Key Ingredient Review and Giveaway

One of the things I love to do when I cook and bake is try new recipes. My family likes to rip out recipes from the newspaper and magazines to try. Some of my favorite recipes were obtained that way.  I also have a lot of recipes that are really old and unorganized. Every year my family does holiday baking. One of the recipes we make is Peanut Blossoms, we always use the same recipe. It is from a cookie magazine from 1982.  That means my mom received the recipe when I was one years old.  If I ever lost that recipe I would be heartbroken.  I know whose recipe it is but it wouldn’t be the exact same.  I have kept all of my loose recipes in a Target bag.  There is a huge stack of them in there.  The bag has deteriorated over the years many times but I always replace it with a Target bag. Through the years I have lost recipes.  These are recipes that are secret. You can’t find them online. One of the recipes I lost is a cookie brittle recipe that was created by a family friend who passed away. That means I will never be able to make that recipe again.  I am very sad about this because it was an amazing recipe.  I am horrible about organizing recipes.  My mom used to put recipes in photo albums. We still have them but I would need many photo albums if I were to use her method. It isn’t space effective honestly. 

I had the opportunity to try out Key Ingredient Recipe Reader. Key Ingredient is an electronic recipe box.  It is similar to a tablet. Think of it as a recipe tablet. It has five built in timers. That is a great feature when you have all kinds of things going on in the kitchen.  Sometimes you are using the oven and the oven timer is on, you have something cooking on the stove and you are using the microwave timer. Then you realize you need the microwave to make a snack. You can’t run both the timer and microwave at the same time. You have to remember how much time you have to set it after it beeps.  When I say five timers, I mean heavy duty long timers. Noah decided to test it out.  It will go up to at least 1,000 HOURS.  It has Wi-Fi for too.  It comes preloaded with recipes and you can easily put your recipes on it and find others recipes too.  It has a feature that you can keep your recipes private if you want. I really like that because I have certain recipes that I will never share unless you are family.  Usually these are recipes my Grandma Rose created. I think they are great recipes but the memory of making them with her is sacred to me.

More about Key Ingredient:

A perfect gift for Mom, grandma or the pint-sized budding chef in the family, the Key Ingredient Recipe Reader lets home chefs access up to 4,000 recipes at the touch of a screen. Your readers may want to share a treasured family cheesecake recipe with the world. Or perhaps they prefer to keep the recipe secret and share only with other family members? The Recipe Reader also syncs with a free keyingredient.com account, which allows people to search, download and “cookmark” an unlimited number of recipes online. Just load it with favorite recipes and switch it on.

Earlier versions of the Key Ingredient Recipe Reader have been featured on national shows including The View, The Talk and popular cooking and family blogs.

With a color, large-font touch screen feature, built-in-timers, handy substitution and conversion tools, and durable construction that withstands the hazards of a kitchen, the Recipe Reader is a great gift for all the chefs in the family. Retailing at $149, the Recipe Reader is available at Key Ingredient, Costo and Amazon.

Sometimes I find great recipes online, I never seem to have a working printer or ink when I find them. I have done the whole running back and forth from the kitchen to my iPhone and back to follow a recipe.  I don’t want to ruin my phone or computer.  I want to keep it safe. I also have a seven year old who sometimes distracts me when I am en route, and I forget something, I either have to look again or think I know what I am doing, that usually results in one of my famous crisis cooking episodes. It always turns out great but it is funny because I am prone to doing something silly.  The Key Ingredient is totally kitchen friendly. It is made to withstand spills and splatters. I am an insanely messy chef.  Somehow I start in one area and dance around the kitchen because when I am done, it is a mess.  I think it is great that Key Ingredient is Sheila proof.  When I am cooking with Noah it is also fun chaos. I have had recipes disappear mid recipe, it falls off the counter or ends up in the trash. I catch it before it is lost for forever though.  Key Ingredient would be a great gift for anyone who likes to cook and bake. I think it would be a great gift to load with your family recipes before giving it as a gift.

For more information please visit the Key Ingredient Website.

I have a giveaway for you!

One super lucky winner will receive their very own Key Ingredient.  You can keep it or give it as a great gift.

Mandatory Entry:  Tell me about a kitchen mishap you have had

You must do the mandatory entry for the extra entries to count.

Extra Entries:

Follow @Sheilacakes7 on Twitter worth 2 entries

Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post. Worth 1 entry but can be done daily.

Like Sheilacakes on Facebook worth 2 entries

Like Key Ingredient on Facebook worth 2 entries

Follow Key Ingredient on Twitter worth 2 entries

Please leave separate comments. 

This giveaway is open to US Residents ONLY.

This giveaway will end on December 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

Be sure to Like Top Chef University To-Go on Facebook

Follow Top Chef University To-Go on Twitter

  

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.

Classico Pizza Sauce Review

I love to eat pizza. Honestly it is hard to find really good pizza. I have a favorite pizza place that is now over 1,000 miles away. I have searched and searched and nothing I found has compared to it. It is also a lot of fun to make your own. I remember growing up when my family would make pizzas together. It is great when you have a picky eater because everyone can make their own.  Noah's ideal pizza would just have cheese on it. He also talks about wanting cherry pizza or apple pizza. I think that comes from me making fruit pizza my whole life. He loves the dessert fruit pizza. I love all kinds of pizza.

Did you know that October is National Pizza Month?  So in honor of  National Pizza Month, I had the opportunity to receive Classico Pizza Sauce to try out. Most people know Classico from their delicious pasta sauces. I also want to say good pizza sauce is also good to find. We tried the Fire Roasted Pizza Sauce. I love the flavors of a fire roasted tomato. I think fire roasting tomatoes changes the flavor. It gives it a more smoky and savory taste.  We also tried the Traditional Pizza Sauce. I really like this one too. I think although it has great flavors I would classify it as more of a family sauce. The Traditional Sauce is what you think of when you eat a pizza. It would be great on English Muffins with cheese for a delicious lunch.

We also received the White Pizza Sauce. I don't think I have ever had pizza with a white sauce before. It looks really interesting and delicious. I haven't tried the White Pizza Sauce yet because I have had a lot of pizza lately. I will be sure to update my post when I do. The White Sauce won't be out for a while. I received a special sneak peak.

So now you have great sauce so what kinds of toppings do you put on it? My favorite is sausage and onion. I like pizza with all kinds of toppings on it. It all depends on who I am sharing pizza with.  Cheese is really important too. Of course you are going to use Mozzarella or some kind of Italian cheese blend. Regardless of which I use, I always throw on some Parmesan. I use either shredded or shaved Parmesan. You can even use Provolone if you want. Be creative and have fun.  Enjoy the special time you have with your family and friends.

What is your favorite way to make a pizza?

I received a Pizza Kit from Classico to facilitate my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Paula Deen

As an amateur chef, I like to watch cooking shows. I admire  some of the famous chefs. I really look up to Paula Deen. I love that she is so down to earth and seems really sweet. I totally love her story and how she went though a lot. She started by making sack lunches and selling them. It may be that she is a single mom like I am. She started out with nothing but determination and turned in to one of most recognizable faces and voices in America.  She is truly an inspirational woman.

I am a sucker for southern cooking too. Growing up one of my best friends lived in North Carolina so I embraced everything southern especially the food. I used to try and talk with a southern accent horribly. I remember that  we used to visit our friends and had delicious southern feasts.  Usually their neighbors would also cook too and it would be a pitch in meal that we enjoyed after sitting in chairs on the lawn or on the deck.

When I started watching Paula Deen, I really loved her style and thought she had great tools to work with. I was extremely excited when I learned she has her own line of kitchen accessories. I immediately fell in love with her line and just had to have everything. I love that it really shows off her southern charm. I love how classic everything is. Everything is amazing quality too. It would last a long time. Every cook needs a few things that have a history and that are aged and well loved.

I believe you can never have too many measuring cups or measuring spoons. I have an extensive collection of kitchen tools that I use often. I love to bake and cook different dishes at the same time and it is easier for me to just grab another item than take the time to wash and dry it, just to use it again.  I know in theory that makes more dishes to clean up later, but I just put everything in the dishwasher.  Another reason to have extra sets on hand because you can lose them. I have many measuring cups but only a couple fourth of a cups or a bunch of teaspoons.  Noah has been known to walk off with something and it never is found again. It gets lost somewhere in a toy box or thrown in the trash. It is essential to have a full set of kitchen tools. I have also lost them in moving over the years. I lost a spatula once that was never found even after we packed everything.

I would love to go to The Lady and Sons restaurant in Savannah someday. My sister and brother in law have been there a few times and really like it.  I think the next time we visit my sister and  brother in law i will see if we can go to Savannah.  It sounds like such a cool place to visit with lots of shops and history. Maybe we can even find out where Paula Deen lives and knock on her front door.  A girl can dream can't she? I would love to meet Paula Deen. Maybe someday I will. 

What are your most used kitchen tools? Do you have multiples of the same items too?

This post is inspired by BlogDash. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Noah's Cheese Quesadilla Recipe

Noah loves to eat Cheese Quesadillas. I used to want a Quesadilla maker. I didn’t realize how easy it is to make them.  You don’t have to have a special kitchen gadget to do it. You just need a skillet. I thought I would share my recipe with you.  These are also extremely cheap to make and they are filling.

Noah’s Cheese Quesadillas:

Two Tortillas or one big tortilla

Spreadable butter

Shredded cheese

Directions:

Butter both tortillas on one side. Place one in skillet butter side down. Sprinkle cheese on top. Place the other tortilla butter side up. Cook on medium until golden brown on one side. Flip and cook the other side.  Cut and Enjoy!

Serves one!

Can’t cook, won’t cook? Cooking from home

Not everyone has the inclination or the ability to prepare his or her own meals, something which the entrepreneurially minded can take advantage of to provide a much-needed service.  It is becoming increasingly fashionable for those who want to hold a dinner party to arrange for the catering to be done by somebody else, although the host may not want to broadcast this fact.  The catering company will then deliver the food discretely and even arrange for dirty pans and crockery to be left out to make it look like the party hosts have done all the work.

Starting a cooking business

In order to thrive in this type of home business, it is essential to enjoy cooking and also have some good cooking skills.  It is also best to check the local regulations on running this type of business from home.  There will be health and hygiene regulations to consider as well as implications for home insurance.  All regulations will need to be met in order to avoid any official action or fines at a later date.    

It is important to run the business professionally.  Food will need to be delivered on time, so the chef will need to ensure that for each task, everything is planned to the last detail.  For maximum efficiency, organize the kitchen so that everything is within easy reach.  Ensure that all equipment is in place before the work begins.  It will not be easy to step out partway through the cooking process to purchase a missing utensil, but those who are considering offering basic home cooking services will find that they already have most of the items required anyway. 

It is a good idea to have a business concept, and it is acceptable to be specific about the type of food that will be offered.  Will it be haute cuisine for elegant dinner parties or something a little more down to earth for groups of friends who just want to get together for a simple meal?  Every business should have a target market, which should be kept in mind when planning the marketing of the business.

It is also a good idea to check out any local competition.  If the concept of the business is original enough, then competition may not be an issue, but any sensible business owner will look at what is available first.  This can also give new business owners an idea of the prices being charged by competitors and help figure out how to offer something that already established businesses do not.

A cooking business – a practical concept?

There is a market for this type of business in almost every town and city.  Everywhere, there are people who lead very busy lives and will not always have the time to deal with their own catering if they want to host a party.  Cooking services can also be expanded upon to offer busy customers a home-cooked meal when they return from work each evening.  A successful business may even outgrow a home kitchen over time.  With plenty of land to buy, developing and building a business premises is easier than most people believe.