My Favorite Under-$10 Little Cooking Luxury
Lately, I’ve felt stuck in a bit of a hamster wheel. I know it’s rooted in a few things: this time change and the sun setting at 4:30 pm (the absolute worst to my mental well-being), operating on a very rigid schedule with the baby every day—she thrives on it—as well as not investing much time in myself and my own hobbies. While I can’t do anything about the timing of the sunset and I’m not willing to be overly flexible with Evelyn’s routine, I am able to try to alter parts of my days to add in a little spontaneity.
Since having the baby, it’s so easy to just let her needs dictate our days, but before you know it, you turn around and feel a bit like you’ve forgotten who you were before. I’ve fully accepted that I am, in fact, a very different person now than I was nearly 9 months ago, and I’m okay with that, but I have a tendency of letting life’s “musts” stop me from having a little fun. It doesn’t have to be a whole big thing, or a drastic upheaval of your life or everyday habits. Maybe it’s playing some new music, reading a book instead of watching TV, taking a different route on your daily walk, grabbing a quick coffee with a friend on a weekday afternoon (work allowing), trying a new recipe.
On our evening walk today, I was chatting with Charles about how I was feeling. We talked through some things we used to do that maybe we should try to bring back: the occasional morning trip to the Starbucks instead of making coffee and tea at home, taking an evening after work and after the baby’s bedtime to go out on our own even if just to roam the aisles of Target, loosening our iron-firm grip on naptimes a day or two a week to have lunch outside instead of at the coffee table watching a show. Ruts can be like blackholes…you swirl around them getting sucked in, and even though you can recognize you’ve been entrapped, it feels impossible to get out.
All of that to say, it doesn’t take much to shake yourself out a bit and find some new pep, some new slivers of light in your day. I’m writing this mostly for myself because I very much need to hear it right now, but maybe you did, too. Does anyone have some suggestions that have helped you shake out the cobwebs in the past? I welcome any ideas! 🙂
Now, onto today’s product recommendation. It’s something I try to never be without…my top-5 pantry stable that feels like a little luxury, even though it costs roughly $8.
Product name: Maldon Salt
What I like about it: The versatility of Maldon salt is why I’m recommending this to you today. It’s the perfect “finishing” salt for any dish, baked good…anything really. Last night, I made a honey butter for Charles to take to a work potluck along with some cornbread, and the top surface got a good ol’ sprinkling of Maldon flakes. It’s wonderful atop chocolate chip cookies right before they go into the oven, or any chocolate-based dessert, really. I love to finish my soups with a flash of Maldon so that you get little salty crystals every few bites. It’s not overly salty either, as it would be if you used kosher salt or table salt. It’s delicate, subtle and enhancing. Don’t waste it in recipes that call for certain amounts of salt (use your normal cooking salts for that), but rather save it as a garnish of sorts. It just adds a nice surprising pop of flavor to anything it graces.
See you tomorrow, FOAS.