Helpful Websites

Epicurious 

This website is wonderful.  You will learn so much from visiting epicurious.com including which ice you should use for our cocktails.  Epicurious has hundreds of recipes to pick from.  I love how their recipes are organized based on different things such as quick and easy, seasonal cooking, and healthy cooking.  This makes finding the perfect recipe really easy.  I also like the articles and guides section of this website.  There are tons of articles and guides that are also categorized by things such as holidays and parties, everyday cooking, healthy cooking, and how to cook.  These articles and guides are very helpful and come in quite handy if I do say so myself.  There are also technique videos that show you how to do different things.  This website will definitely be one you will want to visit.

 

The link below will take you to the website

 

Epicurious

 

 

Williams Sonoma

 This website has huge selections of cookware.  Everything you will need to cook can be found on this website.  There are many different types of cookware you can pick from.  What I like about this site is that each product comes with videos and reviews.  These make picking the best cookware a lot easier.  Not only will you find cookware, but you will also find things to help organize your kitchen and make your kitchen one of your favorite rooms in the house.  There are so many wonderful products, you will want to buy them all!  Whether you are looking for a specific pot or pan, or looking to re do your entire kitchen, this is the place to go.

 

The link below will take you to the website

 

Williams Sonoma

 

 

Crock-Pot 

Making a great homemade meal does not mean you have to cook it right before you are about to eat.  Making meals in the crock pot saves a lot of time and it is very easy to put everything in the crock pot in the morning and forget about it until you are ready to eat.  Crock-Pot’s website is wonderful for finding recipes for the crock-pot.  These recipes are delicious and  the instructions are great.  This website offers hundreds of recipes for main dishes, dips, appetizers, desserts, and many more.  If you want a great meal that you just throw in the crock-pot and forget about it, this website is just for you.

 

The link below will take you to the website

 

Crock-Pot

Newly Found Blogs

Simply Recipes    

I have found another blog that I really enjoy.  Simply Recipes is a family food blog that includes tons of easy to follow recipes.  Elise Bauer is the writer of the blog and she shares her family recipes and of which many of them her and her family have created themselves. 

 

As you all know, I love blogs that include pictures!  Simply Recipes has a ton of pictures for each recipe.  These pictures are what draw me in and get me interested in the meal.  When I am looking through the directions on how to cook the meal there are step by step pictures that help me get a feel of what to expect when I make the meal myself.  I often times find myself going back and looking at these pictures when I am cooking the meal to make sure I am doing everything right and it all looks right. 

 

Another thing I like about Simply Recipes is that it is “simply recipes.”  I do not have to worry about all the other information on the blog because Simply Recipes just has recipes.  And to top it off the recipes are categorized by the type.  If I am looking for a meal that includes pork all I have to do is click on the pork button and a whole list of recipes involving pork shows up.

 

I think this blog will be very helpful for anyone who is looking for new recipes.  Not only are there hundreds of recipes available, but the instructions are very easy to follow.

 

To follow Simply Recipes click on the link  Simply Recipes

 

 

FN Dish

Another blog I recently started to follow is FN Dish which is a blog for the Food Network.  I have always enjoyed watching the Food Network and now I have the chance to follow their blog.  I must say, this is not my favorite blog, but I still enjoy it.  The recipes available on the blog are great, but they do not have pictures to help you with the recipe.  Don’t get me wrong, the recipes are great, but not having pictures throughout the steps makes me question if I am doing everything right. 

 

I also like that FN Dish posts different blogs about foods to eat and how to eat healthy.  These are good to read and help me gain more knowledge about food and eating healthy. 

 

To follow this blog click on the link FN Dish

 

My Life Runs on Food  

 

The third blog I have found recently is My Life Runs on Food.  This blog is well written and has wonderful recipes.  This blog do not only have food recipes, but there are also different recipes for drinks and delicious desserts.  The best part about this blog is these recipes are healthier recipes.  These days I am trying to cook healthier and this blog helps me find healthier recipes.  Sanura Weathers, writer of My Life Runs on Food, explains how to make well balanced meals.  Sanura knows that making homemade meals is not easy especially with everyone’s busy schedules, but she teaches her followers how to make these healthy, balanced, meals even when you have a busy schedule. 

 

To follow this blog click on the link My Life Runs on Food

5 Things you should NOT do when learning to cook

When you start learning to cook it can be very intimidating and you don’t know where to start or what to avoid.  Listed below is a list of what you should not do when you are learning to cook.

 

·         Start with a hard, complicated recipe- start with a simple recipe and ease your way up to the harder, more complicated.  It will take time, but be patient

·         Give up if you fail- no one is perfect, everyone fails every once in a while.  When you start learning how to cook things will be new to you so chances are your meals won’t turn out perfect the first time around.  Just keep trying and do not give up.

·         Pick a recipe that has a lot of ingredients you do not like-if there are a lot of ingredients in a recipe you do not like chances are you will not like the end result of the meal.  This also goes for not making a meal if the main ingredient is one you do not like.

·         Expect to be a professional cook right away- learning to cook takes time and practice.  You will not be a professional cook after just a few lessons.

·         Don’t quit!  Cooking is very easy and fun if you just give it a try.  Once you know the basics of cooking it gets easier.  All you have to do is try new things and keep practicing and you will continue to get better

 

If you follow these 5 things you should not do when you start learning to cook you should be good!

Cooking for the Holidays

Fourth of July just passed and I thought it would be a good idea to talk about holiday meals.  We kept it easy this Fourth of July by just doing hamburgers and hot dogs, but if you are hosting the party for the holidays you might want to impress the guest by making something homemade.  This always pleases the guests and makes you a great party host.  But it can be very stressful for you.  The holidays alone can be stressful, but making a homemade meal for a crowd can definitely make you crazy.
 

First off, when hosting a party I do not recommend trying a new recipe.  When you try a new recipe for the first time you might run in to some problems including not liking the ending result.  For this reason I suggest making a meal you have already made before and you feel comfortable making. 

The next step is to sit down and decide on the menu for the party.  Are you just making the main course? Or will you be making appetizers, sides, and desserts?  Remember, do not over do it.  If you plan on going all out I recommend making things that can be made a few days ahead or getting some people to help you with all the cooking. 

Once you figure out what you will be making determine how many people you will be serving and make a list of all the ingredients you will need and how much you will need.   

Now make a plan on when each part of the meal is going to be made.  Determine how long each meal takes and decide when you should start each part of the meal so everything finishes around the same time. 

The most important part of cooking for the holidays is to not over do it.  If you plan to cook too much you will stress yourself out and ruin the holidays for yourself.  Plan a simple meal and make sure you plan everything out ahead of time and you should be good for the holidays.

14 things learned from ACC255

14 Things I learned from ACC255

 

Before taking ACC255 I did not know that much about websites or blogs.  I use the internet all the time, but I have never created a blog or a website.  Over the last 4 weeks I have learned all about creating a website and a blog.  Eventually I would like to open my own bakery or catering business.  Knowing how to create a website will be very helpful.  I would like my business to have a website so my customers can learn more about my company and possible order off my website.  I am not sure if I will continue to blog, but I will definitely follow other peoples blogs because I have found it very interesting keeping up with others blogs.

 

Below are 14 things I learned in the last 4 weeks of ACC255.

 

1.      How to create a meaningful website

2.      How to create a blog

3.      How to post to a blog and how long blog posts should be

4.      How to add links to a website and to a blog

5.      How to add a contact to your website or blog so you do not receive spam to your email

6.      Why having a pen name is a good idea

7.      How to add page counters to your website so you can track how many times each page is viewed.

8.      When writing a blog you should write it as if you are talking to the readers in person.

9.      You can add donation pages to a blog or website so your readers can donate to you or the company.

10.  How to put advertisements on your website and blog

11.  That you can get paid to put advertisements on your website or blog

12.  Having a sneeze page is something a blog should have to help keep track of the important posts

13.  Recommending other blogs or websites that are in your niche will show your readers that you are not just about yourself, but you in fact follow other bloggers to gain more knowledge

14.  You can track the traffic on your website or blog using different softwares

Must Buy Products

Logo Apron 

This apron is a must have for any cook.  When you are cooking it is almost impossible to stay clean.  You never know when a pot of spaghetti sauce is going to bubble and splatter all over the place, including your clothes!  This apron is great for staying clean while cooking.  

The apron comes in multiple sizes and colors so everyone will be happy with their apron.  This apron is also stain resistant which means you don’t have to worry if hard to get out foods spill on it.  Being stain resistant also means that your apron will always be clean (when you put it on that is) and you won’t have to worry about your guests seeing a stained apron on you.

 

 Logo Container 

Having the Logo Container is a great addition to the kitchen.  Having containers filled with commonly used ingredients makes using these ingredients easier to get to.  I like filling my containers with sugar, flour, and brown sugar.  I also use these containers for keeping my extra garlic cloves in a sealed container so they last longer and don’t make the whole kitchen smell like garlic. 

The Logo Containers are air tight sealed which helps make the ingredients last longer.  This is what I love about the containers.  Knowing my ingredients are being stored nicely and are always conveniently on the counter for  easy use makes cooking a lot easier.

 

Logo Cutting Board 

Cutting boards are a must have in the kitchen.  Every cook will need to cut different ingredients for their meals such as meats, vegetables, and fresh herbs.  The Logo Cutting Board is the perfect cutting board to use to cut all these ingredients.   

The Logo Cutting Board comes in multiple sizes which is great for using it for small cutting tasks or large cutting tasks.  The cutting board is also glass which means it can be washed in the dishwasher.  Being class also means that it is safer for cutting meats.  The glass surface prevents the liquids from the meats from soaking in the board and contaminating other foods cut on the cutting board.

 

All three of these products are a must have in the kitchen.  These three products will help make cooking easier and cleaner. Below is a link that will take you to all three of these products

 

Must Buy Products

Product Recommendations

Real Food University   

Real Food University  is a great site and cookbook that I found very useful when I started cooking.  Real Food University  is the perfect site for new cooks or for cooks looking to improve their cooking skills.  Real Food University has a cookbook that has wonderful, tasty recipes that are easy to make and follow the recipes.  Real Food University offers multiple courses you can sign up for to help teach you how to cook. 

Real Food University also offers cooking episodes that you can watch to learn how to make different recipes.  There are also hundreds of recipes offered by Real Food University.   

New cooks often want to know how healthy their meals are.  Real Food University has a nutrition section that teaches you about the nutritional facts and helps you learn how to make healthy meals. 

To purchase Real Food University follow the link below 

 

Real Food University

 

 First timers Cookbook 

First timers Cookbook is a wonderful way to learn how to cook.  Taking the online courses offered by First timers Cookbook will teach you everything you need to know if you are new to the kitchen.  You will learn everything from how to change any meal to make it how you want, how to impress everyone with your cooking, how to pick the best ingredients, and many more knowledgeable skills that you will use all the time in the kitchen.  

This online course has taught me so much more about cooking than any other resources I have used.  One of the things I liked most was that the courses were online so I could take the class on my time and not have to worry about going in to a school.  The classes were taught very well and it made learning to cook very easy.   

Both of these products are great for new cooks in the kitchen.  Both of the products will help you learn more about cooking.   

To sign up for First timers Cookbook follow the link below 

First timers Cookbook