Issue 02 — What I've Been Loving Lately
More specifically, food and housewares I'm into. Surprise, surprise.
The holidays are fast approaching, which means it’s gift guide season. And while this isn’t exactly one, I want to start this issue by encouraging you to not get swept into the material Black Friday abyss of feeling like you constantly need more stuff. However! I’m passionate about these things and know that they would make great gifts if anything strikes your fancy. Without further ado.
Kitchen & Home Pieces I’ve Been Loving
One of my more rampageous traits is that I love the process of moving. I thrive in the chaos. A chance to fully reset. To review all the expired spices, the sweaters I’ve been avoiding, to collect the matchbooks and chapsticks tucked in every corner. I geek out. We recently moved from the city back to Brooklyn, so I’ve been in the thick of this process. Trying so hard this time around to decorate slowly, and wait for the right pieces to find us. But it’s not easy! Here’s what I’ve been into:
Fish spatula: My most beloved kitchen tool because of it’s ability to wear so many hats. It flips fried eggs and pancakes, tosses freshly baked granola, scrapes up the flavored bits on the bottom of a cast iron, you name it. It’s magic. I’ve had the same one since culinary school and it’s my kitchen Swiss army knife.
Tweezer tongs: My second most used kitchen instrument. Sometimes called styling or plating tongs, they’re so much more delicate than the standard clunky ones that damage food, and they make it feel like you’re using chopsticks when you cook with them. In the last test kitchen I worked in, tweezer tongs were also known as Shanna’s fingers. I could link to Amazon but will instead encourage you to buy them at your local kitchen supply store.
F.Miller hand & body wash: I’m hard to please with soap because I wash my hands so frequently when cooking, and I love everything about this one. It’s a plant-based blend of nourishing oils and mineral-rich extracts that builds a lather but doesn’t strip your skin. The bottle is made from post-consumer resin and biopolymer (sugar cane waste), is 100% recyclable, and the “wash” type is groovy.
Nickey Kehoe dish towels: I use mostly side towels and bar mops because I make a mess, but these are luxury. They’re thick and a little crispy at first, but the linen material softens so beautifully with each washing while staying durable. They have a hook for hanging and come in other fun colors. If you’re NYC-based, Nickey Kehoe opened a location in the village and it’s dreamy.
Knob refreshing: One of my favorite hotels in the world is Casa G. in Florence, Italy. I think everyone is sick of me waxing poetic about this place BUT it’s where I fell in love with these brass turtle knobs. I tracked the exact ones down and ordered them in the natural finish for a bifold closet in our new space. These are real brass and more expensive than most, but there are so many other cheeky options out there. Updating knobs on a dresser or kitchen cabinets goes such a long way, especially in rentals. Little touches of personality!
F&B I’ve Been Loving Lately
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