OKMH – One Kitchen, Many Hearts
That’s what we call our little group of blogging buddies and the goody boxes we send every other month. Who are these ladies? Let me show you.
OKMH Bloggers – Mads, Kirsten & Megan; Bottom: Me, Allison & Kat
Top Left: Madelyn (Mads) of La Petite Pancake
Top Center: Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic
Top Right: Megan of Country Cleaver
Bottom Center: Allison of Decadent Philistines
Bottom Right: Kat of Tenaciously Yours
That’s our official OKMH photo collage, but it’s this informal photo that really makes me giggle. Kirsten is responsible for this treasure:
The ‘unofficial’ group photo – this is how we picture us.
Megan waving to someone on the beach cracks me up every single time.
I don’t remember how we all met, but we’ve been as thick as thieves for a few years now, and I love them more every day. We may be from every corner of the U.S., but we are one kitchen with many hearts.
This month I received a box of love from Megan, the effervescent chef behind Country Cleaver. She’s amazing. She lives in Seattle. She’s a newlywed who loves her big hunk o’ burning love Ben, her sweet yellow lab Huck, enjoys long walks on the beach, craft brewing, bread baking, salmon, and pumpkin spice Hershey’s kisses (she hoards them). If there was such an award, she would surely be named “Blogger I’d Most Like to Drink A Beer With” or even “Blogger Whose Kitchen Pantry I’d Most Like to Secretly Live In”. Or both.
Here’s what Megan sent:
For the record, we love Halloween in this house. So she nailed it. Jonah Bear & Lilly Bug are going to love this. Spiders and witches and pumpkins – oh my!
Speaking of the grandkids, Jonah is going to lose it when he sees these:
He’ll be six in December and he L-O-V-E-S all things gummy. The fact that these are kind of creepy will only enhance their attraction. Well played, Megan.
Lilly Bug, who turned three this month, will love this rubber ducky (as do I). Who needs sparkly vampires with this little cutie around? #TeamJacob
When it comes to sharing, the only person in my immediate family that loves coffee like I do is my daughter. It goes without saying that she and I will be savoring these together. Look, honey! Maple Pecan & Caramel Pumpkin!
Did you know that our Megan is an ambassador for Copper River Salmon? Yup. She just got back from a spectacular weekend in Cordova, Alaska where she saw first hand what it takes to process salmon. And because she knows I share her love of this gorgeous fish, she included this tin of salmon rub. Move over, brisket. There’s a new gill in town. (Sorry. Bad joke. Okay, I’m not sorry.)
Megan also sent two gorgeous green ceramic chili bowls so we could celebrate fall Texas-style. Unfortunately, the postal service beat the crap out of that box and both bowls were shattered. Completely demolished. But that’s bound to happen when you ship stuff as far as we do, and I SO appreciate the gesture and the love behind it. The Complete Package tried his best to glue them back together, but they were beyond repair. I started to include a photo of his “Frankenbowls” but I didn’t want to break Megan’s heart. It wasn’t pretty. Funny, perhaps, with his big gaping seams oozing with hot glue, but not pretty.
UPDATE: After much urging from The Complete Package, I’ve decided to add a photo collage of the broken chili bowls. Not because I want Megan to feel bad that they didn’t make it intact, but because of the hilarity that ensued when TCP tried to step in and save the day. Determined to “make this right”, he grabbed my hot glue gun and spent a good half hour trying to put my chili bowls back together again, Humpty Dumpty style. Reality was more in line with Megan’s Halloween theme, and so (with that in mind)… I give you the Frankenbowls.
Know what takes your mind off broken bowls? I mentioned it before, and I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw them. Megan sent a bag of her beloved Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses. A vision of Ben prying them out of her hands to put them into the box flashed for a split second, but then I thought, “No, that’s Megan. Always a giver.” She sent an entire bag. It couldn’t have been more significant if it had been a kidney. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but Megan really, really loves these pumpkin spice kisses. Like for realz, yo.
And as soon as they spend some time in the fridge firming back up, Ima dig in. And I’m going to think of her each time I enjoy one. Because (and I know she’ll gasp when she reads this) I have never… ever… had one. Ever. And that will make these even sweeter.
Oh, before I go all pumpkin kiss bliss on you – go to Mads’ website and see what I sent her. You can get there by clicking HERE. You can also click on the all blog links at the top of this post to see what everyone got in their OKMH boxes. It’s always fun to see what the girls are sending and receiving.
Now go. I’ve got candy to eat and I’m not much of a sharer around chocolate. Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.
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Lord have mercy! Those pie flavored coffees are (almost) making me want to become a coffee drinker! I’m so glad that TCP talked you into posting the Frankenbowls photos–a very valiant effort on his part. The bowls were so adorable!
I love that TCP tried so valiantly to save them. I about lost it when he held one up and said, “I think we could use these for cereal, don’t you?” My response: “With MILK?!? Are you NUTS?” They make me laugh every time I look at them. I was considering throwing them out, but now I’m thinking at least one should stay as a memento. Just for giggles. And I’m thinking a trip to Cost Plus World Market to pick up a set might be in order since they were such great bowls. Megan has great taste.
Maybe you could take a black sharpie to the ‘frankenbowls’ and actually make frankenstien faces and use the for holloween decorations! It’s a thought. :)
Actually, that’s not a bad idea! I think I have a black paint pen around here somewhere and you KNOW I have a drawer full of Sharpies. I have a slight issue with hoarding Sharpies – especially in colors and in every size known to man. But that probably goes without saying after using the phrase “I have a Sharpie drawer.” Huh?
Great Post – love the Halloween pasta and the Vampire duckie – thanks for sharing! Have a Great Day:)
The grandkids are going to love that pasta, too. I’ve never thought of mac & cheese as a Halloween treat, but that’s about to change. :)
1) I need to source the maple coffee stat.
2) BIG props to TCP for the effort. Gotta love a man who goes the distance for the sake of blogging besties. HRH has that vampire duck (we have over 100 rubber duckies…I know, I’m weird), and I’ve called him Count Quackula. She just gives me sideways looks when I do.
1) Do you have a Cost Plus Market near you? If not, let me know; may be making a trip.
2) Count Quackula! I love it! Mind if I use that? It will quack the kids up. Big time.
I definitely appreciate TCP’s artistic direction here. And why not give them a shot with cereal. ;) This is the glass half-full mentality we need in life. Thank God for optimism.
1. I did not know that Pumpkin Spice Kisses existed until Megan tweeted about them the other day.
2. That is definitely the equivalent of a kidney for sure.
3. I chorted about the “new gill” in town. :)
Why not try them with cereal? Perhaps because there were still big gaping holes, despite the multiple glue sticks he consumed? We joked about taking a shot of them with cereal & milk, but we also noted we’d have to shoot it over the kitchen sink or in the back yard since there would be a cascading fountain effect when the milk went in. The pumpkin spice kisses are tasty, Kat. Be careful opening Pandora’s box if you go looking for them. Very careful.
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