Friday, November 19, 2010

Kitchen Helpers

Proverbs 31:15
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household,  and a portion to her maidens.

I've heard much teaching on the Proverbs 31 woman.  What a great lady to have as a goal.
This verse above was pointed out to me and it really made me think.  It also made my husband think.  He's so sweet.  
This lady had maidens.  These were probably ladies that lived with her or were hired by her to help her.  
Not having daughter to help me or hired maidens, my fella has been so good about making sure my kitchen is well equipt.  He knows all the help will lessen my load and feed us all well.

These are a few of my favorite kitchen "helpers".  Of course,  this is not a complete list.  I'm very thankful for a refrigerator, two freezers, the oven, running water into a sink and the dishwasher!!!  We lived here for a year without the dishwasher and that year without made me so appreciate having it! 
This is more a list of gadgets and tools. 

The Nutri Steamer

I use this juicer for all our jellies and juices.  The steamer is great for steaming veges.  I used this when I made applesauce, pumpkin, and veges with our meals.  But the part of this great set I use the most is the bottom pan.  I probably use this 3-4 times a week!  I use it for soups, stir-fry meals,  and stews.  It's a great size for our family.

Man, look how cute they were! 

Pampered Chef Stones

Our family loves pizza!  Thankfully I learned how to make it.  My first few attempts were horrible.  I found the stones make the crusts great.  I also use these stones for cookies and bars.  They clean well and aren't bad for you like aluminum pans are.


Crock Pot
Each Saturday night I get our meal for Sunday together.  We love coming home Sunday after the church meeting and enjoying a hot meal.  When we open the door, the air smells sooo good!  These are great time savers!
I also use the crock pot to make our broth from the chicken carcuses.  I fill the pot with water, add spices and the bones and let it simmer over night.  Yummy, healthy broth for the soup. 
We have three crock pots and a big roasting size pan.  Sometimes I have 3 crocks going at once. 


A good, sharp Knife

This is my favorite knife.  Because we have alot of meals with chopped veges, this tool comes in handy often!

When we were first married, we lived in Virgina.  We had some close friends there and brought them to Amish country.  On the way to the shops, we stopped at some yard sales.  My fella  picked up this knife at one of the sales.  He always finds things I don't tend to even notice.  I look more at toys and clothes. 
I thought the knife was an odd thing to pick up but I'm so thankful he did!  I use it constantly!!!

Garlic Press and Slicer
I use lots of garlic in our meals.  I grow it all so I know it's very healthy (no poisons). 
The tool on the left slices the garlics.  First I take a clove, put it on the counter, and push it real hard with the palm of my hand.  This loosens all the peels.  Once peeled, I put the cloves into the tube part and turn.  The garlics cut on the sharp blades. 
The press is great for smaller/minced garlic pieces. 
These two tools are both from Pampered Chef also.


Kitchen Aid Mixer
Baking is so much quicker with this mixer.  I can throw the goods in and let it whirl!
Fluffy white frosting takes minutes to whip up.  I remember standing there for what seemed  forever waiting for the peeks to stand,,,, now just put it in and pull the lever.  It does all the work!

Ruthie licking the fluffy white frosting.  She always did all the traditional angel food cakes for Thanksgiving, we'll miss her SO much this year!!!

Cast Iron Frying Pan and Griddle

Every morning, some of us have fried eggs.  The frying pan gets used lots!  Cast iron is good because it doesn't leave bad metal in your food but actually leaves good minerals in your food.  Once the pan is seasoned well, it cleans in a jiffy.
We also have a large cast iron griddle for pancakes and grilled sandwiches.


Mill and Mixer

This is the Whisper Mill (what a joke, it's anything but a whisper!!).  We couldn't eat vitamin filled bread without this mill.  Flour loses all it's vitamins after a couple days of sitting.  There are very little vitamins left in flour once it's been sitting on the shelf.  The best time to use flour is within 24-48 hours of milling.

That brings me to the next item,
the Bosch Mixer.
This mixture is what I use to make all our bread.  It also has a spot on it for a blender.  See the spot on the right, that's where the blender goes.  This blender is super!  Ice gets chopped up quickly in it.  Smoothies are great made by it.
I make our salad dressing  and mayonnaise using the blender attachment.

Cory Coffee Percolator
This makes the BEST, hot coffee!  My fella likes his coffee HOT and I like the taste of this the best.
I can only find these on Ebay.


I have found, living in a house of  men/boys, that they like to eat!  No, I mean LOVE to eat!
When I was a kid, I looked forward to supper.  Sitting together and sharing our meal together brought great memories.
But with males, it's different.  They enjoy the FOOD.  I hear "What's for supper?" oodles of times each day.
OOOh's and AAhhh's are heard when favorites are planned.  Plates are licked, pans scraped and bellies are rarely full!
When the plate is empty, then the nice conversation can start.

I have learned to make LOTS of food and enjoy doing it. It's going to be my task for many days, so I have found it to be a joy to get the most reaction our of each meal.

"Thanks Mom, that was good!"

2 comments:

  1. What nice helpers you have to go with your awesome attitude!

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  2. All the fancy things a kitchen should never be without! I love my kitchen aid and wheat grinder the best! How would I function without them? I hope I never have to find out. At least while I still have so many bodies in the house. My second washer began leaking this week and I have only been using one and thats about to kill me. Once a person gets spoiled it's hard when something is taken away.

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