New Gadget: Chefman Electric Kettle, Tea Time

 

Chefman Electric Kettle

Some time ago  I saw a tea kettle that was electric. A lot of folks used it to heat water fast. Using the boiling water for Soup, Tea, Instant items like oatmeal or cider. There are many other instant things the market today.
I saw this Chefman Electric Kettle at Costco. It had a Tea infuser with it. Which I like because I love using Loose Tea leaves to make Tea.
I have a stove top that has a  fast boil feature. This pot and the stove top feature boils the water in the some time, 10 minutes. however I did not have a infuser for the stoves pot. Also I can see through the glass in the Electric pot to see the intensity of the tea. To make it to my liking.

What temps should Teas be brewed at?  For  perfect tea every time  you should have these temps per type of Teas. White and Green Teas water should generally be between 170 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Oolong should be brewed between 180 and 190. And black and herbal teas should be brewed between 208 and 212 degrees.


My African Sunrise Black Tea From Barharbor Tea Company. came out perfect no sugar needed, just the Tea. A nice Mid Day Tea Break.

GADGET TIME: AVOCADO CREAM DRESSING

Avocado Cream Dressing

Yes I have another Gadget , a Kitchen Aid Mini Chopper. Yellow to go with my kitchen. So, I made a Avocado Cream Dressing in it. So easy and fast.
ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/2cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Avocado Oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 clove clove crushed
1/2 Jalapeno seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt



Put all the ingredients in the Bowl.Set top on and Lock in place. Put lever to puree. Press the top pulse/on , it is on the handle with a finger indent. Pulse it until it  is blended creamy.

Recipe copyright 2019 by "Auntie E Cookbook/EM Dubros"

Gadgets Recipes

Thought I would start sharing recipes in which I use the Kitchen Aid Mixer.  We have two, one is a lift Pro 6 qt ( 600 Wt) and the other is a  tilt 4.5 qt  (350 Wt.). The lift is a professional heavy duty one. It is good for making breads and larger items.  I use the Tilt more now, it is so easy to add to the great for daily use. Have made bread in the tilt just fine.

Making Chicken salad is a breeze in the mixer. Here is the recipe for our favorite  chicken salad.

Auntie E's Honey Barbeque Chicken Salad.

I buy the Honey Barbeque raw chicken breast packs from Wegmans. ( they come in packs of two, four or six.)

Cook two of the chicken breast in a 350 F oven on a roasting rack pan. cook for 35-40 minutes. I cook these in the morning while I am doing breakfast then left then cool for about 15 minutes.

Cut lengthwise twice and then crosswise three to four times. making about 1.5 inch pieces.
put them in the mixer bowl , using the metal paddle turn on   Medium setting 3 and process until shredded.   (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Add in 1/4 cup mayo, 2 Tablespoon sweet relish, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon Pepper.

Mix on low 1 speed until mixed. (about 1 minute).

 That's it. I love using the marinated chicken pieces, it really cut down on add too much spices.

copyright 2014 by "Auntie E Cookbook/M Dubros"

So, I was thinking I would add a section just for the Kitchen Aid Mixer. Posting Easy recipes that use less time with the mixer. Be looking for the posting under KitchenAid Recipes titles. there will also be a section on the side bar Labeled KitchenAid recipes. This is hold all the recipes for the mixer.

Oh yes there is a Kitchen Aid Going to My Niece As a Wedding Gift. She want all the help she can get. Therefore this was an idea to help her with her new Cooking Journeys.

New Gadget= Mini Donuts

These are perfect for everyone. I find when I have a sweet tooth, one of these can solve it.
Made chocolate minis yesterday with chocolate glaze. They were so easy, used Dark cocoa( 100%cocoa). The best for use loaded with antioxidants.

This machine was so easy to use and takes no time. The Machine " Baby Cakes Donut" make 6 at one time and takes 4 minutes cooking time. I do not have to use oil at all on the device. Its' nonstick surface works very well. The Machine is small, making it easy to store. Colorful for on the counter if you wish. I like the fact that you are in control of the ingredients. This makes them much healthier.

I will be adding a category to my index just on recipes for this gadget. There are so much ideas floating in my head. Thinking seasonal recipes would be a great one.

The New Gadget.....

The donuts size.....
these are one made with the recipe included with booklet
I put powder sugar and cinnamon sugar on them.
The are the Sour Cream Donuts.

My chocolate recipe.
Dark Chocolate Donuts

You will need a hand mixer or stand mixer.

The Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup dark cocoa
1+1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine Raw sugar.
1 Tablespoon Baking powder

• shift dry ingredients together.

Wet ingredients:

1 egg (you can use 2 eggs white only)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

• Mix wet ingredient in mixer til blended.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• scoop 2 teaspooons into Babycakes Donut maker ( I use a small Metal scoop)
• cook for 4 minutes, remove from maker, place on cooling rack.

Chocolate Glaze.

3/4 cup powder sugar
2 Tablespoon regular cocoa
2 Tablespoon non-fat Half and Half
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

• mix together with small whisk til smooth.
• Drip donut tops in glaze and place on a cool rack. I put a piece of Foil under the rack to catch the drips.

copyright 2011 by "Auntie E Cookbook/M Dubros"

Kitchen Gadget- Ice Cream anyone?

I purchased a new ice cream maker. It is a Cuisinart 1-1/2 Quart Ice Cream Maker. It is so easy to use and one can have ice cream in 20 minutes. I like to put it in the freezer for one hour to get to a consistency I like. There is nothing like home made ice cream. I have a great recipe that I created.









Ovaltine Reece's Ice cream

mix together:
3/4 cups Rich Chocolate Ovaltine powder.
1 cup Half n Half
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Stir well and then refrigerate for about 1 hour.( you can make this a keep in refrigerator overnight)

Prepare ice cream maker.

Pour mixture into running ice cream maker.(the bowl should be well frozen).
It well take about 15 to 20 minutes until thicken.

In the meantime chop up a 4 oz. package of Reece's pieces.

Add the the mixture and continue mixing for 5 more minutes.

Remove ice cream and put into a freezer container with a sealed top. Freeze for 1 to two hours.)
remove for freezer at least 15 minutes before serving.(if you freeze longer than 2 hours.

copyright 2011 by "Auntie E Cookbook/M Dubros"

Weekend Kitchen Gadget- Frothed milk anyone?

The holidays has made the kitchen very busy. Daughter has been making cookies and I have been cooking, as usual. This Christmas a got a gift card, from my SIL and with it I purchase a Breville Milk Cafe( it is a Frother).

Now it works very nicely, has two Disk. One for Creaming milk, used in making Latte's. And a Frothing one, used for Cappuccinos and Hot Cocoa. You just measure the cold milk and put it in the Cafe. Dial the temperature you what and press the button. It dose all the work, heating the milk to the perfect temp and frothing the milk.

I have had a latte and Hot Cocoa. Both where very good. it is so easy to use to make my daughter Hot cocoa to take to the bus stop in the frigid morning temps. it takes about 2 to 7 minutes to make. Depending on the amount of milk used.

Now I have a Espresso machine and it has a air frothing mechanism . I also despised that thing. It was always hard to get the cream just right. Now I use it only to make the espresso.
You can be sure I will be looking for another one soon. But for now the old espresso machine will have to do.

I would recommend this gadget for that hard to buy person, who is into Latte's and Cappuccino's. They will find their use it a lot for Hot cocoa . It will stay out on the counter, ours does. It is costly but a very good investment.

Weekend Kitchen Gadget-Need Space?

I am always looking for things that do not take up space in the kitchen. As a creative cook I love to buy special items that help make cooking more fun. In today stores there are a lot of compact items. Great for those small kitchen with limited space. After all we need room for those Pots and Pans and Seasonal Dishes.

Chef'n has a line of compact things. I purchase some time ago, the Measuring tools.

Cups and measuring spoons

These are so thin and can fit in a drawer.then when you pop it out...
you have your 1/4 cup.A set of measuring cup for Chef'n will cost about 15.00
They are available in many countries.
You can click Here to find them in your country
In the USA you can purchase these at:
Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and Williams Somona

Gift idea under 25.00:
In a basket put the measuring cups, a box of Pumpkin bread mix and a 4x8 bread pan.

Disclaimer: I have not received any perks or monetary compensation for this review, It is only my opinion of these products.

Weekend Kitchen Gadget-A Garnish tool

How do they do that.. a question we all ask at some point. Garnish is what makes a dish special.I have several tools I use for that. A couple weeks back I purchase some new one.

These peelers** came as a set.

Photo above courtesy of Williams Somona

What so special about these peelers? Well each one does a different cut.
A straight, julienne cut and serrated. The cutting effort was not hard, it cut like soft butter. One one thing I like about these are the time saving element. It takes so long to make Julienne strips. To get those ridges are very difficult with other tools I have. I can see me using those a lot. They all come together and are priced at 15.00.

The Straight-edge peeler removes skins from root vegetable and firm fruits.

I used a Raw sweet potato, to see how easy it would cut...
It was so easy.The peel cut was very thin. Great for those roses or curls.The next one is the Julienne peeler.
It creates fine strips of anything from carrots to firm cheese. The things you can do...

The Last one in the pack is the Serrated peeler.
Ideal for delicate produce like tomatoes, kiwis and mangoes. Look closely you can see the ridges form after cutting.
Ridges are good for holding on sauces and spreads.
They also have the look of bark. Great for making a Yule Log.

**This peeler set is available Here
Disclaimer: I have not received any perks, money or products from Williams Somonas. This Product was purchase by me and reviewed and tested by me. The post is my opinion only.

Weekend Kitchen Gadget-Impress them!

Ever want to make those fancy pie crust?
I have a few gadget to help with that.

You can decorate around the pumpkin pie shell,
even a store bought one,

You can even make fancy lace crust tops.

these are Pie crust cutters.
You can get them at any kitchen store..
Priced under 20.00

You can also use these;
Canopy cutters.
Prices can range from a 1.00 to 20.00.
Will depend on if you buy one or a set.

They are small enough to do the job.

This is a great way to dress up those Holiday pies,
Store bought or Home made.

***A hint for you. Buy the already made pie crust and roll it out if need be, add a little flour on the top. Using the cutters cut several of the shape you are using. Using an beaten egg white brush the under side and add to the pies edges. After all are arranged, brush with egg white and sprinkle with Sugar crystals. Cook as according to pie recipe. Now you have an unique- simi-home made pie. It will wow all your guess. You can also bake the pie crust cut outs on a cookie sheet. bake at pie crust mix suggested temp. These you can use as decoration on all kinds of desserts. That is what is on the pie center in the first photo.**

These make wonderful holiday Hostess Gifts as well. Just purchase a cutter set and boxed crust mix. You might throw in Sugar crystals and a pastry brush as well. Now that would be a gift for under 25.00.

Happy holiday cooking. Please come back and link up your holiday recipes on Thursdays. My Holiday flare contest is underway. We are voting for the best recipes in different categories. Last week was Side Dishes, This week was Dessert. You can still link your recipes up now through Dec. 29th. Just click on the "Holiday Flare Contest Recipe" name under the blog title. Check out the rules on the side bar, grab the button and you are on your way.

Coffee time with Auntie E- HolidayTime with Gadget

So here we are heading into the Holiday seasons. Fall and winter are those seasons for special food and family. the food we think of as seasonal dishes and that comfort food we all so love this time of year.

Yesterday I made a Sweet chili. It was just that kind of weather and this weekend will be fall weather. I did get a new gadget for my Birthday. An All-Clad slow cooker.

While attending a Technique class,
they used this slow cooker to make a Stew.

What I liked about it was...
The ability to use the aluminum insert
to brown the meat on the stove.
What a time and wash saver.
Not to mention the flavors are kept in the pan.

Once the browning is done...
Just place it in the base...
add the rest of the ingredients...
set it to your setting of choice and leave it alone.

Dinner , Lunch or Breakfast ready for you in hours.
and you will not have to wash or slave over the stove!
The clean up was very fast.
Photos courtesy of Williams Sonoma

If you have never attended a class at Williams Sonoma, you should. They are free and you get to sample the food. I learn how to use new gadgets and occasionally I will buy a new one. I am considering getting a new one on Monday. I will be attending a holiday cooking class that day. Just go to Williams Sonoma and find a store near you. Call them and sign up. I think you will enjoy the experience. I just started going and now I am hooked! My whole family loves to go with me.
I will post the Sweet chili recipe soon, so check back. Or follow so you will know when it gets posted.

One more thing to mention. I am starting a Holiday Flare recipe Link. It is on Thursday's for the next eight weeks. This next Thursday it will be Holiday Desserts. Last week was Side Dishes, you can still link yours up (the link is in the side dish words).

How this works is each Thursday we will have a theme dish link, you can go back and link up on any theme dish post. There will be a Link to all the Holiday Flare recipe post on the top , just above the recent post, starting next Thursday. The link will take you to the correct place to link up your recipe, just in case you are not linking the one for the current week theme. This is great cause you can come back and post more later. There is no limit to how many you can link. The only thing is the recipe itself needs to be linked. All links will take the visitor to your site and the recipe mentioned. More traffic for you,as well as a long stay on your site!

I will have a voting on the best one at the end of the the holiday flare, around January the 4th. The winner will receive a great gift. More on that this next week. So spread the word, meet me here on Thursdays and link up your Holiday recipes.

The Rules For the Contest:

On the side bar is the Holiday flare icon you must place this on your blog for Thursday's Holiday Flare. Just copy the HTML in the box and paste it on your blog.(not on the bottom of your page). This is really the only rule for participating and being eligible for the prize at the end of the Holiday Flare contest.

That's it, Hope you will join in and share those Holiday recipes.

Disclaimer:I have not be paid or compensated for this review by anyone. This is solely my view on the place and item.

Weekend Kitchen Gadget-Scrubbing Potatoes?

Oh the days of scrubbing potatoes....Remember those Brushes, we would run the water and brush them...Water spraying on us and scrubbing most of the skin off. Not to mention trying to clean the brush afterward. I do not know about you but my Brush bristles just fell off after a while. It was hard to get every speck of dirt off with those brushes!
Time for a New era of Potatoes scrubbers.

While at a cooking class they showed Potato gloves. I purchased a pair and came home to scrub my Potatoes. It was so easy and fast. The clean up was just to let the gloves dry. I hang them on a hook.
I can see my self using this for a kinds of root vegetables.

The Potato Gloves

They dry rather fast,
Can be washed in the dishwasher, if need be.

So here is it at work...
Put the gloves on...
under running water Rub the potato in your hands.

Now for the results...
the dirty PotatoNow the Clean oneYou know the good nutrients are in the skin.
By cleaning them this way you know it will be healthier skin.

I even learned they have ones for mushrooms. Oh I have to get that one! You know Running mushroom under water can make them tough. Having a mitt to scrub them would save on the towel stains.

I really like this gadget. Would make a great gift for that Chef in the family. The holidays are coming up. This item is under 10.00 at many stores. I purchased mine at Williams Sonoma

Your links:
You can view all the Mitts at the Skrub'a website
Williams SonomaWebsite

The Weekend Gadget Icon is of the Kitchen Chef that watches over my kitchen. He is on the wall and I have had him since the 1980's. He is a Genuine Bossons "Legend" figure head. Has been guarding my kitchen ever since. Bossons is no longer in production. Closed down in 1996. All the molds were laid to rest and will not be sold to any dealer, according to the heirs. I have several Bossons in my home. When I purchased this one I was told he would watch over the kitchen and keep it safe.

Weekend Kitchen Gadget-Ice Pop Anyone?

for the summer we purchased a new Gadget. I used it for the first time on the Fourth of July. It was so easy and a very fast way to make Popsicles.

Photo courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

This pop maker works like this:

first freeze it over night.

then put the sticks in...

pour the juice or cream liquid ..
time it for 7 to 10minutes...
use the orange handle and screw it on til the pop is loosen

remove the orange handle and pull out pop

add drip shield...
and enjoy...
this one was made with Orange Juice only,
poured right out of the jar.

I put them into a ziplock bag and freeze them for summer fun later.

We made fudgesicles for the 4th, however they disappeared before I could get photos.
I will be creating all kinds of pops for the summer heat months. Stay tune.. Even if you do not have this gadget... maybe you have this one.
or just some silicone cups... whatever you have you can make Healthy pops at home. Stay tuned for more summer fun pop recipes.