My friend gave me a knife set for my birthday a few years back. One knife that I never used was the chef’s knife because it was so big that I just knew I would cut my finger off. Besides, I wasn’t exactly sure how to use it. So for years I would just use the smaller knives to grind through fruits and vegetables. That is until I was watching a cooking show and saw Rachel Ray use a chef’s knife. I thought it might be high time to try out my chef’s knife now that I’ve seen it in action.

I can’t believe I have never used this knife before. If you can’t tell, I don’t cook that much although recently I have begun to do more in the kitchen. I tried the chef’s knife on some tortillas that I had to cut in 1 inch squares for a taco bake.

It worked so well. Usually I have to do two tortillas at a time because my knife can’t handle the stack of six. I can’t believe how easy it was to use this knife. I really need to take a home economics class as I think now I would be much attentive and finally ready to learn about homemaking.

There is a salad I want to make this week. It calls for cherry tomatoes but the store only had grape tomatoes. They had a sign for cherry tomatoes but only grape tomatoes were there.

I’m not a tomato expert, so I wasn’t sure what the difference between a grape and cherry tomato. A quick Internet search produced this link about grape tomatoes. Apparently they were engineered to have a thicker skin so they are easier to ship and less water content. They have the sweetness of Roma tomatoes and are half the size of cherry tomatoes. They get their name because of their size and resemblance of a grape. Thank goodness. I was afraid the grape tomato might be another grapple type product.

It used to be that cherry tomatoes lined the produced aisle. Now all that stands is grape tomatoes. Apparently the cherry tomato is becoming passe – slowly squeezed out of the produce aisle by the likes of the grape tomato with its smaller size and lower water content.

I didn’t buy the grape tomatoes since I wasn’t sure about them. Instead I bought Roma tomatoes since I know that I like them on salads.

It has been raining for the past four days. We usually have problems with ants. Those suckers are always in the yard, on the porch, and make it into the house – usually in the bathroom. It is just so frustrating.

This summer I plan to do all I can to beat down the ants. I use Black Flag spray in the house as it kills instantly and does protect for a few days after spraying. Last summer I used liquid Terro. It takes a few days but works. You do have to put up with a trail of ants as they travel to and from the bait taking it back to the nest. I used powder Terro in the yard last year. It worked OK but really it’s so hard to fight ants outside on their own turf.

This week I plan to use Sevin dust on the lawn to deter the ants. Inside I will use boric acid that the ants will hopefully eat and die. I will mix the boric acid with sugar water that will hopefully be appealing to the ants. I know of some hot spots around the house where we have seen ants before. Hopefully by placing the boric acid mixture in these areas, the ants will take it. It would be great to finally have these ants under control.

Yesterday we had a tea party to attend and thought it would be fun to bring something tea party related. It was part of our play group, so the tea party attendees were all under five. I’ve read about scones and thought that might be a yummy treat to give a try. I found a scones recipe that used all the ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

Scones are a lot like biscuits. But once scones are cold, they are hard. That’s perfect for coffee drinkers who want something to dip in their coffee. The dough was very dry even though I added extra milk. I think next time I will mix by hand instead of using the stand mixer(that I love! BTW) to see if that makes any difference.

We enjoyed them but I didn’t make any for the tea party as I just ran out of time. But it’s good to have a quick and easy recipe for something new and tasty.

We are traveling this weekend and with a potty trained toddler, we are making a few more potty break stops than we normally do. But when you got to go, you got to go. This is one aspect of traveling to a new place that I don’t like – you don’t know who has clean public bathrooms.

But then I remember the free iPod app SitOrSquat that lets you search their database of over 5,000 public toilets to find the cleanest one closest to you. It’s sponsored by Charmin and lets you search for public restrooms that are close to you. From there you can read reviews and get directions.

It’s a neat little free app that is especially handy when traveling. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go and you want to go in a clean restroom.

I wanted to make my Mom some raisin bread for Mother’s Day. I cranked up the bread maker Saturday evening thinking that everything would be fine with the humidity. I was wrong as the bread didn’t rise. I used all ingredients at room temperature and used bottle water. So the weather is the only thing left to blame.

I decided to try it again Sunday morning. It was 73 degrees inside compared to 80 degrees the night before. Finally I baked a loaf that didn’t fall.

So what I’ve learned is that if I want to make bread in the summer, then I should make it first thing in the morning for best results.

Happy Mother’s Day! Look what I woke up to. Roses! They are so beautiful. Thanks to the kid for waking us up super early so that my husband could then sneak off to the store without me. Somehow I doubt that was their plan.

Sunday is Mother’s Day. I have to admit that I’m still a Momma’s girl. I love my Mom dearly and every time someone says that I look just like her, I take it as a huge compliment.

My Mom and I not only look alike, but we also have a lot of the same mannerisms. My sense of humor I definitely get from her. She loves a good joke and is usually good for a witty comeback(yes, I’m from a family of smart asses).

We like a lot of the same TV shows, so we get to talk about the latest on ‘The Biggest Loser,’ ‘Survivor,’ and ‘Desperate Housewives.’ I’m still amazed that she likes ‘Survivor’ but really glad she does.

I’ve had a lot of things handed down from my Mom from physical characteristics to physicals items. She’s given me beds, clothes, furniture, etc. We have been very fortunate when it comes to hand me downs. A few months ago we bought our first major appliance – a refrigerator. We’ve been married for 13 years. So, yeah, we’ve gotten plenty of hand me downs from my Mom. So yeah, I am very fortunate not only to have a loving and gorgeous Mom but one who is super generous.

This post is part of the Parent Bloggers Network blog blast. It is being sponsored by the Johnson’s second annual Celebrity Hand Me Down Auction that runs through May 14th. That’s another hand me down I got from my Mother and that’s a love of auctions and good deals. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Johnson’s No More Tears Clean Water initiative.

The Food Network has to be the best network channel ever. I can watch it all day long. Ace of Cakes is a favorite show followed by Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I heart that man. I’d love to eat anything he cooked even if it was some food I hated. I’m sure if Bobby cooked it, then I would love it. I know he will never challenge me to a throwdown not unless he thinks he can beat my Hamburger Helper. LOL. I do cook a little more than boxed meals but not much. It does seem that the more cultural the dish is, the more likely Bobby won’t win. Still he gives it his best effort and does a great job.

My husband doesn’t care for Bobby Flay because of an Iron Chef episode he saw where Bobby was disrespectful to the Iron Chefs. I think it was before he became one. Anyway I think my husband is coming around and is seeing that Bobby isn’t such a bad guy after all. I would expect some arrogance because that is the reputation that most chefs seem to have. But Bobby is very entertaining and his dishes look fabulous. Besides he is easy on the eyes, too.

The past week has been very warm here. It seems that summer temperatures are fast approaching and are here to stay for a while. So with that in mind, it’s time to get prepared for summer. Here are a few items on our must have for summer list.

Sunblock

This is a must have item if you are spending anything outdoors. For myself I use the Skin MD sunscreen on my face before heading outside. For the toddler, we buy a nice high SPF sunscreen. This year we are going to try Coppertone Bug & Sun Sunscreen With Insect Repellent SPF 30. It is a sunscreen and insect repellent all rolled into one product. This would help make things a lot easier if we just have to apply one lotion to the toddler on the run instead of two.

Insect Repellent

Even if we get the Coppertone Bug & Sun, it can’t hurt to pick up some insect repellent. When Raegan was little, the pediatrician said that I could spray her clothes with a stronger insect repellent since it would deter insects and not irritate her skin. So I usually pick up some Off Family insect repellent and some Repel to spray her clothes and around the playground perimeter.

Citronella

Citronella candles stay on our porch in the summer. They not only give some ambient light but do help to keep the mosquitoes away.

Anti Itch Cream

I stock up on products like Benadryl Cream for bites and Bactine for scratches. Rae can’t step outside without being bitten. To keep her from scratching, I use an anti-itch cream. She also runs more in the summer and consequently falls more. Since she usually has on shorts, she has more skinned knees that need a little TLC and Bactine.

Germ X or other hand sanitizer

Raegan believes that Germ X makes everything better. She falls down, she wants Germ X. She bumps her head, she wants Germ X. It is handy to have on picnics, at the park, or just outside. Since we will be doing a lot more outside, it’s time to stock up on a few bottles to have it handy wherever we may be.

Those are just a few things we will be stockpiling for the summer. What are some items that will be in plenty at your home this summer?