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Product review: Wilton Holiday Air Insulated Cookie Sheets

5 Jun

These cookie sheets were wonderful when I made my cookies last weekend!

For Christmas this past year I received a set of two Wilton Air Insulated cookie sheets from my sister in-law, Jessica. I couldn’t wait to try them out, but then we traveled back home, I put them away, and forgot all about them! I haven’t made a ton of cookies since Christmas either, but whenever I did, I forgot I had these new cookie sheets to try out.

Then, last weekend when I was making the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies for our friends’ Memorial Day Weekend cookout, I went to pull out a cookie sheet and there they were. Still wrapped in their original plastic.

I was so excited! Something new to try! It was like Christmas all over again as I unwrapped the plastic and took them out. They were soooo smooth and shiny.

Yes, I do get pleasure out of the small things, like shiny cookie sheets.

On the Wilton site, these cookie sheets are advertised as “Two quality aluminum layers sandwich an insulating layers of air for perfect browning without burning,” and can I tell you, that’s exactly right?

I can’t wait to use these cookie sheets again, and to get a few more of them!

These baking sheets did a fabulous job with our cookies! I wish I had about four more of them (they came in a set of two.) They were different from my old ones because they were heavier, being that they had the air insulation component to them. They were also flat all around except on one end, which is the end you grab onto when you pull them out of the oven.

But, my favorite thing of all had to do with my very first impression of them when I took off the plastic: they were smooth and shiny, and that allowed the cookies to literally slide right off the pan.

Of all the dozens of cookies we made that day, not one single cookie stuck to the baking sheets. There were no cookie remnants left on the sheet after you scooped the cookies off, no mess to clean, really.

Nothing burned, nothing stuck, the cookies cooked evenly all around and got that lightly browned edge that I love so much. They were perfect.

I am in*love* with these cookie sheets and I absolutely recommend them to anyone who is a cookie baker. I can’t wait to use them at Christmas time when I bake all those cookies for my trays!

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A new book review and giveaway: The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken

24 May

You can read the full review of Mari’s book, and win a copy for yourself!

You all know how much I love to read.

Any spare second I have, I spend it reading, and I try to always have a book with me for those little wait times you often have as a taxi-driver-I-mean-mother.  In between the books I read for my book club, I try to squeeze in books I read by choice. The last one I chose was one written by a girl my brother went to high school with. I was so excited to hear she’d written a book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Once I had it…I couldn’t put it down.

To see my full review of Mari Passananti’s debut novel, “The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken,” check out my “What I’m Reading Right Now” page.

To win your very own copy of the book from Mari Passananti, like her book’s Facebook Page and then leave me a comment on this post telling me why you’d like to win this book.

I will choose a winner on May 31, 2012.

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Apple Pie for Breakfast

15 May

Apple Pie for Breakfast, one of my dreams come true.

If you saw that title on a recipe, and you loved anything apple as much as I did, wouldn’t you try it too? I know you would. I did.

Recently on another friend’s post from Pinterest, I saw that very thing: Apple Pie for Breakfast on a recipe for overnight oatmeal, one of my favorite things to make and eat for breakfast at my house during the week, and I knew I had to try it out, so I did. It was from a blog called Cooking with Jax. It also gave me the chance to try out my Reynold’s Slow Cooker Liners for the crock pot again, since I hadn’t been so convinced of their necessity the first time around. (I am now though!)

I loved this recipe. It truly did taste like Apple Pie for Breakfast. The difference between this recipe and the Weelicious recipe that I use and just add apples to, is I think, the apple juice in the liquids and the amount of apples it calls for. (I doubled this recipe for my family.) One of my kids loved it, two weren’t big fans, and Don liked it, but I’d make it again, even if I were the ONLY one who ate it (wishful thinking there.)

My Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner left my crock pot sparkling clean, just as it said.

And the liners…they were amazing. The crock pot truly was sparking clean afterwards, and I’ve used them again since and again it came out sparkling clean, so I guess my first experience with them was not the norm. I have one left in my box and then I’m definitely buying more (and hoping for another coupon).

Here is the recipe. Try it and see what you think! The notes below are all from the original recipe as seen here.

Ingredients
– 1 cup of steel cut oats*
– 3 diced apples (I use Gala)
– 1 cup apple juice (I use Oasis)
– 3 cups water
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions – Slow Cooker

For Best Results:  Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low until it reaches the consistency that you like.  Be sure to stir every hour or so.

* You can also cook longer without stirring, but you have to add more water liquid and it does come out a bit mushier.  Add an extra cup of liquid for 7-8 hours in the slow cooker.

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Movie Review: “Chimpanzee”

24 Apr

This movie got two thumbs up from all of us!

Last week we got the chance to see the new Disney movie, “Chimpanzee,” on the very first day it came out. I was excited because I personally haven’t seen the last few Disney movies that come out around Earth Day each year. The commercials I’d seen for the movie looked wonderful and we couldn’t wait to surprise the kids with this particular Staycation activity.

We were not disappointed. The movie was rated G, which took a huge weight off of my shoulders. Whenever we see a movie, even if it’s PG, I spend the entire time worrying about what might pop up in terms of language or violence, especially having a child on the younger end of the age range. A rated G movie takes those fears right off my radar. It’s not often you can find a G movie that’s good for the older kids too, keeping their attention throughout. This one definitely did that.

The cinematography in this movie was amazing. The scenery was stunning and the camera crew did an amazing job capturing it all. I loved the out takes at the end because you really see what the camera crew went through to get some of the shots you were awed by throughout the movie.

Tim Allen was the narrator and he did a fabulous job with it. He had the difficult task of narrating a true story where the characters themselves do not speak–nature at it’s best–and he pulled it off without a hitch. He guided the viewer through all the emotions. There were funny parts, sad parts, scary parts (but not so scary) and parts where you were on the edge of your seat.

I wasn’t sure how my kids would like the movie. It was non-fiction which they generally prefer to read, but as far as movies go it wasn’t typical of some of the movie plots out there right now that I know they’ve also been dying to see.  However, everyone loved it! They’d been wanting to see it, and they really enjoyed it. We all did, and I’m so glad we splurged on this activity for our Staycation.

If you get the chance to see the “Chimpanzee” movie, I highly recommend it!

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New recipe, new product review

27 Mar

The Weelicious oatmeal recipe for the crock pot is one of our favorites.

Back in January I posted the recipe for the Weelicious Overnight Crock Pot Oatmeal and said how much my family enjoys it. One of my gripes about it though, is that as delicious as it is, it makes a thick “skin” on the inside of the crock pot, which takes forever to clean. Normally I have to soak and scrub, soak and scrub.

I found the idea of the slow cooker liners intriguing.

Therefore, I was intrigued when I saw a coupon for Reynold’s Slow Cooker Liners back in early March. I decided that since I had the coupon and since I use my crock pot kind of a lot, they’d be worth trying out and I could decide at that point if they were worth buying again. The cost at Shaw’s was $3.99 for four liners and I had $1.00 off.

Around the same time, I discovered a new Overnight Slow Cooker Apple-Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal on Pinterest, which was originally from Monica at The Yummy Life blog. I decided to try the recipe and the liners at the same time.

The recipe was indeed “yummy” as the title of her blog implies! It was very similar to the Weelicious one but it had brown sugar and butter that were extras. I always add apples to my Weelicious recipe, but they were in this new one too. I also noticed she had two other overnight oatmeal recipes on there. I might check them out in the future too.

As for the liner, it was okay. I opened the box and found the instructions, which say:

1) Open the slow cooker liner and place it inside the slow cooker bowl. Fit the liner snugly against the bottom and sides of the bowl; pull top of liner over rim of bowl.

2) place ingredients in lined slow cooker first, then turn on slow cooker. Place lid on slow cooker. Cook according to recipe.

3) Carefully remove lid to allow steam to escape. Serve meal directly from lined slow cooker.

4) Cool slow cooker completely; remove liner and toss.

The illustrations show a sparkling clean slow cooker at the end.

I followed the directions and had no problems using the liner. It fit inside my slow cooker easily and the cover went on without a problem.

All ingredients ready to go.

In the morning we ate our oatmeal as usual and I followed the directions, serving it right out of the container. I was worried that the plastic might tear when I was scraping the spoon against the sides to serve it, but it didn’t rip.

The "after" photo, after the liner had been removed. Not as clean as I'd expected but not as bad as without.

I let the crock pot cool completely before pulling out the liner. I was surprised to find that the crock pot wasn’t as clean as I’d expected it to be, based on the illustrations in the directions from the box. However, it also wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it would be without the liner and it was much easier to clean.

Overall, the jury is still out as to whether or not I’d buy these again. I think it will depend on how the liners do with our other recipes. I do think the cleanup was much easier though, so we’ll see how it does with something like “gravy” or BBQ Beef. Those can be super-messy and that might be the true test for me.

Here is Monica’s recipe for the oatmeal. I also like that she included the Weight Watcher’s Points at the bottom.

The magic of the crock pot: it cooks while you sleep. I love coming out in the morning and having breakfast already done, especially on a school day.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
  • 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk (I had 1%)
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (I don’t have flax seed so I skipped this one.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter

DIRECTIONS

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray (I used the liner instead). Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup fat-free milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot.

Recipe can be doubled in 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Increase cooking time 1 hour. I doubled mine and cooked it from 10 pm to 8 am.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 4 pts per 3/4 cup serving

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Donut Maker Update

2 Mar
Babyckaes Donut Maker

My new toy!

Back in January I posted on my blog about our New Year’s Eve Donut Wars. At the time we’d just received our Babycakes Donut Maker and it was our very first time using it. Now that we’ve had it a couple of months, I thought I’d put out a quick update letting you know what we’ve tried since then.

First of all, I am still a huge fan of the donut maker. It’s so much fun to use. To date we have used it three more times since that first time.

We used it in January with a pumpkin spice donut mix that my mother-in-law brought with her when she visited. Before making them that time though, we went to AC Moore and I bought a pastry bag with a tip to use when filling the donut wells. MUCH easier than using a ziploc bag. Caroline has become a pro at filling the wells. I use that time to make the frosting so that we can frost them while they’re slightly warm.

Everyone had their own donuts to frost, their own bowl of frosting and their own spoon.

The next time we used it was for a triple playdate after school. Once the word about us having a donut maker got out, “everyone” wanted to come over and try it out. I decided to bite the bullet and let each kid have one friend over after school all in one day. We’d make the donuts and let the six kids frost them. So later on in January that’s what we did. Although I wasn’t sure if it’d be too much for me to keep organized, it worked out fine. I mixed up the batter and while Caroline filled the wells, her friend helped me make the frosting (a double batch of frosting seems to be enough for all the donuts that one recipe yields.) Then when we were ready to frost, I gave each girl a plate, four donuts to frost, and a bowl of frosting with a spoon. They could do whatever they wanted with their four but couldn’t share with each other (I didn’t want to share germs if they’d been licking their spoons, fingers etc.) I put a common area in the center of the table for sprinkles and decorations. It worked out great. They could then eat their donuts when they were done, or save them to take home, or whatever they wished. It worked out great.

The kids like being able to decorate their donuts however they want to. I try to have plenty of sprinkles out.

Another thing I did differently for the playdate this time from other times, was I used the recipe that came in the box for the Sour Cream Donuts rather than a cake mix, and the recipe for their Chocolate Frosting instead of a tub of frosting. Both were very, very good and easy to make. It made the donuts truly taste like donuts, rather than like cupcakes, which is what happens if you use a cake mix. Both work fine, but if you’re looking for that donut taste, definitely try out their recipes.

Separate work stations for each kid seems to work out great; no cross contamination!

The next time we used it was for a cousins sleepover. We had one of our cousins sleep over during February Vacation Week and we thought it would be fun to make donuts with her for our movie night, and we were right, it was fun!

I used the exact same two recipes and did it the same way, with Caroline filling the wells while I made the frosting. I still kept it to four donuts per kid and we had more leftover, which I sent home with our cousin for her brothers.

Overall, we’ve really enjoyed the Babycakes Donut Maker! We’ve got Alex’s birthday coming up soon and she’s already said that she’d like donuts instead of cupcakes this year, so I’ll take it out again for that, if not sooner. I’m also anxious to try out the other recipes in their booklet. There’s a chocolate donut recipe, a maple donut recipe as well as vanilla glaze and maple glaze frosting recipes. Grandma Rose loves maple glazed donuts so we might just surprise her one day with some.

Now…if I could just get the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker……:)

Here are a couple of other “finished product” photos from our donut making experiences.

The "after" shot.

If you run out of or don't like frosting, there's always powdered sugar on top which is yummy!

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Halloween in….February!

20 Feb

Caroline was thrilled when I told her she could be the one to choose a costume from Costume Discounters to review.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a representative at Costume Discounters, asking me if I would be willing to do a product review of one of their Halloween costumes from their website. I’d be able to choose any costume I’d like within a certain price range, and they’d send it to me for review. I agreed, and here is the review. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own and I was not paid to provide a positive review.

If you remember, I posted way back in October that we no longer buy Halloween costumes for our kids because we’d accumulated so many from dance class and other things, but that I felt bad for Caroline because most of what we have, she’s already worn, and being the oldest, many no longer fit her.

Therefore, when Costume Discounters contacted me, I decided to let Caroline be the one to choose a costume, which she could then wear for this coming Halloween. I also knew that by doing that, the costume would be handed down so that ultimately they’d all get to wear it if they wanted to. She was thrilled.

The Costume Discounters website had tons and tons of costumes to choose from. I was amazed by the huge selection and very pleased with the selection in our price range ($35 and under). Caroline and I scrolled through probably every single category and might have even clicked on every single link. I liked the fact that you could click on the category and then click on the costume itself for a better view. Being that we live in New England, where it tends to be chilly at the end of October (last year we even had snow the weekend before Halloween) we were trying to choose a costume that she could wear and still be relatively warm when she walked the neighborhood that night. I was also keeping an eye on the styles, since she’s a 12 year old but doesn’t fit into “kid” sizes, which can be hard when we go shopping, finding something “appropriate” in an adult size.

Ultimately, Caroline chose the Renaissance category and picked out a gorgeous Lady in Waiting costume to try. The “Popular Themes Renaissance” category had a large variety of costumes to choose from with a large price range as well. We sent the company our choice and were excited for the costume to arrive.

Caroline couldn't wait to try on her new costume!

We didn’t have to wait long! The costume arrived in less than one week’s time, and Caroline was so excited! When she took it out of the package, it was exactly as we imagined, beautiful dark green velour and good quality material. I’ve done “cheap” in the past, so I know that you get what you pay for.

The only problem that we had was that when she went to put on the costume, there were gold ties that were supposed to tie and hang down the front of the costume and as she put the costume on, one of them fell right off. However, I contacted the company right away and got a response immediately. I was offered an exchange of the costume for a new one, but we opted just to keep the one we had, and cut off the other tie to match, as we liked it just the way it was. Costume Discounters does have a good exchange and return policy though, should you need it.

You can tell the quality of the fabrics used in the costume were good, just by looking at it.

All in all, I was very pleased with my experience using the Costume Discounters website to choose a costume and I’d recommend it to someone else looking to purchase a costume online. I know that Caroline is already looking forward to Halloween in the fall, and I know she’ll enjoy her new costume when she goes to the various Halloween parties and trick or treating on October 31!

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