Do many of you journal? I’m very curious about this, as it seems like a number of people I know are doing it in earnest now for the first time since adolescence. I’m very intrigued by the notion—I think it’s a good creative practice—and and like the idea of writing freehand, in a pretty notebook, like this one from Christian Lacroix. I also just like notebooks like this for jotting down anything I run the risk of forgetting, like phone numbers, names of TV shows I mean to watch, dreams, songs that randomly came on my Spotify, and so much more. I know that’s what the Notes function on your phone is for too, but it’s not the same.

This one from Need Supply comes in a few colorways, but I’m partial to this red and orange.

Such a pretty floral, from Rifle Paper Co.

Of course I’m feeling highly partial to this leopard print.

If this were a silkscreen, I would 100% hang it on my wall: so punchy and graphic.

I’ve been employing a rotation of canvas bags as my recycling bin, which is not exactly convenient and takes up precious kitchen counter space. So I went on a protracted search for something that could perform that function and wasn’t too ugly, and came up with the Re: Bin, which is made of recycled plastic and comes in a few good colors (though I went for white).

I have been obsessed with spatchcocking (more on that later), which allows you to roast a chicken in a fraction of the time it would typically take, ever since my brother Todd spatchcocked a turkey last Thanksgiving and it turned out perfect. But I’d lost my roasting rack somewhere along the line, so I went for these nifty silicone racks, which work great and are a dream to clean.

I’ve getting weekly CSA deliveries, which are composed of meat, eggs, and various unidentifiable root vegetables, the latter of which I will be pureeing now that I have this nifty new hand blender.

I refrigerate my garlic, but apparently it lasts longer in a cellar like this one, so I’m thinking of giving one a shot.

I always need new dishcloths, and this set is just so bright and happy.

Am I the last person in Manhattan who does not own an Instant Pot, and is it as necessary as just about everyone swears they are? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

I broke my pepper mill—I didn’t know this was something that could happen, but it did. So I’m thinking of replacing it with this nifty one from Le Creuset.

Also from Le Creuset: this spiff enamelware serving bowl set that would come in so damn handy.

OK, so back to spatchcocking, which I made the mistake of describing to a vegetarian the other day: you basically cut the spine out of the chicken so it will lay flat, and this requires far sharper kitchen scissors than I own—which I learned the hard way. So I might go for these shears for next time.

When I was getting married, I registered at Williams Sonoma and Moss, that dreadfully snotty store in Soho that sold all the coolest stuff. It was there that I registered for—and received—a set of Rosenthal dinnerware that I’ve been using ever since. The set is one of the only wedding gifts I kept after we split up, and it has served me well (except for the way-oversized pasta bowls, which I never use but for some reason continue to hang on to, who knows why). Every once in a while I’ll think it’s odd that I’m still dining on my married plates, but then I’ll decide new plates are an expense I can’t quite justify. But lately, I’m dining off those plates—and not takeout containers—all the time, and once again I’m thinking of switching them out. If I could get anything I wanted, I’d go for these  Christian Lacroix plates, because the butterfly pattern is just so gorgeous.

This swirly plate is also quite cool, and substantially cheaper.

I like the gradated gray on this one.

I’d love a set of Le Cruset plates—so sturdy that even I can’t break them—and while they come in many colors, I’m partial to this deep blue.

I like that the tie-dye-ish pattern here is only just barely visible.

I like the ledge on these.

This plate looks so cool because of a special glazing process—I like that it seems like it’s one-of-a-kind.

This looks like something much pricier from Astier de Villatte.

I love bright vintage Heller plates, and Etsy is crawling with them. But if you want something new and don’t care about color, you can buy them in white from Design Within Reach.

The blue border here is just kind of cheery and subtle.

I dig the splatter effect here—so cool and, again, it looks one-of-a-kind.