This Pampered Chef corkscrew was a wedding gift over eleven years ago. It’s still a goto favorite at our house. See, Pampered Chef is so incredible that even SCOTT, who is not ever awed by brand names, loves it.

If you know me at all, you know I’m not a girly-girl. Frills, bows, and uugh dresses do not excite me. I prick my fingers when I try to sew (just ask anybody who heard me cussing the needles last month at the ballet). And my housekeeping skills are bargain-basement-bad. (Scott’s, thankfully, are up to par.)

But.

There is one traditionally female thing I love to do. (And hey, guys enjoy this, too). And that’s cook. Baking, especially appeals to me. I’m in the middle of a fifty pound weight loss jag, though. Yes, I did say fifty pounds. And yes, I did say, in the middle. More like, beyond the middle. Even with Christmas accounted for, I’ve lost over 30 pounds so far. (35 of them actually,  but I have no idea what percentage 35 is of 50, and I can’t be bothered to figure it out.) I weigh 165 right now. That’s fifteen off what my final weight will be.

I’ve been using the Glycemic index diet (no, I’m not diabetic, but Jesus it works). I eat right. I eat plenty. And I’m not hungry. But also? I’m not baking. And all of my cooking toys? Are baking toys. (And people, I adore kitchen gadgets like some people are into S&M in the bedroom. I’ll just let you digest that nugget.) I haven’t been able to really play in my kitchen for months. I was so desperate over Christmas that I invented sugar free marzipan. Sugar. Free. Marzipan. (Not butter free, so tons of fat, sorry.) (I love you generic Splenda.)  What I need are new toys. Things that aren’t cake pans and decorating kits (I can’t decorate for shit anyway). Things that will make healthy cooking feel breezy-easy.

But I wasn’t going to actually do anything about that need. I have been doing my healthy cooking fine without healthy gadgets. And I am not a big spender. But then, something freaking awesome happened. All the useless newspaper Jumbles that I did over the Christmas break totally paid off. Because I was the first one to unscramble the word Stoneware when Pampered Chef consultant  Patricia Pagliai posted it. And she was offering an online party as the prize.

I won.

I WON.

I feel like I won the LOTTERY.

I have been to Pampered Chef parties. I have yearned quietly over their catalogs. But I haven’t actually bought anything in years, largely because I have a well stocked kitchen. But this is encouragement to get rid of some of the stuff I am not using and replace it with things I need. And the best part? The absolutely best part in the whole world is that because this is an online party, you’re invited!!

What: Pampered Chef Online Party

When: January 9-16

Where: www.pamperedchef.biz/PagsKitchen

How: Select ‘Shop Online’, then enter “Jessie B. Powell” as the host (you need that B, so copy and paste from here).

Can’t wait to see you there. I mean here. I mean … just COME already!!! And if you want to schedule your own party down the road, Patricia is so awesome, and she’d love to work with you, too.

 

About jesterqueen: Jessie Powell is the Jester Queen. She likes to tell you about her dog, her kids, her fiction, and her blog, but not necessarily in that order.