Wish List: Food

After my technology and home decor wish lists, I realized I should probably do a kitchen/food related one too, especially considering all the cooking J and I do around here on a regular basis.  Here are a few kitchen gadgets and gizmos we would love to take for a spin!

1. Food mill:  I've seen these on Food Network before and they are great for making thicker purees, jellies, and my favorite, Spätzle, or Eastern European egg noodles.

2. Grill pan.  Until we have our dream kitchen with a built in indoor grill next to our gas range (a girl can dream, right?), a good grill pan like this would help us cook everything from steak to paninis with ease without having to venture outdoors which is much appreciated this time of year!

3. Immersion blender: This is a great tool for creating purees or creamy soups.  While a food processor and immersion blender can do a lot of the same things, there is less clean up and more control over consistency when blending soups with one of these hand held guys.

4. Electric wok:  J and I have really gotten into Asian cooking and an electric wok like this one would really help us to cook some of our new recipes with flair!

5. Pasta maker attachment for Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer: In college, my roommate had a pasta maker and it made the most unbelievably tasty pasta.  I would love a set like this so that J and I can make homemade pasta of all shapes and sizes.  Oh, and it would help me with goal number 17 on my 130 Before I'm Thirty list.

So there you have it, a little round-up of items I would love to play around with in our kitchen!  Are there any items on here that would make your wish list too?  Any I left off that you think I should have?  Let's talk!

My Wish List: Technology

A while back I shared some of the items for our apartment that were on my holiday wish list this year.  Based on that wish list, I bought a few things at Target and World Market, creating this Thanksgiving table setting.

Well, now I'm back with my technology wish list, one that I will admittedly have greater difficulty fulfilling than before since the items are quite a bit more expensive than cloth napkins and table linens.  But it is called a wish list for a reason, right?

1. Photoshop Elements:  I cannot tell you the number of times I have drooled over blogs and their photos, graphics, etc. and wished I could create something like that, only to find out they used Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to do so.  I have been playing around with Picnik a bit and while it has some useful tools, I feel Photoshop Elements might be better suited for the things I'd like to do.

2. Family Tree Maker for Mac:  I am very interested in genealogy and one of my 130 before I'm Thirty goals is to research my family tree.  This program would definitely help me reach this goal!


3. New Camera:  I have blogged before about how my camera doesn't always play nice with me and I'd really like to get a camera that can do more and take better quality pictures.  While I'd love to get a Nikon SLR, this one is a good place to start!

4. New TV:  We have a 20 inch big box TV that my parents bought me when I started college.  It has served me well over the years but now has some fading in the corners that makes green items appear red and so forth.  We (especially J) would really like to get a TV like this one to better watch our favorite TV shows and football teams (Fighting Irish and Huskers, respectively) play, not to mention it is difficult to have guests over to watch a movie, sporting event, etc. when the TV is so small.

What's on your wish list, technology or otherwise, this holiday season?  Happy wishing everyone!

My Wish List: Napkins and Table Runners

I don't know if it's the holiday season fast approaching or the fact that I've been watching Barefoot Contessa at lunch almost every day, but I have a craving to run out and snatch up some table linens: specifically runners and cloth napkins.

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See, Ina often pairs crisp cloth napkins with her meals, whether it's a dinner party or just a supper for two.  I think either way, nice linens elevate the meal and turn it into something special.

So, I thought I would share a little table linen round-up of some things that are on my wish list this season!

First up, some beauties from Pottery Barn.  The picture includes a Christmas decal on the napkins that I would leave off.  A simple R monogram would be oh so sweet.  I'm thinking flax or ivory might look nice.

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Second, this metallic table runner and cloth napkins would look perfect with the holiday landscape I'm planning (silvers, whites, golds and a touch of green).  You can't beat the price either.

Third, these little bursts of sunshine would look great with our yellow place mats that currently reside in our bedroom.  A little rearranging and I'd have a sunny and bright table top.

Fourth, these cool blue napkins would look perfect with the new fabric I purchased to recover our dining room chairs.  This little project will likely take place after the first of the year, once my silver, white, gold and green decorations have been put away since the current covers have a hint of green in the pattern.  They will also look amazing when I paint our dining room hutch white.

Finally, these fun berry napkins would work great for Christmas, Valentine's Day or the Fourth of July.  The little zigzag stitching looks so rustic and sweet, it melts my heart a little.  And at the price, who can afford not to snatch them up?

So there you go, a few items that top my wish list.  What items, linens and otherwise, are on yours?