This & That: No. 51

 

Items for a productive and inspired kitchen, musical tunes from an Italian songstress, simple, chic style pieces to indulge in and more . . .

~Cooking

1. Wüsthof® Epicure Chef’s Knife, 6"

Yesterday I found myself in my new flat and wanting to make dinner. For this particular dinner, which was nothing special and very typical, I needed a cheese grater, I needed a pot to boil water in and a knife to chop garlic and vegetables. I had nothing to help me in my endeavor to eat a simple meal. Thankfully, Sur La Table was having a cookware sale, and I also had 10% available to me due to a cooking class I had enrolled in. Needless to say I knew I would be purchasing quality products and was thrilled to save a bit on the full retail price.

The 6” Wüsthof® Epicure Chef’s Knife was and still is currently on sale and given the opportunity actually cut vegetables in the store, the handle molded beautifully into my palm and wasn’t too awkwardly long. Happy to be prepped to cook and share recipes on the blog, if you’re in need of a quality all-purpose knife, you will not be disappointed.

~Kitchen

2. Target Chrome Vertical Wine Rack

While I like to keep my kitchen counters rather bare, the one thing I do like to place in plain view is a simple wine rack ideally full of Walla Walla, Oregon and French wines. Target’s vertical chrome wine rack holds six bottles and is only $12. A steal of a deal for those of us who don’t have a wine cellar, but adore a lovely glass of wine on any given day of the week. 

~Music

3. Carla Bruni Little French Songs

On April 16th Carla Bruni’s new album titled Little French Songs (her fourth career album) becomes available. Full of original content, if you enjoy the Carla Bruni Pandora station as much as I do, you might want to put this on your wishlist. 

~Shopping

4. Marissa Webb Ada blouse

When Marissa Webb’s debut collection was revealed to the public last September (click here to see my top picks), the critics were impressed. As a former creative talent from J.Crew, hints of cropped pants and the casual chic flare were apparent, but Webb’s solo endeavor welcomes even more feminine sophistication which I adore. In particular are her silk Ada blouses with large sash bows. Seen here in black dot, there are also other solid colors available on her own website.

5. Rebecca Minkoff Marsha sandals

Sandals with structure, Rebecca Minkoff’s distressed leather criss-cross ankle sandals would be a wonderful addition to a summer/spring wardrobe with cropped denim or a summer dress of your choosing.

~Video

6. Justice Sonia Sotomayor's Advice for Minority Students

Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s recent book My Beloved World offers a look into her childhood and how she became the first Hispanic and third woman to be a US Supreme Court justice. In this short clip with Oprah, she shares advice for minority students that would be helpful to anyone seeking inspiration on how to navigate in a world in which you may not feel you completely fit in.