Must Have Kitchen Items

I am so excited to write this post for you guys! I love any and all kitchen things! You guys went crazy over recipes in 2018, so my goal for 2019 is to share WAY more recipes with you guys! Since I love to cook, you can image that I have cabinets full of kitchen stuff (If Jake were writing this, he would replace ‘stuff’ with ‘junk’! lol!) Over the years, I have accumulated lots of kitchen goodies! But, I have a short list of my must have, use every single day items! Since I want to incorporate more recipes this year, I wanted you guys to be able to have all of my favorite gadgets to make my recipes with me! Yall know how I roll… ‘dollar saved is a dollar made’! I am not a huge spender when it comes to kitchen items… so they are all really affordable, durable, long lasting, great items!!

1. My dutch oven! You guys heard me talk about this a lot over winter! It was on sale all of the time! Thankfully, because it is normally pretty pricey! But, it is honestly worth every penny! I paid for two of mine at full price- years ago! You are prob thinking, ‘two?’…. yeah… not just two, I have THREE!!! lol!! I honestly do not need three… but when they are on sale for SO cheap, I felt stupid not snagging more! These are the kind of things you can pass down to your grandkids! It is SO solid/heavy/well made! I even put ours in the dish washer! I make so much stuff in mine! Kale soup, chili, veggie mix, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, soup, buffalo chicken dip… so much! You can put it on the stove, or in the oven! Also, it is great to be able to heat up an item, and then bring it on the go over to a football party! It will stay nice and warm! 
2. My tupperware! lol! You guys have also seen me talk about these SO much! I actually got my momma some for Christmas! You are probably thinking, ‘glass… for tupperware? that sounds stupid’… yeah, Jake used to think that too. But, they are SO good!! They last forever… they are almost impossible to break! We had them in a house that had Marines flying in and out 24/7… throwing things in the sink, dropping things, rough-housing… these puppies don’t break! & they still look like they just came out of the box.. 4 years later! They are my FAV!! I will never ever go back to plastic tupperware again! Also, you can put tomato sauce in them, heat them up, and it not stain the plastic and forever look gross and dirty! Best part!!
3. Our Ninja coffee maker! We love this thing! It was a bit of an adjustment throwing out the k-cups and switching over to a normal coffee filter/ground coffee… but I gotta say, I love it! And we even think the coffee taste way better! I love this one because it can make a single cup, half pitcher, full pitcher… iced coffee… all the things! I was hesitant to spend this much on a coffee pot… but then Jake reminded me that we used to spend $15 on a box of 20 k-cups.. which would last a week! Ground coffee is much cheaper and we have actually saved a ton! I am a HUGE fan!!
4. Our new knives!! Omg I loooooove these things!! I hate knives with a big bulky block stand that is ugly sitting on the counter. But I love these! I love the grey block, the knives are great, there is a built in sharpener… they are SO good!!
5. Mini crockpot! I love this little thing! It is great for a couple of 2, or for a small side dish, party app, quick meal for the kiddos.. so many things! It actually makes a good amount of food… and its so small that you can just wash it out and throw it right in the dishwasher… its the size of a large bowl! Super easy and convenient!
6. Large Crockpot! We have had this crockpot for a while and I LOVE it!! It works great! I love the lid on it- you can secure it which is great!! I
7. My food chopper! Ommmmg, if you don’t own one… you are crazy! This is one of those items you never knew you needed, until you get it, and you cant stop! lol! I use it with everything!!! Chop onions, chop almonds for my italian cookies, make salsa, make pico, make a marinade, pretty much anything!!! I hate drawing out our huge blender and washing it…. I can pretty much make any recipe that I would need a blender for, in this! And I love it!!!
8. Our cookie sheets! I love these!! They are great quality… they last forever, and they are nonstick! I never have issues with things sticking to them! They are one of my fav kitchen purchases… and I love that they come on a big set! That way it all matches!
9. Our bowls! Bowls seem so boring and basic, but they are honestly one of my fav kitchen items! lol! I love having matching mixing bowls, and ones that I can put in the dishwasher! I love these stainless steel ones! They come with a ton of sizes and great for any recipe I am making!!
10. Splash guard! Boy oh boy do I love this thing! Once again, ya don’t know you need it, till you have it! I put it over bacon, spaghetti, boiling water… everything! It keeps it from splashing water/grease onto the stove top… but still allows for the steam to get out of the pot/pan! It is AMAZING!!