Gifts Galore, Part Two: For the Kitchen

Back in this post, I outlined some things we could really use in our kitchen.  Thanks to generous family and friends we have some new cookbooks, gadgets and gizmos, some of which appeared on the wish list, that we can't wait to try out.  Here they are in their glory:

China Village Wok

J and I have been cooking quite a bit of Asian food lately--we even helped make homemade sushi while we were in Pasadena last week, as I alluded to in this post (pictures and details to come)!  At home, we have been using our All-Clad large skillet, which has worked okay, except when you are trying to stir large quantities of food, like fried rice, and end up with half of it all over the stove.  Now we will be able to stir fry all sorts of things with ease and thanks to the next featured gift, we will have all sorts of new recipes to try!

Homestyle Asian Cookbook

J received this from my grandparents for Christmas.   The Asian dishes we have made so far have all been online, so it will be nice to have a source that we can use non-electronically!

Mandoline

I think this might be my favorite kitchen gadget to try out.  My dad got this for us for Christmas and gave us a demonstration on New Year's Eve with his mandoline on how to thinly slice cauliflower, among other vegetables--as promised, the menu, photographs and recipes will be coming soon!  I know that I will be using it to make French Onion Soup in the near future!

Immersion Blender

This was another wish list item I am so glad to have received!  I really could have used it last night when I made this winter soup (recipe and photos to be posted this afternoon) but because the mandoline and blender have blades that are not allowed as carry-on items on airplanes, they are getting shipped to us later this week. I can't wait to have consistently thick and creamy soups without having to pour batches of the mixture into my regular blender.  Want to know the best part, now that I got this as a gift I can cross off number 19 on my 130 list!

Mario Batali's Spain: A Culinary Road Trip Cookbook

This was a present I got for J that I forgot to mention in this post.  J traveled to Spain in high school and really enjoyed watching the PBS Series Spain...On the Road Again with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow as it reminded him a lot of his travels there.  When I saw they had a cookbook related to the series, I knew I had to get it for him.  If the pictures are any indication of how great the recipes are, we are in for a treat.  Not to mention, it would help me accomplish number 20 on my 130 Before I'm Thirty list!

So there's our kitchen-related Christmas gift round-up.  Did you get any kitchen gadgets recently?  Anyone have either the Asian cookbook or Mario Batali's cookbook?  If so, any recipe recommendations?  Let's hear it!