Great Kitchen Gadgets!

One kitchen gadget I'm getting really spoiled by is my Digital Probe Thermometer. My parents gave it to us for Christmas and it is great. I do a lot of roasting and that inevitably meant guessing at doneness or reaching into a super hot oven half a dozen times to poke at my food with a meat thermometer. But not anymore!

To use the Digital Probe Thermometer, you stick the probe in, lead the cord out of the oven and attach it to the digital thermometer. The thermometer has a magnet on the back and a little swing away foot. I use the magnet and stick it high on my oven (i.e. far away from Caleb!). Instead of setting a time, I set a target temperature and when the food reaches that temperature, a buzzer goes off. It has meant the end of us hungrily cutting into a big, juicy chicken, only to discover it's not done inside.

May 13 - 24, 2007

13 U Fajita Skillet, Salad
14 M Oriental Round Steak, Salad
15 T L.O. Oriental Round Steak
16 W Church Dinner
17 R Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
18 F Corn Dogs
19 S Bob's Crab Cakes, Broccoli, Carrot Sticks
20 U Great Northern Bean Stew, Herbed Popovers
21 M L.O. GNB Stew
22 T Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Lemon Spaghetti, Salad
23 W Church Dinner
24 R L.O. Spaghetti, etc.

This week I picked a few old favorites to compliment some brave new dishes. Corn Dogs are always a hit with Rob - I think he's eat them for breakfast. And I love Great Northern Bean Stew - it's really tasty and very cheap! Plus spaghetti is just comfort food all the way around.

Rob and I both love crab cakes and Caleb loves the name "Bob", so this new (but not unusual) crab cake recipe was an easy pick. I'm excited about the Oriental Round Steak - it'll perk along in the slow-cooker while I'm babysitting and I'll come home to a yummy smelling house (I hope!). And I look forward to trying Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which I watched Giada De Laurentiis prepare last week. I really like her recipes. Good Eats is still my favorite cooking show, but I have tried a lot of Giada's recipes and been very pleased. They always have fun names and are usually easy.