And here we are guys! The biggest foodie-lovers day of the year, Thanksgiving! Of course, I have many, many things in my life to be ever so thankful for, from good family and friends, to simply a roof over my head and clean running water, to the more decadent things in life, like my electric blanket and my extra-long cell phone charger cord!  Oh and most importantly, my HEALTH, I thank God every day that I have a healthy, strong, able body to get me through my daily tasks.  If you are ever in a funk with your life, put it in perspective, that is what I do. For every one negative that comes to mind, replace it with 2 positives, and before you know it, 2 turns to 3, 3 turns to 4…you catch my drift. Anyway, I will spare you all the heartfelt gushy stuff and instead share my top 7 foodie tips, tricks and gadgets that I am most thankful for and cannot live without.  Enjoy – there are some good ones!

I am thankful for:

1. The culinary terms charred and blackened. When all else fails I can always throw one of those terms on a “new” menu item lol – hey just keeping it real here, even I have kitchen mishaps!

2. Whole Foods Cherry Hill. So thankful!! Shout out to the super helpful staff, especially my main men behind the seafood and meat counters! I do not know what I would do, or how I would get through my crazy busy weeks without them and their willingness to have my orders ready to go for quick grab-and-go pick up for me!

3. My Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender. If you do not already have one, then read this blog post to see WHY you need to put this kitchen gadget on your Christmas list. http://eatyourheartoutedibles.com/kitchen-tool-cant-live-without/

4. My Progressive Meat Thermometer. I am the queen of destroying meat thermometers, I have had digital thermometers, $50 thermometers, 5-star rated thermometers, you name the brand, I have tried them all. And have broken them all. What can I say, I cook (hard core!) 5 -6 days a week! About 2 years ago my mom picked me up a thermometer that she found on clearance at TJ Maxx for $3. She gave it to me and said “here, it was 3 bucks, when it breaks in a week you won’t freak out because you spent so much money” and that $3 thermometer has been my best pal ever since, just used it today! You can find this model on Amazon for $8.99…while supplies last – I may just buy them all to have for the rest of my life!

Progressive Silicone Meat Thermometer on Amazon

5. Press ‘N’ Seal. Yup this super adhesive cling wrap is a lifesaver for my style of cooking (fresh cooked meals to frozen). I do not use this product the way most home cooks do, I literally do as the product name says, I PRESS and seal the air away from the food! You see, most freezer burn is not the result of food sitting too long in the freezer, but rather poor food storage. The trick is not to let any air touch the food, so instead of just putting your food in a Tupperware container and placing a lid on top, I PRESS the Press ‘N’ Seal all over the food, so it is touching the food, so NO air touches it at all! This product is a LIFE-SAVER! I have had many client rave how I have converted them to PNS users!

6. My Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. You don’t know what you’re missing if you have never used a stand mixer. Use it to make dough for breads and cookies, simply beat eggs for perfect omelets, or you can use it unconventionally as I do! My absolute four FAV things I use my Kitchen Aid mixer for are

#1: To mash potatoes for mashed potatoes (using whisk attachment) – between my new potato boiling/peeling technique and using the mixer to mash, it makes preparing 15 pounds of potatoes a breeze! Missed that technique post? Check out http://eatyourheartoutedibles.com/mashin-good-method/

#2: To shred chicken/beef/pork (using the paddle attachment). The days of two forks and a cranky chef are gone! I never just shred a pound of meat at a time, always seems to be a bulk order, like 18 million pounds of shredded pork (ok so I exaggerate a bit), but seriously, it is a lot to handle with just two forks, so time consuming!

#3: To mix up ground meat and spices for meatballs, meatloaf, etc. – quick, easy and my hands stay clean!

#4: To blend Ricotta and spices for lasagna.

Bottom line, no matter how you choose to use your stand mixer (did I mention my mom uses hers to make all-natural body cream?! LOL), it’s a simple clean up, with little work on your part.

7. Last, but certainly not least as “they” say, I am ever SO thankful for ALL my clients,but I am especially thankful for the clients with extra special dietary requests. Yes, it does make my job a bit more challenging, but it is always a chance for me to grow and learn new cooking techniques. I look back on all the different diets I have cooked for over the past 7 years as a Personal Chef, and well, let’s just say if I have not backed down thus far, there is no backing down in the near future!

What culinary tricks, gadgets, recipes are YOU most thankful for? Comment and let me know, I’d love to hear!