Spice Up Your Condiments

With the addition of an unexpected spice or sauce you likely have on hand, you can create bold new dips, sandwich spreads and more with condiments.

Mayonnaise

•Add pesto: Blend 2 tablespoons of pesto into a cup of mayonnaise for delicious, Italian-style flavor. It’s yummy on your average turkey sandwich, or as a spread for a tomato and mozzarella panini.

•Add lemon juice & Watkins Sea Salt: Create bright, clean flavor when you squeeze a quarter of a lemon into a cup of mayo, plus a dash of sea salt. We love it on white fish, or as a dip for homemade French fries!

•Add garlic: Spice up your next cookout by serving garlic mayonnaise alongside your burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches in an old-fashioned squirt bottle. A teaspoon of minced garlic is all you need for 1 cup of mayonnaise. Or add Watkins Garlic Powder.

Ketchup

•Add curry: It’s a strong, savory herb, so use it sparingly—just a pinch of Watkins Curry Powder will add exotic layers of flavor to 1 cup of tomato ketchup.

•Add barbecue sauce: Combine two classics and create a new condiment favorite! Whether you have a cup left or an entire bottle, mix ketchup with equal parts barbecue sauce and enjoy.

Mustard

•Add rosemary: Like mustard, rosemary has a slightly bitter, aromatic quality, making the two perfect mates. For a gourmet sandwich spread, add 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary to 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard. Use 1/3 teaspoon Watkins Rosemary instead of fresh.

Tip: Don’t bother plucking each rosemary sprig off its stem—instead, gently pinch your fingers and pull backwards down the steam to easily remove them.

•Add applesauce: For Dijon or coarse-grain mustard, try mixing in a few spoonfuls of cinnamon applesauce. The unlikely ingredients combine to create a sweet, tangy sauce that’s delicious on pork and chicken.

Butter

•Add berries: With a bit of butter and a few leftover berries, you can make something truly special. Drop a few berries into softened butter, then mash together. We love blueberry butter on a whole grain bagel or blackberry butter on toast.

•Add honey: A few drops of honey can give butter a whole new attitude—experience something heavenly when you melt it on just-baked bread.

Sour Cream

•Add cilantro: This fresh, leafy herb has bold, distinct flavor, so sprinkle just 1/2 teaspoon of chopped cilantro into a cup of sour cream to instantly dress up fajitas or a taco salad.

•Add chipotle peppers: Look for canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce at your local grocery—they have spicy, smoky flavor; finely chop the peppers, then add 1/8 teaspoon to a cup of sour cream. Yum!

Eleisia
http://www.notjustvanilla.com/

Quick Herb Butters

Whipped with fresh herbs, citrus zest, spices and more, butter becomes more than just a spread. Create your own customized butters with these easy instructions and flavor variations, plus get ideas for cooking with them.

Herb Butter Basics

Start with 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter or margarine, then flavor it in three easy steps:

1.Soften butter to room temperature.

2.In a mixing bowl, combine butter and flavorings. Mash with a spatula until well combined.

3.Transfer butter to a sheet of parchment paper. Roll it into a log, twist the ends together, then chill for at least 1 hour. When ready to use, simply slice what you need and re-wrap the rest.

Flavor Variations
With compound butter, the possibilities are endless. Experiment with your favorite Watkins ingredients, or try one of our easy combinations:

•Lemon Herb Butter: 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest and 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs— or use Watkins herbs such as dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, oregano or a blend.

•Chili Lime Butter: 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1-2 teaspoons fresh lime zest and 2 teaspoons red chili flakes.

•Blue Cheese Butter: 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese and 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives (optional).

•Cinnamon Butter: 1 tablespoon Watkins Cinnamon and honey (or superfine sugar) to taste.

•Fig Butter: 1 jar fig preserves—chop up any large bits of fig—1/2 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg.

Cooking with Herb Butters
Pair your gourmet butters with fresh-baked bread, or get creative with them:

•Toss pasta with lemon herb or blue cheese butter—or a little bit of both!

•Sauté cod filets in herb, chili lime or fig butter.

•Whip mashed potatoes with savory butters, or let slices melt atop baked potatoes.

•Melt chili lime butter, then drizzle over corn on the cob.

•Spread waffles, pancakes and scones with cinnamon, fig or butterscotch butter.

•Finish steaks with slices of herb or blue cheese butter.

•Add sweet butters—fig, cinnamon and beyond—to oatmeal and rice pudding.

Tip: Butter isn’t the only condiment you can flavor in unexpected ways. From rosemary mustard to cilantro sour cream, get more ideas in my next blogt post, Spice Up Your Condiments.

Eleisia
http://www.notjustvanilla.com/

Bake Your Family Some Love - Cookies For Valentine's Day!

Heart-shaped cookies are the essence of Valentine's Day. Bake some love for your family with one of these recipes. They'll love you even more!

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a second bowl, combine and mix well the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour into butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours.

Roll out dough and cut into heart shapes with cookie cutters or a knife. Bake on a sheet pan or a parchment lined sheet pan in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the cookie. Remove cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Frost cookies with your favorite frosting tinted pink with a few drops of red food coloring.

Linzer Heart Cookies
These jam-filled cookies are almost too pretty to eat!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Watkins Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
Confectioners sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam, strained or seedless

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/4-inch heart cutter, cut out heart shapes, rerolling scraps as needed. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Place the heart shapes 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using a small heart cutter, cut out centers from half of the hearts; remove the centers with a small spatula.

Bake the cookies until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Set the racks, with cookies still on them, over waxed paper. Sift confectioners sugar over the heart frames. Lightly spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the strained jam over each large uncut heart. Place the heart frames on top of jam-topped cookies.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Eleisia
http://www.notjustvanilla.com/
http://www.everydaynecessities.com/

Pumpkin-Carrot Cake

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon Watkins Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Watkins Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
Watkins Cooking Spray
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Lightly spoon flours into measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 4 ingredients (flours through salt).

Place eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed or a wisk for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, pumpkin, oil, and butter; beat until well blended.

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in raisins, carrot, and nuts. Spoon batter into an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake an 8-inch pan for 30 minutes, 9-inch pan for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Tip
When I made this cake my raisins were dry so I plumped them in a sauce pan with 1/3 cup of water on low heat while I mixed the other ingredients. I drained the excess liquid and added the raisins to the mixture before baking.

Eleisia

http://www.notjustvanilla.com/

Microwave Peanut Brittle

My mom always made peanut brittle for the holidays. She made hers in an electric skillet and used a candy thermometer. This recipe is made in the microwave.

Have all your ingredients ready and together when you start this recipe as you have to move quickly between steps. Prepare your baking sheet first so it is ready when you add the baking soda to the mixture. You have to pour the hot brittle onto the baking sheet and spread it out very fast as it hardens quickly.

1 to 1 1/2 cups raw shelled peanuts, skins removed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Grease a baking sheet lightly. Combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt in a 1 1/2-quart microwave-safe bowl and mix well. Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes; stir to mix well.

2. Microwave for 4 minutes. Stir in butter and vanilla extract.

3. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Add baking soda. Stir quickly until light and foamy.

4. Pour immediately onto prepared baking sheet, spreading thinly. Let stand to cool. Break into small pieces. Store in an airtight container. Makes one pound candy.

Vatiation
Use dry roasted lightly salted peanuts instead of raw peanuts and omit the salt called for in the recipe.

Eleisia
http://www.notjustvanilla.com/
http://www.everydaynecessities.com/

Extract! Extract! Read All About It!

We are delighted to announce new, special savings on our 2 ounce Almond and Lemon Extracts!

These fat-free, liquid flavorings are economical to use and add a full, rich flavor to a variety of foods — not just baked goods. They're concentrated, true-to-life, and all backed by the same expertise that's made Watkins Vanilla the choice of generations.

• Quality ingredients: High in flavoring content; full, long-lasting flavor and strength.

• Convenient: The easy way to add some of your favorite flavors.

• Versatile: Use for baked goods, ice cream, syrup, frostings, candies, breads, fruit sauces, jellies, marinades, and gelatins.

• Variety: One of the widest flavor varieties available.

• Concentrated: Economical; a little goes a long way.

On Special Now!*

Almond Extract

Delightful almond flavor enhances a wide variety of cookies and desserts. Excellent in cherry pie!
21380 Almond Extract 2 fl. oz.

Regularly $4.99 USD - November Special $4.49 USD
Buy 3 Almond Extract and receive them for just $3.99 each!

Lemon Extract
Pure lemon extract adds a lift to just about everything! Use a few drops in cookie dough and cake batter for a refreshing hint of citrus.

21395 Lemon Extract 2 fl. oz.

Regularly $4.99 USD - November Special $4.49 USD
Buy 3 Lemon Extract and receive them for just $3.99 each!

*Promotion valid October 18, 2010–January 5, 2011.

Shop at http://www.notjustvanilla.com/
Business Opportunity at http://www.everydaynecessities.com/

Free Apple Recipe E-Book - Happy Apple Autumn!

I love autumn with the colorful leaves and the abundance of fresh apples and pumpkins. I have wonderful childhood memories of picking apples and pumpkins with my dad and the aroma of my mom baking apple pies, cakes, and cookies. The warm scent of apples and cinnamon filled the house.

I put together an e-book of apple recipes called Happy Apple Autumn - Apple Recipes From My Kitchen to Yours. This apple recipe e-book is free to copy, download, save, and give away in its entirety. You'll find Happy Apple Autumn here www.everydaynecessities.com/apple-recipes-for-ebook.pdf

Enjoy!

Eleisia Whitney