Happy Friday and welcome to our new Friday feature, 5 FRIDAY FAVES! Every Friday my girls and I will answer the question, "What's your favorite______?" And we will give you our answers and tell you why they are our favorites. If you have been following us for long, you know that there are only 4 of us, so that means that each week either one of us will cheat and give 2 answers, or we will interview a special guest to give us their take. And, guess what! I get to come up with the questions! I have been coming up with some good ones, so I am really excited! Don't worry, we will put links to the things we list so that you can get hold of them if you want to see if our favorites become your favorites as well. This week's question is starting off simply. It is, "What is your favorite kitchen gadget?" We will begin with my answer first: I chose a new item that I just treated myself to right before Christmas. It is a Citrus Zester. For years, I have zested lemons with the skinny side of the cheese grater. I would be lucky to get a tsp of zest for my recipes. It was even worse when the skin of the lemon or orange was some what smooth. But, no more! Look at all of that zest from just one orange! The zester I am using is from Everyday Living. There is a similar one here. There are many different varieties though, like this one that fits in your palm, or this one by OXO, or this type that both peels and zests. I haven't gotten to use mine a lot yet, but so far I love it. Next up is Madalynn. Madalynn chose something we have talked about before on this post and it goes hand- in-hand with my choice: The Lemon or Lime Squeezer! Madalynn loves it because it makes getting the juice from a lemon or lime so easy, it keeps the seeds out, and your hands don't get sticky! You can find one like we use here for only $7! I love the pretty yellow color, but if I had seen this one in red, I may have gotten it! (It would match my Kitchen Aid). This one has a stainless steel, anti-corrosive finish. Lindsey weighs in with a fun little gadget: This is a spiralizer! You can find one like it here.. Lindsey loves it because she can use it to make zucchini noodles, or zoodles, really easily just by pressing and turning. Since she and her husband are the only ones they are presently cooking for, this small one really does the trick. It can also be used for different types of squash or even carrots. If your family is larger than just 2, there are larger ones, or even an attachment for your Kitchen Aid! (hmmm...) Last, but not least, Alicia gets to be the cheater and share 2 gadgets this week. She couldn't decide between them, so we let her be the first one to share 2 things. First, is her hand held egg beater that her dad and I gave her for Christmas last year in a preparedness package. We gave our kids these to have in case of emergency, you know, in case of a power outage or the Zombie Apocalypse. (just kidding). I was surprised and happy to hear that it has become one of her favorite go to gadgets! She says she tends to pull it out instead of her hand mixer, (the electric one) because it is easier and when her little son cooks with her, he likes to turn it. She even uses it to mix together her dry ingredients. This one by OXO is ergonomically engineered to be held with one hand more easily. But, if you are really into vintage style, this one will fit the bill. This one also looks easy to hold and is billed as super fast. The funny thing is I gave these to our kids, but failed to get one for myself. I think it is a really good idea to have things that work without electricity in your arsenal of gadgets. Finally, item #5 is Alicia's can opener. It doesn't have a brand on it. It just says, "Made in the USA". In a world of electric can openers, this may seem a simple thing. Once again, it is wise to have something that opens cans that is not electric. Alicia says that this can opener has lasted longer than any other one she has had and that it opens cans like they are made of butter. The handle is easy to turn without killing your hand and forearm. 87% of the people who reviewed it give it 5 stars. Another option to check out is this one by OXO. OXO makes a smooth edge can opener. I haven't used it, but I wonder if it is as good. It has mostly good reviews. Well, there you have it, our first list of Friday Faves! Have you used any of these gadgets and loved them? Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget that you love? Please tell us about them in the comments. Also, if you would like a chance to be featured as the #5 spot on Friday Faves, let us know that as well!
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Lindsey and I were talking about Valentine's Day, (she has never been a fan), but I was trying to think of something to do for my grandchildren for the holiday and she remembered a time when she was little when I put little heart baskets by each of their places at breakfast. AWWW! It did my heart good to think that she remembered that, even though she prefers to celebrate Arizona Statehood Day! Well, that motivated me to get to work making something for my grandchildren. Since 5 of them live a number of states away, the earlier the better so I can get everything in the mail on time.
I am a sucker for cute fabric. I went to Walmart and I love their little fat quarters that they have, all color coordinated starting at just 97 cents. Look what I came home with!
Of course, I had to get the owl fabrics!
I decided to use it to make my granddaughters some little owl shaped purses that I can tuck some Valentines into.
I started by drawing the owl shape that I wanted to use. I actually made it symetrical the old fashioned way, by folding the paper in half to cut it out like I would a heart. Here is what I got. It kind of reminds me of the owl rice bags I made here. My original drawing looks like this:
Then I just copied the parts to make the pattern pieces. You could do this with any animal or shape you wanted to turn into a purse or stuffed animal. Here is the pattern for you to copy if you want to use it. Just click on the button.
Here is how I made the purse. Just click on the photos for directions.
If you want to remove the freezer paper from the back of the pieces, you can stop sewing when you are partially finished, and tear it out easily. I just left it in, it adds body to the purse and doesn't hurt anything. If you use fusible web, there is no need to do anything. I love my cute heart pins. Here are some similar to them. They would make a cute little Valentine's gift to someone who sews.
After you have sewn the body together, sew together the lining fabric in the same manner.
You can actually make the strap skinnier or shorter, I just wanted mine wide enough to show the owl print. When I make the next one for my other granddaughter, I will mix up the fabric choices a bit so they will be able to tell them apart. Also, because it is fun! Remember, this is an original creation, so there are no mistakes! Whatever you decide to do with your owl is up to you! I know my granddaughters witll love them inspite of any flaws.
I am really happy with the results! I hope you have fun with it! You could just stuff it and make it into a stuffed animal. But I like the idea of putting in the conversation hearts, stickers and other fun things that the girls will love.
Now, I just need to make somethng for my grandsons! I think I have a great idea! I 'll whip it up and show you next week.
Also, next Thursday, Lindsey will be starting her healthy menu choices segment, so watch for that! The other girls have some great things in the works as well! We are so excited!
Hey, Alicia here again with another great Ecuadorian recipe from my husband; Pan de Yuca. I think that literally translates to "Yuca Bread" but in English we call it cheese bread.
As you can see it's not cheese bread like is normally thought of when one talks about cheese bread. Cheese is the main ingredient in these delicious little buns. So instead of just having cheese sprinkled on top of bread this is literally cheese bread.
This bread has an ingredient that isn't found in most grocery stores here in the USA. Yuca starch, yuca harina, or sometimes called tapioca starch, can be found at Latin markets (our local market is called Rancho Market). We like the Goya Brand tapioca starch. You can also get it on Amazon.
When my husband first started making his bread for us he used this recipe from Laylita's recipes. Over time he has changed the recipe to have the bread turn out as he likes them. Laylita has a lot of fun and delicious Ecuadorian dishes on her website so it's worth a gander to check out her site.
Click through the gallery below to see the process in action of making these. They are very easy to make. Usually he only uses one type of cheese but since he was making them for a large family this time, he had to use 4 different cheeses to have enough dough, and the results were very delicious and flavorful.
Click on the button below to get the recipe. I'll post a few tips below too.
As you can see from these ingredients, this is gluten free! So if you have celiac friends, this should be safe for them to have!
I hope you get to try these and enjoy them. We'll probably post soon about the yogurt drink that goes with them so stay tuned! Let us know if you have tried the recipe and what you think. Or if you have any questions, post it in the comments below! With the New Year underway, many of us are trying to eat healthier and to stay on a budget by preparing delicious food at home rather than eating out. Here is a delicious Chicken Cacciatore recipe that will help you do just that. It is hearty and delicious. I was having people over for dinner, so we were going to feed around 7 of us on Saturday night, so I decided to adapt the normal recipe for Chicken Cacciatore a little and make it crock pot friendly so everything could be cooking and ready while I cleaned the house! Click on the pictures in the gallery to see what I did. At this point, I removed the chicken to a dish and I put the sauce in a separate dish. I also prepared some fettuccine noodles to serve it all over. Then, I added a salad and some bread and we were set! Here is my version of the recipe: I served it up and we all enjoyed the dish and I realized that I hadn't taken a picture of the finished plate! But, I hope you can tell from all of the photos above that it was delicious. I made plenty, so we had leftovers the next day. It was so good. I was so happy with this recipe. I hope you will give it a try! Let me know if you do and how you like it. |
Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
April 2024
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