My Favorites ... The Kitchen

The truth be told, I do not love to cook.  Most of that dislike stems from the fact that I do not feel accomplished in the kitchen while my husband is a true master. While we were dating we discussed of ordering pizza and then he proceeded to make pizza dough himself and the rest is history.  I am, however, a master of appetizers, drinks, salads, and setting a mean table.  So ... with his knowledge and mine combined I am sharing our favorites from the kitchen along with our go to orders for sending and ordering food online.  I have a list of favorite spots I order items to be enjoyed by our family and to send as gifts.  At the end I have a list of gift recommendations for all needing or wanting to gift anything kitchen and food related. 

A lot of our kitchen and dining pieces are vintage or antique, but I can list patterns to help identify what I own.  Our primary dishes are all Blue Willow which began as a set from my in laws. My husband grew up eating on the dishes and I have expanded our collection so that our children, and maybe theirs, will eat on them as well.  We have quite a big collection of Blue Willow dishes, some from England and others reproduced by Johnson Bros.  For me it doesn't matter, the patterns are identical and the dishes are truly timeless.  We also have pieces that are made up of Spode Italian Blue, Spode Geisha, and Vista Alegre Rabun Blue.  Our dining room dishes are a mix of our wedding china from Royal Doulton and Green Gracie, a pattern similar to Herend Chinese Bouquet.   As you can tell, I love and collect china.

Listing out all of my favorites I have to begin with our coffee maker as each day begins with my favorite thing ... a large cup of coffee.  We have this Keurig and love that it makes coffee + allows me to froth all kinds of milk.  I also own a coffee press (the best coffee you can make in my opinion) and this small Nespresso and love them all. If you prefer a separate milk frother I love this one and these are the pods I use for our Nespresso.

This is the coffee we drink.  I love strong coffee! I like that we can schedule our delivery to make sure we do not run out. 

I use Torani syrups to flavor lattes and stock Vanilla + Almond on the regular.  At the holidays I add in Peppermint and Caramel. 

I use this tray to keep all my coffee items together and I love it. 

All of our glasses are from La Rochere and have bees on them.  We have the juice glasses, the taller ones, and the goblets.  I have had them for years and they have never broken.  That little bee makes me smile. 

All of our pots are made by All Clad.  I bought them in 1993 and have used them since.  I swear by All Clad.

Our flatware is this set from Ballard Designs.  I love the tortoise and find it pairs with everything. They have carried both the flat handle tortoise and the round handle at times and we own a mix of both. I also collect Silver Plate and our pattern is Danish Princess. 

Speaking of Ballard Designs, they gifted us this set of Bamboo Melamine and I think its beautiful. It comes in both white and blue and we own the white. 

Our knives are a hodge podge of items, but I prefer and collect Cutco knives. I think they are the best on the market for daily use.  But remember, I am not a cook.

All our hot pads, kitchen towels, and glass towels are from Williams Sonoma.  I do not think you can buy better.  I love to purchase the kitchen towels and add monograms for a great gift.  You can buy a big set and split them up if you prefer. 

All of our kitchen tools are from either Williams Sonoma or Target.  I have some that I am picky about and I included them below, otherwise we just use what we need. 

Our toaster.  My first one was an English brand they no longer carry and it died after many years, but I loved it and wanted another one.  The SMEG was highly rated when I went looking so I went with that one.  It is really, really good. 

Ps, if you can not tell by now I worked for Williams Sonoma when I first moved to Georgia.  They are still my favorite go to for questions and products. 💗

We have a cast iron skillet my husband absolutely loves.  I don't use it like he does, but he swears by it. 

He is getting this pan for Christmas and I hope he loves it, he makes himself eggs every single morning and I think the clean up will be so much easier with this pan that so many own and love. 

Our griddle + grill pan. 

Last few things to share ... wood cutting board, wood cheese board + strainers.

If you are looking for cookbook recommendations ... I would suggest any from Ina Garden, any from Martha Stewart, and anything Half Baked Harvest.

If you are looking to order amazing food items online you are in luck, I have a great list for you!!

Pies ... both savory + sweet.  If you are looking for savory I would suggest the Chicken Ranchero, Southwestern Taco and Tomato. If you are looking for sweet ... they are all incredible. 

Biscuits ... every single thing Carrie makes is fabulous.  I would definitely suggest the sets. This set is my favorite to order for myself and as gifts. Also, she has a brand new cookbook and it is really, really amazing. 

Pimento cheese, Bourbon balls and the best bourbon candle on the market

A great bar set for the spirit lover, I think this set is ideal for the hard to buy bourbon lover.

Caroline's Cakes makes an amazing cake and they are super easy to order and have delivered.  The caramel is crazy good. 

Do you have someone you wish to gift that raves about a hometown favorite item?  I would check Gold Belly ... they have it all! And by all I mean ALL ... you can even order a JFK wedding cake.