Tazlynn | Tazlynn

Hey everyone and welcome to my Blog! If you are new here, you’ll find that most of our content is lifestyle, adventure, and financial growth related. My fiancé and I love to explore new places and hope you enjoy following along!

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- Top 5 Kitchen Knife Sets Under $500
  April 11, 2019Home / LifeWith all of the options available, it can be hard to find the right knife set! Maybe your looking for a nice set to replace your cheap, dull college set, your trying to find the perfect housewarming gift, or you just simply can’t decide. In this post, we’ll review the top 5 kitchen knife sets for under $500. Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 19-Piece Knife Block Set $295.99 Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Knife Block Set $299.95 Calphalon Contemporary Self-Sharpening 20-Piece Knife Block Set $329.99 Dalstrong Gladiator Series Colossal 18-Piece Knife Block Set $399.97 Cangshan TS Series 17-Piece Knife Block Set $449.97 1. Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 19-Piece Knife Block Set Zwillings J.A. Henckels is an upscale partner of Henckels International and the Zwilling Special Formula German Steel has been perfected over the last 280 years. The Twin Signature Series knives are precision-stamped from a single piece of steel and each Friodur blade is ice-hardened to 57 Rockwell Hardness. Hand sharpened and polished with a 15-degree angle on each side (10-degree on Santoku’s), they are designed to resist stains, chips and retain sharpness. Knife Set Includes: Steak knives (x8)8″ bread knife7″ Santoku hollow edge knife4.5″ utility knife5″ serrated utility knife6″ utility knife2.5″ peeler knife4″ parer knife8″ chef knifeKitchen shears9″ sharpening steelBamboo storage block Buy On Amazon 2. Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Block Knife Block Set Wüsthof has been crafting some of the highest-quality kitchen cutlery in the world for almost 200 years. They offer high-carbon stainless steel blades that are laser cut and precision stamped for razor-sharp edges. Their durable construction helps to resist corrosion and dulling. As the most reasonably priced of the Wüsthof forged knife sets, this large set of set of high quality knives includes every knife a chef needs, and makes a thoughtful housewarming or wedding gift. Knife Set Includes: 4.5″ steak knives (x4)8″ bread knife8″ cook’s knife5″ spreader5″ hollow edge santoku knife4.5″ utility knife3″ spear point paring knife2.75″ trimming knife2.5″ peeling knife2.5″ paring knife9″ steelCome-apart kitchen shears15-slot acacia block Buy On Amazon 3. Calphalon Contemporary Self-Sharpening 20-Piece Knife Block Set Calphalon got its start selling premium cookware to restaurants and commercial kitchens. In 2002 they expanded their line and expertise in to cutlery. Each knife is crafted from premium materials with a fully forged blade of high-carbon, no-stain German steel. As well, each knife is conveniently labeled so no more guessing. While this set is a bit more expensive than the first 2, it features Sharp IN technology. Instead of a plain wooden block, this block has built-in sharpeners that automatically sharpen straight edge knives with every use. Calphalon also offers a full lifetime warranty on this set! Knife Set Includes: Steak Knives (x8)4.5″ Paring Knife5″ Boning Knife5″ Santoku5.5″ Tomato/Bagel Knife6″ Fork6″ Utility Knife7″ Santoku8″ Slicer8″ Chef’s Knife8″ Bread KnifeKitchen ShearsSharpening Knife Block Buy On Amazon 4. Dalstrong Gladiator Series Colossal 18-Piece Knife Block Set Dalstrong provides outstanding craftsmanship, cutting-edge technology, stunning design elements, and premium materials. Each knife is made of imported high-carbon ThyssenKrupp German steel at 56 Rockwell with a hand polished edge at 14-16 degrees per side. Precisely tempered and stain resistant, this high quality knife set is designed to last a lifetime. The handles feature an ergonomic shape and are triple riveted for even more durability. Lastly, this knife set cleans and sharpens easily for prolonged use! Knife Set Includes: 5″ Straight Edge Steak Knives (x6)9″ Carving/Slicer9″ Bread Knife8.5″ Kiritsuke Chef Knife8″ Chef Knife7″ Santoku Knife7″ Nakiri Knife6″ Boning Knife6.5″ Utility Knife6″ Serrated Utility Knife3.5″ Paring Knife2.75″ Bird’s Beak Paring Knife10″ Gladiator Series Honing SteelHandmade Walnut Wood Block Buy On Amazon 5. Cangshan TS Series 17-Piece Knife Block Set The TS Series is sleek and slim knife set with a dynamic balance and sharp focus. Each high quality Cangshan knife is made of high alloy Swedish Steel at 60 Rockwell, creating the perfect mix of hardness and durability. They go through a 6 stage heat treatment to bring out the best qualities of each steel. Swedish steel is a little harder than German steel so it can hold a much sharper edge allowing for an effortless cut. The ergonomic handle provides an easy and comfortable grip and can withstand heavy kitchen use. Knife Set Includes: 5″ steak knives (x6)8″ chef’s knife8″ bread knife7″ santoku knife6″ boning knife5″ serrated utility knife5″ tomato knife3.5″ paring knife2.75″ peeling knife8″ honing steelCome apart 9″ shearswalnut block Buy On Amazon Buying a knife set can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to begin. Although knives have been around for a long time, there is still plenty of innovation in how knives are made to last longer, clean easier, and maintain sharpness. We hope this review of the top 5 knife sets under $500 helps with choosing the best knife set for you! What are we missing here? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add it in!...
- Big Sky, Montana
  March 17, 2019Snow / TravelWe just recently got back from Big Sky and thought it’d be fun to share what we thought of the travel, accommodations and of course the mountain. Getting There This was actually one of the easiest and “cheapest” travel destinations we have been to. A few weeks prior we booked our flights out of John Wayne Airport, only $270!!!! What a steal! We left after work on a Thursday <– this may be our new thing, only had to take one day off but it felt longer since we had ALL day Friday! If you have ever tried to fly in to Montana from Southern California, you know there are no direct flights. So we arrived around midnight, Brrr! We booked a night in Bozeman, knowing we would be exhausted, and stayed at a Best Western about 15 min from the Airport. They had a free shuttle that picked us up! #winning! The guy driving was super nice and even offered to drive us across the street the next morning to catch the shuttle to Big Sky. Umm YES PLEASE! Woke up the next morning and well it honestly felt like we hadn’t slept. Running on only a few hours of not so great sleep we took the driver up on his offer and got dropped off at the bus stop in a Walmart parking lot. We could have walked, but with all of our gear it was super nice not to have to. He even waited until to shuttle arrived before dropping us off so we didn’t have to wait in that good ‘ol Montana cold. Last ones on the shuttle and guess what, the driver only carries exact change. We needed $10, but only had a $20… wah wah wah. A lady on the shuttle offered to pay for Nick, then I got on. She paid for me too!!!!! Faith in humanity restored. We tried to give her the $20, but she refused and was even nice enough to help us find our hotel when we arrived in Big Sky. The shuttle ride was about an hour, quite easy when you are tired. Accommodations We did our best to look for an Airbnb, however we ended up staying at The Lodge at Big Sky. I will say the pictures online and the demeanor of the young man who answered the phone, made it seem like this place was a dump. It was in walking distance to the lifts and was the cheapest for the location, so we booked it anyways. To our surprise, when we arrived the place was actually quite nice. It was easily one of the biggest rooms we have EVER had when traveling. Vaulted ceilings and plenty of room to walk around and to store our gear out of the way. Felt like an upgrade. There was free breakfast, coffee all day #winning, and a small bar at night. The best part though was the location and the shuttle. It was about 1/4 mile walk from the lifts, but first thing in the morning, in that Montana cold, yes I will look lazy and take the shuttle! Mountain Friday was a long day. Started around 5:00am, got on the shuttle around 6am, and arrived to the hotel at the base of Big Sky around 7:30am. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we geared up in the lobby #classy, stored our luggage, and headed up for some fun! Big Sky, if you are reading this, I AM IMPRESSED! What a mountain! We caught some of the firsts lifts up and every run throughout the day we were still hitting fresh tracks! Our local mountains just don’t offer that. Evertt’s 8800 | Ramcharger Lift Big Sky | Day 1 On Friday, our main goal was just to explore the mountain. We stayed mostly on the left hand side, yes we got to ride the new Ramcharger lift. It seats 8, has heated seats, and an automated shield to protect your from the cold, windy weather. It’s tough to come back to our local mountains and suffer with the barely padded, metal lifts, no cover, no heat, no love! What is life without futuristic chairlifts?! The groomed runs were wide, with plenty of room to take sweeping turns, or race your buddy to the bottom. A green circle in Montana is definitely a Blue Square in Southern California. But not knowing the mountain we almost got stuck on a few catwalk sections. Nick hates unstrapping, so really glad we were able to ride through it. Lone Mountain Elevation – 11,167ft We did a few runs, then eventually made our way over to the Lone Peak Tram. Board off, we stood in a line for about 20 minutes. It’s one up and one down. As you’re in line you can look back at the top, chutes on either side, doesn’t look like there’s an intermediate way down. There’s a sign before you head up the stairs “Experts Only”, “Avalanche Warning”, “No easy way down”. At our home mountain, I would have been fine. I’m familiar with the terrain, familiar with the snow/mountain in different weather conditions. But all this waiting and signage starts to get in your head. We all piled in and with my luck we had someone from ski patrol join our group. He’s talking about the conditions and as we are all about to get off, he yells “The easiest way down in back on tram”. Well that didn’t help my nerves. We took quite a few pictures at the top, signed the log book, and all this hype comes down to me jumping right back on that tram. I enjoyed the scenic ride and Nick made his way down Liberty Bowl. We ended our day on the mountain with a few drinks at the Summit at Big Sky bar. Side note, when we tried to pay, the waiter told us they didn’t have change for our bill (we were paying in cash). Who and what restaurant doesn’t have cash?! Sneaky way to get a larger tip if you ask me. Overall the drinks and the meal was good and it had a nice view of the mountain and zipline. Big Sky | Day 2 On Saturday we wanted to focus on the right side of the mountain. There was still so much we hadn’t seen. I wanted to get over to a run called Horseshoe, it’s a long run that wraps around the entire right side of the mountain. To get to it from the base, you have to stay high. If you drop down you’ll end up at a split where you can either take a lift (Challenger) up with only Black Diamond runs down, or you can take the catwalk section to another lower lift. Remember how I said Nick hates catwalks, well….. you can guess what route we took. If you guessed Challenger, then you guessed correctly, what I do for love! I’d say Challenger is a fitting name for this lift, to even get to the runs you have to navigate a whoopty curvy section, which I suck at. Then you get to a run that felt like it was literally STRAIGHT DOWN. Thank you Nick! I made it through the whoopties and just kept myself slow. There wasn’t a ton of coverage so I just took my time and enjoyed the view. I look back now and can say I did a Montana Black Diamond at Big Sky. I think I need a shirt! We eventually made it over to Horseshoe, and on our way back Nick got to explore the park. On one of our last runs, we decided to take a short cut to the main park area, this run was called Ninja. Again, named appropriately! It was like a BMX run but squished into a much smaller area. Lots of tight turns, humps, and well it would be fun if you knew what to expect. Needless to say, I’m no ninja! After “conquering” Ninja, we made our way up for a few more runs, then called it a day! Big Sky | Summary That’s the beauty of all of this though, right, the adventure. Exploring new places, pushing yourself and each other out of your comfort zone, and at the the end of the day enjoying the company in nature. If you enjoy snowboarding and are looking to explore a new mountain, I would definitely suggest Big Sky. There’s a little bit of terrain for everyone, and you simply can’t beat the views. Make sure you go during peak winter season though, as the mountain can be a bit rocky in early and late season. Gear We Use His JacketGogglesPantsGloves Hers Jacket >> Read My ReviewGooglesPantsGlovesBeanie Gear You May Be Interested In...