What I'm Loving Lately

It's time to delve in to what I'm loving lately.  

1.  Berbere spice from Penzeys.  I have no idea how to pronounce that so I call it my kick in the teeth spice.  I smelled it and I knew I had to get some and reading the ingredients confirmed it.  Cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, fenugreek (maple taste), cardamom, cumin, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and coriander.  This is apparently an African spice and used in Ethiopian cuisine but I'm not into the exotic stuff.  I have used a light sprinkle to season my brussels and it's fantastic!  It gives them a perfect kick and I love spicy stuff.  It gave our chili an amazing kick as well and a little goes a long way!  I liken it to a "Jackie Chan explosion of flavors for your tastebuds."  There are so many different areas of the tongue that gets hit from the heat and sweet, it's almost delightfully dizzying.  The best part?  No salt!  Give it a try!

2.  Sur La Table 10 Piece Nonstick Cookware Set...a Cyber Monday deal!  When I got this baby in my inbox as a last minute add to the Cyber Monday Sur La Table deals for 50% off, I immediately chatted the Mr to see what he thought.  I'm on my second set of rather expensive (in comparison) Calphalon and I'm not impressed.  When I spend $500-600 for fancy pants cookware, I expect it to last more than 2 years before the Teflon burns off.  As a semi-serious home cook, I should be able to sear whatever the hell I want without worrying about the pan being able to handle it.  I was going to just go stainless steel since I use cooking spray anyway but at $150 for the set, I'll give non-stick one more go.  (Did I mention it came with a free bonus dutch oven AND I got $15 back by purchasing through Ebates?  Score!)  (affiliate link) While I can't yet attest to how these stack up since they just shipped, I figure I can't get much worse than the crapalon I've burned through over the past 4 years and I'll feel less ripped off if these can't handle the heat.  Fingers crossed!

3.  Old Navy Cozy Women's Reindeer Socks-  I would love to give a link to these but I can't find them anywhere on the website anymore.  I got these 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and LOOOOVE them but have no idea why they would yank them from the site in the height of Christmas shopping.  So if you happen to find yourself at Old Navy, take a look around to see if these babies are still hanging around because they're super cute and warm on da feet!

4.  Acer Aspire Laptop -  Okay, I might've griped about it when I first got it, but I'm loving my new Acer laptop.  I've acclimated to the new configuration and I love how light it is but still a full laptop.  The processor is super fast, the fan is quiet and it doesn't burn my lap like the last one did.  (Yes, I've heard of laptop desks but it would block the airflow on the old one and make the fan run so hot it would be 2 seconds from catching fire and not in a Hunger Games sort of way.)  If I had to smack someone at the factory for anything, it would be for sticking the speakers on the BOTTOM of the laptop so that every sound and all music is muffled.  Great choice, genius.

5.  Cozy Cable Knit Throw by Pottery Barn  I have had this baby on my wish list for 4 years.  It was becoming obvious no one was going to buy it for me.  I can't really blame them.  It often is on sale for $99 down from $129 but it CAN go as low as $79 the closer it gets to Christmas.  This year they released a new color called "Flagstone" which is a much darker gray than portrayed in the pic but still lovely and I had to jump on it.  I got a 15% coupon code for one day only, free shipping and I had a $25 gift card from a friend from last Christmas.  So I got it for $64.  It is SOOOO warm and snuggly!  I can be freezing cold and in 3 minutes be completely warm and toasty due to the sherpa lining.  I will say my one big complaint about it is it's not made for tall people.  At 50" x 60", it's about the same size as most cheaper blankets but I can't pull it up to my neck without my feet getting exposed and vice versa if the tootsies are cold.  For a $130 blanket, it'd better cover anyone's bod up to 6' tall.  I'm cuddled up under it right now.  Sigh.

What are you loving lately?

(This post contains a few affiliate links.  If you buy through them, I'll get a nominal kickback to keep the lights on at the blog.)

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