Here are my top ten favorite things in the kitchen right now !
1) my Bobby Flay cast iron grill pan - I am in love with this thing. It is flat bottomed so it works on my flattop stove, and makes grilling a steak or shrimp indoors a breeze.
2) limes - I have discovered that I really prefer the taste of limes to lemons in many dishes.
Current favorite is lime and honey marinade though lime and tequila is good too. A squeeze of lime juice it a good way to rescue a too sweet white wine, as I have just discovered.
3) cilantro - I know that this in one of those love it or hate it herbs, but I love it. Delicious in vegetable soup or any of those Thai peanut sauces.
4) shrimp - This is such a fast cooking and versatile food. Yeah, they are the bugs of the ocean but boy are they tasty !
5) cinnamon - The smell of cinnamon is just intoxicating to me. I add it to pancakes, coffee, muffins, practically anything that I bake. On French toast it is just heavenly...
6) parmesano reggiano cheese - This is the queen of all cheeses in my book. Pungent and salty and fabulous, I love to just cut off a chunk and eat it as is.
7) basmati rice - I love the jasmine scent and the texture of this rice, it is hands down my favorite stand alone rice. Has to be the one in the cloth bag from India, that is my favorite one...
8) balsamic vinegar - wonderful for glazes, but my favorite thing to do with it lately is to pour a little over freshly cut strawberries and add a dash of black pepper. Sounds weird, tastes delicious.
9) my little nesting rubber bowls - these are for getting your ingredients ready for cooking but can also be used for measuring anything from 1/4 of a cup to 2 cups. Helps me to get things ready ahead of time and be a little more organized.
10) my 13 inch non stick fry pan - Nice and big, you can make two grilled sandwiches at once, a must if you have a teenage son. Great for pancakes or quesadillas too !
There you have it, the current top ten !
