Rock Flower Paper ~ Scissors?!

I adore funky, unique items from creative companies and immediately fell in love with the rock-flower-paper company selections. 

There theme is "bringing the essence of nature home", and although it sounds dramatic, their items are show stoppers!

Take their trays..."Ho hum", you might say, "a tray is a tray!" 
Not so fast. These lacquer trays are very beautiful and difficult to make. 

They're made by hand [yes, that's right] 
with a finish that's dried under ultra violet light.
All their trays come with hang tags that introduce you to the artist.

Quince Red Tray with a high gloss lacquer finish 
that's heat & moisture resistant

They make a variety of placemats, totes, trays, napkins, aprons, kitchen towels...and so much more. What a spectacular shower gift any of their items would make (shower gift, heck...bring something as a hostess gift the next time you're invited to friend's and while you're at it, treat yourself to something).

And I've simply fallen in love with their canvas baskets. 
I move it here...then move it there...deciding exactly what I want to do with it, and using my women's prerogative and changing my mind constantly (!). 

These baskets are 100% canvas with a water resistant lining you can easily wipe clean and are collapsible with a sewn in wire rim 
in case you decide to store it away for the night.

Being a bird lover, I've been enjoying their #1 seller, 
the snowy bird canvas basket...

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite store carries 
any of these products; if not...
visit their website for additional information
rockflowerpaper

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, Bev Shaffer or at Bev's Email.

Nothing wasted....and made in the USA

There are some gadgets to use and just feel good about, and here are a few of my favorites from Preserve Products.

Their small cutting boards...designed to work hard and, as it says on the label, "make you feel happy for years to come". [I just might hold them to that one!] The board has a handy curve for holding and carrying, and for my general kitchen purposes it's the perfect size.

Available in red, white or green...

Usually after a year or so, my plastic cutting boards look nicked and scratched and not really usable...with Preserve's board, if it gets tired [when it gets tired] you can recycle it wherever #5 plastics are recycled. Or, return it to them and they'll recycle it for you.

Aren't you beginning to feel better about your contribution to the health of the planet already? Just wait ~ there's more!

All their products are Made in the USA, 100% Recycled Plastic and BPA Free. Their kitchen line is quite extensive [and they have other cool products for your bathroom and table as well]. 

They make colanders in two sizes ~

small and

large...

Their 3 piece mixing bowl set features bowls with handles and pouring lips. Each piece is "powered by leftovers" ~ including take out containers ~ "one day a food storage container, the next day a mixing bowl".  Cool!

Out of everything in their kitchen line, I love their food storage containers the most. In addition to the round ones you see pictured below, there are a few unique shapes available. The round ones twist to open and close, keeping everything well sealed in my freezer. They're also the perfect size for freezing something for the two of us. 

 

Have some fun in the kitchen with the entire Preserve line, and feel good about it, too! Be sure to check out their line on their website.

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite store carries 
any of these products; if not...

find their entire line here PRESERVE PRODUCTS

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, Bev Shaffer or at Bev's Email.

Fresh Herbs, In No Time!

I'm always suspicious when something reads, "just a simple twist of the wrist", and you can catch me mumbling "I'll be the judge of that". 

Enter Microplane's Herb Mill...and yes, it does say a "simple twist of the wrist". It's an amazing gadget that I'm in love with.

Perfect for cutting fresh herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro, sage and mint (just a few that I grow and use over and over), the "tiny scissors" in its dual action blade cut these herbs without bruising.   

Here's how it works:

• Rinse herbs well, then dry thoroughly and remove from the stem
• Remove top of herb mill and load herbs in the body
• Replace top and gently push down
• Twist top back and forth [remember, "simple twist of the wrist"!]

 

The soft touch top fits into my hand comfortably. And yes, it's dishwasher safe.
 
I used it tonight to add fresh parsley atop my shrimp with marinara and feta.  Add some fresh herbs to your life!!

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite shop carries 
any of these products; if not...

find Microplane online

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, Bev Shaffer or at Bev's Email.

Spring Is Just Around the Corner [REALLY, it is!] -- Plan Your Garden Now!

Who doesn't love to thumb through garden catalogs in the dead of winter, when it's 10 degrees outside, snow on the ground, and you just can't seem to get warm?! 

Flowers...and herbs...and vegetable gardens -- images that warm you and bring the sunshine into your home.

I love the idea of mini-gardens...celebrating the art of gardening and design, without all the fuss.

I was thrilled to discover Potting Shed Creations, and ordered three "gardens" I can't wait to use.

My Vegetable Garden kit is simple and ready when I am...

The perfect way to grow and cultivate a garden, the kit includes 8 varieties of seed, stakes, marking pencil [so I don't forget what I planted, when and where!] and some easy to follow instructions.

And what would my veggies be without fresh herbs, you ask? I'm ready with my Mini Garden-in-a-Pail ~ in this case, my herb garden.

A container garden in a leak proof, US made galvanized pail and all the ingredients to grow exceptional herbs. I have at the ready (for warm weather and sunshine, that is) my Organic Mixed Herb collection [basil, parsley, garlic chives]. 


I can't wait.

These pails are also available in 
heirloom lavender; 
forget-me-nots; 
mini tomatoes; 
and mixed zinnia.

Now my food planting is over, and the real pleasure of gardening begins...flowers.

My selections included "Scatter Gardens" -- you know, for those areas you don't want to mow! 

Perfect for creating striking drifts of color and texture...they come in:

     Butterfly habitat

     Hummingbird habitat

     Honeybee habitat

     Wildflower habitat

     Fragrant habitat

     and, 
     for those of you without a lot of sun,

                                                                            Shadeflower habitat

Now I'm spoiled. I didn't want to have to scatter anything. I just want to pop the lid, place in sun, water as needed and viola! Flowers.

I chose my favorite, brighten any day flower -- sunflower! I ordered the Mini Garden-in-a-Pail [kids] Sunflower. Hey, we're all kids at heart.  

It includes a recycled steel pail, children's garden gloves (which I'll have to give away), heirloom sunflower seeds, soil and growing directions. And get this, the ribbon around the pail is made [in the US] from recycled plastic bottles.

Goodbye winter, and hurry up spring. I want to grow things...

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite shop carries 
any of these products; if not...

find POTTING SHED CREATIONS online

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, Bev Shaffer or at Bev's Email.

Tea(ching) and Gifting

Whether it's a celebration of the Boston Tea Party, a party to cheer the mistaken invention of the tea bag by Thomas Sullivan in 1908 in New York,

or a winter soiree of your own, having a vessel for brewing the perfect cup of tea makes life's simpler pleasures more, well, pleasurable!

Two of my favorites:

Bon Jour's Loire Collection has a Glass Tea Maker with an infuser basket. 

Fill with your favorite loose tea (ginger peach, anyone?). 

A rough rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon (plus "1 extra for the pot") of loose tea for every 

6 to 8 ounces of water.

Fill the carafe with hot* water and let steep for a number of minutes, 

depending on your tastes and the type of tea brewed.  

Slowly press the infuser's plunger down to filter the tea, automatically shutting off the brewing process, then pour and enjoy!

One of my favorite features of this tea maker is its patented shut off infuser--

which seals in the hydrated tea leaves in the solid chamber, stopping the brew process and giving me more control over flavor.

When I want to "class things up", I bring out my 

Staub Enameled Cast Iron Teapot with Infuser.

Long a fan of cast iron's heat retention, I can brew a few perfect cups of tea in this baby

at once, remove the loose tea captured in the infuser, and then bring

this class act to the table to pour, sip and keep the tea hot for another cup.

Side Note:

This teapot is THE perfect gift for the tea lover who has everything!

Fresh Herbs Transform Basic Food into Flavorful Dishes!

...yes, it's true...and those same fresh herbs do it all without adding calories or fat. But how to store them so you don't waste what you just purchased or picked.

The FRESH HERB STORAGE JAR to the rescue!  Silvermark's innovative Fresh Herb Storage Jar is a practical (and attractive) solution that will help you preserve the freshness AND longevity of your herbs.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I take the time to buy a bunch of fresh herbs I want them to last so I can get multiple uses out of them. I want my storage solution to be compact and easy to use...and this definitely fits both those criteria.

Easy to use...you fill the porcelain base with enough water to cover herb stems. Be sure to remove any dead or discolored herb leaves and trim the bottom of the herbs (just like flowers) prior to storage. Place herbs in the jar with the stems immersed.

For some herbs that don't like the cold (basil and cilantro), you can keep the jar on the counter with the lid removed. For huskier herbs with shorter stems, you can unscrew the herb jar in the middle for easier access and handling. 

Large enough to store bundles of freshly cut herbs, but compact enough to fit in my refrigerator door, this helps me prolong the life of most fresh herbs for up to three weeks!

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite shop carries any of these products.

find them online...

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, Bev Shaffer or at Bev's Email.

Razor Sharp, and Won't Grate On My Nerves!

Hard cheese, soft cheese, carrots, potatoes...

     using a box grater to accomplish grating these was a task 

(I secretly) always tried to get out of!

Why? Because the box grater would slip, the cheese would "smoosh" 

from the dullness of the blade's

     holes, or the handle would break off...and I'd wind up 

being overly cautious not to add any grated

     knuckles to my finished dish!

This year I'll have to think of another excuse if I'm going to pass on the grating chores. 

The Box Grater from Microplane features 

surgical-grade stainless steel blades 

(in case your doc wants to make mac 'n cheese in the Operating Room) 

and an ergonomic, soft grip handle.

This grater includes their most popular blades--

     a medium ribbon blade (perfect for hard cheeses and chocolate);

     an extra coarse blade (mac 'n cheese, anyone?); 

a full sized slicer (perfect for veggies); and a 

     removable fine zester blade (for citrus fruits).

The non-slip rubber feet give it just the right stability, and ~ 

if I had a dishwasher (2011 resolution?), 

the Box Grater is completely dishwasher-safe. 

These same cute little feet lift the grater up off your work

     surface, giving you an idea of how much you've grated.

If you're not familiar with Microplane, their signature blades cut easily 

through both hard and soft foods    

     without tearing or shredding, and since I store mine in one of our kitchen cupboards, 

I'm happy it comes

     with an acrylic cover that fits easily over the blades.

Is part of the "new you" to not let things grate on your nerves? 

Then this Box Grater is for you!

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite shop carries any of these products.

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, www.bevshaffer.com or at bev.foodwithattitude@gmail.com.