Showing posts with label cooking lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking lessons. Show all posts

Saturday, April 5, 2014

How to make Peanut Butter Shells



When you think of making candy it seems like a really involved process. I made a ton of delicious peanut butter shells. When I say shells I mean seashells. I have a shell mold. Of course I do. Are you new? Noah loves shells and sea life. After my infamous Crisis Cooking with Sheila episode and trying every easy method to make these darn shells. I figured out that a spoon works the best. I used one of Noah's toddler spoons. It made it easier for control purposes. I tried the pastry bag. It wasted too much of the goodie. I tried a squirt bottle. It was impossible. So lets just say when I finished them I was not making them with love anymore. I was extremely frustrated and angry. So, use a spoon. It will save you hours of grumpiness.  Here is my recipe. It has two ingredients. It sounds like it would take a long time to set but it doesn't. Like twenty minutes in the fridge.

Sheila's peanut butter shells

Reese's peanut butter chips
Shortening

Combine half a bag of Reese's chips with a teaspoon of shortening. Microwave it for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 17 seconds and stir until melted. Carefully fill the molds. Carefully drop them on the counter.

Refrigerate  for twenty minutes until hard pop them out and do it again.
I figured out that two bags makes six trays of shells as long as you aren't sloppy.

It's a beautiful and yummy treat for anyone who likes peanut butter.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Top Chef University To-Go App Review

 

As you all know I love to cook and bake. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I find it extremely therapeutic and fun. Even though I have been cooking and baking for as long as I can remember, baking bread from scratch since I was nine years old, I don’t know how to do everything. I am still learning techniques and how to do different things in the kitchen. I believe that anyone can cook with the right guidance. I just downloaded a new app called Top Chef University To- Go. I have watched Top Chef before and I really like the show.  I think this app is brilliant because it is like they are in the kitchen with you.  I like to learn visually and since there are video cooking lessons it helps especially if you don’t know how to do a certain technique and without spending hours on Google trying to figure out what different words mean you can just watch and cook along. 



I have always wanted to go to Culinary School. I wanted to be a chef when I was younger. I used to pretend I had my own cooking show. Now with this app I can go to cooking school from home in my own kitchen. I don’t have to worry about going to class or even do it on a schedule. I could learn at 3 am if I wanted to.  Top Chef University To-Go has great videos. They are fun to watch.  I learned what I need to have in my kitchen, I have always wondered if I have all the tools I need. I am missing a few of the items. One of them being an oven thermometer, I always just trusted the oven.  I need to get one ASAP.   There is also a lesson in introduction to Knife Skills. I was scared of knives for a very long time. I am not sure why, I never cut myself but once I figured out how to use one properly, I am able to do so. I am not sure the proper way to peel an apple. I end up wasting some of the apple.  I think it might have to do with the fact that I am left handed. This Halloween, Noah and I carved a pumpkin, well both of the pumpkin knives broke. I wasn’t done carving so I was forced to use a sharp knife. I managed to carve it without losing any body parts or cutting myself. I know watching the Top Chef University To-Go videos it will help me become more confident in using knives in the kitchen.   

I multitask all the time so I have to make sure I am really paying attention as I do in the kitchen.  It is really important to be safe in the kitchen and have the safety precautions in place so no one gets hurt. 



Here is more about Top Chef University To-Go from the developer:


-Cook and learn from the top 11 chef’testants at Top Chef University To-Go


-Access over 200 lessons organized into 20 courses



-Watch lesson videos in high definition



 For more information please visit Top Chef University To-Go







  
Top Chef University To-Go is available on iTunes for iPhone. It doesn’t matter if you are just learning to cook, if you have been cooking for years or if you consider yourself a professional, you can definitely learn something from this app. It is a must have app if you are in the kitchen regardless of your skill set.