Which Room in Your Home Deserves the Most Attention a Couple of Months Post-Partum?

There is one room in the home that gives away the fact that you’ve had a baby much more than the living/family room full of baby toys and baby items. The answer may surprise others but it certainly shouldn’t surprise you. You think you have the answer? It’s the kitchen! Why? Because is it just me or can you relate to any of the bullets below?

you feel as though your desire to cook went down

you don’t remember when the last time you cooked to impress was

you think that having the time, energy and above focus to cook, let alone bake, would be a total treat

your fridge doesn’t have many things that appetite desires because lately, you are not the one who does most of the grocery shopping, for a change

the kitchen staples that were your best buds and had your back when you wanted to cook something in a pinch or better yet, give that extra “something- something” to your elaborate meal are now hanging out in other people’s pantries where they feel appreciated instead of neglected

your years (hmm-hmm decades) of cooking and/or baking have gone to the dogs since you’ve made more mistakes in the kitchen (despite the little quality time you spend there) since your children were born

This last bullet was one of the two hardest realizations for me post-pregnancy. Truth be told, it has hurt my ego to forget to add baking powder to the pancakes I prepared… (cough)…. Twice. Where was my mind? Tending to my baby of course! And wanting to be superwoman…. everything to everyone (except to me and my needs) all the time. I really miss having that cathartic experiences in the kitchen, in which I had the luxury of being immersed into measuring everything precisely and leveling every single dry ingredient with the edge of a butter knife. Ahhh! Those were the days!

What’s the Use of Realizing that the Kitchen is Neglected?

While this seems like a huge complaint blog post, what I’m trying to accomplish is to vent… in your honor and despite my once-classified-a-chef honor. 😉 For people who say that parenting is not hard… I’d like to invite you over to a microwave dinner so that I can at least try to further explain how not being able to feed oneself appropriately and consistently gives any impression that parenting is easy. And that’s just the beginning of what we can’t do well even though we thought (and so did the world) that we were excellent multi-taskers before having kids.

What New Moms Crave For

There have been a couple of times that I’ve daydreamed about going alone to one of my two favorite restaurants to eat a meal that will be deliciously cooked and to spend some quality time with my friend, “delicious food.” But, no matter what the little mush I eat, (often cold, often frantically and most likely out of the container), being able to have a baby to tend to, to the point that my cookbooks are jealous, is a huge blessing that nourishes my soul and my being in the most special and unbelievably calorie-free way that anything ever has. As a matter of fact, despite the fact that I’m not there yet, I believe that my desire to feed my little one well and with a great deal of culinary gusto and flavor, my little one will in fact be my inspiration for getting back into the kitchen with a vengeance. As a matter of fact, I’ve been combing through some old recipes and eyeing some new recipes that I would like to try. There are just sooooo many recipes out there that I think it’s a total waste of our time on earth to not try some more. What gives me a little bit of peace is that Rachael Ray and her team apparently have seen how time-deprived we are, whether we have children or not, because she recently came out with a new book called Week in a Day, in which the premise is to devote an action-packed day to creating 5 dinners. It may seem like a chore (or an impossibility) to devote a full day to cooking, but, imagine how much smoother the rest of your week will feel if you in fact get your dinners done and over with? If you apply the same teaching to creating breakfasts and lunches, then you’ll really be on top of things. Not only will you save some time, but you’ll save some sanity and money given that less groceries will go to waste.

Time to Evaluate Yourself

So if you’re a parent, tell me, what is your relationship between you and the kitchen like these days, is it strained (no pun intended) or is it kosher? Please leave your comment below, and please, if you have any tips to how to balance the need to nourish your children and the need to nourish yourself (both literally and metaphorically), please let me know.

The Best Kitchen Spoons for the Tactile Cook

You know how when you’re sick, a bowlful of soup seems to do the trick to lift up your immune system and your mental framework so that you feel a little bit better? We know that the actual soup is important to this slow but steady recovery process. However, have you ever stopped to wonder that the simple act of using a spoon to serve yourself this simple, but tried-and-true goodness is part of the magic? There’s something about spoons and soup that has a dynamic quality. But every good thing has a unique trail, that often-times goes unnoticed.

Take the serving ladle for example. It is time and time again responsible for allowing you to savor a yummy soup, but often, we don’t pay much attention to it. Well guess, what? There is a spoon and ladle set which you won’t be able to ignore once you see it, and ESPECIALLY once you touch it. It is Rachael Ray’s 2 Piece Lazy Spoon and Lazy Ladle Set.

: My favorite kitchen spoons and ladles of all time!

Spoon Full of Love

After the first touch, you’ll be in love with this set. Nope, I’m not exaggerating. Many people think this a worthy set to fall in love with because it has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Amazon out of 266 reviews (at the time of this post).

This set is a 2-piece set. It consists of a spoon and a 1-inch deep ladle.
The spoon and ladle each measure 11 inches long by 2 inches wide and weigh 8 ounces collectively. They are by no means flimsy spoons. They have a very nice weight to them. There are some people who may say that they’re too heavy, especially the ladle, but I don’t think they are at all! Are they heavy? A little, but not uncomfortably so. What is “too heavy” anyway? As a matter of fact, I believe that the weight complements your ability to balance whatever blazing-hot meal you’re serving without fearing that you’re going to spill it along the way.
Its high-grade silicone construction flexes just a tad to allow you to scoop up food at the bottom of the pot in a similar way that a spatula would.
The construction is very gentle on all of your pots, whether they’re non-stick, ceramic or stainless steel, so forget about ever scratching any of your prized bowls, pats, pans or dishes with these huggable pair.
These spoons hold up very well and can withstand heat up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
One of the best features of these spoons that they have a perfect-sized notch on their handle that allow you to perch the spoon on the rim of your pans between usage to avoid drips keep your stove and countertops clean. And guess what? You’ll never scorch yourself with a hot-spoon…. even if you leave it for hours resting on a rim of a pot or pan on a stove.
This set is dishwasher-safe
And if this weren’t enough, they come with a limited lifetime warranty.

These are just some of the main reasons why these spoons are of great value in your kitchen.

Adding a Splash of Color for Your Kitchen

If you’re very interested in having a set that matches your decor, this set is available in:

blue
red
green
orange
purple

But no matter what color you choose, you’ll be a little spoiled and won’t want to use any other serving spoons. It’s a drag having them in the wash and having to use any other spoon. These are so well loved, that it’s awful being without them. When I go to other people’s home’s and help serve any meals… it makes me truly miss this set. It’s SUPER silly of me to think this way, I know, but if you try them, you’ll probably understand why I’m in love with these spoons.

The only people for whom these spoons might not work well for are people who are left handed, because they’re shaped to the contours and grip of a right-handed person. But if you’re a right-handed person… it’ll seem that these spoons were made for you.

If you’re a Rachael Ray Fan, or even if you’re not, take a look at what joy they’re to work with.

These spoons are useful for serving hot meals, for parties and picnics and for serving yourself cold meals, like pasta salads.

I love having a good repertoire of kitchen tools, but I have to say that hands down, these spoons are my favorite kitchen utensils. Why? They’re like a little pamper and caress while you’re cooking.

Handing the Spoon Over To You

So now that I’ve shared these simple but truly loved kitchen utensils of mine, tell me:

What is your favorite kitchen utensil? Why?
Do you own this Rachael Ray spoon set? If so, what do you think of it?

If there is someone who loves the kitchen in your life or could love it a little bit more if they had lovable kitchen items like these, please feel free to share this article with them. And… don’t forget, it’s never too early to start Holiday shopping, and these spoons make awesome stocking stuffers, although for someone like me, who loves these spoons as much, they could potentially be the main Holiday gift.