Lauren Freston, Independent Consultant for Pampered Chef

I know it may seem I am enamored by these tools, but I am. This past year has stretched me to my limits! Teaching has been the death of me. By the way, I am not returning to the classroom next year! At least not the traditional classroom! I am going to be teaching as a consultant and maybe in a pod type situation. We will see about that one. But in regards to survival, well, I just don't have time to cook like I used to or want to. Dinners have to be done in minutes, or I won't eat! Aimee gave me this recipes and I love it! You can't go wrong with this recipe. I've done it several times.

https://cookingwithkarli.com/garlic-parmesan-green-beans/

My favorite restaurant is Texas Roadhouse. I love a good steak! This past year, I have been researching how to cook a good steak on the grill. Ron is the resident barbecue guy, so I am the true back seat driver! Our results have been pretty good. Because I have always been interested in getting the outdoors taste in the kitchen, I was intrigued by the new Deluxe Electric Grill & Griddle. Honestly, the price was intimidating. In fact, I was convinced I could resist because of it! One of the perks of selling Pampered Chef is that I get a nice discount, so of course I splurged, and boy am I glad that I did!

This steak was the best I think I've ever had, and believe me, I've eaten a lot of steaks in my life! All I did was salt both sides with course sea salt, and I left it on the counter for a while. I wanted it almost room temperature. I preheated the grill, and closed the adjusting lid. (It has a swivel type lid that can be raised or lowered depending on how thick your item is. You can apply just enough pressure to cook without squishing your food! In just under 5 minutes I had a perfectly done medium rare steak! Yummm! See my other posts for the green beans and salted baked potato recipes!

Lauren Freston, Independent Consultant for Pampered Chef updated their website address.

True confessions from someone who has done these home parties things for decades. I love home parties! I love the interaction with women and feed off of their excitement. One thing I've learned this past year is that I have no confidence in myself when I've done online parties. Another thing I've learned is that I still love my Pampered Chef toys. Sooo, I've decided to do things a bit different. I know I love to browse, and I love to hear what other people are doing, so I'm going to post some of my new favorite items that just became available this month (and believe me, I'm surprised at one of my favorites!), and some of the tools that I've become dependent upon this past year. I'll share some of the recipes I've used over the last year and put them all here for you. I hope you enjoy dropping by and browsing. Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll do my best to answer.

The picture is one of the new items. It is the Enameled Cast Iron Set. Aren't they pretty in the new blue color? I'm a fan of all things cast iron! I couldn't resist starting with the dutch oven and 1 qt. baker. I love that I can cook in them with the trusted results of a heavy pan, and have them look beautiful on a table.

Lauren Freston, Independent Consultant for Pampered Chef updated their business hours.

Last week I had an emergency gall bladder surgery! All I can say, is that if you are feeling like something may be wrong in your body, don’t wait because of this COVID thing. Hospitals are still very much open. Anyway, the point of this post is that one of my friends sent me a meal of meatloaf and green beans. I haven’t had a meat loaf in years! It was really good and just the right amount of comfort food for the type of week I was having. I just found this recipe. Remember not to put your clay cooker in the broiler though. Transfer the meat to a pie pan or something metal while you do the last step. I hope you get to enjoy an old favorite - minus the trip to the hospital!

I'm in love with my new pans. The heat transfers fabulous, the non-stick works nicely. Plus, you can use metal utensils if you want! (I still use my non-metal utensils because I am so conditioned by my other pans.) I love that the handles are removable for easy storage. Finally, my cabinet doors can close! It is so easy to have a qualifying party. Let me know, and we can set up a virtual party. It is so worth it!

www.pamperedchef.com

The Salad Cutting Bowl is a fun tool if you like to make your own fresh salads. It reminds me of the salad bowls you can get in the grocery store produce section, but you can be sure your items are fresh and not loaded with preservatives. Also on sale until the end of the month.

Why not add a bit of color into your kitchen? Only $20 until the end of the month!

Who loves popcorn? I know that I gave up microwave popcorn a long time ago. I switched over to air popping, but this is intriguing. Watch the video, and see how easy it is to control the perfect amount of butter, flavoring, or no butter at all. (You May have to scroll to see the video.) It's total control - fast, has and healthy! Plus, it's on sale until the end of the month!

I know this may be crazy, but I need things to keep me busy and my mind engaged on something fun! I have always loved to cook, but lately life has made me a bit stressed. I find myself getting dinner from carry-outs as a norm lately. I'm not feeling healthy, and I know I'm gaining weight. My family knows that I love gadgets, so I've been toying with the idea of making videos of a busy lady trying to survive by cooking delicious foods quick. My goal is to be honest and hopefully fun! I plan on getting my kit this Monday, and I'm going to video my journey from playing with my new toys to trying out new dishes and maybe just maybe lose some weight before my son's wedding this June!