Waterford Crystal has long been associated with toasting flutes and drinking glasses, basically, the kind of things you register for at your wedding and only use on rare occasions.  But Waterford Crystal is not just for glasses, it can be used in so many other ways.  You can find it used as lamp bases, vases, christmas ornaments, candlesticks, picture frames and so much more. 

The word Waterford is so associated with crystal that some people even think it is a type or style of crystal.  But Waterford is actually a brand, so named for the place it was originally produced, Waterford, Ireland.  It has been around for more than 250 years and is synonymous with quality crystal.

Brought to you by

Waterford at Beso.com

While cookies and milk were the quintessential snacks of our youth, I much more prefer espresso (from my favorite Breville Cafe Modena Espresso Machine) and cookies as an adult. Blogger Buns in My Oven posted this perfectly sweet recipe on her website and I cannot wait to bite into my own homemade oatmeal pie cookie.

Oatmeal Cream Pies
recipe from Honey & Jam

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups flour
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tbsp cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 cups quick oats

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in vanilla and the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and oats. Beat into the cream mixture. Refrigerate cookie dough for 15 minutes.

Drop about 1 tbsp of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The centers should still be slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Spread about 1 tbsp of cream filling (recipe below) on the bottom of one cookie and then top with another cookie.

Cream Filling

* 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I imagine butter would work just fine)
* 1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1-2 tbsp milk, as needed

Cream together the shortening and marshmallow cream. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, beat well. Thin with milk until you get the right consistency. The mixture should be thick and creamy, but easily spreadable.

Here is the Breville ESP6SXL Cafe Modena Espresso Machine. Beauty!

If you really want to make me jealous…(drumroll) presenting, the

Breville BES820XL Espresso Machine!

And fresh ground coffee to go with. I need to try this :

Breville iKON Conical Burr Grinder

Have you ever used a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine and thought to yourself that there has got to be a better way?

Check out the Waring Pro Cordless Wine Opener.  Made of rubber and stainless steel, this cordless wine opener can remove up to 80 corks in one charge.  A nice feature is that has a removable foil cutter, and also unlike some other wine openers it can open both natural and synthetic corks.  The design is very sleek, although it does remind me a little bit of an electric razor.  However, I think that is outweighed by it being such a cool modern way to open a bottle of wine!

This cordless wine opener would make a great gift as it’s only $39.95 and a neat gadget. For wine lovers, I recommend pairing it with another wine-related gift, like a decanter or a great bottle of wine (I recommend Ultimate Wine Shop for its huge selection).

Have you ever been in someone’s kitchen and seen something that you’ve never seen before?  Check out this item below:

Can you tell what it is?  A silver donut?  A trivet?  An ultra modern light?  A mirror?  Well, it’s actually a WMF Vino Foil Cutter.  Maybe big wine drinkers would have guessed that this item was a Wine Bottle Foil Cutter, but me, not so much! 

If you check out other wine bottle foil Cutters, you’ll see that the WMF is the sexiest in the bunch.  A lot of the others are much bigger and more bulky, and look like you’re using construction tools on your wine bottle .

The WMF is stainless steel with a mirrored finish and has a substantial weight that makes it easy to handle.  According to reviews of it on Amazon.com it sounds like it is super easy to use and looks stylish and sexy on any table or bar.

I love the anticipation of opening a great bottle of wine, but without the Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel , I have to let the wine aerate and sit for twenty minutes to open up. What a disappointment when I have piping hot food at the table ready to go!

Metrokane Rabbit Wine-Shower Funnel

The Metrokane Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel not only aerates the wine but also catches any sediments. And for about twenty dollars, it’s a simple addition to any wine lover’s collection!

Of course, like the image above, the Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel needs to sit in a type of wine decanter or wine carafe like this:

Spiegelau wine decanter

The Spiegelau wine decanter would make any table setting look great and the Metrokane Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel will make your wine taste great!

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I am a perfectionist and need to have an accurate oven thermometer for my meat and my oven gloves , the DuPont Nomex 3 Finger Gloves , to be able to re-create the perfect braised ribs my mom used to make.

DuPont Nomex 3 Finger Heat Resistant Gloves

OXO Oven Thermometer

Here is a Wolfgang Puck Braised Short Rib recipe via Cooking on the Side

Braised Short Ribs

From the back of the Wolfgang Puck All Natural Beef-Flavored Stock carton

INGREDIENTS:

6 serving-sized pieces beef short ribs (about 4 pounds)

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine

4 cups beef stock

Season the beef with the peppercorns. Coat the beef with the flour. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an oven-safe 8-quart saucepot over medium- high heat. Add the beef and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s well browned on both sides. Remove the beef from the saucepot. Pour off any fat.

Heat the remaining oil in the saucepot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly browned, stirring often. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and stock and heat to a boil. Return the beef to the saucepot. Cover the saucepot. Bake at 350°F for 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock mixture.

Transfer the beef to a serving platter. Heat the stock mixture in the saucepot over medium heat to a boil. Cook until the mixture is reduced to 1 quart. Remove and discard the parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Serve the beef and gravy over hot noodles or mashed potatoes.

Choosing the right cookware can be difficult.  Do you go for the high end brand with the equally high price tag, or do you choose a more affordable set, taking a potential risk on quality?

On the high end of the range, you’ll find brands like Le Creuset .  Le Creuset has been making high end cookware for close to ninety years and is known for its great craftsmanship.  They have a line of forged hard-anodized frying pans that are extremely durable and non-stick.  They are dishwasher safe and come with a 10 year warranty.   You can expect to pay anywhere from $49.95 – $150 per pan.

On the other hand there are less expensive brands like Emerilware .  Emerilware is the line from chef Emeril Lagasse , and is sold at stores like Cooking.com .  You can get a hard-anodized frying pan from the Emerilware line for as little as $19.99.  These pans are scratch resistant and have ergnomic handles, and are also are non-stick.  However, they are not dish washer safe.  They do however come with a lifetime warranty, which Le Creuset does not.

From doing research online, there is not as much anecdotal information to support the quality of the Emerilware line, but it’s also much newer to the market then Le Creuset so not as well known.  Other than the difference in the machine wash vs. hand wash and the info I found on heat threshold (Le Creuset is oven safe to 500 degrees, Emerilware to 450) I’d say that it would be worth taking a shot on the lower priced line if you are looking to save money.  Sure, with Le Creuset you know you are getting something high quality, but that doesn’t mean that with less pricy lines you aren’t, and you can sure afford a lot more ingredients when you buy the cheaper pan!

I don’t often wear aprons . Do you?

These from Stanley & Sons seem tough, reliable and perfect for an outside grill. With summer BBQs upon us, these aprons are the perfect protection for any wayward bits. Each apron is one of a kind and made from reclaimed materials, like old army tents.

For the more feminine chef or cook, I like the damask print on this Sur La Table Onyx Apron . It’s sophisticated enough for any fancy evening IN!

I also really like kitschy ones like Sur La Table’s Red Cherries Ava Apron and their Adult Cupcake Apron.

Very Mrs. Beaver!

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One of my favorite things about summer is inviting friends over for a barbecue. There’s nothing better than the smell of a Weber Smokey Joe charcoal grill and fresh citronella candles on the table. This summer, I’ll be treating my guests to a healthy feast served on bold, beautiful melamine dinnerware. I absolutely adore the Jonathan Adler Kaleidoscope collection!

We’ll also be sipping on refreshing sparkling raspberry lemonade while enjoying our time in the sizzling California sunshine. No barbecue is complete without fresh corn on the cob, but since I’ve been on a bit of a baking streak lately, I think I might mix things up a bit with these adorable corn-on-the-cob cupcakes.

Makes 24 cupcakes or 8 “ears of corn”

Ingredients

Vanilla Frosting
Yellow liquid food coloring
24 Vanilla Cupcakes, baked in white paper liners
3 1/2 cups small yellow, cream, or white jelly beans, such as Jelly Belly
4 pieces yellow fruit chews, such as Laffy Taffys or Starbursts
1 tablespoon black decorating sugar
1 tablespoon white decorating sugar
8 sets of corn holders (optional)

From The Martha Stewart Show, April 2008