Lifestyle

The Essential Gift Guide for the Home Cook

November 14, 2019 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

As a minimalist, it can be hard when people buy me kitchen tools. My kitchen is tiny, so I try to keep gadgets to a bare minimum. That means no countertop appliances that take up valuable real estate. I’m looking at you toaster oven! As much as I’d love to have an air fryer, I simply can’t. It’s just too big! This year I’ve created a list of gifts for the cooks in your life that they will actually use. These are absolute must haves for me (I do own most of these things). As a reader, I couldn’t skip over adding a cookbook section. This is really a short list of the cookbooks that I find most important. I positively couldn’t live without Tartine Bread. There’s something for everyone here.

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7 Ways To Use the Instant Pot

August 6, 2019 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

As someone who cooks multiple times daily, I don’t subscribe to trendy gadgets. My slow cooker is from 2009 and sits high on a shelf where I can’t reach it and frankly never need to. If given the choice between an easy slow cooked dinner in which I have to reach high on that shelf and get out a step stool or a difficult dinner cooked in a trusty (and rusty) dutch oven, to avoid all forms of climbing to get to difficult things, I would rather cook a difficult dinner. I have been using the same hand-me-down immersion blender I’ve had for ten years, and I refuse to buy a blender. So when the Instant Pot gained popularity, my first thought was “Great, another THING to add to my kitchen that will sit high on a shelf.” I am happy to report that I was dead wrong. Cut to me using this large, bulky device every day. You may be wondering why you need an instant pot and what all the hype is, but I’ve got you covered! I never thought I would use mine as much as I do, and now it’s an almost everyday staple. Here’s how I use my instant pot all the time. To buy the exact one I have, click here!

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Italy Guide: What to do in Rome, Florence and Siena

April 2, 2019 by Elizabeth 2 Comments

View from the river in Florence

We recently went to Italy for the first time, and what I didn’t know about the place could fill a book. We booked our trip just a month before our travel dates, so we didn’t have much time to prepare. What I wanted was a guide that tells me what restaurants are actually good and what to tip, wear, eat, and where to stay. So I have come up with a short guide on our favorites plus some tips on traveling to these places. I haven’t recommended some of the most popular sights, because well… popular means a lot of people. So for a gal with a lot of anxiety, this isn’t my idea of fun. I hope this guide will help you if you ever travel to Italy!

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My Pantry Makeover

January 15, 2019 by Elizabeth 2 Comments

My pantry is a living nightmare of crap. I have collected spices that I’m certain are older than my youngest brother (he’s fifteen). And I’m pretty sure I found several spice jars I’ve had since college, which was an alarmingly long time ago. January seems to be the best time to get rid of things, so I decided it was time to finally tackle the pantry. These may not be my best photo moments. I had a light go out in the pantry that needs to be repaired, and I went to Home Depot three times. It’s still not fixed, but it’s more about the journey than how great my photos are.

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