Favorite Kitchen Item #2

Hey guys!
It has been one crazy week! I can't believe Wednesday is here already! It has been a week full of planning, studying, writing papers, doing laundry, and attempting to clean the house....ugh! I will be so happy to relax this weekend!
Favorite Kitchen Item number 2 is....the PASTA BOAT!               Click HERE to CHECK IT OUT!

I am sure many of you have seen the ads on tv for it. When I first saw it I wanted it, but didn't want to have to pay shipping and handling and wait for it to come in the mail so I said forget it, but then when my grandma brought over some Easter presents, I opened them up and found that she had got me one! She is so thoughtful!
So far I am really enjoying it! It usually takes me forever to make spaghetti seeing as I only have one burner, I have to cook the meat, once that finishes, I can boil the water to cook the pasta, then I have to drain the pasta, then I can add the sauce....but now with the pasta boat I can do the pasta and the meat all at the same time and then just mix them all together! It has saved us A LOT of time!!

Here are some pictures of us putting it to good use!

all filled with pasta and water

ready to cook!

Cooking!

All finished!

Yum! It even has a built in strainer!!

So, as I said, so far I am LOVING my pasta boat! It can also be used to steam vegetables and make some other things! And best of all, it came with this nifty little directional/cookbook that has some great ideas and recipes in it!

If you are looking for a quick way to save time making a simple pasta dish, I would go out and get a Pasta Boat! They are available online, on tv, and in stores like Walgreens or others that sell "as seen on tv" items!

Favorite Kitchen Item #1

Happy Monday Everyone!

I would have to say that my favorite kitchen accessory right now, ok so not just for right now....since I got it a year or more ago, would have to be the RICE COOKER PLUS from PAMPERED CHEF! It is AMAZING!! 

Check it out HERE! This has to be one of the most versatile things I have in my kitchen! It can be used for just about ANYTHING! I have made countless things in it like....

• Rice (obviously!)
• Cake (yes, a fully "baked" cake in the microwave!)
• Chicken
• Potatos
• Soup
• Vegetables

See what I mean by it is versatile?? It is also quick and easy to clean! It save me A LOT of time considering that I only have a one burner gas stove! I can be cooking one thing on the stove and another in the microwave all at the same time!

Making a cake in it takes all of 15-20 minutes, rice takes about 12 minutes, chicken and potatoes take about 10-15 minutes each, vegetables also take about 10 minutes, and soup cook times can vary depending on what you put in it!
If you are lacking a kitchen like I am, or even living in a college dorm, this is definitely one item I would not want to be without!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just wanted to do a quick post today to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely Mother's out there! Did anyone cook, or go out to somewhere yummy to celebrate? I want to hear about it! I think we are going to be going out to dinner later on tonight at Ruby Tuesdays! I'll post some pictures from dinner tomorrow!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Kitchen and Favorites!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday!! I am spending it cleaning, and doing laundry! It is very cloudy outside and perfect weather for a nap, yet here I am blogging and cleaning! :)

So here are the pictures of my kitchen that I promised! It is VERY small and pretty much NON-EXISTENT!!! I cannot wait till I can afford a house with an actual kitchen!!

Here is a view of the WHOLE kitchen......see what I mean....NON-EXISTENT!

Very Cluttered pot and pan storage on the cabinet and refrigerator!

Very full cabinet

                                                 

The microwave....

                                                   

The Easy Bake

                                   

The "stove" and Easy Bake

                                            

Sink/Trash/Dish rack/ Storage

                                          

dish rack, utensils, cups, other utensils

                                              

The refrigerator and freezer!

As you can see it is SMALL, NON-EXISTENT, and PACKED!!! But, we make do with what we have and have gotten pretty creative! :) I wouldn't have been able to to it without some certain kitchen favorites of mine! I will showcase these items next week! But here's a sneak peek!

• Pampered Chef Rice Cooker Plus
• Pasta Boat
• Gas Stove
• Easy Bake Oven

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Mine will be filled with studying, birthday bbqs, cleaning, and church! Check back next week...

Cake Pops and Banana Muffins

The cake pops are finished and tasting delicious! Here are a few pictures of the final stages and product!

                                           Ready to Dip!

                                          Voila! The final Product!

This morning I felt like some Banana Nut muffins! Luckily, I had a mixture that only required adding water!

                                                         So I mixed it all up!

                                           And got it ready to go in the Easy Bake!

                                             Then popped it back out!

                                         It was quite yummy!

Now that my tummy is full from my morning snack, its time to get some studying done! I have 3 more exams to take in the next few days! Wish me luck! I also have to deliver some cake pops, do some laundry, and clean the house! What a fun day! (NOT!)

Check in tomorrow for some pictures of my "kitchen" to get an idea of what I have to work with! Next week I'm thinking about showcasing some of my favorite kitchen items!

             

The Beginning!

Hey everyone!

So this is my first blog....where should I begin? I decided to start a food blog because I am always posting pictures of what I am making, or eating on Facebook, and everyone always comments tell me to start a blog....so HERE IT IS EVERYONE! I hope I can make it meet your expectations! Bare with me while I figure this whole thing out!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Cara! I loooovvveee to bake and cook! My boyfriend and I don't have a kitchen in our apartment so that makes it really hard! But I make do with our microwave, easy bake oven (yes...I made him buy me an Easy Bake oven!!), and our one burner gas stove! I have managed to pick up some awesome tips about getting around the whole no oven thing and I will definitely share those with you all in case anyone else out there is also in need of an oven!


Today I am attempting to make cake pops for the first time! Right now they are in the freezer so we'll see how they come out! They are a lot easier to make then I thought!

Here are some pictures from today's cake pop making!
I started out with a box of strawberry cake mix, a container of strawberry frosting, a mixing bowl, a microwavable rice cooker (from Pampered Chef http://pamperedchef.biz/laurarhees?page=products-detail&categoryId=124&productId=9805&itemId=2779&parentCategoryId=8), and a Mix N' Chop (also from Pampered Chef http://pamperedchef.biz/laurarhees?page=products-detail&categoryId=124&productId=15658&itemId=2583&parentCategoryId=8) I have to say a shout out to my Pampered Chef consultant Laura Rhees!

After following the directions on the cake box and mixing it in the rice cooker, I microwaved it for about 15 minutes and voila....a cake!

                                                            Next, I crumbled it up!

                                                   Then made it into little balls, and stuck them in the freezer!

                                    Right now, I am waiting for my white chcolate to melt, so that I can dip them!

Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures of the final product! Feel free to comment and leave feedback! I want to know what you think!