Some of my Favorite Things!

Everyone has those special tools, linens or bowls that they just can't seem to do without or just enjoy using or maybe it's just a little thing that makes you happy every time you glance it's way.

Most of my favorite things are not expensive nor were they planned purchases and some were surprise gifts from special people.

I thought I would share some of my favorite kitchen things.




I was at a local Estate Sale...a HUGE sale. And there were large linen closets full of vintage linens, tablecloths, napkins and odd and ends of just about anything you can think of. And I just happened to find a nice sized piece of hemmed Bark Cloth. And so perfect for a pastry cloth...I just love it! Finally, I have enough room to roll out dough, shake it out and start all over again!!



This is my Great Grama's Cookie Jar and it is my most prized possession. It is Chef Pierre and vintage McCoy made sometime in the 1940s. When we moved from Tampa to Chicago, I carefully boxed up my cookie jar and carried it on my lap for the entire flight to Chicago. I will not trust it to anyone's hands but my own. And I still keep cookies in it too.




When I was designing my new kitchen, I always kept in mind "period kitchen". And even though my kitchen is new I think I did a pretty good job of recreating a 1930s Craftsman Kitchen. And just to emphasize the 1930s I did buy some items with a Craftsman style. Here are my 2 Vintage Tea Kettles! I could not decide which kettle I liked, so just bought 2 and I keep both of them on my stove top.

My Bunn Coffee Maker was the very first thing I ever bought on the internet and that was in 1996 and it still going strong. We were buying a coffee maker every year and I had had it with replacing coffee makers. Some of the best money I ever spent was for the Bunn! I had to design a special Coffee Center to house the Bunn and it's working out perfectly too!

About 15 years ago I got tired of trying to use the potholders I had so I made my own. I make them over-sized about 12" square and use Silence Cloth as a liner. I use a quilt technique called "Strip Piecing". It is very easy and very fast and I can use my scraps from other sewing projects. I love to give them to my friends and the darn things wear like iron!


Here are my rolling pins...all 3 of 'em and all have a use in my kitchen. I bought the medium pin when I was in college for $.25 at a garage sale. The extra large pin is one I use for my free form clay vessels that I build. Since I don't work in clay much any more I use it now to prop the back door open! :) The tiny pin I bought during our construction and I had a temporary kitchen set up in my laundry room. The only area I had to roll out dough was on top of my clothes dryer so I needed a small rolling pin and this one worked out very well.

Here are my flamingos standing in their "pond". I have quite a collection of flamingos in my house and several nest in my kitchen.

Here's my scale that I bought on Ebay for $4. I took it to the post office to compare it to USPS scales and it was surprisingly accurate! I don't use it very much, but when I need it, I glad I have it!



I have needed a pizza peel forever!!! And I received a surprise package from my baking buddy Lucy and she included a mini peel. I love it and it's no problem at all to store in the narrow drawer right under my built-in oven. I was so excited when I opened the box!!

My Diner Baskets are relatively new in my kitchen but I've been looking for them for a long time now. I like to serve themed dinner and the baskets are so perfect for those Burger and Fries or Italian beef and Onion Ring moments!

I love my Flat-bottomed Glass Measuring Cups!!! I have a set of 3, 1-cup, 4-cup and an 8-cup. The 8-cup I use as a mixing bowl. In the microwave I can melt butter and chocolate in it and then just mix the rest of the recipe right in the 8-cup...works out perfectly and saves multiple bowls when one can do the job.




My dear friend, Maryanne, sent me a few of these 100% Cotton Kitchen Towels and I used them so much that 2 were terribly stained from a canning episode. I asked Maryanne where she got them as I wanted to order some. Well, she sent me 17 more towels. I think I have enough for a few years now! Talk about a multi-use item...I don't know what I did without them!


Thank you for taking the time to peek into my kitchen.