InspiringKitchen.com cooking Archives

Nov 20

14 Ideas for a Stress-Free Holiday Season of Cooking

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Holidays, Housewares | 7 Comments

Ok, did you realize Thanksgiving is in 6 days?! 6 days! Are you ready? Does hosting a big meal stress you out? I would understand if you say “yes”. All those recipes, grocery shopping, cooking, setting the table and personalities can make for an emotionally charged dinner. But, since I love Thanksgiving and the tradition, I am going to share some secrets with you on how to actually enjoy the day and no longer dread that Thursday in November.

Inspiring Kitchen vegetable turkey platter appetizer final

There are a million websites that will tell you what to make for dinner, how to roast the turkey and how to set the table.… Read more

Nov 21

25 Best Holiday and Hostess Gifts

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Art, Candles, Cocktails, Coffee, Cookbooks, Cooking, Foods, Gift Guide, Gifts, Holidays, Home Decor, Home Design, Knives | 16 Comments

It’s the fabulous time of year for celebrating the holidays with your family and friends. When it comes to choosing hostess and holiday gifts, sometimes it is hard to know where to start. Inspiring Kitchen is here to be your personal holiday shopper. You will find a range of gifts that focus on cooking, entertaining, home décor, foods and beverages to thrill your host, hostess, family and friends. Don’t forget to treat yourself as well to these wonderful gifts.

Finding unique gifts for the food lover is always challenging but have I got two solutions for you! Both items are perfect for those who love making a dish their own.… Read more

Oct 31

How to Choose the Best Pepper Mill

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Housewares, Kitchen Design, Kitchen Tools, Pepper, Recipes, Seasonings | 5 Comments

Salt and pepper. The two ingredients in just about every recipe. The key to using pepper in a recipe is having a pepper mill with strong grinding capabilities. Have you ever bitten down on a chunk of peppercorn that hasn’t successfully been ground down enough and your whole mouth is now on fire – let alone how your tooth is feeling? Ouch.

When it comes to certain kitchen tools, sometimes you need to spend a bit more to have quality materials so the equipment or gadget will do a great job on the task it is assigned. In this case, we are talking about the grinders used in pepper mills.… Read more

Oct 10

Cookware 101

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Bridal Registry, Cookware, Housewares, Kitchen Design, Wedding | 19 Comments

Having been involved in the bridal registry space from a housewares standpoint for a long time now, I recognize how intimidating the walls of cookware in a store can be for someone unfamiliar with all the brands, sizes, styles and surfaces. When I talk with registrants about what cookware they are currently using, many times they tell me it is from college, their mom or a discount store. All absolutely fine answers. Until I ask them if they like to cook. When they say they love cooking, then I know we need to have a deeper discussion on their style of cooking and how many people they tend to cook for.… Read more

Sep 08

Kitchen Design: Jenn-Air Appliances

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Appliances, Cooking, Home Design, Housewares, Kitchen Design, Kitchen remodel, Luxury | 11 Comments

Are you considering a kitchen remodel? Looking to replace your current appliances but uncertain where to start? Well, this post will hopefully offer you lots of design guidance to make the process more enjoyable. Buying appliances are a lot like buying a car, aren’t they? Purpose, cost, technical understanding, maintenance and appearance play a key role in the decision making process. As someone who has a great appreciation for quality products, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a design conference at the World of Whirlpool offices in Chicago. Our discussions not only included product education but designer guidance on how to build a kitchen that is most suited to your cooking style.… Read more

Jul 10

Summertime and Sangria

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Cocktails, Foods, healthy eating, Party, Recipes | 15 Comments

Don’t you just love this time of year when the sun is out, grass is green, fresh ingredients are plentiful and everyone is enjoying the opportunity to spend time together outside? Well, living in the Midwest means I take advantage of any chance to do what I love to do: entertain friends with delicious dishes and even better, cocktails outside on the deck. Thanks to Beso Del Sol, I was able to introduce their new Sangria to my friends.

My goal was to make a dinner that had a fresh, healthy and summery twist to it but wouldn’t take the whole evening to make.… Read more

Jun 30

Grocery Store Adventures

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Cookbook, Ethnic foods, Grocery Stores, Spices | 3 Comments

If you are reading this blog, chances are you like to cook or have someone in your life that does. Today’s conversation is about ways to learn about all the cooking resources your city has to offer beyond visiting restaurants and reading cookbooks.

One of the more unique things that I have done in my free time is take advantage of all the diverse, ethnic grocery stores in my city. A couple years ago, my friend and I decided to go exploring these stores to learn about the food items available to us that fall outside the realm of our typical groceries.… Read more

Mar 13

Top 5 Knives for your Kitchen

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Cutlery, Knives | 36 Comments

This is the most asked question when I begin working with clients and the subject of cutlery comes up. They quickly say that they don’t want to buy a set because they won’t use all 20 knives included in the block. I totally agree with them!

There are three basic knives that most homeowners need in their kitchens:

Paring knife:

Serrated knife:

Chef’s knife:

The paring knife does your detail work like peeling or slicing strawberries and mushrooms, the serrated knife helps you to easily slice anything with tough skins like peppers, tomatoes and breads, and the final knife is your chef’s knife.… Read more

Feb 16

Are you a realtor or interior designer?

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Uncategorized | No Comments

As you guide your clients to finding and designing their homes, let Julie from Inspiring Kitchen focus on your clients’ kitchen needs. From inside the cabinets to on top of the counters, Julie will offer guidance on how to refresh or build your clients kitchenware to what is needed to enhance their cooking experiences in their new kitchens. This may include everything from cookware to electrics to cutlery to kitchen tools to bakeware to dinnerware to barware and beyond.

It is a customized plan exclusively created for your clients. If you are looking for a way to provide a memorable value add service for your clients, let Julie transform your clients’ new kitchens to the heart of their homes.… Read more

Jan 10

Bridal Registry Season

Posted by Inspiring Kitchen | Uncategorized | No Comments

It’s bridal registry season! February is a wonderful month to register at your favorite stores. Crate and Barrel stores across the country have dedicated registry events at their stores this month. Check out their website for more information. If Williams-Sonoma is your preferred store, they offer Sunday morning private registry appointments. Give them a call to schedule your registry set up. Remember you can do online registries as well. There is something said though to see, touch and learn about the products that can’t be experienced online. Just remember to have fun!… Read more