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Melamine Dinnerware Set (These Dishes are to DIE FOR!)

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These gorgeous outdoor dishes, the Melamine Dinnerware Set, isn’t just on my “buy for this grilling season,” it’s at the top. In fact, if I only get one thing on the list this year… it MUST be this set.

The set for four includes 4 large 10.5″ dinner plates, 4 8.5″ salad (or dessert) plates, and 4 6″ wide x 3″ high bowls.

These beauties are sturdy, food grade and BPA free. They’re even top-rack dishwasher safe, which is quickly becoming a must for every dish I buy. What can I say, especially in the pretty months, I don’t want to be at my sink when I can be… well… anywhere BUT at my sink!

Something else I love about them is the fact they’re perfectly willing to serve you and your family & friends indoors or outdoors. They’re made for both, and I fully intend to use them for both.

I’ve always felt strongly (and lived by the code, if we’re being honest) that you should fill your home with things that make you smile, things that resonate with joy for you. These dishes speak to me on that note – I love the rustic look, often referred to as “farmhouse” decor, but truth be told, they’d go with any type of decor or family personality.

I hope you’ll click through and take a closer look at this gorgeous set. There are larger images (trust me, the closer the look, the deeper in love with them you’ll fall) and even a video.

See Melamine Dinnerware Set (Amazon link) for more information.

LOVE THESE!!!

Easter Lovelies for the Kitchen: Dishes, Cake Stand, and Towels to DYE For (Sorry Not Sorry)

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I was browsing around Amazon earlier (always a dangerous sport for me) – looking for Easter dishes and new Easter cloth napkins. I’ve had a deep purple for years now and, while they’re lovely, I want to add some extra colors to the table.

I got so sidetracked by lovelies galore that I almost forgot my napkins! The first thing I saw, the too-cute-for-their-own-good, Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit Dish Towels are pictured on the right.

See how guilty they look? That’s because they made me forget everything but my own name.

There’s no easy way to show them all to you – so I’m just going to roll them out, one at a time. Each link is, of course, an Amazon link. I mean, is there really any better place to shop??

First up, the Sweet Bunny 16 Piece Dinnerware Set (pictured to the left).

For years, I have used the same beautiful white dinnerware set for Easter and Thanksgiving but this year I’d really like to give each wonderfully special holiday its own chance to bask in the spotlight.

These precious “sweet bunny” dishes are really tempting me to buy a few sets. I haven’t found any I like nearly as well and our grand babies will love these for years and years to come.

As far as that goes, I’m pretty sure our daughters and sons-in-law will love them just as much!

The gorgeous 16 Piece Set includes: 4 Each 11″Dinner Plates, 8. 5″ Salad/Dessert Plates, 20 oz. Mugs, 6″ Ice Cream/Dessert 26 oz. Bowls.

If you have Amazon Prime, delivery is free with these dishes.

Second of all, I found these ADORABLE (sorry to yell, but they’re worthy of all caps)

They would be absolutely adorable with the plates shown above or with white dishes for that matter. They’re available in many different colors – there is an orange and black that would be ideal for Halloween and a gray and white that is so great-looking I want them for everyday. If you click through, be sure to check out the image they have using the gray and white napkins.

It looks so stylish and gorgeous!

Features:

  • 100% Cotton
  • Imported
  • PACK OF SIX – Napkins measures 20×20″
  • EASY CARE – 100% cotton machine washable gentle cycle tumble dry low. Low iron if needed.

Third of all, there’s the gorgeous Ceramic Pastel 3-Tier Cake Stand (or cookies, deviled eggs, sugar cubes, candies… whatever you want to put on it).

It comes in silver or gold and both are absolutely gorgeous. The stand comes with free little tongs (for picking up sugar cubes or small treats).

When you look at the stand from above, you can see the embossed flowers as well as lovely little butterflies. When you click through, you can take a much closer look.

  • Diameter of Platters: 6”, 8”, 10”. 14.5″ tall
  • Material: High quality fine china, 100% LEAD FREE
  • Use as a cupcake stand, dessert stand or serve for fruit and other sweet treat. It can be used at all types of events and parties such as tea party, baby showers, graduations, weddings, Christmas, thanksgiving or for home decor.
  • Embossed porcelain design

I love that this stand can take you all through spring and summer (much like the checkered napkins above).

I have quite a few more Easter-themed gift ideas and kitchen gadgets as well as recipes in the works, so stay tuned!

I hope your weather is as beautiful as it is here in Kentucky. Hang in there, everyone, spring is almost here!

 

 

Confetti Mixing Bowls (4 Piece Set) – Many Colors Available and They’re All Gorgeous

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Love these Zak! Designs mixing bowls. Love, love, love, love these Zak! Designs mixing bowls!  The set of 4 confetti mixing bowls (affiliate link) is available on Amazon in this killer color combo as well as many others.  In fact, whatever your color scheme is, you’re sure to find a set that harmonizes with it beautifully.

  • Set of 4 confetti-flecked mixing bowls inspired by vibrant colors popular in the 1950s
  • Crafted of recycled melamine; BPA-, PVC-, phthalate- and lead-safe
  • Perfect for food prep and casual serving; more dinnerware and serveware sold separately
  • Dishwasher-safe; not suitable for microwave use
  • Bowls measure 5-3/4 inches, 7-1/4 inches, 9 inches, and 10-3/4 inches in diameter

Click the link above for more information – head’s up, you’d better hurry before I buy them all. Seriously, I’m beyond infatuated with these bowls.


Pepper Appreciation Post: Peppers, Peppers, and More Peppers!

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Chili Peppers Salt and Pepper Shakers

Hot Chili Peppers Salt & Pepper Shakers

Ever have a food obsession sneak up on you? This is the case with peppers and me. I’ve had a life-long love affair with certain foods….

  • chocolate
  • coffee (don’t try telling me it’s not a food, I will not listen)
  • tea (see above)
  • coconut
  • seafood – specifically shrimp, cod, and catfish
  • eggs
  • onion rings
  • sweet potatoes
  • cream cheese


But peppers are one of those foods that came looking for me. This particular all-encompassing fascination with all things peppers actually just came about in the last two years.  I always found them to be beautiful, tasty, and very serviceable – but the appreciation never hit full tilt fanaticism until recently.

And yet, here I am, currently unable to get enough of them. It’s one of those situations where I have to reign myself in or I’ll put them in everything. They simply take whatever dish they’re in and kick it up notches.

Take tossed salads, for example. I buy those colorful little bags of sweet mini peppers (organic) and chop them up with the rest of my salad ingredients. They add more flavor and crunch than you can imagine. They also perk up potato salads, soups, scrambled eggs, and meatloaves. Stuff them with cream cheese or any cheese combination and they become show offs.

Love it when that happens.

 


Next time you’re in your produce section, find the little bag of mini sweet peppers or grab a couple of chili peppers or jalapenos and experiment with them. They add a lot of kick and excitement to so many dishes. Try roasting them before using them in recipes, too, for a real knock out experience.

Slimware Dishes: Ceramic Plates Review

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Slimware Ceramic Plates

A few weeks ago I was sent a GORGEOUS set of Slimware Ceramic Plates to review on the food blog. It was love at first sight and I’ve only fallen further in love with them each time I’ve used them.

Slimware dishes are “Smart Plates Designed to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits.”  Their innovative approach HAS to make every other dish and plate designer in the world ask, “Why didn’t we think of that?!”

Each plate is designed to help you keep healthy portions in mind as you fill your plate. The beautiful plate I was sent is the Bluebelle Slimware plate. Each plate is similarly designed, allowing the plate to be visually divided into four sections, varying in size. In Bluebelle’s case, it’s four flowers.

As you can see in the image below, the larger section is for vegetables (understandably enough!). The next largest section is for carbs/side dishes. The smaller sections are for proteins/entrees.

Slimware Plate Designed for Healthier Eating

I’m absolutely struck by how ingenious these plates are. They take all of the guesswork out of it – encouraging healthier eating while also reminding you to keep portion size in mind.

Features

  • Each Slimware box contains 4 MICROWAVE SAFE ceramic plates.
  • Slimware is a unique line of casual dinnerware with an emphasis on portion consciousness fused with elegant yet convenient dining. Why waste time with the tedious task of counting calories when you can just use your eyes to limit your portions. If you eat less, you’ll weigh less.
  • Slimware will change the way you LOOK at dieting! Each plate provides graphically-designed areas for food placement.

{Review Continued Below…}

Slimware Ceramic Plates
While I do love and applaud the thinking behind these plates, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my favorite thing about them is how gorgeous they are. If the others are as beautiful as the Bluebelle dishes (and I’m certain they are!), you can’t possibly go wrong with ordering any design.

When I opened my box, I was immediately struck by how NICE these dishes are – thick, heavy, and very colorful. Everything about them says quality and I actually want more! I noticed on the website that they also have “Measure Up Bowls,” which are also beautiful.

As you can tell from the picture below (gluten free biscuits – YUM!), I use the plates for more than just portion control – they’re just absolutely gorgeous.

{Review Continued Below…}

Slimware Ceramic Plates with Gluten Free Biscuits
Bluebelle and Dandelion Dreams (white with dandelions) are Microwavable, Ceramic Slimware plates. Slimware also has a line of  Melamine Plates which include Urban Safari  (leopard print with bold, colorful flowers), Sunburst (bright yellow with white flowers), and Jubilee (red with cherry blossoms).

Any of These Plates (sold in sets of four) Would Be Perfect For:

  • … anyone trying to lose weight. Portion control cannot be emphasized enough!
  • …. Mother’s Day gift.
  • …. Father’s Day gift.
  • …. Christmas gift – for any adult on your list.
  • …  diabetics. A diabetic has to eat certain amounts of certain foods each day – what better way to measure them out than allowing your plates to do the work for you?!
  • …. anyone on any sort of restrictive diet.
  • … anyone who loves beautiful dishes!

{Review Continued Below…}

Slimware Ceramic Plates
Below is a video that will give you a little more information about these beautiful and innovative plates .  See Slimware for more information. You can also find Slimware on Facebook and follow Slimware on Twitter.

Slimware on HSN:

Miles Kimball Red Depression Style Glass Hen Candy Dish

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Miles Kimball Red Depression Style Glass Hen Candy Dish

Glass Hen Candy Dish from Miles Kimball

If you love animals and or nostalgia, you’re going to be as crazy about this Miles Kimball Red Depression Style Glass Hen Candy Dish as I am. My grandmothers, aunt, and mother had quite a few Depression Style dishes and the older I get, the more I love them.

Features:

  • Sparkling red hen
  • Replicas of dishes displayed on coffee tables in the Great Depression
  • Shimmers with cheerful color
  • Perfect for displaying or gift giving
  • Dishwasher safe

Take a closer look at the beautiful Miles Kimball Red Depression Style Glass Hen Candy Dish by following the link.


Halloween Salt and Pepper Shakers and Sets

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Halloween Ghost Salt and Pepper Shakers

I have a confession to make. Each and every year, like clockwork, I decorate for Halloween the first day of September.

I have another confession to make. It’s August 27th and I spent the morning putting out my Halloween decorations.  Please try not to judge me. Basically I’m a six year old that never quite grew up. This fact can be a real pain when it comes to controlling spending and candy impulses, but it certainly makes holidays a lot of fun.

As a salt and pepper shaker collector, it occurred to me – as I found perfect 2 month homes for my collection of “happy” ghosts (when I was a little girl, I was scared of any ghosts that weren’t “happy” – guess I assumed that if they were smiling they meant me no harm), scarecrows, trick or treating bears, and the rest of the gang – I don’t have a single set of Halloween salt and pepper shakers.

Not a single set! How did this happen?? Fortunately, I know the way to Amazon.

This post is for the other holiday lovers out there as well as other salt and pepper shaker collectors.


Cat & Pumpkin Salt & Pepper Set
As a cat lover, I’m pretty sure the set shown above will be the first one I order. I have two black cats of my own and two “grandkitties” that are black, too, so I’ve got a thing for black cats anyway. Contrary to what some knuckleheads may believe, black cats are actually good luck – and very, very beautiful!


Black Bat Halloween Salt and Pepper Shaker Set
 

While I can’t claim to own any black bats of my own and have no idea whether they’re lucky or not, I do think the set above is downright adorable.


Tombstone & Cauldron Salt & Pepper Shaker Set
For those of you who don’t mind a little spooky in your Halloween…


Spooky Skeleton Chef Glass Salt and Pepper Shaker Set
The handsome guys above and below would be just the sort of salt and pepper shaker sets two of my three daughters would go for. The other one is a total chicken like her mom.


Scary Skeleton Glass Salt and Pepper Shaker Set
You can find pages and pages of great Halloween Salt and Pepper Shakers on Amazon. Most are uncommonly inexpensive and all are a lot of fun. Ghouls, monsters, vampires, pumpkins, bats, zombies….


Cake Boss Mixing Bowls: SO Pretty and SO Useful

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Cake Boss Mixing Bowls

I have a new obsession in the kitchen: Cake Boss Mixing Bowls. One of the gifts from my oldest daughter (Emily) for Mother’s Day was a gift bag filled with Cake Boss Bowls: The Cake Boss 2-Piece Melamine Mixing Bowl Set (the pink and blue bowls) and Cake Boss Melamine Mixing Bowl , Small (yellow).

She’d seen that I’d written about them before here on the food blog and knew I’d love to actually have a set of my own.

I LOVE when my family reads (and catches!) my not-so-subtle hints!

These bowls are even more adorable in person. They’re fun, colorful, high-quality, and uber functional. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve used mine since Mother’s Day. I use them for waffles, cakes, cupcakes, whipped cream, beating eggs, cakes, cookies, and on and on.

I also use them for their looks – as in setting them out prominently to show off and look pretty!

  • Each mixing bowl is crafted from durable yet lightweight melamine and designed with a rubberized base for stability (no chasing the bowl across the counter top); top-rack dishwasher safe.  They are exceptionally unique and unbelievably good looking. I just love the retro look of these bowls.
  • They have cool little rims as handles on one side pour spouts on the other for pouring.
  • I also love that they’re “nestable” – fitting beautifully one within the other, with room to spare – so they don’t rub up against one another

These beautiful bowls are absolute perfection. Click through any of the links below for more information.

Cake Boss Mixing Bowls

See more Cake Boss Bowls on Amazon!

Pig Salt and Pepper Shaker Holder

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Pig Salt and Pepper Holder
From the e-mails you send to the comment you leave, I know y’all are as wild about pigs as I am.  When I searched Amazon earlier for pig salt and pepper shakers (I collect BOTH pigs and salt and pepper shakers, so it’s something I search for as often as I search for chocolate), I found this adorable guy.

This Pig Salt and Pepper Shaker Set is a little different from most salt and pepper shakers – after all, the star of the show isn’t the shakers, themselves, it’s the cutie cradling them.

Features:

  • Dimensions: 5 1/8″ x 4 1/4″ x 6 3/8″ high. Weight: 1.4 lbs.
  • Individually hand-crafted from cold cast resin with glass salt and pepper shakers.
  • Because our polyresin products are individually hand-crafted works of art, colors may vary slightly from what is pictured here.
  • Packaged in a decorative gift box. Spices not included.

Click through either the picture or the link above for a closer look. The set is less than $20, so I’m honestly tempted to buy one for salt & pepper and another one for garlic salt & seasoned salt.

Might as well go hog wild, right?

See Also: More Pig Salt and Pepper Shakers on Amazon.

Adorable Cake Boss Mixing Bowl Set

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Cake Boss Mixing Bowls
I’m one of those people who’s naturally drawn to the unexpected… the whimsical, even. That’s why our home is filled with things that make us smile. Whether it’s fat-bellied pigs gracing a kitchen shelf or a stuffed bison on a computer desk – the only requirement to get into our house is to basically be a smile waiting to happen.

The beautiful whimsical and whimsically beautiful Cake Boss Bowls, shown here, have an open invitation.

This 2-Piece melamine mixing bowl set has a 2-quart bowl with pink stripes and a large 3-quart bowl with a blue and white polka dot pattern.   Each beautiful bowl is crafted from durable melamine and designed with a rubberized base for stability – because few things are more frustrating than having to chase your bowl across the counter.

I also love that each bowl has a “pour spout,” as I’ve become so spoiled to those I seldom look at mixing bowls that are “pour spoutless.”

While they are TOP SHELF dishwasher safe, they would undoubtedly be among my extra-special dishes that  get the sink and Dawn detergent treatment.

Anything this adorable HAS to get the kid-glove treatment as far as I’m concerned.

See Cake Boss 2-Piece Melamine Mixing Bowl Set for a closer look.

While on Amazon, be sure to take a look at the entire lines of Cake Boss Bakeware and the extra gorgeous Cake Boss Serveware.