The Magic Pot

Being a stay at home mom means you have to do at least some cooking in the kitchen. Before I had kids, I never cooked much. We both had very busy jobs and wouldn't get home until 8 or 9 PM, so we ate out most of the time. But after having three kids in three years, we can't even manage to finish a meal at any restaurant without somebody pouring water and food all over themselves, falling out of their high chair, or having a tantrum. Plus, we always have to leave a hefty tip for the waiter because the table looks like a disaster zone by the time we're done.

So to save our sanity, we are trying to eat more at home. I've started to watch Food TV and bought a few cookbooks. Believe it or not, even in the kitchen a Chic Mommy needs the right "accessories". I think the two items I couldn't live without would be my Wusthof knives and my Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart French Oven. Perhaps these items were drilled into my head by all the Food Network chefs who use them constantly, but I've realized they use them because they actually make the job of cooking much easier. Anything I cook in the Le Creuset comes out much better than if I cooked it in a regular old pot. Basmati rice cannot be screwed up, and the Wusthof knives chop everything from onions to watermelon like butter. If you want to stock up on these kitchen essentials, wait for a good sale at Amazon.com or Williams Sonoma.