Cookbook Divas

If you happen to love tomatoes a lot, like really a lot, you can decorate your kitchen with tomato-themed products like kitchen towels, pans and cookware, tomato timers, salt and pepper shakers, and wall art. Here are some of my favorite tomato-themed novelty finds!

I live near rainy Seattle, and we have long cold rainy winters to endure. In the evenings, we light a cozy fire, read books, put together puzzles, and do crafts while we watch television. Here are the new puzzles coming out for Fall/Winter 2025 that are tempting us! Pour a steaming hot mug of your favorite beverage, and challenge yourself with one of these jigsaw puzzles.

Here are the food-related, food travel and cooking shows I'm enjoying this summer (June-August 2025). Some of the shows are new, some are old, and some are ongoing favorites.

There are so many amazing restaurants in Las Vegas, but I wanted to show you the ones I feel are particularly beautiful, magical, or transport me into a fantasy world! Usually they involve lots of color, faux flowers, and Instagrammable moments. Setting aside the deliciousness of the food, this list is for stunningly beautiful decor and magical atmospheres while you dine.

Fill your house, cabin, beach house, lake house or apartment with summery scents from luxury candles. I like high quality soy candles with scents that aren't cloying or overpowering - I'm a little picky! I also added candles with beautiful vessels and containers to this list as well.

I just discovered the Amelin Archive company. Their products are so beautiful! The packaging on their candles, designs on their notebooks and tumblers is gorgeous. They use a lot of florals with a modern touch.

Lafco NY's candles come in elegant gift boxes. They're luxury soy candles in beautiful glass vessels, as decorative as they are useful. The fragrances are heavenly, and not cloying or overpowering. I love the classic, modern look they add - chic and classy.

Here are fun finds from Kate Spade's new collection for Summer 2025. I've included totes, crossbodies and clutches.

An espadrille is a style of sandal (whether high heeled, wedge, or flat) that uses coiled jute rope on the sole. They're distinctive, chic and classy, and here are some of my favorites this year!

A new lovely dress of the day (according to me) for us to peruse and ooh-and-aah over. I tend to prefer flowy and ruffly over preppy and modern.

Here are some beautifully packaged premium olive oils to choose from. They make fantastic host/hostess gifts, or birthday presents for the home cook in your life.

This company has the most gorgeous packaging of any candies out there! The candies come in little acrylic boxes. The company is doing better about having vegan and vegetarian-friendly candies. These are eminently giftable, and are sure to bring joy to the recipient. They come out with new over-the-top items every season.

Desserts with red, white and blue, stars and stripes themes. Bring these to a Fourth of July potluck and be the star of the party!

The 2025 lineup of new collector and some of the playline dolls from the Madame Alexander Doll Company.

Cute and sweet little plushies with a summertime theme. Jellycat uses the softest microfiber materials when they make their plushies. So cuddly!

Cute and soft plush toys featuring animals, foods, and sea creatures. These Apricot Lamb plushies are comparable with Jellycat.

Aurora's Palm Pals are little stuffed animals that fit in the palm of your hand. They're soft and cute and cuddly!

Laura Ashley came out with her China Rose pattern of blue and white floral kitchen accessories for romantic homes and cottages. It's a light blue on white pattern with trailing flowers.

I'm not sure I would do my entire kitchen in copper pieces, but I wanted to show you this amazing collection of housewares from Coppermill Kitchen. Besides pots and pans, they make candles in copper containers you can re-use later for jewelry; copper baking pans; barware; napkin rings; pitchers and pie servers.

Add a pop of color to your summer party with colorful pitchers. Use them for infused water, iced tea, lemonade, limeade, pitcher cocktails, or sangria. I chose these for you because I thought they'd look nice at your beach house, lakeside cabin, at your garden party or especially on a patio table by your pool.

“White Christmas” was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1941/1942. It became the best-selling song of all time (and held that record for many years). Here are various cover versions of the song, plus notes on the song's history.

Cute and softly spooky little board books for babies about Halloween, monsters and autumn. Love how gently the spooky season is introduced!

Here are upcoming crochet crafting books for the fall and winter 2025 season. Keep your hands busy on chilly nights while creating adorable amigurumi crochet figures and dolls, or take on larger projects like crocheted blankets.

Here are the new memoirs, autobiographies and biographies coming out in Fall 2025. These books feature celebrities, including actors, writers, sports stars, music stars and other stars. Dive into an intriguing biography during cozy fall and winter nights at home by the fireplace.

Cocktail recipes with sparkling wine, bubbles or fizzy water in them. Books on aperitifs, Prosecco and Cava, champagne, sparkling wine and low alcohol beverages. Also some fizzy Mocktails books!

My cookbook flipthrough videos showing you the insides of cookbooks about baking and making desserts.