Some of My Favorite Things

I have been compiling a list of some of my favorite things and a few things that are on my wish list. I thought that I would share them with you. There might be things that you will enjoy!

I love the King Arthur Flour website. They have a wide variety of products that you can buy online. They also have a lot of great recipes available from their website. If you have any questions about their products, you can contact them online. Their products are of top quality and they guarantee your satisfaction. If you haven't seen their site, you should check it out. This is my favorite Whole Grain Baking Cookbook. I will share some recipes from it in the future.

I'm also partial to Bob's Red Mill having lived near their main store a good portion of my life in Portland, Oregon. Their products are top quality and I have always been very happy with every thing of theirs that I have bought. When we visit Portland, there isn't always time to head over to their store, so I am glad that I can also buy their products online. Their main store in Milwaukie, Oregon is filled with a huge array of food and kitchen products. You will often see Bob walking around, with his signature hat and beard, visiting with the customers. We enjoyed a great breakfast in their restaurant with my parents on one of our last visits. 

The Rogue Creamery has been making handmade gourmet cheeses since 1935. 

When we travel by car from LA to Portland, we always try to time it so that we can take a trip into Central Point to buy some of their cheese. We usually bring an ice chest with us so that we can load up and take it back home with us. We really love their blue cheeses, especially their Caveman Blue. Their Smokey Blue is outstanding and it is my favorite. The Oregonzola is also amazing! If you are a blue cheese lover, you should check it out, or at least find a store in your area that carries it. There is a Bristol Farms in "The Valley" that carries their  Oregon Blue, and we have made that 100 mile round trip to get it. You should check it out!

If you like to put together gifts with home baked goodies, you might be interested in Waxed Tissue and Boxes for wrapping and presenting your food. The paper is waxed, and holds up better than regular tissue paper and looks nice too!

I thought these Flavored Sugars looked very interesting. It would be a great way to add a touch of unexpected flavor to a baked good, like a scone or a muffin. I haven't tried them yet but I look forward to in the near future.

This is a totally random item, but we spent over five years looking for something like this and we were so happy when we finally found Instant Screen Doors. Every room in our house has double french doors that open outward, which makes it impossible to find a screen door that will work. We love having the doors open most of the year so that we can enjoy the fresh air and also so that our dogs can go in and out at will. The main problem was that the flys wanted to come inside!! Not a good plan. When we found this screen that hangs from the inside on a rod, it changed our life. No more swatting flies! We were able to enjoy it all summer long last year and it was such a great purchase. In case you have been looking for something like this also, you should check them out. The first one they sent us got bent during shipping and they replaced it immediately. They really stand behind their product!

Last but not least, here is some information about Emergency Food Kits, in case you find yourself with no power and no food. Of course, living in SoCal, we hear about being prepared for the "big one" on a regular basis, but all of the west coast is earthquake prone. Mountain House has kits that will carry you through from 72 hours to 7 days. We are told it takes groups like the Red Cross or other relief organizations, seven days to bring water and food in the case of a catastrophic event. They also say that you need three gallons of water per person per day. We have the water, but this is on my "to do" list.