Pit Boss pellet smoker and grill combo
This is where most of our outdoor cooking happens — the long, slow cooks and regular grilling when we would rather cook outside than heat up the kitchen.
Good for: Weekend smoking and everyday outdoor cooking
Favorites
What We Actually Use
These are the things that have earned a place in our everyday life — in the kitchen, around the house, in the garden, and out with the animals. Some are simple, some make a job easier, and all of them are things we actually use.
Nothing makes this page just because it's trending. These are things we already use in our own home, garden, and with our animals. We'll keep adding to it as something proves useful enough to recommend.
Kitchen Favorites
The tools and appliances that have earned their counter, cabinet, or cooking-space real estate.
Ninja pressure cooker and air fryer combo
It earns its counter space because it does more than one job. We use it to speed up suppers and to crisp things up without pulling out a second appliance.
Good for: Weeknight meals when the oven feels like too much
Rada knives
Lightweight, sharp, and one of the kitchen tools I keep reaching for. I use our Rada knives for everyday prep, especially fruit and produce.
KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer
A longtime kitchen workhorse for baking, whipped cream, doughs, and larger batches. It’s one of those appliances I keep pulling back out because it handles so many of our baking projects.
Ninja blender
I use this blender for smoothies, sauces, soups, and blending fruit before I cook it down for jams. It’s a practical kitchen staple that gets used for a lot of different jobs.
KitchenAid Immersion Blender
This is what I reach for when I want to blend something right in the pot instead of transferring it to the countertop blender. I use it for soups, sauces, and projects like our freezer tomato sauce.
Mini muffin pan
One of those pans that gets used more than you think. Great for mini muffins, bite-size bakes, and recipes where I want smaller portions.
Canning Tools We Use
These are the basic tools and supplies I reach for during preserving season. Nothing fancy — just the things that get used over and over.
Ball Canning Jars
The jars we fill batch after batch during preserving season.
Ball Canning Lids
Fresh lids are always part of every canning batch.
Jar lifter
For safely lifting hot jars in and out of the canner.
Canning funnel
Helps fill jars neatly and keeps the rims cleaner.
Ladle
The simple tool we use to portion preserves into jars.
Canning rack
Keeps the jars supported in the water-bath canner.
Our Coffee & Drink Station
This little corner gets used constantly. These are three of the appliances we keep together for coffee, cold drinks, and treats.
Keurig coffee maker with a full pot and K-Cup option
Some mornings we brew a whole pot; other times one of us just needs a single cup.
Ninja ice cream maker
The treat maker we keep right here with the other appliances in our drink station.
GE Profile nugget ice machine
Nugget ice is the kind our family actually likes, so this gets used every day, especially through a Texas summer.
Pyrex glass cookware
Dependable glass bakeware we use often for casseroles, baking, and everyday kitchen use. It goes from prep to oven to table without needing anything fussy.
Good for: Casseroles, baking, and everyday kitchen use
Lodge cast iron cookware
Lodge is the cast iron we use for dependable stovetop cooking, searing, and recipes that need steady heat. The more it is used, the more useful it becomes.
Good for: Stovetop cooking, searing, and everyday skillet meals
Vintage mixing and serving bowls
Ours were collected a few at a time, not bought as a set. They’re mismatched, well-used, and simply part of the personality of our kitchen.
Salad spinner
A simple tool that washes and dries greens and produce in one step. It matters most when lettuce and herbs are coming in from the garden.
Home Favorites
The things we reach for because they make everyday upkeep a little easier.
Dyson cordless vacuum
Cordless is the reason it gets used — it is easy to grab for grass tracked in from outside, dog hair, and crumbs under the table. Ours also has a continuous-power switch, so we are not holding the trigger the whole time. Not every Dyson has that switch.
Good for: Quick daily pickups between real cleaning days
Spin mop
Our regular mop for the hardwood floors. The wringing basket lets us control how wet the mop head is, which is the part that matters on wood.
Swiffer dusters
Good for quick dusting and for getting around picture frames, shelves, and decor where a cloth is awkward.
Scrub Daddy sponges
We keep one at the kitchen sink and use it on dishes, the sink itself, and counters.
Window Cleaning Setup
This is the simple setup I use for our windows — hot water, Dawn, a scrubber, and a squeegee.
Dawn dish soap
A small amount goes into the hot water we wash the windows with.
Ettore bucket
The yellow bucket that holds the simple soap-and-water mixture.
Squeegee
Pulls the wash water cleanly off the glass after scrubbing.
Window scrubber / cloths
For loosening dirt on the glass before using the squeegee.
Large digital family calendar
One shared place for schedules, the grocery list, and reminders. Everyone adds their own things to it.
Garden Favorites
The things that have actually helped us grow and keep up with our North Texas garden.
Dr. Earth 4-6-3 fertilizer
This is what we work into our in-ground rows when we are getting the garden ready, and again during the season as plants are growing.
Our Garden Watering Setup
These pieces work together to keep our in-ground garden and strawberry bed watered from one spigot.
Brass 4-way hose splitter
It lets the soaker hoses, strawberry bed, and a regular hose all stay connected to one spigot.
KOYMISKU water timer
It runs our watering early in the morning without anyone walking out to turn the spigot.
Henotian 50-foot soaker hoses
We run these through the garden rows and strawberry bed so water goes to the soil instead of the leaves.
BN-LINK seedling heat mats
They sit under our seed-starting trays and help keep the soil warm for germination while we are starting seeds indoors.
Chicken Favorites
The feed, treats, and everyday supplies that have actually been part of caring for our flock.
Nutrena NatureWise Chick Starter Grower 18% non-medicated crumble
This is the feed we use with our chicks while they are growing out.
Nutrena NatureWise 17% Layer Pellets
The complete layer feed we use for our laying hens.
Flock Party Mealworm Poultry Treats
A treat, not a feed. This is one of the treats our flock gets in addition to their regular feed.
ImPECKables Natural Grain Pickings with Fruit & Worms
Another treat we give the hens. Their regular feed is still what they eat every day.
Eaton Pet & Pasture Premium Chicken Nesting Pads
They sit in our nesting boxes and hold their shape, making them easy to lift out and replace when needed.
Flock Party 15-Bird Chicken Feeder
This is the feeder we use for our flock, and it keeps the feed up off the ground.
Harris Farms Poultry Watering Cups
These are part of the watering setup we use. The cups refill themselves as the birds drink.
ImPECKables Starter Poultry Kit
This is the starter kit we’ve used when setting up for chicks. It puts several of the basic brooder supplies together in one place.
Good for: Getting the basic brooder supplies together
Producer's Pride 12-gallon Storage Drum with Lid
Where we keep feed. The lid keeps the feed contained and dry.
Livestock Favorites
A few of the feed and supplies that have been part of caring for our sheep and cattle.
DuMOR Medicated Pelleted Sheep and Goat DX Feed
This is the pelleted feed we have used with our sheep at the feeder. How much and how often depends on the season and what our animals need.
Producer's Pride 20% Cubed Cattle Feed — 50 lb
These are the cattle cubes we use with our longhorn steers. More than anything, they are how we keep the steers easy to move and easy to be around — they come when they hear the bucket.
Producer's Pride Lamb Feeding Bottle — 16 oz
We keep one on hand because sometimes a lamb needs to be bottle fed.
DuMOR Lamb Milk Replacer
This is what we have used with the bottle when a lamb has needed it.
We'll keep adding to this page as we find things worth sharing. If something stops working for us, it doesn't need to stay here just because we've recommended it before.
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