Kitchen Essentials 

The Ambiance
    
{Brooklyn Candle Studio} in Fig and Apple: Eco-friendly soy candles made with lots of love in one of my favorite places – Brooklyn, NY – the capital of quality, artisan products. These candles are slow burning and pack a big punch of concentrated scent. The fig flavor is my personal favorite and the apple welcomes in the warm sweetness of fall. Brooklyn Candle Studio

{Music} is essential to create a relaxed vibe for cooking (especially if you worked all day) you can not cook without being relaxed! I know from plenty of attempts to rush cooking while multi-tasking, feeling exhausted and close to breaking down – rushing and not taking it one step at a time will always result in a bad meal. Music helps you enjoy cooking! My favorites are Frank Sinatra (reminds me of my Grandpa/NY) or Amy Winehouse/something relaxing. Pick whatever your favorite is! If you need more energy try a pop mix – Ariana Grande, Pitbull something that wakes you up a little bit.

  
{Ferm} Black and White Striped Board – My favorite theme for a kitchen is all black and white with turquoise accents. But, I want to invest the minimum amount with the biggest payoff. This bold black and white striped board from Ferm Living gives you a posh look without the high price tag. I display it right on my wall mount along with some black and white striped towels and a Parisian-inspired spoon.

{Reston Lloyd} Turquoise Colander, this comes in several different sizes and looks gorgeous in any kitchen. I love the bold turquoise color in contrast to my black and white accents. Plus, I use this daily for washing fresh fruits and veggies, pastas and much more! Reston Lloyd

  
French Kitchen Towels from GT Linens – Paris is one of my favorite cities so I definitely had to have a piece of something that reminds me of this culinary destination while I cook. I love the pop of bold turquoise and peefectly crafted quality. I’ll be checking out their website to stock up on more designs!!

   
 {Royal Design Studio} Coffee-inspired wall decals – I learned the hard way that these don’t stick on chalkboard walls (interior design is definitely not my forte – who manages to mess up something as easy as wall decals?!) After realizing that I don’t have to take them off one by one and can just press and pull off, I felt very accomplished using these and put them on my painted walls! It was actually a challenge to find decals that represent my favorite kitchen item – espresso/coffee. These are chic, clean and my new favorite thing! Royal Design Studio
The Tools:  

{Le Cadeaux} Madrid Turquoise Spoon Rest & Citrone Dessert Plates , I fell in love with all of Le Cadeaux’s unique and luxurious patterned kitchenware it was so difficult to pick one. The Italian and French dinnerware from Le Cadeaux is high quality, super durable melamine providing the appearance of hand painted ceramics. This is a fantastic gift with the upcoming holiday season (or keep some for yourself)! I’ve been searching forever for a spoon rest that isn’t drab and boring and have finally found it in this brand. Beautiful to look at on the counter, you will want to keep all of their products on display in your kitchen! Le Cadeaux

   
 {Ozeri} Green Earth Frying Pan – the only ultra safe ceramic pan that never releases harmful fumes or toxins (this is becoming much more important to me as I have done research on the different pans out there). The handle is made up of heat-resistant silicon and a magnetized induction stove base so my food heats up quickly. The coating is scratch resistant and very, very easy to clean. I’ve been cooking on this every night for the past several weeks. I need to stock up on the bigger size and a few more as backups! Ozeri

   
   
{Talisman Designs Wooden Spoons} My favorite utensil to sauté with is a wooden spoon. I’ve been collecting them over the years and have never found any to be as intricate and unique as those perfectly crafted by Talisman Designs. I have their measuring spoons, coffee scoop and several of their wooden spoons. Talisman Designs

   
 {My Gift} mini topiaries and turquoise jar, I store snacks in the jar and leave it on the counter for decor purposes. The topiaries are my FAVORITE decor item in my kitchen. They add a chic and earthy feeling! I found these on Amazon, you can also head over to My Gift

   
 {American Bakeware} Deep Dish Pizza Pan in Red and Baking Pan in Barbados Blue. This product line appealed to me the moment I saw the Barbados Blue color. I used the baking pan to make a delicious vanilla oven pancake and the pizza pan for a deliciously perfect pizza with a garlic butter crust (stay tuned for the recipe). The quality of their bakeware can be likened to that of high end Le Creuset, I found it held up to high heat very well. The price point is very reasonable. With the cold weather coming up, I will be using these on a weekly basis and checking out their inventory for more baking inspiration American Bakeware

  
{Fox Run} Marble Board and Jelly Roll Pan, a hint of marble in your kitchen will add elegance without spending loads of dough (pun intended) it’s also great for rolling out your dough recipes and even cold things like ice cream. I throw flour on this and use it to make my pizzas. My only complaint is that the marble board was sold out in white L green is just as gorgeous but I was really dying for the white one!! They also make a line of jelly roll pans (I’m always stocking up on these) I use one for sweets (cookies, cakes, breads) and 1 for savories (protein, veggies). Fox Run Brands

The Seasonings:  

{Spiceologist}–Greek, Chile Margarita, Cowboy Crust. I need to check out their site ASAP and pick more items! I’m almost out of the Greek one and have used it for salad dressings, marinades, seasoning protein, veggies, in soups. The cowboy crust I always use for hamburgers to create a spicy crust. Chile margarita is my essential spice for chicken tortilla soup and tacos. Spiceologist

   
 {Jam Stand} Sriracha Peach & Cherry Ginger – these two delicious jams are vital to creating delicious fall meals. My easiest “go to” recipe is salmon coated in either jam, perfectly baked and served with rice and a huge salad. Make muffins or biscuits? The Cherry Ginger on a warm baked good is quite possibly one of the best jams I have ever used in my life. Real, whole cherries stirred up with subtle ginger. Both jams can also be used to make some amazing vinaigrettes. I buy Ezekiel bread and have that with the cherry jam nearly every morning, stock up on Jam Stand

USimplySeason Grinders Born in Kenya, Sylvia Kapsandoy watched her mother use local spices and fresh ingredients to create sensational dishes. From these childhood “lessons,” she learned how spices turned already delicious food into true masterpieces – and the path to USimplySeason began. I love using a product that is not only functional but made with love!
  
{Salt Works} sea salts in Bonfire, Wildfire and Hellfire – this site is the top destination for salt and known for their Snowflake variety. I decided to try something entirely different and go for their smokier varieties. These are delicious on fajitas, burgers, grilled chicken and veggies and pack loads of flavor – Salt Works

  
{Honey Can-Do} Magnetic Spice Storage Honey Can Do space saving design with 3 settings, I transferred all of my spices to these to give my kitchen a cleaner, streamlined look.