Saly’s Favorite Things

I was in the kitchen making dinner the other night, quesadillas if you must know, and I stopped for a minute to tweet about how much I love my quesadilla maker.  “If I were to make a list of my favorite things, Oprah style”, I said, “my quesadilla maker would be pretty high ranking.” This fostered some dialogue on Twitter, and I decided that (1) I would put together a list of my favorite things and (2) I would ask The Internets for lists of their favorite things.  I will somehow compile the end results in to a master list, and maybe, just maybe it will be useful as a gift guide.

As I wracked my brain to think about what my true favorite things are, it occurred to me that I am something of a commoner. I like things that have purpose.  I like things with functionality. I am the kind of girl who enjoys a practical gift. This gives me an idea—maybe we will categorize the different lists.  Yes.  I think we will. I love it when a plan comes together.

ANYway. Without further ado, I present:

Saly’s Favorite Things

1. The Aforementioned Quesadilla Maker

Quesadillas are a favorite meal around here; only one of the 5 of us (who eat non-pureed foods) doesn’t like them. I like to throw chicken in the oven or Crockpot to shred and freeze in batches so that we always have quesadilla meat on hand. I used to fry ours in a pan with oil, and while there is much to be said for a crispy, fried tortilla, the amount of time it took plus adding in time to keep them warm while the others were cooking so we could all eat together, totally zapped my will to live. What was supposed to be a quick and easy meal just took way too long.  And then I found this! I am able to pre-assemble all of the quesadillas, and then pop them in the maker one after the other.   BAM! Quick and easy dinner achieved!

2.  The Hang Up Wall Organizer from 31 Gifts

This one is actually a little bit on the spendy side at $45, but I love it so much.  It hangs on my office wall, and holds pictures, a calendar and pretty much everything else you could ever want. I have pockets set up for bills, coupons, school stuff, and a miscellaneous “to do” pocket. Anything to keep all the crap off of my desk, I say.  Here is mine in action:

I also really love that the pattern matches my walls.

3.   Nordic Ware Deluxe Plate Cover

This baby cost me a whopping $1.97 at Target. I picture myself in an infomercial, struggling to get cellophane wrap over my dishes, having it shrink in the microwave or putting like, a bowl of gravy uncovered in the microwave and being surprised and disappointed when it spatters everywhere. Ok, that depiction is not entirely untrue. This is one of those little things that I always thought about buying but never actually remembered until I happened to see it on a recent leisure trip to Target.  It is $1.97 well spent, my friends. It doesn’t just cover plates, but is tall enough to fit over my bowls as well.

4.  Melamine Appetizer Sized Plates

I don’t actually have this pattern, but these are the perfect plates to have on hand for breakfast and lunch, especially considering how breakable my stoneware dishes seem to be.  I watch the Target endcaps for these to go on clearance, and have scored several for $.48 apiece. I feed the big kids almost exclusively on these plates. The only downside is that they cannot go in the microwave—the plastic bubbles and peels.  I find them to be a fantastic alternative to paper plates, and BONUS, they are pretty too.

5. Fat Trapper Grease Container

This thing, man.  It comes with bags that seal so you can throw the grease away without worrying about it leaking in the garbage can.  Placing the lid on top also keeps odors from escaping which is nice, because sometimes I only have a little bit of grease to drain.  This saves me from using a soup can or something similar.  I just add my grease until it’s nearly full, zip it up and then throw it away.  This was actually one of my Mother’s Day gifts this past year.  I love it a lot.

6. Honorable Mentions—the following are also favorites of mine that I use often, if not daily.

1. Keurig Vue– I like that the Vue packs are 100% recyclable.  The plastic goes in my recycling bin, and the coffee pouch goes in my composter. Win.
2. Kindle- I have the original one, and I love it.  I don’t need anything fancy. I’d consider upgrading to a Paperwhite though
3. Tervis Tumbler–  I used a coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond for mine.  Expensive, yes. But a solid beverage container. Mine has owls on it, because, of course.
4. Thermos Insulated Coffee Carafe– I work from home, in my basement office. If I have a busy day, I like to brew a big pot of coffee, and bring this downstairs with me. It keeps me going all day. It’s also nice for road trips.

Now we get to the part where I ask you about your favorites. You can play along a few different ways.

1.  Fill out the Google Spreadsheet I’ve created HERE. I will use this list to make one big master list.
2. Write your own post and leave a link in the comments.
3. Tell me about your favorites in the comments here.  Be sure to include links.

I’m hoping this works out to be a good thing, with lots of participation. I am new to creating forms in Google, so any feedback and suggestion is welcome. Have fun!