Made in the USA: Fiesta

When a server brought the lettuce wrap to our table at a Thai restaurant in Phoenix area, I noticed a familiar bowl containing the minced chicken mixture: a little green Fiesta bowl. These bowls are in my kitchen all the time. The bowls, officially called Fruit Bowls, are perfect size for feeding dry cat food for individual cats. The depth of the bowl is just right for them. My cats did not like any ordinary cat bowls from pet shops as cat bowls tend to be steep and deep. Going back to the restaurant episode, it felt a little odd eating out of what my brain recognizes as a cat bowl.

Since the introduction in 1930s by The Homer Laughlin China Company, Fiesta dinnerware has been loved by generations of Americans. The company continues to manufacture durable but appealing dinnerware in the Ohio Valley.

My kitchen cabinets can use some colors. It is probably time to get some colorful Fiesta plates for the humans as well.

Made in the USA: The Frye Company

It is hard to determine exactly how long, but I have had a pretty strong obsession on boots for a long time. I love boots of all types: varying heights, with heels, without heels, combat boots, western style, or whatever, as long as the boots are tastefully designed.

The first time I saw a pair of Frye boots in a department store, I knew I had to own them. I waited for the end of the season sale in case my favorite pair is on sale. It never happened. Turned out that it is one of the most popular styles which has a small chance of discontinuation as long as the brand thrives. It will never be on sale. Darn.

The following winter, I purchased a pair of Frye Harness 12R boots in brown.

The boots are made of thick leather and are very heavy; these are not recommended for people who love lightweight boots. These boots complement many different types of outfits for years to come. I would consider getting another pair in black.

The brand is now owned by a company based in Hong Kong, and some boots and accessories are made outside the US. Harness 12R is still made in the USA. I hope it stays that way.

Made in the USA & Go Local: Handmade Soaps from Food4YourSkinOnline, ironwood Ranch, and South Austin People

Arizona has art and craft fairs in spring, fall,and winter. The summer here is so hot that people don't even have yard sales during the summer heat. Finding arts and crafts made by local residents is fascinating; the artists are usually present at the booth, and they are generally very excited to talk about their work. The nosy curious person like me truly enjoy talking to whoever creates interesting things.

Although trying something new and creating things are activities that fuel my life, there are certain things I would rather buy from someone else. Soap is one of those things. Soap making sounds fun especially after reading the novel Fight Club (just kidding), but I would not know what to do with lots of soaps unless I can sell them. I also like switching scent of soap, so making a batch with one scent and using that for a long time would probably bore me. Luckily, there are many soap makers in Arizona who I can by soaps from whenever I need them.

In Southern Arizona, my favorite local soaps come from Food4YourSkinOnline. The soap maker sells soap and other skin care products at art fairs as well as at her online store. The soaps have fantastic scents and lather nicely.

Photo from Food4YourSkinOnline

Ironwood Ranch makes superb goat milk soaps. They are easy to find as they are st St. Philips market in Tucson on most Saturdays. Because of the combination of goat milk and essential oils, the soaps have distinctive fragrance. Their soaps are great for body wash.

When I was living in Texas, I only used soaps from South Austin People. I miss their lemongrass and ginger soap and Texas pecan eucalyptus soap! As much as I miss them, I insist on buying soap locally.

Photo from South Austin People

I definitely recommend buying soaps in person since some scents are really unpredictable from the names. There are more local soap makes than people think. Go local!

Made in the USA: Lodge

Lodge has been manufacturing cast iron cookware for over 100 years. Their products are not just for kitchen use; every camping gear store I have visited have at least one Lodge cookware in the store.

Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven

About a year ago, I tasted a great pistachio cherry bread and got a recipe for the bread. The recipe requires a heavy-duty cast iron Dutch Oven, so I purchased a Lodge Dutch oven. I don't know why, but I have not been motivated enough to bake the bread since the recipes not requiring a heavy Dutch oven are easier to make. How can I stop being lazy and bake that tasty pistachio cherry bread?

Lodge Cactus Baking Pan

This cactus baking pan is on my wish list. Living in Arizona, this pan should have plenty of chances to show off what it is designed to do: make cute cactus corn bread, scones, or whatever. The only reason it is not yet in my kitchen is I have to get rid of things I don't need to make some room for new kitchen toys. Time to donate unused items to a thrift store.

Made in the USA: Paige Denim

My short height and curvy bottom make shopping for jeans ridiculously challenging. If the legs feel right, it is too big around the waist. For a long time, I had been jealous of tall skinny people with flat butts who can buy jeans off a store shelf and wear them without alteration. Thanks to many clothing companies producing jeans for curvy figure made with stretchy materials, people in all sorts of shapes can find a perfect pair.

Finding my first Paige Denim jeans changed the way I dress. Their jeans are incredibly comfy, and now I am wearing jeans all the time. Even their skinny jeans are comfortable. Actually, I could not fit in any other skinny jeans and never owned skinny jeans before. What makes buying Paige Denim products better is they are manufactured in the USA.

Photo from zappos.com

Like many denim manufacturers' products nowadays, Paige Denim jeans are not cheap. I check Nordstrom Rack and other discount stores whenever I am nearby so that I can snag a pair for about half the MSRP.

For the list of other denim jeans made in America, check out Made in USA Challenge.

Made in the USA: Calphalon, All-Clad

One of the things I look for when I am choosing a frying pan is that it is free of plastic parts. My frying pans make frequent trips between the stove top and the oven, so the strong metal construction is essential.

I've been using Calphalon hard anodized aluminum pans for years. So far, I have nothing to complain about these pans. Calphalon makes anodized aluminum cookware with or without nonstick coating. The non-coated version does stick in the beginning, but the pan gradually get seasoned over time and requires less cooking oil later on. This is what I like about hard-anodized aluminum pans over stainless-steel pans. The latter requires a lot more oil to prevent sticking for the length of its life. Calphalon's stainless-steel sauce has been working great as long as the food being cooked is not something easily burnt.

Calphalon Hard Anodized Aluminum Nonstick Frying Pans

Calphalon Hard Anodized Aluminum Frying Pan (not nonstick)

Calphalon has other cookware product lines but I am not familiar with them. Check out their website.

All-Clad is probably more famous for a stainless-steel line and their products are also manufactured in the USA. I do not have any All-Clad products mainly because of the higher price tag and also because I prefer hard anodized pans. They do have nonstick pans but are double the price of Calphalon pans. The All-Clad owners say they love their pans, so users have to justify the price and benefit.

  All-Clad Pots and Pans

A comment on Calphalon. They make variety of products other than cookware, but many cooking utensils, bakeware, and low-end cookware I saw in stores were not made in the USA. As always, we need to check the label.

Prefab Sheds: Studio Shed, Kanga Room, Modern Shed

My neighborhood has an interesting mixture of old and new homes. Most homes on my street are 1970s homes and many residents are the original owners. Down the street, there are more modern stucco homes popular in Arizona. Probably because of the large lots and overgrown vegetation compared to the newer housing areas, seeing different styles of homes do not appear disorderly.

There is an empty space in my yard big enough for a small structure. This space has a huge potential, but I am not really sure what I want to do with it. Building a covered outdoor living area would be nice. Having a separate workshop/guest house sounds even better. Either way, my biggest question is the style of the structure. Do I want modern style (like many buildings I adore in Dwell magazine) or an old-fashioned style to complement the house?

Honestly, the look of modern prefab sheds is incredibly appealing.
Here is one from Studio Shed

Kanga Room's studio

Modern Shed

With lots of other things on the priority list, it would not be happening anytime soon. It might take ten years. Who knows. Nevertheless, it is amusing to think about the possibility of currently unused space. First, we have to renovate bathrooms and 1970s style kitchen with avocado green oven and hood. I'm not kidding. I have avocado green appliances in my kitchen. So retro. It matches saguaros outside.

Link:
Backyard Offices: 8 Modern Prefab Sheds

Etsy Wishlist: Zed's Zombie Ranch

Zed's Zombie Ranch is in Bisbee, AZ. On my next day or weekend trip to Bisbee, I need to pick up one of the metal skeletons. The big question is where to put it. Right next to a Dalek pepper shaker might work. I wish the skeletons came in life size scale.

Steampunk Zombie Skeleton Steel Sculpture

 UFO Crossing Sign

 Zombie Target Practice T-shirt

 

Always remember Rule #2 Double tap.

Made in the USA: William Bounds

It is only natural that my "made in America" obsession started in my kitchen. I love food, and I love to cook. Once the wooden pepper mills and salt shaker were old and faded after ten years of abuse, it was time to replace them with pepper and salt mills made in America.

It's been probably five years since I purchased William Bounds' HM Twist Chrome Pepper Mill and Salt Mill, and I have been very satisfied with the mills.  I noticed some negative comments on Williams-Sonoma page how some users experienced their mills falling a part and corroded, but my mills are still working well. I guess I was one of the luckier purchasers.  

One down side of these mills is what applies to all manual mills: it cannot beat the speed and volume capacity of electric mills. The electric mills also have a problem: they are usually made overseas (I cannot find a single model made in the US). I took the preferred product origin and nice design. 

There is one more America-made William Bounds product in my kitchen, and that is the nutmeg grinder.

Nutmeg is one of many spices I cannot tolerate buying pre-ground. Why? What is the point? All the nice flavor is gone so quick! I was using hand held grinder for nutmeg, but clumsy people like me could end up grinding own finger someday. The first time I saw this grinder on a website, my reaction was the same as when I glanced at an avocado slicer. Why buy a tool that does another tool in my kitchen already does? Then, I saw the nutmeg grinder at a store and tested it, and I was standing in the checkout line in the next few minutes. I have been pretty happy with the grinder. If I must rate this item, I would give four out of five stars for the lid being tricky to close sometimes.

Looking at William Bounds' website, the company seems to sell products made in the USA and overseas. Having multiple manufacturing location is common nowadays. Never buy an item without reading product description.

Made in the USA: Nordic Ware

Nordic Ware was founded in 1946 as a small family business in the basement of Dave and Dorothy Dalquist's home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1950, the company introduced a bundt pan which is still their best seller item.

I purchased my first Nordic Ware product seven or eight years ago. It was a tartlette pan sold at a Williams-Sonoma store. Now I also own a bundtlette pan, four bundt brownie pans, and two bundt mini bites pans.

Two of my bundt brownie pans and a bundlette pan are cast aluminum construction while other two bundt brownie pans and bundt mini bites pans are coated aluminum.

Cast aluminum bundt brownie pan


Coated aluminum bundt brownie pan

The cast aluminum version (top) is easier to work with, but these pans are a little more expensive. It tends to result in more moist bundt cakes and cakes don't stick as easily. Coated aluminum version (bottom) requires more greasing and flouring.

One little warning: I have seen Nordic Ware kitchen products made outside the United States. On their website, they seem to distinguish the product origin by showing "Made in the USA" icon if it is made in USA. All bundt pans I have seen have been exclusively made in the USA.

There is a reason the company has been in business for over 50 years: their products work. I know I will add more pans to my collection.

Nordic Ware Website

Other places to shop for Nordic Ware:
Amazon.com
Crate & Barrel
Williams-Sonoma
Cost Plus World Market
Discount shops (if you are lucky) such as Home Goods, TJMaxx, Marshals, Tuesday Morning
...and many other stores including department stores.

Buy "Made in the USA"

Look in your closet, kitchen, and living room. How many items can you find that are made in the USA? Most of us will find more products manufactured in other countries. I have been consciously choosing America-made products for the last several years when it is available. A bitter truth is that some items are not made in the United States at all. Some of us has taken economics classes and are familiar to the specialization of production and trading based on absolute advantage and comparative advantage a country has over other countries. But is the efficiency everything?

The main reason I purchase American products is the environmental concerns. The regulations we have in this country is not perfect but are still more effective than in many other countries. If the price we pay for a cheap foreign product does not include the true cost of production, such as polluted soil and water or compromised product safety, is a cheap product really worth saving a few dollars?

Fortunately, with the rising costs of manufacturing overseas and safety issues, some manufacturers are bringing back jobs and producing goods made by American workers. Other companies maintain their production in the US despite severe competition. In order to avoid the extinction of the American products, consumer awareness and support are inevitable. It is a good news, in a way. Each of us could direct where our money goes.

Links
Made in USA Challenge
This site explains why we American consumers should purchase products made in America.
10 items you didn't know were made in America
This article introduces a short list of products made in the US.