The Versatility of Olive Oil

I'm going to admit my olive oil ignorance. Not including all the flavored varieties out there, I really thought there was one type of olive oil- Extra Virgin, or EVOO.

A couple weeks ago I was sent three different varieties of Crisco olive oil- EVOO, Pure Olive Oil and Light Olive Oil. Because things have been busy these past few weeks I haven't had a chance to try new recipes, but I have been using these oils exclusively to see if I notice a difference.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

EVOO is the olive oil everyone knows. I use it for everything from simple salad dressings (mixed with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar) to marinades and bread dip. It has a more robust flavor than the other oils- which is why it isn't a good choice for baking.

Pure Olive Oil

Previously I used EVOO for stove-top cooking. I switched to the Pure Olive Oil for this when I don't want such a bold taste- like on morning eggs. The pure oil did seem to resist browning as much or burning quite as easily as EVOO. I also liked it for tossing pasta before refrigerating as the olive oil taste wasn't overwhelming.

Light Olive Oil

Light olive oil is your everyday cooking oil. It can be used for everything from baking and frying to simple prevention of sticking. I really never thought I would use an olive oil to bake, so I tested it on a item that is relatively flavorless: a plain white cake. I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't detect a bit of "olive taste" in the cake.

My Take

As a fan of the benefits of heart healthy oils, I was really pleased to try these items. In my kitchen the EVOO and light olive oils would be used most often; the pure is less necessary as, depending on what I am making, the EVOO and light could fill the purpose.

The Crisco website has some delicious recipes featuring the trio of olive oil. I want to try the Florentine Pizza with Seasoned Oil and the Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers.

How do you use olive oil? If you have an original recipe share it with Crisco for a change to win a trip for 2 to Italy! (Entry and rules can be found here.)

Disclosure: I am a member of Foodbuzz who sent the Crisco Olive Oil to me to try. While a review of the product is appreciated, it is not mandatory. All thoughts are my own.

Dimplex PowerChef Electric Grills

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dimplex North America Limited. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of my favorite things about nice weather is the fact that we can grill. And we grill practically everything: meat, fish, vegetables, pizza… Even some fruits.

Doug is the master griller in our house. He is also a die-hard charcoal grill fanatic. Which is fine as he does the majority of all of the grilling. Because I can’t grill on charcoal. I can’t light it right, I can’t get the heat right, and my charcoal grilled food is inedible.

If you’re like me or you can’t have a gas or charcoal grill where you live the Dimplex PowerChef Electric Grills may be right for you. They have small counter top varieties, large free-standing grills and even some that can be wall mounted.

I am especially impressed with the “cheater” technology that produces perfectly cooked food every time. Apparently you can program the grill to the type of food, thickness and level of doneness you desire and the grill will tell you when to flip and when it is done. There is even a “favorite recipe” setting. Nice. Watch this video to learn more.

After searching the website North American distribution seems widespread and there are many online distributors as well. Grill prices begin around $400.

Egg in a Nest - Making Eggs Fun

Sometimes the smallest change can make the largest impact when it comes to your children. There are some days that "eggy toast" (scrambled eggs on toast) is welcomed by my girls. Other days they just aren't interested.

A couple weeks ago I conjured up a recipe from my childhood: Egg in a Nest. It's not a difficult recipe... I'm not sure that it even qualifies as a recipe quite so much as it's just a different- and fun- presentation of the standard egg & toast.

What you need:
bread (one slice per nest)
egg (one per nest)
non-stick spray or butter
cookie cutter

Directions:
Heat non stick pan on medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray (I use olive oil in a Pampered Chef Kitchen Spritzer) or melt butter.
Cut design out of bread. I usually let my girls help with this part. They choose thier cookie cutter & cut the bread.
Add bread to pan. I flatten the bread with a spatula to make sure the egg can't "escape" when I add it.
Add egg. Cook to desired "done-ness". We like our eggs hard, so I flip as soon as the white become opaque.
You can also fry the cut out piece, too. Or toast it.

Ta-Da! Fun eggs!

Mmmm... Baked Apples

In October I happened upon Laney Pottery's website and was instantly drawn to their apple bakers. I love baked apples. And since I was looking for affordable and useful gifts for my in-laws for Christmas I figured I had found just what I was looking for.

After receiving rave reviews from my in-laws about their apple bakers I figured I needed to try one for myself. Jayme was kind enough to send one out to me and I have- finally- gotten around to trying it! (Every time I was going to it seemed that all the apples had "disappeared"!)

Well, today the girls and I tried out our apple baker. We used the very easy recipe that Laney Pottery provides. We peeled and cored the apple (I used a small melon baller to core it quickly) and placed it in the apple baker with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon & ground cloves.

After baking for 25 minutes it was ready to eat. Hot from the oven this would be a great side dish or dessert served with caramel, ice cream or whipped cream. But I just cut it to bite sized pieces and my girls eagerly ate it without anything else.

At only $9 each these handy -hand made- apple bakers are a bargain. And they can be made in a variety of colors to match your kitchen. Visit Laney Pottery's website or etsy page to order yours.