New Apron Patterns

Check out our newest apron patterns by asd: art. style. design. Patterns are available in both adult and children's sizes. Never again worry about ruining your clothes with splattering grease or making a mess while baking with your children or grandchildren.

Recipe Wednesday: The Magnificent BBQ’s Bloody Mary

We are just two weeks away from the "Don't be Cruel BBQ Duel" at the Link Center. So in celebration of Spring Break and to kick off several week's of BBQ related recipes, we thought Steve Stolk's Bloody Mary Recipe was definately in order!


The Magnificent BBQ’s Bloody Mary

By Steve Stolk of Magnificient Steve Products


2 cups Tomato Juice

1 cup Steve’s Magnificent

Hotter ‘n Hell BBQ Sauce

1 tsp Steve’s Magnificent

Grilling Spice

1 tsp Wasabi Powder

1 tbls Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbls Lime or Lemon Juice

1 cup Vodka of Choice


Pour all ingredients into blender and pulse until all ingredients are combined. Pour over ice.

Decorate your glass with garnish of celery, green onions, limes, lemons or hundred dollar bills – whatever makes you happy.

Recommended for all special occasions such as; sunsets, sunrises, days ending in a “y” or just when you feel like being bitchy.

Warning: This product may become habit forming. Side effects may be hot flashes and mood swings.

National Noodle Month

Love noodles? You're not alone. As one of the preferred "comfort foods", noodles even have their own month and March is it! So in celebration of National Noodle Month, here are a few Noodle Facts from the ilovepasta.org:

1. Egg noodles contain eggs; almost all other dry pasta shapes do not. By federal law, a noodle must contain 5.5 percent egg solids by weight to be called a noodle.

2. As a comfort food, noodles can be soothing when we have a cold, a broken heart, burst bubble or winter-time blues. In her book Comfort Food, author Sue Kreitzman includes pasta among her highest-rated, three-star comfort foods.

3. A half-cup serving of cooked noodles contains just one gram of fat, 106 calories, five milligrams of sodium, and important nutrients including B-vitamins, iron, and protein.

To read all their facts and even work your noddle a little in a noodle quiz check out http://www.ilovepasta.org/pdf/NatlNoodleMnthMarch.pdf.

But noodles aren't just for eating. Check out these craft ideas for your noodles:
http://crafts.kaboose.com/colored-noodles.html

http://blog.grandgeneva.com/?p=1105

Do you have a favorite noodle recipe or a noodle craft you love doing with your children? Pull it out this month and celebrate National Noodle Month with us.

Recipe Wednesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cooler weather again makes this week perfect for a great bowl of soup. Check out today's recipe. You'll warm up just thinking about it! Remember, if you purchase your olive oil at A Cook's Place you'll receive a discount when you bring the bottle back for a refill.


Chicken Tortilla Soup
A Cook’s Place “Falling for Fall Soups”

2 T. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 T. chopped garlic
1 poblano and 1 mixed jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 ½ tsp. salt
 1-½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
3 ears of corn, roasted and cut off the cob
1 T. tomato paste
6 c. chicken stock
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2” cubes
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
2 c. vegetable oil
6 corn tortillas (white and blue)
1 tsp. creole seasoning (Tony’s)
Avocado
Sour cream

In a heavy pot, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin and coriander and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Add cilantro and lime juice. Stir well.

Heat oil in heavy pot to 350º. Add tortilla strips in batches and fry until crisp. (1 ½ - 2 min.)

Remove and drain. Season with Creole seasoning.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with avocado, tortilla strips, and sour cream.

Tip of the Week

Found these tips in Food&Wine Magazine and I just had to share. Non-stick pans are among our best sellers, especially Le Creuset's line. So here are a few tips to help to make the most of your best pans.

Nonstick Do's and Don'ts

Use Plastic

The first rule of nonstick: Pick plastic or wooden tools, never metal

Season Pans

Periodically rub oil on cool pans to maintain the non-stick coating.

Go for Heft

Heavy pans are less likely to overheat than flimsy ones.

Shun Scratches

Eating flakes of coating can be harmful. Toss out scratched skillets

Avoid High Heat

High heat (from the broiler, for example) can damage coatings.

Pay for Quality

Great pans can last for years--they're a smart investment.

Jasmine Pearl Tea

This wonderfully scented tea is soothing to drink and magical to watch unfurl. This tea is crafted from spring-picked, southern Chinese green tea. Each hand-crafted pearl is a set of tender leaf buds, carefully rolled and dried among fresh jamine blossoms.

Remember to brew this tea in water warmed to 180 degrees for 3 minutes. This is easily achieved by bringing water to a boil, taking in off the heat source and letting it cool for a minute or two. Just have a thermometer handy to check the temperature.

You can infuse these buds multiple time making this rare tea a real find, and a bargain per cup! Stop by and we'll make you a cup.

Using a Rub with Love
Using a rub is a quick and easy way to add flavor to meats you are grilling or roasting. An endless variety of rubs can be bought or made.

• Rub directly on the meat after sprinkling on all sides. This will help the rub to stay on your beef, pork or poultry.
• Some ingredients that are great in a homemade rub are black pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, celery seed, garlic powder, kosher salt and brown sugar.
• You can use a little liquid to create a paste out of your dry rub: try vinegar, cider vinegar, wine, fruit juice or olive oil.

Here is a great All-Purpose Rub we have used in our classes and is my personal favorite:

2 T brown sugar
2 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
1 T kosher salt
1 T cumin

This is great on just about anything I can get my hands on. Try pork, chicken, potatoes. Mix with butter for your grilled corn; use at topping on homemade fries or potato chips. The possibilities for rubs in endless! If you have a favorite rub recipe, send it to us and we'll post it.