Category — Kitchen Supplies

It’s been gray and gloomy! Here are some bright colored cups to make me and you happy!

Unbreakable Polycarbonate 10pc. Tumbler Set Assorted

Cool Set Insulated Tumbler Set Of 4 16 Oz.

Four Iris Iced-Tea Glasses

It’s October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Here are some really great pink items to help remind me of survivors and those who have been affected by breast cancer.

Cuisinart 4-cup Coffee Maker With Stainless Steel Carafe

KitchenAid Cook for the Cure Food Chopper

Kitchenaid Food Processor

I Want That Kitchen is an AMAZING blog with pictures of really great kitchens. I mean, I could get lost in this blog for hours. I love the view of this kitchen:

My current view from my kitchen is my neighbors door. Yeah, not so lovely. I suppose I can start collecting the things in this photo until I get to this view!

First, a tall wooden pepper grater!

American Metalcraft Wooden Pepper Mill

Metal racks to store all my kitchen goodies!

Small Grey Ceiling Pot Rack

And some really cool jars!

Store All Canisters with Lids

I’m on my way!

This Butternut Squash Orzo recipe from The Little Red House looks, in a word, perfect.

Sheena Jibson’s wonderful recipe with suggestions by me!:

Butternut Squash Orzo
Serves 4

1 roasted chicken
1/2 butternut squash
1/2 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper and thyme
1/2c-3/4c chicken broth
1 cup orzo, fully cooked according to package directions
3 strips of bacon (I am not a bacon lover so this was just the right amount for me….if you love bacon, add a few more:)
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

-Halve and clean squash
-Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme and s&p (Le Creuset® Silicone Basting Brush – White)
place squash (cut side up), onion, and garlic cloves on a lined baking sheet and roast at 425 until veggies are fork tender, about 30 minutes (onion and garlic will need to be removed before squash) Squash will easily scoop right out of peel when it is done roasting.
-Add all veggies to a food processor, along with 1/2c chicken broth and puree. (Cuisinart 9-cup Food Processor)
-Add a bit more broth if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste.
-Combine cooked orzo, chicken, crumbled bacon, and butternut sauce.
Top with parmesan. (Microplane Rotary Parmesan Cheese Grater)

Country Living put together this great Halloween tablescape. It’s not cheesy but, as they say, “elegantly eerie.”

Here are my suggestions for Halloween that can carry over to everyday home decor:

L’Objet Black Key Candle

Votivo Dalian Collection “Clean Crisp White” Candle

West Elm Manzanita Wall Tealight Holder

Delft Skull Plates by Douglas Little

Black Ceramic Vase

It’s fall and all my favorite TV shows are officially back in session! That means staying in and catching all my favorite shows. There’s no better food to nosh on than pizza, and this Caesar Salad Pizza from Annie’s Eats looks too good. Here are her directions:

For the crust:*
1½ cups warm water (105-115˚ F)
5 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 tsp. honey
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. semolina flour (optional)
1 tsp. coarse salt
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ cup coarse cornmeal
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

For the dressing:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 anchovy fillet
2 large eggs, beaten (or ½ cup pasteurized egg product)
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Garlic croutons
Parmesan shavings

Directions:
To make the crust, combine the water, yeast, olive oil, honey, and 3 cups of the flour in the bowl of a mixer (KitchenAid Professional 620 Stand Mixer, Satin Copper) fitted with a dough hook.

KitchenAid Professional 620 Stand Mixer, Satin Copper

Add the semolina flour, salt, and red pepper flakes; mix on low speed until combined.  Add in 1 more cup of the flour and mix until a soft dough comes together.  Mix on low speed about 5 minutes to knead.  Add additional flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time as needed until the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover and let rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Coat 2 baking sheets with olive oil.  Sprinkle the sheets with cornmeal.  Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  (You can also use a baking stone, preheating it with the oven – no need to oil.  Sprinkle with cornmeal just before adding the crusts.)  Divide the dough into four equal pieces, transfer to a work surface, cover with a damp towel and let rest 10-15 minutes.  Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 hours.

With a rolling pin (OXO Plastic Rolling Pin) on a lightly floured surface, flatten each dough ball into an 8-inch circle.

OXO Plastic Rolling Pin

Brush (Cuisinart Basting Brush) each dough round lightly with olive oil.

Cuisinart Basting Brush

Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet or stone and bake until browned and crisp, about 10-15 minutes.

To make the dressing, combine the garlic, anchovy, eggs, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and mustard int he bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  With the processor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube in a thin, steady stream.  Pour the dressing into a bowl, stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the salad, combine the lettuce and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.  Drizzle with some of the dressing and toss to coat; add more dressing as needed.  Place a generous amount of salad on top of each warm pizza crust.  Top with croutons and Parmesan shavings, and freshly ground pepper if desired.

*For thin crusts, halve the amount of dough but roll to the same diameter.  They will need less time to bake.

Setting the perfect mood for your dinner table can be easily achieved with a few well placed candles.  However, not all candlesticks are created equal.  The classic old school crystal candlesticks of our parents generation aren’t the only option anymore.  There are so many pretty candlesticks out there to suit you, regardless of your style.

I love the Michael Aram River Rock Candlesticks  pictured above.  They have the polished look of stainless steel or silver, with the organic shape of river rocks.  I think they set a modern but nature inspired tone to the table.  They sell for $135 at Bloomingdales.

If you are a fan of the crystal design but want a modern twist, try Mikasa Crystal Serpentine Candle Holders, which are made of the classic crystal but have a beautiful swooping shape.  There are also plenty of pretty candlesticks out there made of different materials if you don’t want silver or crystal, such as wrought iron, bronze and ceramic.

Whatever style candlestick you ultimately choose for your table, make sure you show them off to their best advantage with beautiful taper dinner candles.  My favorite place for taper candles is Colonial Candle.  Their handipt virtually dripless taper candles come in more than 30 colors so you can find the one that matches your place settings or decor the best.

Has everyone seen the new Elle Decor September 2010 issue? The cover shot includes this beautiful kitchen island that I think I want to replicate. Granted, it’ll be on a much smaller scale (go figure, Los Angeles apartment), but I think I got some good starters.

I think the type of kitchen islands that will fit my kitchen would be a kitchen cart. Here are the ones that I love!

Country cute with this Creative Labs White Kitchen Island with Natural Top from Target!

Creative Labs White Kitchen Island with Natural Top, $119.99

Here’s a great one from Home Styles that could add some more color to my bright yellow kitchen.

Home Styles Mix&Match Kitchen Island and Cart Cabinet, $325.00

I really like the height of this Kitchen Cart With Natural Wood Top White from Target. It looks like there’s a lot of storage space, too.

I was looking at some counter-top wine racks for my elegant two-buck Chuck, but when I queried “Wine Racks,” some really expansive ones came up. I am no wine aficionado, but wine racks like this Vintage View 234 Bottle Island Display Wine Rack is a full on commitment!

Vintage View 234 Bottle Island Display Wine Rack

What does one do with 234 bottles of wine? Drink them, of course!  Here are a couple of wine racks that are more my speed:

Umbra Grapevine Wine Rack Clear

Oggi 3 Tier Stainless Steel Wine Rack

After six months of living in my new apartment, I’m still decorating. It’s a shame and I’m embarrassed,  so I do the little things that make it seem like we’re all put together, but it’s really like a duck on water. One of the little things that I think I should do is to purchase a Serving Tray. Having a tray for serving is a throwback to when things were a little bit more put together, right? I am going to say that it beats balancing plates and cups on my arms when guests come over.

There are a couple on beso.com that are standout! Anyone want to help me choose?

Don’t choose this Christofle Malmaison Large Rectangular Tray (I can’t afford it), but it sure is pretty to look at!

Christofle Malmaison Large Rectangular Tray from Neiman Marcus, $1,680.00

This Christofle K&T OVal Tray is much more affordable, and still really beautiful and sleek.

Christofle K&T Oval Tray from Bloomingdale’s, $280

This Michael Aram Olive Branch Service Tray is interesting because of the handle detail. I like the fact that “olive branch” and “service” are in the name. There’s no better extension of an olive branch than service!

Michael Aram Olive Branch Service Tray from Bloomingdale’s, $150

The one that takes the cake is this natural wood Ikea Skala Tray. It’s $14.00! There’s no beating that price and it’s still stylish and modern.

Ikea Skala Tray, $14.00