These are a few of my favorite things...

I was puttering around in the kitchen the other night, making veggie chili, when it struck me how much I adore my tomato paste in a tube. Silly, right? It's a tube of tomato paste, but it makes me so happy. In the past, I used to have a can of paste, open it for a measly teaspoon or two, and then have all that paste just hanging out. Now, I can use what I need, cap it up and toss it in the fridge or freezer.
In honor of my new found love, I'm going to list some of my favorite kitchen things. If I did non-kitchen things, this would be a post about shoes and well...that's not as exciting to everyone as it is to me.


1) My tomato paste! I got it for $1.99 at a local kitchen store that was going out of business.

2) My Bubbie's (grandmother) Kitchen-Aid Mixer. After she died in 2002, my Zadie (grandfather) sent me her mixer because he knew that she wanted it to be in good baking hands! I love using it for all my recipes and it has a place of honor on my counter.



3) My Le Creuset Utensil Crocks - in Red and Blue. I actually went "squeeeee!!!!" when I got these off our wedding registry. They are beautiful crocks for our meat (red) and dairy (blue) cooking utensils. I love having everything in easy reach and they are so darn pretty!



4) One of my biggest kitchen pet-peeves are crappy dishtowels that DON'T DRY ANYTHING! I mean, what's the point? I was so fed up until a wonderful Nestie told me about the Williams Sonoma Bar Mop Towels. Seriously, these things are amazing. They actually dry your dishes, instead of just push the water around. I have 9 of them, and still want more. I do wish they came in other colors, though.

5) Our knives. I love them. All I have to do is lightly touch the skin of a tomato and it slices right open like magic.



6) My dishwasher. See that guy right there? He's the best dishwasher ever :-)



What are your favorite kitchen things?