home cook supply list

These are a few of my favorite things…Or what Lauren needs…

I love a good meal in a bowl…These are my absolute favorite bowls! The only thing I don’t recommend serving from them is ice cream, because that would just be ridiculous.

Crate and Barrel’s 8″ Bistro Bowls are my FAVORITE!

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Truly the only pan you will ever need, it will never let you down. If something turns out poorly, it’s because you haven’t be taking proper care of your baby.

My preference, is, of course 10″. You can fit 3 steaks, you can roast 2 lbs of potatoes or 3 heads of cauliflower. This is your work horse. I am also partial to the baby cast iron, because it’s perfect for eggs and, obviously adorable.

GET A COVER, YOU WON’T REGRET IT!

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And no soap, you fool!

I am in love with my Martha Stewart Cast Iron Pot. I spend a lot of time imagining what I’ll use it for next… Mmmmm brisket…

Martha Stewart Dutch Oven

Le Creuset ANYTHING Yes, the Le Creuset is beautiful and classic and will likely last forever. I would like to have one some day. However I just can’t spend the price of a round trip plane ticket on a pot which I will make Sloppy Joe’s in. But if you have $400 laying around, go for it!

too rich for my blood

All knives are NOT created equal! A wise man once told me “why buy 5″ when you can have 7”? I couldn’t agree more. This is my go to, most favorite knife. A good knife is like a good pair of jeans, sure you have multiple types and styles, but you always have a favorite.

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listen to john

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why do I listen to silly rules about when to sleep with someone, when to call, when not to call, when to text, what not to text but choose to ignore what is arguably the best dating advice ever given? In the works of Carrie Bradshaw “am I a masochist?”

also discovered today, the best way to cure a romantic “burn” (we won’t call it heartbreak, there weren’t as many feelings or much time involved… Or for that matter…) is cooking, talking, coffee, Wegman’s samples, whiskey, cookies, and sushi. And maybe pizza. (Yes I am still counting points. It is not pretty…)

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stacked || restaurant week

restaurant week started off, dare I say- bland. booking lunch at a Latin establishment in the mall was a terrible mistake I will hear about for years to come. no I did not know it was in the mall. Yes we should have left when we got there.

The Capital Grille, however, turned the restaurant week experience around. Being, well, me (ridiculous! a heavy burden, the ridiculousness) I ate light (yogurt, banana, salmon salad, multiple starbucks coffees) all day in anticipation of gorging myself on surf and turf. And played the full on healthy eating martyr, of course. “Oh I’m just having a banana” or “no rice for me, only salad please.”
The problem with this plan started when I ordered not one but two dirty martinis prior to dinner, on an empty stomach (#drunkbeforedinner is the hashtag I have developed to commemorate the experience…) Which, if you know anything about drinking vodka on an empty an stomach after eating “clean” all day, you’ll probably also know what happened next. The bread basket! Oh the bread basket, my personal road to destruction… My weakness, bread and butter, only to be matched in affection and horror by the bottomless tortilla chip basket! What I’m trying to say is I love carbs and I ate ALL OF THEM. Before any real food had been served. And there was so much real food! Caesar and Wedge Salads, Filet Mignon with grilled Shrimp, mashed potatoes, green beans, creme brûlée, fancy flourless lovely chocolate cake, we came we saw we are it ALL.

I came home STUFFED. Full on food coma; I fantasized about taking my pants off and lying on my bed, moaning “I’m so full”. I was greeted in the foyer by a package! Usually packages elicit a deceleration of “I love packages!” often sung. This package however was greeted with an “oh, shit”. Because, this package contained new JEANS.

DENIM.

In a size I wasn’t quite sure would fit, but needed to both for my ego and wallet. (One of those “I’m in between sizes but I won’t buy the bigger size because I’m supposed to be losing weight decisions” which I’m sure you’re familiar with, oh you know if you’re a person!)

I brought the package upstairs, opening it immediately, eager to get the fitting over with, before I was without the energy or nerve. There was a short prayer, much wiggling, and a few squats and then they were on… And my ass looked SPECTACULAR!

So spectacular that I promptly wiggled out of them, and passed out* for a two hour nap! Sheer exhaustion from a job well done… Both the steak consumption and denim wiggling…

*at 10:35pm (which might explain why I’m up writing this now…)

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sick daze

It started as allergies, I blamed estate sales and dust at first.

But it settled in and came to be known as the funk.

Known cures include: Pho, tea, bourbon, chicken soup, mexican coke, cupcakes.

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best of The basement: 1983-1995

One of the final parts of completing my parents big move into the newly remodeled homestead was the sorting of childhood toys. The ghosts of Christmas, birthdays, hospital stays and rewards past. My dad chose to document this process rather artistically. Much to the amusement of everyone at Christmas Eve dinner.

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