5 kitchen gadgets I can’t live without

We’re finally settled into our new house. And I’m pretty well settled in the kitchen. I’m still moving things around now and then as I try to figure out the best places. It’s a work in progress.

The point is, after all the moving, building, and traveling we’ve been doing lately, I’m finally getting back into the swing of cooking. Most nights. And I’m rediscovering some of my absolute favorite kitchen gadgets.

1. You’ve met this guy before. He’s an OXO egg slicer and chopper. First, he gently cradles the egg.

EuroScrubby

I have found the next best thing since sliced bread. Seriously. My new favorite thing in all the world. The EuroScrubby rocks!

Okay, maybe I’m a little over the top. But you have to see this to believe it!

Not too long ago, I made a batch of The Pioneer Woman’s comfort food meatballs. (Coincidentally, these were just featured on her Food Network show last weekend!)

I was left with a Pampered Chef Stoneware Rectangular Baker to clean out. And, I am not ashamed to admit, I did not clean it that night. I left it out. And the sauce dried to a hard sticky mess. Ick. So I soaked it for a few hours, and was left with this:


Pretty seriously gross.

Zest ‘n Zing

Last week was Food Check Out Week. By this week, most Americans have earned enough money to pay for their food for the whole year. The American Farm Bureau thinks this is a pretty big deal – after all, the average American only spends about 10% of their annual income on food – and State Farm Bureaus sponsor celebrations and events all over the country.

This year, the American Farm Bureau came to Indianapolis and helped the Indiana Farm Bureau put on a huge event for the first time called Zest ‘n Zing: A Foodie Event for the At-Home Chef.

We all had a blast at this food party! There were food samples for everyone to taste, and lots of farmers hanging around for people to meet, talk to, and ask questions. We had a big food-oriented party for two hours before launching into the main event, an Iron Chef-style cook-off, featuring pork and cheese products.
The first team was Team Pork, starring Real Farmwife and pork farmer Heather Hill, Indiana’s weatherman Paul Poteet, and Chef Chip from Barto’s Banquets and Catering at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.


The second team was Team Moo, starring Real Farmwife and dairy farmer Liz Kelsay, Dave Smiley from Indianapolis’ Smiley Morning Show, and Chef Jason from Ivy Tech.

The Pampered Chef Winner!

Congratulations to apple blossom... She won The Pampered Chef giveaway! I am so excited to have this chocolate-themed prize pack to share!

The good news for everyone else is that my party is still open... If you were just dying for the Chocolate Cookbook, or something else Pampered Chef that you just have to have, you can still order through Donna's site until Sunday 10/30, and please list me as your host! (Just search for Marybeth in the "first name" box, and you'll find me!)



Thanks for playing along... I hope you were inspired by The Pampered Chef line as much as I was... I'm looking forward to some great fall cooking with my new tools! (Oh yes, there will be pictures.)

{While my Pampered Chef consultant, Donna Harpe, has donated the items for this giveaway, the comments and opinions expressed here are my own.}

Chocolate Lava Cake

To-die-for, melt-in-your-mouth, ooey-gooey chocolate cake from The Pampered Chef Chocolate cookbook.

In the microwave.

In ten minutes.

I’m sorry, Weight Watchers who??

Okay, six easy steps. Ready?

1. Mix up a chocolate cake batter. Just like the box says. Then put it in your Deep Covered Baker. (Don’t have one? You need one. It’s just like a slow-cooker, only fast. There’s even a recipe book to get you started. Oh, and it also comes in taupe, if you’re not crazy about cranberry.)

The Pampered Chef giveaway!

Have I teased you enough? The giveaway is finally here! I am so excited to have this fantastic candy-themed prize pack to give away!

The prize pack includes...

The Pampered Chef cooking show

We had a blast at my Pampered Chef party last week!

I didn’t take as many pictures as I had planned… Well, because it was a party. And there was chocolate. And wine. So not many pictures.

We crowded ten women (plus me and my consultant, Donna Harpe) into my teeny tiny kitchen, dining room, and living room. Sorry to Andrea who had to sit on the floor…


We had a great demo of how to make this chocolate lava cake. (Recipe coming next week, and it’s so easy, you’ll die!)

Gooseberry Patch winner!

I am so pleased to announce the winner of Gooseberry Patch’s Autumn with Family & Friends!

There were 89 comments on the giveaway post on Blogger, and 2 comments on the giveaway post on WordPress. So I added the two WP comments, and did a random drawing of 91 entries.

(Part of the problem of maintaining two sites… but I had some die-hards who started with me on WordPress, and it has been hard to convince them to move over to Blogger. Cause I love you, I stick with both!)

The winner is…

Number 28 from the Blogger site… hondagal!

Please email me to claim your prize - alarmclockwars-at-gmail-dot-com, or use the “Talk to the Clock” link on the sidebar.

Congratulations!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. If you would like to see other great recipes, check out www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com.

Gooseberry Patch cookbook giveaway!

I have had a blast cooking through Autumn with Family & Friends with the Real Farmwives of America & Friends and Gooseberry Patch.
I hope you have found a recipe or two that you have wanted to try! And now, it’s time for a giveaway, so you can try the recipes I’ve shown you, and all the others you want!

I did not have any trouble picking out recipes to try from this book… The trick was narrowing it down to ten!

We tried some great main dishes like

Perfect Cheesy Pasta Bake
Sweet Autumn Pork Chops

Connie’s Meatloaf Roll
 Pumpkin-Sausage Penne
Party Ham Casserole
I checked out a new comfort food recipe – Dad’s Best Mac & Cheese
There were the kid- and adult-friendly Crunchy Chicken “Toes”
Some fantastic side dishes…

Cinnamon Pineapple
Grandma’s Buttery Mashed Potatoes
and a new favorite, Garlic Bubble Bread (I am so making this to go with lasagna tonight!)
And I managed to stick to only one dessert (but, oh, was it good!) – Pumpkin Custard Crunch
Are you hungry yet?

I have a copy of Autumn with Family & Friends to give away!! Try all these recipes, and tons more! How about New England Cider Doughnuts… Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes… Bacon Bread (Hubby Doc has been after me to make this one)… Pumpkin Bread Pudding! They all sound so good… who can choose? (I think I’ve held off on the desserts long enough!)

You can earn entries in this giveaway for a copy of this wonderful cookbook by…

• Leave a comment here telling me which was your favorite recipe, or which you want to try first.
• Following AlarmClockWars through Google Friend Connect (or sign up for email updates through my WordPress site).
• Following @AlarmClockWars on Twitter
• Becoming a Fan of Alarm Clock Wars on Facebook
• Following The Real Farmwives of America and Friends and Gooseberry Patch through Google Friend Connect. Leave a comment telling them you are new! (Psst…  GP has another giveaway going on right now!)
• Following @realfarmwives and @gooseberrypatch on Twitter
• Becoming a Fan of The Real Farmwives of America and Friends  and Gooseberry Patch on Facebook
• Joining the Gooseberry Patch Circle of Friends email club

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each entry.

The giveaway will close at midnight (Central time) on Friday, September 9. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday, September 10!

Good luck! I know you will love each and every recipe!

Bonus side dishes, recipe #10+

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m giving you two side dishes in this post. And you’ll love them both, I promise! First… Warm Cinnamon Pineapple.

Start with a whole pineapple. Cut off the top and bottom, and then slice off the skin.
Mix together 2 cups of sugar (I used Splenda) and 1/4 cup cinnamon. Roll the naked pineapple around in the cinnamon sugar until he is nice and sticky. (I had a bunch of leftover cinnamon sugar. Next time I would only make up half the amount.)

Wrap the pineapple in aluminum foil, put it on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

When it is warmed through, take him out of the aluminum foil, stand him upright, and slice vertically around the core. Throw out the core, slice the pineapple thinly, and serve warm.Trust me, you will love this!!

Second, Grandma’s Buttery Mashed Potatoes. Because no Autumn meal is complete without mashed potatoes!

Peel, cube, cook, and drain 6-8 potatoes.
Add 1/2 cup butter, and 1 cup evaporated milk.

Beat everything to a pulp.
I didn’t pay attention, and added a whole can of evaporated milk, instead of just 1 cup. So things got a little runny. Lucky for me, I had some instant mashed potato flakes in the pantry. I added some of these, and things perked right up.

Of course, I could have boiled some more potatoes to correct the runny problem. But I wasn’t feeling that patient.

Seriously? Some of the best mashed potatoes I have ever tasted!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and to share with you. If you would like to see other great recipes, check out www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com.

Printable recipe cards: 

Next up? A giveaway! I have a copy of Autumn with Family & Friends to giveaway to one lucky reader! Get ready…  It’s coming next week!

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Party Ham Casserole, recipe #9

We’re getting closer to Autumn (well, some days it feels more like it than others), and I’m wrapping up my cooking from Autumn with Family & Friends from Gooseberry Patch!

I’m always looking for something new to do with ham, so this recipe was calling to me!

I started with one of our ham steaks, cut it into cubes, and gave it a quick cook in some olive oil. I may have also used some of Shoup’s Seasoning. It’s a possibility. You can start with a pre-cooked piece of ham. We didn’t have any of that “fancy” food. :)

This recipe calls for medium egg noodles. I am a big fan of the Amish-style noodles, and used those instead.I cooked and drained half the package of noodles, and set them aside foe a few minutes. In the same saucepan I cooked the noodles, I combined 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup milk, and stirred over low heat until smooth. Then add 1 teaspoon of minced onion, 2 teaspoons of mustard, and 1 cup of sour cream. Heat, stir. Beautiful. The recipe calls for layers here. Noodles, ham, soup, repeat. My casserole dish was clearly the wrong size, so I just dumped it all in at the same time.Mix together 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1-1/2 tablespoon melted butter for the top, and then top with grated Parmesan cheese. Yum! Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, and it is ready to go!I will advise you to stick to the medium egg noodles. The noodles I used were so long, it was hard to serve this casserole without everything pulling apart.

Other than that, this dish was a hit!   

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and to share with you. If you would like to see other great recipes, check out www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com.

Printable recipe card:
Next time… a two-fer! I made two quick and easy sides, and I’m going to give them both to you in the next post!

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Dad’s Best Mac & Cheese, recipe #8

I have already told you about one of my favorite comfort foods – homemade macaroni and cheese. While I am perfectly happy with my family recipe, I am also always on the lookout for some variations. And boy did I find a good one in Autumn with Family & Friends!!


Mix together one egg, 1 tablespoon hot water, 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the egg mixture, and 1 cup of milk to cooked elbow macaroni. (Or spirals. I like spirals. I just didn’t have any.) Add most of a 12-ounce package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
I had only bought an 8-ounce bag of cheddar. So I added some mozzarella to make up the difference. Mix that all up. (We’re not aiming for cheese melting, just everything mixed together.)
Spread one tablespoon of softened butter in the bottom of your pan…
And then pour in the macaroni. Top with extra cheese.
And bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until the top looks like this.Oh, yum!! This was mac & cheese heaven!

I do like a crunchy topping, so maybe next time I would add some crushed cereal with butter to the cheese on the top… But this was still so good!

We had this with Gooseberry Patch’s Crunchy Chicken “Toes” and garden broccoli.
I will say, all that butter in the bottom of the pan made for some seriously yummy mac & cheese, but it left my stoneware pan feeling pretty greasy. I ended up using a little bit of dish soap to clean the stoneware (which you’re not really supposed to do). There was no other way of getting around the butter. But it was so worth it!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and to share with you.If you would like to see other great recipes, check out www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com.

Printable recipe card:

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}