AKIMBO on Etsy

I love stationery. I just discovered the card line by Akimbo on Etsy. I cannot keep this precious thing to myself. I HAVE to share it with the world. Enjoy and thank me later.

The Kapoosh

I read in Nigella's Kitchen about how she uses a magnetic knife strip for storing her knifes. That sounds so dangerous to me. But my darling daughter-in-law and son have the VERY coolest knife block called 'The Kapoosh.' It's amazing...Look it up online. You can buy them at BedBathandBeyond or at Target, or really anywhere. It's the best storage ever. It can store scads of knifes, won't damage the blades, and is SAFE for even the clumsiest cook. You can paint the wooden one to match your kitchen decor. We painted ours 'Basil.' Lovely.

Nigella's Kitchen

Saturday in the Wall Street Journal online, there was an article on Nigella's Kitchen. Nigella was advising on how to organize a kitchen. Her advice was totally impractical to me. First off...I could NEVER trust a magnetic knife holder. It would be lost fingers, cut legs, ruined granite and tiles in no time. I'm intrigued by her idea of storing mugs in a drawer. But who has drawers to spare? But I love the picture of her kitchen. It reminds me of my Grandma Early's kitchen. Grandma had no storage. Things HAD to be left out everywhere. But Nigella, I do like your cooking and your style. So...carry on.

Zinc For Colds

Today it was reported in the New York Times about Zinc being a good remedy for colds. I heard this about 20 years ago, from Dr. John Teller, a relative of ours from Oregon. He said that the colds that start in the throat...with a 'sore-throat-y feeling' can be stopped in their tracks by sucking on 1-2 Zinc lozenges. Our Zinc of choice is by the Bronson Vitamin Co. It's worked for us for years. I highly recommend this!

Great Pot Roast

One of the top chefs in the Twin Cites, when asked how to cook the perfect Chuck Roast said this: Put it in the pan, pour a jar of your favorite Salsa over it [for it's the perfect marriage of spices and seasonings], and if you have a little leftover red wine, pour that on top; roast AND VOILA!

Now I'm going to cook it in a crockpot...4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 on low. Look up the directions for oven backing on your own. If you try it/ then try something additional, let me know.

I think this is the perfect recipe: fast, easy, good for the crockpot, cheap, the potential for gourmet tasting...What's not to love about this?

CLOCKS AND CLOUDS

Here's an awesome new band: contemporary instrumental cool. Clocks and Clouds.
Listen to their single Darkness Gives Way.

More on Celestial Seasonings

I just tweeted Celestial Seasonings, and discovered a great sounding new-to- me Tea: their "Wellness" teas, and more specifically, Echinacea Complete Care Wellness Tea. I was just thinking how good God is, that I haven't gotten a cold this year. But if I do, I'm going to try this tea. But, to be safe, "Dear God, please don't let me catch a cold."

Celestial Seasonings Tea Fan

I drink coffee in the morning. But after 1 p.m. it's all about the Tea. But I'm not a Tea-snob. Since the 70's I've been a Celestial Seasonings gal. Recently, my favorites have been Lemon Zinger and Peppermint. I love Peppermint's picture: a red-bowed reed basket of Candy Canes. It's like Christmas every day. Lemon Zinger...is...well, just so... lemony. What's not to love about Lemon. In a cup. Hot. Yum.

But more importantly, I like their dedication to the environment. Here's what their little box says: "Ever wonder why....NO STRING AND TAG? ....It's our commitment to doing what's best for the environment. Natural fiber tea bags don't need strings, tags, staples or individual wrappers. We're able to save more than 3.5 million lbs of waste from the the landfills."

Why do I like this? I loathe having to open the Tazo or Bigelow wrappers. And I like to microwave my tea in large quart Bell Jars. Using tea bags without paper and staples, like Lipton uses. So, Celestial Seasonings, you had me after "Ever wonder why no string or staples?"

It's also fun to read the poetic quotes on the box, like: "A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience." --Oliver Wendell Holmes. Mmmm, CS, I lift my peppermint cup of tea to you!