Giveaway!

One of my blog followers will win Tate's Bake Shop - Valentine's Day Treat: Cookie Cube Tower and Baking for Friends Cookbook by Kathleen King!


Designed to delight the cookie lover and baker both, Tate's Bake Shop, paired Baking for Friends, the latest baking book from Tate's Bake Shop's own Kathleen King, with their elegant Valentine's Day Cube Tower with three, 3.5 oz packages of Tate's Bake Shop's crispy chocolate chip cookies all dressed up in red! Each cube contains approximately 6-7 cookies.

Click this link to see the inside of this incredible new cookbook:

 http://www.tatesbakeshop.com/p/occasion-thank-you/GPVBookBFF.html

It is easy to win!  Just leave a comment telling me how you follow my blog.  If follow on both the Google Friend Connect and the My Kind of Cooking Facebook page, you will get 2 entries.

The winner chosen by random.org will be announced on February 5th.

Special Offer: Tate's Bake Shop is celebrating the holiday by offering 50% off the Valentine's Cookie Cube & Cookbook combo -- now just $21.50 -- along with 20% off any web store purchase! To redeem the 20% offer, just use the code BLOG213 at checkout. Click this link to visit their website: http://www.tatesbakeshop.com/c/occasion-valentines-day.html

Check back on Friday,
for Kathleen King's Linzer Heart Cookie recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Pretzel Chicken Strips

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken strips

2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, combine honey and mustard. Mix well. 

Dip chicken strips in honey mixture, 

dredge chicken in pretzel crumbs, place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Repeat process on remaining chicken.  Discard unused honey mustard mixture.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Makes 6 servings.

When I see pretzels, I always think of the pretzel sellers on the streets in New York.  I would like to try one of those pretzels, but I saw a story on TV where they tested the carts, and the result was not good.  It was full of things I don't want to eat.

My son Tyler jokes that 20/20 (a show that reports on all kinds of dangers that are out in the world) ruined his childhood.  He is an only child, so I may have been a little over protective.  But like the saying goes; it is better to be safe than sorry.

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Crushing Tip

I usually use my meat tenderizing mallet to crush pretzels or other items.  We had friends over a few weeks ago and I had a lot of help in the kitchen.  When I went to look for the mallet, it wasn't in it's usual place.  I don't like to use a pan to crush with and my rolling pin broke at Christmas and I haven't replaced it yet.

So I decided to grab my hammer and give it a try.  Sometimes the plastic bag will rip when you are crushing items and I didn't want the hammer to touch my pretzels, so I covered it with a wash cloth and secured it with a rubber band. 

It worked great!  I used the ball of the hammer and also the side.  Hopefully I will find the misplaced mallet, but if I don't I will be pulling out the hammer again.

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Friday, for my   
Pretzel Chicken Strip recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Slow Cooker Round Steak & Mushroom Gravy

1 1/2 to 2 pounds round steak or cube steak
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

Cut steak in to portion size.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

In a large skillet, brown steak in vegetable oil over medium high heat.Remove from the skillet and set aside.  

In the same skillet, combine soup and milk. Add pepper to taste.  Mix well. 

In a slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray for easy clean up, layer soup and steak.  Cover.  Cook over low for 5 to 6 hours.

This is one of my favorite comfort foods from my childhood.  I remember my mom making this recipe in an electric skillet when I was a little girl.  Served with mashed potatoes and peas along with my mom's homemade biscuits.  I love how food brings back happy memories!

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Recipe Tip

Have you ever wanted to make a recipe, but when you got to the store you can't remember what is in it?  I have time and time again, that is until I started using this tip.

I now type the recipe on my computer and email it to myself.  You can also take a photo of the recipe and email it.  I then move it to the folder in my mail marked: Recipes.

I also compose my grocery list in my email.  I keep the list in my Draft folder so I can add items to it.  I can access the grocery list and my recipe on my smart phone (which at times is too smart for me) while I am out and about.  I can also email it to my husband.  He loves going to the store for me!  LOL

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Friday, for my  
Slow Cooker 
Round Steak and Mushroom Gravy recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Baked Stuffed Pork Chop Casserole

1 (6 ounce) box Stuffing mix, plus the ingredients to prepare
1 apple, chopped
4 thick cut pork chops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions.  Add chopped apple.  Mix well.

Cut a pocket in each pork chop. Stuff with stuffing mixture.  Secure with toothpicks.  

In a 13x9 inch baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, arrange pork chops.  Spoon remaining stuffing mixture around pork chops.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

This recipe was inspired by one I read in the Alcatraz Cookbook.  When we were in San Francisco for Christmas, we toured Alcatraz.  You have to walk through the gift shop to leave the tour.  I bought the cookbook without really looking at it and I am really glad I did.

 
To counter the isolation of living on Alcatraz, they created social clubs.  The wives of the prison guards made up the Alcatraz Women's Club and collected recipes for the cookbook.  First printed in 1952 it features recipes that were popular at that time.  

You can purchase the cookbook buy clicking this link: http://store.parksconservancy.org/store/product.asp?cat=1&sub=364&product=775  It is priced at $5.95.

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

San Francisco Restaurants

My husband Stan, Me, our son Tyler and Jordan

 

We did something different this year for Christmas.  Instead of buying a bunch of gifts that we don't need, we decided to make memories.  On Christmas day, my husband Stan, our son Tyler, Tyler's beautiful girlfriend Jordan (Gingerlocks' Kitchen), and I flew to San Francisco for a few days of fun.

There are several movies where families eat Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and we wanted to start off our trip that way.  Our son looked up restaurants around where we were in San Francisco and found one with a high rating called, Brandy Ho's.  I thought there would only be a few people there, after all it was Christmas day, but the place was packed!

Jordan and Tyler

I had the Honey Glazed Pecan and Shrimp dish.  The pecans were glazed and sweet and the shrimp was lightly floured and fried then coated in a creamy mayonnaise based sauce.  It sounds strange but it was delicious!

We had a bit of a wait at a restaurant called Zero Zero, but it was worth it.  We started off with a salad that had sliced pears and hazelnuts along with a meatball appetizer.

The table next to us suggested we order the pizza and we we're not disappointed that we did!  It was made with fresh ingredients making it a step above your average good old pizza.

One of our favorite places to eat was at Boudin Bakery.  There is a bread factory that makes incredible sourdough bread along with two restaurants in the same building.

My husband and I had the clam chowder in fresh sourdough bread bowls and Tyler and Jordan had tomato basil soup in sourdough bread bowls.  We liked it so much we ate there twice.

Franciscan restaurant had not only awesome seafood, it also has great views of Alcatraz.  They have binoculars for you to look through and see the sights.  We really enjoyed our time at this restaurant. 

We packed lots of sightseeing in to a few days.  Below are a few of the places and sights we saw.

We had so much fun, we have decided to make it a tradition and will be taking another trip next Christmas.  Any suggestions on where we should go?  Maybe someplace warm?

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Friday,
for my version of a recipe from the Alcatraz Cookbook! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!