Favorite Kitchen Tools!

Happy Friday you guys!!!

I'm back today for another Friday Link Up!

This week, I'm linking up with THREE different groups.

Make sure to check them all out at the bottom of this post!

Since the majority of what I post about is food,
and I've been cooking for quite a few years now,
I figured today I'd share with you guys my

FIVE FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS!!!

Wusthof Knives

 While I don't have a full set of these babies,
I have pieced together a nice collection over time.
My collection includes the following:
17-Slot Block, Chef's Knife, Santoku Knife, 
Paring Knife, Pull- Apart Shears and a Honing Steel 


Hamilton Beach Programmable Crock Pot

I've used a crock pot for well over a decade,

but this one is a HUGE step up from my original.

Not only is it much bigger, it's programmable,

but the best part is that you can brown the meat in it!!!

I don't know about you, but that was a game changer for me.

Kitchen Gurus Food Scale

My brother got the for me for my brithday a few years ago.
And while it's not something I'd probably have bought myself,
I really do love having it around now.
I find myself using it more and more these days
because it makes certain tasks so much faster and easier!


KitchenAid Stand Mixer

I've had my stand mixer for almost ten years now.

When I first got it, I thought I'd make baking easier.

But I've learned to use it for other things too.

It makes certain cooking tasks easier,

and I haven't had to kneed dough by hand in years!!!

Cast Iron Double Burner Reversivle Grill/Griddle

This is one of my most used kitchen tools by far.
It's so versitle and I'm always finding new things to make on it.
It makes making tons of pancakes super easy,
is a great way to grill meats indoors,
and make an amazing grilld cheese sandwich too!!!
 
Don't forget, many places online offer cast back through Ebates!
I ALWAYS check Ebates before placeing an order online.
And really - who doesn't like free money???
It's not always much, but it's some money back!

Now for more Friday Link Up Fun, check out the blogs below!

Andrea and Erika's blogs from Friday Favorites.

April and Christina's blogs from 5 on Friday.

Karli and Amy's blogs from oh hey friday!

 

Show & Tell: Organization

When I saw that Andrea was hosting a Show & Tell Link Up about Organization,

I KNEW that I had to post, link up and show you all about my crazy ways!!!

Yes, I know my antics are crazy and yes, I know I'm a little OCD.

Okay, maybe more than a little...

Anyway - I know this post will be kinda long,

but it covers a lot of different aspects of organization in my life!

From the kitchen, to my closet, to holiday decor and more!!!

Keep reading to find out all about how I keep MY life organized!

Let me start out with lists.

I'm ALL about lists!

For me - using them makes it easier to prioritize, 

and I end up getting a lot more done!

I used them both at home and work.

My kitchen/dining room closet comes in very handy 

and if organized well it can store quite a bit! 

I purchased the baskets years ago on clearance from Target

and they've come in quite handy since day one.

Yes, even my freezer and fridge are organized.

I can't stand just throwing things in 

and I get more use out of the space this way!

And the organization extends to my pantry as well!

This makes cooking MUCH easier for me.

More baskets!!! I like lists, but I may like baskets more...

I don't have a linen closet and I had to come up with a solution.

I have a rather large bedroom closet, so I decided to use that

and organize my linens by type into different baskets. 

You didn't expect my linens to be organized and my clothes not, right?

Of course I organize all the clothes in my closet and dressers too!

In my closet, I separate things by sleeve length and then by color.

It makes finding whatever I'm looking fo a lot easier!

And my shoes are pretty organized as well.

I know that it takes up quite a bit of space,

but I like to keep my boots in their boxes.

They keep their shape much better and don't get dusty!

Most of my scarves are folded and organized in a dresser drawer...

But I also have a lot of my infinity scarves hanging here!

I'm not going to show you all my dresser drawers...

but just know that all the drawers are as organized as my sock drawer!

My brother and sister-in-law got me that jewelry case when I graduated from college.

It's super awesome and holds quite a bit!

But I now have too many bracelets.

So I made this handy little holder myself!

You're not surprised that my organization extends to my crafts too, right?

Again, being organized here makes finding what I'm looking for so much easier!

My cardstock is organized by color.

And my stickers are organized by occasion or holiday.

Last but not least, my holiday decorations are all organized into plastic tubs.

Years ago I had one, yes ONE tub, for all the holidays combined.

But since I like decorating SO much (see examples here, here and here!)

multiple holidays now have their own box(es)!!!

So that's it!

Like I said before...

I know that I'm a little (maybe a lot) crazy,

but this is what works for ME!

Not everything will work for everyone,

but I hope you you have found something useful.

Now go to Andrea's page to see more Show &Tell: Organization posts!

Oh Boy! New Kitchen Toys!

New kitchen toys are exciting. I'm not sure what excites me more - new kitchen toys, new garden stuff or new clothes. I really like all three thing and they excite me for different reasons.

While garden stuff and clothes are great, this post is about new kitchen toys so lets get back to that...

Over the last few weeks I've become the proud owner of a few different new kitchen toys. Not just one, not just two, nope not three either - but FOUR new kitchen toys to be exact!

I can't pick out which thing excites me most though. Two of the new things are things I've been wanting and really needing for awhile. I got both of them less than 4 days ago and yes, both have already been used.

What are they you wonder?

I know I'm really talking them up so they better be good right?

Well - honestly who cares if YOU think they're good because I think they're all AMAZING.

Enough babbling - onto the amazingness! :)

I've owned the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and Food Processor for awhile and I was in the market for a new blender, so it made sense to stay with the amazing brand and now I'm the proud owner of a NEW Onxy Black KitchenAid Blender. 

The box.

The blender!

I used it yesterday - twice and man I LOVE it! I am glad I got it and I don't know why it took so long!

And since I have the awesome new blender, I had to get NEW popsicle freezer molds. I found these cool star shaped ones on Amazon and couldn't resist. These are an improvement from any other ones I've used in the past.  

The box.

The popsicle molds.

Yes - I've already used these too. I made smoothie popsicles using my new blender too! Read all about those in a future post. 

My next new toy was an unexpected find this weekend. While browsing my local Marshalls I found a pan I've been wanting forever! I walked out with a few other things, but the best buy was my NEW Cuisinart Saute pan.

I love the size, I love the color and most of all I love how well it cooks things.

Last but not least is the only new toy I haven't used yet, but I'm still very excited about it! I got a NEW salad bottle/mixer. It has the cool mixing wand inside and a few recipes on the side. 

Funny thing - I made salad dressing tonight, but forgot about this and didn't get to use it! Oh well - There's always next time. :)