The baking fever has begun at our house. This last weekend we baked a batch of chocolate chip banana muffins to have for a breakfast treat and a loaf of fresh Italian bread that we enjoyed with our pasta dinner. Even today the house still smells delicious from all of the baked goods. During the fall and winter seasons we’ll end up making a lot of homemade goodies, including family favorites like pumpkin pie, cherry cheesecake, pecan pie, and German chocolate cake. I’ve purchased some good baking pans over the last few years since I’ve found the quality of the pan makes a big difference in the quality of my baking results, especially when it comes to cakes. One of my favorite purchases is my Kaiser Bakeware La Forme Perfect Nonstick Springform Pan.
I love being able to decide what’s for dinner in a matter of moments, sometimes without a trip to the grocery store. Being able to put frozen pork chops into a crockpot and end up with wonderfully creamy pork chops is a real miracle some days. And who would think that something this easy could be this delicious. When you use a really great cut of meat, all the goodness is right there to begin with. But, truthfully, any cut of meat would be great in this recipe.
I really enjoy cooking, baking, and experimenting with new recipes. Now, not all of my experiments turn out well, but the fun is in the trying. One of the things I seem to have the most trouble with is my cakes. Part of the reason is that I often have to make vegan cakes because of some food allergies in the family, so the texture is difficult to get right without using eggs. But even when I use the standard recipes I have trouble removing my cake from the pan without losing chunks from it, which is not pretty. I realized I needed to get better quality pans, but to make it more idiot-proof I opted for something even better, a quality square springform pan.
Aquasana‘s AQ-4500 under counter water filter has not only won awards but makes cooking with clean filtered water easy. The AQ-4500 connects in a few minutes and comes with an easy to use faucet, which mounts in your sink. The faucet is easy to use and can be used by cooks and kids alike! Providing a safe environment and clean water to your family is every parents desire and Aquasana makes it a snap to do so. Voted the best buy for a water filter system by Consumers Digest five years straight, the Aquasana AQ-4500 uses a combination of carbon filtration, ion exchange and sub- micron filtration to provide clear, clean water for pennies a gallon. The California Department of Public Health Services has also certified the Aquasana water filter.