I am in love with my Paula Deen  Signature Stoneware Southern Gathering 9 by 13 Baker.
Each of the pieces in the Southern Stoneware Southern Gathering Collection are uniquely glazed making so no two of these area like. I don’t know about you, but when something is uniquely made it just makes the item much more desirable and all the more special.

I’ve used this dish in the oven and have found whatever I am baking cooks evenly. It’s a cinch to clean whether by hand or in the dishwasher. It also can be used in refrigerator and freezer. And sometimes an often con in stoneware, I personally didn’t find this piece too heavy in the least bit.

This piece is so pretty with its unique hobnail design. The online pictures I feel don’t do it justice. It honestly makes me want to bake more! I’m already making meal plan list around it each month to get more use of it. Casseroles, Lasagna, Sides, Cobblers, and more. I guarantee you’ll be inspired to cook and plan meals that’ll have this dish sitting on your table weekly if not daily!

My husband saw how much I loved this one and bought me the Paula Deen Signature Stoneware Southern Gathering Loaf Pan! I’m very happy and hope to collect the remaining pieces in this collection soon for baking, serving, and presenting wonderful meals to my family and friends!

If you love this baker too, note you can purchase it on Amazon.com for $29.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products in exchange for my opinion of them. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

I got the recipe for the biscuits I made from the Wholesome Baby Food website. There are a lot of recipes to choose from but today since I had a lot to do, decided to use a really simple one. Not that most of them aren’t simple I just didn’t have the time to measure out the spices and other things. Three ingredients that were on my counter top and easy to throw together, yes please! I went with this one:

Eggless Baby Cereal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour ( I used all purpose)
1 cup baby cereal ( I used oatmeal baby cereal)
1 cup juice  ( I used apple)

Directions:

Mix ingredients well. Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake for 20-30 min @ 350 deg. F.

Freezes Well *Dough will be very sticky and seem “wrong” and may be hard to work with. This is as it should be so do not panic. You may wish to add more flour and/or cereal to achieve a more doughy consistency.*

I had fun making these and I had such adorable cookie cutters that hadn’t seen any love for awhile. Not that I don’t bake cookies often but I don’t usually make roll out cookies till around the cooler seasons. The summer time usually puts a damper on my baking due to not wanting to heat up the house so much. I look forward to making more of these. They are so easy to do and making them yourself is a lot more affordable than purchasing boxes of the pre-made ones.

What you need:

Green beans
Salt
Sauce pan
Water
Ice

Freezer bags

How it’s Done…

1. Prepare your green beans by cutting or snapping each of the ends off as well as breaking them to size you’d like them to be.

2.  Start a pot of boiling water and season with salt. How much salt you add kinda depends on how big a batch you plan on freezing. I just eye it and do what feels right.

3.  Prepare a bowl of ice water for the after boiling process. Make sure you have trays of ice in freezer for this process ( I had to wait a little longer to prepare my batch because I almost never have ice in my freezer!)

4. Add your cut and snapped beans to boiling water and boil for 3 minutes time. I’d stir the beans around to make sure they were evenly spread in the process.

5.  After 3 minutes, take the beans out of the boiling water, and immediately submerge them into the prepared bowl ice water.  Keep them there for three minutes time!

6.  Remove the beans from the ice water, and dry them.  You can now stick them in freezer bags and put them in the freezer ready for use at a future date.

7. When ready to eat just pull them out of the freezer and cook in a preferred method. I tend to like to steam my vegetables because it tends not to overcook and remove the nutrients that are good for you.

So how do I go about making my own baby food? Well, I have a list and I keep the fruit and vegetables in season in mind because you can usually get those at a better price! And that’s all the more reason to stock up! After purchasing my produce, I go from there. You can use the microwave or steam it on the stove till soft. I then put the desired tender veggies or fruit in my blender with a little bit of water. Adding more or less water all depends on what consistency you’d like your baby food to be. I like that it’s so easy and affordable to do. You don’t really need any special blenders of food trays whatever else.  You can easily use regular ice cube trays but make sure to cover them in plastic wrap while freezing to later transport into a freezer safe container or ziplock bag.

I do have a hand held food mill but I consider that easier to use on a daily basis instead of with larger batches. For instance if I wanted to quickly blend up a banana or something like that on the the fly.  I’m swearing by a food processor or blender for bigger batches!

When I’m ready to feed my little guy the food I’ve pre-made, I thaw out a couple of cubes in the fridge that morning so they are good and ready for later. But if I need a few cubes right away, I will thaw them in a bowl of warm water with a small bowl in a larger bowl or inside a plastic bag in the warm bowl of water. I will then warm the food up in my microwave for about 15 seconds always being sure to check the temperature of the food before I give it to my baby because there can be hidden hot pockets!

I’ve only done basic fruits and vegetables so far but in a few months, I’ll probably start adding a little more flavor with spices and mixing it up by creating my own combos. I can’t wait to whip up more baby food soon and I’ll be sure to share my experiences and suggestions here on my blog. Here’s an image/price comparison  to check out in the average difference making and buying baby food.

As of recently, I was introduced to Tropical Tradition’s Organic Palm Shortening. This shortening is derived from palm oil. In its natural state, palm oil is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, with most of the unsaturated fat being (healthier) monounsaturated fat. Palm shortening is palm oil that has some of its unsaturated fats removed, giving it a very firm texture, and high melting point. It is not hydrogenised, and contains no trans fats. It is colorless and odorless, and will not affect the taste of foods. Now you can buy shortening at the grocery store that is trans fat free, but it will usually be hydrogenised and not be organic. This is a great product for those who want to use more healthy organic products in our foods.

I honestly couldn’t wait to review this product and kept obsessively checking the shipping to see how soon it would be coming to my door. As soon as it arrived I made my favorite biscuit recipe that evening. I was really pondering how my biscuits were going to turn out. The palm shortening is a lot more firm that the vegetable shortening I usually use. I had to work it a bit more but oh how tasty and fluffy my biscuits came out!

I believe Palm Shortening will become a product that will be used for years to come in my home. I can’t wait to make more things with it! My little girls birthday is coming up in two months and I’m going to try to whip some butter cream frosting up with this shortening!

I encourage you to check out the Tropical Traditions website. Not only do they sell palm shortening, but they also carry coconut oils, coconut flakes, organic flours, sweeteners and nut butters. You can also find more coconut flour recipes at their recipe site, FreeCoconutRecipes.com.

-BUY IT -

You can purchase a tub of organic shortening from Tropical Traditions for 30.65 for a gallon (7lbs).

If you purchase Tropical Tradition any  product from their site, then be sure to use my customer number at checkout. This will get you a FREE book with your order, titled: “Virgin Coconut Oil: How it Has Changed People’s Lives and How it can Change Yours.” At checkout, underneath, “How Did You Hear About Us?”, pull the drop down box to “Referred by a Friend”. Then a box will appear to type in the User ID of the friend (me) who referred you. This number is 5542476. A $25 book, free with your purchase!

Win it!

How would you like to win your very own container of Tropical Tradition’s Organic Palm Shortening? (rtv 40.75)

To Enter: Visit Tropical Traditions and let me know another product that interest you!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

7. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions newsletter at http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/subscribe_for_special_sales.cfm

8. Follow @troptraditions on Twitter!

Giveaway running till 03/15/11 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only.

DISCLAIMER: My thoughts are mine own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this giveaway or review other than the sample above mentioned.

Hardcover: 896 pages

From the Publisher…

James Beard was the “dean of American cookery” (New York Times), and he put practically everything he learned about cooking into this single magnificent–now classic–cookbook. JAMES BEARD’S AMERICAN COOKERY includes more than fifteen hundred of his favorite and most successful recipes, as well as advice on dozens of cooking questions, from choosing meats and vegetables to preserving fruit and making real cheeseburgers. A celebration of the roots of cooking in the American style, this repackaged edition features the original text and color illustrations, and a new foreword by Tom Colicchio. Like Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Joy of Cooking, it is a standard reference no kitchen is complete without.

Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time!

From the Publisher…

The producer of An Inconvenient Truth, Laurie David’s new mission is to help America’s overwhelmed families sit down to a Family Dinner, and she provides all the reasons, recipes and fun tools to do so.

Laurie David speaks from her own experience confronting the challenges of raising two teenage girls. Today’s parents have lots to deal with and technology is making their job harder than ever. Research has proven that everything we worry about as parents–from drugs to alcohol, promiscuity, to obesity, academic achievement and just good old nutrition–can all be improved by the simple act of eating and talking together around the table.

Laurie has written a practical, inspirational, fun (and, of course, green) guide to the most important hour in any parent’s day. Chock-full chapters include: Over seventy-five kid approved fantastic recipes; tips on teaching green values; conversation starters; games to play to help even the shyest family member become engaged; ways to express gratitude; the family dinner after divorce (hint: keep eating together) and much more. Filled with moving memories and advice from the country’s experts and teachers, this book will get everyone away from electronic screens and back to the dinner table.

About the Author…

Laurie David, ex-wife of Larry David, is a media savvy powerhouse. She founded the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, produced the Academy Award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and launched the Stop Global Warming College Tour with Sheryl Crow. She’s been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Today, and Good Morning America; is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and is author of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming (Scholastic, 9/07).

My Thoughts…

The Family Dinner is the kind of cookbook that no family kitchen should be without.  This cookbook will challenge, inspire, and leave you looking forward to digging back into it.  No other cookbook have I picked up that encourages family time in the kitchen like this one. You’ll find yourself  not just making great meals for your family but wonderful memories with your children!

The Family Dinner includes words of wisdom, kid friendly recipes, conversation starters,  living green, and games…I love it.  There’s so much in this book that there’s no way I could cover all that I like about it. So let me list the sections you’ll find in this book and what they are about!

• Why Family Dinners Matter – Sharing the importance of family togetherness and the benefits of eating together.
• Ten Simple Steps – Ten steps that are key for making family dinner time a success!
• Setting the Scene – How how to make the dinner table appealing looking!
• Fast Recipes – My favorite chapter, hands down! It’s filled with recipes that can be prepared quick.  I love it teaches us how to keep a well stocked pantry for this task too!
• “Cook” Together at the Table – A chapter filled with ideas and recipes for meals that can be prepared at the table, so each family member gets to be involved.
• Souper Dinners – Features many  Soup recipes that are great during the Fall and Winter season.
• Take it Slow – This chapter includes recipes for dishes that you can make when you have more free time and then save or freeze them for the days you don’t have much time. Another favorite chapter!
• Meatless Monday – This chapter is filled with vegetarian dishes.
• Kids in the Kitchen – Spotlights lots of  kid friendly recipes that they can help prepare.
• Your Green Table – This chapter has tips on being green and how you can teach your children to be eco-friendly!
• Table Talk – This chapter has tips and ideas for conversation starters and games that can be played at the dinner table.
• Read Around the Table – This chapter includes more ideas and tips for discussions.
• Grandparents and the Extended Family – This chapter includes recipes and tips for including other family members into the family togetherness.
• Two Homes, One Table – This chapter suggests ways to keep the family together even after a divorce.
• Grace is Gratitude - This chapter has tips and ideas on ways to show and teach gratitude.
• Play With Your Dessert – This chapter is full of fun. It includes dessert recipes and games that can played after dinner to keep the togetherness going.

I tried out one of the Apple Sauce recipes from this book and loved it! I can’t wait to try out several more such as the Rainy-Day Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, Homemade Tomato Sauce, and even a few of the recipes for home made cleaners (no kidding, this book has everything)!

I highly recommend this book to be on the shelf of every kitchen! You can purchase this book on Amazon for under 20.00! You can also check for it at your favorite bookstore! But thanks to Hatchett, one of my readers is going to have a chance to win this fantastic book!

Win it!

One winner will receive The Family Dinner Cookbook. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada only.

To Enter: Let me know what one recipe you always enjoy making during the Holiday Season!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

Giveaway running till 11/20/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only. One winner per household.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinions. The book copy information and cover image were provided by Hachette Book Group. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN-10: 0316083372
ISBN-13: 978-0316083379

Breakfast, Brunch, and Beyond from New York’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant

From the Publisher…

The Clinton St. Baking Company is one of the hottest brunch spots in a city obsessed with brunch. A tiny thirty-two-seat eatery on Manhattan’s trendy Lower East Side, the restaurant draws long lines of customers who come from far and wide to sample fresh-baked goods, hearty omelets, sugar-cured bacon, and light-as-air pancakes with maple butter.

In the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook, owners DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg share more than 100 treasured recipes that have made their restaurant a sensation. Learn the secret to their house-made buttermilk biscuits and tomato jam, irresistible muffins and scones, delicious soups and sandwiches, and their decadent, eye-catching desserts. Helpful techniques, like Neil’s patented omelet “flip and tuck,” and gorgeous color photographs throughout will have readers cooking like pros in no time, and sharing the delicious results.

About the Authors…

DeDe Lahman is co-owner of the Clinton St. Baking Company and Community Food & Juice. She began her career as an editor and advice columnist at Seventeen magazine. She has worked as a book researcher, freelance writer, brand consultant, and cook.

Neil Kleinberg was raised in Brooklyn, and opened his first restaurant, Simon’s, at the age of 22. After four years at The Water Club under Rick Moonen, he returned to his native Flatbush to reopen the legendary seafood star, Lundy’s. Neil co-authored The Lundy’s Cookbook (Harper Collins, 1998), and is a distinguished member of The James Beard Foundation.

My Thoughts…

If you are in the mood for eating or if you are pregnant, I would not recommend opening up this cookbook. I made that mistake and was longing for several delicious recipes I didn’t have the current means to throw together! Note also that I am a huge lover of breakfast and brunch foods so I was practically drooling over the pages featuring full color photos for each recipe found in this cookbook.

In the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook you’ll find that it’s broken down into the following categories all the while featuring extremely helpful hints and tips along with easy to follow step by step instructions!

• Biscuits
• Muffins and Scones
• Eggs, Eggs, Eggs
• Pancakes {The Best in New York}
• Soups
• The Sandwich King & Queen
• Fried Chicken {A Clinton St.  Specialty}
• Sides
• Condiments
• Dessert {Made from Scratch}
• Drinks

This morning I was in the mood for more than just a bowl of cereal and tried out the Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins recipes! I love baking from scratch instead of using mixes. I know what’s going in my muffins and don’t have any odd additives or preservatives, which I’m not a huge fan of when baking for myself or my family.  I was extremely happy with how my muffins came out and will most definitely be making them again!

I really can’t wait to try some of the other recipes out like the Fried Green Tomatoes, Homemade Caramelized Applesauce, Potato Pancakes, and more!

I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone and can’t help but think what a great gift this would make during the Holiday Season! You can find the Clinton St. Company Cookbook on Amazon.com for under twenty dollars but how about the chance to win one?

Win it!

One winner will receive the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada only.

To Enter: Let me know what one recipe you always enjoy making during the Holiday Season!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

Giveaway running till 11/20/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only. One winner per household.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinions. The book copy information and cover image were provided by Hachette Book Group. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style
ISBN-10: 0446572098
ISBN-13: 978-0446572095

Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes

From the Publisher…

Claire Robinson, the hot new Food Network star of 5 Ingredient Fix and Food Network Challenge, helps people get dinner on the table with little fuss and a few great ingredients. The quest for simple, affordable, and fresh, mouthwatering food is over. 5 INGREDIENT FIX helps put delicious and sophisticated meals on the table in a snap. With people struggling to simplify, streamline, and budget, the Food Network’s Claire Robinson is here to help. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be impressive; simplifying the process with fewer ingredients saves time, frustration, and ultimately, money.

About the Author…

Claire Robinson is the host of Food Network’s 5 Ingredient Fix and the daily primetime series Food Network Challenge. Claire cites her French-speaking grandmother as a major influence on her love for food. Claire graduated from the French Culinary Institute, is an accomplished private chef, and has produced several cooking series, including Food Network’s Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello.

My Thoughts…

I fell in love with this cookbook right away and just from the mouth watering photos alone! And I loved the promise that I could make extremely tasty recipes of all kinds for my family and friends with as little as five ingredients, I was in heaven. And with that being said, you can’t blame me for doubting it! Doesn’t it almost sound to good to be true?  We’ve been trying to keep a tight budget around here and to make great tasting food with a minimal grocery list of ingredients is a huge plus.

Trying to figure out what to make wasn’t easy! But after browsing through the eight different sections, I went with a dessert that I served to my family and friends. I was fully putting my trust into the recipe because I commonly don’t just serve the guest I have over a dessert or recipe I haven’t tried personally myself. And with that being said, the Millionaire’s Shortbread recipe I tried out from this cookbook was a huge hit! I had never had or personally made shortbread before but with the minimal ingredients and easy to follow instructions, I’m up to making it again! I can’t help but think how irresistible and elegant this dessert would look and be enjoyed  during the holidays to tempt taste buds of many!

This cookbook has lots of great recipes, many I can’t personally wait to try out. My fourth wedding anniversary is coming up soon so I’ve been browsing around for something to cook that’ll make the dinner extra special with minimal amounts of work and time in the kitchen. Perhaps I’ll cook the Cornish Hens au Vin or maybe the Classic Southern Blackened Catfish!

I wouldn’t hesitate at all to  recommend 5 Ingredient Fix: Easy Elegant and Irresistible Recipes to anyone! This cookbook would be a great addition to your kitchen or perhaps someone else you may know! You can purchase it at numerous bookstores locally and online. Right now you can find this cookbook on Amazon for just 16.95!

Disclaimer: A Special Thanks goes out to Anna over at Hatchett for the opportunity to review this book.

THE GEOMETRY OF PASTA pairs over 100 authentic recipes from acclaimed chef Jacob Kennedy with award-winning designer Caz Hildebrand’s stunning black-and-white designs to reveal the science, culture, and philosophy behind spectacular pasta dishes from throughout Italian history.

This isn’t your ordinary cookbook. The Geometry of Pasta instead of just providing delicious recipes to it’s readers, it also educates us about the huge variety of pasta types out there. I honestly had no idea there are well over three hundred! The rich history behind a single type of pasta, the common dimensions, and what this pasta is most commonly used and can be paired with what sauce is just so much fun to know. Yes, I do realize this might not appeal to everyone but I’m totally eating up it up (No pun intended).

There are some real mysteries held inside this book. For instance, do you really know the truth about Alfredo sauce, like why it’s hard to find in Italy?  Being pregnant myself, I honestly got a kick out of the fact that the creator was a husband trying to find something his newly pregnant wife could keep down without getting sick.

I imagine in the future I’ll be trying my hand at some of the delicious recipes found in this book but for now I’m enjoying it as a quite enlightening new read.

The Geometry of Pasta is published by Quirk Books and is listed for $24.95.

DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Quirk Books for providing this book for review. My thoughts are mine and my family’s own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this giveaway.