small kitchen appliances

Someone recently asked me if I was one of those people who gets really excited about small kitchen appliances or gadgets. First of all, I didn't realize that was a defined group of people. Second of all, it doesn't sound like a group I want to be associated with - sounds pretty silly. So my first impulse was to reply nooooo. But as I prepare to write this post, I realize that I might just be part of that group because I am truly excited to tell you about my new blender!! But first, let's talk about my new slow cooker.

I've been wanting to get a slow cooker for a long time, but I am not really sure what held me back. I finally got one. I christened the slow cooker with Corn Spoon Bread from allrecipes.com. I didn't actually know what it was, so I didn't know what to expect.




It turned out like corn pudding. I liked it when I first ate it, but as time goes on, I've gotten less thrilled with it. I froze several pieces of it, and haven't yet had the desire to defrost any. Maybe it will grow on me. Maybe not.




PS: I'm intrigued by this product. I may have to try it on its own one day. I do love corn bread!



The second use of the slow cooker was more successful.



I decided to try a Slow Cooker Stout Stew from allrecipes.com, even though that's really a winter dish not exactly appropriate for the heat we're in.




Nonetheless, I'm glad I tried it because it was delicious. Very meaty.



Slow cooker = success!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, for the piece de resistance.... my new blender!! It is the Ninja, recommended by my dear friend Alicia. It is fantastic.



Pros:
- It's very powerful. It did not hesitate to crush through frozen fruit and ice!
- Everything except the motor goes into the dishwasher. And since I have a new working dishwasher, this makes me very happy.
- The blades are at different levels in the pitcher so you don't get stuck with unblended items at the top that you have to push down.
- It's very easy to use: just push down to run it. You either push down continuously or pulse depending on what you're trying to do.
- First you put the blades in the pitcher and then you add the food. When you're ready to pour out, you take the blades out and then pour. This means that you can get everything out with minimal waste, unlike traditional blenders.

Cons:
- It's a bit more work than other blenders to add things in while blending, because you have to remove the motor and the top. Minor drawback as far as I am concerned.



The maiden voyage was Fresh Pineapple-Berry Fiasco from allrecipes.com. A delicious smoothie. Well, I think it's supposed to be a bit more like a frozen drink because you're supposed to juice the fruit, but I skipped that part and just blended all the fruits together. Delicious! It was frothy and fresh and perfect. I highly recommend it!




This blender might be a keeper! Let's hope it fares better than my last 3! ;-)

Please note: I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews on "the hidden foodie in me". The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Caroline C.

dessert obsession... and two healthy dishes

I have a few things to show you today. Let's start with the sweet stuff, shall we?!

My favorite classic flavor combination is vanilla and chocolate. Take that into baking dessert and we're talking about brownies with vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge, and whipped cream. With the brownie preferably warm. One of my favorite ice cream flavors is Ben & Jerry's Half Baked that includes chunks of brownies and cookie dough. Imagine my excitement when I came across a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie recipe over at recipegirl.com!! I was slightly disappointed, maybe because my expectations were so high, but that doesn't prevent it from being a delicious indulgence that I would still recommend. Here is the result:

Now moving on to actual meals... I tried another recipe from my favorite daily food blog: dailygarnish.com. This Mexican Quinoa with Black Beans and Avocado looked good and I already had most of the ingredients so I made it just a few days after her. The only modification is that I had red quinoa, but I doubt that impacted it much. I thought this dish was really good. I never would have combined these ingredients on my own, but they worked really well together. You should try it. Super easy too.

And last, but not least, I made an oldie but goodie from allrecipes.com. Chicken breasts with balsamic vinegar and garlic served with mashed potatoes. Yum! Look for my comment (in 2008) to see what I change in the recipe... really just don't flour the chicken and add a bit of cornstarch mixed in with cold water at the end to thicken the sauce.

And I will end with this: would you believe that my new blender broke?! It overheated one day while I was making a smoothie. I used it, what, 3 times!?! Anyone know of a good blender I could buy that will actually last a while? Anyone?

hazelnut... it does a body good

A few years ago, I thought I might be lactose-intolerant. I haven't figured out if I really am or not, but I have never gone back to cow's milk. Instead I went to soy, then lately was on an almond kick, but a week ago, I found hazelnut!!! YUM! I highly recommend it. The best of the milk substitutes that I have tried.

The facts:

It's so good. It's thick and hazelnutty... delicious! Adds a ton of flavor to my morning cereal.

Speaking of cereal, I have overcome my laziness a few times this week and made oatmeal on the stove. I managed to cut out additional sugar between the hazelnut "milk" and the berries or peaches I add in.

Here it is with blackberries:

I ate out a lot this weekend, but I attempted to balance that out with a healthy soup on Saturday night. I steamed asparagus, then threw it in the blender with a tiny bit of light cream, some water, and a bit of chicken broth powder. And voila!

In other news, I tried to make a clementine cake this weekend... I had a bad feeling when the clementines were boiling for 2 hours (yes, 2 hours!!!). I didn't like the smell, but thought maybe it would still turn out okay. But then the recipe called for ground almonds, which I did not find, so I ground them myself in my new 3-cup food processor. Of course, they weren't fine enough, but again, I thought it might do. I should also mention that the recipe called for this batter being prepared in a food processor - well my new little 3-cup one wasn't going to cut it so I used the blender. Definitely not meant for that. But despite all of this, I persevered, ever optimistic! As you may have guessed by now, it didn't work out. The texture was off, the taste wasn't very good, and the middle seemed undercooked. I was so disheartened that I couldn't even take a picture. It went straight into the trash, not even completely cooled yet. I really rarely mess up cakes - strange that I have now had to throw 2 cakes out in less than one month. What was my last post? Oh yes, listen to your gut! Ha! Well now I have that reminder every time I walk into my house: the boiling clementine smell that I didn't like is lingering. Perhaps the other lesson here is, make sure you have the right ingredients and tools before you embark on a recipe journey.

But let's end on a high note. To make up for the clementine cake, I made quatre quarts (or pound cake, or literally four fourths). I figured that the chances were low that something would go wrong with such a classic. Did you know that there is a very easy way to make one? This is how it's done in France: weigh your eggs, however many you want to use. The guideline is 2 eggs for 4 people. Then, use the same weight in sugar, butter, and flour. Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract (or both extracts, as I did). I also threw in some quality French chocolate that I had finely chopped with my fantastic Wusthof knife. If you bake it as one cake, it will take about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I made cupcakes and they were in for about 25 minutes.

think before you throw out

Note to self: Find another way to get rid of chocolate cake. The trash can was a bad idea. Now every time I throw something away, I get a whiff of chocolate cake and the matching craving to go with it. Good thing there is now dirt and other trash on top of the cake or else I would have been fully capable of digging in there for a piece.

Well I did make a smoothie on Saturday morning:

But... I didn't get the chance to blend it all the way before my blender decided to crap out. Also, it had too much liquid. So between the noticeable chunks of clementine fibers and the unpleasant texture, it wasn't very satisfying.

The dead blender:

There was some rubber part that made the blender go, and every time I used it, it would leave me some nice droppings:

Good riddance, I guess.

I complemented this mediocre breakfast with a slice of bread with some peanut butter and honey. I don't get what the big deal is with that combo - didn't think it was anything spectacular.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to some better food throughout the day. I had a delicious salad out with my friend. It included: spinach, chicken, avocado, gorgonzola, bacon (which I did not eat), and a yummy dressing. Dinner was Pad Thai - always a winner!

Food-wise, Sunday is turning out okay. Breakfast wins the best-bang-for-your-buck(/Points) award: oatmeal, milk, brown sugar, and berries. So delicious and really sticks to your belly! Perhaps I should buy a microwave to be able to make some myself. Yes, I know, it is possible to make oatmeal in a saucepan, however, it requires too much effort. Yes, that's right, too much effort. I'm lazy.

Lunch was nothing spectacular: an egg, pasta, and fresh mozzarella. I added lots of paprika for flavor. The trash can smell forced me to have 2... well okay 3... well actually, 4 pieces of chocolate. And I defrosted a blondie brownie that I made a few weeks ago. But come on, how can you possibly expect me to smell chocolate every time I throw something out and not give in to my chocolate craving? Just be thankful I didn't dig through the garbage can, mmmkay?!

I will leave you with this hilarious video. It is completely unrelated to food, but absolutely worth sharing. Enjoy!