4 Must Have Baking Tools for Winter

One of the most fun, tasty aspects of the winter months is baking delicious goodies for family and friends. And if you plan on trying that new cookie recipe or perfecting that delicious seasonal baked bread this winter, there are a few tools and ingredients you should have on hand. Baking in the colder months doesn’t have to differ too much from summertime, though the focus is typically on spices and comfort foods as opposed to light, airy dishes. Below you will find 4 must have winter baking tools that can help you to create perfect results.

Tool #1: Holiday Cookie Cutters

With the December holidays not far away, it would be a good idea to invest in some novelty cookie cutters for this year and years to come. If you already have a few, look through your collection and see which may need to be replaced or refreshed; or, determine what you may be missing and add a new one to your collection. Your kids will love creating novelty-themed cookies, and the best part is you should be able to pick up various cookie cutters at a low cost. As the holidays draw near, stores will start to have sales on popular winter baking tools. Try to invest in at least 3 different seasonal cookie cutter shapes for variety, experiment with different types of flavors as well as winter warming spices.

Tool #2: Winter Seasoning

Winter baking isn’t complete without special seasonings, such as cinnamon, cloves and ginger. These three main winter-style spices go well in various baking recipes. Nutmeg is also another great spice to invest in. Not only do all of these taste fantastic in their respective recipes, but spices also have great health benefits. When tested on animals, powdered cinnamon is thought to be able to enhance detoxification and prevent cancer. Just another great reason to stock up on various winter spices today.

Tool #3: Large Casserole Dishes

When winter arrives, the cold months are often a welcome time to create more casseroles and pies than during the rest of the year. They are great comfort foods, and we can almost guarantee that much of your family will enjoy digging into a tasty pie on a cold winter evening. Purchase new large casserole dishes and freeze any leftovers.

Tool #4: Sprinkles

If you plan on doing a lot of baking over Christmas, then sprinkles would be a good tool to invest in. Get sugared creations in holiday shapes, or just colored sprinkles that go best with your next event.

A Little Grape Goes a Long Way

For the people 21 and over, wine can put all the pieces of an exotic meal tastefully together. Wine has a way of bringing out tastes that you would not otherwise feel without it. I would like to give you some information about my favorite wine, Pinot Gris.

Pinot Gris is a white wine grape variety that is actually a white mutation of the Pinot noir grape which is a red grape. The grapes are usually grayish-blue, but can vary widely. They can be a brownish pink to black and sometimes white. It is not the same as pinot blanc. The wines produced by this grape vary widely also… and range from a deep golden yellow to copper and even a light shade of pink. Pinot Gris is the name used primarily in France and Oregon. Pinot Grigio refers to the pinot Gris grape grown in Italy and California. Other countries use the two names interchangeably.

Wines made from this grape vary widely and are dependent on the region and wine making style they are from. In my opinion they are fruity in aroma, with flavors of honey, apple, pear, vanilla, oak and citrus. French Pinot Gris from the Alsace region are medium to full bodied wines and are more fruity and flowery. The flavors range from peach to grapefruit to melon. These can age well. German Pinot gris are more full bodied with a slight sweetness.  Pinot gris from Oregon are medium bodied with a yellow to copper pink color and evidence of pear, apple and/or melon. Pinot grigio from Italy is typically a dry not sweet wine….a light bodied wine that is light in color with sometimes spritzy flavors that can be crisp. California Pinot grigio tend to be richer in flavor than the Italian Pinot grigio wines and are more light bodied with a crisp refreshing taste. They have a mineral taste with a lemony or citrusy flavor.Pinot gris goes well with foods typically associated with white wines, which includes fish, seafood, chicken, pork and Asian cuisine. Pinot grigio also pairs well with light foods that have a thick sauce or heavy spices…. For example chicken in a rich white sauce or eggplant with heavy spices.

Chili on the Run

I am one of those people who are busy most days and don't have a lot of time to make my ideal meal every single day. Of course life happens and definitely gets in the way but why not eat some you can enjoy? I have been contemplating a dish that many people like mixed with the coldness of the upcoming months. I have found just the lunch/dinner on that goes that can be reheated right in the microwave. I know! You don't want to have chili for a whole week but a couple days of delicious warm chili couldn't hurt anyone! This recipe is easy and has many perks! You can substitute your own chili ingredients and it will still taste good. Chili is very easy to simply put in a storage container and take to work or save until you get off work. During the cold winter nights, a cup of chili could be the perfect simple date idea.

Share the Warmth! 

Chili on the Run 

Ingredients

•    1 pound ground sirloin beef (90% lean)

•    3 cans (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce

•    1 can (15 oz each) chili without beans

•    1 can (15 oz each) pinto beans, drained, rinsed

•    1 can (15 oz each) red kidney beans, drained, rinsed

1 can (6 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Paste

Directions

•       Brown meat in large skillet over medium-high heat; drain.

•       Add tomato sauce, chili, pinto beans, kidney beans and tomato paste; stir until well blended.

•       Cook over medium heat 15 minutes, or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

•    

Mexican Heritage Past

I use to walk around the house when I was little and smell the spicy flavors of my Hispanic culture in every room. It was the one thing that brought my family together other than the occasional holiday or birthday. These memories stick in my head because I could have started my cooking career a lot earlier than I did. I’m not sure why but in my house, the older women of my family took it upon themselves to do all of the cooking. My guess is that they still saw their children still as babies at the age of 16 and just wanted to treat them like babies still. Therefore, I never learned how to cook any enchiladas, fajitas or mole. Of course, I never knew that I was missing out on anything until I starting living by myself. Talk about a wake up call. I’d like to share an easy recipe to make a huge enchilada.  It’s very easy and with the basic kit from Artemis Cookware you have everything that you need to make it.

Ingredients:

2	tsp (10 mL) canola oil
1	medium onion, cut into chunks
1	large poblano pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
3	cups (750 mL) diced cooked chicken breasts
2	cups (500 mL) mild red enchilada sauce, divided
1	can (11 oz or 341 mL) Southwestern-style corn, well drained
3	garlic cloves
2	tbsp (30 mL) Chipotle Rub
2	cups (500 mL) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
4	10-in. (25-cm) flour tortillas
1	egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush pan with oil.

2. Finely chop onion in Manual Food Processor and scrape into Classic Batter Bowl. Repeat with poblano. Add chicken, 1 cup of the enchilada sauce, corn, garlic pressed and rub; mix well.

3. Microwave chicken mixture, loosely covered with lid, on HIGH 4–5 minutes or until hot, stirring halfway through cooking. Stir in half of the cheese.

4. Arrange tortillas in a cloverleaf pattern on pan with tortillas overlapping in the center of the pan. (They’ll extend off edge of pan by 3 in./7.5 cm.)

5. Starting in the center, brush tortillas with a little of the remaining enchilada sauce, forming a 10-in. (25-cm) square; spoon chicken mixture over sauce, spreading evenly.

6. Fold edges of tortillas up over chicken mixture to cover it completely; lightly brush enchilada with some of the egg. (Discard the rest of the egg.)

7. Bake 7–9 minutes or until light golden brown. Meanwhile, microwave remaining sauce in uncovered 2-cup Measuring Cup on HIGH 45–60 seconds or until hot.

8. Remove pan from oven and top with remaining sauce and cheese; bake 2–3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove pan from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Slice enchilada into eight rectangles using Utility Knife.

I've attached a picture of the finished product produced by yours truly.