Stoves for the 1%

On a recent stop at Williams-Sonoma, I saw this dreamy stove:

 

Made by La Cornue, a French company, the CornuFe features:

• 5 powerful gas burners, including a center burner that goes up to 17,500 BTU and one simmer burner adjustable from 600 BTU to 6,000 BTU
• 2 electric convection ovens with French side-swing doors (swing doors!); one with seven cooking modes, including convection and conventional baking/roasting options
• 4 oven racks 

Nice, yes?  Priced at $8,600 with $1,300 for delivery, it's definitely beyond my means.

But then I went to the La Cornue website, and found that the CornuFe is their affordable line - the stove for those with, as they say, "a more modest budget". 

Their prestigious line is the hand crafted Chateau line of stoves, with their self-described crown jewel bring the Grand Palais 180.  The range is almost 6 feet in length, has one grand vaulted gas oven and one grand vaulted electric oven, and six cooktop configurations, which can include a power burner of 22,000 BTU and a lava rock grill.  And on the website, you can view the color configurations just like you can on car websites. It makes the CornuFe version look tiny. 

I have no clue how much the Grand Palais 180 might cost.  Certainly as much as a house in the Cleveland area, but which neighborhood in the Cleveland area, I'm afraid to guess.

Today's Menu, As Seen on Pinterest

I'd like to say this is how it works in our house, but there's usually plain pasta in fridge as a backup. 

Everyone Like Pizza

 Our favorite pizzas are from Valentino's - one cheese with a thin crust and one with a regular crust with pepperoni with extra cheese. Good for all ages, 6 months to 3 years to older!

It's the Little Things

For years, I used this measuring spoon:

It's adjustable!

Because it's adjustable, so you don't need separate teaspoons and tablespoons measures.  You save drawer space.  It seemed like a good idea.

However, over time, I grew to hate it. 

It was awful for liquids, since the adjusting part got loose and leaked.  And it was actually inconvenient to have just one measuring spoon, since I often needed several measures and was constantly cleaning it out so I could use it for a different ingredient.  It got to be very annoying.  

It did work, though, although poorly, so I kept on using it.  And then for my birthday I got these spoons.

Not adjustable, but it is accurate!

There's one of each size!  Each size is clearly labelled!  Each size is more or less accurate!  Each one has two scoops - one rounded, and one oval for those narrow jars!  They aren't bound by a ring, making them awkward to use!  It's magnetic, so that all stick together in the drawer in a compact way! 

In short, I now love my measuring spoons.  It actually makes my life better in a quantifiable, albeit very, very small, way. 

Welcome to Food, Goatling!

 The Goatling is now 6 months old, so it's time for some solids!  We started off her sister with avocado, but she started with banana. 

Yes, Goatling, that's FOOD!  Your desire to grab things and stuff them in your mouth will serve you well.  New textures, new tastes, new ways to fill up your belly!  Enjoy!