Knit & Nosh

my favorite spices

This is my spice drawer. I used to swear by Dean & Deluca spices, but a few years back I switched to Morton & Basset. Morton & Basset are very fresh, not too expensive, and even regular shipping gets them to my house 24 hours after I order. When designing the kitchen, I asked husband to size the spice drawer with these jars in mind.

Having said that, there are a couple of other spice flavors I have grown up with and can not imagine doing without. Old Bay and Coleman's Mustard. There are a lot of fancy shmancy gourmet seafood seasonings out there, but Old Bay is not broken. It may not be organic or locally sourced, but it is guaranteed to taste exactly as you remember.

Another spice that I remember always being in my Mom's kitchen is Coleman's Mustard. I resisted having Coleman's in my kitchen and purchased more different brands of mustard powder than I can remember. Nothing is quite the same. There is something about the blend of mustard seeds that Coleman's uses that elevates both the flavor of the mustard, and everything it touches. The little rectangular tin may not fit in my space tray, but it is happy live along side. This little tin has been spicing things up since 1814, they must be doing something right.

In searching the internet for Coleman's recipes I came across this cookbook.

The Coleman's Mustard Cookbook. It appears to be out of print, but you can pick up a copy from amazon for 40 cents, that is what I did. While you are waiting for your cookbook to arrive, click on over to Coleman's facebook page. The page is full of recipes using Coleman's from all over the web. After spending a few minutes browsing, your dinner plans will be set for the week.

 

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poor kitty

The cat is flipped out that all his kids are gone. How can I tell? He will not leave my side. He used to hang out outside most of the day. Sit on the deck, or lay in the grass. At night he would sleep someplace for a week or so and then find a new place. He never, ever slept on the big bed. Hated the big bed.

For the past two weeks he has been sleeping on the big bed, day and night. Unless he hears me in the kitchen and then he is right beside me. If I sit at the island, he sits under my feet. If I sit on the couch, he will lay on me. These are completely new behaviors.

Now when he goes outside, he is out and right back in again. I wonder if he is afraid someone else will leave while he is gone? Truthfully, I do not think he is that smart, but there is definitely something going on in that little kitty brain and I wonder if things will ever go back to normal or if this is his new normal.

Poor kitty.

 

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the humble blender

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, I was the manager of a smoothie joint. Yep, I thought this might surprise you. Oddly enough I never got tired of smoothies. We used real fruit and actual juices and they were very, very tasty. Last summer Youngest Son discovered the smoothie and made one almost everyday. A piece of the blender broke and he waited oh so patiently for the mailman to bring him a replacement part so that he could once again have his beloved smoothie. Of course he got over it, watched the smoothie become smaller in his rear view mirror.

A few months back I broke the blender while making mayonnaise. Not just cracked a part, but really broke it. There are a bunch of ways to make mayonnaise, and Youngest Son was over his smoothy thing, so I did not run right out replace it. But lately I have been missing that blender.

At first I thought I would just buy another Cuisinart. The blender was in service for almost 16 years and this way I would have two pitchers. But I was not happy about spending $130 for something that was now made in China. My next thought was Kitchen Aid, because they are built to last in the US, but all of their blenders have plastic carafes. We put hot chilies in the blender, plastic is not going to work if we want to use it for anything other than foods flavored with chilies. Then I found Waring.

Made in the US, glass pitcher, fun colors. This is Retro Green and reminds me of my childhood. Retail is $190, but Amazon has it for $100 less! I think the first thing I am going to make is Tonnato Sauce. A delicious sounding sauce/dressing that I had never heard of before today and can not wait to try.

 

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