Oct 17, 2012 |
I’ve been waiting for this day. This day when I finally used my new OXO International Good Grips Little Salad and Herb Spinner. Right away, the size is perfect. My little two-person household doesn’t eat much salad so using a full head of lettuce or other greens can lead to waste.
Last week I bought a set of 4 oz. canning jars. They’re the perfect serving size for us. For desserts, a special beverage, and yes, even salads. I’ve been planning to make my Feta, Tomato and Spinach Salad since I bought them. Enter the ease of OXO.
I started with just four simple ingredients: fresh spinach, crumbled Feta cheese, cherry Roma tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil.
After tearing a handful of spinach leaves, I rinsed them in the basket then spun them. This spinner is unlike any other I’ve experienced. It’s so small and easy to manage. The solid push-down button works so lightly, so easily. And the non-skid base made it worry-free. [You try juggling a camera in one hand and a salad spinner in the other! OXO makes it easy!]
After just a few quick pumps of the spinner, I removed the basket and dumped out the water. The spinach leaves were fresh, vibrant, and ready to go into the Spinner Bowl.
Next I cut the tomatoes. With small cherry Romas, it was quick and easy. Just look at those juices pouring out!
Then I topped it with the crumbled Feta cheese and tossed.
Now comes the part I’d been waiting for: the “canning” of my salad. I put in several spoonfuls, making sure that each serving had a delicious mix of the spinach, Feta, and tomatoes. I then lightly drizzled each jar with the olive oil.
Doesn’t that just scream “flavor”?!
I now have six mini salads in my refrigerator, just waiting to be eaten! How simple is that?
A little added dash of salt, pepper, and maybe a few croutons, and you’ve got yourself a salad!
Thanks, OXO!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
[Disclaimer: I’m an active member of the OXO Blogger Outreach Program, as well as an Amazon Affiliate. I have not been compensated by OXO in any way for this post, and all opinions and reviews are my own.]
This post is linked up with the following:
Save
Oct 12, 2012 |
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working on new recipe ideas. Some will be posted here on the Blog. Some may be added to the Second Edition of The Unemployment Cookbook.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my RECIPES page under the FOOD & FUN tab. I’ll also be streamlining each of them to the ZipList recipe format.
Feel free to link up your own holiday recipes in the comments below!
As always, HAPPY EATING.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Oct 8, 2012
October is “Clean Out The Fridge” Month… at least it is at Bedford Manor.
The busyness of the holidays is almost upon us. And for me, well, it’s already begun: craft projects, product reviews, new recipes to create…
I look forward to cooking, shopping, decorating, cleaning, and spending time with Out-Of-Towners. In November, Dot will turn 18. I recently re-enrolled (again!) at Institute of Children’s Literature. I’ve been actively working on a big writing project as well as preparing for The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition.
Yeah. There’s a lot on our plates.
But we’re not special. Ask around, and everyone’s gearing up for the year-end expenses. Gift giving. Party attending.Traveling. And feeding family and friends. It can get pretty costly to put food on the table!
So this month, I’ve decided to low-key it in the kitchen. I’ve taken stock of what I have in my fridge, freezer, and pantries; and I’m working my menu around it. Granted, there will be days that call for that extra touch or a Little Caesar Meal Deal. I know I’ll have to buy foods like milk, eggs, butter, and cheese. But overall, I’ve got a plan and I’m sticking to it!
We’ve enjoyed putting together a meal, instead of reheating something from the frozen dinner selections. We sit at the table and talk with each other. Of course, the best moments are Dot saying, “Can I help with that?” and “Mom! This is really good!”
Because there’s just the two of us, it’s easier to plan “meals”. And with my Aroma Rice Cooker, I haven’t had to heat up the oven as often. I also enjoy my toaster oven. It’s the perfect size for a Stouffer’s French Bread Pizza, garlic toast, or even small roasted potatoes.
It’s been fun on the wallet, too. One box of Shake n’ Bake Chicken to go with the frozen chicken already in the freezer, and a side of baked potato or a can of vegetables? Delicious. And with leftovers.
Last night we steamed salmon over rice, and enjoyed a cup of yogurt for dessert. Today, I put together a great chicken and bean soup using the stock and frozen meat from my Stock Recipe. Dot chopped up the vegetables. It was a delectable blend.
The best part for us? Having my Mom come over to enjoy it with us, and having leftovers enough for all of us!
So it’s not dinner at the Ritz-Carlton. It’s dinner at Bedford Manor. And I can afford that.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 1, 2012
I’m not always good at meal planning. I forget to defrost the meat in time. Some days I’m too hungry to wait an hour or more for cooking. I get so busy that I just throw quick things together.
And you know what? I hate it. I had the three-week virus-turned-cough that drained any energy from me for days on end. February was also an otherwise busy month and I missed having dinners ready shortly after Dot got home from school. The kind that also provides those really good leftovers instead of “whatever-you-can-find” foods. Some days I didn’t cook at all and we opted for the semi-healthy fish taco take-out … or worse. Fast food at its finest.
And you know what? I. Hated. It.
I know I have enough in my dry goods pantry and in the freezer to make meals for the month. To be good at it would just take a little strategic planning. And fun.
So here we go.
Invariably, whenever I make a monthly meal plan, it gets waylaid by Day Ten. Things come up. Plans change. And the refrigerated meat I bought three days earlier is now starting to turn. Eww, right?!
So I came up with this great idea. One that will add family fun to the March meals. One that will make sure I take the meat out of the freezer in time. One that incorporates side dishes too.
First, I made sure whatever foods I bought at the first of the month could either be frozen or stored in the pantry. I also kept an “allowance” available for the periodic fresh shopping throughout the month.
Then I had to figure out how many meals to plan for. This is where my basic math skills come into play. Let’s see… 31 days in March. But we don’t always eat together at home. At least once a week, we eat at my mom’s. Twice a month we also eat out. That’s six days. About half of these meals will allow for next-day leftovers. So 31 minus six divided by two less leftovers… that’s just over two weeks worth of meals to really plan out. Round it up to three weeks to include a change of plans or extra meals for company… Hey, I can do that!
To make things more fun, I took some colored index cards and cut them in half. On each one, I wrote a main dish and side dish. For those meals that require fresh produce, I made a note on the bottom of the card so I’d be sure to stop at the store that day. I also noted whether this meal should provide leftovers (also good to know for the days we’re having company).
Once I started, I was amazed at how little time and effort it took to really make a meal plan for an entire month!
My plan is, each morning before we leave the house, I’ll let Dot pull a card from the Meal Jar, and whatever that card says is what I make for dinner that night. No exceptions. No trades. And no more excuses about not defrosting the meat on time. [The only exception would be if we’re having company which would necessitate a meal that offered more servings such as possible leftovers.]
With a little decorative label and a ribbon, my jar will be as pretty as it is functional.
I’m looking forward to a month of healthy, thought-out, ready to cook meals.
And you know what? I think I’m gonna love it.
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.*
I started with just four simple ingredients: fresh spinach, crumbled Feta cheese, cherry Roma tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil.
After tearing a handful of spinach leaves, I rinsed them in the basket then spun them. This spinner is unlike any other I’ve experienced. It’s so small and easy to manage. The solid push-down button works so lightly, so easily. And the non-skid base made it worry-free. [You try juggling a camera in one hand and a salad spinner in the other! OXO makes it easy!]
Now comes the part I’d been waiting for: the “canning” of my salad. I put in several spoonfuls, making sure that each serving had a delicious mix of the spinach, Feta, and tomatoes. I then lightly drizzled each jar with the olive oil.
A little added dash of salt, pepper, and maybe a few croutons, and you’ve got yourself a salad!
