I visited my local farmers market this Saturday, at Towne Center Park in Suwanee, Georgia. There is a woman there who sells all kinds of beautiful, aromatic, organic herbs. This is where I was introduced to Stevia. It is a natural herb that is actually a zero calorie natural sweetener. I like to grow herbs in my own garden, although I’m no expert. Anyway, I bought some from her and planted it in the front bed at my house, but before doing so, I snipped a piece about four inches long and steeped with some regular orange pekoe tea. Wow. I couldn’t believe it. Now, if you really like the Southern sugar sweet tea, you will be disappointed, unless, maybe you submerge the entire plant. But I like a nice hint of sweet and this plant really did the trick.
My husband did a search on Stevia and sent me some links. I will post those within the next 24 hours or so. I am on vacation, after all, and am trying not to do so much work. But, whatever you can find on this plant, I encourage you to try it.
I do plan to go into more detail at a later time about kitchen must-haves. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a cook, there are just some things you simply cannot do without. I just had an idea for a blog while watching one of my favorite Food Network stars. He was using a splatter screen and happened to mention the price. A while back, this was something I decided would have to go at the bottom of my ‘Must Have’ list… FAR below “back-to-school” clothes or new brakes for the Town and Country van. It’s really not affordable, not if your budget is like mine.
May I suggest spending a little time browsing such stores as TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, and Ross. You can get really crazy low close out prices on some of the best brand name cookware out there. I only paid $7 for my brand name splatter screen, which runs on average $19-$25, maybe even more. Trust me, for a fraction of the cost, you can outfit your kitchen with all the latest stuff. Just invest a little time in the discount stores. You will be glad you did, and people will think you spent a fortune. Shoot, I just gave away one of my secrets.
Today is the first day of my new site GottaMakeDinner.com. This whole idea started with my passion for great food. Add to that my penchant for giving friendly, tasty advise on topics ranging from useful kitchen tips to delicious (but easy-to-make) meals.
Some people see cooking as a simple necessity. Most of the time, I see it as an art. After a long day at the office, when my family and I are starving for something good to eat, our repeated mantra at 5:00 p.m. is “Gotta make dinner”. So, I decided to turn that dread into a medium for my creative cooking side. On this new site, I will show you anything from how to make mouth watering meals out of those cold left-overs to cooking like an award-winning gourmet. It is much easier than you think.
Think of it as a puzzle with your final product being a full sensory picture that will have everyone raving. But, I must warn you: Be prepared to entertain! Once your friends taste what you can do in the kitchen, they will want to come to your house all the time. Enjoy and welcome to GottaMakeDinner.com.
