Sundried Tomato Tapenade Palmiers

·         1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, defrosted

·         ¼ cup A Perfect Pear Sundried Tomato Tapenade

·         ¼ cup prepared pesto, store-bought or homemade

·         ½ cup crumbled goat cheese ¼ cup toasted pine nuts1 egg

·         Kosher salt

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.       Lightly flour a board and carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until it’s 9.5 x 11.5 inches. Spread half the pesto on the pastry sheet, then sprinkle half the goat cheese, half the tapenade, and half the pine nuts. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.

3.       Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again toward the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat for the second sheet of puff pastry using the remaining ingredients. Cover both rolls with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.

4.    Cut the prepared rolls into ¼-inch-thick slices and place them face-up, 2 inches apart, on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Whisk egg and lightly brush over palmiers.

Hot Pizza Dip

·         1 box Kitchen Dancer Italiano Cheeseball Mix

·         8 oz. cream cheese, softened1/2 cup sour cream1/2 cup pizza sauce

·         1/2 cup chopped pepperoni

·         1/2 cup chopped green onion

·         1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Mix cream cheese and sour cream together. Add contents of Pack A. Spread evenly in glass baking dish. Sprinkle some of Pack B on top.

2. Spread pizza sauce on cheese mixture. Sprinkle pepperoni and onions over pizza sauce.

3. Cover, microwave on high for about 1-2 minutes until cheese mixture is soft. Remove and sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top.

4. Microwave again for 30 seconds or until Mozzarella cheese starts to melt.

Double Mint Chocolate Hot Chocolate

·         1 ½ cups half & half1 ½ cups milk

·         6 Tbsp The King’s Cupboard Mint Chocolate Chunk Hot Chocolate Mix

·         Sweetened whipped cream

·         Crushed peppermint candy Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

·         Crush peppermint candy in a food processor until fine.

1.       On medium-high heat, bring half & half and milk to a simmer in a saucepan.

2.       Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in hot chocolate mix and 1 Tbsp peppermint candy. Whisk until smooth.

3.       Ladle hot chocolate into mugs, dividing equally. Top with whipped cream, additional peppermint candy and chocolate shavings.

4.       Serve with a candy cane or peppermint stick as a stirrer.

·         1 box Maggie & Mary’s Tomato Parmesan Soup4 oz. medium mushrooms, sliced

·         1/2 cup chopped green pepper1 medium onion, chopped coarsely

·         2 cloves garlic, minced3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

·         1/4 cup white wine (optional)Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

1.       Prepare soup according to instructions on box. As soup starts to cook, saute’ onion, green pepper, and garlic for 2 minutes.

2.       Add mushrooms and chicken; saute’ until chicken turns white (about 5 minutes.)

3.       Add meat/vegetable mixture to soup and continue simmering per box instructions. At the time you add the pasta, add the wine if you wish.

4.       When soup is done, ladle it into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Delicious with crusty garlic bread.

*Please note that pictured above is the Vita-Mix Professional CIA

Which Vita-Mix unit should I go with? This is a common question that most of our customers ponder while looking at the many options that are available. What typically helps them find the perfect unit is the following breakdown.

• The Vita-Mix 5200 is Vita-Mix's roadshow blender. They travel to CostCo and Sam's Club to do demostrations with it. This unit offer three pacakge options; 5200, 5200 Super and the 5200 Deluxe. With each package they add more accessories to go with the unit. Now since this is their roadshow blender, you do have to purcahse the unit through Vita-Mix directly. They will charge you tax and more than likely, shipping.
• TheVita-Mix Professional 200 has the same exact motor base as the 5200 and the same standard 64 oz BPA-Free jar. You will get a different cookbook than the 5200. This unit is also only available in the standard onyx or black color. We will cover the standard ground shipping on this item since you are spending more than $75. As for tax, we can only charge you tax if you live in the state of Indiana, since that is where we are located.
• The Vita-Mix Professional CIA has the same exact motor base as the Professional 200 and the 5200 and it is also is equipped with the standard 64 oz BPA-Free jar. You will receive the same cookbook as the Professional 200, but you also get color options! You can choose from oynx, platinum, ruby, and brushed stainless. We will cover the standard ground shipping on this item since you will be spending more than $75. As for tax, we can only charge you tax if you live in the state of Indiana, since that is where we are located.
• The Vita-Mix Professional 500 has the same motor base and standard 64 oz jar as the 5200, Professional 200 and Professional CIA. It also comes with a slightly different cookbook than the Professional 200 and CIA come with. With this unit, you will not receive any color options, you can only get the standard brushed stainless look. It does have three pre-programmed cycles on the dial. You will have one for soups, one for frozen desserts and one for smoothies. We will cover the standard ground shipping on this item since ou are spending more than $75. As for tax, we can only charge you tax if you live in the state of Indiana, since that is where we are located.

If you are looking to add some spice to your life with a little bit of heat, then you should try the Ole Chipotle dip mix and the Cheddar Chiptole beer bread mix! All that you need are a few kitchen staples. I have made both of them many times and I always make the beer bread for Thanksgiving and my family loves it. As for the Ole Chipotle dip mix, I always make sure I have a few in my pantry, so I will always have something to make for an unexpected guest or for a last minute get together!

Ole Chipotle
     1 cup of sour cream
     1 cup of mayonnaise

Cheddar Chipotle Beer Bread
     1 (12 oz) can or bottle of room temperature beer

Have you been searching high and low for the Impressa J9? Well, you can stop searching because you can now pre-order it! We will receive the J9's in stock at the beginning of September. The biggest upgrade on the J9 is the full color TFT screen! The J6 only offered the buttons with the double cup and steam photos next to them. It also features a 73 oz removable water tank and 6 programmable coffee settings. Along with the standard included items from the manufacturer, you will also get 2 pounds of JL Hufford's Superautomatika coffee, 1 Clearyl Blue ENA water filter, and 1 Wusthof Classic Ikon 5 Inch Santoku Knife. What are you waiting for? Get on the Pre-Order list today and reserve your J9!

Did you purchase a Saeco unit that requires charcoal filters, but you cannot find them? The Jura Capresso Charcoal filters do work with the Saeco units. The Jura Capresso Charcoal filters are only $15.99. If you need helping getting to the $75 mark for your order, you could purchase some coffee, mugs or a few of our food products. Now you can stop your searching and just relax and spend more time with your morning treat!

We are proud to say that we have picked up 5 new Cappuccine flavors! You now have the option to also purchase Smoothie Base Vanilla Express, Frosted Latte, Mocha Frappe, Cookies and Cream Frappe, and Mocha Chip. I know that I am very excited to get some of these new flavors and I am sure that many Cappuccine customers are too! Instead of ordering the same thing every time, why don't you branch out and try one of the five new flavors?

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds boneless pork tenderloin

                                                                         A Jar Perfect Pear Cinnamon Pear Jelly

Place balsamic vinegar, oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours to marinate.
Grill pork over medium heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Let rest for 5 minutes then cut into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices. Pour A Perfect Pear Cinnamon Pear Jell on a platter and top with sliced pork. Garnish with additional fresh rosemary and grilled plum slices, if desired.

I was cleaning out my pantry this weekend and came across a box of Creamy Wild Rice Soup Mix by Maggie’s and Marry’s.  The first time I tried wild rice I cooked it with some tilapia I had in my freezer. I was expecting it to taste much like the white or Jasmin rice, the kind that takes a few mins to boil or comes in the instant packs.  The earthy taste of the wild rice was much different then what I was expecting and I was not a fan. I debated giving the mix away but the package claimed to be award winning and decided to give wild rice a round 2 and I am so glad I did. Veggies, creamy chicken and wild rice come together in a taste that I am sure will delight your pallet. If you cannot cook have no fear because this recipe is easy.

1) In a large kettle combine the soup base the 6 cups of hot water

2) Add the wild rice/veggie mix and stir

3) Let simmer for 45 mins stirring on occasion

Easy right?  This recipe certainly changed my mind on wild rice and certainly would be good for any sort of company. 

I got on the topic of odd food combinations with a friend of mine this weekend and found a new great tasting beverage.  I mentioned to him how I like to put peanut butter on my pancakes and topped my strange recipe when he mentioned how he adds Aspen Mulling Spices to his Dr. Pepper. I normally like Dr. Pepper as it is so I could not imaging that adding a cooking spice to this could possible enhance the flavor of this product anymore.  I was shocked at the taste.  He added 2.5 ounces of Aspen Mulling Spices to a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper, stirred it up and served it hot.  To my great astonishment it tasted wonderful.  Who would have known that adding a spice to a carbonated beverage could turn out to be this tasty?  If you are feeling adventuresome and enjoy Dr. Pepper this is one recipe that would be worth you’re trying! There is a large lists of exotic drink mixes I look forward to making with this spice mix.

Last Friday I was given a sample of Aspen Mullen spices to try.  The box had four drink recipes listed on the side: Wine, Brandy, Tea and Cider.  Of those four I currently had tea in my possession and figured I could try it out.  It was a very easy recipe 5 oz of Aspen Mulling Spices to a gallon of tea.  It added a very interesting kick to the tea that I was not expecting.  It was a very nice treat that I enjoyed it hot while watching the rain come down in my back yard.  As it is August it may be a little too hot to fully enjoy this drink now but I will certainly have to try this again in the cooler time of year.  If you are not an avid tea drinker this may add the little bit of flavor to spice up your tea a notch.  I am sure that adding this to the brandy or wine will be a doubly warming treat as well!

I love carrot cake but I have not found a good recipe for one.  My mother is a great cook and I was visiting her the other day and asked her if she had one.  I was in luck because it just so happened that she had a bit of a trick to getting her carrot cake to turn out so well.  She mentioned to me that one of her recipe ingredients was Aspen Mulling Spices.  This is what gave it a spice flavor that I was so eagerly desired.  Well I went home after our visit at attempt her recipe it goes as follows:

Mix in a bowl:

3 eggs

1 ½ cup of EVOO

1lb of brown sugar

2 cups of diced carrots

1 small can of crushed pineapple and juice

2 table spoons of vanilla

3 cups of flower

Dash of salt

1 tsb of baking soda

1 tsb of baking pwder

¼ cup of Aspen Mulling spices

Bake @ 350 for 35 mins

It turned out wonderful, I finally have a carrot cake recipe that I can be proud of and the not so secret trick turned out to be in the spice. Who knew?

Our church offers free coffee and doughnut holes after the service every Sunday.  It’s a nice time to meet friends and catch up on the churches events as well as enjoy a snack and a drink.  The free coffee is good but I have been spoiled with great coffee.  JL Hufford has been supplying me coffee for a while and it out shines the Folgers that they currently purchase at the church.  I mentioned to the person who is in charge of the after service refreshments the idea for putting in for a better coffee brand and he was intrigued.  The coffees I purchase at JL Hufford are priced at $11.99 per pound. I know that they have a budget but at that price they could and decided to try some of their Breakfast Blend after the next service.  They make the coffee in 5 gallon vats of decaf and regular.  I can’t speak for the rest of the church but I could tell the difference and it made that cheerful time that much more joyous. 

• Light Roast Blend
• Medium Roast Blend
• Dark Roast Blend

• Cappuccino Fudge
• Chunky Monkey
• Cinnamon Almond Macaroon
• English Toffee
• Gooey Caramel Fudge Brownie
• Sugar Cookies

My mother uses her Kuhn Rikon vegetable chopper almost every day in the kitchen.  It is great because you can quickly and accurately slice and dice vegetables with ease.  Unlike a food processer this copper allows the user to dice thicker or larger slices in a few presses.  Its dishwasher safe, requires very little set up and requires no external power.  Its sleek quality design cuts vegetables shifting its blades 30 degrees after each press.  I know that some vegetable choppers can be hard to press down into your greens but the design in this Swiss chopper is geared to make that motion much simpler.   I can’t wait to try making some chunky salsa with this chopper!

Did you know that French press method of making coffee has been around for over 90 years!  It was started in Italy by a designer who loved coffee.  Aside from being one of the oldest methods of brewing coffee it is also one of the ways to get the hottest coffee possible. The Bodum brand was created a few years prior to the invention of the French press and they have been perfecting and styling French presses ever since. JL Hufford sells a Bodum Eileen French Press.  This French press is not only extremely stylish but also protective of its fragile glass carafe.  Boil water and let the French press extract every ounce of flavor from the beans and it will be ready to pour in 4 mins. 

My wife is a big fan of starting traditions.  Our first Christmas together she insisted on making gingerbread.  We attempted designing the miniature cut outs with sprinkles frosting and candy.  Hers turned out better than mine (of course) but it neither of ours turned out to be very pretty. The décor was off balanced, the lines were messy and we really just had a random collaboration of utensils that we used in this project.  This inspired me to put some effort into this concept because I know she really enjoyed the time we had together and it would be something she could look forward to the next year.  I looked for some cookie cutters and came across the Kuhn Rikon Stainless Cookie Press & Decorating Set with Storage Box.  I could not think of something more perfect to get her. Includes 16 different cookie disks, decorating bottle, and decorating spatula all nicely organized in a storage box.  We will be able to use this on any pastry that we desire to make fancier. I can’t wait to give it to her!

I visited a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo and ordered a frozen margarita.  I was so enthralled by the wonderful consistency and taste I knew I needed to invest into a worth while blender.  The blender I owned prior to my Vita Prep was a cheap one I picked up from a Walmart.  It was not powerful enough to chop up ice so I needed to crush the ice and then blend it.  Even still, the consistency of the drinks it made was rather irregular and chunky with the ice.  This made the drinks hard to sip and next to impossible to pull through a straw.  At the Mexican restaurant I peeked over the bar and saw that the machine they were using was a Vita Mix Vita Prep.  After doing some research I found that there are many claims to its wonderful blending technology and its incredible durability.  The only down side I found was that the 64oz Jar height would not fit under my counter top.  I live in an apartment and the blender was just to high to fit and to wide to stay on the counter top effectively.  Fortunately JL Hufford also sold a 48oz version.  This had the same blending base and power as a Vita Prep but offered the smaller height requirement that I needed with out having to sacrifice a lot of carafe volume. I am very happy with my vita prep and thrilled with the drinks it makes!

I was given an Electric tea kettle as a gift a few weeks ago.  I never thought I would use it as I could microwave water or boil it on the stove.  I finally got around to using it and to my great surprise this machine not only heats faster but has a really cool color changing feature as it heats up.  Blue to red it shifts color to reflect its temperature changes.  It’s rather entertaining and adds a very cool glow to a room.  Aside from the color changing feature it will also heat water to the proper 176° temp for tea brewing, indicated by an orange illumination. And if you forget about your tea, as I often do, the DeLonghi DK350 incorporates a 2-Stage safety system that automatically shuts off the unit when water begins to boil or if the kettle becomes empty.  If you are an avid tea person I would highly suggest this tea kettle over the traditional stove top boiler