For anyone who enjoys baking, you really can’t get by without some sort of electric mixer in your kitchen. Sure, there are some simple cake mixes and pancake batters that you can whip together with a bowl and a whisk. But for most batters, especially those made from scratch, you really need the power of an electric mixer to get the job done right. Some people prefer a big stand mixer while others need the convenience of a smaller hand mixer. That’s the beauty of the Sunbeam Mixmaster Hand & Stand Mixer.

This versatile mixer from Sunbeam solves the problem of deciding whether to buy a hand or stand mixer since it offers you both options. The lightweight, 6 speed mixer easily converts from a stand mixer to a stand mixer. It’s powerful 200 watt motor has a comfortable handle and controls conveniently placed at your thumb tips. It includes a 3.25 quart glass mixing bowl and handy pastry hooks as well. You can’t go wrong with a quality name like Sunbeam.

From Mom to Mom, I wish you  a very very Happy Mother’s Day!  May you have a pleasant, fun-filled, restful, thoughtful and special Mother’s Day filled with memories to treasure always.  As a mom you give a lot of yourself throughout the year and so it’s always nice to be appreciated on your special day.

I wish you flowers and dinner (that you don’t have to cook!) and a day to sleep in late with breakfast served in bed. Wouldn’t that be lovely? We don’t need oodles of expensive gifts (but we wouldn’t turn them down of course). Just the returned love of our family is much appreciated.

As someone who had never used clay cookware before, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I used my Romertopf Clay Baker for the first time. First I should tell you that the clay bakeware is beautiful,, more than you can even tell from the photos. There is something quite timeless, elegant and special about the quality of the baker. The clay cookware nicely complements my shiny metal cookware that I love so much. Of course the clay is breakable so I always handle it with care.

Cooking in it is actually a breeze. You simply soak the baker in water prior use, put your food in, and then place it in a cold oven before setting the temperature according to your recipe. The meal always turns out very tasty and extremely moist and juicy. You just clean your Romertopf with some water and a mild scrubber like a nylon scrubbing pad and your done. I’ve since bought more pieces for myself and gifts for friends over the years.

As the Easter Holiday draws near, I am torn on what to serve for dinner. For years many in our family have wanted ham or lamb for dinner, neither of which I am a big fan of now, though I did enjoy the sweetness of glazed ham when I was younger. But as time passes I have become less and less of a meat eater. When it comes to red meat I do enjoy a good juicy steak now and then, or a big grilled hamburger. And we also eat a fair amount of chicken and turkey.

But back to the holiday dinner. I find that I’m not enjoying meat as much as I used to, as if I’m losing my taste for it. Now I don’t know that I’m ready to be a vegetarian, but I have come to realize that I would like to start having more vegetarian centered dinner dishes rather than meat-based ones. So the tricky part is whether to come up with a completely different holiday dinner menu or to compromise with the meat-lovers by serving a little of both. Knowing me it will be both, so now I need to come up with some dishes that will taste great together and be special enough for a holiday meal.

We use placemats a lot in our home, mostly in the kitchen, but sometimes in the dining room too. I have a few different sets that I like to switch out depending on the ocassion or the time of year. We enjoy our small family meals together and our big family gatherings too - and I like having little extra things that add fun extra style to the table. I especially love these handmade batik fabric placemats for their bright colors and their unique flair. 

The handmade placemats are made of 100% cotton and are sold as a set of 4. You can choose from 10 cool colors and patterns. They’re handcrafted in the USA and are naturally colored using flowers, veggies, and berries. They’re not just a great gift for your own home, but would really make quite a thoughtful housewarming gift for someone special. Because these custom kitchen accessories are sure to add a special touch to any table setting.

I honestly hadn’t been thinking of Easter right now. Yes I see the displays in the store and our online store of course - but at a personal level I am mostly just trying tackle one week at a time. So thinking of anything going on in April seems far away indeed. But the family calls have begun to discuss who will be traveling where for the holiday and suddenly the holiday seems to be around the corner. The funny thing is I haven’t a clue what I’ll be cooking this weekend but I’m already planning an April menu.

I really love our family get-togethers Sure there’s the usual craziness that goes on and a relative or two that might drive me a bit insane, but it rarely gets to me like it used to. Now I simply appreciate the precious time together and try to appreciate each person’s individual “quirkiness” instead. I find I am a lot less stressed that way & really get to enjoy the day. I truly hope the same is true for you!

I just love cookware, I can’t help myself. And I probably have more pots and pans than I need right now. Well maybe that’s not quite true because you never know what new cool pot might be just around the corner. So off course now I am in love with this Rachael Ray Green Enamel Cookware Set! Not just because it’s beautiful, but it’s fantastic cookware too.

I would love brighten my kitchen with these great pots. The set has all of the basics covered and then some, plus I really like that the pots have glass lids so I can keep an eye on my food while it’s cooking.  Even if I don’t buy the whole set right now, I think I will treat myself to one or two of the pieces, perhaps the big 12 inch skillet since I can actually use another big skillet.  But if you’re someone who is in the market for a new kitchen cookware set, I highly recommend you check out this popular quality cookware line for yourself.

The biggest romantic holiday of the year is nearly here and it’s time to make plans if you haven’t already! I confess we actually haven’t made our plans yet and aren’t quite sure still what we’d like to do. Restaurants can get so busy for this holiday and that can sometimes get a little crazy for us. Though I do wonder with everyone’s money woes plastered all over the news right now how the restaurants will fare this year.

We are leaning towards a nice romantic dinner at home. Something scrumptious we don’t often eat, like a tasty sirloin or tuna steaks. I love cooking so it’s fun to plan the menu. Though I think I will buy a special dessert for the occasion, something rich and chocolate. We’ll put on some soft music, light the candles, open the wine, and have a lovely romantic dinner in the comfort of our home.

We do a lot of snacking in our home, especially when the kids have their friends over. Some weeks we seem to go through tons of mini-pizzas and sandwiches, chips and dip, juices, sodas, burgers, it’s endless. Then there are the gatherings for sports events or special movie nights. One of our favorite and easy snacks for movie night is homemade popcorn. We used to buy the boxes of packaged microwave popcorn, but that was before we received our Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper as a gift last Christmas.

We love this new popper and have ended up using it quite a lot already. The machine makes popcorn that is hot and delicious without a lot of unpopped kernels or any burning occurring like we ran into with the microwaveable popcorns. It’s pretty neat looking too, and you can just pour the popcorn into the cover and use it for a serving bowl. It’s easy for all of the kids to use too, and simple to clean up. Now it’s become one of our favorite cool kitchen gadgets.

It seems the colder it gets the more I think about food. Not the best way to start the New Year, being obsessed by foods when it’s probably time to start thinking about eating healthy. Before you know it Spring will be here and I’ll wish I had eaten less! But I guess the cold brings it out in me.  Right now I find myself particularly yearning for some warm, delicious soup, preferably homemade. Somehow it always makes me feel better, and not over-stuffed like some food does. Warm and soothing.

My favorite soup this month is a creamy tomato basil. I find it’s just right for my tastes with a touch of spice and sweetness. It’s even better when I make a fresh loaf of bread to dip into it.  When I serve it with a small balsamic salad on the side, I am all set for a warm and healthy (well, relatively healthy) lunch or light dinner. Perfect for these gray winter days.

In our home we do our best to make healthy choices when it comes to the food we eat. Whole grain breads, whole wheat pasta, fresh fruits and vegetable, high fiber cereals. Our philosophy is as long as we mostly eat the good stuff then it’s okay to have some of the more sinful foods and treats now and again. I’m very big on salads, preferring the pre-packed bags of mixed greens for convenience. But I was making a big mistake when it came to eating the greens by not washing them first! I took it for granted they were already cleaned but have since read that these packaged lettuces should all be washed prior eating, even if the bag states “triple washed”.  I find cleaning the lettuce a bit of a hassle, so that’s why I love the ECKO Salad Spinner.

 This salad spinner is a great size for our family and it even doubles as a fruit bowl on our counter sometimes. It certainly makes cleaning lettuce so much easier and it’s comforting to know we’re eating healthier because of it.  I highly recommend this kitchen gadget for anyone who enjoys salads in their home and wants to make a healthier choice for their family too.

In the mood to try some new cookie recipes for the holidays? You should check out the yummy holiday cookies on the Food Network site! They have some beautiful cookie ideas that I’d like to try this year. Though I wonder if mine will come close to looking as good as theirs!

There’s also other great holiday recipes and ideas worth trying too! Every kind of baked good your can imagine as well as slow cooker recipes, Christmas candies, holiday fudge, and much more. I found a great slow cooker recipe that I plan on making for one of our family gatherings. I’d also like to try their Holiday Cheesecake recipe. Everything looks so tempting, I wish I could try them all!

Well, there it goes, Thanksgiving has come and gone already. And now it’s December. This time of year is like a runaway train between the gatherings, the shopping, the decorating, the cooking, the  holiday cards - I’m exhausted just thinking about it. One of my favorite parts of this season is baking all of the goodies for my family and friends. That’s why I just love this 31 Piece Bakeware Set from Baker’s Secret.

It really has it all! I won’t name all of the great baking tools that it includes, but here are just some of the pans in the set: 2 round cake pans, 2 pie pans, 2 cookie sheets, a square cake pan, 2 loaf pans, 2 muffin pans, and more! Plus it has some handy ECKO gadgets too, like an EKCO dough blender, a cooling rack, a pastry brush, wooden mixing spoons, and few other great tools. With this amount of kitchen bakeware in your home, you’re sure to get all of your holiday baking done in a snap!

Yes, hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is just 9 days away. We’re exciting - and we’re actually traveling this year. As much as we loathe hitting the road on the holidays and dealing with the traffic, it’s actually kind of nice not to be the one cooking the big meal this year. Although we will be back to hosting at Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, our neighbors have already put up their Christmas lights and decor. It’s a little disconcerting to me to see the all of the Santa stuff when Thanksgiving hasn’t even arrived. I guess they’re just too excited to wait, or they’re trying to beat the winter cold. Not a bad idea!

Desserts are always enjoyed, but at this time of year they seem to take on a whole new level of importance. When it comes to holiday gatherings, the meal and the desserts are the centerpiece of the occasion. Whether pecan and pumpkin pie are the family favorites or it’s cheesecake covered in strawberries, the list of delectable choices is endless and the results tremendous if you have your baking basics covered.

Before things get busy, you might want to check out your kitchenware supplies and make sure you have all of the baking pans and tools you need for your baking projects. Beat the rush now for a smoother, more enjoyable holiday season!

The cold air and gray skies of November have arrived.  It’s great when you can spend much of the weekend outdoors and then retreat to your warm home for relaxation and family time. It’s also a nice time to bake up some homemade goodies for snack time - anything from muffins and fresh bread to oatmeal cookies and chocolate covered apples.

Around here we certainly eat a bit more as it gets colder, so that’s why we try to get out whenever we can and burn off some of the calories we’ve been stuffing ourselves with. And the holidays aren’t even here yet!

Awhile back I happened to be visiting with a friend who was raving about her George Foreman Grill. I had seen the many commercials on TV, but as you know, the things they say about a product on TV isn’t necessarily the truth. But we cooked some chicken on it and it was then I became convinced  that I really had to buy one, and so I did. I took the plunge and went for the George Foreman G5 Grill with all of the bells and whistles.

I am not exaggerating when I say I love my grill. I love that I can cook my favorite meats and fish in any kind of weather and get that great grilled flavor. From a healthy perspective, the fats drain away, which is fantastic! The plates are interchangeable so I can make waffles, or bake pancakes, fry bacon- and with 84 inches of cooking space, it’s a perfect size for my family.  And the plates can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy clean up, which is a big plus in my house. This is a fabulous indoor electric grill that I know I will enjoy using for many years. With it’s sleek red exterior it even looks great in my kitchen if I don’t get a chance to put it away. No doubt about it, I have become a huge fan of George Foreman grilling.

Suddenly there is so much to do around town it’s hard to pick our favorite for the day. We love our fun family weekends, especially if we take an extra day off and make it a nice long weekend. The weather is perfect for long hikes and afternoon basketball, soccer or football. Then you can just back and relax on the couch with hot chocolate, popcorn, and a movie. Does it really get any better?

Our big state fair is going on right now, where we read the new fried food for this year is fried pecan pie. Because pecan pie doesn’t already back enough calories in it….? It’s a great family day spent there, but it will cost you - I think our friends went the other day and easily spent over $120 for their family of four. Wow! But they said they had an amazing time and would absolutely do it again.

Sunday breakfasts were always a big deal in our house. It was family time, and Dad was the one who loved making our big Sunday breakfast. Eggs and homefries with bacon, buttermilk pancakes with sausage.  Waking up to the smell of breakfast cooking and coffee brewing was wonderful. And it still is. Now the Dad in our house still makes the pancakes, he’s a pro. He gets out our big non-stick double griddle and whips up enough pancakes to last us the week.

Before we had a double burner griddle making pancakes took forever. But now we easily cook 8 pancakes or so at a time and now we all get to sit down and enjoy the warm, fresh pancakes in record time.  It’s nice actually sitting down together for breakfast instead of eating in shifts. We’ve certainly found that having a quality stainless steel fry pan makes many of our stovetop cooking go so much smoother.  

Another great thing about this time of year is….football season! While we don’t get out to as many games as we’d like to, it’s great family fun to watch the games together, and munch on some great football snacks like chips and salsa or a big, delicious hero.

One of our favorite teams, the Carolina Panthers, is having a very good year so far. Itwill be interesting to see what the season has in store for them!

Clay is probably one of the lesser known cookware materials used in today’s kitchens. Not nearly as mainstream as aluminum, cast iron, stainless steel, or copper, clay cookware is actually another excellent choice in kitchenware and something worth considering for your kitchen cookware collection, especially if you enjoy roasting or baking your meals. The covered clay bakers are noted for creating healthier, juicy, tasty roasts as the entrees cook in their own natural juices versus the need for any added fats.

 You’ll find more details in attached clay cooking article article that can give you some insights to it’s use, history, and versatility. Now that you’l be having the oven on more, wouldn’t it be fun to cook your next roast in a clay baker?

Today is September 22nd, so fall has officially arrived, though the weather the past few days ushered it in early. Around town the stores and garden centers have beautiful mums and pumpkins on display. The colors are so vivid and inviting, I find it hard to pick just a few mums and pumpkins for the porch. 

Normally we wait until October and hit the local farmer’s market, but the plants were so healthy and the pumpkins such a nice size at a surprisingly reasonable price, well, we couldn’t resist! So at our home we’ve officially said goodbye to summer and hello to Autumn. We were ready anyway since the mosquitos were getting a little too plentiful - they are one thing about summer that we will not miss.

We thought it would be fun to do a product review now and again based on our own personal experience or those of our customers.  Since it’s such a great “all-around” skillet, we decided to start with this fabulous stainless steel chef’s pan by Gourmet Standard.

They have a great reputation and offer a great variety of quality frying pans, skillets and more. When Cook’s Illustrated did reviews on saute pans, their pan was reviewed comparable to All Clad, for a lot less money. So if you are in the market for some good cookware at a fair price, you have to check out the latest offerings from Gourmet Standard.

One of the magazines my young son gets is called “Highlights“.  It’s a great little magazine, it has a couple of cute age-appropriate stories, a picture puzzle or two, a recipe, and usually a game you can cut out and play on the last pages. Very sweet, though he is just about on the verge of outgrowing it, so I’ll have to be on the lookout for a good replacement - we know kids love getting mail!

We usually try the recipes and this last issue’s recipe was so easy - chocolate covered bananas. Here’s how simple it was: Cut 2 bananas in 1/2, place a popsicle stick in each, freeze for 30 minutes (we put ours on wax paper on a tray & added a couple of strawberries too)- then microwave 1 cup of chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for about a minute until melted. Let your child dip/swirl the bananas in the chocolate- freeze again for 30 minutes and that’s it. My son loved making it and eating it - and what kid wouldn’t?

Part of the enjoyment of a delicious dinner is wondering what kind of yummy dessert will be served after it.  I don’t know about you, but I always make sure I leave enough room for dessert. Whether it’s gelato, pie, cake, pastries, or some other scrumptious treat, it’s hard to pass up a taste.

Homemade desserts are wonderful too! And they can also be great fun to experiment with.  Running out of ideas?  Here are a few tasty desserts and special treat ideas that can give you some perfect starting points.