Shower gifts

Shortly after we registered for the wedding, we were talking to another couple about the whole process. They said that they still have a box of assorted kitchen gadgets and whatnot that they got for the wedding and/or wedding showers that they have never even used. Well, Carrie and I knew that we weren't going to let that happen to us - we are white and we love our kitchen gadgets. When we brought back our car full of gifts, we weren't going to just be placing these on a shelf in the closet, we were going to enjoy them all. It has now been 2 months since the gift orgy (and less than 6 weeks to go until the wedding? Crap!) so I figured that I would tell you all how we are using the gifts.

Let's get the bad news out of the way first - we got 2 things we registered for whose sole purpose was to allow us a unique and "cool" way to display food to guests. You know, like buffet server things, yadda yadda. We haven't used those yet, only because we haven't really entertained the way we would like, because we just don't have money to buy and prepare food for our friends.

Also, 2 of the gifts were broken, and we took them back. I am not going to tell which one because no one needs to be upset, but rest assured that we replaced one and plan on getting the other once it is in stock. The last gift we haven't used yet is the BB&B gift card, but that is because we are saving it to see what we don't get at the wedding, and we will take back duplicate gifts and put it on the card, and so on, but let's be honest - we will be getting some Riedels with that gift card, and not just because that is what the Chockleys would want!

First off, the Stock the Bar Party - so, um, we haven't had any of it yet. Which is a HUGE compliment from us, because we deemed all of the wine to be rack-worthy. Oh, we will drink it, and maybe sooner than later, but they are being temperature and humidity controlled as we speak. We did get some liquor too, but it has only been 2 months people, we aren't machines!

Now, the gifts that I didn't get to open at the girls' shower - we got some candles that have been strategically placed around the apartment. We got some towels too - something about Egyptians and thread counts, I don't know. Some of the towels were in a fancy basket, which is nice because our apartment has the linen closet (that is what it is called, right? Chip said it was the only organized thing in my apartment while he was here. Not the "most" organized, the "only" organized. And, uh, he was right - I used to arrange everything I owned alphabetically by topic, what have I become?) located in the guest bathroom, not in our bathroom. So, if I need a towel after a shower, it is one of the longest possible walks inside our apartment. So the towels and the basket are working out in our bathroom, that is what I am trying to say.

There was also a foot massager for the shower, which is a bit of a problem because we have one of those showers that is all sliding doors and no tub, and the drain is in the middle, so it prevents really any effective draining when in use. We still have yet to try it in the guest bathroom. I guess I could have put it in there for Cullen and Chip, but I didn't want their foot stank on it.

Another couple of gifts were some blankets for us to cuddle with (or throw them? Why is the term "throw" used to describe these blankets?). This means we actually have 5 blankets now on our futon to use to get warm. This isn't a bad thing - I keep the apartment around 61 degrees in the winter in order to save on the heating bill. But yes, we are using all 5 - well, maybe only 3 now, because the apartment has warmed up to 64. And you think I am exaggerating.

Onto the kitchen - we made chocolate ice cream in our new ice cream maker, and it was fantastic. Seriously though, these were the ingredients - 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1 cup of whole milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 8 oz. of chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Holy crap - I don't want to know the Weight Watchers points involved - especially since it was gone within 24 hours. Quick funny sidenote - we were recently in the grocery store, so I decided to look at the nutritional info for heavy whipping cream, and it was only 50 calories per serving! Not bad at all - that is exactly 1 point in WW, btw. Then, I looked closer - 32 servings per container. 1600 calories for the whole thing! Sweet mother of pearl! I need to make a lower-fat ice cream next time. Send me your recipes.

Moving along - last week, I made some pad thai, which means we unleashed the wok. Take a wok on the wildside. One small step for man, one giant wok for mankind. Jokes I have been waiting over 25 years to make. I had to treat it first - you know, using grease and whatnot. I have completely failed my rusty cast iron skillet, so this is my second chance to do it right. But it wo(r)ked out great - I am ready to made fried rice now. We also got a lot of other pots and pans, and they go directly from the oven top into the oven, because the handles aren't plastic. We haven't used them for that purpose yet, but still, no worries. We are ready for the right recipe, and it will all come together.

Let's see, what am I forgetting - oh yeah, the wine glasses. We love them and use them weekly and want the whole Riedel set now. Carrie even has her own ritual for cleaning and polishing them, which involves boiling water or something. I don't know - I am letting her have that one. But yes, we love our Riedels for sure.

I also made ribs using an Emeril recipe that called for a cup of coffee in the sauce, so we used the coffee press for that! Speaking of ribs, we made short ribs using the XL roasting pan - I had done the same recipe before but cheated. We did it right finally with the right equipment! We are looking forward to Thanksgiving to use it again. But yeah, we will use it before then too, but still.

If I forgot yours, don't worry, it is just late. I just wanted to reassure you that we aren't going to have a garage sale in 2012 where we sell some of our wedding gifts in their original packaging. Now, if we could just figure out where to put all of it...