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Showing posts with label Entertaining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertaining. Show all posts

Apr 16, 2014

Eggs, Herbs, Cocktails & Pizza: Time to Stock up on The Basics

Eggs, Herbs, Cocktails & Pizza
Eggs, Herbs, Cocktails and Pizza
It's Spring on Cape Cod and it's this time of year that our shelves start to swell up again with lots of great gadgets and inspirational tools for your kitchen.  Some kitchen basics that we must have in stock this time of year center upon eggs, herbs, cocktails, and pizza: the basics.

Eggs

Eggs are incredible.  For years we've been told to be wary, don't eat the yolks, blah, blah, blah. But the truth is, eggs are a super food, and the best way to start your day {unless you're allergic}.  Do you remember the Incredible Edible Egg Jingle?  We'll they've made a new one, and it's pretty funny.  You can listen to it here:

One of our preferred ways to eat eggs is poached.  It's so easy to make a perfectly poached egg with the RSVP Endurance Egg Poacher Sets.  The best thing about these stainless steel egg poacher pans is they do double duty as sauce pans and saute pans, while having the added bonus of egg poacher inserts with easy-to-remove handles and trays.  So you can have your eggs (and YOLKS) and enjoy them too, because they're good for you!
RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel Egg Poacher Pans for perfectly poached eggs | LaBelle's General Store
RSVP Stainless Steel Egg Poacher Pans at LaBelle's General Store

Herbs

Herbs are becoming more and more popular, and more legal too.  Spring is a great time to start planning your herb garden.  Whether you have a simple windowsill or a fancy kitchen garden with all the trimmings, fresh herbs at your fingertips add fantastic flavor to your cooking.  Last year we sold hundreds of RSVP Herb Scissors for good reason: they work great! Unlike regular scissors, these Herb Shears have 5 stainless steel blades that will cut fine pieces of herbs right where you want it without the need of a cutting board and knife.  And they won't bruise your tender herbs, because herb bruising is just wrong.

RSVP Herb Scissors make adding fresh herbs to your cooking as easy as trimming them over the bowl | LaBelle's General Store
RSVP Herb Scissors with 5 Stainless Steel Blades

Cocktails

Cocktails are fun.  Yes, indeedy.  Fun.  Fun to make, fun to drink, and fun to share.  One tool that every cocktail connoisseur should not be without is the RSVP Stainless Steel Muddler.  Perfectly suited to making flavorful Mojitos, this Stainless Steel Muddler also works to crush ice, and more importantly, release and meld the fullest flavors for all of your favorite, classic cocktails.  And since this muddler is made of Stainless Steel, it won't hold on to odors and contaminate the flavors you want to accentuate.  We have a hard time keeping these handy Muddlers in stock - they are so popular with our cocktail-loving clientele. 

RSVP Stainless Steel Muddler is the essential tool for the most flavorful classic cocktails | LaBelle's General Store
RSVP Stainless Steel Muddler

Pizza

While Pizza is arguably NOT a super food, it is super.  A certain person we know and love would just assume eat pizza morning, noon, and night, much to the chagrin of her parents.  Pizza is arguably the most addicting delicious food to make on a Friday night.  Yes, I said "make", not buy.  Making your own fresh pizza at home costs pennies and comes out hot-from-the-oven, not luke-warm from the insulated bag after a turbulent 30 minute drive through traffic.  Pizza making is a family activity worth savoring, in more ways than one.

Making Pizza at Home Costs Pennies a Piece | LaBelle's General Store

Some essential Pizza Making Tools that just came back in stock after being wiped off our store shelves are the old world style RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel Pizza Cutter Rocker and the RSVP Stainless Steel Pizza Peel Spatula.

RSVP Stainless Steel Pizza Spatula

RSVP Stainless Steel Pizza Cutter
Both of these tools are better than your average pizza making gear.  The Stainless Steel Spatula is a versatile and sturdy gadget for transferring all kinds of goodies from the table to the oven or vice versa.  You can even use it to remove cakes and pies from the oven.  The Stainless Steel Pizza Cutter lets you rock right across your pizza in one fluid motion without crushing your tender toppings.  And it also works great to chop veggies and transfer them from cutting board to cookware.

Come in tomorrow and check out the fresh new products arriving daily that will put a spring in your cooking and entertaining this year.  Or shop online at LaBelle's General Store.  And check out our recent finds below for some additional spring-time inspiration. 
Sagaform herb pot
$41 - finnishdesignshop.com



Garden Trading egg basket
$25 - design55online.co.uk


French country home decor
cottageandbungalow.com



Mar 22, 2014

Spring into Jadeite Kitchen Accessories

Spring.  Are you feeling it yet?  I feel it when I look at the new Jadeite Kitchen Accessories we just brought in to our kitchen department.  There is just something about the lovely, soft jade green of these milk glass reproductions that puts a smile on my face.
Jadeite Milk Glass Reproductions | LaBelle's General Store | Spring Kitchen Accessories
Just in time for Spring: Jadeite Milk Glass Kitchen Accessories

What is Jadeite?

You probably recognize Jadeite from your grandmother's pantry, or maybe your great-grandmother's.  Antique buffs will know this green milk glass as "Fire King Jadeite", a type of glass tableware made of jade-green opaque milk glass, popular during the 1950's.  If you like to visit antique shops, you've no doubt come across Jadeite Glassware.
Jadeite Milk Glass Salt & Pepper Shakers | LaBelle's General Store | #jadeite #milk glass #saltandpepper

Jadeite In Stock!

Now that LaBelle's General Store is stocking Jadeite Glass & Tableware you can save time and skip searching through antique shops hoping to find a Jadeite Butter Dish or a Jadeite Sugar Dispenser.

Jadeite Milk Glass Butter Dish | LaBelle's General Store | I love Butter #butter #jadeite #milk glass
Jadeite Butter Dish

Diner Style Jadeite Sugar Dispenser | reproduction Jadeite Kitchenware | LaBelle's General Store

Add a Classic 50's Diner Atmosphere to Your Kitchen


I've been using the 2 Cup Jadeite Measuring Cup daily.  I keep it on my kitchen window shelf because it's not only easy to access, but it's ever so pretty.  For those of you looking for a Butter Dish with a retro feel, the Jadeite Glass Butter Dish is an authentic choice.  I can just picture the Jadeite Green Sugar Dispenser in a White and Red kitchen, but really, what kitchen wouldn't appeal to this adorable Jadeite Sugar Dispenser that looks like it's straight out of a retro diner.
Come see our collection today and catch that Spring green feeling!




Jan 30, 2014

LaBelle's Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos for the Big Game

I heard that the Super Bowl is the second biggest day of eating next to Thanksgiving. That helps explain why Joe is so busy chopping onions! (It seems like he just can't stop!)  This is our favorite cutting board, btw.
Chopping onions is easier using the Prep Station by Chef'n
One of his go to recipes to make for Super Bowl Sunday is his amazing Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos. His unique blend of spices helps to give these nachos a flavorful advantage over your everyday loaded nachos appetizers.


So enough with the pre-game show, let's get on with the recipe for Persian-influenced Spicy Beef Nachos.  Yes, these nachos are not your typical Mexican-style but have more of a middle eastern flavor.
Spices for making Spicy Beef Nachos include dry mustard, allspice, cinnamon, curry powder, paprika, and chili powde

I can't proceed without sharing Joe's passion for quality meat.  Every week, he drives across Cape to go to his favorite butcher at Peterson's Market in Yarmouth Port.  We live practically next door to a large super chain supermarket, which is convenient, but you can definitely taste the difference, hence the long trip to Peterson's.   So get some nice, lean ground beef, a couple of sweet (Vidalia if possible) onions, paprika, mustard powder, curry powder, chili powder, allspice, and cinnamon...oh, and don't forget the garlic.  I don't think Joe makes anything without garlic.  I've even found garlic cloves in the washing machine after doing the laundry...that's another story...Get out a sharp knife and start chopping.  Make sure you have sour cream and salsa on hand and my favorite, guacamole.

Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos                  Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
2 cups shredded cheese - cheddar is always a nice choice
2 sweet onions
1 clove garlic
scallions
1 chopped tomato
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 cup sliced black olives

Directions

1.  In a large saute pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil at medium to medium-high heat.  
2.  While the pan is warming up, dice the onions, then add to the pan.
3.  Add your spices and garlic, stir, and let everything get nice and sweaty.
4.  Add ground beef and continue stirring a breaking up and combining spices and onions with the ground beef.  Cook until it's no longer pink.
5.  Spread 1 layer of nacho chips out onto a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.
6.  Add a layer of Spicy Beef, cheese, tomatoes, scallions and olives.  Repeat.
7.  Broil on high for about 5-7 minutes.  Do not walk away from the stove!
8.  Remove from oven, sprinkle with more green onions, a scoop of sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Serve and enjoy!
Say 'hello' to delicious Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos by LaBelle's General StoreSpice Beef Nachos topped with home made guacamole and sour cream

Jan 23, 2014

How to Make Pretzel Dogs

Want to make something fun for the big game?  Joe's had Pigs-in-a-Blanket on the brain lately, but wasn't getting much in the way of feedback from the peanut gallery.  What's a good chef to do?  Kick it up a notch with Pigs-in-a-Pretzel.  We enthusiastically cheered for home made Pretzel Dogs and you can watch him make them in this fun Pretzel Dog video.


As you can see, making the dough is a pretty simple process...

Then it's just a matter of letting the dough rise a bit, then wrapping your dogs...
After giving your dogs a little water bath, salt them then pop them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.



The fun of making Pretzel Dogs is nothing when compared to the faces of your game-day guests when presented with a platter brimming with Pretzel Dogs.  Joe made a great Loaded Spicy Beef Nacho platter to go with our Pretzel Dogs.  Stay tuned for that recipe!

Pretzel Dogs                                                             Print

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 cup hot water
coarse or sea salt
8 hot dogs

Directions

Preheat oven to 475°

1.  Combine flour, salt, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water by hand or with a mixer.
2.  Knead dough for about 5 minutes.
3.  Lightly flour dough and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
4.  Stretch out dough a bit, then with a bench knife cut into 8 finger-sized pieces.
5.  Roll your dough pieces out until they are about 8" long.
6.  Beginning at the end of an uncooked hot dog, wrap one dough 'snake' around each hot dog.
7.  Let the wrapped hot dogs rest a bit in a baking dish while you prepare a hot water bath.
8.  Dissolve baking soda in one cup of boiling water.
9.  Pour water over dogs, then transfer to a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.
10.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!