• 2 boneless chicken breasts (rinsed)
• 1 bottle Citrus Soy Marinade
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (found in grocery with Asian products)
• Green onions, sliced thinly
• Flour Tortillas

A two-pronged fork used to hold meat steady while it is being carved. They are often sold with carving knives or slicers as part of a carving set.

A carving fork is a kitchen utensil designed specifically for carving meat. It is used in conjunction with a carving knife, a very sharp knife which cleanly and efficiently cuts through meats such as roasts. Whether carving is done in the kitchen or at the table, a carving fork is still a very necessary tool, since it anchors the meat, making it easier and less messy to cut. Most kitchen supply stores sell carving forks, and they can also be special ordered through companies which specialize in kitchen goods.

Although a carving fork does distantly resemble a table fork, there are a few significant differences. The first is size; a carving fork is much larger than a normal fork, since it is designed to penetrate large roasts with ease. A carving fork also only has two tines, attached to a long handle which keeps the hand of the chef clear of the meat and the carving knife. In some cases, a carving fork and knife may be sold as a set, with coordinating handles.

Carving meat can seem like a ritualistic activity when performed at the table, since it is challenging to carve well with an audience. For this reason, some cooks prefer to briefly display roasts and retreat to the kitchen to carve them. However, with a bit of practice, carving meat can be relatively easy to do, and it is a useful skill to have, especially during the holiday season.

I absolutely dread waiting for water to heat up on the stove. Thanks to the Capresso H20 Pro Water Kettle the process is faster and safer. There are 11 different settings that make it easy for me to use the digital display. I love how I can either have warm water or instant hot water depending on my preference. The maximum capacity is just right for me allowing 56 ounces. The Micro Filter Spout is great to trap particles so they don’t go into my cup. This kettle I have used numerous times, but I usually use it for the cold months that are coming up to make hot chocolate or tea.

The Vita-Mix Professional Series CIA Blender can basically do everything! Juicing, soups, wet or dry chopping, smoothies, kneading, you name it the CIA does it. It is so great to have a blender that is strong enough to make everything I want. The 2+ Peak hp motor helps me make my favorite smoothies and soaps without chunks of ice or ingredients left behind. This model is also quieter than older models and I really like that I can blend something without making too much noise. I have the recipe book and user guide that came with this machine and have had explored some different recipes, all of which I enjoyed.

My friends and I love to get together to have fondue. The Chantal 5 Function Fondue set is so convenient to set up and use. Fondue can be used for every course of a meal which makes it something fun and different to do with my friends. Of course our favorite is dessert. The chocolate stays hot and does not burn in the porcelain bowl which is great so we can take our time enjoying our dessert. I actually get a lot of use from the bowl because I can use it for sauces, soups, rice, and more on the stovetop.  The set comes with the bowl, stainless pot, a stainless stand and burner, a diffuser, splatter guard, glass lid, and six fondue forks. With all the set includes, there is no reason why I wouldn’t want set up my fondue set.

For years I have wanted a toaster oven. My family has a toaster, but to be honest it is pretty old. I bought this Krups Quartz Convection Toaster Oven and am very happy with my purchase. This toaster oven has multiple cooking functions especially compared to my old toaster. The capacity is great because I can make a pizza, multiple slices of bread, or a small meal. No more waiting for two pieces of toast to be done in order to make more. Now I can make an entire family breakfast and have the toast be ready at the same time. There are two wire racks, a broil tray, a non-stick baking pan, and a thermal resistant tongs that come with this toaster oven. This toaster oven is more than a toaster, it is a convection oven. I love how I can make lasagna or pizza without having to use the regular oven.

It’s that time of year that everyone is craving pumpkin! The Aspen Mulling Company Spiced Pumpkin Bread & Muffin mix is a warm baked treat that will please your taste buds. If you are looking for something to bring to a Halloween party or even planning ahead to bring a dish for Thanksgiving, this would be the perfect addition to the party. Making this mix is extremely simple. You only need the mix, eggs, water, and oil. The directions are quick and easy to follow. No need to spend hours preparing muffins, just use this spiced pumpkin mix and enjoy the tastes that will help you enjoy the start to the holiday season!

Ingredients

ü 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more, for greasing

ü 2 (14-ounce) cans pear halves, in juice

ü 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

ü 1/4 cup cocoa

ü 1 1/4 cups sugar

ü 1 teaspoon baking powder

ü 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

ü 2 eggs

ü 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

ü 1 Jar of Chocolate Pear Cabernet Sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8 1/2-inch square ovenproof dish with butter.

Drain the pears and arrange them on the base of the prepared dish. Put all the remaining ingredients in a processor and blitz until you have a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

Spread the brown batter over the pears, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 or 10 minutes and then cut into slabs - I cut 2 down and 2 across to make nine slices - and serve with Chocolate Pear Cabernet Sauce

.

I was given a Coco Amore Hot Cocoa gift pack for Christmas last year.  The gift pack included 12 separately assorted delectable hot chocolate flavors: Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Candy Cane, Chocolate French Vanilla, and Chocolate Wonderland. Although these are wonderful by them self’s I assumed they would be wonderful in a cocktail.  I was right. Try this recipe for one of the best Frozen Hot Chocolate Martini in the world!

Ingredients

Ø  4 (1-ounce) packets of Cocoa Amore Hot Chocolate (any flavor)

Ø  3 cups milk

Ø  3/4 cup vanilla vodka

Ø  6 cups ice

Ø  1/4 cup mini marshmallows, for garnish

Directions

Empty 1 envelope hot cocoa mix onto a saucer. Put some water into another saucer. Dip the rims of 4 martini glasses into the water and shake off any excess. Dip them in the hot cocoa mix. (Save the remainder for garnish.)

In a blender, combine the remaining the hot cocoa mix, milk, vodka, and ice and blend until smooth. Divide the mixture among the prepared glasses and garnish with the marshmallows and remaining cocoa mixture.

What's the correct way to pronounce Shun? Say, “Shoon” (rhymes with moon). Shun is the Japanese concept of eating fresh, local, and in-season—when food is at the peak of perfection. At Kai, we work hard to live up to that tradition every day, making fine kitchen cutlery that is always at the peak of its perfection, too.

What is the Shun Honing Steel made of? Honing steel is used to realign the micro edge of the knife. With Shun knives, the VG-10 cutting core is so hard that it stays sharp longer than other knives. Depending on how often you use your Shuns, you may wish to hone your knives only once a week or so. The Shun Honing Steel has a micro-ridged stainless-steel rod that is used to gently realign the knife’s edge. It features a premium moisture-resistant PakkaWood handle with a built-in 16° honing guide to help you hone to the correct angle easily.

Are the Shun Classic’s D-shaped handles only for right-handed users? No. The D-shape of the Shun Classic handles was designed to tuck into the palm of a right-handed user and provide more control by leaving less space between handle and hand. That said, many left-handers find that the handle works just as well for them. The best way to know whether a knife is right for you is to actually hold the knife in your hands before making your purchase.

Are the Pure Komachi 2 knives ceramic? No, they’re not. Our Pure Komachi 2 blades are made of high-carbon stainless steel with a food-safe, FDA-approved resin coating. This non-stick coating (similar to Teflon) provides the eye-catching color, resists corrosion, makes cleaning simple, and helps the knife glide through food with ease.

Traditional bread knifes have been around since the 1800’s, so I figured it was about time for me to get one. JL Hufford is offering a great sale on Wusthof Bread knifes.  This type of knife normally retails between 110-130 dollars. Currently they are being promoted at $60 off! Bread knives are usually between 6 and 10 inches are able to cut soft bread without crushing it. These knifes have sections of grooves or serrations that form individual small cutting edges and cut without the excessive pressure required of a flat blade. The knives are designed to cut cleanly in both directions in both hard and soft bread. No more squishing the bread, or making those uneven cuts! I hope this sways you into purchasing one of these knifes as I most certainly can’t pass up a sale like this. Unbeatable bread knife promotion!

Blendtec and Vitamix and hands down the two best name brands for blenders on the market today.  Each has their unique benefits that make each company so quality. Vita mix is known for their rudimentary blenders that tend to have more knobs and toggle switches where as it pride them self’s on the variety of mixing programs that that their blenders offer.  Unfortunately the jars that that these two great companies use are not interchangeable so it can get tricky knowing what jar to pick.

Blendtec is very easy in that they have 2 jars.  A 3quart jar (also known as a wildside jar) and a 2 quart jar. They only vary for use: commercial, residential or chef.

Vita mix on the other hand is slightly more complicated.  Currently Vita mix has 4 popular types of jars; Traditional, XP, Advanced and XL.  Unlike the Blendtec jars, Vitamix allows you to swap out the blades in a particular jar. 

Ice dry and wet blades will fit in the Traditional jar where as the rest each have their individual blades for the jars(Xp with xp Advanced with advanced…)

Do you have some picky eaters in your family? Then you should try A Perfect Pear's Broccoli Salad recipe. It will help hide the flavors of plain broccoli that they tend to dislike. Plus with a basic recipe like this, you can always substitute for other items that you happen to enjoy, if mandarin oranges are not your thing. I paired this recipe with some grilled pork chops and it was absolutely amazing and is extremely healthy.

Ingredients
3 bunches of broccoli crowns, washed
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained, cut in half
½ cup golden raisins
3 scallions, sliced on the bias
½ cup toasted pecans
½ lb bacon, chopped
¾ cup Champagne Pear Vinaigrette

A new and easy twist to the regular side salad.

Fry bacon in a small skillet until crispy. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast in a 350?F oven. Keeping a close watch so they do not burn, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and put pecans on a plate. Once cooled enough to handle, roughly chop.

Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces and put in a bowl. Add mandarin oranges, golden raisins, scallions and pecans. Toss with Champagne Pear Vinaigrette and garnish with bacon.

I love chineese food but my homemade attempts at cooking are not particularly tasty so I usually break down and just order from the local chiness resturnat.  I did not mind this method but I still had the desire to make some on my own.  My attempts had been futual until I found this pasta sauce blend.  Call it cheating if you would like but this is a very easy tasty method of making great Chasew chicken.

Ingredients:

• 4, boneless, chicken breasts
• ¾ cup of Vegetable oil
• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1 cups red bell pepper
• 3 cups roughly chopped onions
• 3 cups roughly chopped mushrooms
• Pasta Partners Oriental Cashew chicken

1. Cube the chicken.

2. Grill the chicken – add oil to a skillet and on medium heat, sear then cook for approx 10 minutes each side.

3. Combine chicken, mushrooms, onions, cashews, bell pepper in a skillet and sauté until tender.

4. Serve on Rice or Lo mein

I was looking for a knock out salad to bring a pitch that I had with my 20 something’s group.  I found on the JL Hufford website very fancy Balsamic vinegar and decided to find a recipe around this ingredient. I came across this recipe and knew it was the one to bring. 

Crab and mango are dressed with a balsamic mango vinaigrette and drizzled with a tarragon mustard sauce. Serve on a bed of your favorite mixed greens.

Ingredients:

• 1 mango, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 shallot, peeled, separated, and coarsely chopped
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

My family and I are huge fans of ice cream and gelato. When I saw the Delonghi Gelato Maker, I knew we would all love it. Making gelato is actually better than going into our freezer for ice cream because gelato has less butterfat. You can also make low fat ice cream. This machine makes it so easy for us to make gelato or low fat ice cream since there is no need to pre-freeze ingredients. The gelato maker mixes the ingredients at below freezing temperatures. Clean up is great because the paddle, bowl, and lid are dishwasher safe as long as you don’t use the high heat cycle. Also, no need to fuss about figuring out how to make gelato because this machine comes with a recipe booklet with fifty recipes! So far my family and I have tried about ten of the recipes and have enjoyed them all.

When I first saw the Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen cookie cutter set, I thought they were the cutest things! I have three cousins all under the age of six and they love making cookies. I bought them this set and they absolutely loved using them. The different shapes give them choices to pick their favorite to use. I showed them that they could also use the cutters for things besides cookies, like their sandwiches. Now every time they have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they want to use the cookie cutters I gave them. If you have cousins, nieces, or nephews, this is the perfect gift to give them.

Looking for some great comfort food? Maggie & Mary’s Chicken Dumpling soup mix is the perfect choice! This mix includes carrots, celery, and dried chicken that have enough flavors to taste just like homemade soup. My favorite part of the soup is the dumplings. The dumplings are made in Germany and are the best ones I have had. This mix is very simple to make. All you need to do is add water to the mix and simmer for about forty-five minutes. You can make this soup when you don’t feel like taking time to create your own recipe because it is so delicious it will taste like you seasoned it yourself!

Being sick is not fun, especially when your throat is bugging you. I have been trying out different teas that JL Hufford carries and I have found a favorite! The Republic of Tea Ginseng Peppermint is so good and especially soothing for my throat. The full leaf tea has a noticeable difference from most tea bags people use. The unique flavor stands out when the leaves unfold in hot water. Even if you are not the biggest fan of tea, you will notice the comfort it can give you whether you are sick or just needing a warm beverage. There are many choices of flavors the Republic of Tea offers so even if you aren’t a peppermint lover like I am, you can find the right one for you.   

Today I used the Capresso Froth PRO Automatic Milk Frother to make a cappuccino. This little machine is so easy to use and froths the milk perfectly. All I had to do was fill up the pitcher with milk and hit a button. There are only three buttons so it’s simple. You can choose cold, hot, or frothed milk. Heating only takes about three minutes and you are ready to make a delicious drink! The pitcher and lid are dishwasher safe which makes clean up speedy. No need to deal with steam and wiping anything clean with this machine. I recommend this machine for any cappuccino, latte, or hot chocolate lover!

When you make a cup of coffee, tea or other beverage it is so nice to have your cup warmed. Pouring your beverage into a cold or even room temperature cup can affect the temperature and taste. The Jura Capresso Cup Warmer will help make that cup of coffee or expresso even better by the simplest step of pre-warming your cup. There are two drawers that each hold about 4 regular size coffee mugs or 6 cups. The energy saving heating elements in each drawer heats the cups 130 degrees. I absolutely love making some hot chocolate and having a warm cup to enjoy it in. It’s about that time when the weather is cooling off so make sure to get a cup warmer so you can be warm and cozy as you enjoy one of your favorite hot beverages!

I have a Baratza grinder and love the machine but unfortunately it has a does not have portatholder where I can grind my grounds into it.  Luckily Baratza realized that with their great machine this may be a frequent request and made a product that can be easily installed and its only $25.00 from JL Hufford. This is a very convenient accessory that I could not live without. PortaHolder to seamlessly work with the Maestro, Maestro Plus, and the Virtuoso.

This weekend I was made a couple of dishes with steak, chicken and vegetables and butchered the meal because of lack of quality prep tools I owned. I have wanted a Wusthof knife set for some time and now that JL Hufford is having a great sale on knifes, it is just one more reason I should invest.  I have been looking at the 7 piece Wusthof knife set and feel that this offers everything that I could need.

Wusthof 8845 Grand Prix II 7 Piece Knife Block Set Includes:

3.5-in. Paring Knife
4.5-in. Utility Knife
8-in. Bread Knife
8-in. Cook's Knife
9-in. Sharpening Steel
Come-Apart Kitchen Shears
9-slot Block

I think that this will drastically help my slicing and dicing and not have to spend an arm and a leg when purchasing this.  I also feel that this well rounded set can aid in all aspects of my cooking!

I know my brother loves coffee and has been eagerly seeking to find the best of the best.  He has found the beans and roast the he likes but now he has moved onto an equally important part of the equation, a coffee maker. I wanted to get him a Christmas gift that he would love so I started searching. I have some friends who have a grind and brew machine but as he lives alone that would not quite suit him as the beans in the hopper may go stale before he could use them. Scratch that idea. I know that Vacuum and French press makers claim to make some of the hottest coffee in the world but I know my brother and tending to a stove may not suit him. So I looked online and from the reviews I read I have found that Technivorm is one of the best drip coffee makers in the world. I found that they are the only coffee maker that can boast the European Coffee Brewing Center seal.  This is a highly competitive seal that in order to qualify they must conform to extremely high quality standards for coffee makers.  It is simple to use and clean, extremely practical in its design and I know he will love the look. I can’t wait to try some of the coffee that comes out of this machine.

Key Advantages of Technivorm

1.       Made in the Netherlands

2.       Much less Variation in brewing temperature due to its design

3.       Optimum Coffee temperature (very high for a drip maker)

4.       Brews in 5-6 minuets

Every try using your blender and it makes too much noise? The Vita-Mix the Quiet One Blending Station is a blender you won’t be afraid to use because it is not loud to use.  With the advanced sound dampening technology, you will be able to continue a conversation while you blend. The 3 HP motor will blast through anything you put in its way. The motor helps make a consistent blended product that will satisfy you no matter what you are making. A key feature in any machine is the ability to use it without any hassle and the Vita-Mix Blender does exactly that. There are 93 speeds and 34 pre-programmable recipes. The blender will run for what speed its set for and for how long and then automatically stop when your beverage is ready to enjoy. Anyone who tries this blender will fall in love with its speed and ability to make a delicious treat without the noise.

Why collect two machines that take up space in your kitchen when you can have one machine that does all the jobs! Mixing, kneading, whipping, and blending are all taken care of with this one machine. This mixer is powerful with 1000 watts of power. The blender comes with a 3-inch wing blade and the blending vortex makes the most consistent results for anything you are making. Each attachment is dishwasher safe as well as the bowl and blender jar. No need to cram this machine under a kitchen cabinet because it fits beneath most overhead kitchen cabinets making it very convenient for everyday use. Dream away with the different concoctions you can make whether its frozen smoothies, soups, purees, dough, and more!

I knew the Big Train was famous for their blended ice coffee’s smoothies and hot chocolates but I never imagined that they would add a very healthy meal replacement drink!  This is why when I saw a Fit Frappe was offered by the Big Train Company I could not wait to try it. Big train's Fit Frappe has 21 grams of protein to help fill you up and keep you full well after you make this drink. With less than 1 g of sugar and only 130 calories for a 16oz drink this is a great source of fiber and vitamins. Most of the protein drinks I have tasted are chalky and although flavored usually not very flavorful!  Fit frappe taste more like a milk shake then a heath beverage.  Currently offered in 5 flavors to meet your taste preference: Vanilla latte, Chocolate, Mocha, Vanilla, and Espresso.