I had a lot of romantic ideas about what The First Thing I Cooked In My New Kitchen would be. But then – the first thing my new oven ever cooked in its life was a Stouffer’s lasagna, and the second thing was these crispy parmesan potatoes to go with a rotisserie chicken. And I mean – I love those potatoes. And I was jealous that my three-year-old ate the leftover Stouffer’s. They’re just not the epic inaugural foods of my dreams. Today we knocked out some zucchini bread, so I’m feeling a little more at home. And I mean, who needs to unpack anything else once the KitchenAid mixer is back in business?
Now that the kitchen is organized(ish), I’m left to figure out why (on my no-one-will-ever-miss-this unpacking purge) I can’t bring myself to throw away knock-off dollar store My Little Ponies whose hair was only ever straggly and is now gone. They were a potty prize and they’re junk, I know they’re just junk, but their names are Tippy and Sister and I feel kind of sorry for their bald little phony pony selves, and so I put them in the storage closet with the other toys that I will rotate every two weeks drag out on a rainy day to save my sanity without actually putting away other toys.
Also: let’s talk about Talenti. Dear Talenti gelato, thank you for being you. You are everything. Without Blue Bell, I had to turn somewhere and let’s just say I’m happy here. But it’s creating a problem, since my hoarding streak doesn’t allow me to just recycle the containers. I haven’t figured out exactly what they would be useful for…but surely they’re useful for something…? Maybe they’re the new baby food jar/film canister and my daughter’s preschool teacher will be so thrilled that I have a few (okay, a few times five) to donate?
Caramel Apple Pie was my fav flav. But then I tried Tahitian Vanilla and oh.my.word. I haven’t combined it with blueberry peach cobbler yet but it would be DYNAMITE.
I’m optimistic about posting a recipe soon at some point in the future. Until then, please try one of these that I’m drooling over:
Summer Chicken Pot Pie Crostata with Herbed Crust from How Sweet It Is
Baked Pistachio Lemon Salmon from Reluctant Entertainer
Easy Garlic and Ginger Glazed Sticky Pork from Foodie With Family
And check out this free eCookbook from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe!
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Victoria says
Thank you, dear Bethany for expressing my Talenti container woes so eloquently! I too have been looking for ways to use the (ahem) many, many I have left over. We use them for crackers/snacks at the beach so you can throw in a bag without getting sandy or mutilated. If only they would stack inside each other!
xo, your old work buddy!
Bet says
I knooow, nesting would make them truly perfect. But beach snacks is brilliant!!! Miss you, Vic!!!
Laurie says
Those Talenti jars are awesome. Let’s figure out something great to keep in them.
Bet says
I kind of just want mine to magically refill with more Talenti.
Laurie says
Yes. This.
Elizabeth says
Talenti Jars =
–Food coloring, frosting/decorating tips, and other baking paraphernalia
–choc chips, coconut, nuts, or other dry goods in smaller (read: not full canister size) quantities
–Larger quantities of Jay’s famous pork rub
–crafts stuff: cotton balls, glitter, and other insane things ppl give children
–large batches of homemade play-dough, see above
–and above all SPRINKLES (yes, a whole tub) for two amazing little girls 🙂
–candy storage for afore mentioned girls
Bet says
Yes to all of these!!! But yeah, no glitter in this house, that’s what preschool is for. 😉 I especially love the playdough idea!
Meredith says
I do love those little jars! They are the perfect size for crayons. and for a family size serving of goldfish for a hiking trip. and for the little cheap puzzles whose cardboard box breaks immediately. and for little collections of things that you pull out to keep your kids happy and sitting at the table for a few minutes like when their big brother is finishing his schoolwork- coins (preferably foreign, left over from yoru husbands trip to Europe in highschool or something equaly random), shells, a collection of random office supplies that can be connected together, etc.
Bet says
YES I love all these ideas! Especially office supply connecting, we’re going to have to try that. 🙂