Monday, September 17, 2007

Favorite Things

So, I'm totally copying Lindsey's post, because I thought it was such a good idea and fun too! And I want to know what everyone else's is!

**fresh flowers from the garden on the kitchen table**

I have the worst luck with gardening, so when God blesses me with beautiful flowers by virtue of Santa Maria's ideal climate and the miracle of automatic sprinklers, I'm more than happy to adorn my home with them. It's such a nice way of bringing the outside in and always cheers up even the messiest of kitchens! These roses in particular are so fragrant! (notice how my dog is in the background wondering why on earth she's not being let back in).


**Italian Platter**

On a lunch break when I still worked in Solvang, my boss and I went into this great little boutique and I fell in love with this handpainted platter imported from Italy. I was disheartened at the price tag and told her that someday when I was rich, I would buy myself a platter like that. A month later, my co-workers had pitched in and gotten me the platter for my birthday! I'm a little neurotic with it, and don't let anyone else wash it for fear it might break, but I just love it and would hate to see it shatter!



**Antique Hutch**

I'm not much of an antique person, but I just adore this hutch from the 1800's that I practically stole from a woman in Solvang who was moving her boutique into a much smaller location. She didn't have the room in the new store for the piece and sold it to me for $200...the price tag said $1,400! My favorite is the stained glass inserts and the way that the old fashioned glass isn't perfectly smooth.



**Le Creuset**

I love, love, love Le Creuset. It's a French company that makes these great cookware pieces out of cast iron (heavy!) in a sand mold (so no two are alike...or so they tell me) and then coats it with enamel. Normally, I'm a total cheapskate and could never imagine paying the kind of prices these things go for, but I'm a sucker for the vibrant red, the even cooking you get with cast iron...and let's face it, boiling water in this pot makes you feel fabulous!


**Kitchenaid Stand Mixer**
Until you have one of these, you don't know what you're missing. The ultimate power tool for women!


**Grandma's Wedding Dishes**
Because my family immigrated here from Portugal in the mid 1970's, we don't have a lot in the way of family heirlooms (you can't bring a ton of stuff with you!). But, my grandma recently asked me if I wanted what was left of the dishes she got as a wedding gift...of course I did! There are only a handful of pieces, almost all of them are chipped, the porcelain coating has worn off, and they're no longer functional, but they're so precious!


**philosophy hope in a jar**
I have tried every brand of moisturizer, at every price point, and this is by far my favorite. Smells like lavender, which is kind of icky, is expensive ($35 for 2 oz.) but it lasts forever (about 8 months for me) and I love the way it feels on my skin.


**A well stocked and organized pantry**

I firmly believe that more people would make homebaked goodies if only they had the right tools (the stand mixer above) and had a well stocked pantry. Baking is simple and fun if it doesn't require a trip to the grocery store first! And keeping your dry goods in clear containers not only keeps them fresh but makes it easy to see what you need to buy more of!


Did you notice that almost all of my favorite things belong in the kitchen?

12 comments:

Brianna Heldt said...

i feel like i just totally learned more about you. your grandma's wedding dishes are so sweet, i didn't know that hutch was an antique, and i didn't know that you didn't like lavender, although for some reason i would have predicted that you didn't like it!

Jeannett said...

Lavender, curry and watermelon flavoring...all things that give me a headache! (I like watermelon...just not stuff that is flavored like it...jolly ranchers, etc.)

Jeannett said...

Oh, and your next post should be a favorite things one too!

Rachel Slagle said...

So fun! If I was to put together a favorites list there would be lots of kitchen items too... It is so awesome that you have your grandma's wedding dishes even if they are not usable!

Unknown said...

I did notice that "Aunt Peggy's famous hot cocoa mix" is center stage in your pantry!! I am honored ;)

Hope all is well.

Tess is wanting to come to visit Tesso--are you up for a visit??

lindsey said...

ooh! i forgot about the kitchenaid mixer - ditto!

Brianna Heldt said...

yeah jeannett i'll try to whip something up!

Jeannett said...

Peg-
Give me a couple of weeks to get into the swing of things now that I'm going back to work. Call me and we can talk dates!

Rachel-
I think you should do a favorite things post too! (Even if you're kitchen is up in the air, I bet you can find something to photograph!)

joy said...

i just did my fav things and i forgot a couple that were similar to yours--the kitchenaid and my mom's china. i love your favs and am so envious you have le creuset. i love that stuff, too. i'm due to inherit some, so hopefully not anytime soon!

Jeannett said...

Joy- Don't envy my Le Creuset collection too much...most of the pieces are actually the stoneware line, I have very few of the cast iron pieces. But, what's nice about "collecting" LC is that it makes for easy birthday/christmas gift ideas for family! And, one of the reasons I do love it so much is the "heirloom" quality of it...it is totally the kind of stuff you pass down to daughters!

Rachel said...

When I saw the picture of the mixer, I thought "I don't get the fascination with these things" Then I read what you said and HAD to laugh. I actually stir most baked items by hand, except cake mix so my $30, 10 year old mixer, works fine. Maybe when I am 15 pounds thinner I'll want to bake...

Brianna Heldt said...

ever since i got my kitchenaid mixer a few years ago, i have wanted to kick myself for not getting it sooner! i LOVE it--makes baking so much easier!