Over time my guilty pleasure got a bit out of hand.  I was purchasing specialty items that I would use maybe once a year.  The wake-up call for me was when one day I went to my storage cupboard to retrieve my favorite baking dish and the whole shelf came clattering down, smashing some of my most prized irreplaceable clutter.

Then and there I began to cull my kitchen implements and really stick to basic tools that I use frequently.  I found that by not buying a special slicer for this and a unique grater for that, I ended up saving more money to invest in upgraded versions of the kitchen gadgets I use on an everyday basis.  Not to mention the yard sale takings on my “must-have” kitchen gadgets were none too shabby!

With that said, if you are throwing your hat into the ring of becoming a home chef, there are not hundreds of things you will need….just 5.  This could be surprising to some, as it seems when you go into a kitchen store there are more items available than you can even fit into your house, let alone your kitchen.  This is not to say that I don’t STILL have several ‘nice to have’ items on hand – but the following are the ‘need to haves’!

Here’s my top 5 essential kitchen tools:

1.  A good set of knives. If you have ever read a famous chef’s top suggestion for a kitchen essential, it is always a good set of knives…and I have to agree.  A good set of knives will allow you to work quickly and safely.  While there is no set price for the perfect set of knives, I would suggest not paying $10 for them.  Do research online and then shop around (online and offline).  Just going and buying will not work.  And care for them.  Don’t just throw them in the drawer.  Wash by hand and store on a magnetic knife rack (which you can buy in a kitchen store) and keep them sharp!  There’s nothing more dangerous in a kitchen than a dull knife.  I’m not a fan or supporter of wood blocks as they dull the knifes terribly and can harbor bacteria.

2.  A good set of pots and pans. This is also one that gets top billing by professional chefs everywhere.  Why?  Because a good quality set of matching pots and pans really does make the difference: in the cooking time, technique and taste.  While cooking with a hodge podge set of pots and pans will still work, cooking with a complete set will make your life much easier.

3.  A food processor.  This is one of my go-to’s especially if you cook for a family or regularly entertain.  There is nothing worse then mincing, slicing or mixing for hours on end.  A food processor can help you create everything from perfectly sliced fruit and vegetables to mixing hummus, frosting, sauces and even dough!  There are different sizes, so make sure to get one that can accommodate the amount you need to cook.  If it is just you…I would say go for the smallest size.  If you go for the average, larger size – it is REALLY handy if the food processor has suction cups on the bottom.  This helps it not walk off the counter when mixing tough ingredients.

4.  An immersion blender.  When it comes to sauces and purees, the immersion blender is second to none.  I absolutely hate the idea of taking a cooked sauce off the stove, letting it cool slightly, pouring it into the blender, blending, then pouring into another bowl….and then dealing with all the cleanup.  An immersion blender helps you mix directly in the pot you are cooking in by plunging the mixer into your mixture.  It is a life saver and is also great for making homemade baby food in a pinch.

5.  A good set of mixing bowls. This is one of the essentials that I think many home chefs miss when they are building their perfect chef’s kitchen.  Without a good set of mixing bowls….what are you going to use?  Your serving bowls?  Your children’s cereal bowls?  Your salad bowl?  I say get a good set of 4 in 4 sizes (small, medium, large, x-large) in either stainless steel or good quality plastic.  An added plus is if they have a rubber gripper on the bottom to prevent sliding.  This is such a plus, especially when a bowl of pancake mix is edging closer and closer to the edge of your counter and when you turn to grab it, you slide it right off the counter and all over your pristine white tiled floor. (Yes, this happened to me….and that stuff is like glue!).

And there you have it!  Depending on where you shop and the quality of your items, these can set you back a couple of hundred dollars.  My suggestion is to purchase these items in drips and drabs so that you can nab a great price and superior quality.  Now…get cooking!

Although Facebook did send announcements to users a month or so in advance, I can absolutely understand the frustration of opening your page and seeing it completely discombobulated.  You now have to learn yet ANOTHER thing on Facebook.

While social media marketing can be not only enjoyable and extremely beneficial to your business, one of the byproducts of this terrific medium is the fact that you have to constantly stay on your toes and keep abreast of the changes.  As technology changes, social media changes.  As people change, social media changes.  As….ok, you get the idea.

What I want to do here is share with you a positive aspect of this change, and one of the most beneficial aspects of the new Facebook Timeline layout: images.  If you haven’t been using pictures in your social media marketing efforts before, now is the time to start.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words – now you have the ability to put that saying into action!

With the Timeline layout you are now able to create a visually stunning Facebook Page for your business using your own stock imagery, brand logos (for some pictures – read below), and any other photographs that are in your marketing arsenal.

But to get the most out of your pictures on your Facebook Page, you can’t just upload them willy nilly.  You need to resize them to fit!  This is one of the largest mistakes I have seen people make when converting to the Timeline layout, as the wrong size can make your picture look clipped, pixelated, distorted, or just plain ugly.

Here are the sizes (in pixels) that you should format your pictures to in the Facebook Page Timeline layout.  I have added a couple of extra tips for each of the areas covered to help you maximize the marketing potential of your images.

When it comes to formatting these pictures, use the picture editing suite that came with your computer, or look for another service/software online where you are able to crop and resize your images (these are the two most important parts).

Now onto the sizes.  Here are the top 3 that you need to be aware of:

*Timeline Cover Image: 850 x 315 pixels (they must be at least 399 pixels wide)

This is the large header image which will be the first thing that people see.  Choose a hi-resolution image of your product line, somebody using your products, one that is inline with your brand, one the represents your services, etc.  As I mentioned above, you are not allowed (at the moment) to add your brand logo, website address, phone numbers, or anything similar to your Cover Image.  Facebook is pushing you to lead with a visual that represents your brand message and image – so have fun with it and think outside of the box.

*Profile Image: 160 x 160 pixels

This is the small box on the left hand side under the Cover Image where you need to put your brand logo.  What happens if your brand logo is rectangular or outside of the exact 180 x 180 pixel proportions?  My suggestion: see if you can come up with a different variation to fit.  Remember, this perfectly square logo will be also useful on your business profiles on Twitter, Google+, YouTube and more….so it is worth putting it together.

*Highlight a Post: 843 x 843 pixels

This is a new function (and my favorite) of the Facebook Page Timeline.  Look at one of your previous posts on your Facebook Page.  When you place your cursor over the top of the post, in the right corner you will see a star button.  If you cursor over the star, the word “Highlight” comes up. If you click this, you will see that the post will now nearly fit the width of your Facebook Page.  I suggest using this for pictures or video only….as with words or small images, it can look pretty weak.  When you Highlight a post with a picture, you will THEN have the opportunity to format it.  Cursor over the top right hand side again, and you will see the image of a pencil.  Click that and a drop down menu will appear.  In that menu you will see “Reposition Photo”.  Click this and then drag your photo to the spot that you like it (or click ‘default positioning’).  Presto changeo – the right positioning!

There are many new features that are great for marketers using the new Timeline view, but images are definitely at the top.  Now you will be able to not only make the most of your Facebook Page’s new Timeline view, you will be able to properly brand yourself and create an engaging and beautiful ‘shop window’ on Facebook.

Last week I shared the first 5 ways to effectively get jump-started in marketing your business on Pinterest.  Now I want to share with you the second batch of 5 ways to make your Pinterest account pop.

These 5 tips will help you overcome two of the most troublesome obstacles that new Pinterest users often face: how to effortlessly share links and information and, getting over the hurdle of not having enough content to share.

Here they are:

1. Install the “Pin It” button.  On Pinterest, under the “About” section, there is something called the “Pin It” button.  This is a browser related plugin that, once downloaded, will appear on your bookmarks bar and will allow you to instantly pin just about ANY photo that you see on the internet to one of your corresponding boards on Pinterest.  This is a fast and simple way to build your initial group of boards, and as you begin to use the app, you will think of new boards to add to the mix.  It also allows you the opportunity to instantly share your pins on Facebook and Twitter….which is up next.
2. Connect Pinterest With Your Facebook Account.  This is another great way to promote your content with your network and increase the back-links to your website. When logged into your Pinterest account, simply click on the Facebook button and allow access to your account.  Then every time you share something new, you have the option of sharing it with on your Facebook Profile page.
3. Connect Pinterest With Your Twitter Account.  I prefer utilizing this function over the Facebook link, as currently you cannot connect Pinterest to the branded Facebook Page for your company, just to your personal Facebook Profile.  With Twitter you are able to connect it to your business Twitter account.  This is a great feature, as any time that you add a pin, you are able to Tweet it out to your network.  This is valuable as the more content that is shared through your Twitter account, the more back-links and shares!
4. Add the Pinterest Button to Your Website.  If you want to grow your Pinterest network on a regular basis, add the Pinterest button to your website alongside your other social media links.  This will promote more people following you and give you more opportunities to share your content.
5. Use a Third Party to Help Generate Content.  There is nothing worse than when the “content” well is dry.  Many of us can struggle with finding pictures on a regular basis that will be useful on Pinterest, so it is a good idea to look into any third party option for help.  There are many lists available through a quick Google search that show tools that can help with content creation on Pinterest.  One such tool, called Spinpicks, enables you to search the web for images using a plethora of categories that you can instantly share via your Pinterest account.  This can be a lifesaver if you have lulls in your content creation.

And there you have it: 10 ways to get jump started on Pinterest!  Remember, with any social media marketing that you do, consistency is key!  Make sure to constantly update your account (as surely there will be changes introduced along the way) and engage with other members through commenting, liking and sharing their content.  Is all of this successful for you?  Make sure to track it using a tool like Google Analytics or your own version of tracking your website hits.  You will be pleasantly surprised!

If you are not familiar with Pinterest, let me give you a quick explanation.  Pinterest is a cork board-style photo sharing website allowing members to create theme-based image collections which other members can view, share and comment on.  If you think: “That doesn’t sound business related…”, read on!

An easier way to understand what Pinterest is and how it works, is to think about it in terms of your Facebook Profile.

Imagine that your photo albums were the first (and only) thing that was visible on your Facebook Profile.  Other Facebook members would be able to see your albums, look through your photos and view updates to your account.  If a member liked one of your albums or photos, they could comment and/or share it with their own network.

Pinterest is really as simple as that.

That’s all great, BUT the best thing about Pinterest, and the biggest difference with the site, is that when you post a picture, you are able to hyperlink it to your website, online point-of-sale, blog…whatever.  Thus, when people click on any of the pictures that you’ve posted, they will be transported to the link where it lives and to all of the additional information you have on the subject in order to bring people closer down your sales funnel.  Also, if people share your photo (or “pin”) you will receive valuable back-links to your site, which in turn builds SEO.

So Pinterest is essentially an interactive photo sharing site where people can choose to follow a single board you have, or all of them – and get updates whenever you add to, update, or change a board.  So the more you share, the better the opportunity you have to take advantage of its benefits.

While in its initial growth stages, the majority of the audience was women (at 83%) in the United States.  But things are shaking, and now men are joining in droves.  Outside the USA, in the UK for example, 56% of the users are men.  At the end of the day, the ratio of male to female is fairly balanced.

Now – how can you and your business get started?

Here are my 10 essential ways for you to get jump-started on Pinterest so that you can begin to build your following and enjoy its benefits.  These are the first 5 with the final 5 following next week.

1.  Stake Your Claim Now! I usually suggest researching a social media site before creating your own business account, but as so many people are latching onto Pinterest so quickly – you need to get in there now to set up your branded account and stake your branded real estate.  Go to Pinterest.com and you will see towards the top of the page “Request an invite”.  If you will be using Pinterest for your company, add your company email address.  Usually they will get back to you within 24-48 hours for you to complete the registration.  When you get your invitation, go and sign up and register in your company’s name.  Fill out your profile, add your company’s logo as your profile picture and add anything else to the profile that is necessary.

2.  Plan and Organize Your Boards Before Creating Them.  Setting up your Pinterest boards can be time consuming, so I suggest identifying what boards you want to create first.  Although your new Pinterest account will come with a few standard ‘board topics’, you will want to edit them for your specific needs.  I find the easiest way to think about this is in terms of your products and services.  For example, if you were a doctor whose owned their own ear, nose and throat practice, you should create a board for each specialty area (ear, nose, throat).  Then fill each of these boards with helpful information on each topic in visual form (“pins”).  For example, perhaps you have a diagram of nasal passages, a chart of nasal afflictions and another graphic explaining preventative measures for sinus infections.  Add each of these to the board pertaining to “Nasal Information”.  Planning will help set you up for growth on Pinterest and save you precious editing time.

3.  Add Hyperlinks, Hashtags and Keyword in Your Descriptions.  First off, every organization who is marketing online should have a keyword list for their company.  When you are sharing “pins” or pictures in your “boards” or albums, each one will need to contain a point of origination on the web (where the picture actually lives online) but also a description.  Use #hashtags just like you would on Twitter to make the title of your ‘pin’ more searchable within Pinterest.  For exmpale in the ENT example above, using #tinnitus would allow people searching for information on that affliction to find your ‘pin’, and thus a link to your website! Make sure that each description is packed with keywords and contains a hyperlink to the content you want people to see.  The best way to do this as a rule is….

4.  Add Images to Your Blog Posts, Web Pages and Landing Pages.  Every page on your website should have a few images on it.  If you do not use pictures on the pages of your website or on your blog….now is the time to start!  This is the key method of pulling content from your website to Pinterest and linking it back for added SEO punch.  No pictures on your website could equal no web hits generated from Pinterest.  Remember that this is a visual site – so make sure that your pictures are eye catching, easily seen, and visually descriptive.

5.  Connect With Your Existing Contact Base.  The best way to build an instant network on Pinterest is to see who you know that is already a member.  You can do this through the “Invite Friends” function where you can connect using your Gmail account, Facebook account or simply manually invite people by entering their email address.  You can also send an announcement to your email list, or make an announcement on your website, etc.  Connecting with those that already support you is crucial in social media!  These people are comfortable and familiar with you, and they can make for the best brand evangelists on social media sites like Pinterest.

Those are my top five ways to get started.  Look out next week for part two of the series when I will discuss how to easily share information on Pinterest as well as show you how to get over the hurdle of not having enough pictures and content to share.

If you enjoy this article, please feel free to share it with others who you think could benefit from it!

I’m a huge fan of spicy food, not only in the “hot” sense of the word, but also in a “spice-full” manner.  One of the best parts of Indian cooking I’ve always found is the heavy use of spice, which can seem overwhelming, but once you taste the food it absolutely explodes in your mouth with taste…while bringing a smile to your face.

But enough of that, let’s get to the food!

This recipe is for a wonderful spiced chicken and organic green olives and is pretty straightforward….but can take a bit of time.  But getting the best ingredients is the key.  Thanks to our friends at Negev Nectars they sent through two of the most crucial ingredients: the olive oil and organic green olives.  Here’s the entire list of ingredients!  This recipe serves as a main dish for 6-8 people.

*3 pounds of skinless chicken thighs (with the bone)

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Organic Green Olives

*1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (add another 1/2 to kick it up a notch)

*1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

*1 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (this is crucial)

*1 1/2 teaspoon of paprika (smoked paprika is even better)

*1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

*4 cloves garlic (smashed with the side of your knife)

*1 large white onion (minced)

*1 tablespoon of lemon juice

*2 lemons (peeled)

*1 teaspoon of freshly ground sea salt (I’m a big fan of Pink Himalayan)

*1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

*1/2 cup of Negev Nectars Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*1 cup of Organic Green Olives (pitted)

*1 quart of chicken stock (skip the low sodium unless absolutely necessary)

*1 cup cilantro (minced)

First, grab a pan (which you can later cover) that can handle quite a bit of liquid (as you will be adding the quart of chicken stock to it in a few minutes).  Put it on the stove and add your olive oil.  When your oil is a little hot, pop in the minced onions and stir.  Then add the smashed garlic.  Let it heat through and brown, stirring occasionally.

Lean in...this smells good.

As I love to multi-task, this recipe is a great one to do it with.  Get you spices (cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, turmeric, paprika and cumin) and put into a small bowl and mix with your fingers.  Put your chicken pieces on a plate and then rub the spice mixture all over each chicken piece. Important note: make sure that your chicken is as dry as possible, as when it is a little damp, the spices can form little balls – which you don’t want.  Pat the spices all over the chicken, then set aside.

These look good, even before they hit their bath.

Your onions and garlic should be the right color now, so place the chicken pieces ontop of the onion mixture in the pot.  Then grab your stock and add it to the pot.

Easy so far right?

Now grab the lemon zest strips.  Basically you grab your vegetable peeler and take the skin off of two lemons.  Then..pop them into the pan!  Now add the salt and pepper and bring to a rolling boil.

Take one last look before you leave it for awhile.

When it begins to boil, take the heat down to a simmer and cover for one hour and 15 minutes.  This will be enough time to make the chicken meat tender and full of flavor.  Also, try to not be tempted to keep checking on the pot.  Every time you lift the lid, you affect the temperature.  Cover it and leave it alone!

At the end of the time, carefully take off the lid and VERY carefully transfer the chicken to a plate for serving.

Dish it up!

Cover the chicken as once it is out of the pan it will cool extremely quickly.

Now bring the mixture to a boil in the pot and add your lemon juice and olives.  Keep this boiling rapidly as you want to reduce the liquid by at least 1/2.  This will take about 10-15 minutes, but patience is a virtue on this.  It will richen the flavor and create a deep and lovely sauce.

Go on, throw a couple more olives in if you like. I won't tell.

When your sauce is reduced, take off heat and leave to thicken for a few minutes.

Then plate your chicken and pour a nice ladle of sauce over each piece.  Dust with a health pinch of cilantro.

The finished product.

Serve with your favorite vegetable side and starch.  Enjoy and Happy Passover to you and your family!

Growing up Catholic in a predominantly Jewish area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I was exposed to a wide array of goodies over the years.  It was actually quite a juxtaposition of sorts, especially going to a private Catholic school and having nearly 100% Jewish friends.

What I love about the culture the most, aside from my amazing friends and memories, is the food.  Much like my Italian family, food is such an important part of the Jewish experience.

With that said, I want to provide two Passover recipes this year to honor these great memories and experiences.

The first one (here) is a sweet one and the second one (which can be found by clicking here) is a savory one.

Now for the sweet one!

I’m a big fan of an easy recipe that is all natural and healthy – and this one has it all!

My good friends at Negev Nectars happily stepped in to supply their absolutely amazing honey for this recipe.  You should definitely check them out – their range is absolutely delectable!

Let’s get onto this EASY recipe.  Keep in mind that this makes enough for 8-10 people as a side.  If you want less, 1/2 the recipe below (as this only keeps nice and crisp for a few days):

*1/2 cup of Desert Magic Pure Acacia Flower Honey (to die for)

*2 Granny Smith Apples

*2 Gala Apples

*1/2 Cup Raisins

*2/3 cup Walnuts (smashed)

*1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

*1/2 cup concord grape juice

Now, shopping is the hard part.  Making this is SIMPLE.  Let’s get started.

Now the shopping is over, let's get started!

Get your walnuts and pop them into a zip lock bag.  Grab a rolling pin and whack them until they are very small pieces….not too dust-like. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Dump the walnuts onto a cookie sheet and pop into the oven (when hot) for 10 minutes or until the walnuts brown slightly.  Keep an eye on them….they burn quickly when over done.

Now get onto the apples.  Core each of the apples and roughly dice them.  Knife cuts are not too important, as I like how the different sized slices add character to the dish.

Now…your prep is done!  Presto! Grab a large mixing bowl and apples, honey, raisins, cinnamon, toasted walnuts and grape juice and mix together until everything is fully incorporated.  Once mixed, cover and put into the refrigerator to set for about an hour and then serve!

Scoop and serve.

Easy, healthy and naturally sweet!

This recipe is simple, quick and very impressive.  Let’s get right to it:

*1-2 grilled pieces of salmon (chilled)

*8oz cream cheese (fat free cream cheese works in this recipe if you would like to opt for a light version)

*1 cup smashed walnuts

*1 pack of ranch salad dressing mix

*1 teaspoon of hot sauce

*1 tablespoon of dried dill (or more if you want a strong dill flavor)

*1/2 white onion (chopped)

*salt and pepper to taste

Now this couldn’t be more simple.  In a food processor, add all of the above ingredients (but not the nuts) and pulse until completed mixed into a rich pink color.

Put your smashed nuts (which is easy to do: simple grab a zip lock bag, put in the nuts, seal, and then bash with a rolling pin until they are little bits) in a wide bowl or plate.  Then scrape the mixture from the food processor into your hands and work into either a ball or log shape.

When you have the shape right, slowly roll in the nut mixture until fully covered.  You may need to press some of the nuts into place.  Once completely covered, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.  This will help it harden into a good shape for serving.

The next day, when you are ready to serve – place onto a serving plate and surround with crackers.  Presto!  Instant appetizer!

One of my favorite cookies is one that I grew up with.  For years growing up, I remember a tradition in my father’s side of the family, was every Easter and Christmas my grandmother would bake.  And not just a little.  A. LOT.

I remember she would have so many cookies, that there was not a surface in the house that wasn’t covered with her delectable creations.  Most of her recipes were for Hungarian cookies….but one of them reminded me a lot of rugelach.

Years later, I was at a book convention in New York City, and there was a cookbook author who was giving away her own homemade rugelach to promote her cookbook.  One bite and I was transported back to my grandmother’s kitchen during the holidays.

I thought I would come up with a quick and easy version of rugelach that you could make at home.  Now, it is a little time consuming, but I tried to make it as easy as possible.  Keep in mind that the dough needs to set for around 24 hours, so make sure that you remember to do this ahead of time.

Also, when you make this recipe you should really go for it and make a lot (as it does take a bit of time).  This recipe yields 4 dozen+.

Let’s go shopping!

*3 cups of flour

*2 tablespoons of sugar

*2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

*8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

*Quarter teaspoon salt

*2 tablespoons granulated sugar

*1/2 cup brown sugar

*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*1 cup walnuts (finely chopped)

*1/2 cup of raisins

First, grab your stand mixer (or a large bowl, whisk and fortitude) and add all of the ingredients.

The beginning of the deliciousness....

Honestly, I could just eat this as is.

Once all of the ingredients are fully incorporated (or nearly so), take the bowl off of the mixer and bring over to a work surface.  With your hands, knead the mixture until you feel that everything is mixed perfectly and you get a nice cookie-dough type consistency.

Then divide the dough evenly into 4 portions, cover with plastic wrap and throw in the refrigerator overnight.

I also like to do the filling the night before too as it saves time.  Grab the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins and place them in a tupperware container.  Pop the lid and shake roughly until everything is incorporated.  Pop in the refrigerator and leave for tomorrow.

Go on....give it a taste to make sure its right.

The next day, the first thing you need to get ready is your work area.  Clean off a portion of your counter top and put down a sheet of wax paper.  Then grab two cookie sheets and grease them liberally (with butter or cooking spray).

Now you are ready to work.

As the dough gets really hard to work with as it heats up, work with one portion at a time.  Take the dough out of the refrigerator and using your hands, form it into a small pizza shape.  Then pop onto the wax paper and roll out until it is at least 12 inches across the center and from top to bottom.

Not perfect, but good enough!

Now add 1/4 of the mixture of sugar, nuts and raisins to the dough and spread evenly all over.  When it is even, press down with your hands and then roll the rolling pin over roughly.

Next, with a dough cutter, cut the dough in half lengthwise and then width-wise.  Then in each of the “quarters” cut two more even slices.  This will give you 12 pie-like slices in total.

Ready to roll!

Now is the delicate part, so grab that patience.

Working from the outside in, being to roll the dough to the point.  Take the point of the dough, press it firmly to seal and then place point-down on the baking sheet.

Rollin, rollin, rollin.

Make sure that each of the cookies are about an inch or so away from each other as they will raise a little.

Silpat - my lifesaver.

Now preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Then continue with the rest of the dough and mixture until you have both cookie sheets nearly filled up.

By the time you are finished with the rest of the cookies the oven will be warm.  Pop them in and bake them for 25-30 minutes.  Depending on how chunky they turn out, you may need to bake longer.  Rotate the pans halfway through the baking process to evenly brown.

You will know they are done when your entire house smells like brown sugar and they are a golden brown.  Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to wire racks to cook.

Ready Freddy!

Serve with coffee or just pop one in your mouth.  They are absolutely addictive….you’ve been warned…

One of my favorite recipes (besides the almighty fried zucchini dusted with parmesan and dipped in fresh, warm red sauce) is zucchini bread.  Like banana bread, this dense loaf has a rich, deep flavor which enables it to work great as a side dish, an appetizer, a snack, dessert….well, just about anything!

Here is my take on the classic recipe with a jazzed up spread that will make it really pop.  If you are not into the sweet side of life, skip this spread and substitute butter or plain cream cheese.

Shopping time, let’s hit the market:

*3 large eggs

*1 cup vegetable oil

*1 cup finely chopped walnuts

*1 and a half cups +1 teaspoon of sugar

*2 and a 1/4 cups of zucchini (grated with the skin on)

*3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

*2 and a half cups of flour

*1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon (more if you want more zip)

*3/4 teaspoon baking soda

*3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

*1/4 teaspoon baking powder

*4 oz plain cream cheese

Start off with the eggs.  Pop them into a stand mixer (or whisk) until they look like little suds.

In with those eggs....

While this is beating, add the grated zucchini, oil, sugar and vanilla to a bowl.  Once the eggs are nice and foam-like, toss in the zucchini mixture and thoroughly mix.

I could eat it like this....

This is the point where I like to take the bowl off of the stand mixer and do the work with just me and my trusty spatula.  To the mixture add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and fold together.

Ready for the pans!

Now you are ready to get these into the pans!

Right before you do, get your oven preheated to 350 degrees.

While the oven is heating up, get two loaf pans and grease them up (either with cooking spray or butter).  Then carefully transfer the mixture evenly between the two loaf pans.

Now ready for the oven!

Slow bake these in the oven for around 45-50 minutes.  You will know they are done when you can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.  They will have a golden glow as well.

Cut me a piece!

After a few minutes, pop out of the loaf tin and put on a rack to cool.

While the loaf is cooling, whip up the spread.  Add the cream cheese, vanilla and reserved sugar to a bowl and mix until soft, creamy and fully incorporated.

Now, slice the loaf and serve with a dollop of the cream cheese.  Absolutely divine!  A cup of coffee is the perfect compliment for this tasty treat!

In my family spicy food is a way of life.  I remember my brother and my grandmother having contests of eating hot peppers to see who would tear up first (my grandma would always win).  I still remember how hot those peppers were my grandma used to have.  She’d grow them herself and they were absolutely lethal!

For me, I like a good solid hot sauce.  Don’t get me wrong, a nice chili or jalapeno never went amiss, but I like the vinegary heat of hot sauce.

That is until I looked at the label of one of the hot sauces I was using and saw lots of ingredients that I didn’t know what the heck they were.  As you know, I like to make things from scratch and get the full boost from the nutrients in each recipe.  Thus I began my search for the best recipe.

While I don’t share other people’s recipes on my blog, this one is too good to keep to myself!  I’ve added some pictures of the steps of making it as well as what the finished product should look like. This comes courtesy of the EXCELLENT cook book, “Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook” and absolute must have for your shelf.  There are loads of recipes that work a treat, so check it out.

Now….let’s get cooking. Here is the recipe directly from their book (with some of my pictures):

Blue Ribbon Hot Sauce

The secret: Carrots make the bright-orange sauce glow, and also adds body and sweetness to temper the heat of the habanero chiles.  Store the sauce in your refrigerator.  It will last for years.

*3 cups distilled white vinegar

*3 to 4 red, orange, or yellow habanero chiles, to taste, trimmed and sliced

*2 tablespoons salt

*1 pound carrots, trimmed, peeled, and roughly chopped

Combine vinegar, chiles, and salt in a large nonreactive pot over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Let the mixture cool, then puree in a blender and strain.

Infusing the Vinegar

While the peppers are cooking, in a seperate pot combine the carrots with water to cover.  Simmer until very tender but not overcooked, about 10 minutes.

Softening the Carrots

Drain well.  Puree the carrots in the blender until smooth (you do not need to strain them).

Puree the Carrots

Then stir into the strained vinegar mixture.  If it’s too spicy hot, thin it down with a little water.

Use immediately, or transfer the hot sauce to airtight, sterile jars or bottles and refrigerate.

Blue Ribbon Hot Sauce!

Makes 4 cups.