I have become obsessed with gardening. And that might be an understatement. Since living on my own after college, I’ve slowly taught myself how to cook by following recipes and watching the Food Network. This newish obsession somehow seems natural to me that I would now grow the ingredients to use in my recipes.

I absolutely love my new book “Grow Cook Eat” that I recently picked up. It gives you tips on how to grow each veggie (including when to plant the seeds and how much to water them), how to store it, and how to cook it by using the books fresh recipes. I started dogearing the recipes that looked interesting, but now the entire book is dogeared! This is definitely helpful for beginner gardeners, or people who are just learning how to cook!

Instead of buying cookbooks, I typically rip pages out of cooking magazines, or watch The Food Network to learn new recipes. Rachael Ray is wearing the cutest outfit on her August cover of her magazine! The white denim jacket and Isabel Marant striped dress are so effortless and chic, I could wear it every day for the rest of the summer.

Now that it’s getting cooler, I’ve been cooking heartier homey suppers. (I’m going to try and use this word more often.) I saw this recipe last week and had to try it. The pork roast is filled with flavor and wrapped with the crispiest, most delicious bacon. (I need to add more next time!) I served it with a side of fresh green beans and roasted potatoes. (We were too hungry to take any better photos.)

I’ve been watching a lot of the food network lately, and have learned to feel even more comfortable in the kitchen. Just watching other people’s techniques (in anything) helps me. Because Ryan and I have a teeny kitchen, with not very much cabinet space I’ve been looking for things we should register for and I’ve fallen in love with this walnut end grain cutting board. If only I had a dollar for every time Giada says “yummy”, it would make this wood block a little more affordable.

So… after reading Decorno’s post on a dutch oven, it’s got me thinking. The Barefoot Contessa is always using them on her show, and everyone has them listed on registries, but do people really use them? I can’t see spending so much money on one item (Le Creuset) in the kitchen, but if I want to become a master chef, don’t I need the proper tools?

These are my favorite options-

Mario Batali’s Dutch Oven – 6 quart

Le Creuset Dutch Oven – 5 1/2 quart

Ikea Casserole with Lid

What do you think? Do you use a dutch oven? Would you recommend that I register for one of these bad boys? Does anyone have experience with using one on an electric cooktop? HELP!

Okay, I might be a little dramatic, but I think my spice rack might be my favorite thing in our condo (besides Ryan of course… ha!). I have all my spices on these racks on the inside of two cabinet doors. Being able to see every spice clearly labeled while I’m cooking makes it so much easier! My theory is that if you’re kitchen isn’t organized properly, it doesn’t make it fun to cook. And, let me tell you… I have fun!

Last night I made dinner in 10 minutes, and it could be one of my new favorite healthy meals. Actually, it’s one of my new favorite meals altogether and it only had 3 ingredients!

What you’ll need:

• About 1 lb. ground turkey
• 26 oz. Roasted Garlic Marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe’s and was really pleased with the flavors. All the ingredients are natural so I didn’t feel too guilty!)
• 13.25 oz. can Mushroom stems and pieces

Brown the ground turkey, add mushrooms and marinara sauce and simmer for few minutes to cook in flavor. Serve over whole wheat pasta and enjoy!

p.s. the picture does not do this meal justice. it tastes a lot better than this photo looks!

I can’t tell if I love this or hate this, but it seems to be a pretty good concept. I know people who like to collect their wine corks, but never really do much with them other them displaying them in a vase. This is a great way to recycle your used corks and put them to use!

What do you think?