Giveaway: Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen AND “Yeah, I Pickled That” Kitchen Towel

Giveaway - Hip Girl's Guide to the Kitchen - KSolomon.com

You lucky domestic god(dess), you! You have a chance to stake your claim on one ESSENTIAL copy of Kate Payne’s master tome, the Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen. She’s such a doll that she’s also throwing in one of her handcrafted Yeah, I Pickled That dishtowels…a stunning 100% cotton affair made in the US and designed by Kate in Austin, Texas.

Giveaway info below. But first…a diversion:

Giveaway - Hip Girl's Guide to the Kitchen - KSolomon.com
Giveaway – Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen – KSolomon.com

hipgirlsguide

Let’s talk balabusta. When my mom and dad didn’t want me or my three brothers or sisters to understand what they were saying, they often spoke in Yiddish. Along the way I’ve picked up a few phrases and one of my favorites is “balabusta“. When a woman of the household is called a balabusta, it is one of the highest compliments she can receive. Balabusta-ism is more than just being a matriarch. It’s also the time-honored role of being the social glue and the social lubricant. You run the household, you cook, you clean, you socialize. You are the party planner, the caterer, and the overseer of all that is cozy and beautiful. You smooth out relationships; you kiss booboos that go away. You are CEO, project manager, facilities, and operations. You make holidays and memories happen.

I was fortunate enough to learn a lot of essential balabusta skills from my mom and my bubby. Things like: You put out new bathroom towels for guests. You skim chicken stock with a metal spoon instead of plastic to remove the schmutz more easily. My grandmother’s baked chopped herring is the bomb.

But I didn’t learn everything. My mom never made cake frosting. Or cleaned a tiny San Francisco apartment with vinegar and baking soda. She didn’t make homemade root beer or greek yogurt. And she’s never been one to craft a gift tag or make vinegar from apple scraps. For all of these skills plus so many more, I’ve always been left to my own devices. Until…

Until…Kate Payne’s outstanding second book, the Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen — follow-up to Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking and her blog of the same name. Kate is the Queen of Austin, TX. She can teach you all of the above, plus how to load a dishwasher, how to stock your pantry, how to make ingredient substitutions on the fly, how to take the anxiety out of throwing a party, critical kitchen safety, and oh-so-much more. She is, in short, the shortest distance between you and your inner balabusta. This book of tried-and-true kitchen wisdom is your spirit guide, and an essential on the shelf of anyone introducing themselves to their kitchen for the first time, and for seasoned pros who, like me, actually don’t know it all.

Are you ready for your own copy? Support small-time food artisans and buy from Kate directly. Or, enter below to win a copy of the book (provided by her publisher) and a knock-out Yeah, I Pickled That kitchen towel, crafted by Kate’s loving, capable hands. All you have to do is share your favorite kitchen trick in the comments. That’s it! Good luck!

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8 Comments on “Giveaway: Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen AND “Yeah, I Pickled That” Kitchen Towel”

  1. Not sure if this is a “trick,” but I felt like it was pretty magical when I learned I could use the tops of carrots for useful and yummy things like carrot top pesto instead of putting them in the compost.

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