Great Cake From A Box. Really.

For me, cooking and baking are like writing or photography: Another way to create. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time to bake, and usually when I do have time, I don’t want go to too much trouble. I want the rush of creation without the effort. I’m OK with this. What I am not OK with is mediocre cake. If I’m going to ingest those calories, they’d better taste awesome. Enter The Cake Mix Doctor.

I discovered this book years ago and it remains one of my favorites because every cake I’ve made is a winner. And all I need are a box of cake mix and few extra ingredients. Author Anne Byrn adds a little of this and a little of that to help take away that “mix” taste and make your cakes (and cookies and bars) taste like homemade with much less effort. Who knew that a container of sour cream, some vanilla or a bit of instant coffee powder could transform ordinary cake mix into a homemade favorite? Apparently Anne did.

Not only will get recipes, you’ll also get tips and tricks so you go out on your own and improvise. But if you’re like me and aren’t good at improvisational baking, there are more than enough recipes in this book to keep you happy for a long time to come.

Three Of My Favorite Cake Mix Doctor Recipes

1. Lemon Buttermilk Poppy Seed Cake – Lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, poppy seeds and lemon zest turn plain white mix into a the perfect springtime cake. You can also get rid of the lemon and the zest and use pure almond extract for a yummy almond poppy seed cake.

2. White Chocolate Pound Cake – Plain white cake meets white chocolate, butter and vanilla to become two loaves of pound cake that will make you forget you ever knew Sara Lee.

3. Incredible Melted Ice Cream Cake – Add the melted ice cream of your choice to white cake mix and top with chocolate marshmallow frosting (recipe included) and you will become an instant rock star to whoever tries a slice.

Ann also includes recipes for wonderful homemade frostings that will put you off the canned stuff for good. Quite a bargain for about $9.00.

Wanna try before you buy? There’s a Cake Mix Doctor Web site that has a few recipes you can dig into.

I love the stuff in this book, but lately I don’t get to make as much of it as I’d like because my husband has a gluten sensitivity. I discovered that Anne has worked her magic on gluten-free cake mix, too. Oh happy day!

Posted by Megan G. for Buy-Her.com.

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Amazing Brownies By Ghirardelli. And You.

Cooking stuff on a women’s site. How cliche. But wait! I’m talking about brownies. Amazing brownies The best brownies you’ve ever tasted. The kind of brownies that will have people asking you to make brownies for every event you attend. And you will do it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart because it’s so easy you’ll wonder why everyone doesn’t know about your secret.

Ghirardelli brownie mix.

I kid you not. This is my secret. Has been for years. I bake many things, most of them from scratch (it’s not an everyday thing, I actually do have a life). Except for brownies. I’ve looked at recipes but the whole melting the chocolate thing is just a bit too much effort for me. Besides, why would I even bother when I can use one bowl, one pan and make brownies that make people tell me how much they love my brownies?

Look, Ghirardelli knows chocolate. Why not brownies? They come in all kinds of flavors, even dark chocolate (oh my). Nuts, no nuts, chocolate chips (again, oh my). The best part is, no one will know unless you tell them. I’ve used several different mixes with good results, but every single time I’ve made the Ghirardelli’s someone tells me that I make the best brownies they’ve ever had. Even if you have no intention of sharing yours with anyone, why deny yourself? Try these. You’ll love them.

You’ll thank me.*

*Money is always a good thank you. But just saying it will be fine too. I guess.

Posted by Megan G. for Buy-Her.com.

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The Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine

Brian’s mom has a George Foreman G-Broil Supreme that she uses.  All. The. Time. One weekend while the girls and I were there, she and I did hamburgers on it for the girls.  OMG, it was amazing.  So I not so subtly said “Maybe I should tell Santa to put one of them under the tree for me.”

It came as no surprise when Christmas Eve rolled around and the one gift under the tree for me was a George Foreman Grand Champ Grill.  It’s a bit bigger than Brian’s mom’s, but it’s the perfect size for me and the girls. With just the three of us at home, and me working outside the house, there are a lot of nights it’s just too much effort and electricity to turn the oven on to cook dinner.  With the George Foreman Grand Champ Grill, I can do hamburgers, chicken breasts, steaks, hot dogs, you name it, on the grill in a fraction of the time, using significantly less electricity. And when you’re a single mom on a budget? Every penny you can save, and still provide your kids with healthy, cooked at home meals, is a bonus.

The Grand Champ has the following features:

• At 133 square inches of cooking space, it has the largest cooking area of all the George Foreman grills.  It easily handles 7 servings.
• It has the patented slope design so the fat that cooks off the meat slides into the drip tray away from the meat.
• The Signature Foreman heating elements so that every square inch of cooking space is used and not wasted.
• Preheat indicator light for added convenience
• The dishwasher-safe drip tray offers easy clean up
• It comes with 2 drip trays and 2 dishwasher-safe spatulas for easy food removal.

The girls and I first used ours to cook hamburgers.  I wanted to start off with something easy and with the Grand Champ, they were super quick and easy.  It takes the grill approximately 5 minutes to warm up.  Once the indicator light went off, I put 4 hamburger patties on the grill and lowered the lid.  5 minutes later, I had 4 evenly cooked, right off the grill tasting hamburgers.  In fact, the french fries we put in the oven before we started the burgers took longer to cook.  It was awesome.  Clean up is a breeze.  Once the grilling surface has cooled, scrape the fat, grease and scraps off the grilling surface into the drip tray.  Use a warm soapy sponge to wipe the grilling plates clean, then rinse the sponge and wipe away any soapy residue.  Dry with a paper towel and you’re done.

I have been looking through the cooking guide included with the Grill, and am looking forward to trying out new things.  I also found a website with George Foreman Grill Recipes that I am looking forward to going though.  I am so excited about the possibilities.

You can buy the Grand Champ Family Value Grill, the G-Broil Supreme or any of the other George Foreman Healthy Cooking Products at GeorgeForemancooking.com, at Amazon.com, or at Target.com.

Feature Image: seentvcanada.com

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The Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker takes the worry out of slow cooking

I love to cook. No, you don’t understand, I LOVE TO COOK. When I moved to New York City I knew that the minutes were only 40 seconds long so I’d have a lot less time to cook in a day filled with a long commute to work, a long day at the office, and a long commute back home. The awesome man in my life had a solution. He drove me to the store and had me pick out whatever slow cooker I wanted to get — I chose the Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker — and he paid for it as his housewarming gift to me (because, heh, he loves it when I cook too).

The irony: I think I used it one whole time while I was in corporate America. Yes, I am a victim of the economy and currently am without steady employ, which means I have way more time to cook again! And what method of cooking do I prefer to do the most? Slow cooking! Weird, that. Must have something to do with the amaaaaaaaazing aroma that fills my home and the incredible richly flavored foods it makes. Nothing to do with the set it and let it be part. But my Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker is on the countertop way more often now than hidden away in the bottom cupboard next to the fridge, and both my Crock-Pot and I are very happy about this.

The best part about the Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker: It has a timer, hence the countdown. You can program it for half-hour increments up to 20 hours. You can choose to set the Crock-Pot on high or low, and when the countdown finishes it automatically switches to warm to keep your food from overcooking at the temperature you chose before or going cold by just turning off all together.

The removable round stoneware is dishwasher safe and has a 4-quart to 7-quart capacity depending on the model purchased. Yes, Virginia, you can cook a turkey in there!

Also, I enjoy the aesthetics of the Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker. The crock itself is a sleek black, while the heating unit shell has a stainless steel finish with black accents.

Although I appreciate that the Crock-Pot lid is removable, the design I own has a lid that attaches to a base on the stainless steel outer shell and of course I was clumsy and accidentally dropped the lid and broke off the connector on the lid. The lid still sits happily on top of the stoneware crock, but I definitely recommend buying the model without the hinged lid.

Don’t know any slow cooker recipes? No worries, it comes with a cookbook! And many more Crock-Pot cookbooks are available on their website!

And here’s one of my own that tastes incredible so I’m sharing it with you!

The best pot roast in the entire WORLD!

Mmmmm, pot roast!

Ingredients:
4-5 lb chuck roast
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 large onion, diced
2 large shallots, diced
olive oil
salt
pepper
onion powder
flour

Cooking directions:
Wash roast, rub with salt, pepper, onion powder, coat in flour. Brown roast in pan with olive oil. Saute diced onions and shallots in pan. Add beef stock, bay leaves, roast, onions, and shallots to Crock-Pot. Cook high for 2 hours, low for 5 hours, warm for 30 minutes. (Or: Cook low for 6-8 hours, warm for as long as it takes you to get home.)

Optional: Baste roast periodically as it cooks.
Not optional: EAT IT.

That recipe turned my boyfriend from a pot roast hater to a pot roast lover, for the record.

The Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker retails for between $39.99 to $69.99 depending on quart capacity and can be found at Amazon or directly from Crock-Pot. Accessories and replacement parts for the lid, stoneware, or the cookbook itself are also available directly from Crock-Pot.

Slow cooker photo: Crock-Pot
Feature and thumbnail photo: Jessica Spengler

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On principle, I rarely suggest cookbooks as gifts for women.  I also don’t want a vaccuum cleaner for Valentine’s Day or a new ironing board for my birthday, thanks.  Apparently, I have a little feminist rebellion in me after all.

And yet, one of the best wedding presents I received was a cookbook I got from my Nanna.  A cookbook as a wedding present?  Sure, it’s a little cliche.  But I think every kitchen has to have this cookbook in it.

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Read the rest of Cookbooks: The best of the best with Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

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If only ever party invitation we got came with a link to an Amazon Wish List!

Alas, no.  More often than not we have to use our own noggins and try to guess what would make the perfect gift for someone else’s new home.

10 Housewarming Gift Ideas:

Alora Ambience Reed Diffuser

The rental company that manages my friend’s new home used these amazing reed diffusers.  It was the very first thing we noticed when we walked into the house.

The verde scent smells like fresh cut grass and makes you feel like you’re standing in a clean home on a crisp spring day.

It’s to die for.

It’s also expensive as hell and not the kind of thing most people would buy for themselves.  Even in my own home I stick with Bath & Bodyworks Wallflower units.  I’m ashamed to say this – but these smell much better than anything I’ve ever used before.

Available online from Alora Ambiance.

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The thing about eating low carb for that long is that it gets boring.

You can only have so many hamburger patties with cheese or chicken salads before you want to stab someone.

Add that to the fact that I refuse to cook more than one meal at dinner time – meaning my family gets one low carb meal a day – and I absolutely have to find ways to be creative with a low carb menu.

George Stella and his “Stella Style” cooking has saved my diet on more than one occassion.

What I like about this cookbook is that it’s not exactly Atkins.  I don’t follow quite as strict a regimine as the Atkins Diet, so it was nice to find a low carb philosophy that was closer to mine.

“Stella Style” is basically about eating low carb – not counting carbs.  You make foods that are naturally low in carbs – especially “bad” carbs found in things like flour and sugar – and don’t worry about how much of it you eat.  It has been an easier way to maintain a low carb lifestyle long term for me.

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Read the rest of My favorite low carb cookbook – Stella Style

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Some kitchen gadgets look cool.

And some kitchen gadgets are overpriced pieces of crap that are way too much work to use than the original tool they were meant to replace.

I do a lot of chopping and dicing and cutting into little pieces in my quest to use fresh ingredients to make real, healthy food.  It’s my least favorite part of cooking.

So, in a moment of weakness in a William Sonoma store in Charleston, I splurged on a $50 chopper.

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Read the rest of Friday Flop: William Sonoma Professional Multi-Chopper

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Cooking in her kitchen is like being on a cooking show.

I’m convinced the reason everything she makes turns out better than when I make it is because of her kitchen gadgets. That’s the only logical explanation. Clearly.

10 Kitchen Gadgets I Want – Even If I Don’t Know How To Use Them

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