Be money wise in the kitchen

There was a time when I drooled my way through the Williams-Sonoma catalog. Wow, I wanted - needed - it all. But these days, I am better able to temper dreams with realities - I don’t really bake all that often. Making the perfect meringue isn’t a top priority. I can’t afford the next new fad. I don’t make enough ravioli’s - actually, I don’t make any. Why should I when they sell perfectly good ones.

You simply do not have to pay $100 for a good pot, pan or knife. Period. And until you really do have a need - not want or fantasy - for that giant KitchenAide stand mixer or other gizmo, save some money.

Here are a couple of suggestions on how you might decide which item to buy based on your own realities:

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Prevent kitchen fires!

I am a bit fussy and paranoid about causing a kitchen fire. When my family wanders through the kitchen, putting stuff down around the stove top, I immediately remove it. Keeping anything that isn’t a pot or pan away from a potential heat/flame source is one way to cut down disasterous kitchen fires.

Just bit of prevention and some practice in using a fire extinguisher will serve you will - just in case.

Watch this demo:

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Thanksgiving cooking in the Rancho Maven kitchen

All of my readers might wonder what a cooking frenzy at Rancho Maven looks like.

Here it is:

Sorry to tell you this, but here’s my ideal: alone in my kitchen. I love it that people would want to help, but I move happier alone.

The pork roast ala Robert turned out absolutely perfect.

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It's so nice to have cooks in the family

Although the main event was catered at the country club, the two nights leading up to the wedding centered around a couple of incredible meals for the entire crowd thanks to our accomplished chefs, Robert and Nate.

Robert, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and Executive Chef at a leading Dallas restaurant, and his brother, Nate, grew up working in restaurants. They work like a seasoned pair of pros … instinctively anticipating each other, sliding seamlessly from one task to the next, without ego or stress. No drama.

Night one featured a meltingly tender and delicious pork roast, with roasted potatoes, green beans and a bourbon au jus with onions. It was killer.

The beach party featured more unbelievably tender and flavorful beef tenderloin, a chilled salad of the previous nights left over roasted potatoes and green beans and loads of other goodies.

I can attest, nobody went away hungry.

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