1. Sharpie Pen

Well I must confess, this is NOT what I expected to see topping Lynn’s master list for kitchen contents. I was thinking more along the lines of pot holders. But I suppose if even I know enough to buy pot holders, those would be a no brainer. As for the Sharpie? I assume it would be helpful for marking all those Ziploc bags of leftovers to be stored in the freezer. Or to clear the nasal palette with a good sniff. Let’s see Lynn’s explanation…

“One of the most useful items in my kitchen, my sharpie helps me keep track of what I have in the refrigerator and freezer, and how long it’s been there. Use it to write contents and date directly on plastic bags or recycled plastic butter tubs that you’re using to stash leftovers in. Keep another sharpie in the pantry to note the year you purchased that can of French onion soup, so you’ll be sure to cycle through your food, oldest cans first.”

2. Apron

Alright! This one makes sense. An apron. Of course. What kitchen doesn’t have an apron? Uh – wait a minute. Ours doesn’t have an apron. Maybe that’s because my husband feels they are too girly? But I do see men wear those humorous ones while grilling at barbeques. In fact, we recently heard the funniest story about a relative who donned an apron while in a vacation house unaware of the naked man’s image displayed prominently on the front. So there are obviously plenty of styles to choose from. Other than amusing me while I watch my husband wear one while cooking, I suppose the importance of the apron is to have a handy place to wipe your messy fingers without ruining your clothes. Am I right Lynn?

“You thought aprons were just for grandmas. They’re not. Even if your idea of cooking is simply to splash a smidgen of Paul Newman’s Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing on a bag of prewashed spinach, you’re still liable to get the occasional oily splash on your two hundred-dollar cashmere sweater. Wear a full-length apron when you’re prepping food in the kitchen. If you’re a messy eater, leave it on until you’ve finished dessert — and maybe even finished with the dishes. (Grandma also used her apron to carry produce in from the garden.)”

3. Candles

We have scented candles in our kitchen. They match the décor and were a gift. They have never been lit. And since people don’t tend to cook over open fires anymore unless they are camping, I’m curious about the candle’s appearance here. I’m guessing they are essential for hiding the smell of that burnt casserole, or for mood lighting while cooking. Because don’t you know, aprons are so sexy.

“Definitely a must for dinnertime ambiance. Bonus: diners are less likely to see the lumps in the mashed potatoes, or other kitchen mishaps you may not be eager to disclose.”

4. Ice Cream Scoop

This is more like it. My kind of list! I grew up with a father who loves ice cream. And he inherited this love from his father, who had his own set of special ice cream bowls. So you can see that I of course know exactly where to find the ice cream scoop in our kitchen. Even I am capable of serving myself a bowl of that delicious treat while waiting for the next meal. Therefore I can only assume that Lynn is an ice cream addict just like me. Why else would the scoop show up so high on her essential list?

“Use the rounded scoop not just for ice cream, but to portion out perfect little mounds of cookie dough before doing your holiday baking. They’re also handy for scooping perfect little igloos of (perhaps lumpy, yet candle-lit) mashed potatoes.”

5. Pedestal Cake Plate

Yummy – more dessert related items! I believe this is a type of plate on a built in stand that typically holds a big layered cake, or a pie, or perhaps even a quiche. I have no idea why we need one though. I do know how to bake an occasional sweet tasty treat because I love them dearly. And therefore I typically eat them out of the pan they were baked in because I am impatient. I am guessing that this fancy cake pedestal is important because it looks nice and it saves counter space.

“Even if you’re not a cake fan, these plates are perfect for presenting food for a party or special buffet. Food at different heights adds interest to the table. Caterers often use the higher plates to present their most impressive dishes, such as oysters on the half shell, shrimp with cocktail sauce, or chocolate-covered strawberries. Makes less look like more.”

6. Small Throw Rug

Ooo-ooo-ooo! I know! I know! This rug is for keeping your feet from getting sore after standing on them all afternoon in the kitchen whipping up a meal. The one in our kitchen however is a favorite spot for the cats to curl up and take a nap while waiting for crumbs to fall their way. I wonder how Lynn keeps her pets off of her rug and out of her way?

“Put one by the sink to make working in the kitchen easier on your legs. It’ll also soak up wayward water splashes, keeping your floor a bit cleaner.”

7. Kitchen Scissors

We’ve got several pairs of scissors located in our kitchen. Does that mean they qualify as kitchen scissors? Because we don’t use them exclusively in the kitchen. Sometimes we use them to open that frustrating packaging that DVD’s and CD’s come in. Other times they are handy for splitting open a cardboard box. They work well on cutting open re-sealable packages of food. And they help to cut the wrapping off of those scented candles we were talking about before. Something tells me Lynn means scissors designed specifically for cutting raw meat or some other such disgusting idea that I leave for my husband to handle while I eat my bowl of ice cream.

“In your kitchen knickknack drawer, keep a pair that you use solely for kitchen jobs. You’ll be surprised at how often you reach for them as you’re chopping fresh basil or cutting open particularly stubborn food packaging.”

8. Extra Ice Cube Trays

Well, we have an icemaker in our fridge so I’m not sure if we even have ice cube trays anymore. I had a bad habit as a kid of never re-filling them when I used the last cube. From an early age I shunned all kitchen related duties. So the icemaker dispenser solved this problem in my life. In college I remember ice cube trays were handy for making jello shots. What other use could they possibly serve? Some clever spice tray? I’m willing to bet that isn’t what Lynn has in mind.

“These are great for freezing milk that’s about to expire, which you can add to blended fruit smoothies. You can also freeze small portions of extra tomato sauce or fresh herbs covered with water. When you need just a bit of flavoring for soup or stew, pop out a cube and throw ‘er in.”

9. Coarse Sea Salt

If we have this in our kitchen I don’t want to know about it. Sounds like a description of an accidental gulp of the ocean while being knocked over by a wave. Though I do love the beach I am not a fan of the taste of salt water. However, based upon the few cooking shows that I have seen in passing at my in-laws’ I am taking a stab in the dark here that coarse sea salt is something used as a rub for flavoring or to act as a spice in mixtures you brush onto food. My husband loves to create marinades – maybe this ingredient will kick those up a notch?

“Substitute this for regular salt in baking or vegetable dishes. It gives a nice little bite that may convince you to never go back to regular salt again.”

10. Parchment Paper

OK. Isn’t parchment paper that old timey material the kings and queens used to write on with feather quills dipped in ink? Though I do recall making a pastry wrapped appetizer for a football party last year and being instructed to use this really thin type of wax paper. I’m guessing that is also called parchment paper even though I didn’t buy it at a stationery store. It came from the grocery store – a place I am annoyed by and avoid at all costs – except for ice cream. It worked like a charm since none of the flaky pastry stuck to the paper. Just as any essential kitchen item should behave. Unless of course Lynn truly is talking about ancient writing paper and has an odd habit of writing out all of her recipes with quill pens. Seems to me it would be a lot easier to just post it on her blog.

“No, Molly, this isn’t in case you have a hankering to write out the Declaration of Independence. It’s smooth, thin paper, sold by the sheet or by the roll, that spares you from ever having to grease a cookie sheet again. Just lay out the paper on the pan, use your handy dandy kitchen scissors to cut to size, and bake cookies to your heart’s content; they will slide right off the pan, leaving you virtually no clean-up. And that much more time to watch Thanksgiving Day parades, football or holiday movies.”

So there you have it. Lynn’s Top 10 items for your kitchen that you really should have but probably don’t. How well stocked are you? Do you have any other essential items to add to the list? I for one am making my husband a gift basket of all these items we don’t already have and giving it to him for the holidays – along with some of Lynn’s recipes I’ve been dying to try. And then I’m going to take him out to dinner.

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF SXC.HU WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BOOK COVER, COURTESY OF LYNN BOWEN WALKER

This is the second set of answers received by me. Check out the first post in this series with the same title: One Question Interview: What is Your Number One Life Tip?

What is Your Number One Life Tip?

Tom Leroux – The most important tip I think I can give to people is to make sure you get time off (so sayeth the guy who just came off a month of vacation) to relax and allow your brain to reset. People forget the importance of downtime. Leroux.ca

Tom Leroux is a good friend of mine that I met from a Blogger Meetup in Ottawa, Ontario. He’s a master of video editing and producing, wise regarding data redundancy, and one of the only people I know that understands and can work with ColdFusion code.

Chris Garrett – The big lesson that I have to remind myself about is handling stress. I know this is something you have found a challenge too David!

One of the ways I found to cope was to force myself to see things in perspective. You know the phrase “don’t sweat the small stuff”? Well that is not a great help when you are in the middle of a full blown panic attack. So you have to find perspective.

Is this really that bad? What is the worst that could happen? What can you realistically do about it?

How I found perspective was to think back to when my daughter has been in hospital in life threatening situations. The nurses and doctors who have fought day and night to make her well. Then I think of my dad who was a senior level firefighter before he retired. He used to have to walk in to a burning building with his team when everyone else was running, screaming in the other direction. Routinely friends and colleagues of his would get injured or worse.

In my business the worst that can happen is loss of money and a bit of humble pie. No small children will get hurt, I do not have responsibility for the life of one person, and I am not in any real danger – the only risk is financial and pride.

Sometimes we blow things up to be much more important than they really are, and remembering that helps me find balance and keep my head when all around me seem to be losing theirs. ChrisG.com

Not really needing any introduction to most of my blogging friends, Chris Garrett is a long time blogger, social media consultant, and speaker. If you are looking for someone that not only understands the blogosphere, but interacts with it in a number of different ways each and every day, you’ll want to talk to Chris.

Jeremy Wright – Treat your life like it matters. I, too often, value myself less than I value others. Taking myself for granted. Instead, I’m learning to give myself what I need first, and that makes giving others what they need so much easier. Not in a selfish way, but in a caring way. I laugh more, I cry more, I rest more, but most of all I love more. And that makes all areas of my life better, including work. NetMobs

An entrepreneur, Jeremy is best known by me for running b5media up until recently. He has published a book on Blog Marketing and has helped to build one of the largest blogging/media company in Ontario, Canada.

Doug Langford – Take complete responsibility for everything in your life; good & bad. The day you stop making excuses and become 100% accountable for every aspect of your life is the day you’ll begin to live life to the fullest. BodyParts Fitness

Owner of BodyParts Fitness in St. Thomas, Ontario, Doug is one of the few people that I believe is in the wrong job. After talking to him, he inspires in such a way that you feel pumped about anything you do. I think he should be speaking at every conference rather than worrying about building his business, as his inspirational words have helped me greatly in my career and personal life.

Jamie Oastler – Take time to figure out who you are, what you want & how to achieve it. Don’t be afraid to change any/all of them over time. Idealien Studios

Jamie is the type of person that can find you that perfect solution for your problem. He is a designer, coder, and WordPress guru. He’s helped me work on a WordPress plugin before, and has released some publicly for the community.

Caron Slimak – Action Conquers Fear! Queen of Cashmere Daybook

A new and current client of mine, Caron has quickly become inspired about social media, but that inspiration has come from wanting to communicate with people regarding what she’s already passionate about. Her passion is infectious and wonderful.

Since sending it out, I’ve received a few responses already, and while others are still flowing in, I wanted to push these out there for you all to see.

What is Your Number One Life Tip?

Jim Turner – Mine is simple. Treat others as you want to be treated. One by One Media

Founder of One By One Media, and Bloggers For Hire, Jim Turner lives in Colorado, and is probably best known for his role as Social Media Director for Blog World Expo, the penultimate Blogging and New Media conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Randa Clay – Always look for the bright side, the silver lining in the cloud, the positive view. Focus on those things to the exclusion of all else. You will be a much happier and more productive person. Randa Clay

Designer, Mother, and Blogger, Randa Clay has to balance the needs of so many, and continues to succeed on the web. As part of her extensive portfolio of work, she has designed many popular Splashpress Media blogs and websites.

Mark Evans – 1Password, a password tool for Mac that makes it easy to log on for wide variety of Web sites that I used on a regular basis. It saves me time and makes me more productive. Mark Evans

A communications, marketing and social media consultant, Mark Evans has a long history with the start-up environment and the traditional publishing world having worked with companies like b5media, PlanetEye and newspapers like the National Post, and the Globe & Mail.

Jeff Chandler – My lifetip is to set goals that are achievable. If you set goals that are too high, you’ll feel like you’re not making any progress. The lack of progress will then transpire into depression making you wonder why you’re even bothering with the project. WPTavern

Rocketing into the WordPress community a little more than a year ago, Jeff has become a well known name when it comes to what’s going on in WordPress. Host of the WordPress Weekly podcast, and contributor to a few of the top WordPress blogs, he works hard on keeping his finger on the pulse of the WordPress blogging platform and its community.

Daniel Scocco – My number one life tip is: start with the end in mind. In other words, imagine that someone is writing your biography once you are dead. What would you like to be included there? What are the most important things that should be there?

Write those down if possible, and get busy making they happen. DailyBlogTips

A well known blogger, Daniel has escaped his computer and office, and made it to various places around the world. Best known for his blog DailyBlogTips and his online marketing and business training program, Online Profits, Daniel continues to consistently push out new and interesting content.

Jonathan Snook – For me, the biggest thing when trying to work is dealing with distraction. Sadly, they’re all self-imposed distractions. From email, to twitter, to rss feeds, it all lures me away from what I really should be doing. One trick that works for me is to actually block time-wasting sites. On the Mac, I edit /etc/hosts and set those sites to point to localhost. Anytime I try to go to that site and it fails, I’m instantly reminded that I’m getting distracted and it pushes me back into what I should be doing. Snook.ca

Designer, coder, author, and more, Jonathan Snook is what most online successes dream to repeat. Having worked on a variety of different projects, Jonathan recently was hired by Squarespace, a company that provides a hosted blogging platform. His position there is as a Front-End Developer.

Tommy Vallier – Remember: Every Minute Counts
It may seem like a waste of time to spend an hour sorting a closet, cupboard or your Documents folder, but if those 60 minutes save you 5 minutes/day from that point forward, you’ll find yourself with time to spare in less than two weeks. Invest this new found time wisely. Tommy Vallier

Owner and operator of WPbytheMinute, Tommy also attracted attention when he placed his resume online in the form of a very complete resume. While responding to requests on his online resume, he continues to consult on new media, and blogging for a variety of companies.

Joseph Thornley – My life tip would be to work hard, but never let the work crowd out your family. Make time for dinner with the children and work later. But be there for them.

I try to live by this. ProPR

CEO of Thornley Fallis & 76design, Joe helps companies build relationships with their customers through social media, public relations, word of mouth marketing and creative design. Joe isn’t one of those CEO’s that stay in an ivory tower and separates themselves from the rest of the world, he helps organize, run and attend various Third Tuesday events and attends and speaks at conferences.