Feel the Funk» Cooking, Food & Technology

Beautiful 12 Inch Enamel Saute Pan

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:19:37 +0000

I do most of the cooking in our house, but I don’t mind since I really enjoy it. On the nights when I run out of ideas on what to make I generally throw a couple of leftovers together which can turn out pretty interesting. Some of my favorite dishes are cooked on my stove top like homemade soups, pasta dishes, and pan-fried steaks topped with butter and onions. One of the hassles of stove top cooking is that it can get a little messy, especially if you’re using an open skillet to cook in. I recently made a batch of homemade sauce in an open skillet and made quite a mess because the pan was too shallow. That’s why it always pays to own a good, deep pan like this Rachael Ray Porcelain Enamel 12 Inch Saute Pan.

First off, this Rachael Ray Covered Deep Saute Pan is really beautiful. I absolutely love the fun colors and think it’s a great change from the normal stainless steel pans I usually have in the kitchen. But more importantly, the cookware is well-made and easy to clean. The pan has a durable nonstick interior, a comfortable silicone handle, and a clear glass lid so you can keep an eye on your meal while it cooks. A must-have piece of cookware for any kitchen.

DeLonghi Moka Espresso Maker for Italian-Style Espresso

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:03:31 +0000

The Moka Espresso pot is a staple in many Italian homes. Many of us have actually seen this classic pot, usually made of aluminum with black handles and flat sides. The Moka pot has a unique way of creating a rich cup of delicious espresso. Traditionally a 3-part stove top coffee maker, you place your finely ground coffee in the midsection filter compartment and your water in the base section. As the water starts to heat, the rising steam will push up through the filter compartment, brewing the coffee into the upper section. The tricky part of course is making sure it doesn’t boil, leaving you with burnt coffee. De’Longhi has taken the guess-work out of Moka Espresso-making with it’s DeLonghi Alicia Electric Moka Espresso Maker.

Being electric, this convenient Moka maker can brew up to 6 cups of rich Espresso anywhere you’d like. It has a transparent container so you can keep an eye on the brewing process and an automatic shut-off to prevent any overflow problems or overcooked coffee. And the cool-touch base makes it easy for you to keep on any counter top. This Moka maker is the perfect Espresso Maker for today’s modern kitchen.

Weekends, Family, And Lemonade Just Seem To Go Together

admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:18:14 +0000

My husband is a big weekend project kind of guy. Of course, that usually means the kids get involved, which means I ultimately become part of the swarm, too; along with the two dogs and the cat. When the chaos becomes unbearable, I like to disappear inside, enjoy the peace and quiet, and mix up a pitcher of good old fashioned lemonade. It gives me a chance to think, and when I bring it outside to the family, they get a chance to re-group. My husband prefers my traditional homemade recipe for lemonade because it reminds him of when he was a kid. I like it because I control the sugar!

When you’re looking for cheap drink recipes, you can hardly beat traditional lemonade. Depending on what part of the country you live in, lemon juice in a bottle may be less expensive than real lemons. What I like to do is go ahead and use the bottled juice, but cut up one lemon in slices and put those in the pitcher. The slices actually do add flavor, but I really do it for the look. It’s just so pretty!

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:31:09 +0000

My kids love chicken for dinner, but I usually don’t have enough time after work to roast one. Thankfully my crockpot comes to the rescue. A family favorite is this creamy crockpot chicken recipe. I like to serve it over white rice with a side of broccoli or steamed Brussels sprouts. I end up making it about once a week and there’s usually enough leftover chicken for lunch the next day. The leftover chicken is great in a tortilla wrap, and even makes a yummy chicken salad.

Crockpot dishes like this one are perfect for busy weekdays when I don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen, or on the weekends, when I’d rather be playing with my kids. Over the years I’ve collected quite a few recipes, but this is by far our favorite and the one I end up making over and over again. It’s also pretty easy to modify it by adding different herbs and spices or just using a different flavor soup to cook the chicken in. All in all it’s a very simple yet versatile dish that I’m sure your family will enjoy as much as mine has. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Ceramic Bakeware for Your Favorite Casserole

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:52:36 +0000

Now that it’s getting pretty cold outside, I know it’s time to start making a lot of our family’s favorite casseroles and lasagna dishes again. For many years I kept using our metal baking pan for these meals or even the disposable aluminum pans when I was feeling too lazy to deal with washing out the pan. I finally decided it was time to get some better bakeware because the metal pan was just a pain to clean and the finish was looking pretty worn, and using the disposable pan seemed pretty wasteful. So I shopped around and found a great set of ceramic bakeware that I absolutely love.

First let me say how beautiful the ceramic bakeware is – there were many colors to choose from and I picked the terra cotta with the light green interior. The dishes are so smooth inside that cleaning is a breeze if I want to hand wash, or I can just place them in the dishwasher too. My casseroles and fruit crumbles turn out perfectly because the ceramic is such an excellent heat conductor. And because it goes from oven or microwave, to table, to fridge – I can simply cook my meal, bring it to the table and place the leftovers in the fridge. You just can’t go wrong with such versatile and durable kitchen bakeware like this ceramic baking set.