Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/705957
Whetheryou'reanew- lywed, recent grad moving into your first apartment or one of the reported 32 percent of millenni- als who — as Pew Re- search Cen- ter reported — are liv- ing at home with Mom and Dad, surely the idea of furnishing a kitchen has crossed your mind. I'd love to help you get started. Here's the deal: There are a few basic kitchen tools without which you probably won't use your kitchen for much more than a place to pile take- out containers. We're not talking about mountains of stuff — just 10 essentials to get you started. Number 1: Fire Extin- guisher. Because of per- sonal experience, this item is absolutely essen- tial and first on the list. It was one of those lazy Sat- urdays. I decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. I set the greased skillet on the stove over high heat and ran out to the garage to say some- thing to my husband. A neighbor wandered over, and we started talking. It was the smoke alarm that caught my attention and sent me flying to the kitchen. In those few mo- ments I was gone, the pan flamed out and caught the upper cabinet on fire. My kitchen was on fire! The Kidde fire extinguisher (which costs about $40) on the counter saved the day. I am still surprised that I knew (almost intuitively) how to use the thing. I was so grateful. Number 2: Knives. You need good knives that can be sharpened and that you will keep sharp. If you can find a set that comes with a wooden block, shears and at least a chef knife, a carving knife, par- ing knives and perhaps a bread knife, that's exactly what you need. Try the Utopia Kitchen 13-piece Set, which costs about $26. Number 3: Pots and pans. You can go broke on pots and pans, or you can go smart with a high-qual- ity basic set like the Cook N Home 12-Piece Stain- less Steel Set. You want to make sure you have at least one skillet, a couple of saucepans and a larger pot for soups and stock. Each piece in that set comes with a glass lid. It costs about $55. Number 4: Measur- ing cups and spoons. They don't need to be fancy. They don't need to be ex- pensive. What you need is a set of cups and a set of spoons that to help you measure accurately. The Accor 11-piece Measur- ing Set fills the bill. It only costs about $16. Number 5: Dish tow- els. These are also known as bar mops or restau- rant cleaning towels. You need a stack of them for your kitchen — clean and ready to go. You'll save a ton of money using these instead of paper towels. Once they're dirty, throw them in the laundry. A 24- pack of white cotton pro- fessional-grade towels, like the set from Utopia costs about $20. They'll last for years. Number 6: A strainer. I can't tell you how often I reach for my strainer. I use it for so many things. And now that I have started cooking rice the same way I cook pasta (by boiling the rice in an uncovered pot of with a lot of water until it's cooked, and then draining and rinsing the rice under hot water), I use my colander even more. The Bellemain Micro-Per- forated Stainless Steel 5-quart Colander is perfect for all of your colander- ization (Is that a word?) needs. It costs about $16. Number 7: Tongs. These are essential in any kitchen, for sure. The OXO Good Grips 12-inch Stain- less Locking Tongs are my first choice. I wouldn't know what to do without them. The price is about $12. Number 8: Baking dishes. If you want to bake a cake or a casse- role, you're going to need something to bake in. You want Pyrex baking dishes. With the 2-piece Pyrex Ba- sics Oblong Glass Baking Dish Set, you can bake a cake and a casserole at the same time! The set costs about $17. Number 9: Instant-read thermometer. You really need this. With a reliable thermometer, you won't suffer the heartbreak of overcooked steak or under- cooked chicken. The Habor Instant Read Digital Cook- ing Thermometer will keep you looking good, chef! It costs about $18. Number 10: Cutting board. Face it: Cooking re- quires a lot of cutting and chopping. You need a good cutting board to protect and preserve your cutlery and countertop. And, you need a cutting board that's easy to clean and sanitize. Try the 10-by-15 inch OXO Good Grips Cutting Board. The nonporous polypropyl- ene board is ideal. It's even safe in the dishwasher and only costs about $15. For links to these prod- ucts and more informa- tion, please visit www.ev- erydaycheapskate.com/es- sentialkitchen. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Inexpensive kitchen tools everyone should own Mary Hunt Poet Patricia Welling- ham-Jones of Los Moli- nos and photographic art- ist Barbara Luzzadder of Red Bluff have combined their talents as part of the featured artists in the new exhibit at the Healing Art Gallery in the Enloe Re- gional Cancer Center, 265 Cohasset Road in Chico. The Healing Art Gallery uses the power of art to inspire healing and well- ness, featuring local artists touched by cancer them- selves, their family mem- bers, or as caregivers. This exhibit is unique in com- bining art and poetry. Wellingham-Jones in- vited Luzzadder to col- laborate in creating pho- tographic images to illus- trate her journey through cancer. Wellingham-Jones is a widely published retired RN, former psychology re- searcher and writer and publisher. She has a special interest in healing writing, with poems recently in The Widow's Handbook, and led the Enloe Cancer Center "Telling Our Sto- ries" expressive writing group for years. Poetry books include Don't Turn Away: poems about breast cancer, End- Cycle: poems about care- giving, Apple Blossoms at Eye Level, and Voices on the Land. She describes poetry and art as natural companions. "For everyone, the can- cer experience brings unique emotional terrain, and expressing feelings through words or images can become a path to heal- ing. When shared, the ef- fects multiply, to embrace you, the viewer, as well," Wellingham-Jones said. Luzzadder is a photo- graphic artist, influenced by her background in the traditional arts. Also a poet, she has given several presen- tations combining her verses and photographic images. She holds a Teach- ing Credential, School Li- brary and Medial Special- ist Credential and MA in education. Her master's thesis, "Motivating Children To Read and Write Poetry Through a Visual Experi- ence," includes research on children's poetry, for which she wrote a series of children's poems and illus- trated them with her pho- tography. Her photographic quest is finding the story through the lens. "In reading Patricia's poetry, I became immersed in the strong emotions of her experience, searching for the heart of her words in each poem," Luzzadder said. "I then incorporated her in many of the im- ages. Participation in this special exhibit is an honor and also a remembrance of family members' journeys through cancer." Other participants in- clude poet Joan Goodreau, artist Reta Rickmers and photographer Caroline Burkett. Rebecca Senoglu of Enloe coordinated the exhibit. The Healing Art Gal- lery is in the main hall of the Cancer Center and can be viewed by the pub- lic 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. week- days through Oct. 14. For further information and a sample of the work visit http://www.enloe.org/art. ARTISTS Localpoetry,artfeaturedatChicogallery CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO From le : artists and poets in Healing Arts Exhibit Barbara Luzzadder, Patricia Wellingham-Jones, Reta Rickmers and Joan Goodreau pose together. USDA's Natural Re- sources Conservation Ser- vice is accepting appli- cations from California landowners in 10 Central Valley counties for the Re- gional Conservation Part- nership Program — Rice Stewardship Partnership, sponsored by Ducks Un- limited, Inc. For fiscal year 2016, the cutoff date for RCPP — Rice Stewardship Part- nership funding is Aug. 19. Funding through this sign-up is available to el- igible California farmers in Tehama, Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. The Rice Stewardship Partnership RCPP seeks to provide financial and tech- nical assistance opportuni- ties to rice farmers to help improve the efficiency of irrigation water use and minimize water quality im- pacts in California's Cen- tral Valley, while also ben- efitting wildlife. "Interested rice produc- ers are encouraged to visit their local NRCS office as soon as possible," said Car- los Suarez, NRCS state con- servationist for California. "This partnership be- tween Ducks Unlimited and NRCS is providing a great opportunity for rice producers to improve ir- rigation efficiency and water quality, as well as wildlife habitat, on their farms." Because rice is 100 per- cent irrigated and having adequate supplies of wa- ter is fundamental to pro- duction, the Rice Steward- ship Partnership's main priority is increased water quantity. The secondary priority for the partnership is im- proved water quality, spe- cifically improving on-farm production that will maxi- mize fertilizer uptake, min- imize nutrient losses, and prevent pesticide losses on working rice fields. The improvement of wa- ter quantity and quality will also help provide hab- itat and nourishment for approximately seven mil- lion ducks and geese mi- grating along the Pacific Flyway each year. "We're grateful for the opportunity to work with NRCS, landowners and other partners on this project," said Craig Gar- ner, regional biologist for Ducks Unlimited. "Be- cause nearly 95 percent of California's historical wet- lands in the Central Valley are now gone, flooded rice fields provide vital habitat and food for waterfowl in the fall and winter. This partnership will help land- owners with water conser- vation as well as deliver added benefits for wildlife." Funding for this part- nership effort is being made available through NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Pro- gram. EQIP applications are accepted year-round, but interested producers need to be ready by August 19, 2016, to be considered for this year's funding. To be ready for EQIP funding consideration, in- terested applicants will need to: 1) submit the ap- plication form, 2) meet pro- gram eligibility require- ments, 3) develop a conser- vation plan, and 4) approve their "EQIP schedule of op- erations." The time needed to com- plete a conservation plan and process eligibility can vary, from a few weeks to more than a month, de- pending on the complex- ity of the farming opera- tion. Applicants are ad- vised to contact NRCS at least 4-6 weeks prior to the funding cutoff date. For more information, visit www.ducks.org and www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov. CONSERVATION Program assists rice farmers in irrigation efficiency "We're grateful for the opportunity to work with NRCS, landowners and other partners on this project." — Craig Garner, regional biologist for Ducks Unlimited LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, July 21, 2016 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6