Chicken Noodle Soup has always been a favorite to me. My mom has had this recipe forever and when my grandmother had a day care center, she cooked it for the kids. And the moms could never understand why their kids refused to eat the soup they warmed from a jar. Those were good memories.

This was a wedding present, and I have come to use it increasingly. My mother liked it so much, she went out and got one for herself. It measures in ounces, tablespoons, and teaspoons. I do also own one slightly smaller, but this one is more versatile.

These tweezers are totally fascinating. They were a gift from my mother-in-law and my aunt-in-law. Apparently, they shopped all over Vienna, Austria, to get as many as they could. (Marsha gives them away as wedding presents. No, I won't give out her address so you can send her an invitation.) They come from a German store, WMF. I have no idea what it means and don't know that I had ever seen one until we were there. No matter where it came from, this little tool is quite interesting. I'm still learning its variety of uses.

I was feeling guilty about not having cooked a good, solid meal in a week as we had eaten out a lot with friends and had been on vacation. So when I came across a new variety of frozen vegetables in the grocery store, I took a chance.

This is one of our favorite recipes from "The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet". It allows for much creativity and lets Paul and I make differing concoctions according to our tastes.

I love bruschetta. There are many varieties for creations from my "Moosewood Cooks at Home" cookbook. We had an excess of tomatoes this day, so I created my own. I wrapped the entire loaf in aluminum foil and placed it in the oven at 350 degrees to warm. If it were just the two of us, I would place a few slices in a regular toaster. Toasting to dark makes the bread crumble-y and not toasting enough makes the bread a bit tough so when you bite into it the toppings fall off. We regularly test slices of bread while heating to ensure it's the right texture.

I must have mentioned my desire for one of these contraptions one day because my mother-in-law mentioned to my aunt-in-law that she was looking for one for me. The aunt-in-law sent us one not long after that conversation. Paul's aunt comes from California, which means she has access to pretty much anything you could ever want. She also has a graduate degree in home economics; so, has much insight on cool kitchen products. Many of our favorite items were gifts from her.

We are big fans of IKEA. Paul, a designer, appreciates the classic lines of the products. I appreciate the prices. Not all of IKEA's products speak to everyone. However, I want to share a few products I believe should speak to everyone. They are the products I would never want to live without.

Have you ever walked up to a counter at a restaurant and felt as if the people behind the counter were reading your mind and knew exactly what you wanted? Of course it sounds impossible, but that was the way I felt when I arrived for brunch at Ethos Vegan Kitchen with Paul and my folks on Father's Day.

Wagamama's moto is "positive eating + positive living". "Positive" explains our opinion about the restaurant. Paul was able to eat at Wagamama with some coworkers while he finished out his week of meetings. He brought back the following report: