Quick and Easy - How Crock Pots simplify your hectic life

Imagine getting home from work to the tantalizing smell of dinner, ready to dish out, hot and delicious. For a busy working mom, corporate couple or live-alone single, that's a dream that doesn't seem likely, unless you can afford your own chef. But it's not unattainable. All you need is one handy-dandy little appliance that will simplify your life and have you dishing up your dinner before you even kick off your good shoes.

They're an old stand-by from the 70s, and they're making a huge comeback. Crock pots, also known as slow cookers, are one of the handiest tools for a busy working woman - or man, for that matter. With a crock pot, you can spend ten minutes of prep time before you leave for work in the morning, flip it on, and return home in the evening to a fully cooked meal - nutritious, delicious and far less expensive than takeout.

I grew up with a crock pot in the house, but it was seldom used. My grandmother was home full time, and it was far more common for her to slow cook on top of the stove. When I moved out on my own, those delicious slow-simmered dishes that were a staple of my diet were out of reach. I didn't have time to stay at home and stir the pot. I turned to convenience meals and microwave cookery, but I missed the wonderful meals I grew up with - coq au vin, slow simmered spaghetti sauce, beef stew, stewed chicken and baked beans.

That all changed when I discovered a recipe for ‘Mom's Busy Day Chicken' in a recipe book offered by, of all places, the La Leche League. The recipe was incredibly simple - just put one cut up chicken in a crock pot, add two cans of stewed tomatoes and an onion, and flip the crock pot to low, and then walk away for six to eight hours. I was skeptical, but I tried it - and the results quickly became a family favorite. The chicken was tender enough to fall off the bone, and flavored through and through with spices and tomato sauce. The sauce was thickened and perfect for spooning over rice or pasta and best of all, it was nutritious and healthy.

Why is crock pot cooking so great?

1.You don't have to watch the pot.
They say a watched pot never boils - neither does a crock pot. When you set the crock pot's temperature to low, you can be sure that the food inside will cook at temperatures low enough to avoid overcooking, and high enough to prevent the formation of harmful bacteria.

2.Ten minutes in the morning makes a home-cooked meal in the evening.
Prep time for crock pot cooking is almost none. Cut up your ingredients, add them to the pot, cover it and walk away. The most elaborate recipes may require that you cut things uniformly or that you layer ingredients in a particular order, but all it takes is a few minutes in the morning, and you'll come home to a home-cooked meal at the end of the day.

3.Cleanup is quick and easy!
Crock pots used to be a real hassle to clean, but no more. Today's crock pots feature removable liners so washing the pot is as simple as washing a dish. Just lift out the liner and wash. You can even put most in the dishwasher. In addition, slow cooking means no crusty crud to scrub off.

4.Convenient features let you time things perfectly.
One of the drawbacks of crockpot cooking used to be overcooking. Let that meat simmer too long, and you ended up with unpalatable mush. Today's crock pots feature timers that turn the crock pot off when it's time, or lower the temperature when needed.

5.Slow cookers are energy efficient.
What? You thought that leaving your slow cooker plugged in and cooking all day was a waste of energy? Think again. A crock pot uses wraparound heat to cook the food, without wasting all the heat that would simmer away in an oven or stove top. You actually use less energy.

If you have a slow cooker tucked away somewhere, pull it out and give it a try. You'll find dozens of recipes that break the traditional "mushy" meals syndrome that has given crock pots a bad name. Test a few, and you'll find yourself upgrading to a new family friendly model so you can treat your family to wonderful, tasty, home cooked meals with almost no effort.

cooking games

Every time you eat out, you notice the quality of the service you’ve received. If your waitress is excellent, you leave an especially large tip. If your service is poor, the tip suffers. It makes one think that waitressing might just be a great opportunity for making some extra cash this summer. But watching someone else work the room taking orders and delivering drinks is certainly not the same as doing it yourself. Would you be a good waitress? Only you know for sure.

Are you friendly? Nobody likes a moody, dark girl delivering their food. If you sneer and whine at the customers they might wonder just how competent you are at your job. They may even wonder if you’ve done something nasty to their order. You don’t have to become Little Miss Ray of Sunshine, but the friendlier you are, the more likely customers will be pleased with your service.

If you’re friendly, you’ll also get along better with everyone around you. Normally this might not be a big deal in your little world, but you often wind up sharing sections or needing help when waiting tables. If everyone hates you because you’re so rude or standoffish, they won’t be running to help you bring over heaping trays when you’re under the gun.

Do you know the basics? Naturally any restaurant will want things done in a certain way, but you should know the basics of food service and waiting tables before you step in the door to apply. If you are pretty clueless as to how to serve tables with food and drinks, you can learn the ropes and practice your memory skills by playing waitress games online.

Waitress games can show you just how intense waiting tables can be and just what you have to go through sometimes for those tips. You’ll also have a chance to experience time crunches and complex orders that have to be delivered just so. It can be grueling work, but it also has some financial gain if done really well.

Do you like people? You can be the friendliest person in the world, but if you can’t stand people who aren’t in your circle of friends or you don’t deal well with rude or insensitive individuals, working this close to the public probably isn’t right for you. We would hope that everyone would be pleasant to the help, but we know this isn’t the case.

Some people will be flat out rude and others will expect service that is simply beyond a normal human’s ability. And through it all you have to smile, be courteous and pretend like everything is going swimmingly – even when you’d really like to dump a pitcher of ice water in someone’s lap. Can you handle yourself when the going gets rough? Hopefully you’ll never have to really find out.

Gourmet Cooking Can Be Fun

Gourmet cooking can be fun and easy if you understand some basic principles about how to prepare food. Remember that less is always better than more. I have found that when adding multiple seasonings or multiple spices of different types in one dish can take away a lot of the natural taste of the foods. Sometimes just adding a little lemon on chicken can taste a lot better than multiple spices and seasonings. Try testing this out with the foods you usually prepare and see which one taste the best.

Cooking temperatures also make a big difference on the quality of the meal. Use 2 or 3 timers if necessary and always prepare your vegetables ahead of time before starting to cook. Understand and read everything in the recipe before starting and of course have all the ingredients ready before you begin.

The best way to find great ideas on recipes is right here on the Internet. There is no need to buy cookbooks any more with all of the free articles available. Always never be afraid to experiment with different ideas. This is how lots of recipes have been created.

Remember to always start small. Try learning a particular recipe and cooking it over and over again for the next few months. This way you can experiment with different ideas on what will taste the best. Within no time you’ll have it down and you’ll create the confidence you’ll need to create other new dishes.

Gourmet cooks didn’t become that way over night. It takes lots of practice and sometimes a few bad meals along the way to get the hang of it. Just don’t give up and you’ll be the talk of the town in no time.

Dessert Suggestions For Cooking With Artificial Sweeteners

Looking for some dessert suggestions that use artificial sweeteners? From ice cream to cake and everything in between, artificial sweeteners can help you reduce the sugar content and enjoy your sweets without the glycemic load incurred by sugar. What's for dinner tonight? How about adding one of these dessert suggestions to your menu?

Frozen Desserts

Some artificial sweeteners do not bear up well under heat, so they are not a good choice for baked desserts - but they are the ideal choice for no-cook and frozen desserts that need sweetening. Here are three recipes for frozen desserts using artificial sweeteners that your family will love.

Strawberry Smoothie
10-12 large frozen strawberries
1 ½ cups of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 packet of artificial sweetener
Sugar free whipped cream (below)

Put all ingredients in the blender and whirl at medium-low until all ingredients are blended and strawberries are completely crushed. Pour into a dessert glass or milkshake glass and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Eat with a spoon or sip through a straw and enjoy!

Vanilla Ice Milk
Gelatin adds body to this simple dessert for vanilla ice milk. Egg substitute means that you do not have to worry about raw eggs in the mix and the artificial sweetener reduces the calories and prevents the sugar spike that you'd get with a sugar-sweetened dessert.

2 ¼ cups cold skim or 1% milk
1 cup of nonfat dry milk
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
4 oz. egg substitute
5 teaspoons of artificial sweetener
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. lemon or almond extract

Pour skim milk into a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Allow gelatin to soften for a few minutes, and then stir mixture over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool quickly by placing saucepan into a bowl of ice water.

While milk is cooling, combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor until well-blended. Add cooled milk-gelatin mixture and blend for a few seconds longer. Chill in refrigerator till very cold. When ready to freeze ice cream, blend mixture for a few seconds, then pour through a strainer into ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer's directions to freeze ice cream. Makes 1 quart of vanilla ice milk.

Sugar Free Whipped Cream
1 pint whipping cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
5-6 teaspoons of artificial sweetener to taste

Chill bowl and beaters in freezer before whipping cream.
Pour very cold whipping cream into chilled bowl.
Beat with chilled beaters until cream begins to thicken.
Slowly add artificial sweetener and vanilla while continuing to whip cream.
Continue to whip cream until stiff peaks form.

Candy Treats

Want a sweet, crunchy, melt in your mouth treat to kill the craving for sugar? Try these sugar free meringues - they're quick and easy and very light in calories and carbs!

Sugar Free Meringues
2 egg whites
½ teaspoon flavored extract (vanilla, strawberry, peppermint or other desired flavor)
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
2-3 packets of artificial sweetener

Make sure that beaters and metal bowl are completely grease free. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar together in deep bowl on low speed until foamy. Once the eggs are foamy, add artificial sweetener and flavored extract and continue beating on medium until the mixture is fluffy. Switch to high speed and continue beating until egg whites form stiff peaks.

Drop egg white mixture by teaspoonfuls on a cookie sheet lined with brown paper or foil. Leave about ½ inch between meringue drops. Bake at 300 degrees for ten minutes, or until meringues are lightly browned. Keep in an airtight container.

Sugar Free Key Lime Pie
Key lime pie is one of the staples of the Southern dessert menu - but it's so very high in sugar. Here's a sugar free alternative using artificial sweetener.

Filling:
1 packet unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons of lime juice
½ cup boiling water
9 packets of heat stable artificial sweetener
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of 1 ½ limes
Green food coloring

For crust:
1 9-inch graham cracker crust
Lime zest
Thin lime slices for garnish


Sprinkle gelatin over lime juice in a small bowl and let soften for 1 minute. Add boiling water and sweetener to mixture and stir till gelatin is dissolved. Refrigerate until slightly thickened.

Put milk and vanilla in small deep bowl and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form. Stir juice from fresh limes into whipped milk. Add two drops of green food coloring.

Blend gelatin mixture into whipped milk at low speed, or fold in gently. Spoon filling into crust and chill in refrigerator until firm. Garnish with lime slices and lime zest.

Easy Recipes For People On The Move

Are you one of those busy people who never has time for a good, home-cooked meal? Do you tend to grab a burger or taco instead of a real meal because the fast food joint is "on the way"? If you're one of the millions of people who never seem to have time to cook, a repertoire of quick and easy recipes and a single great appliance can make a huge difference in your life.

The GT Xpress 101 is an indoor grill that bills itself as a sandwich maker, dessert maker and meal maker. The ads for the countertop grill say that it will revolutionize the way that you cook. For the busy, on-the-move individual, that claim is not far from the truth. Here are just a handful of recipes for busy people who skip breakfast, eat fast food for lunch and pull a microwave meal out of the freezer for dinner. Just wait till you see what you can do in just eight minutes.

Breakfast - the most important meal of the day

Too many busy people skip breakfast in the rush to get out the door to work in the morning. The GT Xpress can make it easy for you to eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast to fuel your workday the right way. Because there's no need to stand over a skillet to flip pancakes or stir eggs, you can preheat the grill, add ingredients, and hop in the shower. By the time you get out, breakfast will be ready to eat - and you'll still be out the door on time.

Parmesan Bagel Bake

Much tastier than the usual fast-food breakfast bagel - and a whole lot less expensive

• 1 mini onion bagel


• 1 egg


• salt to taste


• pepper to taste


• ½ tablespoons tarragon


• 1 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 tablespoons shredded Provolone cheese

Preheat the GT Xpress. Place one half of the onion bagel in one well in the GT Xpress. Scramble egg and beat in salt, pepper, tarragon and Parmesan cheese, then pour over bagel. Top with Provolone cheese and cover with other half of the bagel. Close top and cook for 10 minutes. Take the opportunity to put on your makeup or run a brush through your hair - it's easy to multi-task.

Breakfast Burrito

1 egg, beaten

2 pre-cooked breakfast sausages, sliced or broken into pieces

1 slice American cheese

¼ cup diced peppers

¼ cup diced onions

1 flour tortilla

Cooking spray

Spray top and bottom cooking surface with non-stick spray. Fit tortilla into one well in the GT Xpress allowing half the tortilla to lap over the side. Add onions, peppers and sausage. Pour egg over vegetables and sausage. Top with cheese slice. Fold tortilla over. Close cover and cook for 8 minutes.

Take-along Lunches

Instead of running through a drive-through for lunch, take a few minutes to make a quick sandwich in the GT Xpress to pack and take along. Or get a little fancy and bring something to heat in the office microwave. Try one of these recipes for something special at lunch.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Wrap

½ boneless chicken breast

1 slice Swiss cheese

1 slice baked ham

1 tortilla wrap

Cut a slice into the side of the chicken breast to create a pocket. Fold swiss cheese and slice of ham into the pocket. Press the chicken breast together and fit into one well in the GT Xpress. Close top and cook for twenty minutes. When done, wrap burrito style in tortilla wrap and pack for lunch in insulated lunch bag.

Bacon and Swiss Stuffed Baby Bella Mushroom Caps

2 slices cooked bacon

½ ounce of shredded Swiss cheese

1 finely chopped scallion

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1 tablespoon Ranch dressing

6 Baby Bella mushroom caps

Combine everything but the mushroom caps and mix well. Place 3 mushroom caps in each well. Top with bacon mixture. Close cover and cook for five minutes. Open and allow to cool before wrapping for lunch. Add a six ounce cup of yogurt and a bottled water or juice for a gourmet lunch at the office.

Gourmet Dinner on the Fly

How often do you skip dinner or order a pizza because it takes too much time to cook something fancy? The GT Xpress makes it easy to cook delicious, fresh dinners for one, two or a crowd - without heating up your kitchen or dirtying pots and pans. Next time you're in the mood for something healthy, fresh and delicious, try one of these recipes.

Seafood Stuffed Salmon

2 salmon fillets

2/3 cup shredded crabmeat or chopped shrimp

½ cup shredded spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Slice partway through each salmon fillet to create a pocket for stuffing. Mix crabmeat and spinach together. Season with salt and pepper. Fill each salmon pocket with stuffing mixture. Brush the well and top surface of grill with olive oil and fit one salmon fillet into each one. Cook 6 to 8 minutes.

Keep These Baking Supplies in the Kitchen

Are you a serious baker? Do you love trying new cake and cookie recipes? Do you need or want to reduce sugar in your cooking?

If you would like to be able to try new recipes when you find them without having to run out to the supermarket for supplies, you need to put some thought into keeping a well-stocked pantry. Here is a list of important baking supplies to keep in the kitchen, especially if you are cooking with reduced sugar or sugar substitutes. Keep these baking supplies on hand and you will always be ready to try that great recipe you just found online.

It is important to note that there are different types of flour, including unbleached all-purpose flour, cake flour, rye flour and whole wheat flour. Each kind of flour has slightly different properties and flavors, and the more you look the more you will find recipes that call for specific types of flour when you use sugar substitutes.

A variety of sugar substitutes may be used in different recipes. Each of the most common sugar substitutes has specific properties when it comes to baking. Some will be good for baking; others better for use in cold desserts. In a nutshell, these are the most common sweeteners and their distinguishing characteristics:

• Sweet One (Acesulfame-k) does not lose sweetness in baking. One packet has the sweetening power of two teaspoons of sugar, and about 4 calories. Twelve packets is the equivalent of one cup of sugar.



• Equal (aspartame) loses sweetness when baked at high temperatures for long periods. It can be added at the end of cooking, in stir fries or in cold desserts. Equal has four calories per packet, and twenty four packets are the equivalent of one cup of sugar. You can also use Equal Spoonful which can be used spoon for spoon to replace sugar in recipes that are not heated at high temperatures.



• Splenda (sucralose) has no calories and can be used spoon for spoon just like sugar. However, it may not do well in recipes that rely on sugar for structure. It will be fine in most cold desserts or used as a sweetener in dressings, sauces and fruit dishes.



• Sweet 'N' Low (saccharin) can be used spoon for spoon just like sugar and does not lose sweetness when subjected to high temperatures. It has approximately four calories per packet.



• Brown Sweet 'N' Low has twenty calories per teaspoon and can be used in place of brown sugar. It will not break down or lose sweetness when baked.

Other common ingredients for recipes should also be kept in your kitchen for use at a moment’s notice. All of the following items can add tasty flavor and texture to your regular and reduced-sugar dishes.

Spices are among the most important ingredients to keep on hand when you're cutting back on sugar in your baking. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice are the bare minimum for sweet cooking, but don't overlook savory spices in dessert. Dried herbs like peppermint are another staple for your no-added-sugar cupboard.

Unsweetened cocoa powder is a good staple to keep in your kitchen cupboard. It is a great way to add and enhance flavors in cakes, cookies and other recipes. Instant coffee granules are another important flavor enhancer. Use instant coffee to enhance the flavor of chocolate, especially when you reduce the sugar used in baking.

Vanilla extract is not the only liquid extract you should have on hand when baking with low sugar. Vanilla heightens sweetness, so it is a great addition to cake and cookie recipes when you want to make them seem sweeter. Other extracts that enhance sweetness include almond, orange and lemon extracts.

Honey, molasses and corn syrup can be used in moderation to sweeten recipes, but keep in mind that they have very different properties and flavors in baking. Honey and molasses also add a distinctive flavor to recipes.

Unsweetened fruit juices, including apple juice, prune juice, pineapple juice and grape juice can replace some of the water called for in many recipes and reduce the amount of sugar required at the same time.

Applesauce is an absolute must in your sugar-free baking pantry. It can replace both part of the sugar and part of the fat in many fruit bread and cake recipes. Canned pumpkin, squash and sweet potato puree can be used in the same way as applesauce in many recipes that call for sugar and fat. Surprisingly, they blend well with many flavors.

Evaporated skim milk makes a quick substitute for whipped cream with far less fat. Chill well, add sugar substitute and whip it until spoonable.

Dried fruits, raisins and prunes are great additions to cakes and breads, and can add sweetness and flavor when you cut back on sugar. Similarly, peanut butter, almond paste, sunflower seeds, tahini, walnuts and almonds can add flavor and texture to all of your recipes.

As you get more experienced in baking with low sugar and reduced fat, you will start finding your own combinations and substitutes. Before you know it, you will be converting recipes without even thinking about it.