Red Silicone Whisk Review

Cuisipro Red Twist Whisk Review

One reason why I was so happy to be introduced to this fabulous red silicone whisk is because it reminde me of red licorice. Don't you think so?  Well it is by Cuisipro and I think they did a pretty darn good job at constructing this sassy lil number. I now know that all whisks ARE NOT created equal.

If you've noticed in my cooking videos and recipe blogs I use a whisk A LOT, matter of fact I don't hardly ever use a sifter to sift or blend ingredients. I just pop out my handy dandy whisk and get to whisking. I even use a whisk to mash & fluff up my mashed potatoes.

Because I love a good whisk so much, I was like a kid on christmas waiting to get my hands on this baby. And ooooooh she does not dissappoint!

Kuhn Rikon 10-in. Cooks' Tools Silicone Whisk

Cuisipro 10-in. Twist Whisk, Red

The Cuisipro Twist Whisk is made of stainless steel and high heat resistant silicone, and yet is scratch-resistant to ceramic, metal and non-stick surfaces. The Twist Whisk looks like an egg whisk except each of its five silicone-wrapped wires are twisted like a strand of licorice candy. This unique shape creates more movement of air while mixing, allowing for more efficient blending. Fewer strokes means more ease while mixing. Cuisipro includes a 25-year warranty on all of their products, and guarantee a functional and enduring product.

My Review

What I LOVE About This Red Silicone Whisk:

The Design: I am sooo feeling silicone whisks right now because I can't tell you how many mixing bowls and saucepans I've scratched up with my stainless steel whisks. I like the fact that I can use it on my nonstick cookware since I normally cook gravy in nonstick saucepans which requires fast, constant stirring. A silicone whisk just makes so much more sense to me now and I'm kicking myself for not trying one sooner. This whisk is nice and sturdy and I could tell immediatly that it was very well made. I found it pretty fun to use as well. I  also really really really digg that red licorice look! I just wanna bite it!

Ease of use: When this product claimed to make whisking "easier" I really didn't buy it. I've been using  whisks forever and all whisks seemed to work the same. However, I will admit that I honestly believe this whisk DOES get the job done quicker. I made mashed pototatoes and I was done mashing before I even felt the burn in my wrists.  So kudos on making a whisk that actually does speed up the whisking process. Don't know how ya did it, but hey, if it works it works!

What I DON'T love about this product?

The only gripe I have with this product is that I was somehow hoping or expecting that it would be easier to clean because it is silcone coated.  Cleaning it was pretty much the same as with a non-coated whisk. I also think it would be cool if the handle was also silicone or atleast had some impressions that would make holding it easier and more comfortable. No biggy though.

This Red Silcone Whisk Is THE BUSINESS!

Fabulous Cuisipro!! Just Fabulous I Tell Ya!

I give it

4.5 Stars!

Check out these other snazzy best-selling whisks!

WMF USA 11-in. Ball Whisk, Green

Rachael Ray 12-in. Nylon Tools Balloon Whisk, Orange

Kuhn Rikon 10-in. Cooks' Tools Silicone Whisk

Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

(it looks A LOT better in person. I promise I'm going to learn how to work my camera this week.)

Southern Soul Food Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ok...now yall know finding a good southern soul food style baked macaroni and cheese recipe is like finding gold. No, better it's like coming across an authentic Louis Vuitton bag on ioffer.com...almost damn near impossible right? People tend to keep a tight grasp on their prized macaroni & cheese recipe so discovering a good, tried & true one can be hard.

Well imagine my shock when my sister sashayed in on Thanksgiving and casually placed this beautiful baked macaroni & cheese on the table. I could have sworn I had all of my family members baked mac n cheese recipes. What was this impostor all about! The proof was in the taste. I had one  (ok three) plates of this macaroni and cheese and was on her heels like ash in the winter time trying to get this recipe.

My husband took a bite and said "ohhhhh you need to take your mac n cheese recipe off your blog and put this one up. This one is waaay better than yours!" THANKS A LOT MATT...You'll pay for that comment dearly! lol (don't think I forgot)

Yall this baked macaroni is FULL OF SOUL!! That is the first thing that came to mind when I took that first bite. It's a true southern style macaroni & cheese. Cheesey, flavorful, easy and the star player is that SMOKED CHEDDAR! Good God I couldn't stop eating this stuff.

So big sis....I will bow down gracefully to you and say that you make THE BEST Baked MAC N CHEESE EVER! (but that doesn't mean I'm going to remove mine from this site lol)

I have printed out this recipe, took a photo of it, laminated it and put it in my recipe album. Not many recipes get to make it to the album. She's a keeper!

I'm sure that if you give it a try it will end up going into your recipe collection as well.

Watch me make this macaroni and cheese from start to finish!
Ignore the intro pic on the title page of this video, it's the one from my other mac and cheese recipe (also on my blog) so don't get confused.

Ingredients (make a 9 x 9 inch pan)
3 cups macaroni, uncooked
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
salt & pepper
paprika (optional)
1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded (a must)
8 oz. velvetta, shredded (feel free to cut back on the velvetta if you don't want it to be really creamy)
1 cup sharp cheddar (can use less if you don't like a sharp taste in your mac n cheese)
1 cup colby & monteray jack, shredded (cheese blend)

Preheat oven to 350

Step 1.) Cook macaroni until al dente. (Look on the back of the box to see how long you need to cook your pasta for it to reach al dente texture. Do not overcook or you will have a mushy baked mac n cheese.) When pasta is done, drain and set aside.

Step 2.) In a large bowl, add milk, heavy cream & cheeses (except for the smoked cheddar). Stir to combine.

Step 3.) Taste the milk mixture and add salt & pepper until it has a good taste. This will help avoid having a plain, bland bake macaroni & cheese. Uggh!

Step 4.) When you are content with the taste, add in the eggs. Stir well until combined.

Step 5.) Butter a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, and pour macaroni in.

Step 6.) Pour cheese mixture over macaroni & top with smoked cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with paprika and/or black pepper, if desired.

Step 7.) Bake for 35-45 minutes. Do not overbake. It may be a bit jiggly when you take it out of the oven. It will firm up as it cool.

Step 8.) Let cool for about 10-20 minutes to fully set.

Enjoy!!!


Click here to try my other baked macaroni and cheese recipe

BJ's Saving Solutions Giveaway

CLOSED


Giveaway Time!!!

For My Fabulous Subscribers Only

BJ's Saving Solutions Giveaway

What You Get:

60-day FREE Trial Membership Pass to BJ's  +  $25 BJ's gift card!

To see if you have a Bj's Wholesale club in your area click here.

My trip to BJ's 

I'm normally a Sams Club girl but I decided to scope out BJ's Wholesale Club (hadn't been in FOREVER) so that I could use my $25 gift card.  I had a great time! The prices where AMAZING! I'll definitely be looking into getting a full membership once my Sams Club expires. I love how they accept Visa credit cards (something Sams Club doesn't), they also have free coupons for products for their members. When I went it was free bananas. Cool! 

What did I get with my gift card?

 My goal was to get bags of frozen peaches, blueberries, & strawberries for my healthy breakfast smoothies that I've been trying to drink every morning.  Instead I decided to give myself a little treat for...... for just being so fabulous...yeah that's it. 


I decided to get me one of those Snuggies! I've been wanting one of these things for so long. I had it all planned out: I was going to go home, take a long hot shower, make some hot chocolate & snuggle up with my new Snuggie and a good book...ahhhh heaven!




But then that motherly guilt thing that makes you feel like crap whenever, God forbid, you decide to do something for yourself surfaced. So instead I got Isaac a huge tub of 70 cars for $19.99. He loves cars right now.  He was so excited and just like any normal mother, when my baby is happy, I'm happy! Oh I did get me a wooden spoon set for $2.99. Can you believe I didn't own one single wooden spoon!

(it wasn't until I got home that I thought "why in God's name did I get this lil boy all these freakin cars! These things are gonna be all over the house. *sigh* Pray for me.)

So here's how you can win your Free 60 day membership pass and $25 gift certificate

Simply answer this question

 Which item do think you normally buy in bulk?

Winner will be picked out randomly using an online number generator. Your number is whatever order you post in. Winner announced on Sunday, Dec. 13th.


WINNING NUMBER: 3
CONGRATS TO SPHINX3!
(I'll be sending you an email)
Thanks to all who participated!

The giveaway was made possible by BJ´s Wholesale Club and General Mills  through MyBlogSpark  Aren't they just the sweetest! Thanks guys!!

Creamy, Cozy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe

Creamy, Cozy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

The BEST for gift-giving!

When I was younger my mother always made sure we made our teachers something for the holidays. One year we made up batches of homemade hot chocolate mix and placed them in these cozy looking mugs. My teachers LOVED it. When I came back from christmas break all I heard about was how good that homemade hot chocolate mix recipe was and they begged me to ask my mother to give them the recipe.

I'm not sure if I ever gave them the recipe or not, but when I went home for Thanksgiving last month and ran into one of my old elementary school teachers. I couldn't believe she actually remembered me. The first thing she asked was "Does your mama still make that homemade hot chocolate mix around the holidays?" LOL Sometimes the most memorable gifts are the simplest things.

Let me tell ya, Swiss Miss has nothing on this recipe! This is a REALLY good homemade hot chocolate mix. Everyone I've made it for loves it. It is creamy, chocolatey and has that classic comforting homemade taste. Al you recipients will have to do is:  Just add milk! (I've made it with water as well but milk does the trick!)


Ingredients (Make 6-8 serving)
1 cup of dry nonfat, powdered milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use a good quality brand)
1/4 cup of dry vanilla creamer ( I use vanilla caramel and it is delish! Use your fav. kind.)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4-5 regular size chocolate candy bars, chopped (I normally use Dove milk chocolate bars. I've also used crushed peppermints or crushed Andes mint chocolate as well)
1-2 cups of marshmallows

Note * Make sure all utensils (measuing cups, bowl, etc ) are completely dry. Any wetness will cause clumping

Step 1.) In a large bowl, mix dry milk, cocoa powder,  sugar, creamer & salt in a bowl. Use a whisk to combine well. If you the milk granules annoy you and you want it to be fine powder put it in a food processor.

Step 2.) Cut up chocolate bars into chunks

Step 3.) Slowly pour the hot chocolate mix into a clear bag. Use a paper towel to wipe the inside of the bag if the mix gets on the bag. You want to keep things nice and neat (unlike how I did it). It may be neater to roll the bag down and then pour the mix in there.

Step 4.) Place the mashmallows in the bag and then top with the chopped chocolate bars.

Step 5.) Gather the bag tightly and secure with a twist-tie. Add a festive ribbon and attach a cutesy homemade ingredients and directions label (whether or not you want to include the recipe or keep it for yourself is entirely up to you ; )  This looks so cute placed inside of an oversized mug.

 To Make: Bring 1 cup of milk to a boil in a mug. Add in 3 Tablespoons of cocoa mix. Stir in a few chunks of chocolate and top with marshmallows and additional chocolate chunks!

Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe (rolled version) ~Homemade~

Decorated by my son Isaac. 

He was soooo proud of these cookies. 

He kept looking at them and saying "oh boy! Isaac did good!" lol

Easy Sugar Cookies

 (Rolled Version)

Need sugar cookies frosting?

Ahhh the good old fashioned rolled sugar cookie. Easy. Simple. What priceless memories are made of.  Let me just say, I'm not really a fan of sugar cookies. I want to love them but no matter what recipe I try or whatever bakery I get them from they are just "ok".

 I'm not sure if anybody is crazy about them because it seems whenever I ask people if they like sugar cookies I generally get something along the lines of "aaahh....ummm....they're ok...not my favorite though"

So is there anyone out there that really really really LOVE sugar cookies besides the kids?? I'd love to meet you!! I do enjoy the homemade kind that are crisp & chewy around the edges and soft in the middle (I'll be listing that recipe this week)

I will admit this, they are a heck of a lot of fun to make and decorate. The holidays just wouldn't be the same without them  and because of that I roll up my sleeves, prop my little one at the table and join in on the American holiday tradition of baking up sugar cookies.

I've made several batches of sugar cookies with my son and this is the homemade, easy recipe that we both give two thumbs up! The dough is super easy to work with and the cookies have a yummy sugary, buttery, vanilla-ry taste. Firm to the touch and soft to the bite, perfect for little hands to decorate! I also love how the dough only puffs up a little and so the cookie cutter shape pretty much remains.

Quick Story: When I told my husband I was going to start testing out sugar cookie recipes he sulked and said " uggggggh, I don't like sugar cookies, make chocolate chip cookies" Well when he came home the next day something told me to look in his lunch bag. I look in there and find a whole bag of sugar cookies! Not just one yall, he took a whole damn sandwich bag full! I called him out and he just smiled and said "well...those taste different" lol

This is definitely the recipe I'll be going to whenever I decide to make and decorate cookies with my baby in the future. Matter of fact, I'm thinking of going right into that kitchen and eating one right now. Who cares if I've already eaten six of them today. I never said I didn't like them ;  )

Ingredients (yield depends on the size of cookie. I got a little over 2 dozen)


1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt


1/2 cup real butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
powdered sugar or flour (for rolling)

Step 1.) In a bowl add flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder.  Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

Step 2.) In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar, vanilla & egg. Mix until creamy.

Step 3.) Gradually add flour mixture into sugar mixture. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to mix together. Mixture will be crumbly.

Step 4.) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees & line some cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.

Step 5.) Remove bowl from refrigerator. Sprinkle powdered sugar on the table or cutting board.

Step 6.) Gather dough into a ball. The dough will be hard & crumbly but the more you work with it, the heat from your hands will help it warm up fast. I kneaded it on the table and it took about 2 minutes before it was soft and ready for rolling.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on the rolling pin and roll the dough  to about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 8.) Place your cookie cutters into the dough to cut out the shape. I always wiggly the cookie cutters around once I've put them into the dough just to kinda separate it from the dough.

Step 9.) Use a spatula to carefully lift the cookies and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. The dough scraps can be re-rolled to make more cookies.

Step 10.) Bake for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned on  the edges.

Step 11.) Remove cookies from oven & let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Cookies will not look done when you take them out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. When cookies have firmed, place them on cooling racks to finish cooling.

Eat as is or have fun frosting them!

Enjoy!!!

Diva Cooking Tip: How To Peel Cooked Potatoes...FAST!

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How To Peel Cooked Potatoes...INSTANTLY!!

You know that feeling you get when someone gives you a simple tip that makes your life a tad bit easier. It's a feeling of "aaahhhh cool....why didn't I think of that!" That is the feeling I got when I discovered this handy dandy tip on how to peel a cooked potato easily.

I love potato salad and sweet potatoes pies (any kind of potato dish really) but the one thing I hate is having to peel a cook potato. True the skin comes off fairly easy but it takes so freakin long! Especially if you are peeling a crap load of potatoes.

Here is the easiest way (or at least the easiest way I've discovered) to peel a cooked potato.

Step 1.) Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Step 2.) With a knife, score your potatoes all the way around the center.
Step 3.) Place your potatoes in the pot and boil for about 15 minutes or so.
Step 4.) Prepare a bowl of ice water and place your potatoes in the water.
Step 5.) Swish it around for a few seconds just enough so that it's cool enough to handle
Step 6.) Remove your potatoe from the water and remove the skin. It should slip off instantly.

The Science: The cold water causes the hot potato to instantly contract & separate from the skin.

Muri Ghonto

Muri ghanta

Ingredients:

Basmati rice
Head of rohu fish
Mustard oil
Onion slices
Ginger slices
Garlic paste
Tomato
Green chilly
Salt and sugar
Ghee, bay leaves and spices

Method:

Break the rohu fish head into pieces and smear with mustard oil. Add garlic paste and spices to it and fry for some time. Add water to rice and strain after half an hour. Fry spices, bay leaves, onion, ginger, garlic paste, tomato and green chilly to get a thick gravy.

Add rice and fish head pieces to it and stir for a while. Add salt, sugar and a little water and bring to a boil for some time. Cover it after the rice is cooked. Remove after a couple of minutes.