In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. At the end of this article you will find a link to jump to her site and see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, considering taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier. Or that simply bring you joy…

In our kitchen…

We’ve been enjoying strawberries on a regular basis, just straight as fruit with yogurt, or in sorbets made by the resident Sorbet Maker Extraordinaire, aka The Husband.

In our kitchen…

This is my current favorite brand of espresso powder, strong, powerful, intense. Great in cookies, brownies, anything joining coffee with chocolate, that match made in heaven.

In our kitchen…

Pomegranate molasses. I’ve tried many brands and settled on this one. It has the viscosity I like, some are so thick you need supernatural powers to remove it from the bottle.

In our kitchen…

Let the baking gadgets roll!

A special set of brushes, including some super thin. They come in handy to paint details in cookies with gel dye or luster powder diluted in alcohol.

In our kitchen…

Dinosaur cookie cutters with an optional insert to make a design. These got a little dusting with cocoa powder right before baking, no icing, super simple. But I like the effect. Cannot take credit for the idea, it was shared by Marlyn in her IG page.

In our kitchen…

A set of food-safe pens, they have two sides, one very thin, one thicker. I love their colors and the way they handle. They were used to make the cookies below:

In our kitchen…

A wooden stamp and my first set of cookies made with it… Etsy is a great spot to find this type of stamps, and they work well with many kinds of cookie dough. Strawberry Glazed Brown Sugar Cookie recipe found here.

In our kitchen…

A heat gun and special shrink-wrap plastic bags. I am not happy with the heat gun, so I won’t include a link to it. It shuts down after sealing just 4 or 5 bags, which is annoying. I need to get a better one. But I am totally in love with this method to pack cookies, they stay perfect for days, and look quite nice in their little shinny nest.

In our kitchen…

A new springerle type mold. I have not used it yet, but I am not done with my obsessive bee-phase. I cannot wait to try it. Stay tuned!

In our kitchen…

A few new silicone molds, all from etsy.com. They can be used for fondant or modeling chocolate, and some are easier to handle than others. Here is my first set of cookies with two of them.

In our kitchen…

A new tea cup… how could I resist it? Dots and bling! Here it is with some of my favorite tea of all times, Rose Mint from Bigelow….

Not exactly in our kitchen….

Our raised bed made by Phil, and the two guardians of the plants. Amazing the progress in 6 weeks! We’ve enjoyed the most delicious lettuce ever coming from our garden… All credit goes to the husband, I don’t get close to the plants so they have a chance to thrive.

Speaking of credit to the husband…

Last Summer he built this outside patio (featured exactly one year ago in IMK) and we now enjoy dining outside when the weather is just right for it. The dogs are not able to visit the upper part of our backyard, so when we are dining, they can be in the lower part, but usually will climb the steps, for a stare and whine game.

Playing favorites again, aren’t we? Why are the two lesser dogs showing up whereas you ignore me?

Not ignoring you, and to prove it, let’s start the canine grievances with the Resident Mutt. Oscar has been through some trying times lately. For starters, he was offered strawberries, a capital offense in his book.

To add insult to injury, he had to face that dreadful Summer Shave…

But the real killer was a trip to the vet for a small intervention that was not pleasant and put our trooper in bad shape for a few days. We are happy to inform that he is fully recovered now. However, his humans got a bit of a lecture from the vet because apparently His Highness is overweight. He’s been on a diet and we can see positive effects already.

His older brother is getting the same treatment, also with clear improvement…

Hi! My name is Buck and I disapprove of this message.

I say NO to diet! YES to bread!

And if I cannot have bread, I will find stuff around and complement my diet on my own…

And now, let’s check on our Black-Dotted Capeless Hero, aka Bogey Quit That…

I am waiting for my Human to play with me…

But he seems to be gone, and I am here waiting… and waiting…

I guess I’ll have to settle for his shoes for now…
(This picture makes me melt. There, I confessed it)

Because they are such good boys (cough, cough), I decided to cookie them…

Buck was pleased, as he believes he is the most elegant cookie model!

I would have to dispute the statement. The photo below was taken exactly 20 minutes after his bath, explaining part of the abundant gray hair on my head.

BogeyQT also sees things differently. He realizes he is the only one who gets not just one cookie, but two. And a tea cup to boot!

So what does Oscar think about that?

Cookies? Who cares about cookies or tea cups?
The fool still pees like a girl!

Fool? Who, me? You are obviously jealous of my black-spotted nature…

I float way above it all, and march to the beat of my own drum…

That’s all for now, friends! We are tired of being in the spotlight, and wish you all a nice Summer!

My little forever-puppy-Bucky-Boy turns 14 today! He is dreaming of yet another year of bliss around the Bewitching Kitchen, and I just want his dream to come true…

SEE YOU IN OCTOBER!

To see what is happening in other food bloggers’ kitchens,
click here.

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2020

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2019

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen – July 2018

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2017

FIVE YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Falafel and a Bonus Recipe

SIX YEARS AGO: Chocolate Toffee Banana Bread

SEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2014

EIGHT YEARS AGO:  Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

NINE YEARS AGO: Baked Coconut and “The Brazilian Kitchen”

TEN YEARS AGO: Honey-Glazed Chicken Legs

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: French-Style Rolls

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Chicken Breasts, Coffee, and Serendipity