Happy birthday to me…again!

I love gifts that keep on giving. For my birthday this year, I received a lump of funds from my parents, and a Barnes & Noble giftcard from my sister and her family. It took me quite a while to decide what to do with those funds. Here it was, the chance to buy whatever I wanted, just for me…and for some reason it was very hard to figure out just what that was.

Thankfully, I had only to turn to my passion/obsession: food. I bought this marvelous 18″ x 24″ cutting board from Williams Sonoma. It covers my little countertop, and is the most amazing tool in my kitchen (aside from my knife, that is). Last night I chopped green onions, sliced asparagus, zested and juiced lemons, whisked eggs, grated nutmeg, and measured out dill in preparation for a delicious pasta dish…and I did it all on one cutting board, without washing in between, without needing an extra bowl or surface…it all fit on my wondrous cutting board. Perfect present.

As for my Barnes & Noble gift card, I spent it today on a book I would never buy for myself, but have always wanted, the Penguin Companion to Food (the hardback version is the Oxford Companion to Food). It’s literally an encyclopedia of food and food culture, spices and ingredients and methods and oh my goodness so much information! Look at it! It’s as thick as my cutting board! I can’t wait to refer to it when someone asks me, “what exactly is a caper?” Ask me! Ask me!

So thank you, gift givers, and know that your gifts will be used with much care and excitement.

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