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Oh, Betty, You Are So Wise!

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We had blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning. A like to take Betty’s box of muffin mix and then put my own spin on it.  We use fresh blueberries instead of the can included in the box.  I also love to add a topping. 
Well, at the bottom of the box, there is a place for Betty Crocker’s tip.  Betty’s tip was to use an ice cream scoop for the muffin batter.  Now, I’ve heard this tip before, but never tried it.  Oh, Betty, this is brilliant.

I’ll never doubt you again, Betty.
Happy baking!

A New Favorite Product and Home and Family Friday

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Ok, I have a new favorite product.  I bought this from Pampered Chef and LOVE it!  (Actually my mother-in-law bought it and gave it to me.)  I use it just about every week.  My kids and I love pineapple, but I absolutely hate cutting it.  I’m not too fast with a knife, so in the past I’ve bought pre-cut pineapple.  Now, rather than paying $7.99 for a container of pre-cut pineapple from Costco, I buy a $2.99 pineapple and slice it up in 30 seconds flat.

It all starts with this tool.  It looks like a giant apple cutter.

The pineapple cutter slices and cores the pineapple.

Then you use an apple cutter to cut it into smaller slices.


Brilliant.
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On to Home and Family Friday…
Let’s see some great projects from the week.  I’d love it if you’d grab my button and become a follower.

Lovin’ My Mandoline

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Do you own a mandoline? Do you use it? Or is it one of those things it the back of the cupboard you can’t reach. If you have one, and you don’t use it, it’s time to dig it out of the cupboard.

I use mine all the time to slice zuchinni and carrots. On Easter, I tried a new recipe for scalloped potatoes. I didn’t love the recipe, but I did love the way my potatoes sliced. I’m not too good with knife chopping skills, so slicing this many potatoes would have take me an hour and they certainly wouldn’t have been sliced this perfectly. With my mandoline, it took less than 3 minutes.


Happy slicing!
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A Really Smart Product

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Is it just me, or does anyone else find it annoying that measuring spoons don’t fit into the bottles of spices?  Yes, I know, if I would use two half teaspoons it would be the same as one full teaspoon.  But, I just want my measuring spoons to fit!

Just before Christmas I discovered this set of measuring spoons at Storables.  BRILLIANT!

They are rectangular shaped measuring spoons, just the right shape to fit into the bottles.

I’m a happy baker and cook again.

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Home and Family Friday is Back!

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First off, I need to answer a few questions.  Last week there were a few questions about where I purchased things and how much they cost.  Here are the answers.  (You’d think I would get the hang of this blogging thing and just remember to put info like this right into the post. )

Click on the vacuum to take you to the Home Depot website, so you can read more about the vacuum.  It is an LG Kompressor Bagless Upright.  It is also available at Sears.  The model we bought is $299.  There is also a $399 model and a $549 model.  There are more bells and whistles on the more expensive models.  The cheaper one is just fine for us, and it really sucks.

My little photo studio is called the Quantaray E-Box Portable Photo Studio. Click on the picture to take you to Ritz camera. It sells for $79.99.  (Although my mother in law bought it for a screaming deal on the day after Thanksgiving sale.  She’s a good shopper like that!)  Amazon has a few other options too.  Just google portable photo studio.
I hope that answers a few of your questions!
We’re ready for Home and Family Friday.  We love to see craft projects, room makeovers, recipes, holiday projects, or basically anything you’ve done around your home or with your family.  Link ’em up!

This Really Sucks!

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Literally.  This vacuum really sucks.  A few months ago our old vacuum saw its last days. It had served us well.  When looking for a replacement, my first thought was a Dyson.  Oh, how I wanted the Dyson Animal.  Then came reality.  “I’m sorry, HOW MUCH is that vacuum cleaner?” As much as I wanted that Animal, $500 just isn’t in the budget for a vacuum.

We started researching other brands and read lots of reviews.  Over and over, the LG kept popping up.  I know the LG brand, but I had no idea they made vacuum cleaners.  The decision was made.  We said no to Dyson and yes to LG.  We didn’t buy the top of the line.  We are usually middle of the road buyers, and that held true for the vacuum as well. 

I’m telling you, this vacuum sucks!  I vacuum quite frequently because we have a dog and many children running around our house.  I am always SHOCKED by the amount of gross, disgusting, dust, dirt, and dog hair this vacuum picks up.  I empty the canister after each time I vacuum, simply because I can’t believe how much dirt accumulates in just a few days.  Yep, that’s everything my vacuum picked up TODAY! (And I just vacuumed 2 days ago.) It’s official.  My family is disgusting.

Lovin’ My All-Clad

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In the past 15 years, I think I have replaced my non-stick pans about 15 times.  Every Christmas I put a set on my wish list, because the previous year’s has gotten too scratched to use.  This Christmas, I made a better choice.  This year, I asked my family for William Sonoma gift cards for Christmas and bought myself some All-Clad. 


If you’re not familiar with All-Clad, then you need to get out from under your box. I mean, you should talk to the sales ladies at William Sonoma.  There is a lifetime guarantee on these pans! Even though this pan cost as much as 15 years worth of pans, I will NEVER have to replace it!


It’s almost too pretty to use. I think I might be in love.


The first thing I cooked in my omelette pan was, of course, an omelette.  I have to say I was impressed with the way the omelette cooked and slid off the pan when I was done.


Breakfast is served!
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The New Slow Cooker

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Oh, the sadness! My beloved crockpot has cracked and it is broken! I can’t tell you how devastating life with be without…. what… what’s that you say…. a better crockpot out there?


As much as I loved this crockpot, when it came time to buy a new one, I was ready to try something new. I have shared several recipes and favorite features of my crockpot.  The things I loved about the crockpot shown above are size, ability to program, and the keep warm feature.  I would say I have used this at least once a week for the past three years.  Today I discovered it was cracked and no longer usable.


Here’s what I ended up purchasing, after lots of online shopping and reading of reviews.  This is a Hamilton Beach, 6 quart, programmable slow cooker. I ordered it on Amazon for $44.99.  It has a meat thermometer built into it, and it will actually turn itself to warm when the meat is cooked to the desired temperature.  My favorite feature is the locking handles and lid.  The handle snaps onto the lid, making it spill proof and easy to transport.  Are you wondering why I would be so excited to transport my crockpot?  Come springtime, we will LIVE down at the baseball field.  We will spend hours, upon hours, at baseball practice or games. We will be cold and hungry and SO HAPPY that mom fixed dinner before she left for work and then put the crockpot in the back of the car.  Yep, I’m thinking ahead.

Happy meal planning!

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My New Pampered Chef Product

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One of my teaching partners is a Pampered Chef consultant. After seeing the wonderful things she makes with the Pampered Chef rice cooker, I decided I needed one.

We’ve been loving quinoa lately. Costco sells a big bag of it and it will probably last us forever. Today I made the quinoa in the rice cooker, threw in a few diced veggies, and some leftover chicken from last night. Dinner is served.

Wait until you see the yummy chocolate cake you can make in this… IN 8 MINUTES!

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/gregoriogrub Contact Angela if you are interested in any Pampered Chef products.