A Few New Things

First of all, I'm loving my new garbage bowl. It's a genuine Rachael Ray garbage bowl I went & splurged on. Cause really, you could just use any kind of bowl for your garbage, it doesn't have to be a Rachael Ray. But this one is fun & orange & speckled and has a nice grippy rubber base on it's bottom. And it really does come in handy in the kitchen. While I'm cooking I just throw in bits & pieces of things then when I'm done (or when it's full) I just dump it all in the trash can.

What?! You say you want to see my garbage bowl, complete with garbage? Okay then-

Next up is my "new" iron skillet. I was planning to use some of my Christmas money to buy a cast iron skillet. I've been reading about how much healthier they are to cook with and how they can be seasoned to be virtually non-stick and I was really wanting to give one a try! I browsed online and planned on ordering one on Amazon. But then I ran across an old skillet at Goodwill. So, I bought it. It was old & rusty and needed some love. I did some research about cleaning & caring for old iron cookware and I learned that some of the best iron skillets you can get are old ones that have been "broken-in" and just like the saying goes, "they just don't make them like they used to!" I learned that Griswold and Wagner are the two most sought-after brands of antique cast iron cookware. And the one I found & bought just happened to be:

I wish I would've taken a before picture of it, it was really quite awful looking. But after sanding, cleaning and seasoning, here is how mine looks. Isn't it lovely!?

I've used it quite a few times and it works so nicely. For cleaning, I scrub it with hot water and scrubby sponge only (no soap or detergents!) then smear some olive oil into the surface and it is ready to go for next time. Like for some blueberry pancakes!

Next, I have a couple new kitchen gadgets that I'm loving. First is my citrus juicer, not sure why I didn't buy one of these sooner! This is the type I have:

First, I made the mistake of buying a plastic one. DON'T do it! It broke the first time I used it and I was the lucky one to find a piece of plastic in my salsa :( The new metal one I bought was only about $6 at Walmart and it works great.

My other new gadget it my apple corer. Again, should've bought one of these a long time ago. It makes cutting apples up so easy and is especially great if you just want thin slices with no core, like for making dried apple chips.



And lastly, one of my new favorite things not kitchen related is my new workout DVD! It is Denise Austin Sculpt & Burn Body Blitz I love it and I highly recommend it. There are 4 different 10 minute workouts so you can pick & choose which you are in the mood for and there is also an awesome warm-up and a very nice stretchy cool down. For me of little motivation, it's perfect. I tell myself...just do one segment...10 minutes, you can do that! And after I do one, I always feel like doing at least one more. They are fun & original workouts that are not boring.

I do like my other new DVD, Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30, but gosh dang, that woman is so bossy! I know that's her shtick, but it grates on my nerves. Too bad because it's a great workout too. Fortunately, I am finding the more I use the DVD the less she annoys me, which is surprising. Thankfully spring is around the corner and I'll be able to get out in the fresh air to do my workouts. Yay!