Are you one of those people who tags and bookmarks all types of recipes in your cookbooks or magazines?

I know I am….

If you walked into my kitchen you would find all my cookbooks have either ripped out colored paper or colored sticker bookmarks sticking out of them on every side.

The only bad thing about all my colorful bookmarks is that it doesn’t let me know what categories each of the recipes belong in which is a bad thing.

But check this little nifty creation out…. The Chef Set.

The Chef Set allows you to not only bookmark your favorite recipes but to also be able to see them in different categories (appetizers, meats, vegetables, seafood, and so on).

You can purchase them for $5.95 at Spoon Sisters.
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(Image: p3nnylan3/Flickr)

Its amazing to see the excitement on some peoples faces when they come across our crêpe cart and see our BIG jars of Nutella® sitting on display.

It’s as if its 5 am Christmas morning, your 5 years old and just found that Santa had just left your house and filled the christmas tree full of toys for you and your siblings!

And then…… you have some people who have never tried the delicious, sweet hazelnut spread at all.

I know can you believe that, poor unfortunate people! They have no idea what they’re missing out on!

Some think of it as the closest to heaven one can get…. hmmmm……… I think they may be right! 😉

Living in France at 12 years old Nutella® smothered on a fresh, warm, baguette was the closest me and my siblings got to heaven!

Let me educate those that have been living under a rock and do not now what this heavenly chocolate is.

Let’s start off by how it’s pronounced “new-tell-uh” just like that! Say it all with me now… “New-Tell-Uh.” Its not Nut-Tell-Uh…. my uncle whom I love so much.

Nutella® is a creamy chocolate spread made from the combination of roasted hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. Another important aspect is that Nutella® has no artificial colors or preservatives.

I think I am forgetting to let you all know a little secret….

That Nutella® can be spread on just about anything like: fresh bakery breads, bagels, english muffins, waffles, toast, croissants, crêpes and last but not least les droites….. aka…… the fingers. 🙂

So if you find yourself to be one of those that have not tasted the delectable sensational Nutella® spread stop what your doing and come try some.

I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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Starting next month, Ikea will hold five free cooking classes with well-known chefs as part of a marketing campaign with Family Circle, according to the buzz around town.

They have partnered up with Meredith’s Family Circle, which is presenting the tour with Food University, a culinary events company. The five-city tour, called Food University Presented by Family Circle, kicks off in Seattle and features chefs demonstrating recipes from the magazine.

“We know that our readers, the moms of teens and tweens, have started cooking more and more at home as a way to save money and spend more time with their families,” said Carey Witmer, publisher, Family Circle. “Our partnership…gives us the opportunity to help people feel more comfortable in their kitchens.”

The tour will start off with a stop at Ikeas in Seattle (Oct. 20, Caprial Pence), Costa Mesa, Calif. (Oct. 22, Katie Chin), Tempe, Ariz. (Oct. 28, Claudine Pepin), Sunrise, Fla. (Nov. 3, Oliver Saucy) and College Park, Md. (Nov. 5, Mary Ann Esposito).  

The seminars will last for two-hours and will introduce its fellow students not only healthy family recipes but also to new ingredients, tips on entertaining and spicing up your everyday menu.

What do you think of Ikea’s new cooking class…. will you be joining them?

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(Image: harry_nl/Flickr)

• Cooking pasta for dinner tonight?  Well then you need to know what Al dente means…

• Spice up your bagel spreads for Yom Kippur this year.

• Be GREEN… Try hypercooking to save energy.

• Soon there will be more Subways than McDonalds.

• Follow these Pasta Do’s and Don’ts and you will never go wrong.

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Each week we round up our most yummy posts and recipes from our friends at the Kitchn.

The week, the kitchn shows us how to recreate the beloved pre-made and pre-packaged granola bars.

Also in the kitchn, using cheese rinds, warm up the table with votive candles, ten-food related podcasts, and smoked lemon bars.

• How Can I Use Cheese Rinds?: They can be added to any stews or soups for delicious tastes.

• Warm Up The Table: 8 Beautiful Votive Candles: Decorate your table with inexpensive ways for lighting.

• Making Bread, Raiding The Pantry & Disguising Vegetables: Ten food related podcasts that you should download and listen to.

• Recipe: Smoked Lemon Bars: Try a different approach to lemon bars, try smoking your lemons first.

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(Image: Aypho/Flickr)

Have you ever heard of hypercooking? Do you know what hypercooking is?

Actually, do any of us… I know I didn’t have a clue what that meant and I live in my kitchen.

Let me educate us all, hypercooking, according to The Food Section describes it as “an environmentally-conscious way of cooking that seeks to maximize the impact of the energy used during the cooking process.”

A great example that demonstrates ways to hypercook is the Big Green Book by Jackie Newgent.  Newgent states “One of the major energy wasters is the ovens. “Only 6 percent (of the energy used) actually goes to cooking the food; 94 percent is just hot air.”

“Newgent also recommends turning off the oven before food is completely cooked.”

Let’s all try and do our part and be GREEN!
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(Image: gtrwndr87/Flickr)

Yom Kippur, the holiest of the Jewish holidays.  It is a day where the central theme is centered on repentance and atonement. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.

A common way to end the fasting of the important holiday is to gather with family and friends and “break the fast” with a celebratory meal.  The spread usually tends to be light, due to having an empty stomach, such as orange juice, quiches, and other gentle foods.  At the center of the meals, you will always find the traditional bagel spread.

Bagels and cream cheese though is simple and easy to make ahead, why not try to jazz it up a notch with some of these helpful tips and ideas.

• Try to make sure to have an assortment of freshly baked bagels like, sesame, everything, poppy seed, onion, garlic, cinnamon and raisin.  These will make your guests feel so welcomed knowing that there is a range of choices to make.

For more, 

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Who doesn’t love icecream.

I know me and especially my children are suckers when it comes to ice cream.  So when I heard this I just had to tell all of you my favorites, that today is our lucky day.  

Tonight between 5p.m. to 8p.m. Coldstone will be giving all who stop by and are willing to donate any amount of change for the Make-A-Wish will receive 3 oz sample of Jack’s Creation, an ice cream sundae with brownies, rainbow sprinkles, and caramel.

So make sure to stop by at a location near you, lucky me there is one down the block of where I live…. YAY!!!!!
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Happy Birthday to you….

Happy Birthday to you…

Happy Birthday Dear Guinness…

Happy Birthday to you!

Grab a pint and raise it high in honor of the infamous black stuff… Guinness turns 250 years old today.  Wow!  Seems like forever when Arthur Guinness decided to sign a 9,000 year lease on a ramshackle brewery at St. James’s Gate, in Dublin.

Drinkers all over the world will be raising a glass to Arthur and his decision to take a recipe for the London beer style porter, increase its strength and call it stout porter, which is now known as stout.

So on your way home from work today, pass by the store and buy some Guiness to celebrate its birthday.

To Arthur!

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Al dente is an Italian term which describes the consistency of pasta cooked to a tender firmness. It literally means “to the tooth.” It also describes vegetables that are cooked to the “tender crisp” phase still retaining a crunch to its bite.

Pasta al dente is considered to be pasta cooked “just right,” when it is slightly resistant as you bite into it, but not soft or overdone.
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