Two New Obsessions + The Perfect Summer Marinade

Last month I wandered into Williams-Sonoma in need of a new paring knife. The Shun’s unusual blade and gorgeous wood handle caught my eye, but I almost passed it by as the price was almost double that of the other paring knives. I asked the sales associate if Shun was really twice as good and she was emphatic about the quality. “Try it,” she said. “You’ll be back for the chef’s knife in a week.” She was wrong. I told my family I wanted it for Mother’s Day, so technically I waited two weeks. Not only do they feel amazing in your hand, they are as sharp as a surgeon’s blade. (So sharp, in fact, that after my first week with the paring knife I had Hello Kitty Band-Aids wrapped around three of my fingers.) Now that I have the chef’s knife, all I want to do is chop things. I literally cannot wait to make dinner just so I can get my hands on the knife. I’m obsessed.Weck Jars are my other new obsession. I’ve been stashing leftovers and decanting pantry staples into them, loving how they look stacked up and that they are dishwasher safe and chemical free. Yesterday I put the knife and one of my new jars to good use by making a favorite summer marinade. It’s a flexible recipe for just about anything you throw on the grill, and it does double duty as a dressing for simple greens or grilled veggies. Herbs are the only things ready to eat in my newly planted garden (the strawberries are close!), so I snipped basil, parsley and a smidge of thyme to use in the recipe, though most any combination of herbs would do.