photo credit: jspace3
There are many simple pleasures in life, and it is important to share them with those you love. I appreciated many times learning in the kitchen with my parents. They spent time teaching my sisters and me how to cook, how to clean, and how to be a good hostess. I want to challenge everyone to put your own time frame to the back burner, and try sharing some simple things with your children.

One of the easiest and most fun? Cooking! How exciting it is to have children in the kitchen. I know it might seem like a huge burden to take on, but it can be so rewarding to plan, produce, and enjoy a creation of your own! What a joy to share with your child.

Start with something easy. Allow children to pick a recipe, buy and measure the ingredients, and mix away! Some good ideas: Pigs in a blanket, anything involving pudding, cupcakes, cookies, rice krispie treats, etc. Check out these cookbooks, too: Cooking with Children: 15 Lesson for Children Who Really Want to Learn or Cooking with Max: 45 Messy Recipes! and many more at www.amazon.com

It is important to use it as a learning tool, an opportunity to simply spend time, and a time to allow things to get messy! Allow yourself to be a child again, too. Pull up the hair, put on some old clothes, and have a great bought of family time!

The Pampered Chef spoons are far above the competition - non-staining, non-breaking, and guaranteed by a warranty! These spoons are great. They seriously are non-staining. I have used mine in tomato-based sauces many times and my spoons are still basically their original color!

The spoons come in a set with a 12″ oval spoon, a 12″ round spoon, and a 10″ round spoon. The set of 3 comes at a reasonable $8.50. They are well-worth that cost! I can reiterate again the importance of their non-staining, their warranty, and the fact that they are dishwasher-safe!

This bowl has a 2-quart capacity, while it has a larger counterpart as well. You can also use this bowl for microwaving and cooking! It can withstand up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and that is awesome! You could cook/bake in this batter bowl when needed. It includes metric and standard measurements for your convenience, too.

I use these bowls all the time, especially for mixing and storing. I use this bowl when I am making salads. I can use the bowl to mix the salads, then refrigerate, the serve, and then simply place the lid back on and store the left-overs! Next time you make a garden salad, a pasta salad, or a tuna salad, try using this bowl. It’s a one bowl cleanup!

The website recommends using the Micro-Cooker for melting butter, heating soups, or cooking vegetables. Those are great ideas! I use this by far the most for cooking vegetables. That is because I can add water for steaming fresh veggies or simply pouring in a can of veggies then draining them right from the lid when they are cooked! What an awesome, time-saving invention. The other cool use is browning meat, especially ground beef. It is so convenient because it browns easily, and then the grease can simply be strained out!

While it doesn’t sound revolutionary, it really is! You always have a fully mixed drink. There is never clops of drink mix floating around. You also have a tight lid, allowing you to mix without the chance of spilling over the edge of the pitcher. It comes in 2 sizes, the 2-quart and the 4-quart size.

A funny side? My husband thinks it’s great. I can imagine that children would also love the feeling of mixing the drink, rapidly pushing it up and down. It really is fun!

For me, as I’ve told you before, I love my two favorites: my kitchen stand mixer and my series of rubber spatulas. But there is a product line that is quality, trustworthy, and simply a huge part of many kitchens around the world. I’m speaking of the Pampered Chef Line (www.pamperedchef.com). Their motto is to “Discover the Chef Within You.” This motto really represents the company - they produce a quality product, back it up with their awesome warranties, and includes a variety of recipes to prepare with your new purchase.

The products are tried and true - many kitchens have items that have lasted years and prepared a variety of awesome meals along the way. While the next best product line might be from Williams-Sonoma, this line is significantly cheaper and honestly just as good!

Over the next 4 posts I want to share my “Pampered Chef ‘Must Haves.’” These will be the top 4 items I believe are necessary and different from other products out there. While they have many more and others’ top 4 might include other items, these 4 are original products to their line - different from the average line.

Take some time to peruse their website, looking at products, recipes, and even consider being a consultant!

photo credit: dead_squid

I was thinking about that, and was inspired to think back to the smoothie. What a versatile way to get them in - the smoothie. Smoothies take on a variety of faces, including fruity and “vegetabley.” Most smoothies are started with a variety of fruits or vegetables, and are supplemented with a liquid, usually juice or milk, and a variety of additives (such as a sweetener or a supplemental vitamin).

For some good recipes, check out these books: Smoothies for Life! Yummy, Fun, and Nutritious! and More Smoothies for Life: Satisfy, Energize, and Heal Your Body

But be careful! Don’t be fooled by just any smoothie. Watch out for many smoothies that are made at your typical shop or ice cream store; they are not health-conscious places and simply are not specialists at the smoothie. Many smoothies contain hidden calories because of the products used. I would recommend getting a smoothie at a specialty smoothie store or at an organic store. When in doubt? Ask for nutritional information!

photo credit: loopkid

The basic recipe is this:

-1 cake mix, 1 small can of pumpkin, ¾ cup water, and 1 cup any flavor chocolate chips

-Mix all together, fill muffin cups about 2/3 full, and bake according to package directions.

Makes about 17-24.

That is it! That is all there is to the recipe, and yet it produces a yummy, impressive snack each time. My favorite combo is the chocolate cake with regular chocolate chips version. I have also tried, and loved, spice cake with cinnamon chips, and caramel cake with white chocolate chips. Simply microwave them for about 15 seconds and enjoy a warm, melty snack with about 125 calories. You also have a snack that “hides” a healthy ingredient - pumpkin. In all of the versions I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to taste a hint of pumpkin.

The only negative is that they don’t last long, so they need to be eaten for frozen within about 3 days. The freeze really well - simply place in Ziploc bags or airtight containers and freeze!

photo credit: **bene**

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy watching TV. And, of course, cooking! There is nothing better than combining the two to make a fabulous treat. The Food Network is an awesome approach to entertainment and education for the cooking heart.

The best part of the Food Network is that it is on all-day, non-stop. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year of cooking education. There are a variety of shows that are aired regularly, and there are also seasonal specials, cook-offs, and a good dose of shows to “change it up.”

Of the regular shows, be sure to check out a few of my favorites: any show by Rachael Ray, “Iron Chef: America,” “Take Home Chef,” and “Good Eats.” These shows, along with many of their other great shows, feature cooking geniuses, pros in their field. It is definitely an encouragement to have professionals showing and telling me how to do things. I love seeing pictures with recipes in a printed book, so seeing the recipe brought to life is even better.

Of the special shows, my favorites are any of the cook-off specials. There are grill-offs, burger cook-offs, and my personal favorite, the cake bake-offs.

Check it out: go to

My husband is a major video game player, and I have to admit there are a few that I indulge in! The first being Guitar Hero 3. It’s just awesome! But another interesting one is a game called Cooking Mama: Cook Off. This video game is for Nintendo DS or Nintendo Wii.

The premise of the game is that you are a chef, learning how to cook! There are various levels to the game, but you practice different cooking skills (just as dicing, slicing, boiling, etc.) and then put them to the test. It is so much fun because not only do you get to play games, but you actually prepare dishes while you play! This is a great game for girls especially, because they seem to enjoy a different kind of game. It is an Asian game, so you will find a few of the dishes are “interesting!”There are also two new versions: Cooking Mama Cook-off (featuring dishes from various countries) and Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends (improved graphics, real-time affects). While I have only played the original, I can only imagine that the two other versions are awesome. I can’t wait to try them!