The merriest kitchen and food gift guide
Since we are all home cooks this year, edible gifts and gifts for the kitchen top the most-wanted gift list and are the most fun to give! Treat a friend, your sister, your son, or whoever is the cook in the family with something practical, beautiful, delicious or just plain fun. Buying for yourself is totally permitted as well. Keep reading for some wonderful and unique ideas. I hope you discover the perfect something!
Five earth-friendly (and joy-sparking) kitchen actions
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. What better place to start making a difference than in our kitchens. Yes, there are some big (perhaps overwhelming) changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint or save the world’s coral reef. Eat less red meat and dairy products. Buy local and in season. Stop using plastic bags and plastic straws that end up in our oceans. Use energy-efficient appliances. Reduce food waste.
While we should strive to do all these things, there are also a number of actions that offer an easier place to start and have the added benefit of sparking joy Marie Kondo style.
Purge baby purge
It wasn’t too long ago that I purged my kitchen – once as I packed prior to our move meant to be a “down-sizing” and again as I unpacked and organized my new kitchen. My husband has been preaching his “purge” directive to me ever since. He is so very helpful in that way. In the same spirit (and because she is like her dad), I bought my daughter the “Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. I love the principle of only keeping what “sparks joy”. But—what happens when too many items “spark joy”?