food Archives - Page 2 of 3

Surviving the Holidays With Help from DealDash

As fun as the holidays are, some people just can’t get into the spirit. Here are some tips to help get through the next few weeks.

No matter what the reason, be it Seasonal Effective Disorder, baby blues, or just a dislike of the holidays in general you have a right to your feelings, and you’re going to need to find ways to keep yourself busy during the next few weeks. Here are some ideas to start off your thought process.

How about learning a new skill, such as cooking a specific meal or food item? Everyone else is baking Christmas cookies or planning on roasting a turkey, but how about you learn how to make home made pasta? It’s much more delicious than store bought pasta, and you can make it as healthy (or not!) as you choose. If you have a Kitchenaid stand mixer you can make pasta really quickly and easily. Here is a simple recipe you can follow:

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, sifted (plus extra flour for preparing)

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, beaten

2 Tablespoons water

KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, Cobalt Blue KitchenAid Pasta Roller Attachment

Directions:

Place eggs, water, flour and salt in mixer bowl. Attached bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 30 to 60 seconds. Add more water if the dough is too dry, in 1/2 Tablespoon increments.

Change out the flat beater for the dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead for 2 minutes. Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cut dough into four pieces before processing with pasta sheet attachment. Take one piece and flatten into a rectangular shape. Adding flour to both sides. Be sure to cover the other pieces. Attach the pasta sheet roller to your stand mixer and set it to #1. Turn on the stand mixer to speed 2 and run the pasta dough through the pasta sheet roller. While on #1, fold the dough in half and run it through again. Do this several times.

Adding a little bit of flour on each side of the dough again, change setting to #2 and pass the pasta dough through the sheet roller. Do this twice and then twice each on #3 and then #4. If you want thicker dough, don’t do the #4 setting.

Once again, add flour to each side of your long pasta sheet. Change the attachment to your spaghetti or fettuccine cutter and turn on to speed 2. Run the pasta sheet through and with your left hand, hold on to the pasta as it comes through the cutter. Allow pasta to dry for a few minutes before boiling.

When boiling your pasta, it only needs 3 to 7 minutes to boil.

You can get a Kitchenaid mixer and all of it’s various attachments on DealDash. Just click this link here and it will take you to the auctions. If pasta making sounds fun but maybe a little too ambitious check out DealDash’s Kitchen & Appliances section and perhaps you can find a fun new kitchen gadget that’s more your speed.

Rachael Ray Hard Enamel Cookware 10pc set (2-tone Red) Oceanstar 6 Piece Bamboo Cooking Utensil Set Rubbermaid 40-Piece Food Storage Set

If cooking really isn’t your thing, how about using your extra time off from work (assuming you get holiday time off!) and do some of those extra projects around the house that you have been putting off for a while now? I can think of a few projects off the top of my head that need doing around my house, and I bet you can, too. If you’re really not much of a handy sort, how about getting a basic tool set from DealDash? You could get something like the Essentials 34 piece tool kit and have just about everything you need for a small project. You can find that auction, and other tool kit auctions at this link here.

Essentials 34-Piece Around the House Tool Kit with Screwdriver

If you’re more advanced in your handiness you could pick up something a little trickier to use such as a rotary tool set or even a hammer drill. Check out the Home, Garden, & Tools section here on DealDash and see what you can discover.

Of course, there’s nothing more fun than sitting down at your computer and just browsing all of the different areas on DealDash. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Throwing a Christmas Party? Get Help from DealDash

Are you throwing a Christmas party later on this month? There’s still time to get some assistance from DealDash!

Planning any sort of party can be hard work, especially Christmas parties, because I feel like there is more pressure put on to make the “perfect party” so much more so than a regular dinner party. My family gets invited to a few Christmas parties every year, and since weekend time is limited in December sometimes I find myself picking and choosing which party to attend. I can only assume that other families have this same issue, so if people choose to attend a Christmas party of mine instead of someone elses’ that year I feel obliged to show them a good time! Let’s take a quick peek at how DealDash can help make things a little easier when planning your Christmas party.

Have you decorated the outside of your house yet? This isn’t a requirement, of course, but decorating both the outside and the inside of your home in a tasteful and classic way can make your party seem much more festive to your Christmas party goers. There are both Target and Wal*Mart gift cards available on DealDash almost daily, and they are always shipped quickly and safely. If I was in need of more decorations I would bid on these gift cards and take advantage of some of the great sales that these places are running through Christmas and get some great decorations. You can find the gift cards at this link here.

Another part of having a great Christmas party is having great food, of course. If you have been paying attention to this blog in the past month or so you might have read my Thanksgiving blog. This blog can give you some pointers and ideas for making “real food” which can be found at this link here. However, in this blog I wanted to mention that it would be wonderful to bake some homemade Christmas cookies for your guests to eat at the party, or even make up small bags of them and send your guests home with cookies. Making cookie dough is infinitely easier of you have a great quality stand mixer like the KitchenAid. My daughter and I used mine this past weekend to make Christmas cookies, and even though I am 8 months pregnant and exhausted making the cookies this year with my KitchenAid was a breeze compared to last year when I had an inferior mixer. You can check out the different colors of KitchenAid stand mixers that DealDash has at this link here. I have the hot pink one! If you are in need of anything other kitchen supplies besides the mixer check out DealDash’s Kitchen & Appliances section.

I hope that these tips got you thinking about what an enjoyable and memorable Christmas party might entail. If you are looking for any more supplies for your party definitely check out DealDash – Don’t forget to get the mundane things such as extra paper towels, toilet paper, and tissues. Check the Home, Garden and Tools section at this link here, you wouldn’t want to run out while company is over! Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Lessons on Coffee With DealDash

Every age group from teens to seniors love coffee. However, a lot of people go through life not knowing much about it. Let’s change that.

Most people know that coffee is prepared from roasted coffee beans, but do you know how they get the beans in the first place? Coffee beans as you know them actually come from the seeds of berries from the Coffea plant. Coffee plants are cultivated (almost) all over the world, but primarily in the equatorial regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. You won’t find any coffee plants growing in Antarctica, though, they need a temperature of about 59 and 75 °F to grow and thrive. The two most commonly grown coffee plants are arabica, which coffee connoisseurs tend to love, and the slightly lower regarded but stronger robusta.

You might be wondering how you get the coffee beans from plant seeds. Well, it’s a long time-consuming process starting with the picking of the berries. After the berries have been picked (some places do it by HAND!) then they are sorted by ripeness and color and then the flesh of the berry is removed, usually by machine, then the seeds are fermented to remove the slimy layer of berry flesh still on the seed. After this process is finished, the seeds are washed with fresh water to remove the fermentation residue. Finally, the seeds are dried. After the drying is done the beans are called “green coffee.” The final step before being shipped off to your local supermarket or cafe is roasting the beans. After they have been roasted then they are the nice brown yummy-smelling beans that we are all used to.

There are many different ways to enjoy the coffee beans – espresso, cafe Americano, Turkish, cold brewed, or even the most humble instant coffee. When you think of having a coffee at home most people probably either think of the “regular” coffee maker that’s found in most homes or offices, and coming in a close second would probably be the newer “one cup” coffee makers that use the individually portioned “pods”. No matter which type you prefer you can get the machines themselves and also the re-fills from DealDash. Getting items such as coffee from DealDash makes so much sense – If you don’t win the item and end up having to Buy It Now (BIN), you will get all of your bids back, and a great product that you would have bought anyway.

Mr.Coffee 12-Cup Coffee Maker,Stainless Steel/Black Starbucks Colombia Ground Coffee, 12 oz Keurig Platinum Mini Brewer Keurig Donut Shop Sweet & Creamy Iced Coffee K-Cups (16-Pack)

I hope this article has furthered your knowledge about coffee and how it goes from plant to your cup. If you’re interested in getting some items to enjoy your coffee at home head on over to DealDash. DealDash has everything you need to have a nice hot cup of coffee at home. Check out the Kitchen & Dining category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you can use to make your perfect cup of coffee. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

DealDash Helps Put the Scare Into Your Halloween Party

Most people really enjoy Halloween, and what could be more fun than a Halloween party? Let DealDash help!

If you’ve ever had a Halloween party for your kids, or even for yourself you know that there are ton and tons of great ideas out there to make your party special. From outdoor decorations to indoor food preparation DealDash has you covered. Let’s take a look at a few ideas to help make your Halloween party a smash.

Airblown Inflatables Large Ghost Rider Halloween Decoration Gemmy Halloween Airblown Pumpkins Stack on Each Other Jumbo Spider Lawn Bag Halloween Prop Gemmy Halloween Energy Efficient LED Purple Light Spider

First, you should definitely decorate your house. Not just a few pumpkins (though you should definitely have those), but how about some awesomely scary lawn decorations? If you check out the Home, Garden, and Tools section on DealDash you can find a great selection of different scary items for the outside of your house such as a ghostly rider on a horse, an inflatable stack of giant Jack o’lanterns, and spiders galore! Some of the spider decorations are functional, such as the spider lawn & leaf bag holds your yard waste, while the over-sized LED spider can give you a little extra light on a dim pathway. Decorating your lawn for your party is not only very festive, but it can also help your guests identify exactly where the party is just in case they have never been to your house to visit.

Cupcake Liners and Picks Halloween Decoration Gory Gelatin Brain Mold Kit Dancing Skeletons Party Pack

Every single party that I have ever been to has always offered food of some sort, from snacks to a full meal. If you need any new food prep items check out DealDash’s Kitchen & Dining section. If you’re planning on making a cake for your party, how about cupcakes instead? DealDash has an adorable Halloween cupcake making set that would be just perfect for a kid’s party. If you’re looking for more of a scary themed party for adults then you should check out the gelatin mold in the shape of a brain! It’s super scary. DealDash also has other items that would be great for any age such as not-too-scary skeleton plates.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Halloween (DVD) Happy Halloween, Daniel Tiger!

If you’re hosting a party for kids, how about some entertainment playing in the background in case the kids have had enough partying a need a little downtime? DealDash has some great DVD and Blu-Ray titles that would fit in with the theme such as Spongebob Halloween. If your little guests are more into books than videos, then Daniel Tiger’s Halloween book will keep them occupied.

I hope that you have a great time planning your Halloween party and that it’s a great and scary success. Always remember, before you shop anywhere else for party supplies check out DealDash first, you might be surprised at all of the awesome party things that you can win or BIN. Good luck and happy bidding everyone.

Baking in Your DealDash Kitchen

Do you love to bake? No matter if you are a beginner or advanced, DealDash has you covered with things to help you bake.

One of my favorite ways to spend time with family from young to elderly is to bake things together. From birthday cakes to Christmas cookies once you start a baking project with a treasured family member you can’t help but reminisce about birthdays and holidays gone by. Baking by yourself can be fun too, as long as you have the tools that you need. My favorite way to jazz up my kitchen is fun-colored kitchen supplies . There are a few popular brands that make an awesome array of different colored small appliances to appease anyone looking for something a little “different.”

KitchenAid Artisan Series Persimmon 5-Quart Stand Mixer KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer Raspberry Ice KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, Cobalt Blue KitchenAid Artisan Series Canopy Green 5 Quart Stand Mixer

If you don’t normally bake (or even cook very much!) the first thing that you probably need to get started is a good set of bake ware. DealDash has quite a few selections for you. The main things that you want to look for in my opinion are to make sure that the bake ware is rated up to the temperatures that you will use, that it’s non-stick, and that it has common sizes that you think that you will use on a regular basis.

If you are really going to get serious about baking, I suggest that you get a scale that you can measure your ingredients with. They are usually called “Digital Kitchen Scales,” and they are actually useful for other things besides baking such as weighing letters and small packages so you don’t have to go to the post office.

Taylor Digital Kitchen Scale American Weigh Scales Digital 11-lb. Kitchen Food Scale Taylor Stainless Steel Electronic Kitchen Scale

A handy tip that might make your life a little easier as a beginning baker is to remember to bring refrigerated items like butter, eggs, and cream cheese to room temperature before you start to put together your recipes. A good idea is to take your cold ingredients out of the fridge at least a of couple hours before you are planning on baking. If you forgot to take the eggs out, and you need to use them right away, take the chill out by dipping them in a bowl of warm water. For butter, cut into chunks, and at room temperature, it will soften in about 15 minutes.

I hope this article has encouraged you to bid on some baking supplies and get started making something delicious. If you’re interested in getting some items to help you with cooking at home head on over to the Kitchen & Dining section on DealDash. DealDash has food processors, stand mixers, cookware, and plenty of other items that you can use. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!