Today I’m sharing the way that I’ve got my dining room table decorated for Christmas, as well as a few tips for planning you tablescape. I’ve used these same decorations for a couple years now and have gotten so many compliments on them.

First, I used these beautiful tree candles that I found at Crate and Barrel a few years ago. I have three sizes, giving dimension to the center of the table. (I’ve also seen some beautiful white ones at Target this season, so I may need to add to my tree candle collection – they are my favorite!). I placed some on round pieces of tree slices to add to the rustic feel. The black reindeer modernize it a little, and again are in multiple sizes. I love having candles on the table (and I will add some tea lights for our Christmas dinner), because I love the soothing glow of candlelight. The little house name card holders and black and white napkins (these are from the Magnolia line last year at Target) tie in with the other black details on the table and in my dining room. I just love the rustic, yet elegant feel of this table design! I hope this gives you a little inspiration as you decorate for your holiday meal! Most importantly, have fun with it!

As you can probably tell from the types of items on my wish list, I’m fortunate to have a well-stocked kitchen. Cooking has always been something I’ve truly loved, so I’ve collected a fair amount of kitchen gadgets over the years! I thought it would be fun to share the things I love that have withstood the test of time. When you’ve used as many brands and kitchen gadgets as I have, you definitely develop favorites that you consistently return to. This list has all of my favorites, broken down by category!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products I use in my own kitchen and these are all of my favorites.

Small Gadgets

I posted all about my most loved small kitchen gadgets here.

Cookbooks

There are three cookbooks always on display in my house. They are beautiful and have earned a place of prominence due to the amount I use them! The fourth spiral bound book you see here is my family recipes book, which is something my Mom made for all of us and is one of my favorite things ever.

The Food Lab is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. I’ve owned it for four years now and I still consistently refer to it. This cookbook does an amazing job of teaching you the very best methods to cook anything and everything. My boys are absolutely spoiled because of the Buttermilk Pancake recipe in this book!

Magnolia Table is a beautiful book first off. Second, if for no other reason, you need this book for the biscuit recipe. You’re welcome. (P.S. I can’t wait for the second one to come out!)

No Crumbs Left is another beautiful cookbook with delicious recipes that my family will actually eat. Some of them are even Whole 30 compliant! Bonus!

Pots and Pans

Outside of using cheap pots and pans through my earlier years, I’ve mostly used four “nice” brands for the last ten years. They are Kitchen Aid, All-Clad, Le Creuset, and Calphalon. I like them all for different reasons. I would say Kitchen Aid and Calphalon are pretty comparable. These are my “every day” pans. I use certain All-Clad pots and pans more than others, partly because I find them harder to work with (read: food sticks and if I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong within a few seconds, I won’t mess with it any further. Sorry.). My most beloved pots and pans are my Le Creuset. They heat so well and clean up so easily, plus they are just beautiful! Here I’ve linked the specific pans I have and love from each brand and how I use them.

Le Creuset 3.5 Qt Braiser I use this pan for anything that requires browning and then moving to the oven. I also use it for anything that I plan to serve straight out of the pan because it’s so pretty.

Le Creuset 5 Qt Dutch Oven This is my favorite pot for making soups and chili. It’s small enough for every day use, but just the right size for all of the soup recipes that I make.

Le Creuset 9 Qt Dutch Oven I use this one for braising meat, like large pork shoulders or beef roasts.

Calphalon 10 Piece Pots and Pans Set This is the set that I currently have as my every day set. For the most part, I am really happy with them. The only thing I don’t love is the one saucepan that has a lid with a built in strainer. I originally though I would really love this feature, but I don’t use it much because this pot isn’t big enough for cooking pasta really. And with the holes, it means it doesn’t seal tight enough to cook rice, which this pot is the perfect size for. Other than that, I love this set and it’s held up really well in the dishwasher.

Kitchen Aid 10 Piece Pots and Pans Set This set is really quite comparable to the Calphalon set, except they don’t stack as nicely. I still use the saucepans from this set because I like them slightly better.

All Clad Stock Pot I use this pot for the occasions when I need a giant pot. Mostly for brining a chicken or making stock/broth.

All Clad 3 Qt Sauce Pan I use this saucepan a lot for things like lentils, quinoa, coconut rice, etc. It’s a really good size and a great, basic sauce pan.

Small Appliances

I tend to get very excited about small appliances and then rarely use them once I buy them. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit. When the Instant Pot came out, I was super excited. But, I find myself going back to my trusty slow cooker more often than not. Maybe it’s because of the learning curve, I don’t know. Here are the small appliances that I consistently use!

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer This thing has been WELL LOVED and is still running perfectly! I’ve had mine for probably close to 10 years now.

Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender While I don’t use this all the time, it is nice to have for pureeing soups right in the pot or making homemade mayo, dressings, and marinades. Those are the primary things I use it for. I would say for the price, I’ve gotten a good amount of use out of it and it’s lasted several years now.

Kitchen Aid Food Processor I’ve had more food processors than I care to admit, from super tiny to the big guy with multiple bowls. This one is the one I’ve always gone back to. It’s the perfect size, not too heavy to get out, not too many pieces, and all dishwasher safe. Can’t beat that!

Kitchen Aid Slow Cooker Like I said before, my slow cooker is one of my old trusted friends. I just like it and I know how to use it.

Breville Smart Oven I originally got this to put in our basement bar area because we spend most of our time entertaining there in the summer. I found myself running up and down the stairs to use it so much that it now has a permanent place upstairs in my kitchen.

Breville Barista Express I’ll admit, when I first got this machine, I was coming from using a Nespresso, which is beyond easy. I was intimidated and found myself going back to the Nespresso until my brother showed me how to use this one. This is now all I’ve used, every single day (too many times a day than I care to admit) for making fancy lattes at home for the last 2 years and I’ve grown to absolutely love it! I’ve found the secret is buying freshly roasted beans. Makes perfect espresso every time!

Breville Juicer This is one that when I bought it, I found it on a great sale and wasn’t entirely sure I’d use it. But the price was so good, I figured I’d give it a shot. Now, a year later, I still use my juicer regularly. My only complaint is cleaning it. Outside of that, I love it – and my kids do too! They get a kick out of putting the fruits and veggies in. They’ve really surprised me with the combinations they are willing to try! Their favorite is actually Green Gorilla Juice! They get quite adventurous with what they will put into their juice. Yet somehow, they still love to drink it. That’s a win in my book!

Check out my current wish list (you know, in case you need a last minute gift idea for me, I mean for the cook in your life…..).

To say that I have a lot of kitchen tools is an understatement. I love to cook and I always love to try the newest gadgets for the kitchen! Over time though, I find myself going back to my tried and true favorites. If you’re looking for stocking stuffers for the cook in your life, here’s a list of my favorites. Each of these are tools that I use in my own kitchen on a regular basis and love! I’ve included links to each of these products to make your holiday shopping a cinch!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products I use in my own kitchen!

1: OXO Pineapple Corer I love to make salsas for tacos, etc with fresh pineapple, and my kids love to eat fresh pineapple for a snack, so I find myself using this tool much more often than I ever thought I would! It cores and slices at the same time, so all I have to do is cut the top off the pineapple, use this tool, and we are eating fresh pineapple seconds later. I also love that you get juice left in the bottom of the pineapple, which my boys fight over getting to drink!

2: OXO Good Grips 11 Inch Better Balloon Whisk I have an embarrassing number of whisks of every type. This is the one I use by far the most. The balloon whisk is sturdy and any time this one is clean, it’s the one I reach for. I should just order myself another one to replace the others I never use. Ha!

3: Mini Whisk I use my mini whisks every day when I’m making my fancy coffee. I add the syrup to my cup, the shot(s) of espresso, and whisk as I pour in the milk (there’s no fancy latte art going on here, so the milk just goes straight in the cup). I also use these alot when I’m mixing small amounts – like cornstarch into water, etc.

4: Lemon Squeezer So I know the TV chefs can squeeze a lemon and filter the seeds out with their bare hands, but, alas, I am not a TV Chef and I do not have those skills. So my Lemon Squeezer is a well loved tool in my kitchen. I use it for everything I squeeze a lemon for – tea, salad dressings, marinades, etc.

5: Kiwi peeler and cutter My kids love kiwis and I hate cutting kiwis! This tool, while I realize has one purpose, is seriously a lifesaver if kiwis are a regular thing in your house. It peels and cuts the kiwi all in one step, which makes serving kiwis a breeze!

6 & 7: Microplane and Microplane Glove I grouped these together because if you have a Microplane, you need the glove! I use my microplane all the time, for zesting oranges, lemons, and limes, grating cheese, ginger, and garlic. The glove has saved my fingers many times. I even use it any time I’m using a box grater!

8: Spice Jars I use these spice jars all. the. time. One of my keys to simplifying meal prep is to pre-mix spice mixes that I use alot. For example, I always have the spices pre-mixed in these containers for taco meat, spaghetti sauce, pork tenderloin seasoning, etc.

9: Cookie Dough Scoop I use my 1 Tbsp cookie dough scoop every time I make cookies. It just makes forming the cookies so much faster!

10: Jar Grips I find that these really do help with those tough-to-open jars! I also use this a lot to get lids off of my kid’s paint containers because those get stuck when the paint dries.

11: Measuring Cups I have multiple sets of measuring cups, from the cheapest of the cheap to ultra pricey. But these are the measuring cups I reach for the most. I love the “off” sizing like 2/3 and 3/4 cup. I also love the pouring spouts. They work so well when measuring liquids! They stack neatly in my drawer too. I actually bought mine as a set – see the Measuring Spoon link below.

12. OXO Thermometer Again, probably no surprise, but I’ve had several brands of thermometers in the past, some on the high end of the thermometer price ranges. This little thermometer is easy to store, gives a quick reading, and I don’t honestly notice a difference between it and the pricey ones. For any home cook, this one is perfectly good!

13. Measuring Spoons This might be weird, but I am super picky about measuring spoons. I like the stainless steel look, but they have to fit into my spice jars, which means the end cannot be round! The shape of these is perfect for spice jars! The 1 Tbsp doesn’t fit into some of my spice jars, so I just pour for those. The others do all fit though (at least any spice jar I’ve tried).

Every Friday night in our house goes the same way. Kids get home from school, eat half of the refrigerator of food, and play for a bit while they anxiously await the official start of our beloved pizza night. When it’s time to start making the pizza, they grab their cooking towers, anchor them on each side of the kitchen island, and prepare to eat their weight in pizza ingredients….I mean, make pizza. While the pizzas are cooking, we move the living room coffee table out of the way, spread out the picnic blanket on the floor, and pop in a movie. It’s always Cars 3 or Toy Story. So now if you ever come over on a Friday night, you know exactly what to expect. 😉

Really though, our whole family has come to love this tradition. It’s the perfect way to wind down a busy week. The boys look forward to pizza night and so do we! Great food, happy kids, and a relaxed evening. I won’t lie, some weeks after working full-time, I’m too tired to put any effort whatsoever into our Friday night plans, so we order pizza to be delivered. Either way, we never miss a pizza night!

Today, I’m rounding up my pizza night essentials. I buy all of my ingredients for pizza night at Trader Joe’s. This isn’t a sponsored post, I just really love the ingredients I get there and think they come together to make the best homemade pizza. And after doing this for 3 years now, I’ve tried a lot of different brands! Here are my favorites:

Trader Joe’s Shredded Mozzarella – this one isn’t dry and chalky like most other brands of shredded cheese. It’s shredded a little thicker and melts perfectly.

Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio – this blend of cheese gives your pizza the little extra something that makes people go hmmm….this is really good!

Trader Joe’s Sliced Prosciutto – I use this for my Fig and Prosciutto Pizza.

Trader Joe’s Fig Butter – I think I have tried nearly every fig spread out there for this pizza, and this one is hands down the best in terms of both taste and texture. The thickness is just right for a pizza base and it doesn’t liquify as it cooks, which means you don’t end up with a soggy pizza. I use this for my Fig and Prosciutto Pizza.

Trader Joe’s Pizza Sauce – I think I have also tried nearly every pizza sauce out there, and this one is my favorite. It’s the perfect blend of spices – so good that I haven’t even attempted to make my own. No reason to!

Trader Joe’s Ciao Pepperoni – This pepperoni has great flavor, and is mild enough for my kids to eat.

William’s Sonoma Grilling Pizza Pan – this pizza pan is better than a pizza stone. While they sell it during grilling season, I use this pan year round – both on the grill and in the oven. I now have four of these pans so that I can prep two pizzas while two are in the oven!