Here is the gadget version of Super Shopping Thursdays! While making the butternut squash soup recipe, I borrowed a Cuisinart stick blender and fell in love with it! And lucky for me, my newest affiliate Sur La Table is offering a great deal on three fantastic Cuisinart gadgets.
The first is the SmartStick immersion blender. This handy tool is very affordable, comes in a choice of 4 great colors and is super easy to clean.
Fun colors are also included in Cuisinart’s Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor. This food processor will take care of all of your chopping, slicing, dicing and shredding needs! It boasts a three cup capacity and a three year warranty (five year warranty on the motor).
And last but not least is the Cuisinart 7-Speed Hand Mixer. A space saving, money saving miracle, this mixer was voted one of “The Best Small Appliances” by Cook’s Illustrated.
You don’t have to go to New York to enjoy a tasty Reuben. I’ve created this bite sized version of my favorite sandwich. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Take the time to make your own dressing with this recipe – not only is it super easy, but it is so much better than store bought. Enjoy!
Mini Reubens (Serves 4):
6 mini whole wheat bagels, split in half (12 total pieces)
1/4 lb deli sliced corned beef
3/4 cup sauerkraut
1/2 cup dressing
6 slices swiss cheese
Dressing:
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tsp sweet relish (optional)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
Preheat broiler. Spread bagels out on baking sheet. Divide dressing evenly among the 12 bagel pieces. Top with sauerkraut, then corned beef. Cut each cheese slice into six even squares and top each bagel half with 3 squares each. Place baking sheet under broiler and broil until cheese just melts (approx 6-8 mins).
Let’s face it – who doesn’t love “pigs in a blanket”? I spruced up the normal pigs in a blanket recipe and added a few touches of my own. Mainly, I just added chili and cheese to the recipe. But the chili and cheese make this recipe a gooey, yummy, hot mess! I was inspired by the beginning of football season. To me, these appetizers just scream ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!
Cheesy Chili Dog Bites
1 package refrigerated crescent rolls
12 cocktail wieners
1/4c chili (I used canned!)
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. Unroll package of crescent roll dough flat on cutting board. Pinch together pre-cut seams to create one sheet of dough. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut six even rows crosswise (refer to picture below) so you are left with 12 even rectangles of dough. Spread all rectangles with even amounts of chili and cheese. Add cocktail wieners to rectangles and roll up carefully. Place each roll onto baking sheet, seam side down. Bake in oven 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes before serving.
I am happy to share my all time favorite Butternut Squash Soup recipe with you. My sister created this recipe one night while I was over for dinner and I think it is just delicious. The addition of sour cream or Greek yogurt at the end adds a delightful creaminess without a ton of fat. The best part of this recipe is that you’ll get a slightly different flavor each time depending on what type of apple you use in this recipe.
Butternut Squash Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large butternut squash
2 medium apples
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
Chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp non-fat Greek yogurt (or non-fat sour cream)
Heat olive oil in stock pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and saute until translucent. Peel and chop both squash and apples into 1 inch cubes, add to pot. Pour in enough chicken broth to just cover vegetables. Add brown sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer until squash and apples are soft (approx. 30 mins). Take pan off the heat and let sit for three minutes. Puree soup using either a stick blender or conventional blender (blend in small batches!). Heat blended soup on low, add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in butter and yogurt (or sour cream) to finish.
Join in Super Shopping Thursdays where each week I will bring you the best deals from my cooking affiliates.
As many of you know, this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And while I originally placed a link here for you to buy pink stuff for your kitchen, at second glance it seemed rather cheesy to be profiting off of such a horrible disease. And I couldn’t quite figure out HOW much of the money was going to cancer research. And really, who needs a pink grill pan anyway? As if to my confirm my suspicions, I happened upon this article today which further vindicated my feelings. So instead I’ll just say- give freely to charities, spend your money wisely and hug the ones you love…
Enough of the sappy, bring on the shopping! I’ll share with you my new all time favorite link – Kitchen Essentials under $30 at Cooking.com! Stock your kitchen without shocking your budget!
This collection of kitchen tools is absolutely drool-worthy. Every item is under $30 and every items is needed for a fully functional, well stocked kitchen!
And lastly check out these gorgeous ceramic mixing bowls pictured below. These bowls are not only practical (used for mixing batters and doughs) but also beautiful. You can use them to hold fresh fruit or simply adorning the shelves of your rustic hutch. Available in a set of three, they’re from Sango’s Nova Brown collection. Click on the picture!
Until next Thursday when I bring you more shopping and deals! Enjoy!
-Katie
This is one of my favorite go-to recipes. Not only is it delicious, but I usually have all of the ingredients on hand which makes it a great last minute recipe. I use artichoke bottoms in this recipe instead of artichoke hearts. They are cheaper and I like the texture better. Feel free to play around with this recipe – there are a million different combinations you can make! This recipe serves 4-5 people, but can easily be doubled if you are feeding a crowd.
3 tbsp butter (or margarine)
1 shallot (or 1/2 of onion) finely diced
1- 6 oz. can of crab meat
1- 14 oz can of artichoke bottoms (or hearts, if you prefer)
3/4 c plus 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tbsp of mayonnaise
2 dashes of hot sauce
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in medium sized skillet. Dice shallots and add them to the melted butter, sautee until shallots are translucent. Take skillet off heat and let shallots and butter cool down a bit. In large bowl, combine crab, diced artichokes, 1/2 c of grated cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper (notice that I left salt completely out of this recipe – the parm cheese is salty enough). Add butter and shallots to the bowl and stir. The mixture should be just wet enough to mix together nicely. Pour crab mixture into oven proof serving bowl and spread out to create a nice, even layer. Top with remaining 1/4c of cheese. Bake in oven until mixture is bubbly (approx – 10 to 15 mins). Serve hot with crackers (I use Ritz).
