Saturday, January 28, 2012

Happy Birthday (to me)


Thursday was my golden birthday (26 on the 26th!). I remember one birthday- I must have been 7 or so- I had a unicorn piñata. That was a blast. I think I'd like to have a piñata again one day- but this year I couldn't have been happier to receive the sweetest card and unexpected surprise from my husband (tickets to see Blue Man Group), dinner at a favorite restaurant (Famous Dave's for ribs) and a blu-ray (Midnight in Paris!!) and mini crockpot (for making our culinary weakness- Rotel dip) from my sister. Not every year can be a piñata year, but the quiet years can be just as special.

 
 
Find  me on Instagram: @alyssabee86

Sunday, January 22, 2012

The just don't make 'em like they used to: Iconic Kitchenware

There comes a time when you need to start replacing all of your flimsy, worn out pots and pans with more durable pieces. The "durable" of today, however, comes nowhere close to lasting as long as the pieces of the past. I've picked up a few really great kitchen staples recently and am excited to put them to use.


This Texasware confetti mixing bowl was a fun find. I've had my eye on the ZAK Designs set of mixing bowls for awhile now- so it was neat to find their vintage counterpart at Goodwill.


Cast iron is definitely a kitchen luxury. I found this diamond in the rough enameled cast iron skillet at Dig and Save. It was absolutely filthy- but a few sprinkles of Bar Keepers Friend cleaned it right up.

There are a few unfortunate dings in the enamel, but it's still completely usable.

Here is the mark on the bottom. I can't say with 100% certainty, but I believe this could be a vintage Cousances/Le Creuset piece. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know!

I almost passed on this pot because of the $6.99 price tag (dumb). It's vintage Dansk Kobenstyle! Yellow is my favorite color, so I really don't know why I even thought twice about this (must have been having a "cheap" day).
 It does have some significant staining on the inside, unfortunately. I tried repeated applications of Bar Keeper Friend to no avail. If anyone has any other tips for cleaning enamelware, please pass them along!


Finally, I have to say hi to another Madison blogger- Candace over at Luxe-Stitch. We ran into each other yesterday at Savers. It was pretty neat to meet another like-minded blogger in person!