Dec 4, 2012 |
Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to eat better? Really… who’s isn’t.
How about adding some more fruits and citrus to your diet? Those vitamins are calling you! They want to party down with you in the kitchen!
Fresh!
Remember this lovely moment? It makes the whole Kitchen Party thing a bit… difficult.
Yeah. It’s always fun to work in the kitchen with a finger splint taped to your hand… not!
It’s even more fun when you’re trying to squeeze citrus juice good to the last drop. Unfortunately, my recurring early-onset arthritis is currently recurring.
Fortunately, Aroma Housewares sent me this great Electric Juicer to test drive for them.
Aroma Housewares Juicer
Can I just say, this will probably change my life? I mean that in a good way.
This wonderfully small kitchen appliance is, well, wonderful. The electric cord wraps around the base and secures on the bottom for easy storage.
Safe and Secure
There are two reamers, for all sizes of citrus. Just slice your citrus in half, and lightly push it down. The juicer is pressure-activated, and spins immediately. When you release the pressure, it stops!
Push Activated
As a compare-and-contrast, I tried squeezing juice myself. With my hand. With my currently-recurring-early-onset-arthritis hand.
Compare and Contrast
Guess who won.
No Contest
It took less than 30 seconds for the Juicer to juice half a lime, lemon and orange. It took me three times as long to get half that amount of juice with my own hands.
The Better Juicer
And their strainer caught the pulp! I wasn’t so lucky doing it the manual way.
What about the clean up? Just take the pitcher off the base and wash. It comes apart easily. No difficult corners or dangerous cords. The base shouldn’t need cleaning but if it does, a simple wipe with a lightly damp rag will do it.
I’m so excited. No more will my citrus turn bad because I’m unable to juice it in time. And because it’s self-contained, it stores neatly in the kitchen cabinet. Ready to be used quite frequently. Which, as you can tell, is the plan.
A Tablespoon of lemon juice for a recipe? No problem. A few ounces of Vitamin C to boost your immune system? Never tasted better. No preservatives here. Just a whole lotta pure, fresh, wonderful juice.
Just Juice
And now that you’re salivating, it’d be quite unfair of me to not give you the chance to get your own juicer, wouldn’t it? You’re lucky I’m not that kind of person. So just follow the links in the Rafflecopter widget below to earn entries for this wonderfully necessary Juicer.
You can thank me later.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE MANDATORY ENTRY OR ALL OTHER ENTRIES WON’T COUNT.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oct 22, 2012 |
A year ago I posted my recipe for Baked Frittata. It’s still a family favorite: inexpensive to make, delicious to eat.
It’s why Hayley calls me “Momma” with a smile.
It’s my Go-To Lazy Weekend recipe.
It’s what I bribe my brothers with. [Let’s just say they’re coming home for the holidays… trust me!]
But the new Blog look mandates a new recipe look, dontcha think? So here it is. A familiar recipe with a new look.
" title="Baked Frittata" alt="Baked Frittata" style="width: 200px;" />
This delicious Italian baked omelet is a favorite! Add or omit ingredients to suit your own family's flavors. Onions, mushrooms, diced chilies... the ideas are endless.
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup mini pepperoni (or other diced meat)
- 1 can diced, seasoned tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach, cut
- salt
- pepper
- seasonings (Italian mix, basil, garlic salt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Scramble eggs in bowl.
- Add all other ingredients.
- Mix well.
- Spray 9 x 9 inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Pour mix into baking dish.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until eggs are cooked and edges are slightly browned.
- Serve big or small portions.
- Enjoy!
3.1
https://franklymydearmojo.com/2012/10/22/baked-frittata-with-photos/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
You can also bake this wonderful mix in muffin tins for an individual-sized bite.
However you choose to make and bake your frittata, I wish you Happy eating!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Oct 14, 2012 |
What could be easier than making a drop cookie? How ’bout making a drop cookie from a mix? That’s right, you heard me. Today I took the easy way out and used a pre-mix for our cookies. And you know what? I’d do it again!
Who hasn’t heard of Betty Crocker? Their product is a staple in almost any kitchen. And with the busyness of the upcoming Holiday season, they’re definitely invited to my house any time.
I started the mix by hand, but soon realized my KitchenAid could do it better.
After lining the cookie sheets with parchment paper, I used my cookie scoop to drop the mix.
The cookies baked for eight minutes then cooled on the pans for one more.
After they completely cooled on the racks, we frosted them with Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting.
And then we enjoyed them. Well, some of them. The rest… I hope they make it through the week.
But with Betty Crocker’s easy pre-mix, I’m okay if they don’t.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 24, 2012 |
Dear Wilton’s,
I can’t thank you enough for the memories you’ve brought back to me and for the ones yet to come. When it comes to making me happy in the kitchen, you rule. Your highly recognized products are easy to use, inexpensive and yet durable, and I don’t have a hard time finding them in my local cake/craft stores.
You have decorated our food, our hearts, and our lives. Thank you.
I love you!
Sincerely,
Me
Just about a year ago I bought something I’d wanted for a very long time: a Wilton’s cake decorating kit. My mom reigned when we were kids. Everyone on the block was jealous ~ jealous, I say! ~ of the cakes we’d get on our birthdays. The flavors, the textures, the decorating and how it was the Main Attraction. We’d be booted out of the kitchen the day before the celebration and not let back in until the Grand Unveiling.
My two favorite cake memories are from my 7th and 8th birthdays. For one she’d made a sheet cake and covered it with shredded coconut that she’d colored green. Coconut is still a favorite of mine. On this were a small plastic house that was also a penny bank (complete with birthday penny inside!), and small plastic figurines of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I still have those figurines!
The other cake memory was another sheet cake that she’d piped yellow “bricks” on for my Wizard of Oz themed party. I had started collecting Wizard of Oz dolls. She borrowed the ones I had and incorporated my birthday gifts into the cake and table setting. I don’t remember which ones were new that year, but I do remember the set was finally complete; and yes, I still have those, too.
I had grand visions of creating amazing treats that would magically turn my home into a lovely talked-about-all-over-town bakery. Or at least, give my family something to talk about on a regular basis.
To inaugurate my own Kit, I invited my mom over and she, I, and Dot had a cupcake decorating party. What great fun! I made the cupcakes, mixed the icings, and we had fun! The decorating tips made for a variety of patterns and techniques that turned each cupcake into a work of art.
A short time ago, I stocked up on Wilton’s melting chocolates and more molds. I also added extras to my Kit. There’s such a variety, it was really hard to choose what shapes and colors I wanted. I was, well, like a kid in a candy store!
I’d had it in my mind to make treats like I’d seen on the television cooking shows. And today, I decided, was the day!
I started by making solid chocolate molds. It’s so easy! Wilton’s melting chocolates can be melted right in the store packaging. I chose to use one of the icing bags that came in my cake kit. Just put in some chocolate pieces, microwave for two minutes on 50% power, and mix. It’s that easy! Then I just cut the tip off the bag and gently filled the molds. How great are these?! After 15 minutes in the fridge, they’re ready to pop out and eat! (And can I just say, that if between the time of my writing and your reading there are no chocolates left in my house, it’s not my fault. I’m just a taste-tester, making sure of the accuracy of my writing!)
Then I tried my hand at making chocolate shells. I filled the molds only halfway and used a baking brush to pull it up on the edges. This will take more practice. More, delicious, practice. Darn.
While the molded chocolates were chilling in the fridge, I started the ganache. This, too, was far easier than anticipated. A simple 1-to-1 ratio of chocolate and heavy whipping cream. Once the chocolate was melted in the double boiler over simmering water, I added the cream and blended until smooth.
Then I put one cup of the mix into a smaller container and added finely chopped peanuts. I let the large pan chill in the fridge for several hours. I chilled the smaller cup for half an hour and poured some into a molding tray and some into the chocolate shells.
I’ve never made chocolate candies before, and I can honestly say the variety of Wilton’s products, and the easy directions, make me wonder why it took me this long. The creaminess of the chocolates are utterly melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The molds are so fun. There are cups, stars, hearts, shallow buttons, animals. Anything you can think of! And the accessories for cake decorating are just as vast: food coloring, decorating tips, fondant product, idea books.
With Wilton’s in the kitchen, there’s no wrong way to make a treat.
Dot has already asked if we can make more this weekend. I’m so happy I could cry! Hey, you know what’s good for that?… CHOCOLATE!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
*This post is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Wilton’s. The opinions expressed are my own.*
Nov 26, 2011 |
I’m so excited! I just uploaded this great new recipe software from ZipList. It’s an online and mobile recipe box and grocery list service.
What does that mean for you? My recipes will be streamlined. Easy to read. Easy to print. If you want to create your own online account at ZipList, they’ll digitally store any recipe you want. You can go from site to site to site and collect your favorite recipes. You can change them up, make your notes, keep track of what groceries you already have on hand.
It’s a pretty nifty thing.
So over the next few weeks I’ll be reposting some of my most popular recipes with this new format. I’ll even add one or two new ones.
And yes. I think I’ll include the Holiday Doo-Dads.
Now doesn’t that just make your day?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote.
Yeah. It’s always fun to work in the kitchen with a finger splint taped to your hand… not!
