The sun is out at last, and the countryside beckons. After we caravaned to the very brink of the estate, Bradley took my arm and led me along the shoreline path. Meanwhile, the hampers were removed from the boot. A table set up under a gauze awning strung from tree-to-tree. The silver strawberry dish sprinkled with sugar and champagne put to ice. Perfectly timed, the staff was out of sight upon our return, save the musicians who began a gentle serenade from beyond the wall of curtains. Continue Reading ->

Ok, I was swept away by the spoon you can rest on the lip of the pot. Seriously, why use clips when the utensil does the job for you? But I admit, these are versatile. There are tiles when the same wooden spoon does not do all, and then what? And ew, I hate it when you have a spoon rest with more than one item/dish. I haven’t given these up yet. Continue Reading ->

When I grew up we were pretty down-to earth with kitchen tools. We had a potato peeler - but nobody ever used it. Point-of-pride within the family was peeling with a paring knife and wasting as little as possible. Of course, my father was a carpenter and he wouldn’t even sharpen a pencil with the proper utensil - why look for one when you already have a knife? Years later, Continue Reading ->

Yes, yes, you can at last go specific with your spices. What I like best about these wee grinders is that you can fill them with your own combinations and herbs. While they don’t replace my coffee grinder for fresh, fine chopping - they are a great convenience for everyday use, year round. From pepper to rosemary (ahhh rosemary) to celery seed - it’s a quick way to release more flavor - especially with dried herbs. Continue Reading ->

Okay, I saw this at my discount store kitchen wares aisle this weekend and laughed out loud. I would categorize it under “things that make great gifts because you don’t want them” category. Yes, it’s a bit of genius. But it’s a really pointless bit of discovery. It reminds me of some of my best buys in the “have to have but don’t need” selections. Continue Reading ->