Kitchen Gadget Letdown | Danielle

Posted on April 2, 2012 by kitchenchat
Don’t you just hate when a gadget has been touted as the best thing to come along since the invention of the wheel but when you get it home and try it you are ready to string up the seller and inventor? The As Seen On TV gadgets have got to be the worst! When the novelty wears off you just know these gadgets will be the dream pieces of future collectors. The “What Were They Thinking?” Museum displaying these items will offer a glimpse into the gullibility of early 21st century TV viewers and the hallucinogenic minds of the inventors.


The ingenious unique Dyson vacuums may become some of the few worthwhile inventions of the century.


The promises of these modern-day gadgets almost fall as short of their mark as their durability.
Take the life-changing automatic drip coffee maker. The gadget heats the water tube that pours the hot water over the coffee grounds that drips into a carafe that sits on a hotplate. What an invention!


For the most part it works great until a part fails and water or coffee find their way into nooks and crannies you never knew you had. New gadgets have built-in obsolescence. They are only good for a short duration. Coffee makers fit this bill. It doesn’t matter how much you pay or what make you purchase, you will be replacing it within a year or two. My Walmart brand for around $8.00 lasts just as long as the $30.00 Mr. Coffee. Yet that stovetop perk pot from your grandmother still works like the day she bought it. Hmm, have we really progressed?
Now that we’ve spent a small fortune on water filters and replacement cartridges, it turns out that our tax dollars have managed to increase the purity and safety of our tap water. Homes with young children, seniors or those with chronic illness will have more peace of mind adding an additional filter or purification system to the drinking water supply. All filters are not alike. You really need to do your homework before choosing a model, making sure it will handle your specific filter concerns.
When it comes to cooking gadgets, the induction cooktop is promising. Cool to the touch before and immediately after cooking should do wonders for preventing accidental burns and kitchen fires. Let’s face it, the extra flat surface space is always in demand.


This gadget works with electromagnetic energy that runs cheaper than gas or electric models. You will need pots and pans that are magnetic such as stainless steel, cast iron and copper. The aluminum set just won’t work. The heat is created by heating the cooking utensil itself, not the burner. Users say heat settings are more precise. Boiling is faster and delicate sauces do not get scorched. Unless better technology comes along, prices on induction cooktops will come down. It’s bad enough that the required cookware costs more even though it lasts longer.


Just when you thought you had seen it all in floor care, along comes this James Dyson with his claim that his vacuum cleaners are specially and innovative designed to not lose suction. Other vacuum cleaners lose suction as the disposable bags fill with dirt. This alone is revolutionary.


The best features of all the Dyson vacuum cleaners include:
• bagless, easy clean dust cap
• 5- year warranty
• easy maneuverability due to ball swivel base
• easy clean hepa filter
• easy to use accessories


Comparing cost to other floor cleaning gadgets, Dyson vacuum cleaners will outlast the others and come with a warranty. There are several models in each of the categories so a bit of research as to which model best suits your physical abilities as well as cleaning requirements is worthwhile.


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Danielle blogs on behalf of Sears and other prestigious brands she uses. Although fancy kitchen technology is fun and innovative, The Salad Spinner is still her favorite kitchen gadget. Read her work at cooksandtravelbooks.com.
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12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series | Juxtaposition of Grace

Posted on December 13, 2011 by kitchenchat

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!

We’ve gathered several of today’s most beloved authors to share their Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom”! Please follow along beginning tomorrow (Wednesday the 14th) through Christmas day as Babbie Mason, Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Rachel Hauck, Sandy Ralya, Sibella Giorello, Susan May Warren and more, share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year.

If you’d like to share the 12 Pearls of Christmas with your blog readers too, just email Christen and she’ll send you the series.

AND of course there is a giveaway! Beginning tomorrow you and all your friends can enter to win a PEARL NECKLACE and EARRINGS valued at $450! The winner will be announced on New Year’s Day! Pearls – a tangible reminder of God’s grace to us all.

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Just a quick note before the series begins on the 14th …

As I write this, I imagine that we are sitting at my kitchen table and chatting over a cup of coffee while familiar Christmas carols celebrate the Season. My twelve year old Chihuahua, Pongo, barks for a pinch of pound cake while my Shih Tzu, Lilly, patiently sits by the chair and waits for a crumb to fall.

My name is not Martha Stewart, and I will never receive a neighborhood beautification award. Just look at my front stoop. Yes, my never-had-time-to-carve-the-pumpkin-that-now-suffers-from-frostbite slouches next to the front door which is decorated with a Christmas wreath. I plan to roll this large orange ornament to the garbage pile tomorrow. For now, however, I will pretend that my front stoop is a contemplative modern art exhibit capturing the essence of contrast.

Actually, I love the concept of juxtaposition – placing things together that don’t seem to belong together, yet somehow ultimately make sense being paired. A personal example for me this season is the phrase: “comfort and joy.” Having just completed my manuscript for New Hope Publishers about the aftermath of grief, I fully understand the contrast of those two words. How can comfort bring joy? How can one find joy in loss?

Perhaps, dear reader, you have experienced loss this year – loss of a loved one, loss of friendship, loss of health,  loss of financial security, loss of trust, loss of love, or loss of direction. Even with the best intent, words of encouragement shared by others can somehow seem insufficient to address an inconsolable loss.  A spoken word cannot fully restore joy to a broken heart; however the Word can. And that’s the bottom line message of Christmas! God gave us the most amazing gift: His Son –  the Word of God, the Holy Comforter.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

You are not alone this Christmas, dear friend. Juxtaposed to the unexpected grit in life is the gift of God’s grace wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. This year I purposely placed a pearl in the Nativity scene as a metaphoric reminder. When we place our grit into the hands of the Lord, His grace transforms our pain into a pearl.

“Joy to the world!”

Thank you so very much for sharing the JOY of the Season with us this year.

God Bless,

Margaret

@mcsweeney

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Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband, David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. She is the founder and director of Pearl Girls. For more information please visit www.pearlgirls.info. Margaret is fast at work on several fiction manuscripts. Her book Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace was written to help fund the Pearl Girl Charities. She is also the host of weekly radio show, Kitchen Chat. Connect with Margaret on Facebook or Twitter.

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Ways to Not Overspend at the Grocery During the Holiday | Guest Post by Danielle

Posted on December 9, 2011 by kitchenchat

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to plan for all those wonderful meals you’ll be making throughout December and into the new year. Though the thought of preparing lavish sit-down dinners for friends and family is tempting, doing so can be quite costly. This holiday season, have the meals you fancy most and the good times you’ll talk about for years to come by
taking a few steps to prevent overspending at the grocery.

1. Shopping List. It cannot be said enough: Make a list of ingredients you need and stick
to it. Using a grocery delivery service will help you avoid impulse items that would otherwise land in your cart while browsing store aisles. Just make sure you don’t place your order when you’re hungry. You can’t get far in the kitchen with only a passel of Snickers bars on hand.

2. Cook from scratch whenever possible. As you know, pre-packaged foods you’ll use in your recipes, such as vanilla extract or Herbs de Provence , can easily be made at home for a fraction of their store-bought cost. There’s no sense in inflating your budget if you can easily get around doing so. Store-bought items are certainly convenient but cooking from scratch allows you the freedom to experiment with flavors and enhance meals to your specific tastes. Doing so also begets bragging rights.

3. Buy in bulk. You know you’ll be cooking a great deal during the holidays, especially if you’re prolific in the kitchen during the rest of the year. Get an idea of the staples you’ll need, like sugar, flour, and butter, and get thee to a wholesaler for the best deal on ingredients you’ll be using in great quantity. Keep an eye out for items you’ll be using but might not necessarily stock up on, such as chocolate for desserts, knowing it will probably go to good use even after the holidays are over.

4. Consider making your holiday feast into a potluck. If you budget wisely, you can serve an elaborate entrée like French-cut rack of lamb, including perhaps lemon-roasted  potatoes as a side dish, and invite guests to complete the meal with salad or vegetables and a selection of desserts. You’ll end up with a true feast that doesn’t leave scars on your wallet. Consider starting a tradition where you and your friends have a sort of moveable feast, meeting at the host’s house for the entrée and other homes for additional courses. Eat well and enjoy yourself without ending up in the poorhouse.

Now that you’ve got some ideas for getting through the holiday season without overspending, it’s time to cook! See what other cost-saving tips you can employ to make the selection of grocery items a fun and budget-friendly process.

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More about Danielle: Danielle has a weakness for trendy kitchen gadgets and likes to experiment with recipes that challenge her to use new ingredients. Read her blog about cooking and traveling at cooksandtravelbooks.com.

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Kitchen Innovation

Posted on November 1, 2011 by kitchenchat

Guest blog by Danielle from Cooks and Travel Books.

Formerly the “backstage” at dinner parties and home gatherings, the kitchen has become the true gathering space of the home. People are turning their kitchens into really impressive spaces. Now more than ever, companies are using processes like graphic design and rapid prototyping to produce kitchen items that are both functional and elegant. Here are some of the top products on the market in both form and function.

Last year the German company Miele began offering a built-in coffee system. The appliance froths or steams milk for cappuccinos and lattes. It will distribute water for tea or hot chocolate through a separate spout. The machine costs just under $2,000.

The Aga Rayburn oven and range has been a fixture in high-end English homes for ages, but is just now beginning to appear stateside. It looks like an antique throwback but it’s actually a tech wonder. The different cook style takes some getting used to, but it’s perfect for timing all the elements of a dinner. Basically, the oven is always on. The different drawers are for cooking, roasting and warming. Instead of the cook having to alter temperatures, they simply move food items from one drawer to another. The Aga Rayburn also heats the kitchen it’s in, which made it an early commodity in drafty English homes. The Aga Rayburn goes for $8,755-9,795 in the U.S. with two-burners and between $12,500 and $13,500 for a four-burner model.

Many kitchen innovations make people say, “Why didn’t I think of that?!” The Boomerang Wok is one of those inventions. This Wok makes it simple to flip, spin and stir culinary concoctions with flair. With this wok and a little wrist action any chef can easily channel the finesse of a stir-fry master. With a price tag of $100 this little gem doesn’t come near the cost of today’s most expensive wares, but its style certainly keeps it in kind.

Top-level gadgets can get really specific and the Viking EVEWD163SS Plate warming drawer is a great example. The drawer can hold about 57 liters and is 90 centimeters wide. Its task is simple; it takes cold plates and turns them into warm plates. This is perfect for highly temperature sensitive dishes or entertainers that want to take extra steps to produce that restaurant feel. The drawer costs £1739.

More about Danielle: Danielle has a weakness for trendy kitchen gadgets and likes to experiment with recipes that challenge her to use new ingredients. Read her blog about cooking and traveling at cooksandtravelbooks.com.

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Have Grad. Am Sad.

Posted on May 31, 2011 by kitchenchat
Kimberly- Clark’s stock prices should skyrocket because I’m using tons of Kleenex these days.  My oldest daughter, Melissa graduates from high school next Friday.  What has surprised me most about this magnificent milestone is my unexpected sadness.

These past few weeks I have been sorting through unorganized boxes of pictures in a last minute attempt to put together a DVD.  I hope to pack the DVD along with some other special items into a vintage 1950s sky-blue suitcase that Melissa has admired.

This gift of a suitcase is a symbolic blessing of my letting go to let her grow.  Melissa is ready for her journey into adulthood, but I was not prepared for my tears.  I still have so many things that I want to teach her and so many words I still want to say (and admittedly so many words I wish I had never said).

Today I discovered an interesting podcast by Dr. Beth Erickson, host of Relationship 101 on Web Talk Radio. Dr. Beth discusses effective ways to navigate the family life cycle stage of “launching adult children.” She explains that “this triumphant time of graduation is also tinged with sadness” as our children physically leave home.  She assures moms that this feeling of sadness is natural and normal and that we shouldn’t try to brush it aside.  Dr. Beth says we should “feel the feelings, let them dissipate and then they will disappear.”  To proactively deal with the grief that “nothing will ever be the same again,” Dr. Beth suggests we find ways to become our child’s biggest cheerleader.  She reassures us that in time life will “re-stabilize into a new normal.”

So the next time a young toddler smiles at me from a grocery cart seat and waves “bye-bye,” I won’t blink back the tears.  Instead, I will pull the Kleenex from my purse like a rabbit from a hat and sob in the produce aisle.  Please forgive me if any of your plums  taste a bit salty.

Please share your experiences and advice about “launching your adult children.”  I would love to hear from you.

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