Archive for Awesome Kitchen Accessory
Another Week Gone… But I Went Shopping!
Yes, it has been yet another week since I have submitted a post and I hope everybody had a lovely Thanksgiving. I am happy to report I am fully recovered from my sushi-sickness, but was burnt out from working 6 days in a row. Today was my first day off and I was completely lazy until I traded my PJ’s for jeans around 2pm. It was utterly delightful! I watched trashy TV, drank too much coffee and had cake for breakfast. Yippee!
Anyways, I have lots to update you on. I baked for almost 6 hours straight last Wednesday Night and will share each of my treats I baked with you over the next few days. But today, I wanted to share with you what I rewarded myself with for having such long work week. I had a $50 gift card to World Market that had been sitting on my night stand for months and today was the perfect day to use it!
Initially my boyfriend and I had discussed using the gift card to go toward a new furniture purchase for our living… but today I thought otherwise. I quickly passed the furniture section not seeing anything all that appealing and headed straight for the kitchen section! To the typical person, these purchases aren’t all that exciting… but they made me very happy!
It all began with a new cookie sheet! Seeing that I bake so many cookies, probably thousands a year, a shiny new cookie sheet is a very exciting thing! The next purchase was a flour sifter. Again, nothing uber thrilling… but I will now have fluffier cakes and smoother frosting! Awesome! On to the cookie cutters… I was hoping to stock up on some awesome holiday cookies cutters, but World Market hadn’t got them in yet, so I got a circle… simple yet versatile! My last purchase in the kitchenware section was an awesome microplane. It’s got a zester, a scoring blade and garnish cutter all in one! I can’t wait to use it!
I meandered from the kitchen center to the expansive wine section of the store (one of the many reasons why I LOVE this store!) I stumbled upon a bottle of wine called “Layer Cake” and this was an instant must buy for me simply because of the name. For an inexpensive red wine, it was quite delightful. The write up on the back of the bottle equates it preparation and taste to eating a luscious layer cake and I surely agree! The flavor was rich yet smooth and yummy! My final purchase was a wine stopper and pourer… a neat little gadget that allows you to fully seal your wine- yet make it easy to pour when you are ready for another glass! A perfect kitchen gadget for this wine drinker!
Today was totally about pampering myself after a long week… with a little AM indulgence and laziness and some afternoon retail therapy, I think I am ready to face another week on the psych. unit! (Good thing its only a 4 day work week!)
Happy Baking and Indulging!
-Kristy
Pie Recipes, Round Four!
Finally! The last and final round of pie recipes has arrived. Yes, it is time to share the recipe for Garlicky Mac-And-Cheese Florentine Pie! This is the infamous pie that I was 18-minutes-too-late in submitting to Pillsbury for the Pillsbury Bake-Off Monthly Challenge. Bummer! But just because Pillsbury won’t be getting this recipe, doesn’t mean you can’t get it either!
So it took me a little more work to really perfect the recipe, but I think I got it! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mac-And-Cheese… it is totally my comfort food, so it was very important to me to make this recipe as tasty as possible. Here are a couple suggestions to yield best results… use freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, as well as freshly minced garlic rather than garlic from a jar (about a year ago I got an awesome garlic press and have become OBSESSED with it! I use fresh garlic in everything! It makes such a difference!) Lastly, keep some dental floss and some mints close by! Spinach stuck in your teeth along with garlic breath is not the most attractive (but this pie is soo worth the flossing and minting!)
Sorry there is only one picture above… post pie tasting my man and I gobbled this up so fast I forgot to snap a photo of the slice… buts here’s a visual description… warm, melty, gooey cheese oozing out of a golden crust with crisp green flecks of spinach scattered throughout… Hope that helps make your mouth water! I know mine is!
Garlicky Mac & Cheese Florentine Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
- 8 oz. Elbow Macaroni
- 3 TBS Butter
- 5 TBS Minced Garlic
- 5 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed
- 3 TBS Flour
- 1 1/2 Cups Milk
- 2 Cups Shredder Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400F. Roll pie crust into 9 inch glass pie dish according to box directions. Set aside. Cook elbow pasta according to directions. Set aside and keep warm.
- In large sauce pan, heat 2 TBS Butter and 3 TBS Garlic. Sauté until garlic browns slightly, then add and sauté spinach. Whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in milk. Mix in Cheese. Combine cheese mixture and pasta, and then add to pie dish. Set aside.
- In small pan, melt 1 TBS butter. Add 2 TBS minced garlic and sauté 1 minute until warm. Remove from heat and add bread crumbs to butter and garlic. Combine well then top pie with crumb mixture. Cover gently with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes, cut, serve and enjoy!
Happy Baking!
An Early Birthday Gift!
My birthday is coming up at the end of the month and my mother recently asked me to send her a list of a couple things I wanted as gifts. One item on my list was a yogurt maker. Yesterday when I got home from work there was a large box waiting for me in my living room. I opened it up, and found the Waring Pro YM350 Yogurt Maker along with EuroCuisine Yogurt Maker Starter Kit from my parents. How Exciting! I’ve recently been reading how many store bought yogurts loose lots of their nutritional value mostly because of how much processed sugar is added to it. (I know, I know… this fact coming from the girl who can’t pass up cakes, cookies, chocolate, pastry or any other sugary treat. Here’s my thing… I do my best to eat my cookies, cakes and treats 
in moderation and try to cut unnecessary sugar in other parts of my diet. I may LOVE treats, but also understand the importance of eating healthy!) I’ve also read how simple it is to make your own yogurt at home, so I thought I should give it a try.
I quite obviously HAD to try out my new yogurt maker last night. It seemed pretty simple to make… heat milk to 180 degree, let cool to 111, stir in yogurt started, poor into jars, put the jars in incubator and leave it alone for 7 hours. For me, it was a bit more complicated as I only had a digital meat thermometer that informs if food is rare, medium, well done, etc. Well with a little research, I learned that “Well Done” usually means food is 160 
degrees or higher and “Rare” is about 120… So I was able to make some educated guesses, but will be investing in a traditional food thermometer soon!
I woke early this morning to transfer my yogurt from the incubator into the fridge to chill and went back to bed. When I got up a few hours later, the yogurt was perfectly chilled and ready to eat! I opened up a jar, and it was smooth and creamy. I took a bite and it tasted just what I knew plain yogurt to taste like, a bit tart, and a little bit sweet. I decided to add a little bit of Pumpkin Butter and granola on top, to add just a touch of sweetness. I really liked that I was able to control the amount of sugar going into my yogurt. It was a delightfully delicious breakfast! I am looking forward to adding berries and fruit, maybe some nuts and other healthier choices. If you have any favorite yogurt toppings, send them my way! I also think this yogurt maker will come in handy in my cake baking. I love adding sour cream or plain or vanilla yogurt to my cakes to keep them moist and dense.
I am so pumped about my new gift! Thanks mom and dad!
Happy Baking and Yogurt Making!
-KM
A Delightful Discovery at Trader Joes!
There is a Trader Joe’s a couple blocks from my work and I decided to pop in today to find something delicious for dinner and to simply browse. Not too long ago my friend Caroline (Who has an awesome food blog that you should check out as well!) blogged about Pumpkin Butter from Trader Joe’s and I have secretly been thinking about it ever since. It sounded soo intriguing. Caroline blogged on how she put it on oat meal and on other fantastic treats. So I made a pit-stop in condiment isle, as this was not a dairy butter, but another version of peanut butter, to see if I could find it.
First of all, I had no idea how many different kids of butter spreads there are! Of course I saw many versions of peanut butter, but there was also almond butter, and quite a few more that I can’t quite recall! It was overwhelming! But finally, close to the bottom shelf was pumpkin butter… and it was only $2.50 so it fit in my budget easily!
I was so excited to try it when I finally got home, but realized I had nothing to put it on… bummer! Of course that would not stop me! I popped open the jar, scooped a spoonful and tasted… OMG IT WAS LIKE THANKSGIVING DAY DESSERT IN ONE LITTLE BITE! It was not quite what I expected, but soo delicious. I anticipated the consistency to be thick like peanut butter, but it was thinner, and fell somewhere in between honey and chocolate sauce. I think what I was most impressed with was the big, bold flavor on such a little scoop! I thought it just might taste like a sweetened version of pumpkin, but the depth of flavor was so much greater. You can totally taste bits of nutmeg and cinnamon, maybe even some all spice. It was like the warm flavor of a crisp fall day in my mouth… simply delightful!
Just in tasting this I knew there were tons of great things I could do with it. My first thoughts were that I could glaze a challah bread with it, add some to the pumpkin cookies I make for Thanksgiving, dip apples in it, even drizzle it on apple pie. The side of the label also gave suggestions of using it as a pastry filling (Mmm… this just might be the perfect filling for a fall spice cake!!), putting it on ice cream and mixing it with cream cheese to create another version of a spread. MMM my mouth is watering as I simply type all these tasty ideas!
I am so pumped about this discovery and its versatility in the realm of baking! I may even run out tonight to pick up some moist and flaky sweet bread to have it with for breakfast tomorrow… This Pumpkin Butter is so worth a try! Will keep you updated on how I use it in upcoming baking ventures!
Happy Baking!
-KM
The Best Chocolate Cook Book Ever!
I believe one of the best investments anyone can make is a book. And I have tons of them. Fiction, nonfiction, text, reference and cook books… I love ‘em! I wanted to share with you briefly one of my favorite Chocolate Cook books… Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham with photographs by William Meppem. The cakes and desserts in this book are simply amazing, easy to follow and dangerously decadent. I am addicted to one of her most basic recipes, Luscious Chocolate Layer Cake. It super rich, moist and has a big, bold chocolate flavor. I made the cake into cupcakes that I brought into work not too long ago. The cupcakes were gone in minutes and I was getting requests to bring more in! Requests for more are always good signs of a great cake!
In addition to sharing cake, pudding, ice cream, mousse, custard and souffle recipes, Longbotham provides and intro the history of chocolate, how it’s processed, and even reviews the health benefits of it! (She’s my kind of lady! I’ll take any excuse to eat more chocolate!) She also has a section of the book about how to work with chocolate in baking, provides some simple baking tips, conversation tables and instruction on the proper way to use particular baking tools. Her book has not only become my chocolate bible, but also has been an awesome reference book when a recipe goes a-rye! It has a permanent place on my counter now whenever I am baking something new. I think one of the best ways to tell how good a cook book is, it by how many spots and sticky pages it has… and mine has tons! (Hence, I provided you with a pic. of her book from the Internet!) I got this book as a gift, but is so worth the $20 investment! Check it out for yourself!
Happy Baking and Reading!
-KM
An Aspiring Chef’s Paradise!
I recently discovered a wonderful store, Surfa’s. This store is technically a commercial kitchen supply store, but is very user friendly to the semi-professional baker such as myself. They have EVERTYTHING you can think of! Its where I picked up my fantastic marble rolling pin. The staff are super friendly and really know their stuff! I could seriously spend hours in this store wandering and asking questions.
This is not just a typical supply store. They also have Cafe Surfa’s attached to the store that smells divine every time I walk in. It features breakfast, lunch and AMAZING looking desserts. I haven’t had a chance yet to taste– but don’t you worry I’ll take care of that soon enough!
Lastly, they always offer demo’s, classes and info sessions that feature well known chefs. Surfa’s just released their fall schedule, which features lots of baking and pastry classes… breads, cakes, gourmet cup cakes and cake decorating. The prices vary from free for some demo’s to classes for around $50. Check out the new schedule by clicking here.
Go meander around the store for yourself! Its freaking awesome!
Happy Baking and Shopping!
-KM
An Adorable Kitchen Accessory
I wanted to share an adorable kitchen accessory I picked up last week at Pier 1 Imports- my part time place of employment. (Yes, I bet I can guess what you are thinking… she works full time at a hospital, works part time at a store, and has a personal business and a blog— yup she’s crazy!… I just say I enjoy being busy!) These are ceramic nesting measuring cups and I just thought they were too darling to pass up! On top of that it was marked down to $3.50! Talk about a great steal! They have little spouts so they can be used for both dry and wet ingredients which is super convenient. Drop in a Pier 1 near you to get yourself a set!
So they might have been a completely unnecessary purchase since I already have a couple sets of measuring cups, but they made me happy. And sometimes, that’s all that really matter!
Happy Baking, Shopping and Accessorizing!
-KM
The Best Gift My Sister Ever Sent Me!
A few months ago my sister, (who is known for giving the most fabulous gifts such as a Kate Spade planner for graduation, Tiffany Jewelry for being in her wedding… you get the idea!) sent me a completely random gift in the mail. It was the book Julie and Julia written by Julie Powell. At this point, there were no commercials about the movie, and I had never even heard anything about the project Julie had begun. But, this was the most perfect and best gift for me, knowing my interest.
I literally just finished reading the book about 5 minutes ago. It had come to be my lunch time escape from the chaos and mayhem that is working on a locked psych unit. I was bummed today when I had about 10 pages to go… but had already run over my lunch break by about 10 minutes. I got in from work, put on comfortable clothes, and snuggled up on the coach with my pup, and iced soy latte (also a recent obsession) and the last pages of Julie and Julie. And, all I can say is, and in tribute to the author Julie- What a f***ing fabulous book!
What I love so much about it, really was Julie. I totally appreciate how she put her self out there, telling the world about all her neurotic tendencies, wanting to give up at times on what some considered to be a silly project, but wouldn’t. I could totally relate to her! and I am sure, my boyfriend at times could relate to her husband! She knew there was a greater meaning to it all for her and it seems to me there really was. I also seriously commend her on her bravery. Murdering lobsters, cooking brain, boning a duck and retrieving marrow from a bone are things that I don’t consider to be typical cooking challenges. She took it all on, with some hysterical fits in between and accomplished a great task. Julie, you fucking rock. You might just be my new idle, aside from Martha Stewart that is.
Also, her book reminded me of my own love for Julia Child. Growing up in Boston meant Julia’s show was always on PBS. I remember I used to watch with my Dad on Sunday mornings. I am sure I have tried some of her recipes at some point, as I am sure my father was the only other brave enough person I know to attempt one! Julia Child is simply a legend in the cooking world.. and I have been ridiculously excited to see that they have been rerunning her shows on PBS over the last couple weeks.
So I’ve refused to see the movie until I have finished the book, and have plans to go see it this weekend hopefully. Kate and I will proabaly go bakery tasting then off to the movie. Pretty much everybody I know that knows I am into cooking has asked me if I have seen it and I can’t wait to tell them all I finally have. So stay tuned over the next couple days to read my review!
Lastly, thank you again Jillian for another thoughtful gift. And for those of you who haven’t read it, you NEED to go get a copy!
Happy Baking and Reading All!
-KM
PS- Julie Powell still Blogs! Check it out by clicking here!
Meet my Sous Chef!
I wanted to take a minute here to introduce my Sous Chef. She is probably the best Sous chef in the world. She’s great at keeping the floors clean, doing the dishes and is always willing to lend a helping hand… or paw that is…
Please allow me to Introduce the cutest Puppy Sous Chef in the World… Meiko!
She is cute, isn’t she?!?
I would go ahead and say her cuisine is primarily meat based… she could care less about being in the kitchen when I’m baking and is usually sleeping… but if its steak or chicken for dinner, she sitting next to me hoping for a scap!
Later this week I will be expirmenting with homemade dog treat! Will let you know if it gets the Meiko Seal of Approval!
Happy Baking!
-KM
Say Hello To My Little Friend!
My life in baking has now changed FOREVER! Yes, it will never be the same again, due to a recent purchase… Please say ‘Hello’ to my Black Onyx KitchenAid Stand Mixer! She’s a beauty, isn’t she?!?!
Although the addition of this mixer will seriously decrease the size of my right bicep from hand-mixing, it has made my baking life soo much easier. My homemade butter cream frosting has never been smoother, my homemade fruit dip is now lacking in lumps, and creaming butter and sugar has never been easier. This has to be one of the best baking investments ever!
One of the best parts of this purchase was the neat little booklet kitchen included with the mixer. It reviews each attachment, what it should be used for (i.e. cake batter, bread dough, etc) and even offers some awesome recipes. I totally sat down and read it cover to cover— and enjoyed every minute of it (and its official… I’m a baking nerd!) So if you purchase this mixer… the instruction booklet is a must read!
Although these mixers can be a bit pricey… it is sooo worth it! A little shopping tip here— keep your eyes open for sales at Department stores like Macy’s, Sear’s, and J.C.Penny— these mixers frequently go on sale and sometimes have rebate offers for free attachments! Any money you can save in this economy is super helpful!
Happy Baking all!
-KM
