2023 summer favorites!

School is back in session, so it’s time for a summer favorites post! We have a mix of items that were gifted for our wedding and purchases we made ourselves. All of these products have been so nice to have on the daily, and I’m grateful to be in a place financially to splurge on a few items that hopefully last us a long time. Let’s jump right in!

Pyrex containers

Hands down, these are probably our favorite purchase. They really did live up to our expectations! With the variety in sizes, we’re able to use just one container for leftovers most nights. They wash like a dream, and they’re easy to towel dry, too. We retired all of our old plastic containers, with most of them being from my college days. Plus, having these six containers as our only option has really shown us that we don’t need that many! It really helps us keep our leftovers in check so our fridge stays clear of spoiling food

cat door

This cat door is so cute and very functional. It’s been nice to be able to shut our bedroom door at night and still let the cats come in. When the cat door is closed, I love seeing the girls’ eyes peeking through the window trying to be let in!

badminton set

This was a gift from my dear friend Lauren and her fiancé! We love it! It’s fun to play, quick to setup, and a hit with the family. We played this the night before our wedding, and it was a fun, easy game to keep us entertained.

trivets

I love being able to serve our food on the table! It’s so nice having everyone get their own helping versus filling the plates/bowls in the kitchen and carrying them over. These also help cool pans down quicker so they can be cleaned up after dinner!

native deodorant

This deodorant smells amazing and the scent lasts all day. I wasn’t necessarily aiming to get something that smelled so much like candy, but one whiff and I was sold. It seems to be doing a great job as a deodorant, and I like that it has natural ingredients!

zima dental pod

I haaaated brushing my Invisalign retainers! I decided to try out this ultrasonic cleaner, and it works great! Retainers are expensive and will be needed for as long as you want to maintain your natural teeth. Spending a little extra on their maintenance seems worth it to me!

le creuset casserole dish

We’ve been using our new casserole dish every opportunity we get! We love that it’s deeper than our glass casserole dish, which means our recipes that used to overflow in the oven have no issues now. We’ve used it for our dinners and for a peach pie, all turned out great! I love how it’s quick and easy easy to clean and for those meals where we have a little bit too much leftover to transition to storage containers, we can just put the whole dish in the fridge with the lid. It also makes our meals look presentable.

le creuset dutch oven

Wow did this have a learning curve! We were used to cooking with cast iron pans, but we didn’t consider that this would get just as hot. Our first batch of pasta burned and scorched the inside, but we’ve since learned how to work it! For pasta, we like to fill it up over halfway with water. We start it on high until it’s boiling, then turn it to medium heat when we put in the pasta. It’s important to stir the pasta (we mainly do spaghetti!) until it’s boiling again. If not, you may have some stick to the bottom. With this method, it is very easy to clean up and the spaghetti doesn’t stick. I definitely notice that cleaning this pot is quicker than the stainless steel one we used before.

We’ve also been making our chili mac recipe in the dutch oven instead of our instant pot. This helps us keep a better eye on the pasta, and reduces some inconsistencies when cooking in the instant pot. Overall, it seems like it’ll be a very durable piece of cookware, and I’m happy we purchased it! Next up, we will try using it to make bread!

Let me know your summer favorites! Thanks for reading!

Davien