A good cocktail is a very special thing. Combining strong flavors together in one beautiful, highly flammable concoction is not a skill that one is born with. One reason that dinner parties are so much fun to host is the ...
2015 is the year I finally start taking advantage of bizarre, themed holidays. Today is National Ice Cream Day. Why? Who knows, but it's the middle of July and it's freaking hot, so who cares about origin stories?! Let's melt some ...
Forgive my assertion in the title of this post, but when I say "you need me," what I really mean is... Hm, no, you know what? I'm sticking with "you need me" because you need this. I already have it ...
Cast iron is an incredibly important part of my kitchen arsenal. One of the pans I have - a 10" skillet - was used by my 65 year old father to cook breakfast for his brothers when he was a kid. ...
It's undeniable that a standard, classic Pyrex set is an absolute must-have for anyone who uses their oven for more than sweater storage or kitchen heating in the winter. Every child should receive a full set of Pyrex baking dishes ...
Spring came a little bit early this year and as a result, the Pacific Northwest is covered in blossoms. Everything just looks so fluffy and magical when the fruit trees are in bloom, and it's usually just a flash in the pan, ...
Are you like me? Do you have a cupboard full of gloriously mismatched dishes that look like they came from all over the world? West Elm (note to self: spellcheck will not catch "wet elm") is not known for their thrifty ...
Target is having a major sale on everything related to and for your home. Which is why it's called The Target Home Sale, I guess. The sale deets: Get up to 30% off of home delights, plus take $10 off your $50 ...
Paging all bakers of small things, throwers of dinner parties, and people who just have a sourceless affinity for micro-sized objects -- this post is for us you. Start planning your individual servings and find or make three friends to share ...
As I've mentioned before, the older I get, the more interested in dishes I get. Justifying large platters, individual ramekins, and unique one-off plates is a piece of cake now, and when really beautiful dishes and flatware are on sale, it's definitely ...
Mmmm, whiskey. There are few things that work better to warm you up in the frigid outdoors than a shot of cheap - or not cheap - bourbon. Fortunately, if you can't stand the stuff, there are plenty of alternatives ...
In my life, there are a lot of coffee drinkers. And the ones who aren't coffee drinkers are fanatics about tea. It's truest in wintertime, but everyone has a hot, steamy beverage that gets them through winter, and it brings us together ...
TJX asked me to use their three stores to come up with gifts for people in my life that I don't know. TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods are ideal sources for gifts that are special and interesting, but are ...
Tomorrow is the official start of Food Season - aka American Thanksgiving. It marks the beginning of shared meals and too much family time, not to mention the season of copious leftovers. There are a few smart purchases you can make ...
It's been a while since I've spent a lot of time on the CB2 website and there's a pretty good reason: I want most everything. It's hard to shop there because it's so easy to shop there. They have interesting, creative ...
Those of you trying to perfect your millennial grandma style of living had better sit down or put the kettle on... I've come across something I've never seen before, and I've been shopping for the last 10 years straight. Remember when I had ...
If the entire world went to shit, and for some reason, all of the heavy-duty, luxurious kitchen appliances needed to be melted down to make metal panels for spaceships, and you could only keep three of your favorite electric cooking ...
This summer, I have been rediscovering (and in some cases, discovering) my beautiful state of Washington. I have shown off a few pics here and there of the kinds of things I've been seeing, but what I really want to ...
I have a goal this winter to drink more tea than coffee. I'm not sure it will happen, given the presence and existence of the Godfather of winter coffee drinks: the peppermint mocha. I'll try to at least drink more tea. ...
Every once in a while, I fall in love with a random pattern that I see in a place that isn't exactly... wearable. Sometimes, the pattern is so captivating that I don't even want to wear it - I just want ...