. Of course I whipped out a wedding gift: The old. The faithful. Whirley Pop. 

Perhaps the same Whirley Pop I used last night when the same brother brought home Saving Mr. Banks. Perhaps the same Whirley Pop that I used the night before that for the run of the mill Shark Tank viewing. 

Perhaps I have a problem called popcorn, but if you still microwave yours then you have a bigger problem than I do. This baby does caramel corn and kettle corn and you never really have to clean it, it also will roast your coffee beans, but I don't know a lick about that because I'm not that hipster. 

This post brought to you courtesy of my iDevice from a crib mattress on the floor of my bedroom as I lie next to a squirmy 7 monther who almost won't sleep without two feet nestled into my stomach and one hand gripping my shirt. I will soon summon my semblance of abdominal muscles to extricate myself from the tete a tete in a vain and at best halfhearted attempt to teach the baby some soporific independence. No judging. Martha climbed into her son's actual crib, if I remember correctly. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. 

See you on the other side.

The Husband's Favorite Kitchen Items

So today I'm copycatting myself and posting Jacob's favorite of our kitchen items to Hallie's Link Up.

When we first started dating, Jacob and I couldn't be in the kitchen together without arguing. All of the kids in Jacob's family grew up experimenting in the kitchen. He was very comfortable at the stove; he'd toss in new ingredients and skip others and had that obnoxious disdain for recipes that Recipe Followers like myself have trouble appreciating. At one point we had a rule that only one of us was allowed in the kitchen at any given time. Either he was cooking or I was cooking. Neither of us were very proud of this development, but it probably saved our relationship.

The root of the problem: Jacob was a better cook than I was. He experimented in the kitchen and the food he made was delicious. I knew how to make my mother's chili and my mother's chicken and dumplings and that's about where my prowess ceased. Part of me loved that Jacob was a good cook, but the other part of me found it infuriating, especially when his culinary knowhow would skulk about my shoulder while I was trying my hand at the stove. I remember when he made me a dish that I didn't like. It was some type of pasta, and he'd thrown in a spice that didn't do the dish any favors. I ate his failed pasta with such relish because it proved that Jacob Augustine Rhodes wasn't flawless in the kitchen and maybe we could get married after all.

Five years of marriage later and we've matured into a nice and traditional "Wife does 90%" of the cooking, I frequently ask him to taste test, and kitchen fights are a thing of the past.

Cutting this long story not quite so long, here are Jacob's five favorite kitchen items, or at least the five kitchen items he responded with when I quizzed him this morning.

- 1 -

A Universal Lid

Jacob wanted this lid so much he bought it for me for Christmas and opened it for me two weeks early. It finds its way onto the stove whenever he's in the kitchen. It's admittedly very handy.

- 2 -

Vitamix

We are blender people. The blender we got when we first married was a classy looking thing that smelled a little like burning rubber whenever we used it. We knew we wanted a nice blender, and we soon found ourselves on the frontlines of the great Blendtec vs. Vitamix debate. We picked the Vitamix because we preferred the control panel - Blendtec's is digital - and the tamper is sort of indispensable with the kind of smoothies we tend to make. We've had ours for about a year and a half, and we use it multiple times a day.

They're pretty cost prohibitive, but they have great warranties and you can buy Certified Refurbished Vitamixes that are less expensive.

- 3 -

Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender

I'm actually surprised that I forgot this when I put up my kitchen favorites. I grew fond of these in Europe, and we got one for our wedding. It got a lot of use when Jakeboy started solids since he was on a pretty deliberate little baby diet called What Mom & Dad Are Eating All Mashed Up. I'm pretty sure Jacob likes it because of it's associations with Butternut Squash Bisque. 

- 4 -

 Bar Mops

 

When I first eschewed paper towels I wasn't very formal about it. I had a bag of old rags mixed in with our nice dish towels and our napkins, and this "system" drove Jacob crazy. So we bought some bar mop towels that now sit in a nice stack under our sink, can be used for all household messes, and get thrown straight into a laundry basket whenever they've reached their limits.

- 5 -

Looking around Kitchen. Glances at Liquor Cabinet: 
Does Alcohol Count?

Sure, babe.

What are your significant other's favorite things in your kitchen?

>> <<

Well I have to run away and read some Little House in the Big Woods with the little man.

Me: let's read the one about the sugar snow and the dance at grandpa's.

Jake: I think we could just read about the bear and Pa gets his toenail ripped off.