From the category archives:

Christmas Shopping

Toddy Cold Brewing System: Coffee That’ll Make You Swoon

by Joi on August 25, 2010

“(The Toddy) is the ultimate coffee maker.” -The Washington Post

If you’ve never used the Toddy T2N Cold Brew System for coffee, you have no idea what you’re missing. I’m not sure why this system makes incredible, outrageously flavorful coffee (I guess we’d need Alton Brown to explain it to us) but it does.

Truth be told, I don’t guess I care WHY Toddy’s so outstanding as much as I care how soon I can have my next cup. Then the next, then the next, then the next…

I insist on trying out every coffee bean and every coffee-brewing system that comes down the pike before I recommend them on Get Cooking – so I force myself to consume untold amounts of coffee, but that’s okay, really, I don’t mind. As in AT ALL.

It’s how I roll, I call it my caffeine roll.

After I took a few drinks of my first cup of brewed “Toddy” coffee, all I could think was, “This is a perfect cup of coffee.” And I’ve thought the same thing with each subsequent cup. Perfect, with a coffee house boldness – yet smooth as a baby’s….well, you know.

From the website:

As important as those fresh roasted beans are to your cup of coffee, it’s what you do with them that counts the most.

In 1964, as a chemical engineering graduate of Cornell, Todd Simpson developed and patented a cold brew system that, using regular coffee beans, creates a superior-tasting cup of steaming HOT coffee. And, with 67% LESS ACID than coffee made by conventional hot brew methods, it’s easier on sensitive stomachs.

The Toddy coffee maker extracts the coffee bean’s true delicious flavor and eliminates much of the acidity, producing a bold, super-smooth coffee that can be served one cup at a time.

Toddy Cold Brewing System Features:

Designed to brew coffee with 67-percent less acid than coffee made with hot brew methods
Patented cold brew system uses regular coffee beans to create super smooth hot coffee, but with no electricity required
The Toddy Cold Brew System also makes tea, served hot or cold
Set includes brewing container with handle, glass decanter with lid, 2 reusable filters, 1 rubber stopper, set of instructions, and recipe guide
Get more out of your coffee beans, since the coffee concentrate stays fresh for up to 3 weeks

You can use your favorite coffee beans with the Toddy System and, as you just read… it makes fantastic tea as well.

You’ll want to slide on over to Amazon and order your very own Toddy T2N Cold Brew System right away. While you’re at it, you might want to grab one for the biggest coffee fiend on your Christmas list.

Giada de Laurentiis Products from Target: Must Haves!

by Joi on August 16, 2010

Okay. I normally don’t make broad, sweeping statements (unless it plays something like, “Drink coffee, it makes you sexier,” which doesn’t really count because that’s been proven). However, the time has come to make a doozie: If you ever see a cookbook, food item, kitchen gadget, pot, pan, dish, coffee mug, spoon, small appliance, large appliance, apron, salt shaker, or bulldog puppy (???) with the name Giada de Laurentiis on it, buy it and prepare to be amazed. The woman does not attach her name or beautiful face to anything less than a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

Apparently it’s against her code.

Good code.

The Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon, pictured at the top of the post? Ridiculously excellent. Like all of Giada’s food products, you get so much more than you pay for or even hope for.

Product Description:
An incredibly tasty Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon Zest. The hand-harvested, all-natural sea salt with lemon zest comes from a combination of the pure Sicilian sea water and the freshest lemons grown under the Sicilian sun. Giada’s Sicilian sea salt presents a delicate and intense aroma, with distinct hints of sweet, fresh lemons. Its fresh and delicate taste is characterized by intense notes of lemon, making this gourmet product a perfect ingredient to be coupled with light dishes, ideal for cooked or raw fish and shellfish, poultry, vegetables and desserts. Academia Barilla and Giada De Laurentiis present a piece of Italy to Italian food lovers and food connoisseurs, to taste, enjoy and share. Together, Academia Barilla and Giada De Laurentiis have launched the much anticipated range of high quality, authentic Italian gourmet products.

I regularly buy Giada’s pasta, sauces, and other food products at my local Target…. a store I have nothing but love for. Her spaghetti sauces are amazing – my favorite one is a creamy pasta sauce that boggles the brain.

A recent gift from my husband (for a birthday I acknowledged but didn’t count) is the gorgeous ceramic lasagna pan pictured above. Naturally, like a kid with a toy, I had to use it right away. I normally would have whipped up my favorite vegetarian lasagna but we’d recently had spaghetti — I’m nothing if not anal — so I made a cheesy potato au gratin. Outstanding. The pan refused to allow the potatoes or the cheese to stick, which made serving, eating, and cleaning joyful, delicious, and simple.

It’s such a gorgeous ceramic pan I kind of hated to use it. You really have to see it to appreciate it. It’s worth a special trip to Target to see Giada’s collection of pans, gadgets, and more. She even has a line of sexy aprons as well as her own coffee.

Somebody tell me why I haven’t tried that yet.

By the way, when you click through to the ceramic lasagna pan, if you scroll down you’ll see what appears to be a great recipe for Baked Gnocchi, calling for spinach, nutmeg, gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream… is your mouth watering yet?

Another gift the wonderful husband bought me was the Giada De Laurentiis for Target 12″ Stainless Steel Nonstick Sauté Pan (Click through this link for details as well as a recipe for Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes!). This gorgeous pan was initiated into the family with salmon patties and is currently simmering a little pasta sauce for my oldest daughter’s lunch.

It’s quite possibly the best pan I’ve ever owned.

Features:
Pan-Pot Material: Stainless Steel
Handle Material: Stainless Steel
Features: Riveted Handle
Care and Cleaning: Hand-wash Only

Click through any of the links (except for the Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon – it has a mind of its own) to browse Target’s outstanding line of Giada de Laurentiis products.

A Must Have for Serious Cooks Is….

by Joi on August 13, 2010

My youngest daughter (Stephany) and her boyfriend (Rusty) got me a Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle last Christmas and I’ve used it nearly every day since. Bacon, grilled cheese, fried eggs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, French toast, pancakes, garlic bread – you name it, my beloved griddle and I whip it up.

It came in handy last night with our spaghetti supper. Stephany and I made a killer spaghetti sauce and we very much wanted garlic bread to accompany the meal. However, with our part of Kentucky registering in the late 90s and early 100s the past couple of weeks, we didn’t really want to heat the kitchen up with the oven.

So we heated the griddle, sliced the loaf, buttered and seasoned the slices and grilled them on the convenient, non-kitchen-heating-up griddle. Truth be told, even when the weather isn’t so intensely hot, I still prefer making my garlic bread on the griddle. It makes the outsides crunchy (if you leave it log enough) and golden brown while allowing the inside of the bread to stay soft, warm, and delicious.

The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle has an extra large cooking surface for family-size meals but, frankly, I’d want this size even if it were just my husband and I. In fact, there have been times when we were the only two at home for breakfast, lunch, or supper and I’ve used my griddle. I love the convenience of cooking the bacon, eggs, and toast all in one place.

It makes clean-up so much easier!

I made myself a slice of cinnamon toast this morning and, like the garlic bread last night, using the griddle instead of the toaster left me with toast that was crunchy on the outside while remaining a little bit soft on the inside. Never underestimate a slice of warm cinnamon toast with a cup of hot coffee – an excellent way to start the day. What IS it about the aroma and flavor of cinnamon that’s so comforting and relaxing?

The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle has something else that I love muchly – a warming tray. I use the warming tray to heat buns while cooking burgers or hot dogs. Nothing, I mean nothing, beats toasty buns. The warming tray is also handy for keeping silver dollar or medium-sized pancakes warm while the rest finish cooking.

A removable drip tray collects unwanted oils for easy cleaning and I’m not even gonna lie, I’m all about easy cleaning.

I also use my electric griddle for heating tortillas for soft tacos, burritos, and wraps. All it takes is a few seconds on each side and the tortillas are perfectly warm and soft – just like they are in restaurants.

As I’ve said a gazillion times, a cook is only as good as the kitchen gadgets, appliances, quality ingredients, pots, pans, and equipment he/she surrounds themself with. The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle is one of the best tools you can have in your arsenal.

I swear on my toasty buns.

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows Make Life Tastier: One Hot Chocolate at a Time

by Joi on December 16, 2009

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

Oh Joy! Oh Happiness! Oh Unspeakable pleasure! I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that I’m either in the middle of a cup of coffee, a chocolate experience, a delicious cookie, or am currently going one on one with candy of some sort.

I’m actually sort of out-doing myself right now. I just finished my pot of coffee and am losing myself in the best cup of hot chocolate I’ve EVER had. Did you catch that? – - – - EVER!

As always, I made my favorite Hot Chocolate recipe (It’s the one on the back of Kroger’s Baking Cocoa – funny, huh? I’ve tried every hot chocolate recipe known to exist and the best one is on a container of baking cocoa…and a store brand at that! What!?) This recipe always, always, always makes an outstanding cup of hot cocoa. However, I was feeling pretty full of myself this morning, so I kicked it up a notch. Right before I laddled the hot chocolate into our eager holiday mugs (my oldest daughter Emily is always my partner in hot chocolate adventures), I stirred in a little Hershey’s chocolate syrup.

Then, I poured the chocolate, aromatic, liquid Heaven into our cups. I topped hers off with three Chocolate Chipetta Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows – the look on her face was all I needed to tell me that she was in Chocolate Heaven and didn’t want to ever return. I took a sip and I must say – it doesn’t get any chocolate-y-er than this. YUM!

I topped my hot cocoa off with 3 Caramel Swirl Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. Then, with my intentions clear, I sprinkled on a little Sea Salt. You got it! I was aiming for the effect of Starbuck’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. I honestly, humbly, and with chocolate and marshmallow goo on my face believe I outdid myself. This was a truly remarkable, ridiculously delicious cup of hot chocolate. I’ll just go ahead and say it – it’s even better than the drink Starbucks once made (then heartlessly yanked away!). The delicious caramel flavoring in these marshmallows isn’t just delicious – it’s slap your face delicious.

The same is true of the Chocolate Chipetta Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. I know my chocolate, and these are premium, first class chocolate marshmallows. They earn the term Gourmet with every single bite.

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

I’ve thrown the Chocolate Chipetta Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows on top of a dollop of homemade whipped topping in coffee and highly recommend it! Think about it: Coffee, chocolate, candy… all in one place. It makes a remarkable cup of coffee that tastes like it came from a coffeehouse.

I’ve also tried the Luscious Lemony Meringue Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. If the amazing smell of these gourmet marshmallows doesn’t knock you out, the flavor will. Heavenly! I toss them on top of hot tea – for those of you who (silly gooses!) who don’t care for green tea, these gourmet marshmallows will make the experience one to remember. You’ll drink every last drop.

The different flavors of gourmet marshmallows are outstanding on smores, too. I just build them and put them in the microwave. Everyone loves them. They’re perfect, beautiful, and delicious snacks for eating during ballgames, holiday specials, reruns of Andy Griffith, or your favorite Food Network show.

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

I’ve also toasted them (on the stove) and used them as dips for chocolate and caramel sauces. Amazing… that’s the best word for the experience… amazing!

There are Peppi-Mint, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Bean varieties that I’ve yet to try. I’m especially eager to meet the Peppi-Mint and Vanilla Bean flavors. Oh the plans I have for them!!!

Do yourself (and the people you’d consent to share with) a wonderful favor and head over to Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows to read more and, best of all, to order your own gourmet marshmallows. These are NOT, NOT, NOT like traditional, store-bought marshmallows. It’s like the difference between an eagle and a housefly.

Drat. My mug’s empty. Time to make more!

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows on YouTube!

Casserole Dishes Any Casserole Would Be Proud to Call Home

by Joi on December 14, 2009

Remember in the last post (Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole), I told you how much I love green bean casserole? Well, this ought to prove it. I’ve spent the past 30 minutes searching for the perfect casserole dish to serve it in this Christmas! When you shop FOR a favorite recipe, you know it’s not just love – it’s crazy love. Oh well, it isn’t my first, or last, brush with crazy… so I’ll just show you what I’ve found!

These colorful Casserole and Lasagna Dish sets would make STUNNING presentations for Green Bean Casseroles, as well as any other. And can you just picture lasagna served in one of the blues? Wow. Click on your favorite(s) to take a closer look!

But, for Christmas, can you really do any better than red?!?!?….

Adorable Aprons: The Perfect Gift for the Cooks in Your Life!

by Joi on December 11, 2009

Women’s Blue Chocolate Apron

If you are (or know) a cook who’s both a whiz in the kitchen and a real girly girl – a beautiful, flirty little apron would make her bat her lashes wildly. Not only does a great, well-made apron protect our clothes, it allows us to look like the divas we are as we go about our daily work. I am absolutely mad about these aprons, I’m not even kidding. It’s true love. If, like most of us, you still have a little Christmas shopping to finish up – trust me, one of these aprons would be greatly appreciated. They make beautiful, original, and highly thoughtful gifts.

Click through any of the aprons in this post (my personal favorites – especially the ones with dots!) to see the entire collection. There are also aprons for kids and men! So, if you know a man who has an inner Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, or Emeril -you know what an apron would mean, right ladies? You encourage him to keep on keeping on! (We’re always one step ahead of them, aren’t we girls?)

Look at the colors… look at the details… look at the bows!!

Women’s Pink Chocolate Apron

Women’s Frosted Cupcake Apron

Women’s Chic Teal Apron

Now: Let’s Hear it for the Boys!

Men’s “Caution Extremely Hot” Apron (red)

Men’s “I Turn Grills On” Apron (black)

Men’s “Kiss The Cook” (red)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites Weds Chocolate Candy and Cookie Dough and I Love Them For It

by Joi on December 8, 2009

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Love chocolate candy? Well, of course you do – you’re on one of my websites, aren’t you? I have an automatic filter on my sites that detects non-chocolate lovers and bans them to a black cyber hole, auto-mat-ically. The way I see it, if you don’t love chocolate, I’ve got nothing for you.

So, you obviously love chocolate candy.

I’m pretty sure you also love chocolate chip cookie dough too – who doesn’t? Now, hold onto something, you’re about to feel a tremor: Someone with a deliciously brilliant mind has blended the two together and the beautiful outcome is pictured above. It’s also right in front of me, but you can’t see that. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites are wonderful and you simply must try a box today. The thing is, you’d better buy more than one, because these tend to disappear fast.

When you first pop one into your mouth, you’re instantly hit by the taste of delicious chocolate. The texture and size will remind you of chocolate-covered raisins or peanuts. But when you take a bite… chocolate chip cookie dough – but without the eggs so your mom’s “Don’t eat that, it isn’t good for you!” doesn’t apply.

You can find these scrumptious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites in Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Best Buy, and K-Mart. I’m certain they’re available in other stores as well, these are simply the places I, myself, have encountered them. And what wonderful encounters they are! They’re the type of encounter that leave you with only one option…. cue the music… you gotta do your happy chocolate dance.

Do the happy chocolate dance!

Word to Santa: These would make killer stocking stuffers.

Ace of Cakes DVDs: Seasons 1, 2, and 3

by Joi on December 4, 2009

If you or someone you know is as hooked on Ace of Cakes as I am, here’s something you have to look into: Food Network Ace of Cakes: Seasons 1-3! Yes, please.

I actually had a major dental procedure yesterday which meant coming home and crashing for the rest of the day. I would have loved to have had a stack of Ace of Cakes episodes to help me recover – watch a few I Love Lucys, then a few Ace of Cakes, then a few Andy Griffiths (oh that Barney)….

From the Website:
If you can dream it, Duff Goldman and his team of artists and bakers Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes can make it into a cake. As Duff says, “this is not your mom’s cake shop.”

Duff’s rock n’ roll spirit and endless creativity makes him one of most wildly inventive culinary artisans you’ll ever meet.

Season 1 Disc One Episode 1: Triple Crown Cake Episode 2: Hell Week Disc Two Episode 3: Wedding Cakes and Headaches Episode 4: Life’s a Zoo Disc Three: Episode 5: Duff Goes to Hollywood Episode 6: Cake Walk

Season 2 Disc One: Episode 1: The Boss is Gone Episode 2: Four Weddings and a Rat Episode 3: Great Scot Episode 4: Monkey Business Disc Two: Episode 5: Tributes and Tribulations Episode 6: Flying High Episode 7: Milestones and Monuments Episode 8: Cake-Tastrophe Disc Three: Episode 9: Shell Shocked Episode 10: Dr. Duff Episode 11: Playing Games Episode 12: The Super Cake

Season 3 Disc One: Get ready for more great cakes from the crew at Charm City Cakes. “Wedding Bells and Shotgun Shells”, “Tattoos and Traditions”, “Mary(Alice) Go Round”, and “Challenge Road Trip” are four great episodes that should satisfy your cake cravings. Disc Two: Go into sugar shock with four more delicious episodes. “Wishes Granted”, “Rock & Roll”, “Stadium Games and Eating Brains”, and “Battleships and Birthdays” feature amazing cakes that highlight the incredible creations of Duff and the Charm City Cakes crew. Disc Three: From classic board game cake, to a tank cake, to holiday traditions, Duff and the gang bake up a storm for the final five episodes of the season. “Charms and Charities”, “Uncle Sam Wants Duff”, “Coach Duff”, “Charm City Christmas”, and “Hairspray Premiere” include many memorable creations from the team. Closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Plus, each disc contains exclusive bonus footage! Join Duff and his team on a behind-the-scenes tour of Charm City Cakes, listen to Duff talk about color, the inspiration behind the cakes, living where you work, and more!

If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching Ace of Cakes – buy these DVDs and find out what all the fuss is about. I don’t know how they make a series about cake decorating so addictive, edgy, and fun – but they most certainly do. It’s like chocolate for your brain and I have no intention of ever missing a bite.

Gorgeous Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer in a Blue that Floats My Boat

by Joi on December 4, 2009

Sigh. Is this Refurbished Accolade™ Stand Mixer Juniper Berry not the most breath-taking piece of culinary beautifulness you’ve ever seen? I’m totally weak in the knees and can think of nothing but getting my dough-covered hands all over it.

Features:
High-Performance, 400-watt motor delivers the power to mix everyday household recipes including double batches of batter and cookie dough, quick breads, pizza dough, and basic white bread dough. Includes flat beater, dough hook, stainless steel wire whip. Pouring Shield not included, Pouring Shield sold separately Tilt-head design, Stainless steel bowl with ergonomic handle, Locked rotor protection Soft start mixing feature, Electronic speed sensor, Hinged hub cover for easy use of attachments Dimensions: 14.0″H x 14.5″W x 8.5″D, 22 lbs.

….and it’s UK blue!

On Thanksgiving morning, as a tradition, I make these amazing puff pastries that I fill with a homemade whipped topping. Each year when I make the pastry (as well as the rest of the year when making homemade bread, doughnuts, pizza crust, etc.) I think what a difference a stand alone mixer would make. The dough could be getting all kinds of a beat down while my hands are free to chop, cut, blend, throw chocolate into my mouth… you know, the necessities.

Click through the link above to learn more. These beauties are available in every color you could imagine, making them more than just one of a kitchen’s greatest appliances – they’re killer decor!

I know I don’t have to tell you what wonderful Christmas gifts they’d make. You’d truly light up someone’s world. (Michael, dear, are you listening?…)

Chocolate Art Print That’ll Make Chocoholics Weak in the Knees

by Joi on November 17, 2009

Melted Chocolate Running from a Whisk Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

A chocoholic such as myself shouldn’t even look at pictures like the one above, but here I sit – drooling and fixated. Fixated and drooling. What I wouldn’t give to plant my entire body (mouth first) beneath that flow of chocolate.

Looks like it’ll be chocolate something or another for our Biggest Loser snack tonight. Sorry, Bob. Sorry, Jillian. Chocolate calls and I must answer.

← Previous Entries