Dec

10

Holiday Shopping Tips

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Happy holidays! Today I am featuring two places that can help you finish your gift shopping.

Chef’s Catalog specializes in high-end products and usually has the price tag to match; however, their Sale Items usually have some good deals and hidden treasures. Right now they have the following in their Sale area:

They have a free gift wrap deal on orders placed before December 12. Their recipe collection is also worth browsing.

Christmas Forest Cascade WreathChristmas Forest has been making and shipping beautiful handmade wreaths since 1976. I first heard of them in 1996 when I was living in Saudi Arabia (go figure). One of the teachers at the school placed several of their brochures in the workroom and said that she had been buying the wreaths as Christmas gifts for her family ever since she moved overseas. She said the wreaths were beautiful, and they certainly looked good in the photos. I took her advice and ordered wreaths for my family. All the recipients raved about how beautiful they were and how *good* they smelled when they arrived. They also said that the wreaths held up well throughout the holidays.

I ordered one for myself the first year I was back in the U.S., and I have ordered them every year ever since. They have lots of styles available, but the Cascade (pictured) is my personal favorite. The wreaths are made from boughs that are trimmed from the trees each year to help promote growth, so they are sustainably harvested.

Dec

5

AeroGarden

Filed Under Kitchen Gear | 16 Comments 

AeroGarden, Red Rubin Basil, 20 days

As a gardening enthusiast and cooking addict, I enjoy growing my own herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Because the climate in Northern Virginia does not permit year-round outdoor gardening, I keep an indoor herb garden most of the year in an attempt to have a regular supply for cooking. Over the years I’ve grown many different kinds of herbs indoors with varying degrees of success, and I’m always looking for ways to improve herb yield and quality.

AeroGarden box

I first saw the AeroGarden® on television over a year ago and thought that it looked interesting. I tried hydroponics several years ago when I was growing alfalfa sprouts, but this was different and definitely a step or two up from the very basic non-motorized system I had used. I wanted to learn more and decided that I should review it myself. I contacted the company to see if they would consider allowing me to take one for a test drive and write an honest review, and they graciously agreed. They packed up a Classic AeroGarden and sent it to me. Read more

Nov

16

King Arthur Flour Holiday Sweepstakes

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King Arthur Flour is sponsoring a Holiday Sweepstakes with a $1,000 gift card for the top prize, as well as $100 gift cards for five runner-ups . The contest ends on December 9, 2007 and winners will be announced on December 12, 2007.

Nov

2

Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Set On Sale

Filed Under Shopping Tips | 1 Comment 

Lodge Manufacturing has a good deal on a basic 5-piece set of their excellent pre-seasoned cast iron cookware. The set includes:

  • 8-inch skillet,
  • 10 1/4-inch skillet,
  • 5-quart Dutch oven with lid that also fits the 10 1/4-inch skillet, and
  • 10 1/2-inch griddle.

The part number is L5HS3, and the set is on sale for just $59.95 until Monday November 12.

Oct

23

Testing Stand Mixers

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For the home baker, a standing mixer can make mixing and kneading tasks so much easier and faster. When I bought my standing mixer in 1995, there weren’t many choices of models, but that has changed and the range of choices can be downright bewildering.

Enter America’s Test Kitchen and their newly updated test and reviews of standing mixers.

“How much mixer does a home cook need? To test the field thoroughly, we bought 18 different mixers of every shape, size, and price–from a budget $100 model up to the $1,500 Hobart. Our lineup included Bosch (two models), DeLonghi (two), Electrolux, Farberware, Hamilton Beach (two), Hobart, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid (four), Sunbeam (two), and Viking (two).”

Read the full review and download the test results at America’s Test Kitchen - Mix Masters - Standing Mixers - Updated.

Note: ATK’s review available for free only for a limited time.

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