An Amish Christmas Kitchen ~ A Great Gift For The Season

I love to read and I read a lot. I always have a book with me when I go places since I don't know how long I will be waiting at the places I go. This current book was perfect for that.

About the book:
An Amish Christmas Kitchen: Three Novellas Celebrating the Warmth of the Season written by Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd , is the perfect gift for an avid reader in your home.

As the weather grows cold and the nights grow long, the cheer and warmth of the Christmas season is one thing all readers can find comfort in. This collection from bestselling Amish fiction novelists Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd finds the beating heart at the center of the holiday and offers three novellas that celebrate family, faith, and especially the sights and smells of a bustling holiday kitchen.

Leslie Gould tells the story of how, in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a young Amish woman finds unexpected comfort and hope in a yearly baking tradition surrounding the local Lancaster Christmas market. Jan Drexler offers a sweet tale of a shy Amish woman who decides to use her gift for sweets to woo a local Amish boy with her beloved Christmas cookies. And Kate Lloyd offers a heartwarming tale of a woman's unexpected discovery about the truth of her past, and the warm and welcoming Amish family table she finds herself invited to on Christmas.

What I thought about the book:
An Amish Christmas Kitchen is a lovely book with three novellas that you can easily read in an afternoon. I loved how quickly I could identify with the characters and how sweet the stories were. Each story was set in the same time period and you could sense the area of the country where they took place, along with the simple lifestyle of the Amish. The sweet romances that took place were very touching and helped you root for the main characters to find happiness, especially during the Christmas season. This would make a great gift for a friend or loved one for Christmas! Fair warning, reading this will make you want to go bake or visit a bakery.

You can find the book on Amazon and in local book stores!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

An Interesting Small Rolling Pin

As an avid baker, I am kind of persnickety about the tools I use when I bake. I want things that will help me do the job fast, with ease, and will last a long time. My rolling pins are no exception to this. In fact I have a rolling pin that my grandmother used to bake with and it is still going strong!

So when I got this rolling pin from Lasten, I was very curious about how it would work for me. The Professional Non-Stick Rolling Pin arrived and my first thought was, "Seriously?" This rolling pin is only 11" long and only about 1" in diameter at the thickest point. It is also very light weight. It is, well, at least I think it is, made from poplar, which is a hard wood, but the softest of the hard woods. Hard wood helps keep bacteria from building up on the rolling pin.

I looked at this little thing and honestly did not think that it would be something I would use very much. And I am right. I doubt I will use it very often. Let me explain why.

The rolling pin is tapered, like many rolling pins are. It is easy to maneuver around on dough and it does an okay job in helping to roll out dough. If I was going to make really small batches of dough for small pastries, this would be a fine rolling pin for that job. But in almost all cases, I make larger sized batches of dough and to roll out what I would need, it would take a while, longer than I would like, using this small pin.

Since the rolling pin is so small there really isn't much umph to it and I feel like I have to press harder than I need to, to do the job rolling out and shaping the dough. One reason why most rolling pins are heavy is to help with that job. The weight helps you smooth out and shape the dough with more ease.

For me, I would rather have one of the larger sized ones they offer for sale (they have 11", 15", 15.7", 17.1", and 19.7"). If they maneuver as well as this small one, they would be good!

The only reason I would be using this rolling pin is for smoothing out fondant and similar things, since I would most likely be using small batches for decorating desserts. This is not a bad rolling pin, just one I would not use myself.

You can purchase the Lasten Professional Non-Stick Rolling Pin HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

I Love My Kitchen Gadgets From 1Easylife!

Over the years I have tried to get the best kitchen tools I could get. Having good tools to work with makes the job of meal prep a lot easier and more enjoyable.

1Easylife has several things that I am really enjoying. Each one of them is extremely well made and fits perfectly into my style of cooking.

The first thing is the Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons. The set of 6 measuring spoons come with a D-ring to hold them all together and to hang them up with. The set includes the 1 tbsp, 1 tsp, 3/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp, and 1/8 tsp. I absolutely love having the 3/4 tsp and 1/8 tsp. Both of them save me time when I have to cut back recipes to cook for just myself and my husband.

The design of the spoons is great. The handle is nice and long, so it reaches well into spice and condiment bottles. There is a small indentation on the handle to help you hold it better. Also, the spoons themselves are long and narrow making it much easier to get into even small spice bottles. That means no pouring and making a mess trying to get the spoon filled.

The fact that they are stainless steel is great too. They are easy to take care of and will last a long time!

Another of the items I like a lot helps feed my coffee addiction. It's the Stainless Steel Coffee Scoops. The set comes with a 1 tbsp and a 2 tbsp scoop. They are made from heavy stainless steel and are super easy to clean and use. The design of the scoops is perfect for get into a bag of coffee and being able to get a good scoop of coffee easily.

I love having the two sizes since I am the only one who drinks coffee in the house. There are times I only want one cup and I use the pour over brewing method to make a good cup of coffee. The 1 tbsp scoop comes in very handy for that. Other times I like to use my French Press and make several cups of coffee for myself and a friend or two, so the 2 tbsp scoop is great for then.

Also the 2 tbsp scoop has comes in handy for some measuring for baking. Lots of recipes call for 2 tbsp of things and now I have a great scoop to help with that!

The third thing I have really enjoyed using lately is the 2-Piece Organic Bamboo Cutting Boards. The large board measures 18 in x 12 in x 3/4 in. The smaller board measures 11 in x 9 in x 3/5 in. Each of the boards are really pretty to look at. The wood is beautiful and the more you use them and wash them off, the prettier the wood looks.

Each board has a groove cut in it all the way around on all 4 sides about 1/2 in from the edge. Those grooves are great for catching juice as you cut things and to help keep things from rolling off. I love how sturdy the boards are too. I know they are going to hold up for a long time. Also, knowing they are made from organic bamboo is a big plus for me. Bamboo is a fast growing plant, so easily renewed.

One thing I have enjoyed using on the large bamboo cutting board is the Metal BBQ Meat Claws. We love pulled meat sandwiches and these meat claws are amazing to help get the shredding of the meat done fast.

I've tried plastic meat claws before and they don't even come close to these. These meat claws are made with stainless steel and are mounted into wooden handles. These are substantial meat claws. From the moment I opened the box they arrived in, I was impressed!

Each meat claw has 6 tines that have tapered ends. They also have slightly sharpened edges so it makes getting meat shredded quick and easy. With the heft and weight of the stainless steel, the job of shredding meat got shortened a lot.

The handles are easy to grasp and hold on to for a while. Since they are wood, they don't get slippery and slimy with the grease from the meat, making it easier to hang on to and not have your hands slip around using them. They are fantastic meat claws and I seriously recommend them to you!

1Easylife has an abundance of products that make life in the kitchen a lot easier and more enjoyable. Make sure you check out these products. I love them and highly recommend them all to you!

You can purchase the Stainless Steel measuring Spoons HERE!

You can purchase the Stainless Steel Coffee Scoops HERE!

You can purchase the 2-Piece Organic Bamboo Cutting Boards Set HERE!
Get a $2 discount using this special code: H6HRMFUM Offer expires 10/18/16
Also get a $4 discount off the single Bamboo Cutting Board they offer using this special code: NPNWFXYH Offer expires 10/18/16

You can purchase the Metal Barbecue Meat Claws HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Versatile Silicone Muffin Pans ~ Gotta Love 'Em

Baking is one way I love to spoil my family, so finding good products to use baking is a must. One such product that is pretty good is by Keliwa. It is their 12 Cup Silicone Muffin & Cupcake Baking Pan.

First of all if you read my blog on even a semi-regular basis, you know I am a fan of silicone. I love using it for all kinds of things. Baking is no exception to how I feel about silicone. it is just so easy to use and take care of.

The 12 cup muffin pa is made from FDA approved silicone that can take temperatures up to 450°. Not too many things are baked at that temperature or higher, so you are safe using this kind of pan from pretty much everything.

When it comes to muffin pans I use them for mini-meatloaves, egg cups, muffins, cupcakes, ice, lotion bars, dog treats and more. They are great for sorting small things too and with being silicone, it's okay if the kids play with them. They won't get hurt!

There are a few things you need to remember about using silicone in baking. Normally you do not have to add any kind of grease to the pans before you add the food to be baked. A few things you still need to make sure and grease the pans for are cakes and cupcakes. Pretty much everything else comes out without a problem. I use a spray to grease the pans with and the really nice thing is the spray does not build up on silicone like it does metal or glass pans.

(Cupcakes I made then then promptly forgot to take pictures of after they were done. Sorry!)

The Keliwa muffin pan is nice. The cups are standard size and you can stack them together or roll them up to store them. That's another nice thing about silicone. Cleaning is rally easy. I use my regular dish soap in the sink like all my dishes. But you can wash them in the dishwasher too. Oh and the can go in the freezer and the microwave. Gotta love a versatile product like this.

You can purchase the Keliwa 12 Cup Silicone Muffin & Cupcake Baking Pan HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Best Silicone Mats I Have Tried and LOVE The Grill Mesh. You Will Too!

One thing I don't like to do is throw things away after just one use. I love using parchment paper and do from time to time, but it bothers me when I can only use it once.

That's why I love The PhatMat Premium Silicone Baking Mat. This has to be one of the nicest silicone mats I have tried! Now I have tried a lot of different silicone mats, but this set is by far the best I have tried, and for several reasons.

Almost all silicone mats can do the same thing, they help cook your food in the oven without having to use a cooking spray, oil, or butter. They keep foods from sticking and help to cook them evenly. I really love how they help brown the bottom of a cookie and keep the top beautiful! They can go from the oven to the freezer and even in a dehydrator. They tolerate temps from -40° to 480°.

But what I like so much about this set is that they are thinner than other mats I have tried. This is a big deal to me when it comes to some of the things I make that I want to make sure do not come up over the edge of the pan. If a silicone mat is too thick, things can spill over. I'm talking about jelly rolls and other things like this.

But I also LOVE the special silicone Grill Mesh that comes with this set. We have used it now in our oven and on the grill. On the grill it protects things from sticking beautifully. Foods that are coated with a seasoning or barbecue sauce do not stick and your grill stays nice and clean. It also allows the food to crisp up without sticking too. But in the oven, we have found it works so well making fries and tater tots we will not cook them any other way now. Since the mesh lifts the fries off the tray completely, the hot air can get all the way around and really crisp them up a lot faster and more evenly! It's the best thing ever!

We love both the silicone mats and the grill mess and intend on using them all the time! Oh and it comes in something I think was genius, a round tube that makes storing them so much easier! No fussing around with rolling them up and rubber banding them and hoping it doesn't break. The tube, holds all three and there is room for more!

You can buy The PhatMat Premium Silicone Baking Mat with bonus Grill Mesh HERE!

This reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Love Using These Dehydrator Sheets For More Than Just Dehydrt

I have always love preserving my own food, and every chance I get to do so I take. I feel good about knowing exactly what is in our food and where it came from. One of my favorite ways to store food long term is to dehydrate it. I do this especially with all the herbs I grow. Dehydrating them assures that I will have good chemical free herbs to use all winter long and into spring before the new plants are big enough to harvest.

One thing that really helps in dehydrating foods is to have good dehydrator sheets. The quality of the sheets is important and you want ones that will make the whole process go as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. That's where Simple Royal comes in. They make some fantastic dehydrator sheets that work wonderfully!

The box comes with 9 sheets that are 14" x 14" and fit all 5 and 9 drawer Excalibur Dehydrator models. They can be cut to fit many other brands too as well as racks to be used in your oven. And that is another really cool thing about the sheets, they can be used to bake or dehydrate in your oven! Love that! Dehydrating in my oven is one thing I have done for a long time. 2 of the sheets work well on an oven rack to dehydrate things.

The sheets are a high-quality Teflon that is paper thin, flexible, reusable, resizable, and washable. I really like that I can cut them to size for the pans I use to dehydrate foods. They are heavier than parchment paper, thinner than silicone mats, and can be used over and over. You won't throw these out for a long time! They are fabulous. I even like them on my counter as I am working on doughs for baking bread and rolls! They protect the counter and make it easy to transfer things to a baking sheet.

If you have a dehydrator or love to bake, these are the best things for both jobs! They cost less than one silicone mat and are better than using parchment paper.

You can purchase your own Simple Royal Dehydrator Sheets HERE!

This reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

The Goods To Give - Gift Guide Giveaways

Welcome to The Goods To Give - Gift Guide Giveaways

Enter to win a EZPZ Mixes Baking Tools Bundle Box!

See the Review Here

A gift box like this is a great start for any new cook! Even the more experienced would love it too!

Receive 10% all items in their online Shop (does not include Subscriptions or Gifts). Use code EZ10 at checkout

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Baking With Rhodes Could Not Be Easier

I love to bake, and most of my friends do as well. But all of us will admit we like to find ways of baking that are easier and faster than good old fashioned baking.

That's where Rhodes Bake-N-Serve comes in so handy! It tastes like good old home baked goodness, yet takes a lot less time and energy! Rhodes offers a lot of wonderful products that your whole family will love and you will love because of the ease of preparing them and the variety of ways you can use their products!

Recently Rhodes sent me some goodies to try out through Tryazon! I was excited about it, and then sadly found out not too many of the stores near me carry a good variety of the Rhodes products. I had a limited selection. But I still was able to make some up and share with some good friends! (You can find out what Rhodes products are sold in your area HERE!)

The products they carry are many! The list includes all kind of dinner rolls, traditional breads, warm-n-serve, variety of flavored sweet rolls, biscuits, and now even microwave cinnamon rolls. Every single one of the products can be made as is from the package, or you can go through their vast list of recipes, that all look yummy, and find one you know your family will enjoy! (A list of all the recipes can be found HERE!)

My friends enjoyed the rolls a lot! They are flavorful, easy to make, and so good!! We had a few simple recipes and loved them all. Like I said, they were easy to make and took very little time to do. I can't love that part more!!

Check out all the fantastic products from Rhodes, a company that stands behind their products and you can trust! Follow along with them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (which is my favorite place to keep up with all the extra tips and tricks)!

This reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

A Very Nice Set Of Stainless Steel Measuring Cups For Your Kitchen

I love to bake and have since I was a child. I have very fond memories of making cookies and pies with my Mom and Grandma. It was something I really enjoyed and got good at!

I've mentioned before, that part of being a good cook, is having good tools to work with. It makes the job much more enjoyable and easier! So that is why I really like the Estilo Stainless Steel Measuring Cups Set. These are fantastic measuring cups.

The set comes with 6 graduated stainless steel cups; 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, and 1 Cup. They stack easily inside of each other so they take up little space in your cupboard or drawer. They all have a small hole on the end of the handle so you can hang them up individually or as a whole group with the small chain included. The measurements are easy to read on the handles in both cups and milliliters.

The handle of each one is nice and wide, which makes it easier to grip them and hold on to them. I like that feature a lot since I have arthritis and smaller, more narrow handles can hurt my hands to hold. The bottoms of each cup are flat which keeps them securely sitting on the counter as you use them The tops of the cups are nice and smooth too, unlike others I have tried that have a funky little folded over lip that can catch bits of the ingredients you are measuring and making them harder to remove the ingredient or to clean.

The outside of the cups are polished and they look great! They are easy to wash either by hand or in the dishwasher! These measuring cups would make a great addition to your own kitchen or to give as a gift for someone.

You can purchase your own Estilo Stainless Steel Measuring Cups Set HERE!

This reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Quality Products Are Important For Any Kitchen, Like Measuring Spoons

You've heard me mention many times how important it is to have good kitchen equipment, things that will do the job well and last. It's ridiculous to spend money over and over buying replacement product after replacement. It's a waste of money and time!

Measuring spoons is one thing you will use a lot, so it makes sense to buy something of value and quality so you don't have to buy them again in a few years. Kitchen Zest has a great set that will be a valuable addition to any one's kitchen.

What sets this set of measuring spoons apart is what they are made from. They are made from marine-grade stainless steel. What that means is that they will never rust or react to the chemicals from ingredients for food, homemade beauty or cleaning products. They are solid and sturdy.

I really like the soft-grip handle. It's very easy to hold, even with the arthritis I have in my hands. The handles are engraved with the measurements in both standard and metric. They include 1 tablespoon, ½ tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, and ¼ teaspoon. I do wish it included a ⅛ teaspoon as well, but that's because of some recipes that I make a lot that require that measurement.

The measuring spoons come on a stainless steel ring, making it handy to hang up or to just keep all of them together in one place. The ring opens really easily so you can get just the one spoon you need or remove them all. They are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning too.

I'm very pleased with this set of Kitchen Zest Measuring Spoons. They feel comfortable in my hands, reach well into all my spice containers, don't stain or retain odors, and are easy to clean. They are well worth the price, which I think is very reasonable!

You can purchase your own Kitchen Zest Measuring Spoons HERE with a black  or green handle!

The reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.