One of my favorite wedding gifts in 1992 was our knife set. It was a generous gift from Mr & Mrs Gardella (I looked it up last night - I still have the little file box in which I recorded all the invitees and all the gifts!) and I still use it. Many of the items my 24 year old self put on my wedding registry seemed so formal, and although I believed my mom when she said they would all come in handy - and they have - it's the knives that have, hands down, gotten the most use these 25 years. Daily use. But, I regret to say, they've sort of had it.

The initial knife set has grown, incorporating a few that I inherited when my parents downsized, and a few I've purchased over the years.

But they aint as sharp as they used to be, and if I miss Tony Delciello, the knife-sharpening-guy, during his annual walking tour around the 'hood, I am left to my own devices and my own devices aren't that great.

So I'd been saving some of my birthday money from my big day this summer, and this week, I pulled the trigger. And I bought me some NEW KNIVES.

Before I did this, though, I felt compelled to do exhaustive research, as I do for every major purpose, because I am ~~neurotic~~ diligent. So I went to my favorite, tiny, Pulitzer-prize-finalist, food writing college roommate, Laura Reiley, to get her recs. Conveniently, she had recently written a story on that very topic.

Isn't that so serendipitous?

Don't you love the word serendipitous??

ser·en·dip·i·tous

ˌserənˈdipədəs/

adjective

adjective: serendipitous

occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

"a serendipitous encounter"

synonyms:

chance, accidental, coincidental;

But I digress. Back to KNIVES!

So tonight, these beauties arrived. Well, all but the bread knife, due in Wednesday. F Dick knives. Chef's, serrated/bread, 2 paring and a slicer, plus a new set of steak knives, a sharpener and a gorgeous bamboo magnetic stand. If you need me, I will be in my kitchen, slicing and dicing.