This past Christmas I received a sweet gift from my friend Angelica and her daughter Cecilia. They are food lovers. Well, of course they are. Angelica and her husband, Marcos are the owners of the fabulous Despaña; wholesalers, distributors and retailers of fine Spanish food products. Their daughter, Cecilia, has a keen sense of taste and has helped me in the kitchen on several occasions. So when they gave me these beautiful bowls and spoons for me to measure up my ingredients, it was a true gift of the heart and spoke to me of pure LOVE.

Now I will admit that these are a bit delicate to use on a daily basis, but when I have some peace in the kitchen I take them out because they bring a sense of elegance that just makes me smile. Which is why they came out while I was making an Easter tradition, Pizza Rustica; honoring my grandmothers who dutifully made this rich 'pie' each spring. These little bowls have an antique feel and make a perfect way to bridge old memories with new ones, created with love by dear friends.

And as with all things in my home, everything has more than one purpose. These are so gorgeous you can use them as serving bowls for decadent Delaviuda chocolate and the even more addicting Spanish Marcona almonds, both of which can be purchased at Despaña.

They also gave me a dish towel that was too pretty to get wet, so I use it in some of the food photos I take. It makes the perfect backdrop.

A glimpse of "When the Carrot Met the Eggplant" (post coming soon)

These clearly make a precious gift or a gift to yourself. These particular ones are available at Anthropologie. Find yourself some beautiful bowls to measure up all the love in your kitchen.