My crock pot is my favorite kitchen item. I use it about 2-3 a week. My husband and I, work, have two kids, & I’m finishing a bachelor’s degree. At night we select a soup or stew to make for the evening meal. One of his favorites is chili, but sometimes we change up the ingredients. Beef and bean gets old for me, so we will do chicken or certain game meats that our friends give to us during the hunting seasons.  In order to get a bit of unity to the flavors and help the chili along, we use the Maggie & Mary’s Chill-Chasin’ Chili mix that is available on the JLHUFFORD web site. If I add this with the pre-cooked meat, and follow the directions on the side of the box, this product makes a great standard chili that everyone loves. We typically put crackers and shredded cheese on top of a bowl of deliciousness.

Since we’ve changed our website, I’ve sat here and have been looking at the Invisible Chef Waffles and Pancakes mix thinking, “Oh my. Those look good!” I finally bought a box yesterday and made myself some blueberry pancakes for breakfast! Let me tell you, they were amazing! Usually with store bought mix, for some reason my pancakes always turn out flat and not fluffy at all. These were so fluffy and two of them filled me up! This isn’t one of those “Just add water” mixes, you have to add 1 tablespoon of melted butter, half cup of milk and 1 egg. You have to try this pancake mix! I haven’t tried any flavor other than blueberry, but I am sure that they are just as great!

Are you tired of the same old Lipton tea bags that you can buy from Wal-Mart? Why not trying spicing up your tea with the various flavor options through Republic of Tea or Fine T? With 78 options through Republic of Tea and only 6 options through FINE T, you are sure to find one that you will love! We carry loose tea along with tea bags; from Aged Tea to Red and White Tea. We also carry tea kettles and other tea accessories. I am sure that we have something that you would love to try. Why not check it all out now?

I have spoiled my daughter yet once again. I purchased a set of RANCILIO demitasse for her as a fun gift to play TEATIME. After I boil the water, we actually get out the teapot, the demitasse, the fancy spoons, napkins and creamer/sugar . One time we made invitations to our tea party. I let my daughter put distinguishing stickers on the set. For $50 the demitasse set was exactly what I needed and was actually cheaper than a “toy” set we found elsewhere. They came in a secure-fitting Styrofoam box, which we still use to store to tiny cups and matching saucers. The cups and saucers are well made and do not break easily. There have been many instances when we thought the cup would have cracked -at least -but not even a crack formed. It would be great if these came in other colors, but the white is so charming and simple that we are able to decorate our TEA TABLE in any pattern that strikes our fancy.

Thank you Rancilio & JLHUFFORD!

My mother operates a Cheesecake Laboratory in a (not-so) secret location somewhere in the MidWest. She has been extracting, concocting, and inventing a method of cheesecake creation that fascinates the outside observer. Usually she operates in total non-disclosure, revealing her methods only after the item is fully consumed. She recently has used flavor combinations from products that are sold on the JLHUFFORD website. Spiced chai from BIG TRAIN was a flavor she hadn’t considered before. She used this idea in a cheesecake for a private catering job. The addition of approximately 1/8 cup of BIG TRAIN spiced chai gave the dessert a flavor twist that made the use of a fruit sauce topping unnecessary.

Do you have a difficult person to buy for? Check out Lang and Cypress mugs! With over 30 designs each, you are sure to find one that they will love! For the coffee lover, buy a pound of their favorite coffee to go with it. For the chocolate lover, buy a can of hot chocolate mix. If they are a tea lover, check out Republic of Tea and Big Train Chai to see if there is something to add with it! I always make sure that when I give a mug, they have something that they love to drink to go with it! Your gift will be sure to make the list of “The BEST Gift I’ve Ever Received!”