I like to keep a list in my journal of the (mostly) little, everyday things bringing me a disproportionate amount of happiness these days. I love assembling these interesting and often strange assortments in these recurring posts of stuff I love. We’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately, and the outsized delight I’m taking in my cooking endeavors is evident in this assortment.
1. Good balsamic. For the first time in my life I have actual good balsamic vinegar at home, often described in recipes as something like “the good syrupy kind,” as opposed to the kind from Trader Joe’s I usually get (and still use heavily). I wandered into one of our local specialty stores one summer Saturday morning in the not-so-distant past and left with a bottle of De Nigris. (Mine is medium density). We’re going through the bottle slowly and enjoying it so much.
2. Spindrift fall flavors. I’m a longtime Spindrift fan, and finding the new seasonal flavors when they roll around each year makes me so happy. Right now my fridge is stocked with Fuji Apple, Cranberry Raspberry, and Cranberry Punch (which I thought was only okay at first, but it’s growing on me). I feel like I’m drinking down fall happiness right now—but I wish they’d bring back Spiced Apple Cider!
3. Korean Chile flakes. I bought these Gochugaru Red Pepper Flakes in order to make Melissa Clark’s Pressure Cooker Spicy Pork Shoulder (gift link), which was a huge hit with the whole family. Now I find myself reaching for them all the time: they’re more finely textured and less spicy than our “regular” chili flakes. I especially love them on avocado toast—for the little zip they provide but also (let’s be honest) for aesthetic reasons. (If I’m speaking your language, my favorite spices and seasoning blends are right here.)
4. Phony Negronis and related zero-alcohol cocktails from St Agrestis. I haven’t been drinking for going on two years now and while I rarely miss it, I still love a fun drink every now and again.
To that end: I’ve heard raves about the Phony Negroni for years now but they haven’t been available locally. I finally spied one on a local restaurant’s menu and when I tried it, I was skeptical that they hadn’t accidentally made me a boozy one at the bar. (Nope, it was the zero-proof I ordered.) That gave me confidence to mail-order and now I’m loving the St. Agrestis non-alcoholic drinks at home. The Phony Negroni was my gateway but I also love the Amaro Falso; my very favorite is the Phony Mezcal Negroni. I love a smoky flavor and the not-Mezcal delivers. These are spendy; most nights it’s sparkling water or hot tea for me but when I want something special, this is a fun little splurge. (Pretty sure you can use this link for $20 off your first order.)
5. Homemade coffee improvisation. I usually skip sweet stuff in my coffee. But when Will and I were in the Nashville area back in the spring, I was completely intrigued by a drink called the Havana Latte on the menu at Frothy Monkey, with a “house-made sauce with condensed milk, vanilla, star anise, and cinnamon.” I adore warm spices so I had to try it (half-sweet, please).
I enjoyed that flavor profile so much I’ve been experimenting with my own homemade sauce ever since: I’m just playing around and have nothing resembling a recipe to share, but what I’ve loosely done is: simmered sweetened condensed milk on the stove with enough water to make it easily pourable, plus a cinnamon stick, whole star anise, a dash of vanilla, and a little salt. Then I stash it in the fridge so it’s ready to add to iced coffee (we’re Grady’s fans) or to a long shot from our hand-me-down Nespresso machine. Delicious!
6. Popcorn. My teenage son has been putting our Whirly-Pop to good use lately and I’m a lucky beneficiary. We usually use plain old Kroger brand popcorn but recently we’ve tried the popcorn from Rancho Gordo (which is great, but I’m not sure we’re serious enough about our popcorn to appreciate the difference). We often do a gentle kettle corn situation, adding salt plus a little brown sugar to the pot for the last minute or so.
7. Kitchenaid mixer. Most of these are relatively inexpensive pleasures; this is an exception. We’ve been nursing along our 1999 white Kitchenaid mixer for a few years and it finally bit the dust. When it did, I didn’t think twice about replacing it, but we did have a Very Important Question: do we opt for the basic white again or commit to a color?
We’ve deliberately brought more color and pattern into our home these past few years and it’s brought me so much joy—so we opted for COLOR. I found a killer sale on a KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart in Bird of Paradise. (No longer available—but I found this link to show you at Home Depot of all places. If you’re in the market Williams Sonoma is running a fabulous KitchenAid sale right now, and their 2025 color selection is gorgeous). My biggest fear is that I’ll get tired of it, especially since our last mixer lasted for 25 years. But so far I am loving the happy pop of color in our white kitchen. (And also loving the stuff this mixer has been cranking out lately: cookies, muffins, pumpkin bread!)
8. Seasonal soaps. I’m very into the quotidian pleasure of good smells and have been looking around for wonderful-smelling hand soaps to try. I’d pretty much decided on Method’s Vetiver & Amber for the kitchen and hall bathroom. But then I stumbled upon my longtime favorite holiday pack of Mrs Meyers and snapped it right up. I’m especially enjoying my hits of Iowa Pine and Peppermint from the two sinks I use most often at home. (This set is also available at Grove, where I like to get this kind of stuff when I’m not impulse-buying at Costco.) If you have recommendations for amazing smelling soaps that aren’t super extravagant I’d love to hear!
9. Target plates. ‘Tis the season: we’ve put our winter plates back into rotation and they’re brightening up our dreary days. They’re old, they’re great, we’ve had them forever. I bought this set of Sakura Galaxy plates in red at Target for CHEAP way back in 1999 (yes, the year of the mixer!) and it’s the gift-to-self that keeps on giving. Every year I especially appreciate how the stars read “winter” but not necessarily “holiday”—we get them out early and are slow to ease them out of rotation.
10. Spiced nuts and Chex mix season. Do I even need to explain this? I just love seeing mason jars filled with tantalizing snackums lined up in the pantry (while they last, which isn’t long—until we make another batch).
Do you have any new kitchen and cooking-related favorites? Small things that bring you outsized joy, of course, but we’d love to hear about anything you’re loving lately. Please tell us in comments!
P.S. 10 delightful cookbooks for reading, cooking, and gifting, The Modern Mrs Darcy Holiday Cookie Exchange, and My kitchen must-haves.
22 comments
I was just telling my people this morning that in the middle of my recent whirlwind decluttering marathon, I decided to haul my Kitchenaid out from an awkwardly inconvenient bottom cupboard and put it on the counter so maybe, just maybe, I’d start baking again.
I think this just might work!
Popcorn for dinner is one of my favorite weekend treats, and for anyone who loves popcorn, I highly recommend Pop Secret Jumbo Popcorn kernels, which I typically only find at Target.
Hmmm…this sounds familiar – popcorn for dinner! Will try the Pop Secret Jumbo. Maybe online? From Jill in Avon Lake, Ohio
The best seasonal soaps are made by Soapworks Studio (www.soapworksstudio.com). She creates new scents for every season, and everything is handmade in her studio in California. I have been using her soaps exclusively for over 20 years. Heidi is the best!
Thanks, Elizabeth! I was looking for something to add on to my presents to go along with Anne’s, “Reading People”, books. This sounds wonderful and perfect!
I recently stumbled across Stonehouse Olive Oil while on a quick trip to San Francisco. I’m loving using their flavored oils to deepen the flavor profile of some recipes. The lemon and lime oils are great as a base for a salad dressing. I’m still slowly working my way through all of their flavor options. Now I will start a quest for a “good balsamic” as well, thanks for the tip.
Such a fun blog post! I love my kitchenaid mixer and use it for so much fun baking treats. One of my favorite balsamic vinegars is the Kirkland Signature balsamic vinegard. Can be used for everything!
Great list! I need a good rec for a nice new hand mixer for a gift for my lefty mom if anyone has one!
I love my kitchenaid and can’t imagine being without it. Best popcorn I’ve ever bought is the jar of kernels from the Boy Scouts. The first time was a fluke and it seemed so pricey. But oh my great popcorn. Now I seek out their stands in the fall. Also, rosemary walnuts.
Oh my goodness! I had those plates in blue when I first moved out of my parents’ house. I haven’t thought about them in years and now I’m thinking I should have kept them for holiday plates! We got our mixer at Lowes a million years ago and it’s copper (because it was on clearance, not because we picked that). I love it like one of my children and I think it being unique adds to the love.
Okay…here me out. This is completely delicious-I promise. A scoop of very good vanilla ice cream drizzled with the good balsamic. A perfect desert. It is a real treat!!
I love balsamic on ice cream! Either a really good aged balsamic or a flavored balsamic. I have a raspberry balsamic that tastes fantastic on ice cream or strawberries.
I have to try this!
LOVE balsamic vinegar, and I also sprinkle cinnamon in my coffee sometimes. Your recipe for the coffee “creamer” sounds great except for the star anise. 🙁
What a fun post! Two years ago my daughter bought me a new Kitchenaid mixer in a beautiful light blue color and it makes me happy every time I use it. I have two kitchen gadgets that I am loving lately. The first is my Ninja Creami deluxe which makes the most fantastic ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. And a couple of months ago my daughter and I were shopping at TJ Maxx for a replacement electric kettle for her kitchen, when I saw this Haden electric kettle hiding on a shelf. The box was battered and destroyed but the kettle itself looked fine, so I snagged it up and told her I was buying it and she could have my kettle. I just love the looks of the Haden kettle – it looks like an industrial boiler with the temperature dial and that makes my nerdy engineering self very happy.
https://www.amazon.com/Dorset-Stainless-Electric-360-Degree-Shutoff/dp/B09WXLDDJ6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UZTA2WNPJH3Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bJEe8vN77NhsIIzHyLmNbobGolTxJlT3FTVSzkCW7Np8UiY7dDBcLKpLu3F3G4TBQACpmjQTatkgvgmBvBvmpnCJuaORCte3GoblxK_uUGEDygJt09B_2VUAa303hU2ALGr9z65EnN4N-WH1ZPoHpxRWlfhulN5Qk4Tb7oMVTqMPAApUU9UF2AgDyxqLKYs7pntUIEwsoipVO66gXY-YHLlOVWr0abT3aZscNA_StWAICAnutsaOW1wiym0LP0ewjkXW2YLtMoZ9KzQnLgdqvEGbxdBPR4RERp9ohUAenmo.Tl-yY97oY8h9EPcqkpMDqk8SeSabFJx4_Ki0ck5gnRc&dib_tag=se&keywords=haden%2Belectric%2Bkettle&qid=1763668871&sprefix=haden%2Belectric%2Bkettle%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1&th=1
We love our Whirly Pop! We do a spray of olive oil before salting. A little healthier and really good.
I am local and would love to try the Phony Negroni! Can you tell me what restaurant carries it?
I’m happy to share! It was Chik’n & Mi down on Mellwood. (They also stocked the Amaro Falso—I’m happy I tried both!)
My mom picked up a Danish dough whisk for me, knowing how I love to make artisan, no knead bread. I was extremely skeptical, but pulled it out the next time I made dough and it was great! Unlike a wooden spoon, I could “feel” the consistency. It didn’t stick much at all. And it was easy to clean! It was easy to find them online at various retailers, and most were around $10.
I love the aged balsamic from Williams Sonoma. I think a really good balsamic is worth splurging on once in a while.
Two little things that I’ve been loving in my kitchen lately are garlic salt and Stew Leonard’s brown gravy mix. Both of these are great for elevating a dish. I’ve been adding the garlic salt to pastas, chicken dishes, and tuna; the brown gravy mix has added a little extra savoriness to meatloaf and stews.
I’ve also had my white Kitchen Aid Mixer since 2004. No issues at all. I hope it still works for another 20 years! My new favorite kitchen item is salt rocks for pasta water.
I still love looking at and using the mint green KitchenAid mixer my sister gifted me for my wedding gift 23 years ago. My husband took it apart last year, cleaned it out and replaced the old grease with new. It runs better than ever, and of course, pretty as always!
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