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Category: the goods

  1. Thursday, May 10

    Le Creuset, How I Love Thee

    This giveaway is now closed. Thank you!

    It’s almost Mother’s Day. Do you know what you’re getting your mama? Or have you told your husband what you want? I’ve decided that if I were to get a box that says Le Creuset on the outside, I would probably be more excited for it than a little turquoise box with a white ribbon and bow. Not kidding.

    In anticipation of today’s giveaway, Le Creuset gifted me with a Round French Oven and a Heritage Covered Rectangular Casserole. The day that box arrived on my doorstep I was GLEEFUL. Because, you see, I’ve been coveting Le Creuset from afar for many years. I cracked the box to discover the beautiful cookware that I was expecting…and I used both pieces that very night when making dinner!

    For real, have bell peppers ever looked more stunning? I think not.

    And I can’t WAIT to try baking artisan bread in my French oven. My friend Lindsay swears it’s the best thing ever. I’ve eaten her bread. And she’s right.

    Want to gussy up your stuffed peppers just like me? Now’s your chance! Le Creuset is giving away a Heritage Covered Rectangular Casserole in Marseille Blue (retail value $90) to one of you very lucky, randomly-selected people. Winner’s shipping address must be in the U.S.

    Here’s how to enter!

     

    You must leave separate comments to get the extra entries. All comments must be added before Midnight PT on Wednesday, May 16.

    Good luck!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:47 am   423 Comments
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  2. Wednesday, May 9

    Smoothies!!!

    I think we need to do a smoothie post. Because it’s been on my mind for, well, years! I want to share a few tips, a few flavors that we love, and then open up the floor to tips and recipes from all of you!

    First, a small plug for expensive blenders. I have to say that one of the best things that ever took residence in our kitchen is our heavy duty blender. This is an appliance that I think is completely worth saving up for. We use it all the time and it can handle anything. Our previous blender, which was just your regular run-of-the-mill blender, just didn’t cut it. I don’t care if you get a Blendtec or a Vitamix, just get one. Or start saving up for one. They are awesome.

    Okay, on to technique! Do you know how to build your smoothie in the blender? After I got my Blendtec and read the instruction manual, I realized I had been putting the juice and fruit in the opposite order than I should have been! The logic my brain followed was that you should put the harder-to-blend items in first so that they get blended better…but it just jams everything up. As soon as I reversed the order of things, my smoothies improved immediately and significantly. Here is the RIGHT way to do it.

    1. Juice first. You can also use grapes as your juice base.
    2. Softer, unfrozen fruits.
    3. Harder fruits and frozen fruits. Say you’re doing frozen pineapple and frozen banana, put the frozen pineapple in first. Basically you want whatever is easiest to blend to go in first.
    4. Ice.
    Essentially you put the ‘liquidiest’ and softest stuff first then move up in order to the hardest items. Make sense?

    Now, on to flavors! Nate is the smoothie master in our house. He’s always blending up some sort of smoothie or “juicey” for the family and he’s quite the master! Here are the fruits and juices he most commonly uses:

    • Mango juice for the base. I also love papaya juice as the base. If we don’t have either of those, we’ll go with orange or grape, which are both nice. Apple is just too, well, apple-y for us. It’s still good in a pinch, but definitely our least favorite.
    • Frozen strawberries, frozen mango, frozen pineapple and frozen banana make the most frequent appearances in our smoothies! Oh, and when peaches are in season, we love frozen peaches!!
    • I love tossing coconut into the smoothie. Nate isn’t such a big fan of coconut, but it makes me (and the girls) super happy!
    • Yogurt…usually plain.
    • ICE. Lately Nate has been making “juiceys,” which basically means there’s no ice and the smoothies aren’t so slushy. They are very tasty and the girls like them, too…but I gotta say, I love a good, slushy smoothie! Bring on the ice!

    No specific recipes from us…our smoothies change pretty much every time we make them, which is part of the fun! We’ve also recently started adding SPINACH to the smoothies and that is a great trick! I know some of you have been telling me to do that for years…glad we finally jumped on board!

    Your turn! Please share your favorite fruit/juice combos, specific recipes, tips, anything smoothie related! Can’t wait to be inspired by all of you!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:52 am   24 Comments
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  3. Thursday, May 3

    Let’s Talk Knives, Take Two {+ a Giveaway!}

    Remember my big long knife post when I rambled on and on about knives and it was awesome? Well, I have a quick update…and a giveaway! Woo-hoo!

    First off, if you haven’t read the first knife post, please do! In that post, one of the things I mention is getting your knives professionally sharpened regularly unless you really know what you’re doing (which I didn’t). WELLLLLL…Edgeware recently sent me their Manual Adjustable Sharpener. I love this thing. You can adjust the angle of the sharpener so that you know you are properly sharpening your knife’s edge to the original factory angle. It was time for my knives to be sharpened again – I used this sharpener and it was fabulous. I even used the serrated slot for my serrated knife, which in all honesty made me totally nervous…but my serrated knife is cutting better than it has in ages! Another thing I love is the non-stick base…the sharpener does not move when I am using it.

    The “fine” slot is for honing and makes that task easy and quick…and again, you can set the angle to where it should be, so you know your knife is being properly honed. Now that I have this sharpener, I’ve been much more consistent with honing my knives before every use, which makes my knives very happy. (See my original knife post to read more about the difference between sharpening and honing.)

    I stand by the statement in my original knife post that you should get your knives sharpened regularly (how often you use your knife will determine how often you need to sharpen your knives). BUT I now feel comfortable doing it myself! Yippee! Here’s to happy, healthy knives in the comfort of my own home!

    As you know, I like to share the love, so we are giving away an Edgeware Manual Adjustable Sharpener ($39.95) available exclusively at Williams Sonoma, along with the Yellow Fine Grater ($16.99), available on Amazon. (Prize must be shipped within the U.S.) P.S. The grater is cool, too! It’s nice and wide, which makes for easy chocolate and cheese grating.

    Here’s how to enter!

    You must leave separate comments to get the extra entries. All comments must be added before Midnight PT on Wednesday, May 9.
    Good luck with the giveaway!
    (Edgeware provided me with a sharpener and a zester. All opinions are my own.)

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:26 am   255 Comments
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  4. Thursday, April 26

    Gearing Up For Baby: Stroller and Car Seat Update

    It’s been a while since I’ve done a Gearing Up For Baby post because, well, I’m not really gearing up anymore! Baby is here and we are in the groove! (P.S. How is he 7 months old already? Oh my…)

    I do want to do a quick update on the strollers and car seats that I reviewed before Owen was born. Thought it would be nice to let you know how they’ve been working when used with, you know, an actual baby.

    I LOVE the Orbit Baby travel system. Hands down best travel system I’ve ever used, and I’ve used quite a few. Owen and I took a trip to Utah a few months ago and I decided to take the Maxi Cosi travel system on the trip instead since it was smaller. While I had been enjoying using the Orbit system up until that point, it wasn’t until I used another system that I realized just how awesome the Orbit really is.

    Here are my follow-up thoughts on both systems.

    Orbit Baby

    • The soft handle is even greater than I thought it would be. It makes carrying the car seat sooooo much easier. It’s also super easy to flip up and down – no buttons to push. Love it.
    • The rotating base of the car seat is so handy for so many reasons. I could tell it would be, but now that I use it daily, it really is a fabulous feature.
    • The paparazzi shield is also really great. Use it all the time.
    • The sidekick skateboard for Anna is perfect. Again, use it all the time. She loves it, I love it. And it looks like a real skateboard, which makes it ultra cool.
    • The car seat is heavy. For sure. But all the other stuff makes up for it. And, again, the soft handle makes all the difference. I would much rather carry this heavier car seat with the flexible handle than a lighter one with a hard handle…because, let’s face it, car seats feel heavy no matter what.
    • Warning: If you use this system, people will talk to you. ALL THE TIME. I am not exaggerating when I say that every single time I use the car seat and stroller base in public, people either ask me about it or I overhear them talking about it. I really truly am not exaggerating. I even did a 10 minute demo for a couple at the mall last week. So, if you are not a natural extrovert, look at the stroller as a way to hone those skills! ;)
    • Orbit just came out with a toddler car seat that fits into the infant car seat base so you can continue to have the rotation benefit. Very cool – I’m telling you that rotation feature makes life so much easier. And the Double Helix stroller is coming out this fall. They’ll even have an upgrade kit for people like me who already have the single stroller so you can turn it into a double.

    Maxi Cosi

    • I love the Mila stroller. I use it now in place of my Maclaren. It folds and unfolds easily, doesn’t take up much space, it has the most user-friendly brake system on a stroller that I’ve ever seen, the storage area is big and easy to access (hasn’t been a problem having the access point in the front, which I had wondered about), and it can stand on its own when folded. It is a great stroller!
    • When the car seat is attached to the stroller, it actually feels a little wobbly. I’m not worried about its safety at all, it’s just, well, wobbly.
    • The car seat is fine. Pretty standard. It’s nice and light, which is probably my favorite feature. Everything else about the car seat is pretty basic and similar to other brands.

    If you are looking at travel systems in the Orbit price range, I highly recommend the Orbit. I have enjoyed using it so much and it really has made life a lot easier in so many ways! The Maxi Cosi is in a lower price range and is a nice system…definitely a good option and I like it MUCH better than the Peg Perego system I had with Anna. That said…I heart Orbit 4ever.

    Links to my original posts about these travel systems, which have more information about the various features:

    Links to the manufacturer’s websites:

    I received both of these travel systems from the respective companies for free to review on the site. I was not compensated monetarily. Even though the systems were given to me, all opinions are my own and I was at liberty to say what I thought about the products, positive or negative.

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:32 am   14 Comments
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  5. Friday, April 20

    Trader Joe’s Obsessions of the Day

    I try not to mention Trader Joe’s too often for two reasons. First, they’re not paying me. Second, I know that not all of you are lucky enough to live close to a Trader Joe’s, so I try not to torture you. But, today, torture I must. Because those of you who DO have a Trader Joe’s nearby need to get on over there and indulge in my latest obsessions.

    Almondictive Bits. I’m just going to quote the package because it says it all: A compulsively, compelling candy, caramelized almond morsels covered in dark chocolate. The name and the description speak for themselves.

    Mini Heirloom Tomatoes. I hesitate to even mention these because it means I am encouraging you to purchase produce that has traveled a bajillion miles…but sometimes a girl needs a tomato. Especially when her CSA has basil. So, I blame my CSA for my irresponsible produce-buying habits this week. Okay, seriously, I really truly did feel guilty buying these, and I fully expected them to not taste good because when do tomatoes from the grocery store ever taste good? THESE DO. I cannot believe the flavor punch of these mini heirlooms. I really try to keep our produce purchases local and organic, but I may have to spring for these mini heirlooms occasionally. And, in case you were wondering, they tasted GREAT with that locally-grown CSA basil I mentioned. ;)

    Organic Tomatillo Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa. I. Love. This. Salsa. If you’re looking for chunky, look elsewhere, but the flavor and texture of this salsa is to die for. Everyone in our family gobbles it up.

    Belgian Chocolate Pudding. My friend Michelle was telling me how this stuff is amazing. So amazing she bought it and hid it in the fridge so no one else in the family new it existed. Michelle is onto something. This pudding tastes like rich chocolate mousse, with a really great, thick pudding texture. SOOOOOOOOO good. Please note that my crazy sister who doesn’t “really like chocolate that much” {what?!?!} actually didn’t really like this pudding that much either…because it is all chocolate, people. GREAT chocolate. {Sister is nuts. Although she is as addicted to the almondictive bits as I am…there’s hope!}

    I’m done. You’re welcome.

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:28 am   21 Comments
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  6. Thursday, April 5

    Spring Break Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiments

    It’s Spring Break this week and we’ve been keeping ourselves busy…going to the library, kite flying, bouncy houses…you know, the kind of stuff you do when you are not at Disneyland or lying on a beach somewhere. The week has been really fun…who needs fancy travel? :) Part of our plans have been to cook together. At the top of Cate’s to-cook list was M&M cookies. I love M&M cookies, so I had absolutely no problem with that!

    Since we were making cookies, I wanted to do a little experimenting. There is a restaurant in Menlo Park that serves chocolate chip cookies with crisped rice mixed in. I love the crunch of the rice but my cookie recipe is tastier, so I wanted to try it at home. (P.S. Did you see they have Rice Krispies made from whole grain brown rice that are also gluten free? They are a bit crunchier, but my kids didn’t notice the difference! I love that they’re made from brown rice.)

    Back to the cookies…the crisped rice that the restaurant uses is different than what we get at the store, so the cookies were not the same. However, we did like our chocolate chip krispie cookies. In fact, Anna (who normally doesn’t eat much dessert) ate two cookies and wanted more! I liked the crunch, but they didn’t turn out exactly how I was expecting…although, I will definitely make chocolate chip krispie cookies again! And I think I might have to go on a quest to find different crisped rice that might work better.

    We also made a batch with toffee bits added to chocolate chip cookies. I think I liked toffee bits more than krispies, but the toffee has a stronger flavor and makes more of a statement. I knew they’d be good – toffee bits in cookies is certainly not an original idea, but I did want to see how they compared to the krispies version.

    For all of the cookies, I used the New York Times recipe as my base, substituting cake/pastry flour for all-purpose because I didn’t have any cake or pastry flour on hand.

    I am a sucker for chocolate chip cookies…I can’t get enough! And obviously I’m on an experimental kick, so If you have any great mix-in suggestions, please share!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:57 am   11 Comments
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  7. Friday, March 30

    Use Less Plastic Resolution…First Check-In

    The other day my friend Emily (she’s the blog’s godmother…you can thank her for the existence of TWFD!) emailed me and said the following:

    so….remember at the beginning of the year when your blog resolution was to get rid of using one-time-use plastic stuff?  well, i tried making the same one…but i’m failing miserably?  what are you doing?  what do you do about trash bags? lunch? etc….i would love to know…you always have good ideas.

    I responded with:

    yes, I remember my resolution…I think about it every day and how it is SO HARD.

    I went on to describe how I am not nearly far enough along with my goal as I want to be.

    These are my new, beloved food storage containers. I’ll get to them in a minute. Promise.

    Since I started making food-related new year’s resolutions that help the environment, I haven’t actually felt that challenged. Eating less meat turned out to be actually pretty easy. Joining a CSA was a simple and wonderful shift in the way I buy and use produce.

    Using less plastic? TOUGH. Plastic is everywhere. It is such a part of daily life. Which just solidifies my resolve to want to change that fact…but, yeah, 3 months into my goal and I’m not nearly as far along as I’d like to be. But sometimes change is slow…just so long as it is steady!

    I have taken a few steps to reduce our plastic and one-time plastic use. I wanted to share what I’ve done. And, of course, I want to hear how you are doing or what tips you might have. I’m also hoping that checking in with all of you will help re-light my fire and really get this resolution going!

    What I have done so far:

    • I almost never use little plastic baggies anymore. I’m not perfect, they still sneak in here and there. But they hardly EVER find their way into my kids’ lunchboxes and I am rarely using them to store food in the fridge, unless I just can’t find a container that works, and even then I try to use foil instead if possible (which I can then wash and recycle).
    • I replaced my plastic food storage containers (which were all recycled, by the way!) with glass containers. I LOVE THEM. I picked up the Rubbermaid Glass containers that they have at Target and my local grocery store. The plastic lids are BPA-free, the glass bowls are great sizes and shapes that are actually useful and, the best part, everything stacks and stores together SO WELL. Please note, I do not have any sort of working relationship with Rubbermaid. I looked around at different types of glass containers, thought these looked good, bought them and gave them a try. And I seriously love these containers.

    Next steps:

    • Buy a few more glass containers (specifically small ones) for storing food so that I don’t need plastic baggies for storing leftovers in the fridge.
    • Find some good, non-plastic storage containers for the girls’ lunchboxes. While I have stopped using plastic baggies in their lunches, the containers I’m using are still made out of plastic. I would love to find some alternatives.
    • Develop a system where I actually USE my re-useable grocery bags lying all around the house.
    • Buy more cloth napkins.
    • To address Emily’s question…what about trash bags? Hmmmmm….still don’t know the answer to that one, but am thinking long and hard about it.
    • I don’t buy much individually packaged foods…but we do buy granola bars and fruit leathers all the time for lunches. I am going to start a quest for homemade versions that the kids like!

    I’m going to stop there for now. I think that’s a long enough to-do list for now!

    This year’s resolution has made me much more thoughtful in my daily life. I think a lot more about recycling. I think a lot more about how to buy things with less packaging and often do so. The resolution has definitely gotten me on the right track, even if I feel like I still have a long way to go.

    Please share your own experiences with using less plastic. And tips are more than welcome!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:40 am   34 Comments
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  8. Tuesday, March 20

    Tres Leches Cake from The Pioneer Woman

    This giveaway is now closed, but you really should keep reading because this cake is DELISH.

    It’s no secret I love Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. I am very grateful to know her. She is lovely. And she deserves every bit of success she is having. I like it when good karma just works like that. Plus, her food is yummy.

    I am delighted to share Ree’s latest cookbook with you! The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier just came out and it is every bit as scrumptious as her last cookbook and her delicious website. This book is also brimming with cream. LOTS of cream, people. Like, you might need to buy a cow or at least some stock in your local dairy.

    I needed a dessert the other night because, well, I just needed one, okay? I flipped open Ree’s book and discovered Tres Leches Cake, which I am tempted to rename Patience Cake. Seriously, you need some patience for this recipe. There is a lot of waiting. But it is worth the wait. Believe me.

    Tres Leches Cake is my daughter Anna’s dream dessert. She’s not big on dessert or chocolate. (I am still wondering if she’s really my child.) But she loves milk. And she loves whipped cream even more than milk. She ate THE ENTIRE PIECE OF CAKE. I don’t think she’s ever eaten all of her dessert.

    Before we get to the recipe, how about a giveaway? I love giving away great cookbooks!

    THREE of you lucky, randomly-selected people will each win a copy of Ree’s new book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier. Simply leave a comment on this post by Midnight PT on Monday, March 26. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 27. Good luck!

    And, to help quench any whipped cream and/or milk and/or cake cravings you may be having, here is the Tres Leches Cake recipe, with my notes. Enjoy!

    Tres Leches Cake
    From The Pioneer Woman
    - 1 cup all-purpose flour
    - 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    - 1/4 teaspoon salt
    - 5 large eggs, separated
    - 1 cup sugar plus 3 Tbsp, divided
    - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    - 1/3 cup whole milk (Jane note: I used 2%, everything came out fine)
    - 1 pint plus 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided
    - 1 12-oz can evaporated milk
    - 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan.

    Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

    Mix egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat until very light in color (Jane note: I used my hand mixer, you can also use a stand mixer). Add milk and vanilla and beat until just combined. Pour this over the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.

    In a separate mixing bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff but not dry.

    Gently fold the egg whites into the other ingredients. Don’t over mix, stop stirring just before everything is mixed together.

    Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Jane note: Mine was definitely done by 30 minutes, so keep an eye on it!)

    Let cake cool completely. (Jane note: Here is the first part requiring waiting and patience…) When the cake is cool, invert onto a platter and poke holes in the surface with a fork. (Jane note: I just left it in the pan because we weren’t serving it to guests and didn’t need it fancy on a platter. Also, I used a steak knife to poke the holes – my fork was sticking to the cake too much, the sharp, thin knife worked better.)

    Combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/4 cup cream. Slowly pour milk mixture over the cake, getting it all around the edges and evenly coating the surface. It will puddle, which is fine. Let cake sit for at least 30 minutes to absorb the milk. (Jane note: more waiting!)

    Whip 1 pint of cream with 3 tablespoons sugar (Jane note: I use powdered sugar here because that’s what I like in whipped cream) until thick. Spread over top and sides of cake (Jane note: or just the top if you left the cake in the pan).

    Jane note: Here’s the last bit of waiting…the cake was good at this point, but it was REALLY good the next day after being refrigerated. I highly recommend eating after it is cold! Totally worth all the waiting and your patience skills will be well-honed! Regardless of when you eat the cake, leftovers need to be refrigerated.

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:00 pm   3,849 Comments
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  9. “The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook” Giveaway Winner

    First off, I forgot to list one of my go-to cookbooks that several of you mentioned in the comments for the go-to cookbook post and I feel like it needs a shout out! (How’s that for a run-on sentence?) The classic red and white checkered Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook! That was definitely one of my mom’s go-to books…the cover instantly brings back memories!

    Time to announce the lucky, random winner of the awesome Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook!

    Teresa Thomas, who said, “I tried my first Cook’s Illustrated recipe last summer and loved it! It was a vegetarian pasta dish with a white wine/pesto sauce. Yum! Would love a whole book of such dishes!”

    Congratulations, Teresa!

    Big thanks to America’s Test Kitchen for such a fun giveaway!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:29 am   4 Comments
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  10. Tuesday, March 13

    My Go-To Cookbooks…and a fabulous giveaway from Cook’s Illustrated!

    Whenever I want to cook something I haven’t cooked before, I pull out three cookbooks: The Joy of Cooking, How to Cook Everything and The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I look up the item in all three books, read through the recipes, then either just use one of them straight up (always to great success) or learn techniques from these books and do my own thing. I love these books. They never fail me. They have made me the cook I am today. They are my go-to cookbooks that I couldn’t live without!

    Well, I’ve added a fourth book to the list. I didn’t think that would ever happen, but it has! The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook has officially made it to my go-to cookbook list.

    A few weeks ago I had the chance to meet with a few of the folks from America’s Test Kitchen, including Lori Galvin, executive editor in charge of books…i.e. she worked really hard on my new favorite cookbook. I had a lovely time chatting with them and am enamored with the test kitchens even more than I was before. (P.S. I totally want a job there. Constant taste testing. Heaven, right?)

    Yesterday a big, heavy box arrived on my doorstep. I opened it and there was a note from Steph thanking me for spending the evening with them. The note was tucked inside my very own copy of The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. I immediately started reading through the book. This thing is AWESOME. Such a fantastic, trustworthy resource filled with wonderful, not-often-obvious tips. I am so happy to have this book!

    Of course I asked if I could share a copy with you, and America’s Test Kitchen happily obliged! One of you will receive a copy of The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook as well as a 1-year subscription to CooksIllustrated.com, yet another amazing cooking resource. All you need to do is add a comment to this post by Midnight PT on Monday, March 19. The randomly-selected winner will be announced on March 20.

    Your comment can be anything, but if you want to make it interesting, share your favorite America’s Test Kitchen or Cook’s Illustrated recipe, or your favorite go-to cookbook(s)! We may as well share some good info with one another!

    And if you’re looking for even more America’s Test Kitchen inspiration, be sure to check out The Feed. It’s really cool.

    Good luck with the giveaway!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:30 am   241 Comments
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