Welcome To The Shakin 'N Bakin Blog!

Welcome to my blog! I love to cook and bake for my family. I hope you enjoy the recipes and cooking tips posted on my blog.

I am doing product reviews and/or giveaways for food, cooking and kitchen related products. If you would like for me to do a review and/or giveaway for you, please see my Terms Of Service Link for my contact information.

Current Giveaway's are located in my right side bar, check them out and enter today!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Sausage and Green Peppers Stir Fry Recipe

Another fabulous recipe from my great auntie Helen. You see...my auntie Helen and Uncle Alvin always planted a very large garden every summer season...so my auntie was always in the kitchen baking, cooking and canning their harvest. This recipe is one that she liked to make because it uses fresh green peppers that grew in an abundance in their garden each and every year.

Stir Fry - Sausage and Green Peppers Recipe

1 1/2 to 2 lb. Italian sausage
2-3 green peppers
1 onion
1 (8 ounce) can Del Monte tomato sauce
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Brown your Italian sausage in a very large pan. Once it has been browned, remove from pan & let cool and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Chop green peppers and onions. Place vegetable oil in pan and saute your green peppers and onions until they are softened. Return the Italian sausage to the same pan and season with salt & pepper if desired. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook over low heat for 30-35 minutes.

Kona Coffee

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Helen's Corn Beef and Noodles Casserole Recipe

My great auntie is 100% Italian...with that being said, she makes a delicious corn beef and noodles casserole! This recipe will feed 4-5 people and you can serve it with some corn bread or homemade dinner rolls.

Great auntie has been making this recipe for at least 25-30 years now!

Corn Beef and Noodles Casserole

3 c. uncooked egg noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can corn beef, broken into pieces
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 c. green peppers, chopped
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. buttered bread crumbs
3 tbsp. finely chopped onions

Cook noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain out water and stir in the soup until blended. Combine corn beef, milk, cheese, peppers and cooked noodles together. Salt & Pepper to taste. Pour into a well greased 3 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until done.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Delicious Shrimp Jambalaya Recipe

My aunt who lives down south makes the most delicious Shrimp Jambalaya recipe that I have ever tasted! You have got to try her recipe. Now...I will be honest with you, it will take some time to prepare but your efforts will be well rewarded with a delicious meal.

Shrimp Jambalaya Recipe

1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 med. green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. of raw shrimp (medium to large size)
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. red pepper
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes
1/2 lb. sausage (cooked and chopped up)

Cook and stir onion, green pepper, garlic and 2 tbsp. of oil in a large Dutch Oven pan, over low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp. Cook and stir frequently until shrimp turns pink (about 5 minutes). Remove shrimp mixture and set aside.

Cook remaining 1 tbsp. oil and the rice in the Dutch Oven over medium heat, stirring frequently until rice is light brown in color. Stir in the chicken broth, salt, pepper, thyme, red pepper and tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat.

Cover and simmer until rice is tender (about 15 minutes). Stir in the shrimp mixture and the sausage. Cover and cook until mixture is bubbling hot. Remove from heat & serve.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Easy Chicken and Cheese Casserole Recipe

This easy to prepare chicken and cheese casserole recipe is a favorite here in the Hill family household...even our kids love it! This casserole will easily make 4 servings. We like to serve ours with homemade dinner rolls or corn bread.

Chicken and Cheese Casserole Recipe

3 lbs. boneless chicken pieces
2 eggs
1 lg. (8 ounce) bag Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 can sliced mushrooms or 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 can (8 ounce) chicken broth
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Beat eggs and place chicken pieces into the bowl with eggs and refrigerate for 6 hours. Drain chicken and roll into seasoned bread crumbs. Brown chicken in a frying pan and then place chicken pieces into a 3 quart casserole baking dish. Pour chicken broth over chicken and stir in the sliced mushrooms. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle on the shredded cheese and place back into the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Kona Coffee

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Winner - Yoplait Back To School Set!

The Giveaway for the Back 2 School Yoplait Giveaway has now closed. I would like to thank everyone for entering. I used Random.org to select our winner!

Congrats to comment #74

Cheryl F. {The Lucky Ladybug} said... #74
Following @Ravish30 on Twitter { 2 }
theluckyladybug[at]gmail[dot]com
August 14, 2010 9:24 PM


Thank you to My Blog Spark & to Yoplait for sponsoring the Giveaway!


Shelly

Cheesy Broccoli and Ham Casserole Recipe

If you are trying to figure out a delicious way to serve broccoli to your family, then I would like to suggest this Broccoli and Ham Casserole Recipe. This recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 1 hour of baking time and will make 4 nice servings.

Cheesy Broccoli and Ham Casserole Recipe

2 pkgs. (10 ounces) Frozen Broccoli
2 cups fully cooked ham, cut into cubes
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
3 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
4 eggs

Cook broccoli, drain and spread evenly into the bottom of your casserole dish. Layer your ham cubes and cheese on top. Mix together the milk, baking mix and eggs and pour this mixture over top. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until done.

Kona Coffee

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Easy To Make Blueberry Pudding Recipe



This easy to make blueberry pudding recipe was given to me by my cousin Diane B. and what is great about this recipe is that it only takes a few ingredients. In addition, you can substitute the blueberries with cherries if you prefer cherries.

Diane's Blueberry Pudding Recipe

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pitted, halved sweet blueberries

Mix eggs and granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl, combine together the remaining ingredients and add in the egg mixture. Pour all of this into a greased and floured baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until done. We like to serve ours in a bowl with some milk.

Shelly

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Easy Old-Fashioned Homemade Apple Crisp Recipe

Fall is just around the corner and one of the recipes I enjoy making for my family is homemade apple crisp and this recipe was given to me by my Aunt Mae who was a fabulous cook. I really wish she was still around!

Aunt Mae's Homemade Apple Crisp

4 cups apples, chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter

Grease a shallow pan or baking dish and arrange chopped apples in the dish. Sprinkle lemon juice on top. Combine the dry ingredients and melted butter in a bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle the dry mixture over top of the chopped apples in your baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes. If desired, you can dot the top with additional cinnamon and brown sugar.

Stainless Steel Cookware, Energy Efficient - 360 Cookware

Friday, August 6, 2010

Homemade Peanut Brittle Recipe

Today's recipe comes from a guest blogger who submitted her recipe to me via email for her Peanut Brittle. Enjoy!

PEANUT BRITTLE

Ingredients:

1 C. Sugar
1/2 c. White Karo syrup
1 c. Peanuts
1 tsp. Margarine
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Baking soda

Directions:

1. In 2 qt. microwavable measuring cup, mix sugar & Kayo & nuke on high 4 minutes

2. Add nuts – nuke high 5 ½ minutes

3. Add margarine & vanilla – nuke high 1 minute

4. Add soda & stir

5. Pour onto cookie sheet

6. Cool

Thank you goes out to our guest blogger for submitting this recipe to us!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Upcoming CSN Stores Product Review - Delonghi 15-Bar Pump-Driven Espresso Machine



Are you a kitchen-holic like me? Do you love high quality dinnerware, cookware, bakeware and kitchen appliances and gadgets? If so, have you ever shopped at CSN Stores? They have hundreds upon hundreds of kitchen related products!

I have some fantastic news to share with all of my blog readers and followers. I was recently contacted by CSN Stores and asked if I would be interested in doing a product review on one of their items from their Cookware.com online store. As all of you know, I absolutely love to cook and bake so I jumped at the chance to do a product review for them.

After some deliberation, I have decided to do a product review on the Delonghi 15-Bar Pump-Driven Espresso Machine - EC155 available at their online Cookware.com Store. I decided this would be a good choice for me and my family to review since we are huge espresso drinkers...instead of buying our espresso's out, we can now make them at home! yeah!

One of the reasons we chose this particular model to review is because it takes the E.S.E. Pods and we can also use ground espresso in it. I love how sleek and modern this espresso machine looks!

I really look forward to doing a product review on this Espresso Machine within the next couple of weeks and will be posting the review here on my blog. I can't wait to share with all of you all of the yummy espresso drinks that I will be making...along with photo's to make you drool :)

Shelly

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Review and Giveaway - Yoplait Go-Gurt "Keeping Cool in School" Gift Pack


I was recently given the chance to do a product review & host a giveaway for Yoplait Go-Gurt Yogurt by Yoplait and My Blog Spark. They sent me a "Keeping Cool in School" Gift Pack To review.

The "Keeping Cool in School" Gift Pack contains:

1 lunch bag
1 coupon to redeem for Yoplait Go-Gurt Products
1 reusable beverage bottle
1 sandwich keeper container
1 kids calculator
2 large pencils with erasers
1 pen/fan (batteries included)
1 Flower shaped Marker with 5 marker colors

Today I would like to talk to you about a very cool product by Yoplait called Go-Gurt which is the first-ever portable yogurt in a squeeze tube for kids! This yogurt is perfect for on-the-go snacks and for packing in your child's lunch box for school. You can freeze the Go-Gurt in your freezer the night before, take it out and put into the lunch box the next morning. (There is no need to pack any type of ice packs). The Go-Gurt is designed to slowly thaw over time and be ready for eating come lunchtime! It will keep everything in your child's lunch box nice and cold.

Yoplait Go-Gurt comes in the following flavors: Banana Split/Strawberry Milkshake,
Cool Cotton Candy/Burstin' Melon Berry, Strawberry Splash/Berry Blue Blast, Rad Raspberry/Paradise Punch, Strawberry Banana Burst/Watermelon Meltdown, Strawberry Kiwi-Kick/Chill-Out Cherry, Ro-Gurt Special Edition Shaggy's Like Cool Punch & Rawberry and the SpongeBob Special Edition Strawberry Riptide & Bikini Bottom Berry.

Kids and Adults both love the new Yoplait Go-Gurt! I recently used the Yoplait Go-Gurt in my granddaughters lunch for preschool. My granddaughter loves the smooth and creamy taste to it! In addition, the Yoplait Go-Gurt did stay cold until it was her lunch time! As a mother and grandmother, I feel good about packing healthy things in my granddaughter's lunch kit and Yoplait Go-Gurt is just the ticket because the easy to use portable tube contains a good source of calcium and vitamin D, providing a wholesome addition to a well-balanced lunch.

You can find additional information about Yoplait Go-Gurt Yogurt on the Yoplait Web Site.

If you would like a printable coupon for .85 cents off 1 pkg. of Yoplait Go-Gurt, please visit the site ---> HERE

Giveaway Details: This product review and giveaway is being sponsored by Yoplait and MyBlogSpark! One winner is going to receive the "Keeping Cool In School" Gift Pack that I got to review! Winner must be a US Resident age 18 and older. Please read my Terms of Service & Disclosure Policy before entering! This giveaway will close on August 17th, 2010 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry:

Tell me your child's favorite flavor of Yoplait Go-Gurt Yogurt?

Bonus Entries: Please complete the bonus entries after fulfilling the Mandatory Entry. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

Earns 2 Entries: Tell me your favorite lunch packing tip!
Earns 2 Entries: Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow me on Twitter.
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can Tweet about this giveaway once per day over on Twitter. Please copy and paste the Tweet Below:

Tweet:

Win A Yoplait Go-Gurt "Keeping Cool in School" Gift Pack @Ravish30 Shakin 'N Bakin Blog! Enter http://bit.ly/c1Oa38 Ends 8-17 #myblogspark

I would personally like to thank Yoplait and My Blog Spark for sponsoring this product review and giveaway here on the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog.

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the products listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for this review. Shelly was supplied FREE products from Yoplait and My Blog Spark so that I could use them for my review. Please read my Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. Thanks!


Shelly

Product Review - ZeroWater Filtration Water Pitcher



Today I would like to introduce you to a company called ZeroWater who makes the most fantastic water filtration pitcher that I have ever used! In fact, ZeroWater is the only filtered water from a pitcher that meets FDA definition for purified bottled water! Unlike conventional gravity-fed water filters, ZeroWater's patented 5-Stage ion-exchange filter delivers the only filtered water to measure an absolute 000 on the TDS meter. Meter readings for your tap water averages between 030-500, and bottled water between 000-350.

You can save a lot of money by using the ZeroWater Filtration Pitchter compared to bottled water. One ZeroWater filter can make 30 gallons of purified-quality bottled water which is an average savings of $60.00 per month. Furthermore, you are saving our planet earth by not throwing plastic bottles into a landfill. The ZeroWater filtration pitcher comes with a digital TDS Meter so that you can test your own tap water and then test your new filtered water...let me tell you....there is a big difference! ZeroWater also recommends that once you start using your new ZeroWater pitcher that you test your new filtered water every couple of gallons...this way, you will know when its time to replace the filter.

Why I Love My New ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher: Wow...where do I begin on this one? First of all, I love how sleek and modern this water pitcher looks! It looks so nice sitting in my refrigerator and when I place it onto my table, it looks equally nice. I love how you can pour your water out via the pour spot or you can use the push button fridge dispenser and just let it flow into your glass without picking up the pitcher. I love that it came with the digital TDS meter so I could personally test our regular tap water and compare it to the water that was now coming out of my ZeroWater pitcher. Let me tell you...there is a BIG DIFFERENCE! My tap water registered 199 to 205 on the meter....the reading I got from the water coming from my new ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher is 000. Wow!

Test: I dipped the meter into coffee mug that had regular tap water in it. Reading was 205.

This photo shows hubby testing the water in our new ZeroWater pitcher and it tested back as 000 which is a perfect purified reading!

Hubby and I decided to taste test our new water and both of us were totally amazed at how clean and refreshing our new water tastes! Furthermore, we see nothing floating around in our water as it sits in our glass whereas before, we would sometimes see little particles of 'stuff' floating around in our water. We are booth extremely impressed with this ZeroWater Filtration Pitcher and will now be using it forever!

Where To Buy: You can buy the ZeroWater pitcher at: Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, Amazon.com, Walmart, J&R, Gracious Home, Bartell Drugs, Wegmans, PC Richards, Bi-mart, Chef Central and a few other locations. Plus, you can go to the ZeroWater web site & register so that you will get $30.00 in coupons!

My Overall Impression: I can not say enough good things about this ZeroWater Pitcher...seriously, every home needs to have one! I highly recommend this company and their product to you! Buy one for yourself (highly recommend) and/or grab a few for gifts!

I would personally like to thank Rose at ZeroWater for allowing me to do a product review for their company. Hubby and I absolutely love our new ZeroWater pitcher!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.


Shelly

Review and Giveaway - Win 5 Bob's Red Mill Food Products!



Today I would like to introduce you to a company called Bob's Red Mill which sells a variety of whole grain foods such as flour & meals, cereals, mixes, grains, beans, seeds, oats, entrees, gifts, baking aids and books. Bob’s Red Mill is the nation’s leader in stone milling and offers the widest diversity of whole grains found anywhere. What is really cool about this company is that it's an employee owned company!

Here is some information about the company from their web site: Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods produces more than 400 products, including a full line of certified gluten free products and an extensive line of certified organic products. With a wide variety of whole grain products, from flours and hot cereals to baking mixes and grains, Bob’s Red Mill has “whole grain foods for every meal of the day.”

My Review: Bob's Red Mill was kind enough to send me 5 products to try out for my product review. I received the following items: bag of white popcorn kernels, 13 bean soup mix, whole grains & beans soup mix, bountiful black bean soup, and the bean soup seasoning mix. The first item I decided to use was the 13 bean soup mix and I decided to use it to make a big pot of chili for my family. Here is the recipe I made:

Shelly's Chili Recipe

1 pkg. of Bob's Red Mill 13 bean soup mix
1 lb. lean ground beef, fully cooked
2 large cans of tomato sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon each of: basil, oregano and garlic powder

I soaked my beans over night in water in the refrigerator. I then rinsed & drained them and put them into my crock pot. I then added in all of the above ingredients and slow cooked it on my low setting for 5 1/2 hours.

My family loved this chili! We had never had 13 bean chili before until now. It got a big 2 thumbs up here at our house! The next item we tried was the popcorn. My hubby is what I call a popcorn addict so he was anxious to try this out in our popcorn popper. I must say...it was delicious! Nice, white fluffy popcorn that tasted great and was way better than microwave popcorn! The third item I used was the bountiful black beans along with the bean soup mix that they had sent. I followed the directions on the package and let me tell you...I have never been a fan of black bean soup before...until now! This soup is fantastic and really fills you up. I bet it's even better on a cold winter day when you want a nice hot soup to warm you up. I haven't had time yet to make the final item that they sent to me...however, it's on my to-do list! I bet it is just as fantastic as the other 3 products that I tried.

Overall Impression: All of the food items I received were fresh and great tasting. I feel that all of these items are reasonably priced and well worth every dime! I highly recommend this company and their food products to you.

Buy It: You can purchase Bob's Red Mill food products directly from their web site store. You can also use their store finder locator widget on their site to find a retail location near you.

Win It: One lucky winner will receive all of the products that I got to review which includes: bag of white popcorn kernels, 13 bean soup mix, whole grains & beans soup mix, bountiful black bean soup, and the bean soup seasoning mix.

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to the US Only! Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of the TCC Blog to enter. This giveaway will end on August 18th, at midnight EST Time.

If you would like to enter this giveaway, hop on over to our sister blog - The Two Classy Chics and read the full review & enter the fabulous giveaway!!!

Shelly

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Cook Book Review - The Original Country Bob's Cook Book



I was recently given a nice cook book by the wonderful folks over at Country Bob's. If you are not familiar with Country Bob's let me tell you a little bit about them.

Country Bob's makes the best all-purpose sauce that we have ever tried! A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to do a product review on Country Bobs All-Purpose Sauce and we made slow-cooked bbq ribs with the sauce. Since that time, Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce is our family's favorite sauce!

You can read our Product Review for Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce ---> HERE

Country Bob's sent me a beautiful hardcover cook book since I collect cook books and I absolutely love to cook! This 96 page cook book is broken down into 4 chapters which are:

Chapter 1: Appetizers, Soups & Snacks
Chapter 2: Grilling
Chapter 3: Main Dishes
Chapter 4: Desserts

Here is an example of the recipes you will find in each chapter:

Chapter 1: Wingettes, Country Bob's Chip Dip, Super Salsa, Cole Slaw, Sour Cream Slaw Dressing, Cucumber & Tomato Salad, Black Bean Soup, Olivia's Egg Drop Soup and more!

Chapter 2: Country Bob's Teriyaki Grill, Marinated Beef Skewers, Poor Man's Fillet, Honolulu Bob Burgers, Grilled Pork Tenderloins, Venison Steaks and more!

Chapter 3: Country Bob's Meat Loaf, Sweet & Sour Pot Roast, Savory Swiss Steak, Hungarian Goulash, Sour Cream Meat Loaf, Corn Pone Pie, Down Home Steak and more!

Chapter 4: Butternut Cake, Easy Apple Crunch, Cherry Delight, Death By Chocolate, Earthquake Cake, Cream Puff Dessert, Fruit Cocktail Cake, Frozen Fruit Salad and more!

What I love about this cook book is the beautifully chosen christian scriptures that are sprinkled through out the pages! I also love that there is only one recipe on each page which is pleasing to the eye. The photography in this cook book makes you drool with envy at all of that delicious looking food.

Buy It: You can buy this wonderful cook book over on the Country Bob's Web Site for $22.00 which includes shipping! This would make a fabulous gift for the cook or grilling fanatic on your list!

I give this cook book a big 2 oven-mitt thumbs up! I am so glad that I now have it and added it to my cook book library!

I would personally like to thank Country Bob's for allowing me to do a product review for their company. I love this cook book!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did recieve a free copy of the cook book to use for her product review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.

Shelly