Kitchen Products

A fondue set says fun to me.  It reminds me of high school French class and trying to learn all the culinary words in that language, and of parties since then, where my friends and I sipped and dipped, made a huge mess, and enjoyed delicious food.

Fondue actually originated in Switzerland, but the word root is from the French “fondre”, which means “to melt”—a communal dish shared at a dining table, simmering in a pot on a portable burner.  Most of the time, fondue consists of bits of bread dipped in melted cheese, but other foods are also used in fondue, including chocolate sauces where fruit or pastry is dipped.  Yum!

…and you like to cook, you’ve got to have a Dutch oven.  One of my fondest childhood memories involves my favorite aunt, and how she would simmer homemade chili or stew in a Dutch oven all day long on her wood-burning stove.  It was a wonderful tradition for inclement weather, and the entire house smelled amazing for hours.

My aunt’s Dutch oven had belonged to her mother–my grandmother–so its origins were a good 50 years ago.   Predecessors of the slow cookers of today, Dutch ovens are traditional cast iron cookware that lasts at least one lifetime—and quite possibly, more than one generation.  (My aunt still promises that one day I will inherit her Dutch oven.)

 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!