Category: Product Reviews

Joy the Baker (A woman and a cookbook)

joy the baker cookbook (Photo from her website)
joy the baker cookbook (Photo from her website)

I was SO excited to see that she was had on her calendar not one or two but THREE book signing’s in Seattle! How special are WE! Reading Joy blog feels like sitting down to coffee or opening open a bottle of wine and ruffling some delicious creation in the kitchen with a good friend. You’ll immediately be endeared to her fun-loving realism (Can’t we just say medium at Starbucks!?) and have the urge to take a bite out of every one of her photos. With the inspiration of cooking parents, Joy developed her baking skills with the most esteemed tasting committee a baker can have, their own taste buds and those of friends. Joy the Baker has been around since 2008 and is now producing her FIRST cookbook (Congrats!!), Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes.

Any food blog whose Recipe” list starts with Booze is okay by me! And let’s be real… this excerpt from her latest post, “Coffee and Bacon Sandwiches” talking about the motivation and inspiration for her cookbook just proves that recipe addicted, food photographing, culinary bloggers are cut from the same thread:

“I know you eat popcorn for dinner.  I know you bake brownies for boys.  I know you’re just looking for an excuse to make biscuits for every meal of the day…. and I love you I love you I love you!!!”

Well, my version of popcorn was gourmet nacho’s with rice cheese BUT I was that girl, okay okay…and still am, that bakes the corresponding cookie for each holiday. I’m the girl who dreams of recipes in her sleep and finds every excuse to throw a dinner party. Bake Popovers is the first item on my  to do list and yes, I spend hours on Pintrest looking at food pictures and plotting about what I can cook for the next meal.  But Joy, we love you too!!!Can’t WAIT to get the book, have her sign it, and meet the woman behind one of my favorite blogs! Where do I add the count-down ticker until book signing day! There’s an app for that right?

Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes View Product on Amazon.com

Reynolds Wrap Non-stick aluminum foil

We make broiled veggies 3-5 times a week and no matter how much olive oil I lather on the veggies or Misto spray on foil, the eggplant ALWAYS sticks! It drives me nuts and has caused a few choice words to escape on various occasions! So, last week we picked up a roll of the alleged “non-stick” foil to try. Reynolds Wrap boasts that they have a non-stick foil…I’ll be the judge of that!

I was skeptical as I pulled it out of the drawer while mentally recounting the countless fights with the baking sheet and foil as it they tried to hold onto my precious eggplant with their sticky powers. I figured that I’d throw the big guns and go “initiation style” on the foil. With the tiny space that we have, every utensil, pot, pan and gadget must earn its spot! So, I led with the closer and tore a sheet of the allegedly non-stick foil, laid it down on the baking sheet, and gingerly positioned my little eggplant slices on the tray while mentally apologizing to them if in fact the foil failed and they too became victims of yet another foil accosting. They make it easy to know which side of the foil is non-stick by making the opposite side shiny. Didn’t win me over completely, I’m not that easily wooed, yet, but I thought it was a nice feature.

Oven pre-heated…timer set…in…they…go. I anxiously awaited the 15 minute timer’s count down, tried to sidetrack myself with a tweet which, of course, was about the non-stick challenge currently happening in the kitchen!
Then… BEEP….BEEP… DONE!!! I leaped up too… okay let’s be honest here, I was already standing in the kitchen watching the timer count down. I dramatically opened the door, pulled out the tray, and shook the baking sheet. Much to my delight, the eggplant responded and moved around on the sheet as if gliding with ice-skates over a frozen pond! Success, delight, joy! I’m a believer! Foil CAN be non-stick! Ring the bells, sound the horns!

That foil worked wonders and I actually liked that it wasn’t quite flawless, as you can see in the photo the end cut of the eggplant stuck to the sheet a bit. This is now a STAPLE of my modest little kitchen!

And on a completely non-related side note… have you ever tried to spell “utensil” and gotten it right the first time!? I’ll shamelessly admit that it took me a few tries… what a strange word!

Reynolds Wrap Non-stick aluminum foil  (also available through My Amazon.com Store)

A Wine Drinkers Best Friend (Stemware Saver)

What an inventive product! I have shattered countless glasses trying to put them in the dishwasher and finally resigned myself to hand washing all stemware. UNTIL… I discovered the quirky Tether stemware arms. They are bendable and accommodate various glass sizes and use the prongs on your dishwasher basket allowing them to be used for any type/size washer. I love that they come in a pack of four, and I just always have two of them in my dishwasher. The only thing that I would advise is to be careful the first few times you clip them to the stem of your glass ware as the plastic needs to be broken in a bit on the first few uses. LOVE this product and it would also make a great gift for that wine lover in your life!

Quirky Tether Stemware Saver – Flexible Dishwasher Attachment