Food & Cooking Archives - Page 6 of 12

The perfect bread machine white bread {and how to keep it fresh}

I’ve gotta brag for a moment: I haven’t bought bread in over 5 months. If you know me, you know that I’m simply not a baker. I can cook, but baking is just too technical for someone like me that has problems following directions. So, the fact that I’m baking all of our bread is a really big accomplishment. And, the fact that the kids like it is a small miracle. My intro to baking started as a quest to find a decent sandwich bread that I could make in the bread machine, and I just wasn’t finding anything awesome and the kids were very disappointed with the results. I wanted our weekly loaf to be soft enough that it would make a good sandwich loaf, but also dense enough so that it didn’t just fall apart when you spread peanut butter on it or sliced it thin.

So, using the handwritten notes of my grandmother scribbled in the margins of the bread machine cookbook she gave me, I decided to modify the recipe we liked the best using a little trial and error and a lot of help from grandma. Thanks, grandma!Admittedly, there was quite a bit of error, but it was actually kind of fun trying out different ingredients and measurements. While doing this process I was really glad I was using the bread maker, as it took me out as a variable and made it easy to pinpoint ingredient and measurement changes because the process was so uniform.

When we finally hit on the perfect recipe, we were high-fiving in the kitchen as we enjoyed our now-famous loaf fresh out of the bread machine. The kids have now memorized the recipe and can basically do every step of the process, they just wait for me to plug it in and set it on the correct bread setting and loaf size.

Want a delicious on-the-go treat that your kids will absolutely love? Entenmann’s® Little Bites® muffins are baked soft and moist and then packed in easy to grab on-the-go pouches so they can be enjoyed just about anywhere. They are made with real ingredients, and never contain any high fructose corn syrup, which means parents love … Read more

The best snow ice cream recipe

On our last snow day, we experimented a bit to find the best snow ice cream recipe anywhere. With only a few ingredients and almost no time to mix up, it's a perfect snow day activity for kids.
Here's what you need:

The BEST bites and brews for the Big Game

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Single Edition Media. Are you getting excited for the Big Game like we are? Even though half of us aren’t even football fans, there’s something about the end of football season that brings everyone together. We look forward to enjoying all the commercials almost as much as the actual game, and most of all, we look forward to another reason to have a party.

But, in our usual fashion, we haven’t even begun to plan for game day. A day or two before we will get a few random texts asking what we’re doing, and typically we end up having people over or going to my dad’s to celebrate.

No matter where we celebrate, planning the menu is a joint effort, and I’m always on the hunt for the perfect foods that are quick and easy to prepare but also are crowd pleasers. When Babbleboxx sent a few hand selected items for us to sample that would be great game day items, we jumped at the chance to check them out and give our thoughts.

Here’s a sample Game Day menu that you can check out for planning your Big Game party – including some awesome coupons to save you money while shopping!

The perfect gift for the impossible to buy for: Snake River Farms steaks

Everyone has that one {or four, or five} people on their holiday list that are impossible to buy for, and you spend all month running around searching for something – anything – before you give up and buy them a gift card. How about this year you do something different and give them a gift they truly want, and something to look forward to opening and enjoying?

That gift is American Wagyu beef from Snake River Farms. Used by some of the country's most renowned chefs like Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina, as well as at popular spots nationwide, a gift from Snake River Farms is sure to impress even the toughest critic. Founded in 1999, Snake River Farms has been passionate about delivering the finest foods directly to consumers to bring you world class restaurant quality in the comfort of home.We got to try a few American Wagyu steaks from their Steak Flight gift set this month and I can tell you, they are like nothing else I’ve ever eaten. Fancy steakhouses aren’t in the cards for us right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a quality steak just as much as I used to. In order to enjoy a quality steak, Hubby and I didn’t have to don fancy clothes, get a sitter, and then make the trek to an expensive restaurant to enjoy a meal that is truly decadent and memorable.

Masha electric vegetable masher

It’s basically mashed potato season, right? I think we can all agree that while the holidays may not be entirely designed around this delicious potato treat, it definitely is not the same without them. Can you imagine a turkey dinner without a scoop of fluffy mashed potatoes ready for topping with gravy? I know, I know, I don’t want to imagine that, either.

Luckily, we live in a world where potatoes exist, and even luckier that we live in a world where we can mash them up and enjoy them any day of the year – but especially this time of year. Now that we agree that mashed potatoes are the unofficial spirit food of the holidays, we have to agree how to prepare them. For this, there is the Masha Masher by Salton that combines the unique aspects of a ricer with specifically designed blades that give you the lightest and most fluffiest potatoes anywhere. So, how does it work? Many people don’t know this, but conventional hand blenders and food processors actually rupture the starch grains, giving them a glue-like consistency. The Masha is different because it although it looks a bit like an immersion blender, instead it uses a low speed rotor to force food through an outer mesh, much like a motorized ricer. The result is perfectly mashed foods without lumps, in just seconds.

Unique gifts for your Star Wars fan from the What On Earth Catalog

Do you have a Star Wars fan on your list this holiday season? Beyond the basics, like the movies, lightsabers, and a few collectibles, what else is there to wrap up? This year, I looked to The What on Earth Catalog to find the perfect Star Wars gift that is not only super cool, but also practical.

Introducing our newest, and already most beloved, kitchen gadget: The Star Wars Rogue One Darth Vader Lightsaber Handheld Immersion Blender. The Star Wars Darth Vader Lightsaber Immersion Blender is a sturdy saber made from red stainless steel that turns blending into a battle between good and evil. The realistic ABS handle will surely impress and the adjustable speeds can make short work of any blending job. Prepare to be the Sith Lord of your kitchen!

My GoGo squeeZ kids enjoy Goodness On The Go

It was back in 2011 when we became a "squeeZer" family, as the kids called them. Due to a dental issue, my son was unable to eat solid foods unless they were cut up in super tiny bites, and most hard foods were impossible for him to eat without having to deal with bleeding gums. Thank goodness it's also when we found GoGo squeeZ, because otherwise life with a hungry boy who couldn't eat most foods would have been rough for all of us.

That dental issue has since been resolved, but our love of GoGo squeeZ just keeps growing. And growing.

I appreciate that they are 100% fruit and veggies that I can feel good about the kids eating, and they love that they are delicious and easy to eat on the go. It's wholesome goodness I can carry with me, and it's a guaranteed way to get them to eat their fruits and veggies – all while thinking that they are winning the food battle.

Treat yourself to a steak dinner at Applebee’s for under $10

At some point in the past few years, we just stopped going out to eat. Three kids, one income, and busy schedules have us running from event to event so it became hard to do relaxing dinners out. As a result, I became queen of the quick and easy weeknight dinner that could have us out of the house and on the go. So, really, eating out at all is a huge treat.

But, a steak dinner out? It must be my anniversabirthday. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar doesn’t think that a nice steak dinner at a restaurant should be a once-a-year event and are giving you a chance to enjoy a well-deserved steak at an awesome price – no special occasion required. From now until November 13th, customers can enjoy Applebee’s famed wood-fired USDA Choice Top Sirloin steak and two delectable sides, all for just $9.99.

Darigold Farmalicious tour at Coldstream Farms in Deming, WA

It’s just after noon on a beautiful August day and I’m traipsing through countryside, photographing cows, taking in the beautiful scenery, enjoying the company of some of my favorite local bloggers, and feeling at one with nature in so many ways. Thanks to Darigold, I’m getting my first real introduction to farm life while learning about the innermost workings of a family-run dairy farm at Coldstream Farms in Deming, Washington, and honestly, it’s just a lot more nature than I’m used to. But, in some ways it oddly feels like home. Anyone who knows me is laughing really hard because no one has ever mistaken me for someone who was cut out for farming. Urban farming even sometimes seems like too much work for me, so when you add in the fact that I’m notoriously squeamish and I prefer to not get dirty, it is abundantly clear that farm life was really never in the cards for me.