Kitchen Tools - Weighing In & Weeding The Clutter

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The kitchen doesn't need more stuff. It needs the right stuff.

People love lists. And lately I've been running into a lot of kitchen tool lists that are worth talking about — not just to share them, but to put some real honest commentary alongside them. Because a list of 15 "must-have" kitchen tools is only useful if someone's actually cooked enough to know which three of those 15 are worth your money and which twelve are headed straight for the junk drawer.

Today I'm covering three articles in order. And there's a method to this — read through to the end and you'll see how all three connect in a way that actually helps you think smarter about your kitchen.

The Mayor of Flavortown, McDonald's Onions, a Ridiculous Pot Hat & Trader Joe's Reviews

🍴 C3 — Curated Culinary Curiosities · Issue 01

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Welcome to the first edition of C3 — Curated Culinary Curiosities. Or as I like to call it, the Foodie Feed. Things that landed in my news feed and earned a reaction, a comment, or at minimum a raised eyebrow. Let's get into it.

👑

Food Culture · Marketing

Guy Fieri — The Mayor of Flavortown

✊ More Respect Than He Gets

Guy Fieri — people either love him or they come up with creative reasons to hate him. I genuinely don't understand the hate, and I'm saying that as someone who's spent time in professional foodservice where Food Network doesn't exactly get standing ovations.

Here's the thing people forget: Guy was a restaurateur before he won The Next Food Network Star. He had already built something. The TV show didn't create him — it amplified him. And Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives specifically? That show has done more for local, non-corporate food businesses than most food media combined. It puts real people, real kitchens, and real communities in front of a national audience. That's not nothing.

Cool Pops- The Original Hood Popsicle

Back in the day in my neighborhood, we didn't really have people that sold lemonade. We had Cool Pops.

Drink mix (also pronounced drank mix) or Kool-Aid was made and poured in 5-ounce (?) dixie cups. Or at least a cheap version of dixie cups that made you think it was the same thing. These were then put into a freezer.

It started out a dime and rose to a quarter before I thought I was too old to buy them. Where did I buy them? I bought them from a neighbor. Once you found out who had the best at the cheapest price. The one who kept your favorite flavor in stock.

I grew up in the projects. Or government housing if you prefer. It didn't scare anybody to go to someone else's door in the neighborhood, knock, and then ask "what flavors you got?". I think grape, cherry, and lime were the favorites.

The popular way to eat it was to lick the top long enough for the sides to melt while you were holding it. After that, you popped it out and put it back in the cup upside down. Scraping your teeth across the top (of the bottom) seemed to be the tastiest, most concentrated part of the cool pop. After that, you drank the remaining melted liquid in the cup.

This was a fun treat with some great memories. I also made the design you see and put it on some merch I have on TeePublic https://bit.ly/CoolPop. I thought it would be fun for those that remember. Link below...

Other apparel I have on Amazon and TeePublic:

TeePublic - https://bit.ly/D4Fshop

No Flour, No Mess, Pizza Dough Rolling

The PIZZA hack you never knew you needed! At home, no rolling pin, no machine. This clip was pulled from my full-length video "PIZZA! Start to finish!" https://youtu.be/seLx6YSyP_c Take advantage of the equipment I have reviewed for top recommendations in the kitchen. Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Making Vanilla Extract

We're Making Homemade Vanilla Extract — And It's Going to Take a Year (That's the Point)

Most people don't realize how simple it is to make real vanilla extract at home. You need two things: vanilla beans and alcohol. That's it. No preservatives, no artificial flavor, no mystery ingredients. Just beans, rum, time, and a little patience — which honestly is the hardest part.

Tytus and I kicked this whole thing off together, and I'm documenting it from the very beginning so you can follow along and do it yourself. We're going the long route — letting it sit for a full year — because the longer it goes, the deeper and richer the flavor gets. You can do three months or six months and have something good. But give it a year and you'll have something great.

Taiga Woodcraft - A Special Purchase

We made a special purchase from Taiga Woodcraft. I don't want to ruin the video so you have to watch it to see it! 

Larry and Sandy are friends we met while working on the Africa Mercy in West Africa 2017-2019. Not only was this a way to support friends who have businesses BUT it's also a personal connection with shared memories to a one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece made specifically for us! 

Check out Taiga Woodcraft on all the Social Media channels! Look at the pictures and just imagine what "one-of-a-kind" handcrafted piece he can make for you or a special gift to that friend that has "everything". 

TAIGA WOODCRAFT 

Custom, handmade hardwood and epoxy creations based in Windsor, Ontario

TAIGAWOODCRAFT.COM 

(226) 350 9383 

TAIGAWOODCRAFT@GMAIL.COM 

Instagram @TAIGAWOODCRAFT 

Facebook TAIGA WOODCRAFT

Easy Snack Mix

This is something I prep every week for our family! pre-portioning keeps the endless snacking down, saves money, controls calories, and controls how healthy it is. There's no cooking involved.

Easy Conecuh Dish

Easy meal! This can also be made in a casserole dish BUT you won't get as many crispy roasted bits and the casserole dish will keep the grease. Put it in your favorite casserole dish AFTER cooking it! Either way, your choice!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

No, I haven't lost my mind. I just wanted to remind you in plenty of time to make sure you get it covered this year and don't mess it up! 

As you know most people have what they call a "side hustle" and I guess now I am no exception. Sure I have my blog and crazy homestyle cooking videos...But now I am putting some of my computer college knowledge to work making some designs for resale on products. 

Recently I was able to get into the Amazon Merch program and get a few t-shirts started. Below is my offering for Mother's Day! available in many colors and sizes. I'm not going to make a ton of money on it because I priced it low to get started. But I'm hoping I can build up my inventory and keep some good designs coming. This will help open up my Amazon "store" if you will.

If you would like to see my other shirts and hoodies I have available now here is the link:

https://amzn.to/3fYLHu6

Thank you for coming to visit my corner of the web! 

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Bonus Content to Seasoned and Smashed Chicken

Today I am showing you a bulk prep way of doing the Seasoned and Smashed Chicken that I covered in an earlier video. Also trying out a headgear camera holder for when nobody is around to help me make some videos! HAHAHA

Spaghetti and Meatballs - A Very Simple Guide

Tytus helps me make spaghetti and meatballs for supper. You'll probably be surprised at how easy it is. We have had many compliments over our meatballs BUT it's about as simple as it gets. And watch for the secret ingredients with a tip for parents.

 
Also some bonus family footage of Tytus new birthday gift. It was delivered while we were cooking...so then Tytus bailed on me! HAHAHA

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls are the greatest snacks, desserts, and breakfast food! In this video, I make them from scratch using my own technique and the recipe for bread dough. https://www.tyronebcookin.com/2009/05/easy-bread-dough.html 

If you would rather not make the dough, buy pizza dough balls from your local grocer.

I do not use a sweetened dough for Cinnamon Rolls because there is enough added sweetness in the filling and glaze.

My cameraman is Tytus today!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Easy Cake Hack!

When we were living on a ship in West Africa Stephanie developed a quick cake hack that made a box mix tastes 100x better but still used minimal ingredients. In this video, she makes a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting BUT the technique can be used on other cake flavors as well.

She makes the cake as instructed on the box and then...

See how she uses sour cream and pudding mix (and sometimes espresso) in today's video!