If you are a new Mom and are considering making homemade baby food for your wee one then you are probably wondering what type of machine you need to do it.  There are so many different kinds of appliances out there that it can be hard to decide which one is worth buying.  In my humble opinion, the best choice for new Moms is to use a food processor for baby food.

Here are several reasons why a food processor is the perfect choice for making baby food:

• The large capacity bowl means you can make bigger batches of baby food at one time (perfect for freezing).
• The variety of different blades that come with a food processor means you can slice, dice, chop and puree almost any food you can imagine.
• The pulse feature allows you to keep food chunkier as your baby grows and can eat more solid textures.
• Sharp food processor blades can even grind up the all-important whole grains to add to your baby’s diet.
• You can use a food processor in your kitchen for cooking and baking everyday food for the rest of your family as well.
• The wide mouth bowl makes it easy to remove the blades and clean up when you’re done.  Most food processor bowls and accessories are dishwasher safe – love that!

When I first started making my own baby food, I used a blender.  It worked okay, but here are a few frustrations I had along the way:

• Blenders are really designed to liquefy so it was difficult to make baby food with a thicker consistency.
• The narrow base of the blender makes it difficult to get the food out after it is pureed and it can also be hard to clean.
• Although a blender looks like it has a large capacity, it doesn’t lend itself well to making large batches of baby food at one time.
• I like appliances that offer me a lot of versatility in the kitchen and blenders don’t really have many other functions – other than milkshakes and smoothies however, which I adore!

So the answer is yes… you can use a food processor for baby food and in fact, it is probably the best choice you can make.  Give a food processor a “whirl” – you’ll love it!

If you don’t already have one, be sure to read my review of the Cuisinart 7 Cup Food Processor.  It would be the perfect choice for making baby food.

One of the questions I get asked about all the time is how to make fondue. I think it can be a confusing thing for people because it is something you don’t do very often. But if the process of making fondue could be simplified somehow, I think it would be an excellent way to mix things up a bit at your next party or family get-together.

Making fondue in a traditional fondue pot like the bestselling Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker has to be one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the kitchen. Although fondue pots are a popular bridal registry item and are often given as house warming gifts, by the time the thank you cards are sent, the fondue pot has usually disappeared never to be seen again. They end up in the back of a closet or in the attic or even *gasp* re-gifted!

So why does everyone want a fondue pot when no one really knows how to make fondue?

Fondue can be easy to make. Sure there are some recipes that require rare vegetables or marinated meat and some even call for exotic ingredients but those recipes are the reason your fondue pot is gathering dust instead of being used.

The key to getting use out of your fondue pot is to pick very simple recipes that are easy to make. A basic cheese fondue that substitutes regular Swiss Cheese for the more expensive and harder to find Gruyere cheese or a Mocha Fondue for coffee and chocolate lovers are simple, tasty and inexpensive. Here are a couple basic recipes that use very common ingredients for you to try out:

Swiss Fondue

2 cups dry White Wine
1 Garlic Clove
1 lb Swiss Cheese – shredded in your Cuisinart Food Processor
3 tbsp Flour
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp White Pepper
Salt to taste
Nutmeg to taste

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove and add clove to pot.

Heat up the white wine & lemon juice on medium low heat – should be hot but do not boil.

Mix flour and shredded cheese in a bowl.

Slowly add cheese mixture to wine and lemon juice and stir constantly.

Add remainder of ingredients to the pot.
Optional: Add a splash of Kirsch or Blackberry Brandy
To Dip: Italian bread cut into cubes, vegetables or flat breads.

Mocha Fondue
8 oz Semisweet Chocolate
1/2 cup Hot Espresso or Coffee
3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Chop chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
Heat espresso and sugar in fondue pot on low heat.
Slowly add chocolate and butter while stirring.
Add Vanilla and a splash of Irish Cream (optional)
For Dipping: Angel Food Cake, Apple Slices, Bananas, Strawberries, Pound Cake, Pretzels, Pineapple Chunks, Marshmallows – really anything goes!!

Fondue can be easy to make and it’s definitely fun. The key is to use simple recipes so that you can spend your time enjoying fondue and not worrying about getting a complicated recipe right. Isn’t it time that your fondue pot became a permanent fixture on your counter top? Just don’t shove your other handy appliances like your Panasonic bread maker or KitchenAid Attachments into the closet Ok?  Promise?

Admittedly, I am not a big wine drinker but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate unique wine gadgets. In fact, they are a very popular gift choice for me because I have several family members who drink a lot of wine. So when I was asked recently where to find the popular Vinturi Wine Aerator at the best price, I myself was intrigued. I love a good deal!

First let me tell you a little bit about the Vinturi Wine Aerator and why it was insanely popular this Christmas.

The first and most obvious reason that people love this wine aerator is because it does wonders for the taste of wine. As I am sure you know, the more time that wine has to age the better it tastes right? Well this aerator actually adds air to the wine to accelerate this process and mimic the aging process. By adding air to the wine, it gives the wine more body, bouquet and finish. Cool right?

I think Wine-o’s also love how this thing looks sitting on their counter – especially if you buy it as part of the Vinturi Deluxe 6-Piece Wine Aerator Set. This set includes a really sophisticated tower that holds the aerator and gives the illusion that it is floating above the glass. It is made of a clear acrylic and looks very sleek and stylish.

So how did I do with finding the best price on the Vinturi Wine Aerator? Quite well actually! It seems that since Christmas the price on this item has been drastically reduced – some models are being sold for less than ½ the price they were selling for over the holidays. This is rather surprising considering that this item is still sitting pretty atop the bestseller list at Amazon.com.

So if you enjoy your wine and are looking for a really elegant and sophisticated way to serve it, then you need to look into this deal – it won’t last long. I think I may even buy one or two and set them aside for Birthday, Christmas or Father’s Day gifts. Men are so hard to buy for!

Is it just me or do kitchen appliances these days seem to come with more and more buttons and functions then ever before?  I mean most of the appliances I own have way more functions on them then I will ever use.  Some of them have buttons and knobs that I have never used and to be quite honest, I’m not even sure what they do!

But retro kitchen appliances… now that’s another story.  They were beautifully simplistic and easy to operate.  They had minimal buttons and buzzers and were just as pretty – perhaps even more so.  Each appliance had one main function and that was its job.  It didn’t have to be a coffee/espresso/cappuccino/hot chocolate maker.  It was okay that it only made coffee!

I think that’s why over the past few years there has been a real trend toward kitchen appliances and gadgets “going retro”.  Not only are they designed to look like a vintage appliance but they are made with a more simplistic kitchen lifestyle in mind as well.

But simple and retro certainly doesn’t mean boring!  Not at all.  In fact, these ‘50’s appliance look-a-likes are anything but.  The range of beautiful vintage colors is incredible – everything from traditional black and white to candy apple red and lettuce green (like the Waring Pro Retro Blender pictured above).  And I don’t know about you but I find these colors to be a refreshing change from all of the stainless and chrome of today’s modern appliances.

Life in the kitchen needs to be simple, fun and easy.  I think a retro appliance or gadget propped up on the kitchen counter is a great reminder of that.