Jul 15 2014

Anniversary Giveaway #2: Grilling Tools (Winner Announced!)

The winner of the grilling tools is:

#470 Lisa: “The best thing to grill is paella! The smoke from the charcoal makes it so amazing! Perfect for a big party.”

Congratulations! Contact [email protected] to claim your loot.

It’s day two of our anniversary week of giveaways! We’re celebrating five years here at Tasty Kitchen, and today we’re thinking about grilling. ‘Tis the grilling season, and we could all use a nice set of tools when we’re making magic over an open flame. More on the giveaway in a minute, but first, feast your eyes on a few of our favorite grilled recipes.

Huevos Rancheros Burger from John of Patio Daddio BBQ. Chorizo burger. With an egg on top. Heck, yes. Patio Daddio knows his way around the grill.

Grilled Corn with Bacon Butter and Cotija Cheese from Jessica of How Sweet It Is. Whole new level. Did we mention bacon butter?.

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Cream from Justine of Cooking and Beer. Spicy, sweet. Kickin’ chicken!.

Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce from Dara of Cookin’ Canuck. Excuse us while we eat this sauce by the spoonful.

Grilled Mozzarella, Prosciutto, and Arugula Pizza from Meagan of A Zesty Bite. Fresh and yummy. And grilling pizza is just plain fun!

Grilled Zucchini Fries—another one from our friend Patio Daddio. An easy, flavorful side dish. Helps use up some of that zucchini from the garden, too.

Now that you have a few new recipes to try, it’s time for the giveaway!

We’re giving away this great BBQ tool set for all your basic grilling needs.

The winner also receives this mesh outdoor cookware set so you can throw just about anything you want on the grill.

As a bonus, we’ll include this Grand Grill Daddy grill cleaning brush so you can keep your grill nice and clean and always ready for the next meal!

TO ENTER

To enter this giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

“What’s your favorite thing to grill for guests?”

Shout out your answer below and you’ll automatically be entered to win!

THE RULES

One entry per person, please. Contest ends tonight at midnight PST.

Winners will be chosen randomly and announced tomorrow morning, along with another new giveaway. The fun continues!

All anniversary week giveaways sponsored by Tasty Kitchen.

Jul 14 2014

5 Years and a Blendtec Giveaway (Winner Announced!)

Posted by Erika (TK) in Miscellaneous

Thanks for all the anniversary greetings, everyone!

The winner of the Blendtec blender is:

#669 Izzybee: “Ice cream, ice cream and more ice cream.” (Yes, yes, and oh yes.)

Congratulations! Contact [email protected] to claim your loot.

Hi friends! We’re celebrating a special day today, the fifth anniversary of Tasty Kitchen! Five years of delicious recipes and fabulous community. We want to say thanks to you for being a part of Tasty Kitchen, so we’re having a week of giveaways—5 years, 5 days of fun loot. Here we go!

Today, it’s all about the Blendtec, baby. Summer leaves us craving cold stuff! Milkshakes, smoothies, cold soups, icy coffee, even nut milks. We all need a mean machine for blending, and the Blendtec WildSide blender is definitely that. Check out these scrumptious blender recipes:

Pineapple Coconut Pear Milkshakes from TK member Ann. So creamy and coconutty.

Nutella S’more Iced Coffee from TK member Lindsey. No fire needed! And it has marshmallow whipped cream. Score.

Chocolate Hazelnut Milk from Three Many Cooks. All you need to know is two words: liquid Nutella. Amen.

Chilled Tomato Soup & Green Goddess Whipped Cream from Tami of Running with Tweezers. Perfect for summer.

Watermelon Jalapeno Margaritas from Jackie Dodd of Domestic Fits. Sweet meets heat. And tequila. Yeah, baby.

So, are you ready to win that blender? It’s easy!

TO ENTER

To enter this giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

“What’s your favorite way to cool off in the summer?”

We shared five of our favorite ways above. Now we want to hear from you!

THE RULES

One entry per person, please. Contest ends tonight at midnight PST.

Winners will be chosen randomly and announced tomorrow morning. Be sure to check in every day this week for the winner and the next giveaway!

And happy 5th TK anniversary you! We wouldn’t be here without ya.

Jul 11 2014

Looks Delicious! Philly Steak Grilled Cheese

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Plain grilled cheese is incredible on its own. A Philly cheesesteak? Sublime. But when you put the two together and then throw in sautéed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, then you’re just showing off. Wrap it up in foil and throw it on a grid over fire? Now you’re flirting with sandwich greatness.

I can think of so many words to describe this Philly Steak Grilled Cheese, but I think Dana hit upon the perfect pair in her description of this sandwich: “Messy, and amazing.”

Thanks for sharing this, Dana! Now I know the very next thing I’m putting on my grill.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Jul 9 2014

Homemade Ice Cream Tips and Tricks

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

There’s something deeply nostalgic about homemade ice cream—memories of taking turns at the crank, the sound of the ice and salt working their charm on a canister of cream, and the satisfaction of finally holding that bowl of frozen goodness in your hand, oblivious to the hot summer sun beating down on you.

But homemade ice cream presents a few challenges, like unwanted ice crystals or mixtures that refuse to freeze properly—or at all. Ice cream making can be a tricky science (just ask Jeni or David) but armed with the right tools, techniques, and pointers, anyone can do it and be rewarded with a creamy concoction that’ll make both Ben and Jerry proud.

So let’s talk about this here ice cream making! Tell us:

Do you have any tips and tricks for making ice cream?

What I love most about ice cream is the ability to make all kinds of crazy flavors. Like Thai tea ice cream. Vietnamese coffee ice cream. (Notice a trend?) What continues to serve me well in all my experimentation is remembering how each component affects the final product:

Sugar improves the texture and flavor of ice cream. It also lowers the freezing temperature of the base, which means the ice cream is less likely to freeze into something as hard as a rock. But add too much, and the ice cream may not freeze at all.
When you increase the water content (like, say, replacing cream with skim milk), you also increase the chances that your ice cream will developlarge ice crystals and freeze hard like the aforementioned rock.
Fat also improves texture (makes it smoother) and flavor (makes it richer). It also makes the ice cream base more stable. Yay for fat!
Always, always serve yourself more than 2 scoops. Of course.

There’s a whole science to ice cream making and the tips above are just a few basic ones I’ve found most helpful as a simple guideline. I’ve found that keeping them in mind can come in handy when I’m adapting a recipe.

Nanci says that when storing ice cream (even when store-bought), she puts a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the ice cream and presses it right down onto the surface of the ice cream before adding the lid. This helps to prevent ice crystals from forming on the top. Her husband thinks that store-bought ice, as opposed to that from your own freezer, works better to use in your ice cream churn. She says, “He feels it’s more solid and colder (if that’s possible).” Finally, she suggests using real cream for a truly creamy result. (I second that.)

How about you? Have any tips to share? Or maybe favorite flavors? Or maybe you have a nagging ice cream making problem you just can’t figure out. Whatever it is, drop us a note below and let’s talk homemade ice cream!

Jul 7 2014

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Posted by Natalie | Perry's Plate in Step-by-Step Recipes

Laurie's recipe for Homemade Teriyaki Sauce caught my eye one day while browsing around Tasty Kitchen. I'm not a big fan of commercial teriyaki sauce because I find it way too sweet and full of other "stuff" I'd rather not eat, so making some from scratch really appealed to…

Jul 4 2014

Looks Delicious! Queso Fundido con Chorizo a la Tequila

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Queso Fundido con Chorizo a la Tequila The title says it all. Cheese. Chorizo. Tequila. Then everything is flambéed so your guests will be just as wowed by the fire display inside your kitchen. I can't think of anything more perfect right now. Thanks for…

Jul 2 2014

Eating Outdoors

Posted by Erika (TK) in Holidays

It's picnic time! Many folks will be outdoors this weekend waiting to watch the skies light up, as burgers and dogs and steaks and every possible cut of meat, fish, vegetable, and even fruit finds a place on the grill. Warm weather and outdoor cooking is a match that just makes sense. Picnics, backyard barbecues, tailgating ... many of us get giddy just thinking…

Newer Entries »

“What’s your favorite thing to grill for guests?”

“What’s your favorite way to cool off in the summer?”

Do you have any tips and tricks for making ice cream?

Search the Blog