Favorites
The brands the McGennis family stands behind
The pantry staples, the cars, the kitchen tools, and the small businesses that have earned our loyalty. The kind of brands you'd defend in a conversation. The ones we keep coming back to.
Why I'm a Nissan Guy: The JDM Lineage I'd Defend With My Life
From the 1969 Hakosuka GTR to the R34, the 240Z to the S15, the unrealized MID4 to the Le Mans R390 — a love letter to Nissan and the Japanese process philosophy (monozukuri, kaizen, shokunin) that produced the most cohesive lineage in automotive history.
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Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp: The Jar I Keep In My Car
I literally keep a jar of Lao Gan Ma in my car. The +5 rule: take any meal you eat, add a spoonful of this chili crisp, and the rating jumps five points. Here's why.
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Skin and Bone Sardines: The Tin That Changed My Mind About Sardines
We don't normally do sardines. Then we tried Skin and Bone — Portuguese, hand-packed, three-ingredient — and now there's a stack of them in our pantry. Here's the honest review.
Read More →What Makes a Favorite
A favorite is a brand we'd recommend to a friend without hesitation — the kind we keep reaching for, keep reordering, and keep talking about. If we paid for it, we'll say we paid for it. If we're an affiliate, we'll disclose that up top. If a brand sent us a sample, we'll say that too — and you'll still get the honest take. If we don't love it, we don't write about it.
Expect pantry staples, kitchen tools, kid gear, cars (Caleb's a JDM Nissan guy), books, small businesses, and the occasional weird find that has earned a permanent spot in our home.