The Famous Toaster
Hi friends! It’s almost Friday! Is it just me, or did this week fly by? I like it 🙂
[Belly is LOVING her new backyard. The only way I could get her to stop and look at me was to ask her if she is the “Chicken Queen.” And then I had to go inside and get her a piece of chicken]
I started the day off with pancake perfection…
Perfect protein pancakes! Topped with Kerrygold butter and a small drizzle of maple syrup
+ almond milk and coffee in one of my fave mugs 🙂
I have to share yesterday’s lunch with ya, not only because it was an on-the-spot combo of ingredients that turned out wonderfully, but because I used the toaster.
This toaster has a little bit of a story behind it.
It used to be white, didn’t match any of our kitchen decor and the Pilot loved it. It was always out on the countertop, covered with crusty food stains and dents from his college years. So, while he was on his second deployment, it mysteriously disappeared… to the local Valdosta Goodwill….. 😉
A few weeks after being home, he came running into the bedroom with a sliced bagel in hand.
“Where’s my toaster?”
“I threw it away.”
“You WHAT?! You threw my toaster away?”
Oops.
I figured a toaster wasn’t one of those kitchen tools you actually *needed* and had become a pro at using the broiler. Buuuuut, the Pilot missed his beloved toaster, so a few weeks later, I jokingly put a silver one that matched the rest of the kitchen in his Easter basket along with his other Easter goodies 🙂 He was very happy, haha.
And yesterday, I was actually glad we had a toaster for my lunch creation.
Toasted bread, hummus, grilled zucchini and grape tomatoes + goat cheese
along with a side salad, it was pretty much the ideal lunch 🙂
Alright friends, time to do the work thang.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
xoxo
Gina
What’s the most useless kitchen gadget you own? What’s something you use ALL the time?
97 Comments
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I am actually scared of the toasters that pop the toast up. They always startle me, and the anticipation kills me. So I’ve always used toaster ovens my whole life. When I moved in with my boyfriend, we had both: a standard toaster and a toaster oven. The toaster oven is still there.
I use my garlic peeler and press a lot, right up there with our french press and food scale.
Most useless? Probably our meat tenderizer I thought I needed, but haven’t once used! haha
Such a funny story! And such a good lunch to come from it-I want that for my lunch today! 😀
Haha, that’s too funny. At least you both got what you wanted. 😉
There is NO such thing as a useless kitchen gadget in our house. My bf is a chef and he insists on only having the essentials…it’s funny walking through a store and I’ll see these silly gadgets and say “Oh, let’s get this” and he’ll be like “Don’t be ridiculous…we don’t need that”. 🙂
those protein pancakes are monster sized!! yum!
The most useless kitchen item I own is probably my blender. And that’s because my Magic Bullet is the MOST useful. I usually only make a smoothie for myself, and the bullet is so much easier than dirtying up the big blender!
Those pancakes looks amazing – I have to make some soon! Dinner tonight???
I could not live without my blender – hello summer smoothies! I just wish I had a better one! 🙂
My toaster is actually my useless kitchen appliance! I use a toaster oven now 🙂
And my most useful is definitely the blender! I couldn’t live without my smoothies.
OHH OOHHH!!! – did you know that they make TOASTER BAGS?!?!?!? I had never heard of them before. When you’re traveling (or even at home in a non-gf kitchen), you put your bread or whatever in the little toaster bag, stick it in the toaster, and you have no risk of cross-contamination from others’ gluten-ed bread! Genius.
So, I have been very hesitant to use protein powders not that I am pregnant due to high levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. For example, you can read Nutribiotic’s response to questions about their brown rice protein here: http://www.nutribiotic.com/ca_notice.html . In any case, I am wondering what your approach to this has been. Thank you!
I probably use my blender the most – I make a smoothie for breakfast just about every day (today I’m rolling with cold oats in the PB jar though). Most useless gadget: my avocado slicer that I HAD to have, but really, who puts down the knife that you just cut the avocado open with to go find another gadget that does the same thing that knife can do? 🙂
Haha thats totally something my boyfriend would do– yell at me for throwing away an appliance 😉
Happy Thursday!
i’m not top chef or anything so i really don’t get too crazy, but these mini strainers are my favorite. thing. ever. http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-3-Inch-Strainer/dp/B001713L84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312470949&sr=8-1
i never make anything for myself that requires a large colander, so these are AWESOME.
most useless — hand mixer. I always use the stand mixer or cream things by hand. most useful actually my baking sheet. it’s the only thing I use practically every day.
I love the hummus/tomato/zucchini combo – so, so delicious!!
LOL that sounds like an argument my boyfriend and I would have 😉
I hemmed and hawwed that I needed a specific vegetable steamer and in over a year, I haven’t used it once. Gah. I just prefer to steam my veggies in a colander over a pot of boiling water – it makes the whole process so much easier and I don’t have to dig out a whole separate appliance!
I actually hardly ever use my blender because it’s a POS. I’m sure I would use it all the time if it were a Vitamix. Things I do use ALL the time – mini food processor, single serve coffee maker, and popcorn maker (basically it’s a bowl w/ a lid that allows you to pop regular popcorn seeds in the microwave). Waffle iron gets used a lot too.
lol thats funny. I could never get rid of our toaster, i know we use it a fair amount.
some of my kitchen gadgets go unused for a long period of time, but they aren’t all useless!
those pancakes look fabulous and so fluffy goodness
What a great combo – I love all your ideas for goat cheese! My magic bullet gets used all the time – making my blender and food processor almost useless!
That picture of Bella is SO cute!
I’ve been married for over two years and I have yet to break out my waffle maker. 🙁
That is too funny! We have a toaster too and use it all the time…. but we also havea toaster oven (whats the difference anyway) that has never been used but sits on my counter wasting space……
And your pancakes look SOOOO FLUFFY… like little bits of heaven. I’m jealous 🙂
That lunch looks amazing! I usually do something similar with Trader Joe’s spicy spinach pizza and a side of raw veggies and yogurt dip or hummus. Yummmmyyy!
Those are quite possibly the fluffiest pancakes I have ever seen and I am ridiculously jealous. What is the secret?
I never, ever use my melon baller. Don’t know why I thought I needed one in the first place! I use my coffee pot every single day, and I also am in LOVE with my hand-me-down Kitchenaid mixer : )
I read somewhere you can use a melon baller to get out the rough flesh (where the pit was) found inside a peach.
Aww toaster in the Easter basket.. a perfect gift!
I use my steamer pan ALLL the time for veggies….as well as my panini maker and my blender! I had a cocoa latte (basically makes hot chocolate lol) maker that I got for a gift and legit used only once so that went to good will!
most useless: the rice maker
most used: the wine corkscrew 😉
Oh my gosh, I use my rice maker ALL the time. But I bought a “fancy” one that’s digital, instead of the simple on-off switch kind. I use it to make big, effortless batches of brown rice, quinoa, risotto, etc…I seriously hate cooking rice and somehow always seem to mess it up, so I am obsessed with this thing!
Other items on the useful list: my microplane, citrus reamer (surprisingly!), French Press
Never used: kitchen scale, actually. I bought an expensive one and hardly ever use it. Hmph.
I hate to say it, but my Kitchenaid mixer… I use that thing like twice a year. A baker I am not… So sad. It just sits there and every now and then I clean it bc it acutally collects (real) dust.
We have a bread slicing guide. It isn’t an appliance. All it is in a plastic device you put your loaf of bread in and it helps guide your knife cuts so you don’t get hunks of wedges.
I’ve used it a few times, but I’ve made homemade bread many, many times without using the slicing guide. It takes up more space in my cupboard than it’s worth.
Hilarious!
Trig’s old t-shirts mysteriously disappear sometimes. I wonder what happens to them… 😉
I hate our mandoline. I never take the time to use it because it takes SO long to wash. I also hate that it takes up so much room in our small kitchen.
I use my toaster often! However, I refuse to leave it onthe counter – so I everytime I need to use it I have to get it out from te cabinet- lol!
Haha that is a cute story! Gosh, my most useless appliance right now is my dishwasher- I never use it! I always hand wash everything. I guess that’s easy when you live alone. 😉
Those pancakes are FAAAAAT! 😀 And Bella is adorable!
Ha I love this story! As a wedding gift we got a salad spinner (not on our registry either?!) and I think it’s the most useless thing we own since I always buy prewashed lettuce.
The appliance I use the most and couldn’t live without is our blender (for my smoothies!) and in fact a toaster! I always always have to have my bread toasted! 🙂
I have to say, the toaster is probably one of my most used appliances in the kitchen!
The most useless tool in my kitchen is probably my whisk. I just use one of the beaters from the electric mixer instead. It sounds so random, but it works better than a whisk. I’ve been using the juicer everyday, I didn’t think I would love it, but now I am saving up for the vitamix. I just hate wasting all the plup left in the juicer.
I tried the protein pancakes and they didn’t work. They came out too runny. Maybe since I am using a different protein powder I need to use less liquid?? Not sure but I was so sad because those look amazing!!!!
Useless: wafflemaker
most used: hamilton beach single serve smothie maker (use it daily)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Single-Serve-Blender-With-Travel-Lid/5924588
Looks yummy!
I think I use all of my gadgets…a couple of knives don’t get much use. I probably use my microwave the most, closely followed by the toaster and my George Foreman Grill!
It was actually quite weird to read this post at first – I’m from England, and over here, a toaster is seen by most people as a necessity! EVERYONE has them, and for most people they are constantly out on the counter top too. I don’t have one anymore – when my boyfriend and I moved into our new house we didn’t have loads of money and we both prefer toast cooked under the grill anyway and have just never got round to buying one! So I loved reading this post, one of the reasons I love reading blogs is because I love to learn about the cultural similarities and differences between different countries! 😀
I bough a spiral french fry/ vegetable cutter thinking it would be like a spiralizer but the cuts are way too big like curly fries so it sits in the cupboard taking up rooms unless J makes fries (like once every 3 months!). Bad purchase, but that happens at Winners all the time!
Don’t you love tricking your little furball! When I’m outside with Angus (my border collie), and he pushes his limits and tries to venture out of the yard, I yell “here kitty kitty”. Needless to say, he doesn’t like cats so he comes running. Do I feel guilty? Heck no! He’s 14 now and I think he pretends not to hear me when I call him – but I don’t fall for it! My husband had an old leather vibrating lounge chair – a big, heavy and ugly eyesore. I would have had it mysteriously disappear if I could have lifted the darn thing! Take care and enjoy your day.
My grandmother was so excited to give me a sandwich cutter (the little thing that makes sandwiches look like Uncrustables) but I have never, ever used it. I feel bad about it but I don’t ever make sandwiches.
I use my George Foreman all. the. time. Like everyday. I love it.
I dont think I could manage without the blender {soups,smotthies,non dairy milks,etc} or spice grinder {to grind flax,oats,beans,grains,etcnot to mention coffee}
Ohh those pancakes look delicious!!! I’m going to have to make them soon! And haha love the toaster story! My most useless piece of kitchen equipment is def my KitchenAid mixer… I used to use it all the time to make dough and cookies and now I never seem to be making that stuff. But since introducing me to Sun Warrior and your coffee berry smoothie, the blender is my favorite kitchen item.. now I want a vita mix!
When my husband got out of the military and we moved into our new place, we needed a toaster. He wanted to get the cheapest white ugly thing imaginable and I refused. I NEEDED the Stainless Steel one to match my kitchen. So I pitched a fit and bought it with my own money.
I think I won though, because when we got home and put it next to the microwave, he remarked that it matched perfectly. Success!
I once threw out my husband’s rice pot and he had a fit when he realized it. He kept complaining about it so I went out and bought him a new one. He still, to this day, complains that the old one was better!