first year favorites: kitchen

Since we're basically pros at this whole marriage thing {almost a year! whoop whoop!}, we decided to round up our favorite first year items for you. These are the top ten things we use the most/like the best in the kitchen.

This happy little plate is where I leave spoons/spatulas that I'm currently cooking with. I have another plate that is brown and cream and I used it through the fall and winter months. I like these better than a typical "spoon rest" which tend to be pretty boring imho. (thrifted)

Tip me over and pour me out! This cheery little teapot helps us make chai on the cool nights and cold sweet tea on the warm days. I'm very proud of what a good job it does while still being incredibly good looking. (etsy.com)

Probably our most worth while {expensive} kitchen purchase was our Henckel knives. They're so stinking sharp and make every job a cinch. (target)

We use this baby an average of 5 times a week. :) It was a hand me down gift from my Grandparent's friends and it has been faithful to cook everything I put into it.

I love our drying mats. If you are "dishwasherless", these are the perfect solution. (bed, bath, & beyond)

One my personal favorite kitchen items {though sadly, mostly unused} is my growing pyrex collection. :) This particular design reminds me of fish, either looking deeply into each other's eyes or making out. I can't decide. Anyone else see that?? (thrifted)

Another happy part of our kitchen is all the happy organized stacking we have going on in our main cupboard. A place for everything, and everything in its place. :) As much as we can, I want to stick with sets, even once we have kids. Often people have like 20 different brands of kids plates {all with different sized sections that don't stack easily}, and that is not my cup of tea. I like my dinnerware to be stackable and have friends. :)

If the meal is small enough to not need the full dutch oven, we lean toward using this pan. Not to say we don't use our normal stainless steel set; we do, but if it's a small job we reach for the cast iron. (thrifted)

This scrub brush makes washing the dishes a breeze. Push the button, scrub a little, rinse, set on drying rack, and repeat. :) (bed, bath, & beyond)

We got these bags at Walmart for $1. 100 bags for a buck. Yes, you have to twist and tie them yourself, but it's a way cheaper route then ziplock. I'll let you know if they ever run out, but they've been awesome for keeping veggies fresh. (walmart)

Well, that's our one year kitchen tour. Isn't it funny how we all have our list of "often used and important" items, but yours aren't the same as mine? What would be your number one item?