Le Creuset!

I have a six week old baby. I spend a lot of time awake at three in the morning. The number of food network shows I watch since Wyatt's birth has increased dramatically.

My favorite show is Pioneer Woman. I've cooked from her blog before, but I have been recording and watching (and rewatching) (and rewatching) her shows now, and have been having kitchen envy like crazy. I've been paying close attention to the dishes and tools she uses, and am at a point in my life where I just want the good stuff.

That being said, I've been coveting her Le Creuset enameled cast iron cookware pretty freaking bad. Hours of breastfeeding has involved a lot of my researching brands, recipes, and uses on my phone.

Last week I scraped together enough target gift cards to buy a 7 quart Lodge dutch oven, but then I found out the Le Creuset outlet was having it's summer sale...

I told Frank, the gentleman who assisted my sleeping, strollered baby and I that I would give him a shout out in my blog. He has no idea how happy he made little wanna-be food network star me. I love this outlet, I love taking my baby on adventures (three freeways were closed, it was a gamble getting here), and I can't wait to use my saute pan/skillet combo!!!

Delightful summer day

Right now I couldn't be happier. I have a burbling little 6-week-old-tomorrow baby asleep next to me, a husband playing a computer game behind me, a brand new computer-set-up, and I just spent a few hours in the park with husband and friend watching them play with a new toy (drone for go pro camera, very cool) - while I walked and walked with the stroller.

I also just bought a Lodge enamel covered cast iron dutch oven online, and I can't wait for it to get here.

I am not the world's best housekeeper, but I like the idea of it. I really love to cook, when I love it. I realized at some point that the secret is to surround myself with things I like -- hate washing dishes? Buy dishes you love. Dislike cooking? Use utensils and ingredients that speak to you. I love feeding people, and there is something about making food beautiful that matters. I have the ingredients for a baked ziti dish that I am waiting to use until my Caribbean blue dutch oven gets here, because I can't wait to stir the beautiful red sauce in that color pot. Its the little things, you know?

I have a lot of hand-me-down dishes, broken things, and mass-produced stuff in my kitchen. My goal is to replace them all with higher-quality beautiful items that I love, one piece at a time.