I Just Wanna DEGLAZE Something...

Unlike when we purchased our last house, we made the decision this time not to put every penny we owned INTO the house.  We had to do that the last go round just to afford a house at all but this time, we knew we needed less house, less payments and less stress.

So knowing we were going to be keeping some of the money out, we pretended like we weren't still going to be living on the tight budget of teacher and a stay-at-home-mom.  

(BTW, Dude, where are these teachers you speak of making six-figure incomes????  And since when does a college degreed, profession = minimum wage????)

(I'd like to punch YOU in the face.)

(End of parenthetical rant.)

With all that pretending going on, we made what we lovingly referred to as "The Equity Wish List."

Aren't we just the cutest?

Not necessarily creative but we're cute.

The List originally included a couple of mini-iPads for the kids but then we bought them a pool.  And that pool needed a fence around it.  Really, we bought them safety.  

So YOU'RE WELCOME, LITTLES.

The List also included pure FANTASIES like a farmhouse sink, new hardwood floors (to replace the laminate we feel pretty certain Rhys is gonna completely destroy by Christmas) and new kitchen counter tops (we got OFF-white laminate counter tops this time).

Also on The List were things that we had been dodging for lack of funds.  Like a tune-up for Chris' car.  Which included something called a "timing belt."  I have no idea what it is but Chris and his dad assured me GOD'S HAND was the only reason we had not had to replace it until now.  

Thank you, Jesus.

My list was pretty short.

New cookware.

End of list.

When making our wedding registry, I selected what I thought was some nice skillets.  Registries are tricky things.  I didn't want to register for a whole bunch of expensive stuff no one could afford.  Cause we had almost nothing and needed everything.  Even OKAY skillets were better than none.

But now I'm older and I appreciate buying quality.  It's my money now.  

Sort of.

Since I've been home, I've been doing my best to learn and explore in the home-cooking department.  I mean, I'm no where near an Ina Garten or even a Rachel Ray on most days. But I do like food and eating GOOD food.

Gluten-free, of course.

So in watching "the cookers," as Aubrey Kate refers to them, I began to notice a good many of them using those bright red enamel iron cookware.  They were big...BIG...and perfect for one pot meals.

Plus, they said fun words when using them, like "deglaze the pan."

I'd never heard of such a thing.  But I knew I NEEDED to be able to do that.

Whatever THAT is.

I started doing some research.  And I found exactly what I wanted.  

Le Creuset Cookware Set , 20 Piece in Caribbean.

Nothing about this set is AFFORDABLE.

Except...

They can go from the stove, to the oven, to the fridge, to the dishwasher.  And they have a lifetime warranty.  

(Editing note:  No, I have zero clue why the background is white on those words.  And no, I can't fix it.  Because yes, I am technologically challenged.)

So I won't have to replace these in fifteen years like I had to with the original ones.  And let's just be honest and say, those had gone years longer than they should have.  I was using a good bit of oil to make up for their lack of non-sticking-ness.

New word of the day...non-sticking-ness.

My research told me these beauties were gonna cost me as much as Chris' complete car tune up.  But we agreed to take the plunge.

The good news is we have a Le Creuset outlet store in the metroplex.  

While the kids were in Alabama with my parents and Chris was at band rehearsal, I drove to the outlet and purchased my dream cookware.

And for the cherry on top, the salesman convinced me to purchase LESS than I had planned.  

I know.

He was great.  He talked with me about my cooking habits and my cooking dreams and then showed me the pieces he thought would work best.  

Y'all.

Could all salesman in all the world be like that?  Please?

From 20 pieces down to six.

In case you're wondering, these things are AMAZING.  And they totally do exactly as advertised.  Now, I will say, I do have to give them some good ol' elbow grease to get them spotless but that's just me being a little protective of my FANCY NEW STUFF.

So tonight, I finally realized my dream and DEGLAZED THE PAN!!!

It was all I had dreamed about and more.

I made Saucy Italian "Drunken" Noodles for dinner.  I grabbed some sausage on sale this week and went to town.  Dinner was sooooooo good.  

Listen, those off-white laminate counters work just fine.  The used sink we got to replace the shallow builder's-grade one currently here is perfect.  And the old, worn out cookware I had did the job.

So these news TURQUOISE beauties are an absolute splurge for us.  And I am teenage-girl-hanging-a-poster-of-them-from-my-heart-throb-magazine crazy about them.  

What can I cook for you?  As long as it includes deglazing, I'm cool.  

Cool like Caribbean Blue expensive cookware.