I Haven't Forgotten About This Blog...I Promise

I feel like I haven't been over here in a while.  I have been taking pictures of my food, just not blogging about it.  I had been overwhelmed trying to get ready for this Bank Of America photo shoot next week.  I spent today painting the cabinets in my kitchen, and they look awesome.  You can see pics here.  I finally decided on the cheesecake pan to review.  I got it in the mail a few days ago, and I found a great recipe to use.  I even bought all the ingredients.  Hopefully I can find the time this week to actually make it. 

What Should I Review From CSNStores?

I am beyond excited to be doing my first product review on this blog.  I have been working with CSNStores on my other blog, so I am familiar with all the awesome things they sell in their 200+ stores.  The only problem with having such a huge selection of products is deciding what I want to review.

There are several different directions I can go, but each will somehow involve my kitchen, since this is a blog about food.  The first thing I searched for was a table.  The one we have now is so old, and it only has three working chairs.  Since there are five of us, that makes having a family dinner at the table impossible.  I want a table that is big enough for all of us, but that doesn't take up too much space.  While searching for modern furniture, I found this table, and I adore it.

I love the bench seats, and the fact that the table is square.  That would make playing games so much easier, and we play at lot of games around here. 

As mush as I would love this table, I also want a bread maker.  I found this one, and it looks so cool!  Check it out:

I also want a Springform pan to make cheesecake from scratch, which is something I have never done but really want to try.  The pan I am leaning towards has a glass bottom, so it can double as the serving plate. 

With so many choices, I have no idea what I am finally going to settle on.  Probably the cheesecake pan.  I really want to make a cheesecake from scratch.  If you have read this blog before, you know I am on a quest to find the perfect cheesecake.  How cool would it be if I made the perfect cheesecake?

Peanut Butter Frosting

 

How cute are these?  I had to review Roundabout cupcake sleeves on my other blog, and they sent me these burger ones.  I made chocolate cupcakes, and needed a brownish frosting, so I went online in search of a recipe.   Most of the recipes I found were very similar, so I just kind of used my own judgment and came up with this recipe that worked pretty well.

1/2 stick butter, room temp

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I found a whipped peanut butter in the store that I used, and it worked great)

1/3 cup milk

3 cups powdered sugar

First, I creamed the butter and peanut butter.  I then added 2 cups of the sugar and the milk, while still creaming.  I added one more cup of sugar, and that was it.  Next time, I might add a little more peanut butter, because the sugar kind of muted the taste, but aside from that, it was really good.

Bruschetta

 We are snowed in today, so I figured it was the perfect day to break out a new recipe I have been wanting to try.  It's for bruschetta.  Doesn't it look good?  I didn't have all he ingredients, so I had to substitute some stuff, but it still came out yummy.

The recipe:

8 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix it all together and let sit for 1-2 hours.

Sounds easy, right?  It was.  I didn't have Roma tomatoes, so I seeded and diced regular tomatoes, which worked just as well.  I didn't have shredded Parmesan cheese, so I used the stuff in the shaker.  I also didn't have fresh basil, so I used parsley.  Over all, it came out delicious.  I will make it again when I have the right ingredients to see if it tastes any different.

It's Melting!

The ice is finally melting away, which makes me happy.  I love my family, but I need some time out of the house, so hopefully we can venture to the store.  Yesterday, Ryan was outside shoveling the snow and ice, and even though he had regular glove on, he was still complaining about his hands.  I think he was wishing he had a pair of work gloves to keep the blisters away.

He did an awesome job shoveling, so Bob was able to head out to work this morning.  He was a couple of hours late, but he made it.

I'm Always The Egg Girl

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

I make a really good deviled egg.  I do.  In fact, whenever we have any type of get together at my mom's house, I am always the one who brings the eggs.  My recipe is pretty basic, with mayo, salt, pepper, and some type of pickle (depending on what I have in the fridge), with paprika sprinkled on top.  That's it. 

I think it's time to find a new recipe.  Maybe something with a little kick.

I was playing around online, and found this recipe on the TABASCO® Original Red  website.  Check out the ingredients:

• 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon original red TABASCO sauce
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, dill, chives
• Salt to taste

I have to admit, it has never occurred to me to add yogurt to the yolk mixture.  I bet it makes the centers so creamy and delicious.  The TABASCO sauce, which is "so much more than hot", probably adds just enough of a kick to bring out all the other flavors.  I think I might try this recipe the next time I make eggs, which will probably be soon. 

You can find tons of other simple finger food recipes on TABASCO's Game-Day Party Menu.  I know a lot of people have Super Bowl parties, and these recipes would make some wonderful foods for that.  With their Pizza Perfected ideas, you can see how to use TABASCO Original Red to spruce up delivery and frozen pizzas.  Why not make this a new game day tradition?  You can each pick a different pizza and see how you can make it better using TABASCO Original Red.  Do you want to make it hot, or simply enhance the flavors?  My husband likes a lot of heat in everything he eats, so I'm curious to see how much sauce he'll add to his.

Who says you need to have a party to enjoy party foods, anyway?  These recipes would also work for our family game nights.  Or any other night, for that matter.

Check Out My New Pots

 

 Aren't they pretty?  I had mentioned months ago that I wanted new stainless pots, and my mom remembered.  I was thrilled when I opened them on Christmas.  The set has three different sized pots, as well as a small skillet.  (the non-stick frying pan in the picture is one of the ones I reviewed from CSNstores) The pots came with glass lids and three stainless utensils.  I love them!  The only issue I have is that I have no where to store them.  My cabinet where I have been keeping my pots and pans doesn't have a shelf, so everything is piled on top of each other, and I want to keep this set looking nice.  I think I am going to look for some type of shelving unit to go in my kitchen hallway to put them on.  Maybe something like this:

I already have a smaller version of this sitting on my counter.  It holds all my spices and olive oils.  I just hope the bigger shelves are affordable.

Feeding A Baby Is Easier Than Feeding A Teenager

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I talk a lot on this blog about the thing I make for my family.  I have a couple of helpers (my girls) who are always trying to help, and most of the time I am more than happy to let them. I read somewhere that if you let your kids help prepare a meal they are more likely to eat it.  My kids aren't necessarily picky eaters, but there are some things that I have gotten them to try simply by allowing them to help prepare it.

When my kids were little, they were both breastfed and bottle fed.  Actually, they were always bottle fed, but for the first three months of each of their lives, I pumped my milk for them.  Once they were solely on formula, I was always on the lookout for the best price, because formula was, and still is, downright expensive.  These days, parents can buy on diapers.com Bright Beginnings formula, which is a store brand, not a name brand formula.  It is, however, just as nutritious for your baby.  It has to be.  There are laws about this.  It also costs a whole lot less than the store brand formulas, and as parents, I think it's in our blood to save money where ever we can, without sacrificing what's important.  You can find out more about this formula by visiting and liking Bright Beginnings on Facebook. 

I am off to make supper for the kids.  I wish it was as simple as heating up a bottle, but they always want meat and vegetables.  Sometimes, I miss the days of liquid meals.  They were so much easier to prepare!

I Made Sausage Balls

I had to write a post about sausage balls on my other blog, so tonight I decided to try out the recipe I found.  Let me tell you...they were delicious!  I didn't follow the recipe exactly....

The recipe called for 2 cups of biscuit mix, 1 pound of sausage, and 10 ounces of cheese.  You were supposed to mix the cheese and sausage and then add the biscuit mix.  I had 1 and 1/2 pounds of sausage, so I used 12 ounces of cheese and 3 cups of biscuit mix.  No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the biscuit mix to mix in with the sausage.  I ended up adding half a cup of milk, which worked great.  The original recipe said to bake at 350 for 20 minutes, but they weren't even close to done after that time, so I increased the temp to 425 and baked them for another 15 minutes, I think.  As you can see in the picture, they came out nice and brown.

I am definitely going to make these for our next get together.

Top Droppers ~ December

 Thanks to the following blogs who dropped on here the most in December:

comatised ~ Dreaming in digital

my kids are my world ~ This is a blog about my life as a wife and mother of three kids, who are, obviously, my world.

Travel Around The World ~ Tips, Learn, And Smartest choice to travels guide

Everyday Living ~  Weight-Loss tips and stories, mixed together with humor and fun. All this and more to help you get through the journey of Everyday Living

we serve for you ~ share about knowlegde in making online money

Symbian Freeware ~ Free Symbian GPS, VoIP, text reader software, free themes and games. Ovi Nokia games and freeware.

Home Improvement ~ Home Decorating Blog

Gadgets Resources ~ The Best Resources for Gadgets Information

Medical Research and Information ~ All information about medical research and information include, exercise, nutrition, health tips, and other information about health