Faux Fast Food and other Favorite Fings, I mean Things

I love it when my fellow bloggers post about their favorite things, so I am doing a "Kitchen Edition" with things I am loving in my kitchen right now.  Unsurprisingly, most of it involves stuffing my face.  I so love to eat.  I hope you'll comment and share something you love in your kitchen too!

First up: Jack's Salsa

See how it says "America's #1 Award-Winning Salsa" right on the label???  That's because it is the BEST.  STUFF.  EVER.  It is so fresh, it is like I am standing in the cilantro field as I eat it.  Is cilantro grown in fields?  Well, if it is, that's where I am.  I can eat the heck out of this stuff, especially with quesadillas (or chips, duh).  But it is also great in guacamole, too.

Next, I give you: Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds:

Yummmmm.  For a girl who is trying to eat low-carb, these are a literal gift.  They aren't cheap, but if you wait until they're BOGO, and use a coupon, they are affordable and still taste like $6 a bottle.  Goes great with a glass of wine.

Speaking of wine, my favoritest cheap wine ever is:

Photo: oe-no-phile

Blue Fin Chardonnay at Trader Joe's.  I have loved this one for quite some time, and just learned that people all over the internet are also singing its praises, which must mean I am just as awesome as I am clueless about wine.  I am taking a serious risk by putting this one out there, because word on the street (aka Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer Newsletter) is that this wine is no longer being made.  Therefore, when it is gone, it's gone.  It is only $3.99, and you'd never know it.  I call it my "house wine," although there is rarely ever left in my house because I usually drink it right up!

Moving on now to a non-food item, this is maybe my favorite tool in my kitchen (okay, besides the Cuisinart):

Despite the cheesy name, Cutco knives have got to be the best.  A friend gave me two of them for my wedding almost 7 years ago, and I use this one with the serrated blade nearly every day.  Nevertheless, it looks and performs exactly the same way it did 7 years ago.  It is super sharp, very comfortable to hold, and just perfect in every way.  I also having the paring knife, and love it too.

Finally, because I do so love food, here's my newest creation:

I call it the "MomGriddle."  When I was pregnant with my first I devoured McGriddles by the wheelbarrow-full.  I literally could not satisfy my hunger for a McGriddle.  By the way, a McGriddle is literally the most unhealthy thing you can buy at a fast-food restaurant.  Like fast food needed to get worse.  Of course, the new Double Down is probably worse, but anyway.

Three years later, I still crave them.  And I can't even blame pregnancy.  So I make a healthier version using these:

For your reference, here's a side-by-side comparison of the nutritional value:

You might be thinking, "but the MomGriddle is so small!"  Well, sweetie-pie, eat two!  Eat three!  It's still healthier than a McGriddle.  And if you are feeling adventurous, you could also add some maple syrup.  Yuh-um.

So do you have any favorite things in the kitchen that we should all try immediately?  Do tell!



P.S. Lovin' the Linky at 320 Sycamore!