Kevin Purdy of Lifehacker has an incredibly clever list of repurposing tricks for your kitchen gadgets, or even your kitchen waste!  Like an old ketchup bottle repurposed into a pancake batter dispenser…brilliant.

My seriously favorite tip in the list is how to use an espresso machine to steam your scrambled eggs.  No kidding.

Image: Lifehacker

Paula says she can’t get along without her oven-to-table stoneware.  That’s probably true.  I don’t use stoneware that much myself, but I can appreciate a good-looking set.  This 5 Piece Stoneware set comes with a 4 quart bean pot, a 9×9 square baking pan, and 3 prep bowls which are also oven safe.

Oven safe to 500 degrees, and also safe in the dishwasher, microwave, and freezer.  The set is about $55.
Image: Cooking.com

Do you need some new ideas for a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner for you and your sweetie? Marie Guaragna-Beirne has created this video series to show you how to make it all, from appetizer to dessert. I think I’d probably skip the appetizer, since it’s escargot, but the culinarily more adventurous may want to give it a whirl!

I love the look of her filet mignon and her dessert! Marie teaches cooking in an adult education program in Virginia, and she has a fun on-screen personality.

We talked about sous vide cooking back in December, but pretty much all you’ve been able to get up till now are the immersion circulators or else a restaurant-quality machine that most of us could never afford.  Until now, I said.  Although I don’t personally consider a $450 machine something that is accessible for most home cooks, I’m sure that early adopters will be all over this Sous Vide Supreme, especially since it has gotten such rave reviews from Gizmodo and the New York Times.    Take a look at the Gizmodo post for some pictures that will possibly have …read more

We have a couple different versions of white chili that we love.  This is our slightly-more-involved-but-much-tastier recipe!  It takes awhile to make, but much of it can be done in a crock pot, which cuts down on the actually slaving away time.  In the picture above, I used a dutch oven instead of a crock pot.  It’s your choice!

White Chili
4 pre-cooked boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
Olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
40 oz liquid – chicken stock and water
3 – 4oz cans of green chilis, chopped
2 t cumin
2 t oregano
1-1/2 t ground cayenne pepper
5 cans white beans (we like …read more

Valentine’s Day…love it or hate it, there are lots of cooking reasons to get excited!  Besides the Edible Cupcake Decorations that I  showed you yesterday, there are lots of fun gadgets and products to consider.

Heart icecube tray – to make your drinks a little sweeter
Baking with hearts – a classic share for baking treats
Measure your love cups – no, it’s not something nasty…shame on you!
Valentine’s cupcake stencils – spread the love

Valentine’s treats – more cookie cutters
Heart measuring spoons – spread the love
Top 10 chocolate gadgets – because who doesn’t love chocolate?
Heart-shaped waffle maker – why be ordinary?
Great food ideas for …read more

While I was looking for fun Valentine’s Day stuff for you, I ran across these Edible Cupcake Decorations that would be fun for many different occasions.  Made by Clineff’s Confections, you can actually custom order designs with only a three dozen minimum.  That seems pretty reasonable for custom work.

So, if you’re not a fondant queen or king, check out this etsy shop.  You’ll be able to choose from animals, bugs, baby themed, wedding appropriate, and much much more.  They average about $7 or $8 for a dozen.

My family loves paella, and it’s something that I make quite frequently, mostly in my dutch oven.  I don’t usually get that interested in one-dish pans, but this new Paella Pan by T Fal caught my eye.   It’s non-stick, 14 inches across, and has that nifty little “I’m hot!” spot in the center.
Still, it’s only oven safe to 350, which is a bit below my normal cooking temperature.  I’m afraid I’d forget and put it in a 400 oven.  I guess the main advantage to this pan is that it’s broader, so the paella might cook a bit faster at …read more

I have a nice sized patch of woods surrounding my house, and I live in an area known for its maple syrup.  So why did I never think about tapping my own trees before?  TapMyTrees has a starter kit for those who’d like to try it out…it sells for about $140 and has all the gadgets you’ll need to tap three trees, even including the correct sized drill bit.  The individual pieces are also available on the site.

Mid-February through March is the time for tapping, so if you know which of your trees are maples, it’s not too late to …read more

Three new rangehoods have hit the market (or will very shortly), available from Miele in Australia.  The big daddy of the trio is the DA 6000 W Cabrio Wall Decor unit, which will list for almost $11,000 and should become available sometime in February.
Yikes.

The Cabrio Wall Decor range hood retracts seamlessly right into…well, your wall.  Turn it on, it folds out and extends.  Touch controls allow easy operation, and when you’re finished, just flick a switch and there it goes!
via Smarthouse