Making your Kitchen Holiday Friendly

As the winter begins to set in upon us, eaters of all ages will soon be swarming into their respective kitchens. Grandmothers will invite over their families for holiday meals, college students will cook their pre-packaged dinners before final tests, and industrial-sized kitchens will start cooking up large meals for the masses. But no matter the purpose (or the size) of a kitchen, there’s no denying that holidays change the way we cook. From turkeys to figgy pudding, the heart of the home will soon be seeing a boost in its hours of operation.

But don’t just let your kitchen be the site of seasonal cooking; update its seasonal cheer as well. To help get your kitchen (and yourself) in the winter-y mood, there are a few simple steps to update holiday décor.

Start with your dishes or serving utensils – do you have holiday versions? If so, put them on display for good measure. Use plate racks, utensil bowls, or just glass shelves to help accentuate the holiday theme. Next, look at napkins, place settings, and tablecloths. If you already have a seasonal favorite, great. If not, head to the store and pick one up. Choose a cheap option and line with ribbon or contrasting place mats, or spend a little extra on one you can keep for years to come.

Next, look at more permanent fixtures, such as curtains and appliances. While these items certainly can’t be replaced with a holiday model, they can be upgraded with a few budget-friendly items. Spray fake snow on any windows or appliance doors (microwave, toaster oven, etc. – but be sure to reach before placing on an oven), hang tinsel or ornaments from window hooks, and place personalized or favorite items on sills.

Combine these items with excitement and a cinnamon or peppermint-scented candle and you’re well on your way to owning a holiday-friendly kitchen. Simply prep and enjoy.

Post provided by Marburn.com, your home for quality curtains and décor.

Guest post by Bethaney Wallace

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Growing Trend: Meal Planning

At the end of a busy day, many find themselves too overwhelmed to sit down and plan dinner. Whether it was a full day of work, running errands and tasks, or studying, there simply aren’t enough hours to fit everything in – including rest. To help even stress levels out, a growing number of people are planning their meals in advance. Whether they cook one day a week, set up slow cooker meals, or use leftovers in clever (yet still delicious) combinations, the practice is on the rise.

When considering all of the benefits, however, it’s no surprise why. No prep or cooking on weeknights – or whatever nights you choose to cash in on these pre-planned benefits. Meals are healthier and tastier than boxed or take out alternatives, and this upfront planning can significantly lower grocery bills.

Before considering a meal-planning tactic, check out this overview and decide which method will best work for your schedule.

Slow Cooker Meals

By no means are these “quick,” but the good news is no presence is needed while the cooking process takes place. Prepping a month of meals generally takes an afternoon or two, and then gallon bags of meats, veggies, sauces, and more, can easily be placed into a slow cooker before you head to work. All you have to do is come home to a delicious-smelling meal that took almost no time to prepare. Pair with a salad or side of veggies and you’re set.

Sunday is for Cooking

This method, which takes place on a single afternoon (generally Sunday, although that’s not a requirement), calls for bulk cooking. Meat, veggies, and sides are all prepared within a few hours and then dispersed for the rest of the week. Mixing, matching, and reheating are all that’s needed each evening to enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal.

Calendar Books

Next, by purchasing a shopping guide, all your groceries can be picked up in a single day. These books also come with easy and quick recipes, as well as blank spots to fill in your own favorites. This method calls for quick cookers, but can greatly organize one’s life and grocery shopping habits.

No matter how you choose to prepare dinners, there’s plenty of options available to you through these simple proven options. Just decide which one works best for your schedule and get to work enjoying tasty and time-friendly meals.

Post brought to you by EASupply.com, your source for quality kitchen gear.

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Which is Better for Cookies - Quick Cooking or Old Fashioned Oats?

image source : by kimberlykv on Flickr

From delicious traditional oatmeal cookies to chocolate peanut-butter oatmeal no-bakes, oatmeal makes for delicious cookies. As you plan to bake your next batch, though, you may be wondering which type of oats to use. With both quick cooking and old fashioned varieties widely available at almost any supermarket, is one really better than the other for your cookies?

Understanding the Difference

When companies go to make both quick cooking and old fashioned oats, they remove the hull, then they carefully clean them. From there, they toast them and clean them one more time. They’re called groats at that point. Here, the path for the two different varieties changes a bit. Old fashioned oats are then steamed, and flattened with large rollers. Quick cooking varieties get chopped into much smaller pieces, then steamed and rolled. They get one extra step that helps significantly decrease the cooking time.

Deciding Which to Use

While you can certainly use either type of oats when you’re baking cookies, most cooks prefer to use old-fashioned oats. Because the quick-cooking variety has been cut into much smaller pieces, the texture changes significantly during any kind of cooking process, especially baking. You may find that your oats have a much stickier texture should you choose to use the quick cooking variety. You may also find that you don’t get as much texture with quick cooking oats. Because a nice, chewy texture is almost the hallmark of any traditional oatmeal cookie, substituting quick oats will certainly give you a very different feel, even if it doesn’t give you a different cookie taste.
When most recipes call for oatmeal or “rolled oats,” they traditionally mean old fashioned oats, and other than the texture issue, there’s little reason you can’t substitute quick cooking oats for them. While you’re certain to notice a difference in the way they feel, it won’t affect your flavor.

What About Other Oat Options?

Old fashioned oats and quick cooking oats aren’t the only choices on the market, though. Browse your grocery store shelves, and you’ll likely find options like steel cut oats, Scottish oats, Irish oats, and even instant oats. Wondering what the difference is? Every type undergoes that cleaning step. Then they’re heated in a kiln to about 215 degrees Fahrenheit to help kill the enzymes and make the stable for storage. From there, the changes begin. To make steel-cut oats, or Irish oats, the whole oat groat is chopped with a steel blade. It offers a very chewy texture. Scottish oats take the groats, then grind them into a meal. With that type of oat, you get something that resembles porridge. Instant oats work like old fashioned and quick cooking oats. From there, though, they’re rolled thin, cooked, and re-dried so all you have to do is add hot water.
Unfortunately, if you’re looking for that traditional oatmeal taste and feel in any cookie recipe, none of these varieties will give it to you. While there are a few recipes that were designed specifically for steel cut oats, most traditional recipes use old-fashioned oats as the model.
Image by kimberlykv on Flickr

Pinkchic18 is a baker at heart. She loves to write about cookies and baking. She also regularly contributes to the Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog, where you can order cookie bouquet delivery for any occasion!

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