Archive for April, 2010
When most people hear that my husband and I have quadruplets, they assume that all of the headaches and tribulations were concentrated in the first few years of child rearing. Obviously it was difficult handling four babies, but as they grew older, our job didn’t seem to get any easier. Now that they are all out of the house, I feel like I am finally getting a chance to relax after years of constant chores, errands and refereeing for arguments.
Our visits are now quite amiable, and I look forward for the occasions when I get to see them all together—which is usually on the holidays. This does rekindle one problem with the children, however: buying presents. Usually I try to find something that will appease them all, that way I don’t have to spend countless hours trekking around town and scouring through dozens of stores. This year, for example, I bought them Saeco espresso machines, as they have all developed an affinity for brewed beverages.
Here is a recipe for a delicious toasted sandwich with a little bit of Italian inspiration. In addition to the ingredients, you will need a sandwich toaster or toaster oven.
Ingredients:
~2 slices of Italian bread
~Mozzarella Cheese
~Sliced Tomatoes
~Prosciutto
~Basil
~Sliced Red Pepper
~E.V.O.O. (extra virgin olive oil)
Directions:
First make the sandwich as you would any sandwich. Spreading a little butter on the inside of each slice of bread will make it a bit moister. Once you’ve created your sandwich, brush the outside of each piece of bread with the extra virgin olive oil. I like to add some salt and a few cracks from one of my pepper mills as well. Then, using your sandwich toaster, press the sandwich between the hot plates. Experiment with different ingredients for a taste best suited to your liking!
Having lived in an area with hard water all of my life, I’ve become accustomed to the headaches that it entails. I can deal with the lack of lather in the shower or the erratic results from my washing machine, but my coffee maker is a different story. For years, I have had to clean the machine incessantly to maintain a steady flow of water and prevent a mineral-like aftertaste.
As you can imagine, this never-ending saga with my coffee machine is beginning to grow old, so I have actively been searching for ways to remedy the problem. I made the switch to bottled water for a while, but that was simply too expensive to maintain. Now I’ve decided to take preemptive action by using a decalcifier. Not only does the product get my machine looking like new, but it also helps prevents future mineral deposits.
Originally developed at the turn of the 20th century, the cappuccino is an understated coffee beverage with a distinct level of class and sophistication. Although the components of the cappuccino are simple, the combination of a seasoned barista and premium cappuccino makers can turn the drink into a work of art, literally. For all of the complexity that is possible in the production of a cappuccino, in many areas the focus on quality has been deserted for the sake of convenience.
Many supermarkets and convenience stores now sell and market cappuccino-like beverages that have none of the character or quality of the real thing. These imposters are brewed in simplistic machines and often use powders and mixes in lieu of fresh coffee and milk. If you’ve only had this sort of cappuccino experience, do yourself a favor and take the time to invest in a well-crafted cup of coffee.
We all have those memories of arriving home from school just in time to taste those fresh-baked cookies mom made. Just the smell of baking cookies can bring you back to those childhood times. The first thing many of us did when we got home was to reach in the cookie jar to see if mom had made any treats. Store-bought cookies never taste as good as the ones made by a mom. Why not start baking your own homemade treats to share with friends and family? Many cookie recipes offer that homemade taste without the fuss. Here is a simple 
recipe for oatmeal cookies that you start with:
Traditional Oatmeal Cookies
~ ½ cup butter
~ ½ cup white sugar
~ ½ cup brown sugar
~ 1 egg
~ ½ tsp. vanilla
~ 1 cup flour
~ ½ tsp. baking powder
~ ½ tsp. baking soda
~ ½ tsp. salt from one of your salt mills
~ ¾ cup rolled oats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugars. Blend in egg and vanilla. Then stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Up until last week, my wife and I had been brewing our morning pot of coffee in the same machine for over 25 years. When I came downstairs on Wednesday morning however, I found that the machine wouldn’t turn on, and after a few minutes of exasperatingly slapping it on the sides and getting no response, I threw it in the dumpster. Over the weekend, we went to the nearest department store to pick up a new one, and we were simply overwhelmed by the myriad of espresso machines there were to choose from.
The number of choices filled us with a crippling existential fear; so, we decided to go home and do some research before making our decision. After hours of poring over reviews and articles on the merits of the various manufacturers and models, we decided on a Saeco machine. Now that we’ve been using this state-of-the-art technology for about a week, I can’t believe that we waited so long to make the switch.
Great food has a way of bringing a family even closer. A communal meal provides us with an excuse to get together and talk about the day’s accomplishments and activities. If it weren’t for dinnertime, we might find ourselves living among relative strangers. Pasta sauce recipes like the following marinara recipe are quick and convenient. They allow you to spend less time fussing around in the kitchen and more time catching up with your spouse and kids.
Ingredients:
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt to taste
¼ tsp. ground black pepper from a Cilio pepper mill
6 Tsp. olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
½ cup white wine
Directions:
1. Put tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat, adding tomato sauce and white wine. Place bay leaf in mixture and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir regularly.
For years, I was satisfied with brewing my morning coffee in a standard drip machine that I bought on clearance at my local department store. Like many things in life, you don’t know what you’re missing until you’re exposed to something better. After visiting a B&B with my husband for our 13th anniversary, I decided that is was necessary to upgrade my machine.
The quaint little cottage that we stayed at in the foothills of the Appalachians had several Solis espresso machines set up every morning for the guests to use. Instead of my standard, black cup of Joe, everyday I enjoyed a different premium beverage. Now that I have become somewhat accustomed to waking up with a rich mocha or macchiato, I don’t think that I can ever go back.
For those of you who don’t know what a descaler is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, when you type the term in Word, it shows up with a red squiggly line underneath it. To descale something simply means to remove the deposits that buildup from chemicals in water form. And as you can probably ascertain for that definition, a descaler is a product that facilitates this process.
Chemical buildup is an acute problem in areas that have hard water, due to the high concentration of chemicals. Buildup is perpetuated by heat, meaning that showers, laundry machines and coffeemakers tend to be the first to fall victim. With a quality descaler however, you can have you appliances running like new in just a few minutes.
My friends are baffled as to why I would spend two thousand dollars on an espresso machine. Most of them have a standard drip machine that you can get at any department store for less than fifty dollars, and automatic espresso machines that cost in the four-figures seem superfluous to them. To some, a cup of coffee is a simply cup of coffee; but once you have one taste of a brew from a premium machine, you’ll never go back.
I purchased a Saeco machine almost a year ago, and I have to admit, I am still discovering new features on it. It has a touch screen that allows you to program and customize every aspect of the brewing process. Each morning I get to experience a different exotic beverage—from latte macchiatos to espresso and everything in-between.