1. Chef’s Knife – the #1 tool you should have in your kitchen. Whether it’s a traditional chef’s knife or the popular Santoku, there’s no need to spend a lot of money. Just make sure you pick one that feels good to your grip (sizes and weights vary) and always keep it sharp!

2. Paring Knife – same rules apply as the Chef’s knife; it doesn’t have to be expensive, but make sure you like the feel of it in your hand. It’s great for small slicing jobs, peeling, pitting, etc.

3. Mis en Place bowls – French for “everything in its place”, these prep bowls can save you a lot of time. By measuring, chopping or dicing ingredients ahead of time, you can have everything you need at your fingertips to create your recipe. This means you don’t have to take your eye off that delicate sauce to chop an onion or grate cheese.

4. Mini Food Processor or Chopper – another time saver. You can use this to chop herbs, garlic, veggies or nuts; grate cheese, or even emulsify a dressing. Most are dishwasher safe and clean up in a breeze. Plus, who wants their hands smelling like garlic all day?

5. Microplane – the multi-tasker of the culinary tools. Use this long, slender grater not only for hard cheeses but for zesting citrus, or use it to add a special touch of freshly ground nutmeg or ginger. It can be used to finely grate onion too, which is super in marinades and dressings.

6. Spoonula – a cross between a spoon and a spatula. This is another versatile tool that can be used to mix, combine, stir and scrape every last yummy bit of food out of a bowl. Most are resistant to very high temperatures which means they won’t melt if you leave them resting on the edge of a pot.

7. Whisk – essential for cooking and baking. Make sure you have more than one of these in your kitchen. You can’t beat an egg or make any kind of sauce or gravy without one (unless you like lots of lumps!)

8. Medium Scoop – looks like a cross between a melon baller and an ice cream scoop. This is great for measuring batter or dough of any kind: muffins, cookies, pancakes, waffles… the list goes on and on. It ensures an even portion, which also ensures even cooking. It can also be used for dolling out mashed potatoes, grits or rice.

9. Tongs – an extension of our hands. This is another tool you should definitely have more than one of in your kitchen. They are much better for turning certain food than the flat spatula and are even great for grabbing pot handles, lids and oven racks in a pinch!

10. Vegetable Peeler - this one is self-explanatory. However, make sure you get the best you can buy. I have one made by “Good Grips”; it has stayed sharp for years and has a fabulous rubber handle.

These are just my top picks. Obviously, there are more great gadgets out there, but these are the tools we use most often because they all perform multiple functions. There are plenty of really cool gadgets that are tempting to buy, but if it only performs one task, then it’s not worth the space it takes to store it… in our opinion.

Certainly the birth of child is an occasion to commemorate.

Historically,men have done so by giving their wives birthing presents, or “push presents,” as a way to say congratulations and thank you.

According to a December New York Times story on the trend, a recent poll of 30,000 people by Babycenter.com found that 38 percent of new mothers received a gift from the new dad, and 55 percent of moms-to-be wanted one. (And 40 percent said baby was reward enough.)

The practice, rooted in British and Indian traditions,isn’t new to the Fort Worth area, says Sharon Vinson of Troy Vinson Jewelers in Fort Worth.

“People have been doing that here for, oh gosh, 20 years or more,” she says. But both Vinson and Jack Miller of Haltom’s Jewelers say they’ve seen more men in the past few years buying presents for their mother-to-be wives.

Generally, the proud papas they’ve seen gravitate toward diamonds — and not necessarily small ones — in honor of the wee package.

Given that Americans are having more babies in recent years — in 2006, the number of births was the highest it had been since 1961, the end of the baby boom, according to an Associated Press review of birth numbers that came out this week — one can only expect the trend to continue to grow.

But for the more practical parents-to-be, jewelry may not be the best way to go.

Thinking of buying a “push present” for a mom-to-be? Here are five alternatives to jewelry that are both practical and meaningful.

[2] Employ a chef. An exhausted new mother might not feel like whipping up a meal. (Neither may an exhausted father.) And yet she, and you, will want to eat at home near the baby.The solution: Hire a personal chef.

How to find one: Go to www.hireachef.com to find one in your ZIP code.

What they’ll do:A personal chef will pick up the supplies, go into your home, make dinner and then pack it away until you’re ready to use it. You can leave the menu up to the chef, and it can easily be tailored to special dietary needs. You can engage the service weekly or as one-time deal to fill the freezer.

The details: Prices vary, depending on how often you hire the chef, the number of people the chef is cooking for and your dietary needs. Susan J. Rutter, a personal chef based in Arlington, says she charges $40 an hour but doesn’t charge for shopping or drive time. She can cook about a week of dinners for a family in about five hours, and she recommends having the chef cook in large quantities, even if you’re single, because cooking for one and cooking for four takes roughly the same time. Deb Cantrell, a chef based in Fort Worth, says she charges about $345 for enough food to feed a single person for a month.

Read entire story at: Fort Worth Star Telegram

Adapted from the Gooseberry Patch cookbook.

** 8 servings **

2 lbs. lean stew meat, cubed

10 slices of bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled, drippings reserved

1 c. yellow onion, diced

1/2 c. green bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. celery, diced

1/2 c. carrots, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

28-oz. can diced or chopped tomatoes with liquid

2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, drained

8-oz. can tomato sauce

2 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 T. chili powder

1 t. salt

1/2 t. cumin

1/8 t. pepper

1 dash ‘Texas Pete’ or hot sauce of your choice (optional)

Sear the beef cubes on all sides in the reserved bacon drippings; add a little canola oil if necessary. Combined

browned beef, bacon and remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or until

beef is tender. Great served with cornbread muffins or bread sticks.

Come and enjoy some delicious food prepared by Thyme Management PCS, a variety of fine wines and champagne, and some beautiful jewelry crafted by Why Knot Beading www.whyknotbeading.com. Join us at 10529 Sutherby Dr. 28277 and bring a friend! The wine tasting will begin at 7:00, and you are welcome to shop and taste until 9:30. Hope to see you there.

“Not Just Shopping” is a fund raising organization that provides multi-vendor shopping events in the Charlotte, NC community. At least 10% of the vendor proceeds from each shopping event are donated to charity. For more information, visit www.notjustshopping.org.

2. Shape it up – cut bread, cheese or little sandwiches into fun shapes using small cookie cutters or biscuit cutters.

3. Lead by example – it’s hard to convince a child that milk is good for them or broccoli rocks when they don’t see you eating it. You don’t have to eat everything you offer them, but good habits are learned by observation.

4. Persistence is the key – don’t force food on your child, but do offer them a variety of healthy foods and don’t get discouraged if they don’t eat it at first. It takes 15 – 20 times of offering a certain food before a child will accept it.

5. Take ownership – let your child help prepare the meal (depending on age, of course). Your child will be more likely to try something that they had a hand in preparing.

6. Don’t overdo it – remember to use small portions. Not only do children generally eat less, but it looks less daunting to a child when trying something new if there is just a small amount. For example, a toddler’s portion of meat should only be about 2 ounces.

7. Have some fun – using fun utensils, plates and cups can encourage a child to eat. Hefty makes a line of plastic ware and paper products called “Zoo Pals” in fun animal designs.

8. Nothing like homemade – when possible, make your child’s food so you control the salt, spice and fat content. For example, a great homemade snack mix can be tasty and healthy when you use dried fruit, plain cereal and whole grain Goldfish crackers. This is much better than the pre-packaged snack mix and just as scrumptious.

9. Trial and error – don’t be afraid to experiment with textures and cooking methods. Just because your child doesn’t like raw carrot sticks doesn’t mean he will not like cooked carrots; or if your child doesn’t care for scrambled eggs, try a hard boiled egg and serve just the yolk or just the whites. And by all means, don’t withhold a food simply because you don’t like it (I don’t like mushrooms, but my 5 year old loves them!)

10. When all else fails, hide it – pureed sweet potato, applesauce or even vegetable juice can easily be hidden in a child’s favorite food when you cook. Spaghetti sauce, meatloaf and baked goods lend to good hiding places for healthy ingredients (my daughter loves my zucchini bread made with applesauce, and she has no idea it has a vegetable in it).

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Let me know your opinions.

Mary Griffin, Personal Chef

Mary Griffin, Personal Chef