You Won’t Need a Green Thumb with an Aero Garden

In summer, herbs grow easily outdoors. But in wintertime, herb gardens need to be moved indoors. And that’s when this Aero Garden comes in handy. It’s not exactly a kitchen “gadget.” Still, it’s something any good cook has just gotta have!

You can grow fresh herbs from your kitchen counter. And you won’t need a “green thumb” to do it.

Check out all the different Aero Gardens and get ready for wintertime cooking.

You’re sure to find an indoor herb garden that’s just right for you!

The French Press – For the Perfect Cup of Coffee

I use an automatic drip coffee maker to make my morning brew because it’s quick and convenient. But yesterday afternoon I wanted a special treat as I was writing, so I dug around in the back of my pantry and found my French Press.

I ground some fresh coffee beans, poured filtered water into a pan and heated it, then spooned the ground coffee into the French Press (also called a press pot). When the water was the perfect temperature (it should be around 190 to 200 degrees F.), I carefully poured it into the French Press and let the coffee brew for about 4 minutes. Then I pressed the metal filter down to trap all the coffee grounds before I poured myself the perfect cup of coffee and put the remaining coffee from the pot into a carafe. Ahhh…what a treat!

If you love coffee, but you don’t own a French Press, you owe it to yourself to buy one. They aren’t expensive and they really are the best way to brew the most flavorful cup of coffee.

Click here to find a French Press and also order gourmet coffee.

Invest in a Good Scone Pan!

Nordic Ware Scottish Scone & Cornbread Pan

When I do product samplings at area stores, customers always ask me how I manage to create scones that are such perfect triangles.

There’s no magic trick to this. I just use a scone pan.

Nordic Ware Scottish Scone & Cornbread Pan

Sampling Scones and Selling Scone Pans at Cockrell’s Mercantile

In the Kansas City area you’ll find scone pans at Pryde’s of Westport and Cockrell’s Mercantile.

You can also order scone pans by clicking here:
Nordic Ware Scottish Scone & Cornbread Pan

Corn Butter Holder – Another “Gotta-Have” Gadget

from Judy, Ferril, Local Food Connections

“Summertime and the living is easy” as the famous song goes and that means it is time for grilling and great summertime food.

A favorite in our family is grilled corn on the cob. There is nothing like bringing home that paper sack of fresh picked sweet corn and getting it ready for the grill. Since the kids liked to help, we prepared it the easy way…

1. Pull of the husks and remove the silk. You can get off any excess strands of corn silk by running a damp paper towel down the cob. They should pull away and be gone.

2. Tear off pieces of aluminum foil that will completely roll around the corn.

3. Put a dab of butter/margarine on each piece of aluminum foil. You can also use the margarine spray (in the refrigerated section by the butters/margarines).

4. Roll the corn around in the butter. Season each piece with a bit of fresh ground pepper and coarse ground salt. If you have kids, they might not like the pepper, but give it a try.

5. Roll the aluminum foil around the corn to enclose it.

6. Pop the corn on the grill for about 20 – 25 mins (depending on the size of the ears). Turn occasionally.

7. Now for the fun part – and this can also be the messy part.

Unroll that gorgeous piece of corn and slather it with butter and go for it. The slathering is the messy part, especially with kids. The other part of the butter thing is that you can end up with pepper and corn and an indent in the top of your butter for the summer.
Butter Spreader 5416
You will love this one! Here is the perfect kitchen gadget that will keep your butter looking like a stick of butter all through the corn season. I was given one as a gift years ago and absolutely love it.

Corn Butter Holder

There are a several options available and in various price ranges. My experience is with one similar to the Fox Run Craftsman model. Jacard makes excellent, high quality products also.

So enjoy that corn even more with this wonderful little butter spreader and take the mess out of cleaning up.

The Palm Peeler: Another “Gotta Have” Kitchen Gadget!

TODAY’S FOOD TIP

Just when I thought I’d seen every kind of food peeler out there, I ran across this new Palm Peeler. It’s designed “for contoured peeling of fruits and vegetables.”

The Palm Peeler slides onto your finger, then fits in the palm of your hand for almost effortless peeling.

This is surely the latest gadget we’ve all “gotta have” for our kitchens. Don’t you think?

Make Life Easier with a Mango Splitter!

WEDNESDAY’S FOOD TIP

Splitting a mango is often a guessing game. The trick is to cut around the seed without wasting much of the precious fruit and ending up with sticky fingers.

Since we purchased a mango splitter several months ago we’ve been eating mangoes more often and have become quite fond of this luscious fruit.

The mango splitter from Oxo takes the guesswork out of splitting a mango and eliminates the sticky fingers. It works just like an apple corer (except you end up with 2 large pieces of mango while an apple corer usually divides an apple into ten pieces).

Once you’ve split a mango with this great little tool, follow these illustrated instructions for dicing the fruit (just use the mango splitter in place of Step 1). Then try this recipe for Mango Salsa from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine.

Monkey Bread Baker – Another “Gotta Have” Kitchen Gadget

FRIDAY’S FOOD TIP

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned…gulp…55! Yikes!

I went from comfortably “middle-aged” to a “senior-citzen” in a single day.

How did that happen?

I’m sure that in a few days I really will appreciate all these “senior-citzen discounts” I’m now entitled too.

It just takes a little time to get used to this new label I’ve acquired, I guess.

Anyway, I had a wonderful birthday. Some fellow writer friends and I spent the morning at our favorite spot – the coffeeshop in a bookstore, of course.

And my friends brought presents. Yippeee!!

They know me well, too. There were all sorts of kitchen gadgets and fun things for cooking. I loved everything!!! Thank you! thank you!

But here is one of the most beautiful and unusual items I received. It’s called a Monkey Bread Baker.

If you’ve never had Monkey Bread, it’s a delicious bread made with biscuit dough that you simply break apart and serve. I’ve always made it in a bread pan. But now I can bake and serve it in this gorgeous Monkey Bread Baker.

My Monkey Bread Baker was created by Vicki Gauerke of Topeka, Kansas, and purchased at The Phoenix Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas.

As you can see, it’s a beautiful piece of crockery. Plus, it is lead free, dishwasher safe, and ovenproof. To use it for Monkey Bread, it needs to be filled with the ingredients, then placed in a cold oven and the oven turned on and allowed to heat to 375 degrees as called for in the Monkey Bread recipe.

Here are two yummy recipes that came with the baker:

Savory Monkey Bread

2 tubes of Pillsbury Hungry Jack Flaky biscuits
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped dried chives
1 tsp. dry dill weed
Dash of garlic powder

Butter pan. Melt butter and put it in pan. Add cheese, chives, dill weed and garlic. Split biscuits. Spread halves with butter-cheese mixture. Stand biscuit halves on edge. Fill pan in this manner. Lay extra pieces across top. Put into a cold oven and set the temperature at 375 Degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.

Cinnamon-Raisin Monkey Bread

Instead of cheese, chives, dill weed, and garlic, use 1/2 c. raisins, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/4 c. nuts. While hot, remove from pan and glaze. Mix 1/4 c. powdered sugar, a little vanilla, and a little milk to make a medium thick paste. Use this to glaze.

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For wholesale information about “heavenly gourmet mixes” from the Three Angels Gourmet Co. visit Beyond the Expected Marketing.

For retail sales of gourmet coffees and teas, plus Today’s Read, visit Heavenly Java.

The Screwpull Citrus Juicer – Another “Gotta Have” Kitchen Gadget!

SUNDAY’S FOOD TIP

If you keep up with this blog fairly regularly, I know what you’re thinking – She has every juicer known to the modern world. Why is she recommending yet another one?

Well, here’s why.

I love my electric juicer. But, since it’s electric, it’s not much good on picnics or camping trips.

My old-fashioned glass juicer is one of my prized possessions. My mother gave it to me years ago, so either she used to use it, or my grandmother did, which gives it great sentimental value. Plus, I just think it looks so cute and quaint on a shelf in my kitchen.

But, since it’s made of glass, it doesn’t travel well either. I certainly wouldn’t want to break it, lugging it around outside on a picnic. Another drawback with this little juicer is that the seeds go right into the juice. That means I have to use a separate strainer with it.

Alas…the Screwpull Citrus Juicer has none of these drawbacks. In fact, I don’t even have to halve the lemon or orange or whatever fruit I’m juicing. I just slide the whole fruit onto the juicer. A little strainer keeps the seeds from joining the juice. And, of course, I don’t need electricity to use this handy little gadget either.

So, you see. There really are reasons to have a variety of juicers.

To find out where you can buy your own Screwpull Citrus Juicer, visit their website.

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Retail Customers

If you can’t find our “heavenly gourmet mixes” in a store near you, then order them right here at this blog. Click on the photo at right for product information and to place your order.

Wholesale Customers

For wholesale information, and to place your wholesale order, visit Beyond the Expected Marketing.

The Perfect Pitcher for Sun Tea – Another Gadget You Just “Gotta Have”

TUESDAY’S FOOD TIP:

Gee. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to find any new and interesting “gotta have” gadgets for the kitchen. But when I saw this Sangria Pitcher from www.williams-sonoma.com in the June issue of COUNTRY LIVING magazine, I knew I’d found another gadget I just “gotta have.”

In the summer I love to make sun tea. I don’t know why, but for some reason it always makes me feel like I’m getting a productive start on my day if I put a clear jar filled with water and several tea bags out on the back deck in the morning, so that by early afternoon I have a fresh jar of sun tea. This pitcher will be even better than the clear glass jar I’ve been using. After the tea has brewed in the sun I can put ice in the special insert to cool off the tea without watering it down. The pitcher is actually called a Sangria Pitcher, so I guess I’ll just have to use it for Sangria this summer too. This pitcher is only available online from www.williams-sonoma.com – don’t look for it in their stores.

TODAY’S PRODUCT SPECIAL

Wholesale Customers: Come to the June Kansas City Gift Show this weekend and sample our simply splendid sugar cookie mix. But order it today and get one case (12 packages plus one package for sampling) for our lowest discounted price. Contact Debra Steiner of Beyond the Expected Marketing at 913-963-1733 for details.

Tags: Sun Tea—Food tips—Gourmet food—Sugar Cookie