Category Archives: Cooking and Entertaining

FREE Dessert Decorating Workshop at the Amon Carter Museum — Saturday, November 19

‘Tis the season to decorate baked goods! Learn a few tips and tricks from museum educator and former America’s Test Kitchen recipe tester Mary Le during this hands-on dessert decorating session. Before decorating, draw inspiration from the Amon Carter’s collection during an interactive tour.

Please note that reservations are required — Call 817.989.5030 or email visitors@cartermuseum.org to register.

Details, details
What:  Get more details about this Crafting from the Collection event (here).   
When:  Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 10:30am12:30pm
Where:  Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard. Find directions and parking details here.
Cost: Entrance to this event and Amon Carter’s Museum is always FREE (but donations are appreciated)!

Enjoy and Share! :)

 


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GREAT DEAL For Coffee Conisseurs — $19.99 For Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker & Permanent Filter

Amazon has a GREAT sale happening today on top rated (4.5/5 star user ratings) Bodum Pour-over coffeemaker with permanent filter for $19.99 (31% OFF MSRP).

Bodum made its name as making one of the best French press coffee makers, and they continue their reputation with this fantastic pour-over, slow brew design.  We love everything about this little maker —  from the beautiful sleek design to the ease of being able to put everything in the dishwasher, including the filter.

Secret sauce buyers’ tip The coffeemaker comes in a lot of colors and 3 sizes, but not every color or size is on sale.  Amazon inventory and prices change frequently, but at the time of this writing, the 34oz. black, red, and white versions were all marked down to $19.99.

Here’s what’s in the box:

  • Includes a permanent stainless steel mesh filter; no paper filters or capsules needed, and essential oils will not get trapped in the filter
  • Mouth-blown borosilicate glass container and silicone protective sleeve
  • Completely dishwasher safe 
  • Bodum Model #11571-01

There are lots of great Bodum deals to be found with this sale, too.  I hope you find just what you are looking for! : )

Enjoy and Share! :)


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How to Make Snow Ice Cream — a.k.a. Winter Bliss in a Bowl

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I hope you are enjoying our beautiful snow today!

We are not posting our weekly Fort Worth Free & Cheap Weekend Events (for Feb. 27 & 28) since most events are cancelled or postponed due to this lovely winter weather.  Instead, we decided to “dust off” and share this archived post/recipe from a few years ago —  How to Make Snow Ice Cream.

Have fun and stay warm! : )

Something New to Try
On this fluffy-white, beautiful snow day, I thought it would be fun to make snow   ice cream for the first time.  I remember my parents sharing memories about making the treat when they were kiddos (they grew up where snow was a more frequent occurrence than here in Fort Worth), and I always thought it sounded like the ultimate “fun food!”

I do believe this is just the thing to try on this wonderful winter day, and have already set my largest bowl outside to catch a container-full of winter bliss.

Following is the recipe I used, which comes with great reviews from allrecipes.com:

Bon Appetite, y’all!

Snow Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

1 gallon snow
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (or half and half for a richer taste)

Directions

  1. When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes.
  2. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency.
  3. Serve at once.

Options:  Personally, we like this recipe best, as is, but you can also try mixing other favorite ingredients such as cocoa powder, cinnamon, coconut, or chocolate chips. Get creative and the kids (big and small) will have a blast making it.

Did you try this recipe? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments section.

Enjoy and Share!    :)

 

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Saltine Cracker Toffee Recipe — Delicious and Easy

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Saltine Cracker Toffee

Food blogger, The Girl Who Ate Everything, has a “you’ve got to try this” recipe and easy-to-follow instructions for Saltine Cracker Toffee ~ perfect for gift giving and making an easy last minute treat (only 5 ingredients)!  We made a batch last week for a Christmas party, and it was DELICIOUS and disappeared in minutes.

:: Go here to get  the recipe for Saltine Cracker Toffee.

Enjoy and Share! :)

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Fun Summer Recipe — Easy S’More Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Bites

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If you are looking for a fun recipe to take to your next summer picnic or outing, here’s one of our favorites! These S’More Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Bites are a fun treat to make with the kids, and are great for packaging up and giving as party favors, too.

 Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

Following is a step-by-step picture tutorial, or just skip to the recipe and directions at the bottom of the post if you prefer.

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

This quick-to-make, kid friendly treat requires only 3 ingredients: graham crackers, chocolate bars, and large marshmallows.

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

First, coarsely crush 6-8 graham crackers with a nut chopper or rolling pin to make about 1 cup of chopped graham crackers.  Personally, we prefer using our trusty nut chopper for this process,  as it is quick, makes less mess, and chops the grahams to the perfect size.

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

Next, melt the chocolate. We recommend using a good quality dark chocolate, but milk chocolate and white chocolate are great substitutes. One of our favorite places to get a good deal on high quality European chocolate is Aldi — their Choceur brand runs about $1.99 for a 5.29 oz bar.  Chocolate chips work great too.

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

Chop the chocolate into smaller similar-sized pieces to make sure it melts evenly.

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish or melt on the stove top using a double broiler over low heat. If using a microwave (our preference since it is much quicker), melt your chocolate on a low (50%) power setting in 30 second increments to avoid scorching or burning it. After each 30 second increment, stir the chocolate until it is completely melted and is smooth & shiny.

Note that it is important to stir between each 30-sec increment as chocolate is easy to burn & scorch.  Chocolate retains its shape even when melted (see pic above), so the only real way to know if it is truly melted is to stir it to see if it has become a liquid.  Once it is liquid you can proceed to the next assembly step.

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.

To assemble, dip one marshmallow at a time in the melted chocolate then place on the lined cookie sheet.

Sprinkle chopped graham crackers on top of melted chocolate.  

Set marshmallows off to the side for 1-2 hours to let chocolate harden and set. This process can be sped up by placing the cookie sheet of dipped & assembled marshmallows in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Marshallow S'mores Truffle Bites

Easy S’More Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped graham cracker crumbs (we used the Low-Fat Honey Maid Grahams, but regular grahams would be dandy, too)
  • 10 oz of dark chocolate bars or chips (can substitute milk chocolate or white chocolate)
  • 1 Bag of large marshmallows

Directions

  1. Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
  2. Melt chocolate in the microwave (see directions above) or on the stove in a double broiler over low heat.
  3. Dip one marshmallow at a time in the melted chocolate then place on the cookie sheet.
  4. Sprinkle chopped graham crackers on top of melted chocolate.
  5. Set marshmallows off to the side for 1-2 hours to let chocolate harden and set. This process can be sped up by placing the cookie sheet of marshmallows in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
  6. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 24-30 S’More Marshmallow Bites.

Enjoy and share!  : )

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FREE Printable Vintage Baking Conversion Chart

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Fellow blogger, The Cake Blog, has a handy collection of FREE printable baking conversion charts ~ there are 4 color versions to choose from!  This is perfect for printing and hanging on the inside of your cabinet for quick reference. And, if you want to set it on your kitchen counter, this is designed to fit a standard 8 x 10 frame.

:: Get your FREE Vintage Baking Chart printables here.

P.S. You may also be interested in these FREE printable Cooks Helps from Martha Stewart ~ go here.

Enjoy and Share! :)

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Scotch Packaging Tape Deal, 1.8 Inches x 54.6 Yards, 4 Rolls — $2.12 Each

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Here’s a great deal if you need to restock on packing tape…

Get Scotch Packing rolls for $2.12 each! 

Amazon is giving an extra $1.50 OFF Scotch Packing tape 4-roll set (218 Yards Total). That savings is on top of the current discounted price of $9.97 for 4 rolls (Regular $21.99) that you’ll see from Amazon.

That brings the total for 4 tape rolls to
$9.97 – $1.50 Coupon = $8.47 total (or $2.12 per roll)

We compared the price per roll to Costco, where we normally buy our packing tape, and found that this is more than 55% OFF Costco’s discounted price of $4.99 per roll  and 75% OFF Staples price of $8.79 per roll!

Amazon Packing Tape Coupon 2

Secret Sauce Buying Tip: Do note, that you won’t see the extra $1.50 discount subtracted from the selling price until you clip the coupon (here), and then go to the final “Review Your Order”/Order Summary confirmation page (which is the last page you’ll see after you input your payment info, right before you actually approve the order to be placed).  It will look something like this :

Amazon Packing Tape Coupon 1

As always — if you plan to get this deal, you might now want to wait, as we don’t know how long this will be available at this price (Amazon prices can change often).

:: Go here to clip the $1.50 OFF coupon and grab this deal before it expires.

 

Enjoy and share!  :)

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$15.99 Today ONLY — 40% Off 42-Piece Top-Rated Rubbermaid Food Storage Set

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This is a HOT Deal of the Day worth mentioning (price valid today only)…

Pop over to Amazon for 40% off the top-rated 42-piece Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid Food Storage Set for  (regularly $26.65)  — discount good today only on Amazon’s Deal of the Day.   

We recommend this set because the lids snap to the base of the container making it easy to store and find the right lid.  The graduated container sizes also nest to take up less storage room in your cabinets, and the square shape uses less space in your refrigerator.

At $15.99, this is a great deal!

The set includes five 1/2 cup, five 1.25 cup, five  2 cup, two 3 cup, two 5 cup, and two 7 cup containers with snap lids.

:: Learn what reviewers say to give this set 4 1/2 stars

Enjoy and share!  :)

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$1 Betty Crocker E-Cookbooks ~ 20 Minute Meals, Best Chocolate Recipes, Gluten-Free Baking, and More!

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Right now, Amazon has a hot deal on several Betty Crocker e-Cookbooks for 99 cents! We enjoyed perusing the cookbooks and found simple, easy to follow recipes that look worthy of your next special event.  The 20 Best Muffin Recipes cookbook has some great ideas for a Spring brunch event and the  Outrageous Double Chocolate-White Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe (mmmm!) from the 20 Best Chocolate Cookie Recipes cookbook sounds and looks delicious.

Our favorite 99 Cent Betty Crocker Cookbook finds include:

   
   
   

::  Go here to find the entire list of Betty Crocker e-Cookooks available at Amazon.

Do note that if you plan to get any of these books, you might now want to wait, as we don’t know how long these will be available at this price (as you may already know, Amazon prices can change often).

============================

Don’t Have a Kindle?
No worries. You likely already have a device to read Kindle ebooks in your home. All you need to do is download one of the FREE applications for your PC, Apple, Android, iPhone/iPad/iTouch, etc.  Go here to learn more.

Enjoy and Share!    :)

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Frugal Fun: How to Make Snow Ice Cream (a.k.a. Winter Bliss in a Bowl)

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We are getting lots of traffic on our Snow Ice Cream recipe from a few years ago ~ thought we’d pull it out of the archives and “dust it off” for all of our readers…

Something New to Try
On this fluffy-white, beautiful snow day, I thought it would be fun to make snow ice cream for the first time.  I remember my parents sharing memories about making the treat when they were kiddos (they grew up where snow was a more frequent occurence than Fort Worth), and I always thought it sounded like the ultimate “fun food!”

I do believe this is just the thing to try on this wonderful winter day, and have already set my largest bowl outside to catch a container-full of winter bliss.

Following is the recipe I used, which comes with great reviews from allrecipes.com:

Bon Appetite, y’all!

Snow Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

1 gallon snow
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (or half and half for a richer taste)

Directions

  1. When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes.
  2. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency.
  3. Serve at once.

Options:  Personally, we like ths recipe best, as is, but you can also try mixing other favorite ingredients such as cocoa powder, cinnamon, coconut, or chocolate chips. Get creative and the kids (big and small) will have a blast making it.

Do you have a special winter memory?  We’d love to hear about it
in the comments section.

Enjoy and Share!    :)

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FREE Pies & Cobblers Recipe Book from Gooseberry Patch

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For a limited time, Amazon Kindle has Gooseberry Patch’s Pies, Crisps, & Cobblers cookbook available to download for FREE!

You might also want to check out these other cookbook specials from Gooseberry Patch ~ all ranging from 99 cents to $2.51 per cookbook download.  The 101 Cozy Casseroles book is an especially good deal ~ it is on sale for only $1.99 today (don’t wait if you want this cookbook deal as we understand the price will go back to its normal $11.99 tomorrow):

  
  
  

Even if you do not have a Kindle, you can still download these cookbooks and read them on your PC, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple, and other devices.  There are lots of other FREE books available anytime for download,  including many great classics (go here).

Enjoy and Share! :)

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FREE Recipe Books from Gooseberry Patch & More

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Head over to Amazon for a couple of FREE Kindle book downloads:

Even if you do not have a Kindle, you can still download these cookbooks and read them on your PC, iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac,  and other devices.  There are lots of other FREE books available anytime for download,  including many great classics (go here).

Enjoy and Share! :)

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Pier One Imports $10 OFF Printable Coupon

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Pier 1 Imports Logo

   

Pier One just released a couple of nice printable coupons as part of their customer appreciation week ~ $10 OFF a purchase of $40 or more and $5 OFF a purchase of $25 or more* These coupons can even be used for most sale items, so you can score some great deals! Hello fall decorating! 

Pier One Urn

Offer is valid through Saturday, August 24th at any Pier One Imports store or at their website (use Promo code YOUROCK if shopping online).

:: Go here to get the coupons and learn more about the offer.

Enjoy and Share!    :)

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$1 Kids Books at Amazon ~ Great Deal!

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For a limited time, Amazon has deeply discounted the price on 20 popular kids e-books to $1.

   
   

::  Hurry over HERE to find the entire list of $1 books for kids.

Do note that if you plan to get any of these books, you might now want to wait, as we don’t know how long these will be available at this price (as you might already know, Amazon prices sometimes change often).

============================

Don’t Have a Kindle?
No worries. You likely already have a device to read Kindle ebooks in your home. All you need to do is download one of the FREE applications for your PC, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad/iTouch, Blackberry, or Windows Phone.  Go here to learn more.

Enjoy and Share!    :)

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The Best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe {Thanks Mom!}

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So, here’s the thing. I’ve been trying to eat healthy since this whole surgery bit turned my world sideways. But, whoever said that “nothing tastes as good as skinny” has not tasted my mom’s homemade ice cream! If you want to make something fun with the kids this summer, try this favorite that has been enjoyed by 4 generations of my family.

P.S.  We are making this for our 4th of July family reunion, and I can’t wait to enjoy this bit of culinary perfection in a bowl.  Thanks Mom for sharing your  recipe with our readers.  Bon Appétit y’all!

Our Favorite Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (Makes 5 Quarts)

Ingredients For The Custard

  • 3 Tablespoons Flour
  • 3 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • 6 Large Eggs, Beaten
  • 6 Cups Whole Milk
  • 6 cups Half & Half Cream
  • 1 Pint Whipping Cream
  • 2 Cans Evaporated Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Vanilla (Mexican Vanilla is best)

Depending on your ice cream freezer, you might also need:

  • 1 Box Ice Cream Salt (find in the salt section of the grocery store)
  • About 2 Bags of Crushed Ice (varies depending on your ice cream freezer and the room temperature where you are freezing it)

Directions

  1. Make the custard the day before you make the ice cream so it can chill well.
  2. Mix flour, sugar and salt together.
  3. Add beaten egg to the sugar mixture and blend until crumbly.
  4. Gradually add milk to the egg mixture and blend well.
  5. Cook over medium heat, being careful to stir often so it does not scorch. Cook until the mixture is thick and coats a spoon (DO NOT BOIL).  Remove from heat.
  6. Chill the mixture in a covered pitcher over night.
  7. When you are ready to put in the ice cream freezer: Pour the chilled custard mixture into the can, add all the half & half, the whipping cream, evaporated milk and vanilla. Give the beater a whirl and it will mix all the ingredients together.  Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

Wooden Traditional Homemade Ice Cream Maker

Tips:

1.) I use a traditional wooden 5-quart electric ice cream maker for our ice cream, but there are lots of great ice cream freezer options to make this process a breeze.  We’ve linked to a variety of good ones here.

2.)  If you also use a traditional ice cream maker that uses rock/ice cream salt, be generous with the salt on the ice and be sure to avoid letting the salt touch your ice cream or custard (turns perfection to “blech!”).

3.)  This is a great starting base for other ice cream flavors.  We don’t like to mess with a good thing, but if you are adventurous, you can add fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, or just about any add-in to create other flavors.

Do you have a favorite 4th of July recipe or family tradition?  We’d love to know about it ~ please share in the comments section below!

Enjoy and Share! :)

 


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