...and what I'm sure you all are listening to too. JT's new song went viral on Friday and it has been on repeat 24/7 since then. I am 100% going to abuse listening to it to where I get sick of it, but for now it seems worth it. If you haven't listened to Can't Stop the Feeling, welcome to your new obsession.
Annie
Above I have rounded up my favorite kitchen essentials. These are products I either love or couldn't live without. While my kitchen is still in the process of being stocked with all the proper appliances and tools any standard cook should have, I long for the time when I will get married and get to register for all the things I've been dying for. But let's be real, that'll be a while. Things like a full knife set, a matching set of dishes, proper pots and pans... okay enough day dreaming and back to the things I have now, and think you should too!
Entree Bowls I'll eat out of a bowl any day over plate. I think it's something about being able to get the food out of a bowl easier than scraping it up off a plate. I don't know, but pro-bowl over here. It's all I really ever eat out of. Salads, soups, curry, rice, chicken and veggies, it's the perfect hybrid. These are only $27 for a set of 4 from Target. (Target has great cheap but cute dishes).
10-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls You need these. I think everyone in my family has these bowls. The fact that you get 10 bowls for $40 is fantastic. This is one of the pieces Ina Garten recommends everyone to have in their kitchen. I agree. I use them for everyyyyyything. The large bowls for cookie dough, the small bowls for making sauces or marinades.
Kitchen Aid Mixer My pink mixer is like the landmark in my kitchen. It proudly sits on my counter for everyone to see. You just can't really bake without a Kitchen Aid mixer. They are pricy but last for forever. My mom has had hers for 30+ years...
Oven Mitt Don't risk burning your fingers off by pulling hot pans out of the oven with a flimsy hand towel. Make sure your kitchen has a few oven mitts, you'll use them daily. Anthropologie has the cutest!
Cookie Scoop This is one of my favorite tools. It looks like and ice cream scoop, just a little smaller. If you want pretty, uniform cookies, invest in a scoop. I suggest about a 1.5 tablespoon size.
Wooden Cutting Boards I have a three-piece set similar to these that I love. You need some plastic cutting boards for things like poultry and fish, but I use my wooden ones daily. I even use them for backgrounds in my food pictures or even as a plate! Wooden cutting boards can also be used as a cheese board.
Non-stick Roasting Pans and Cookie Sheets You need at least two of each, you just do. My cookie sheets get used all the time, but the roasting pans probably get used even more. Roasted veggies, baked fish, sweet potato chips, I have a million ways to use these. When I am making big batches of cookies they even get used as stand-in cookie sheets!
Canisters I use these canisters to store my flour, sugar, brown sugar and coffee right on my counter. They have an airtight sealant on them keeping everything fresh. I love having these essential ingredients right at arms reach.
Dessert Stand I was gifted this dessert stand customized for me with "Take A Bite" etched on the outside. It sits on my counter and I love to use it as an excuse to bake, so that it is always filled with treats. I would recommend some kind of stand like this with a lid. It's an easy way to display and store homemade goodies!
Le Cruset Dutch Oven My Le Cruset is the newest addition to my kitchen. I had to get pink too so that my Kitchen Aid had a friend. A dutch oven can be used for things like roasting a chicken, making homemade spaghetti, a big batch of curry, a Sunday roast, soup, mashed potatoes, the list goes on. There really isn't a pan to replace it. It's on the pricy side, but also lasts forever.
Do you have any go to kitchen items you couldn't live without? Let me know!
Annie
Three years ago, I was 19 years old, sitting in the kappa house dining room, reading up how to start a blog and creating amateur blog graphics on an internet photo editor. Three years later, a lot has changed.
I've written 147 bites of my life, over 150 recipes, and too many blog posts to count. Take A Bite has gone through my time in college, my summer in DC, graduation, and now real world life. I've grown up with this blog.
I'm so thankful for the experiences, opportunities, and friendships I have gained from starting Take A Bite. It's helped me develop something that I truly enjoy, and I love it for that. I'm so interested to see where TAB heads in the coming years.
And now for my favorite blog birthday tradition. Birthday toast. The only way to celebrate a website turning one year older...
Birthday Toast
Ingredients:
bread of choice
almond butter
sprinkles
candles (optional)
Directions:
Toast your bread, spread on almond butter and decorate with sprinkles. Sing happy birthday and take a bite!
How great is my mom's table? She always has the prettiest set up!
I love Easter, I've always loved Easter. Every year seems to be full of different traditions, but it's always a really nice day that falls at that time of year where you are itching for something to celebrate.
We were sitting around the table finishing up Easter lunch on Sunday and got on the topic of what a good holiday Easter is. First and foremost it symbolizes what God did for us to have this amazing life on earth. His resurrection hits a little harder than a baby being born on Christmas. It hasn't been overly commercialized and it's relatively low stress. It's a great holiday if you have plans, but also not a huge deal if you don't have some extravagant day planned. It's kind of a make it what you want holiday all done for good measure. It's just a good holiday.
Growing up most Easters consisted of dying eggs then scrubbing for hours to get the multi colors off our fingers so mom could paint out nails! A fun treat when you were under the age of 12 or so. Then Easter morning we would wake up to a basket full of goodies the Easter bunny brought us. Only to dump it all out to use for the egg hunt around the house using our dyed eggs from the night before.
Then it was time to put on a special new dress we had spent extra time shopping for, head to church for a traditional Easter service, then typically go out for brunch or cook lunch at home.
The past couple of years our Easter has consisted of a beautiful church service then an afternoon of cooking and enjoying the meaning of the day with family and friends. This year it was mom, dad, middle sis and brother-in-law. Brother-in-law's family, one of my cousins and one of my closest friends. A motley crew, but a great crew!
We sipped mimosas and stuffed our bellies with ham and cheesecake.
There was a little bit of miscommunication between Kathleen and I. I blame it on our generation of only communicating through text messaging. We had been planning to make this Coconut Carrot Cake Cheesecake (a check off the Spring TDL) for about a month now. While going over who would make what and when everything would get made, I thought Kathleen was on homemade oreo duty and I was on cheesecake duty. Through our cryptic messages, Kathleen thought she was in charge of both.
We showed up having both made the cheesecake...It's better to have more cheesecake than no cheesecake right? With competitive nature we turned it into a "who made it best competition." If I were the judge, Kat won for best exterior and I won for best interior, but I'll let our guests be the judge.
My cousin just moved to the city and he loves our homemade oreos. We knew with his attendance at Easter, oreos had to be apart of the menu. It's a recipe from the archives, it was actually the first recipe I ever posted, so bare with the authenticity.
It's not a holiday at the Tucker's without a feast. To counteract all the sweets we had spiraled ham, healthified green bean casserole, cheese grits, strawberry salad, deviled eggs and my brown butter herb gruyere scalloped potatoes. I recently received this Thick & Thin Mandoline from Kuhn Rikon and I've been holding out to use it until Easter! I've never made scalloped potatoes because the task of having to hand slice 3 lbs. of russets didn't quite appeal to me. This mandoline makes it so easy. Just make sure to use the guard! I sliced a liitle piece of my finger amongst the potatoes...
All these Easter bites were pretty sinful, but a big thanks to the man upstairs for washing our sins away. And for that I am ever thankful!
Annie
These seasonal to-do lists are starting to become some of my favorite posts to come up with. Cue Summer TDL and Fall TDL. Sorry winter, you got left out. Some of the things on my list I've been holding to out to do, but others I had to think about. These posts let me sit down and think on what I want to enjoy in the coming months. I'm a planner as I've shared before, so it also gives me a plan on what the spring season may look like. Also, there really is no better feeling than crossing things off your to-do list. And when everything on your TDL is fun, why not strive to get them done!
1. Host a spring dinner party
2. Attend the Oklahoma City Arts Festival.
Because as much as it's about the art, it's really more about the food.
3. Take some kind of cooking, pastry or coffee and latte making class.
4. Go to a crawfish boil/convince a friend to have one.
5. Eat outside as much as possible.
6. Cheer on the OKC Thunder at a playoff game.
7. Make this Coconut Carrot Cake Cheesecake.
8. Perfect how to poach an egg.
9. Host a Cinco De Mayo taco party.
