Favorite things: Eva Zeisel dishes, originally uploaded by margaretgouldstewart.
When I got married at the ripe old age of 24, I pretty much did what my elders told me. Part of the list of do's when you're about to say "I do" is to register for china. So I paged through magazines and settled on a very "of the moment" Wedgewood pattern called Clio.

We received 14 place settings of the stuff, and when I calculate how much money was spent on those dishes, I feel a bit ill. Years went by, and the china gathered dust. It was too fancy to use every day, and we didn't really have parties that seemed fancy enough to justify unpacking it.

After 10 year of marriage, during which time I had developed an allergy to unnecessary stuff, I horrified my mother by unceremoniously selling it all on eBay. Oh, and I sold the Waterford crystal, too. I hope that whoever bought it enjoys it for years to come. I used a portion of the proceeds and bought a set of Eva Zeisel Classic Century tableware, reissued by Crate & Barrel, and have never been happier.

Not only do these dishes elevate my cooking, but they work in every context. We use them for Sunday pancakes and dinners, for holiday meals, and even for weeknight suppers when we get our act together to cook a real dinner. They are timeless, lovely, and dishwasher-friendly. I'm pretty sure my grandmother would approve.