The Sewing Mom

This post brought to you by GravyMaster. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am a decent in the kitchen when it comes to cooking every day meals.  Even holiday meals, the ones that many cooks fear, I actually enjoy.  However, I do like to keep my recipes simple and pretty basic.  Anytime I try to go too gourmet, it turns out bad.  One basic side dish that I do have trouble with though is gravy.  I just cannot seem to master making a good tasting gravy.  If I get it to the right consistency, it has no flavor, if it has good flavor (not likely), it isn’t the right consistency.  So, I just shy away from homemade gravy, even though I love it.

Come to find out, I just haven’t been using the right ingredients to make my gravy, one ingredient in particular, GravyMaster.

So, I’m all ready preparing my shopping list for Christmas dinner and you can bet I want to Master the meal, including my gravy, so I have Gravyaster on my list of ingredients I need to purchase.  And, to make this product an even better value, it can be used for many other things besides making gravy.  I checked out their website and learned that I can even use it as an ingredient for a delicious glaze for my ham that I’ll be cooking Christmas day.

GravyMaster can be used to bring out the flavors in all types of foods, everything from meats and fishes to vegetables.  It can be used in sauces and marinades in addition to basic gravies, so it’s an ingredient worth having in my pantry.   If you’re unsure, check out the recipes on their website and you’ll find all kinds of things to cook.  Come back and let me know what you would make with GravyMaster!

This was one of the longest weeks and I am truly thankful it’s behind me.

I normally work part time from home, around 4 hours each morning, then I have the afternoon off to keep up with housework, grocery shopping, cooking and anything else that needs to be done. This week was an exception though. I had to attend a training class all week which meant I had to make the hour commute each morning and spend 8 hours each day sitting in a chair listening to someone talk and. It was so incredibly boring and exhausting at the same time.

Each day ended at 5 and I would then get back in my car to drive home. Now, normally, I would’ve started cooking dinner around 4 to have it ready at 6. Sometimes we eat earlier, depending on what we have going on at night, and, some nights, after dinner I drive my daughter to a variety of practices or events. I can tell you though, I honestly don’t know how people who work outside the home everyday, 8 hours a day, get everything done at home and still have time for family, much less cooking, cleaning and just plain ol’ relaxation!

So, I had to get creative in my cooking decisions and I found myself looking for things that tasted good but were quick to get cooked and on to the table. One of my favorite dishes is stir fry. It’s so easy and quick to make, but I can’t seem to get the seasonings just right when I do it from scratch. Well, I’m so happy to tell you that I discovered Sun-Bird Asian Seasoning Mixes and they have the perfect seasoning mix for stir fry! They have sauce mixes, seasonings, soup mixes and even 3-step meal kits to make cooking Asian food at a home a snap! Sun-Bird has come to my rescue this week! You can find these products at the grocery store and I am stocking my pantry.

While you’re at the grocery store, be sure to get your entry form and enter to win the 15 Blu-RayTM Disc players that Sun-Bird is giving away.. Entry forms can be found at your grocery store, where Sun-Bird seasonings products are sold. Hurry though because the contest only runs through October 31, 2009.

Yesterday was my final day of training and I had today off.   It felt great to not have to drive anywhere and I actually managed to get caught up on the laundry and a little bit of house cleaning.      It’s not like I cook huge gourmet meals every night for my family, actually, I never cook huge gourmet meals! But, I do take the time to cook a balanced meal usually. Life sometimes throws us a curve and takes away our time, so it’s great to have a selection of quick cooking meals.

Finally, Friday!

It’s a good week, ending in a good weekend. My nephew Greg is graduating with his Master’s degree tomorrow, WOW! We’re all so very proud of him.

But, before the weekend begins, I have 7 hours to work today and, then, I can kick of the weekend. I’m going to get a head start with my favorite meme, Four Foods on Friday.

This week’s questions and my answers:

#1. blueyes’ question. What’s your favorite seafood recipe? I love a simple shrimp scampi. Melt butter in a pan, add chopped garlic and a few chopped scallion onions. Add peeled shrimp and cook until done. Serve over any type of noodles.

#2. Italian Ice. Like it, love it or leave it? I like it, but rarely have it.

#3. What’s your favorite crunchy food? (anything – pickles, chips, fruit, etc.) I love to crunch on tortilla chips, extra salt!

#4. Have you ever eaten so much of something that you felt or got sick? Ummm, yes. Years ago, while still in college, I went home to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving. After barely eating (I was a broke college student), I gorged myself on turkey and all the side dishes. I was miserable, and yes, I did end up throwing up! I’ve never allowed myself to eat that much again, i learned my lesson.

I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am that it’s time for my favorite meme, Four Foods on Friday. I’m short on time, so I’m just going to get down to business and so, here are this weeks questions and my answers. If you’d like to participate, click on the above link and givel Valmg a visit!

#1. Suggest a question for FFOF. Something fun is in store for the one whose question is chosen. My suggested question relates to the outdoor grill: Do you cook items besides meat on the bbq grill, and, do you prefer gas or charcoal grills?

#2. Share instructions on how to make your favorite smoothee or shake. Well, since I haven’t found my blender since we moved 2 years ago, I haven’t made any smoothies or shakes. I do make yogurt parfaits, does that count? I add blueberries, blackberries and/or strawberries to vanilla yogurt, in layers. I top it with granola and it’s delicious.

#3. What’s in your favorite panini? I love strips of chicken, cheese and spinach in my favorite Lean Cuisine pan
ini!

#4. Share a recipe for potato salad. I chop my potatoes, cook them in boiling water until they are soft, but not mushy. I then put them in a bowl with some chopped onion, some mayonnaise, a couple of tablespoons of yellow mustard and some chopped celery. I add a dash of pepper and about a tsp. of celery salt. I usually add some chopped boiled egg. I garnish with sliced boiled egg and paprika.

It’s that magic time of week, Friday, and that brings me to my favorite meme, Four Foods on Friday. If you’d like to participate, click the link and have fun!

This weeks questions and my answers:

Here are this week’s four questions.

#1. What’s your favorite cereal? I do believe I would have to say it would be Cap’n Crunch. Truth is, it’s so expensive (not to mention it’s not the healthiest cereal), I don’t get to eat it very often.

#2. What do you use to flip food on the stove? I use a spatula.

#3. What’s your favorite type of donut? I love the Bavarian Creme filled at Krispy Kreme, especially if it’s right out of the oven with fresh cream! YUM!

#4. Share a rice recipe. Chicken and rice

mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 c water and a dash of paprika and pepper in a casserole dish. Add 1 c of uncooked rice. Brown boneless chicken breast and place on top of rice mixture. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done.