Ask and you shall receive

Some people in this world are just too good. It's as if they are trying to make up for all the bad. Not that it's possible, but their effort is so above and beyond the normal that it makes you wonder if...maybe...

If all the people in the world had just a fraction of the selflessness, we'd be in great shape. As it is, people like that are just bright, shiny gems in our lives.

I have a very dear friend who is going through a hard patch right now. I mentioned her last week. She had a surgery this week, will be having continued treatment for breast cancer, and in the midst of her trials, she did something so kind for someone else. Probably more than once or twice, but I can only say what she did for me.

She started my collection, with a bright shiny green pot.

She's beautiful (the friend and the pot).

And her maiden voyage, per se, was a pot of Wedding Soup, to deliver to the giver.

This pot is from Le Creuset's enamel-on-steel line and I love it. It's so very light compared to those heavy cast iron pots, and it heated up the broth very quickly. It also cleaned up perfectly.

I need to sort through the pots and see which one should go now, but for the moment, she (the pot) is perched up on top of the fridge, just I can gaze upon her lovely greenness.

Kitchen Apps

.

My husband gave me a new iPhone for my birthday. I really wasn't sure it would be worth it for me to have one, I don't play games and I thought maybe it would be a little bit of a waste of money. I have found it to be handy during down times, like sitting in an doctor's office, or riding as a passenger on the freeway -- I can check email and Google Reader and generally fool around (something I usually avoid doing).

What I didn't realize until just a few days ago is that there are recipe apps, and grocery list apps, and cooking iBooks that I can access from my phone. I also never realized how often I print recipes -- it's so much easier to just find the recipe on the internet and read it on my phone. It's very handy that way.

Anyway, I downloaded a free grocery list app last night, but then realized that if I wanted to use it the way I wanted to use it, I would have to spend a couple bucks to buy it. I don't mind doing that -- imagine all the paper I would save -- but I want to get a good one if I'm going to buy one.

So, my post today is a bleg -- do you use any cooking apps? Grocery list apps? Would you share your preferences either in the comm box or email me?

Thanks, friends!

.

Corn OFF the Cob Gadget

 .

It seems every summer for the past few we've had a child in braces. I was thinking about the numbers of kids in braces and figured the odds are pretty good you have one, too. Because corn on the cob is such a favorite in our house, and because kids with braces have to eat their corn OFF the sob, this gadget sure comes in handy in the summer.


My aunt always gifts me a few fun kitchen gadgets at Christmas and this was one I received last year. It sure beats standing the cob in a bundt pan and slicing all the corn off. And if you buy one, you can make this salad in no time. Huge bonus!

 .

Cutlery

.


At the moment, I am avoiding doing the dishes. I forgot to run the dishwasher last night, and then again this morning, and after running around all day, I came home to find a dishwasher full of dirty dishes (you don't ever do that, do you?). Ugh. Now the dinner dishes await me.

Why not blog instead?

I have been meaning to have a chat with you about cutlery. Sometime during the summer I ran across a survey on a favorite food blog (can't remember now which one) and the question that was posed was (more or less): Which kitchen item could you not live without? a) food processor, b) Kitchen Aid mixer, c) knives, d) immersion blender. Prior to receiving a really nice knife from my brother this year for my birthday I would probably have said b) Kitchen Aid mixer. But after using a really good quality knife for several months, I truly can not imagine living without it. While I use my mixer almost every day, and I use the food processor at least once a week, I absolutely use my knife at least once a day and often much more. I can not imagine making a meal without it. If you do not currently have one really good knife, please put it on your Christmas list. You deserve it.

The knife my brother bought me is a 7-inch Henckels Santoku (isn't he a nice brother?). It was not cheap, but then it's not as expensive as good knives can be. It fits my hand well, and I have small hands, so it would likely fit most women's hands. It's very sharp, and I sharpen it about once a week (we'll talk sharpeners in a minute). I have, a few times, cut myself on the lower edge (the sharp part sort of comes around the bottom and I've just nicked myself). But, by and large (and I know you've heard this before) you are less likely to cut yourself with a really sharp knife than a dull one. Partly that's because you are more careful. But mostly it's because you don't have to work so hard to cut. This knife slices onions like a dream, and cuts through tomatoes like butter. It has no trouble with tough skins, like those you find on peppers, and it's long enough that I can cut across a couple of zucchinis at once and cutting potatoes or other large objects is never a problem.

While this magnetic strip is not a necessity in the kitchen, I love the space it has freed in my drawer. Plus the kids don't accidentally reach in and grab something sharp.

Now, the cutting board is another issue. I used to use glass and acrylic, but I suspect I was dulling my knives by using them. My husband bought me a wooden cutting board (pictured above and sort of like this one) for my birthday (it was quite the kitchen birthday) and it's such a great kitchen tool -- I never even put it away. It's large -- 16 x 20 -- and I just leave it on the island all the time. It has little rubber grippers at the corners, so it doesn't slide around. I do have a "veggies only" rule for the wood, however. I don't use it for meat at all -- not even cooked meat. I have a couple of smaller wooden boards that I use exclusively for bread, too.

The last item I want to chat about is a knife sharpener. Most cooks' issues with knives are related to sharpening. Even a good knife gets dull and needs sharpened (I sharpen about once a week). My brother (he really knows his knives) recommended this AccuSharp knife sharpener and for the price (less than $10 on Amazon) you'll never have to buy another sharpener. Just four or five swipes along the edge and it's sharp as new. It will take care of even old knives (just follow the directions).

Dinner prep used to be a pain for me. I would dread chopping onions, celery, peppers, potatoes, but now it takes me a fraction of the time and it's a pleasurable chore. Of course, a nice glass of red while I'm chopping never hurts either.

.

Misto

.



I've been a terrible food blog host lately, I know. Besides having my head stuck in this book, I've been preparing freezer meals for my mother-in-law who is having hip surgery today. I do, however, have a kitchen gadget to chat about with you today.

I found this cool gadget at World Market the last time I was there. I have always wanted one of these, but never bothered to find one. I brought it home and filled it with canola oil (as opposed to olive oil) so I could use for baking and cooking and I love how it takes just a couple pumps to spray all the oil on need on a baking sheet or casserole dish. I also use it on the grill. It's just like store-bought baking spray (maybe not quite so fine a mist) but without the added ingredients and the expense. Because the Misto is brushed metal, and matches my stove, I just leave it sitting on the counter with my salt and pepper and garlic bowl -- extra convenient.

.

Missing: recipes

.

Over the past few days we have been switching hard drives. It shouldn't have been complicated: Apple to Apple, but "things" are never as easy as they should be. After 48 hours and much frustration and breath-holding, we are up and running. The only thing that did not transfer was my recipe management software. Actually, the software transferred but all of the recipes were left on the old Mac. Sniff, sniff.

I was able to transfer them as a text file, but now they need to be sorted and stored again using some sort of recipe management program. Because the old software was freeware, and because it always had some issues on the Mac, I'm shopping for a new program. Any suggestions? Obviously it needs to be Mac compatible.

.

My favorite kitchen things

I did a "my favorite things" post at Praying for Grace and had a thought to do the same thing here. There are so many lovely little kitchen gadgets that help make life easier when cooking, and I received a few of those things for Christmas (just a few). If you have someone to buy for, someone who cooks, you can't go wrong with gadgets.


This item is a new favorite thing. For Christmas, my husband bought me a new microwave to go with my new stove. I'm still learning how to use it; it's very different from my old one, but I love it. It has a rack inside, which makes it nice for proofing bread. I often have two pans of French bread, or rolls, and I always use my micro (not running) to proof bread, because with the stove light on, it's nice and warm, inside. I'm not one to cook in my micro, but so far I've used it for heating water and leftovers, and softening butter, and it's a breeze to use. This one is a Frigidaire.




This item is a new gadget, and is one of my favorite "chef" tools (you really feel like a chef when you're using it -- as long as you don't grate your knuckles). I actually have two of these, one is the traditional style (like this). This new one is very cute, but unfortunately didn't get good reviews from users because of the acrylic frame. My aunt bought it for me and I'll use as long as it works -- it has two little peelers along side the microplane for making garnishes. It has its own plastic cover, which is good because you don't want to blindly come across this tool in the drawer. My other one I keep in an old paper towel roll to keep from accidentally touching the blades.



This is not a new gadget to me, but one of the most used in my kitchen. If you use a lot of garlic, you should have one. It crushes the cloves in one squeeze and you don't even have to peel them first. I don't always crush garlic when I use it, but when I do, for a sauce or dressing, this tool is priceless. Though mine is a very old one (at least 10 years), I found the same one online at Target for $14.99.


This is another item that is not new to me, but one of my favorites (I have many favorites). It's a pair of kitchen shears. Mine are Wusthof and were actually a free gift to me when my mother-in-law subscribed to Cook's Illustrated for me. Happy me! I use these shears for so many tasks -- from opening packages to cutting chicken pieces -- they will actually cut right through small bones. I cut up raw and cooked bacon, I snip dough with them, cut dried fruit...they can do so many things.
During the Christmas break my college boy told me he could really use a water filtering pitcher because he and his roommate go through so much bottled water. I hate that he drinks bottled water because of the reports of the plastic bottles causing cancer, so I did some research and went shopping. This Brita pitcher is what I ended up with, and I bought him a six-cup version for his smaller apartment fridge. I can't tell you how much I love my Brita water. We have a filtered water dispenser in our refrigerator and this Brita water beats the pants off it. I don't even use ice because the water is so cold, and the taste is great. We are all drinking more water! And college boy picked up one of these to take water to class with him.



This little guy is a one-of-a-kind, but he is so cute I had to share. My aunt gave him to me with some other gadgets and he hangs next to my kitchen window, looking out at the snow.

Hot Stuff

.

Yesterday afternoon I was making some oven baked chicken for dinner. The chicken was trimmed and cleaned and almost ready to go in the oven, so I turned my oven on. It started to preheat, but when I opened the door with just a few seconds left in the preheat time, the oven was ice cold. Pooh. I have burned out the igniter two or three times on this oven. I use it a lot and it is 11 years old. Doug walked into the room just seconds after I discovered the cold inside and he knew by the look on my face that something was not right. After our air conditioning went out last week, he said, "Why doesn't everything break at once?" It does seem to go that way doesn't it? When it rains it pours.

We discussed having it fixed again and after thinking on it for a short while, he decided we would probably be better off just buying a new one. Unfortunately, appliances just aren't made to last that long these days. So we went shopping last night and tomorrow, Sears is bringing me one of these:



I'm so excited (is it so sad that a stove excites me?). It has five burners with an extra long burner in the center for using a griddle. And the grate goes all the way across the top to make it easy to move a heavy pot from one spot to another. It also has an extra-high-powered burner (not the technical term Kenmore uses, but that's o.k.) for boiling water super fast. I can't wait! Hopefully it will arrive in time to bake cupcakes and roast chicken tomorrow afternoon.

.

New Lunch Gear

.

I'm so excited. Gladly (or sadly, depending on how you look at it) it doesn't take much to excite me. A little new lunch gear is all it takes.

I was thinking about lunches last week and realized school was about to start and I would be packing lunch every day again. I would also be preparing a quick lunch during our home school day. I don't know about you but thinking about lunch just wears me out. If we had loads of money and nutrition was not an issue, I could easily succumb to driving through a fast-food window every day. But I don't, I can't, I won't. And if I give high school boy money for lunch, he'll buy pizza, fries and soda. Blech.

I resorted to investing a little bit of money in some new gear and motivated myself for a new year of making lunches.

For high school boy, I purchased an inexpensive Bento box. Until recently I had never heard of such a thing, but I must admit it's pretty fun. Basically it's a Japanese style lunch box, with little compartments to hold a variety of foods. There are many websites and blogs out there filled with ideas (I like this one for ideas for little kids and this one for all ages) and there is an endless combination of foods I can pack for lunch each day. It's really very motivating if you allow yourself the freedom of packing whatever you want.



The first day I used it was Thursday and I packed orange slices, a deviled egg, and sweet pickles in the Bento box, and then a turkey and cheese sandwich and some Fudge Cocoa Cookies on the side. Josh didn't eat all the food at school, but he scarfed down the deviled egg when he got home because I had packed cold packs in his lunch box and the eggs were still cold.

Here it is all packed in his lunch box.

I probably won't use the Bento box every day, but it provides the opportunity to pack foods that don't really work in plastic baggies (like deviled eggs), and I think it promotes thinking outside the box to avoid the monotony you run into when you pack lunch every day. (I also think he might feel a wee bit more loved when he opens his lunch box, but that's probably just the wishful mother in me.)


Now, the home school kids also got a little boost in their lunch program with the purchase of two new muffin tins. "Wow, muffin tins!" you say. "What do muffin tins have to do with lunch?"

Ta, da!



Introducing Muffin Tin Munchies. I know, it's fairly lame, but for the under, say, 10-year-old crowd, it's fun. Noah, who is 13, said it was pretty lame, but that may have just been his age talking. I thought it was fun. Using the tins (which are jumbo tins by the way, because that's all my discount grocer had, and they were $2.99) forced me to offer more than sandwich and chips, and also provided some portion control. Clockwise from the top left we have: green grapes, Swiss cheese cubes and a string cheese cut in quarters, sliced carrots, onion dip for carrots and chips, chips and some Wheat Thins, and two Oreo cookies.


Peach thought they were very fun, and she ate almost all of her lunch, which she never does. Surprisingly both kids left their cookies behind. I guess they got full on good food instead.

.

New Gadgets

.

.


I went online to the Crate and Barrel website last week looking to buy some replacement glasses. I bought our everyday drinking glasses from Crate and Barrel years ago and have occasionally bought replacements for broken ones. I have been fortunate that they have always carried the same style. Until now. It looks like I can no longer find them, but I spent quite a bit of time on the website hunting.

Though I didn't find the glasses, I did find a few other things. Crate and Barrel has always been for me a near occasion of sin. There is one trick I use, however, that keeps me in line. I allow myself to only buy sale items (unless it's a really great regular price), and gadgets have to be dirt cheap. I also make a sincere effort to buy only those items that I really need. I know, I don't really need any gadgets, but you know what I mean. No junk just for the sake of buying.

I am really happy with a couple of my purchases and I thought I'd share the wealth with you, at least as much as I am able to share through the "interweb."

The best find, however, I can't even find at Crate and Barrel anymore, just one week later. Maybe I got the last one. In fact, it may be the last one in the entire world because I could only find one picture on the whole interweb. I found it at this one website, but it is five times what I paid at Crate and Barrel. In the five days since I've owned it I have used it to get blondies out of the pan (it's flexible so it bends under bar cookies), scraped roasted potatoes (it's very thin so it gets under them without tearing them apart), and lifted deep dish pizza out of the pan (again, it bends). I'm really sorry I couldn't share the wealth on that one. You would've loved it.

Another great find were these pot holders. They're really cute in person and they are $1.50! The way I go through potholders I should have ordered a dozen (limited quantity on these, so if you like 'em, buy 'em now).

I've always wanted one of these spoonulas, and while it wasn't dirt cheap, I bought one because I don't have any.

If you go through loads of rubber spatulas when you're cooking, grab a couple of these. It's just a standard rubber spatula with a wooden handle, but it's $1.95, and it's cute. It also takes up to 900 degree heat. They have a radish design for the same price.

My big purchase was a couple of these loaf dishes. What a great deal and that's a regular price. I have been looking at them at the grocery store and Target and they are usually priced higher for a cheaper model. This one is very heavy glass and should bake a nice loaf of bread.

I hope that I have not corrupted you with my finds, but just in case you're in the market, I just had to share!

.

I Never Knew

.

I can never scold my husband again for not reading package directions. Below is the text of an email my mom sent to me. I never knew...

"I've been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember. Great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.

Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, “Press here to lock end”. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too!"

I sure checked my box and it's there -- plain as day (sort of -- it is on the end of the box).

If you all ready know this, don't leave a comment and make me feel dumber than I already feel. If you didn't know this, leave a comment and let me know so I won’t feel so dumb!

.

Taking Suggestions

.
I'm in the market for a new waffle iron. My Vitantonio was good while it lasted (probably ten years), but the nonstick finish is shot and I'm tired of peeling waffles out, even after greasing it.

Anyone really enjoy their brand and want to recommend it?

.

Christmas Surprises

For me, Christmas rarely brings surprises. After all, I'm the mom -- I'm supposed to make the surprises. This year, there were several surprises that I'd like to tell you about.

...
On Monday, as I was preparing to make the braciole, and trying to get the table set, and thinking there were not enough hours in some days, a florist truck drove up and brought me the most unexpected gift of the season -- a table centerpiece. This year was actually one year when I really gave the centerpiece not one thought. In years past, I have assembled arrangements and gone outdoors to cut evergreen boughs, and arranged a multitude of candles across the dining table. But, this year, I had done nothing. Likely the only adornment to the table would be silver candlesticks. But, almost at the eleventh hour, in came a beautiful centerpiece of fresh red and white flowers, a variety of evergreens, pine cones, red glass balls and red candles. Gorgeous. And the biggest surprise was the sender -- Monsignor Bennett, a beloved friend and teacher. Doug first met Msgr. Bennett when he taught him American History as a freshman in high school. He then again taught him World History as a senior. He was a favorite teacher of Doug's and when we were married, Fr. Bennett celebrated the wedding Mass at the school's Mother of Mercy Chapel. This year, Fr. Bennett is teaching my oldest son World History, and this is something, since Father is of frail health, I was never certain would happen. I am overjoyed that he is teaching Anthony, especially since he regularly tells Anthony "you are much smarter than your father." Needless to say, when we read the florist card, we were deeply touched to know that he thinks so much of us. Of course, his gruff exterior would prevent him from actually saying so, but his actions speak louder than words. When Doug called to thank him, he did say, "tell Anthony that I love him in spite of himself." Vintage Fr. Bennett.

Another surprise this Christmas was the ongoing benefit I received from this gift earlier in the month. I planned a salad using the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, and if I do say so myself, it was very good. I usually don't wing it on big holidays, especially with my in-laws coming to dinner, but I was confident the Orange Muscat would make a good salad. My Francis, who really enjoys food, helped me plan the salad, winging it as we were. We decided that it would include fresh spinach leaves, red leaf lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, sliced strawberries, candied pecans, and feta cheese, tossed with the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. It was surprisingly delicious and beautiful.

Orange Muscat Champagne Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (Trader Joe's)
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. orange juice
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
sweetener to taste

Place garlic in food processor bowl and pulse a few times (I use my small one for salad dressing, but if you don't have a processor, mince the garlic and place in a bowl). Pour vinegar, mustard, and orange juice in processor bowl with garlic. Turn machine on, and slowly stream in olive oil until all is added (if you're not using a processor, whisk mixture quickly until oil is incorporated). Add salt and sweetener (I used a little sugar and a little Equal) to taste. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

My third surprise, which was not a complete surprise, as I asked for it, was a potato ricer. The surprise was that is was, as my teens would say, an uber ricer. This thing is enormous and will rice potatoes for gnocci in no time flat. No more pushing those potatoes through a sieve with a spoon -- gnocci may be on the menu much more often now. It came from Williams-Sonoma and while I checked their website, I couldn't find it. Either it's an Internet glitch or Doug found a discontinued item on the shelves.

Hopefully your Christmas had a few surprises. Good ones, that is.

.

Cookware Advice Needed

I recently learned that my youngest son, who has terrible eczema, has a severe nickel allergy, to the point that his doctor recommended that we try a nickel free diet. I wrote about it here at Praying for Grace.

I'm planning to do a several-week-long trial, but cannot use my stainless steel pots and pans during that time. I have a mix of pots and pans, with one Revereware pot from our wedding and several Calphalon and All-Clad pots. I use a cast iron skillet, so I don't have to change that, but I cannot use the stainless steel. My top choice would be Le Creuset (I'll likely purchase a Dutch oven and a saucepan to start with) which is very pricey, even at its cheapest. So, I'd like to ask some advice here amongst my Internet cooking friends. Anyone used Le Creuset? Or any other suggestions?

Cool Cutting Boards

My mom went shopping this week and brought me a treat. These cool cutting boards, a separate one for veggies, chicken, beef, and fish. While I am not a big fan of silicone, and I refuse to bake with it for fear of cooking the chemicals into our food, I like these cutting boards. They are almost as thin as card stock, so they take up no room at all stashed in between my Kitchen Aid and cookbooks, and they stick to the counter when you're cutting. While I clean my cutting boards in hot soapy water and don't really worry about cross contamination, I kind of like having separate boards, especially for veggies, which we frequently eat without cooking. I suppose anything that makes prep work more fun, can't be bad.

.