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I wanted to post up some "fun things" that I have enjoyed using to prepare our food. Since we are newly married it has been a wonderful privilege to have new things to enjoy while crafting our dishes. Here is a picture of just several of my favorite things to use right now.

L-R: The little silver bowl has been wonderful to make up salad dressings in for my personal salad... a little olive oil, raw honey, and a squeeze of lemon fits perfectly in there. The little red colander is the perfect size to dump a can of beans in to rinse. The green knife is from pampered chef and my all time favorite right now. It is very sharp and cuts SO smoothly! (Even better than my new knife set... I was surprised!) What kitchen is complete without a garlic press? I've loved using it!!! It's been so long since I've had one... I would always chop up my garlic or use my Mom's mortar and pestle to grind the garlic. Last, but not least, I love my little rooster timer. It's so fun to use it and to have it setting out on my counter. (Thanks Susannah!)

I also wanted to include a picture of some fun new additions to our pantry.

L-R: For my birthday I asked my parents for Barley Max. Now, that probably sounds weird, but it's so good for us and I really wanted to use it (especially since we're supposed to be taking it on the diet anyways!). The vegetable broth came in handy tonight when I cooked our herb rice. Instead of using water, I cooked the rice in the broth which gave it so much flavor! Next, raw honey. I don't think I even knew there was a difference in honey and raw honey. However, I was educated when I opened the top and found that raw honey is still firm; very unlike "normal" cooked honey. (Who would have thought that honey was cooked? Not me!!!) Black beans are next... instead of spending a dollar a can to buy organic black beans (Kroger brand), I opted to try my hand at dried beans (bought in bulk at Whole Foods for cheap) in order to keep our grocery bill down. I have yet to try them but am sure I will at some point this week. Dates... I love all kinds of dates... dates with my husband, coffee dates, double dates... and yes, DRIED DATES... Never tried them? You don't know what you are missing out on!!! I'm telling you... if you're craving sugar, grab a date... they are amazing! I have to limit myself on them! haha... They can be used in so many recipes too... And last, but not least, Pure Maple Syrup. We use it to sweeten our Sweet Potatoes (and other things). We really enjoyed it too!

Well, that's it for now...