Toaster Oven Talk

Once upon a time, before the existence of microwave ovens, people used a little invention called the toaster oven. Recently when our microwave decided to make its journey to Silicone Heaven we hit the store to buy a new one and found them sitting next to some toaster ovens. We'd been mulling over the idea of going with a toaster oven when our microwave and toaster died but now we were faced with that decision. I mean sure you can make something super hot super fast with a microwave but you mostly get rubberized food with all the flavor nuked out. With a toaster oven you can do pretty much whatever you would with a regular oven except you wouldn't raise the temperature of your kitchen which means if you get tired of grilling all the time this summer and start jonesing for a winter favorite, there's your trusty toaster oven for all your baking needs! Since picking up our toaster oven we've toasted things, made pizza, baked ziti, chicken wrapped in bacon and reheated leftovers.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with a traditional Sunday roast but in the meantime I'll be trying recipes and seeing what works and what doesn't. So far the only thing I can't do with a toaster oven is make popcorn, but I'm working on it:)

In the meantime, for anyone out there who have a toaster oven collecting dust or have been considering buying one. Here are some recipes to try:

Cannelloni

prep: 10 min, cook: 10min

10-12 pieces round

dumpling wrappers

3 oz. red pasta sauce

3 Cups ricotta cheese

2 Tbs heavy cream

2 tsp grated mozzarella

1Tbs olive oil

green vegetables or meat of choice

Bring a pan of water to a boil and reduce heat. Add wrappers individually, for 10 seconds at a time and spread them out (they will be sticky). Fill them with sauce and steamed vegetables or meat of choice, fold over. Spread olive oil onto a heatproof dish. Combine cheese and cream, pour it over the folded wraps. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake in toaster oven for 10 minutes, until slightly browned.

Good Housekeeping has lots of great recipes including this one for Maple-Glazed Sausages and Figs and Big Oven has a terrific selection of toaster oven recipes including this one for Stuffed Chicken Breasts!

That's about it for this week except to announce my Christmas in July craft fair has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Oh well, guess I'll stick with Etsy and 1000 Markets for the time being. Next week I hope to announce my membership with a local Arts Group and dates of a rrrrreally big shoe (ok, ok, bad Ed Sullivan impression)! Chow for now!

A challenge on this the second day of summer...

Psst, see the comic strip above? It's a new feature of my blog and every week you'll see a new cartoon depicting a humorous but true adventure in the kitchen with "In The Weeds." Enjoy!

This morning I turned on the news to hear experts say knocking back multiple cups of coffee can fight certain types of Cancer, however, this afternoon these same experts say all that coffee from this morning can make you fat! Of course why worry about coffee affecting your waistline when you have this to contend with!

Yep, that's right folks Friendly's has decided to join the multiple attempts by fast food establishments to assassinate real cooking with a deluxe burger sandwiched between well, two grilled cheese sandwiches! The Epicurean inside of me gave a little gasp and began weeping when I saw this although not nearly as much as when KFC's latest monstrosity came out. Still, I don't get how Friendly's gastronomic disaster has almost twice as many calories as a "sandwich" made from two greasy pieces of fried chicken with two pieces of cheese, strips of bacon and some kind of mayonnaise sauce between them! I find myself laughing when I think of how not too long ago McDonald's and other fast food restaurants were forced to kill the super size options on their menu for cries of obesity, lawsuits yadda yadda yadda and yet as fast food "restaurants" leap at us with increasingly larger and more disgusting "sandwiches" I hear nothing but crickets. Is it because they're too busy wretching and twitching from grease and fat overload? While I do, on limited occasion, visit my local fast food chain (there are seven on my block alone) I recognize that these places are destroying American palettes. We spoke to someone just today who will be visiting friends in Europe for two weeks but admitted to being afraid of the cultures she'll be experiencing. We urged her not to be frightened and to try all the new dishes that will come before her! There are two things hubby and I detest in our travels, 1. Americans visiting a foreign country who yell in English REALLY REALLY LOUD LIKE VOLUME WILL SUDDENLY MAKE A NATIVE OF FRANCE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ASK THEM.

2. People who visit foreign countries but will only visit establishments that are familiar to them. Why bother spending thousands of dollars to have the same experiences you can get at home for free? And sorry folks, Americans are NOT the only people guilty of this, nearly every country out there has people like this!

On this second official day of summer I know nearly everybody out there is in vacation mode. So whether you're travelling out of the country, around the country, across the country or just another part of the state, experiment! Every region has its own tastes and culinary delights. If you come across a local favorite, give it a try! Scarf down a Whoopie Pie, chow down on that Philly Cheese steak, indulge in good ole fashioned BBQ in a different part of the country than your own and snack on some Rocky Mountain Oysters... yeah, I know what they are but millions of people descend on Montana in August for them every year so they must be doing something right;) Even if you're too broke or busy to take a vacation this year, include a new area restaurant in your staycation. Challenge yourselves this summer by staying away from the local fast food joint and treat your tastebuds to something that isn't greasy, gooey, and dipped in fat... unless of course you're talking about a nice slice of NYC pizza or a deep fried Milky Way! Chow for now!

Psst, Hey New England crafters, c'mere!

Greetings all!

I'm back and rested from visiting family back home. It was good to see everyone again after so long and I found myself chuckling as I watched my little nephews and cousins running around and being yelled at by the same people who less than 20 years ago were the ones running around and being yelled at! By the way, while I'm on the subject if you're passing through New England and need a quick bite for lunch the Gulf Express station along Route 84 near the border of Connecticut and Massachussetts has THE best turkey and cheese sandwiches I've ever had in life! I don't know what they do to them, maybe it's the bread they use or the mayonnaise or even the type of deli meat and cheese or maybe it's all of the above but we found the place when we first went house hunting in Maine last year and the sandwich tasted so good I nearly crashed the car in surprise he he

Speaking of New England, this is a reminder to all crafters in the area that I'm setting up a Christmas in July Craft Fair and need vendors! The fair will be July 17-18 9am-4pm at the McKeen Street Rec center, 12 Windorf Circle, Brunswick. Items do not have to be Christmas/holiday related. Advertisement for the fair will be viaFacebook, Twitter, 1000 Markets, Cafe Handmade, Diva Cafe and Craigslist online and posters for everyone to display in their area. Set up is Friday evening and Saturday at 7am for those who can't make it Friday. Chairs are available but tables are limited so please bring your own if you have one (let me know if you don't). Spaces are 8x8 for $5 payable by clicking the Buy Now button to the top left of your screen (if you don't have or wish to use a Paypal account you can still pay with a credit or debit card with this button). If you have any questions contact Miranda at culinarychiqconcepts@gmail.com.

Finally, I know I haven't posted any new candles lately but I'm diligently working on some new items for Fall and hope to unveil some of them in time for the craft fair. Items to look forward to include tarts, glassless votives, brand new dessert and beverage candles, some old favorites with a new holiday twist and my favorite Halloween creation, the Boo Kitty! Those of you who have been around from the beginning are familiar with my adorable plush kitty cat with attitude but to those of you who are just joining us or are newly familiar with Culinarychiq Concepts, Boo Kitty will be a pleasant surprise and makes an adorable gift!

That's about it for this week except to say if you're still on the look out for that perfect gift for dad, why not pick up a Bacon Candle? Men and meat go together like, well, ham and eggs! My high quality soy wax Bacon Candle comes in 6, 8 and 10 oz jars with lids hand painted to resemble strips of streaky bacon and give off the smoky meaty scent of real bacon. If meat isn't his thing I also have exclusive Maple Syrup candles and candles that blend bacony goodness with sweet maple decadence and the tart citrus fragrance of Orange Juice. If dad's a foodie or just really enthusiastic about his ice cream, baked desserts or a certain alcoholic beverage, you'll find something unique that he'll just love at Culinarychiq Concepts, Foodie Tees and Foodie Shoppe! Chow for now!

Shop Talk

Greetings to all! This week I've been a busy bee expanding the concepts part of Culinarychiq Concepts. Don't worry, I'm still making my unique soy candles but I've also decided it was time to get into the apparel game. Now you can get buttons, mugs, bags and baseball caps with food pun cartoons as well as T-shirts and tanks for the entire family including the dog! Choose from Snow Pea, Chickpea, Black-eyed Pea, Deviled Egg, Milkman and Milkmaid. Also launching this week will be Deviled Ham, Butterfly, French Bread, Collie Flower (Cauliflower) and Broccoli Rob (broccoli rabe). For shirts and decorative buttons visit my Spreadshirt shop, Foodie Tees and for mugs, bags, baseball caps and other goodies visit my shop on Cafe Press called Foodie Shop.

Attention Maine and New England crafters! I'm setting up a Christmas in July Craft Fair and want you to display your talent and wares! The fair will be July 17-18 9am-4pm at the McKeen Street Rec center, 12 Windorf Circle, Brunswick. Items do not have to be Christmas/holiday related. Advertisement for the fair will be via Facebook, Twitter, 1000 Markets, Cafe Handmade, Diva Cafe and Craigslist online and posters for everyone to display in their area. Set up is Friday evening and Saturday at 7am for those who can't make it Friday. Chairs are available but tables are limited so please bring your own if you have one (let me know if you don't). Spaces are 8x8 for $5 or a potluck dish for customers to snack on while they browse. If you're paying in cash instead of food click the Buy Now button to the top left of your screen (if you don't have or wish to use a Paypal account you can still pay with a credit or debit card with this button). If you have any questions contact Miranda at culinarychiqconcepts@gmail.com.

That's it for now except to say Culinarychiq Concepts will be in vacation mode Thursday June 10th until Tuesday June 14th while I spend some time visiting the family:) I will still be checking my email periodically during that time so if you'd like to place an order or have questions about an order feel free to contact me. Foodie Tees and Foodie Shop will remain open during this time. Have a great week everyone, stay cool and safe. Chow for now!