So one day, Nate and I were leisurely sitting around, eating bon bons, while the house cleaned itself. You know–just like all parents of 5-month-olds. And I said, “You know, Nate, I’m bored. I think I need a 2nd job.”
Ok. That might be a slight misrepresentation of the truth. 
In reality, life is good, and I’m so thankful for the ability to work remotely and spends gobs of time with my 2 favorite guys. But for a people-person like myself, working remotely does have it’s down-side: you don’t get to see many people (unless they magically appear in your computer screen.)
Although we’ve made a few friends since we moved to Denver, and we get to see our families at least once a week, I need to get more people time. So one day, I joked, “Maybe I’ll just become a Pampered Chef consultant.” I like cooking. I like people. I’m not really a sales-person, but I like talking about things I enjoy, so. . .why not?
Next thing I knew, I had hosted a party, signed up to be a consultant, and I did the whole cooking/sales demo at my sister’s place the following week! There were a few hiccups, one of which was that there were 5 women and 5 kids ages 3 and under at the party, so there was a bit of commotion. At least half the time people weren’t paying any attention to me at all. (And why would they? The kids were all very cute. )
In hindsight, it actually helped me because a few times, I forgot the names of the products I was using. But all in all, I had fun, and I think this is something I’ll enjoy.
So that brings me to the purpose of this post: if you’re looking for last-minute gift ideas, stocking stuffers, or just need a few odds and ends to help with all the holiday cooking, I’d love to help you get hooked up with Pampered Chef products! (Since I’m not a sales person by nature, this blog post is my first attempt: a very very soft sale. ).
I can’t sell through a personal Pampered Chef Web site until I’ve hit $1,250 in sales, so for now, if any of these (or other items) strike your fancy, please contact me the old fashioned way: by phone or email.
All orders submitted by Dec 15 will definitely be at your home by Christmas, so there’s plenty of time.
Although I’ve been a consultant for only a week, I’ve been using some of their products for years, so I’ll highlight a few favorites. Thanks for reading!
Kitchen essentials
- Food chopper – $29.95 – this makes it so easy to chop nuts, onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, apples. . . you name it! (It’s a nice way to get out a little frustration after a hard day, too.)
- Mix ‘n Scraper – $14.50 – a heat-resistant spatula that also scoops up food nicely.
- Garlic press – $16 – This handy little thing peels and crushes garlic all in one! It even comes with a little cleaner attachment to help get the garlic out of the holes.
- Stoneware: Large Bar pan – $31 – This is the item that won me over to Pampered Chef in the first place. I’m telling you, I won’t bake on aluminum again! It cooks everything so evenly; cookies are crisp on the outside & chewy on the inside. You also don’t have to clean the pans with soap. You just scrape them under warm water, and they get more seasoned with each use. If you’re trepidatious about the cost, you can try a Small bar pan for $16 instead, but they also have stoneware pizza stones, muffin pans, you name it. You can see all of them in their Stoneware section.
Stocking stuffer ideas
- Garlic peeler – $7 – I’ve had one of these for years. It’s so incredibly easy to peel garlic! You just put the clove inside, roll it back and forth inside the peeler, and voila! The peel is off, and you can use the fresh garlic.
- Jar opener – $10 – I can open most jars, but every once in a while, I stumble across some sugar-encrusted jar when Nate’s not around. This comes in very handy!
- Bamboo Salad Tongs – $11 – Easy to use, easy to store, and just plain fun.
- Beer bread mix – $9 – Yes, it is as easy as it sounds. Just add a beer. There are two pouches in one box.
- Parmesan-Garlic oil dipping seasoning – $6.50 – If you like dipping bread into nicely seasoned olive oil, this is right up your alley. I bought some on a whim to try out at the first party, and it was a hit! It’s so tasty, and it doesn’t take a lot to jazz up the olive oil. It will last you a long time.
- Apple wedger – $12 – My new favorite toy. I love having an easy way to eat a healthy snack.
- Ice cream dipper – $14.75 – Ohmygosh, I love this! Honestly, it works as well as the Web site says it will. Your hand warms up the liquid (freon, I think) inside, and scooping ice cream is now a breeze. To demo this, someone suggested I put an ice cube in the scoop, then just hold the handle and watch it melt. It worked! I was so ecstatic that I walked around for 5 minutes melting ice.
There are a lot more items, of course, but those have been some of my favorites. Hope you are enjoying the long Thanksgiving weekend!
