April 19, 2013
Feeling The Need For Change!
To all my readers who have followed my blog posts, I am feeling a need to change things up a bit. I am currently in search of a fresh new start, with all new ideas.
A new ‘fresh’ idea for your fridge!
And that means a whole new blog! Like spring cleaning and re-arranging the furniture, I’m looking to change things up a bit.
My Pampered Chef business, will of course, be the core of my blog, but I’m hoping to give it a whole new look, with fresh ideas, new recipes, and fun things to do in the kitchen.
One of my first blog entries will introduce new spring and summer products from Pampered Chef. If you or someone you know is interested in hosting a Pampered Chef party, please feel free to contact me. I also hope to highlight fun ideas for hosting a cooking show or catalog party. There are so many ways a host can earn free, half-priced, and discounted products. Let me show you how simple and easy it can be.
My personal website has remained the same, for monthly specials, on-line ordering, and fresh new recipes. That link is:
http://pamperedchef.biz/judyalbright
Until my new blog become live,
Happy Spring!
Judy
October 2, 2012
New Fall/Winter Pampered Chef Product Showcase
Well, it’s been a month now since the brand new Fall/Winter catalog has been released, with over 40 new products introduced. Here’s a quick look at some of the new items from Pampered Chef. Each photo has a link to product details. Enjoy browsing and if you or anyone you know sees something you like, please feel free to contact me. 
September 25, 2012
I Found A Brownie!
I’ve been on a baking spree these last few days. It’s the change of season and cooler temperatures. Hot and humid means I get nothing done, including the cooking and baking I love to do. But once the thermometer starts to drop, I’m back in my element! One of the last recipes I tried before summer arrived was my friend Sue’s dark chocolate brownies.
Sue always has a great recipe to share. It was she who convinced me to sample zucchini soup. Yes, in my mind I said ‘bleh’, but I gave it a try and it was delicious. She also shared the hint that Challah bread makes great french toast. And it’s just as I’m typing this that I realize she makes the best chocolate treats!! Matzoh Buttercrunch and those decadent Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookie Truffles are two other confections Sue has twisted my arm to try. So, it didn’t surprise me that I would absolutely love her brownie recipe.
I admit, I’ve been in a brownie ‘rut’.
Box mixes do serve their purpose. So easy to put together, make a double batch then freeze half for later. But the taste can be so mundane. After trying Sue’s recipe, I realized what I had been missing.
Alot of people say baking from scratch is a lot of work. Yes, some of it can be, but this recipe is a breeze to follow. Thank you Sue, for permission to share it here on my blog.
Dark Chocolate Brownies
Melt: 1 stick butter with
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
Add: 1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup favorite chocolate chips
Pour batter into a greased 8″ X 8″ pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 24-26 minutes.
September 19, 2012
Oh, Those Banana’s Are Too Ripe To Eat
Ever hear that expression? It happens to us all the time. We buy a big bunch of bananas at Sam’s, but the three of us can’t possibly consume all of them before they start to freckle. That’s when I get out my friend Lisa’s banana bread recipe.
She gave it to me years ago, when I was just in this overly ripe predicament. She said she had been using this recipe for years herself, and hasn’t tried any other since.
So what makes this bread so delicious?
Could it be the buttery taste? Not as heavy as oil.
Or is it the cinnamon that tickles our taste buds? The aroma of this bread baking is heavenly.
Perhaps it’s the crunch of the walnut burried deep within.
Then there is the sour cream. Muffins and breads bake up moist and delicious with this added ingredient.
I’d love for you to give this recipe a try some day and let me know how it was for you.
Best Sour Cream Banana Bread
Today the overly ripe bananas were in abundance, so I doubled the recipe, making 2 loaves, one dozen square muffins, and several mini muffins, with chocolate chips!
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
So, which of my readers likes to grow fresh herbs? I like to think of herbs as little flavor packets that help make cooking so much more flavorful. There are so many ways of using fresh herbs in our day to day cooking, and once you try using them, you’ll never want to go back to dried herbs again. If you’re someone who doesn’t have a green thumb, many supermarkets sell these fragrant and vibrant greeneries in the produce section.
I’m lucky to have inherited just a little of my grandfather’s and father’s green thumb. This year I kept to the basics of herb growing, including parsley, basil, oregano, and rosemary. In the past I’ve had luck with thyme, mint, cilantro, celery, and chives.
I must say, I haven’t had much luck as my nona did for drying fresh herbs. I think it’s probably a combination of a lack of patience in plucking those leaves off the stem one at a time (as she taught me), or not having her tiny gardening shed to dry them in.
A few years back, I came across an idea of processing herbs with olive oil and freezing into cubes for later use. Lightbulb!!
It’s quite simple to produce. Just harvest or purchase fresh parsley, oregano, and basil. Rinse and gently pat dry. Remove leaves from the stem and place in a processor, like the Manual Food Processor from Pampered Chef. Add your favorite olive oil and process until you have a course puree. This blend can be frozen into ice cube trays, then once popped out, stored in an air tight zipper bag.
We’re a homemade tomato sauce kind of family. Never do we open a store bought jar and pour it over our pasta. Our parents and grandparents would be horrified! So, when the mood strikes, as it did yesterday, I begin the process of making my own tomato sauce.
And with every pot I make, I always start out with my of my fresh herb cubes that I simply pop out of the freezer.
When I’m ready to make my sauce, I reach into the freezer for one or two of these cubes and add to my hot pan. The oil helps keep the herbs from sticking as the cooking process begins. The day I made these, I happened to have metal dipping cups at arms reach.
June 27, 2012
Random Acts Of Simplicity!
I was just thinking of our most recent breakfasts this week. For obvious reasons, our favorite fruits this season are watermelon and grapes, with an occasional cantaloupe or peach thrown in! However, the lack of our favorites has reminded me we need to get to the market. So what did we have in the fridge? Apples!
So I tried to make this as interesting as possible.
Apple wedges with a spoon of peanutbutter! Dip your own!!
Now a trip to the grocery store!
June 26, 2012
It’s Hip To Be Square!
Brownies are usually square, right? Well, sometimes they’re round when you make them in a mini muffin pan.
But how about muffins? Muffins are round, but sometimes they have corners.
This spring Pampered Chef introduced their new Brownie Pan. It’s like a muffin pan, but makes square goodies. Just like all their other baking pans, this is made of the same heavy, non-stick quality, like the regular muffin pan my friend Sally keeps chiming about! Well, this was something I just had to have.
So, I just couldn’t stand the wait any longer and decided to break out my new pan. I had just made brownies a few days earlier without my new purchase, so I thought breakfast muffins would be a nice surprise to everyone.
That morning I wasn’t prepared with all the right ingredients, so, I had to go for the box. I keep one or two on hand for just these moments.
For some reason, the corners made all the difference in the world!
And Pampered Chef’s non-stick surface made these goodies slide out with perfect ease. Is it an item people will want to buy? I was curious, so I ran a Brownie Pan report since March 1st and actually surprised myself. 22 guests have purchased this item, some more than one! If you’re reading this and you’re one of them, I’d love to hear what you think! Now it’s time to go enjoy more muffins! And maybe something you wouldn’t expect from a muffin pan! Keep checking back.
June 20, 2012
Let The Good Times Roll!
“School’s Out For The Summer”, “No More Homework, No More Books”, and all those other cliches add up to one thing. There are good times ahead for several weeks.
Our first official day of summer vacation began with breakfast on the deck! It was equally exciting, because I made a quick batch of cinnamon buns. (something we don’t have too often)
Non-stick pans from Pampered Chef are great. One of my coworkers purchased a muffin pan and I think she reminds me at least twice each month how much she loves it. That kind of feedback is always great to hear.
Then there’s a mom I see at Karate each week, and as soon as we start talking about Pampered Chef she’s quick to let me know how much she loves her spreader!
I’d love to know what products you enjoy from Pampered Chef. Send me a message or an email, and perhaps one day I’ll blog about it!
For now, enjoy your summer days!
No bunnies allowed!
My vegetable garden is off to a great start this season. Everything is coming up nicely, including the lettuce. Actually, it’s the only thing ready in my garden right now. I also had a heart to heart with the local rabbits, encouraging them to heed the advice of Mr. McGreggor. Too early for cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, and eggplant. I have three varieties growing; green leaf, red leaf, and buttercrunch. Just this morning I picked three more heads and there’s still plenty out there.
Michael enjoys salad, just as much as we do, so lately we’ve been having it with every meal.
I used to ‘scoff’ at salad spinners. I didn’t need one. I had collanders. That’s really all that I needed.
Then when I started harvesting so much lettuce I became overwhelmed with the rinsing, shaking, wrapping, and patting dry. A co-worker told me she uses her spinner every day, and a past Pampered Chef host says she keeps her spinner on the counter and it never gets put away.
Mmmm? I did have a spinner years ago. I didn’t like the concept of pulling the cord to spin the basket. It reminded me of starting a lawnmower, and I don’t need to be reminded of that task. Well, I now have a salad/berry spinner from Pampered Chef, and I have to say, it has become my new favorite kitchen companion. It dries lettuce quickly, and easily. The hand pump mechanism works like a charm. The basket insert is easy to clean, and the large outer bowl works great as a salad bowl. It’s made of plastic, looks like glass, and great for serving outdoors.
Pampered Chef also sells a freezer insert for keeping foods cool.
If your garden is flourishing with lettuce (and the rabbits haven’t noticed), or if you have a neighbor gifting you with lots of greens, then I would like to introduce you to The Berry/Salad Spinner!
June 11, 2012
It’s becoming a weekly supper!
So I’ve blogged about Taco Salad before, thanking our good friend Nancy for introducing it to us. Little does she know how this simple salad has become a favorite weeknight meal on those nights we’ve had to leave quickly for karate, or make it to the ball field on time.
But what I didn’t do the last time I blogged about Taco Salad was showcase a really great product from Pampered Chef.
Is it a UFO?
Is it a bird bath?
No, it’s Pampered Chef’s Collapsable bowl! Just pop it open to serve, then collapse it to store away. Non-skid keeps the bowl steady and it is dishwasher safe. And who doesn’t love dishwasher safe!
Not only does Taco Salad make a quick, easy supper on warm nights,
…it travels well!
Simply mix the lettuce, chopped tomato, browned meat, catalina dressing, onion, and cheddar cheese. Snap the lid on the bowl and go! Crush the bag of Doritos when you get to your destination.
The collapsable bowls come in three sizes. The large holds a pound of macaroni salad, with room to spare. Nancy told me that when her husband was washing the bowl I had left there after a cook-out, he was mesmerized by the bowl and how it collapsed.
Oh, the Taco Salad? We’re having it for supper tomorrow night! Sometimes we use ground turkey rather than beef. And I like to vary the onion, either red or green. A little bit of seasoning to the browning meat will give extra flavor.
In The Pampered Kitchen 