Kitchen Products

 Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 2 cup basil leaves, fresh
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium garlic clove(s), peeled
• 1/2 tsp table salt

Instructions
Place pine nuts in a small skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook until nuts are golden, shaking pan frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts to a plate to cool.

In countertop appliances such as a blender or food processor, combine nuts, basil, broth, cheese, oil, garlic and salt; process until smooth and thick.  This recipe yields about 1/4 cup per serving.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup white sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions
Lightly grease an 8 inch square bakeware dish. Place the blueberries into the bakeware and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1-3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk.

Mix until just moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean (of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife). Let cool until just warm before serving. Very Best Blueberry Cobbler can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.

I just purchased a Gourmet Standard 12″ Professional tri-ply series saute pan with nonstick and lid.  I got a great pan for a great price! What a joy to use this pan.  It is my new favorite.  It sautes evenly without the fear of sticking and the helper handle on opposite side of the regular handle makes it wonderful to use and so easy to clean.  It’s an everyday pan in my opinion.  Don’t miss this limited time deal, I’m glad I didn’t!

Stainless steel kitchenware is great, but if you want to consider them a long-term investment, then you need to take care of them.  Here are some things to remember when you’re cleaning them:• If acidic foods sit in stainless steel for a long time, they may cause corrosion.

• If you boil something in a stainless steel pan, make sure the pan doesn’t boil dry, or it may discolor.

• Do not use bleach or ammonia on stainless steel.

• Do not use steel wool to clean stainless steel, as it may leave behind carbon steel fragments that will rust into the stainless steel surface. Use a nylon or stainless steel wool scouring pad instead.

• Do not use silver dip cleaners on stainless steel. They will leave a stain.

There are plenty of benefits for being a vegetarian, but one of the downsides is to have a carefully planned diet so as not to miss any of the nutrients that meat and animal products would provide otherwise. 

One of the biggest issues is having to take vitamins in order to compensate for the loss of iron that one would gain from eating beef.  If you cook with cast iron cookware, however, then you’re luckier than most.

Studies have shown that the minerals from cast iron cookware attach themselves to food that is being prepared, thus putting an amount of iron that would not be present in vegetarian food.  By purchasing cast iron cookware, you could have some of the same health benefits as a non-vegetarian, as well as having really great, long-lasting pots and pans.

I have a huge collection of dinnerware sets, but I still browse the internet to update my collection.  I was delighted to see the sets of dinnerware from this online store.  There are so many designs elegant designs to choose from.

I think with my recent discovery of this web store, I’m pretty sure that my collection with grew more and more. I can’t wait to invite friends over so I could show them the latest in my collection.

Stainless steel cookware sets is a smart investment for my kitchen.  Stainless steel are tried and tested to withstand long term use while maintaining its distinct luster. Aside from its durability, stainless steel cookware retains its classic and elegant look over the years.

That is why when my husband asked me to choose a nice set of cookware for our new kitchen; I never had a second thought of choosing this one.

New cookware is always beautiful and makes you want to cook something, anything, so that you can use it.  High quality new cookware takes cooking to the next level! The ‘feel’ of quality cookware is incredible. You will notice the weight, balance and construction the minute that you take it out of the box.

I chose the copper bottom cookware for the even heat distribution properties of copper. I expected shiny, beautiful cookware when it arrived but let me tell you what I got when I opened it. WOW, the stainless steel is highly polished to a mirror-like finish and the weight and balance of the pans is perfect. The lids are fitted to the pans so that all of the flavor stays in the food. The handles are riveted to the pans and lids with non-corrosive rivets that accent the cookware. The encapsulated copper bottom is a work of art with a functional design! It is constructed of an aluminum core surrounded by polished copper and fused to the stainless steel pans. The Gourmet Standard logo is embossed on the bottom of the pans. These are truly beautiful pans and look great displayed on my pot rack. The handles have slots so that they can be hung and the lids slide over the handles for easy storage.

The best part of getting new cookware is using it! This copper bottom cookware is wonderful to cook with because the heat in the pan is even and consistent. I did have to lower my heat settings from what I was used to using with my old cookware which could be an energy savings in the long run. I will say that everything seems to taste better and clean-up is easier than I thought. Just use soap and water and every now and then polish the copper with a copper polish to maintain the brilliant shine. This is great quality cookware and was priced comparable to average cookware sets. What a great value!  

A friend of mine makes the best Banana Bread that is great with coffee, served warm with butter or just eaten as a snack. I asked her for the recipe and told her that I wanted to share it with others.  Well, here it is.

 Susie’s Fantastic Homemade Banana Bread

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3  very ripe bananas

1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugars, margarine, salt, vanilla & eggs together.  In separate small bowl mix milk, vinegar & baking soda (will foam up).  Mix all these items together. Then mash and add bananas and nuts to your batter.  Slowly add flour a little bit at a time until all the batter is moist. 

Pour into nonstick loaf pan or into lightly greased loaf pan.  Depending on how hot your oven gets bake from 50 min. - 1 hr. Done when you test it with toothpick and it comes out clean.  Do not over bake.  Let stand to cool for at least 30 mins., then slice and enjoy!  It’s the best I’ve ever had!

Cast iron cookware has been around for centuries dating back to ancient China. Cast iron is known for being able to absorb and retain heat better than most cooking materials which makes it excellent for roasting and slow cooking. This is also why a cast iron dutch oven is a great addition to your kitchen. The meal choices that can be prepared in a dutch oven are almost endless. Stews, chili, roasts and whole chicken or duck normally come to mind when thinking of using a dutch oven. There are so many other items that are great when prepared in a cast iron dutch oven such as pasta dishes, homemade breads, casseroles, cornbread, gumbo and more. The cast iron dutch oven can be used to brown the meat, prior to adding the other ingredients, then cook the entire dish and finish in the oven, if needed. It is truely the one pan for the whole meal.

A disadvantage of cast iron is the fact that it rusts easily and must be seasoned regularly. This is where enameled cast iron cookware can make it very easy to use everyday. The porcelain enamel finish on the ColorCast Cast Iron Dutch Oven prevents it from rusting and is easily seasoned. Just a little cooking oil wiped on the porcelain interior does the job. The finish also prevents the taste of the food from being affected by the cast iron. And clean-up is a snap compared with traditional black cast iron. This is the original nonstick pan. Try new recipes in this user-friendly cast iron dutch oven and have some fun. Oh yeah, in these busy days that we all have it is easy to turn down the heat and keep the food ready to eat later, like after the soccer game!!