Apples have always been one of my favorite fruits. While you can get good apples all year long, nothing compares to the delicious apples you can get locally during the fall season, fresh from the tree. The apples are extra crispy, juicy and flavorful and I often eat one or two a day. I remember when I was younger we always went apple picking to some of the local apple orchards. It was a bit of a road trip but we always had a great time and made a special day of it. We also made caramel and candied apples as a special treat too. Another great treat is hot cinnamon apples, which would turn out really wonderful in this Romertopf Clay Apple Baker. (more…)

If you long to have freshly cooked food then carrying camping stoves can really help. Food is what concerns you while you are camping as you rarely get to eat tasty and healthy food and hence be satisfied with the canned and processed food that you bring along with you, it is then that you really miss the tasty homely food. You can avoid missing homely food by carrying a camping stove and a few ingredients with which you can prepare tasty food as you prepare from your home even when you are outdoors. (more…)

I am a big fan of flan. For anyone who has never had it, flan is a custard style dessert,  also know as creme caramel. The custard is often covered in a soft layer of caramel on top, not to be confused with creme brulee which has a harder caramel top. Like any custard type dessert, flan is loaded with eggs and cream – many recipes call for up to 10 egg yolks for a good size flan. You’ll also find that some recipes are based on steaming the dessert while others cook it by baking it.  No matter how you choose to make it, one of the key factors in great flan results is having a quality pan like this Rosette Flan Pan. (more…)

Our family would eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let them. It’s not such a bad plan, really, since pancakes are inexpensive and can be nutritious. Rather than using maple syrup, I like to switch it up a bit to include an Applesauce Topping that is incredibly delicious and healthy, too! I mix up a batch of pancakes using fruit and top each stack with my special applesauce. That way, my family is getting a couple sources of fruit in their meal. Another real treat is to serve pancakes with applesauce topping for dinner alongside some good, lean grilled pork chops. Pork chops and applesauce make a perfect dinner combination. (more…)

I’m usually very skeptical about buying celebrity endorsed products, but this Rachel Ray 10 Piece Stainless Cookware Set has exceeded all of my expectations. This 10 piece set comes with everything a burgeoning chef like myself could possibly need, not to mention how attractive the pots and pans are. The cookware features full cap bases of aluminum for quick and even heating and comfortable silicone handles that are oven safe to 400 degrees. (more…)