photo credit: AlishaV

Electrical fires are not a rare thing, and can happen to anyone, at any time.

Actually, I experienced it a couple of times as well.

My first experience was with my oven, as all of a sudden, the heating element started to smolder, and my whole oven lit up with flames. I turned the oven off, but the fire did not stop.  Finally I ran to the main fuse box, and flipped off the oven fuse, at which point the smoldering slowly subsided, and my oven started to cool off.

If you do not know where your fuse box is located, or which fuse switch is for which part of the house, you should learn it right now, and hopefully will never need to use this knowledge.  I was lucky enough to be familiar with our fuse box.

Another time was just as scary, since while I was away from home, my toaster oven “miraculously” turned itself on.  I was not even using my toaster oven that day.  It must have been heating at full blast long enough for the handle to fall off, the electrical socket, walls and counter top to get  too hot to touch.  Fortunately it did not cause a more serious fire, and to this day I still do not know what caused it.

I learned my lesson, so now before leaving the house I always unplug the toaster oven, the coffee pot, my curling iron, and any other small appliances I have plugged in…just in case.  I encourage you to do the same, because not only it will save energy (anything plugged in, even if not in use, draws energy), it will give you a peace of mind, while you are away.

Here are additional tips on preventing electrical fires in your home:

• Cover all unused wall sockets with plastic safety covers, if you have small children in your house (they love to stick their curious little fingers in there, or anything else they might be holding).
• Avoid running extension cords across walkways, doorways, and under carpets.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for plugging appliances into electrical outlets.
• Avoid overloading outlets, by not plugging more than one high-wattage appliance into each receptacle at one time.
• Install smoke alarms on every floor, and near all sleeping areas.
• Change smoke alarm batteries regularly. As a rule of thumb, change every time you adjust your clocks for daylight savings time.
• Replace, or repair any loose or frayed cords on all electrical devices (that includes your laptop).

If you have any other ideas on preventive measures for house fires, please share them with us.

First of all, THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all of my readers for your loyalty, increasing my traffic to over 16,000 page viewers…this is awesome.

According to my Google Analytic Reports, I have viewers from over 140 countries, and even though the highest three are US, Canada, and United Kingdom, I am receiving comments from many other readers, asking me to convert US measures from cups and ounces, to grams.

You will also notice that an American cup, which all my recipes use, is equivalent to 8 oz, or 250 ml.

To help you all out, I am posting several links to sites I found very helpful and user friendly, which will take the guessing out of your weights and measures conversions.

Here you will find easy conversions for the major baking ingredients, such as butter, flour, sugar, and more:

http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html

http://www.traditionaloven.com/tutorials/conversion.html

http://www.realfood4realpeople.com/convert.html#International%20Liquid%20Measurements

http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/cup-to-gram-conversions/Detail.aspx

If you still are not sure, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or leave a comment below my posts, and I will definitely assist with a prompt reply.

If anyone is familiar with even better sites than the ones listed above, please share this information with all of us, as we are one happy bloggy family.

Thank you so much, and please continue visiting my blog.

One of my favorite traditions for Ukrainian Easter is baking Paska, a special bread, which takes center stage on the breakfast table for Easter, and is the main part of the Easter Basket, among other special foods, being blessed on Holy Saturday, or Easter Sunday.

I already shared with you my favorite Paska recipe, and many of you asked about the kind of pans to use for baking this bread, since the traditional Ukrainian Easter Paska should be round, in shape.

I decided to write this short post, and share some ideas of the kind of bakeware to use for baking paska.

The above pans are my favorite ones to use.  They have quite thick walls and bottom, are just the right size for paska for my basket (the largest one), and the smaller ones were always great for small paskas for my children’s baskets.  The largest one is 6 1/2 inches in diameter, and 3 inches tall.

These are stainless steel mixing bowls, which also are great for baking paska. These are larger in size than the first set, they have thinner walls, and the bottom is not as flat, but still very convenient to use.

These are glass bowls by Pyrex.   Very convenient to use for baking paska, but you will need to allow less time for baking, than in the other pans.   Also, you have to be careful with handling these hot glass vessels,  as not to burn yourself or place them on a cold surface, so they don’t crack.

These containers are made by Corning Ware, and excellent for baking paska.   May daughter used these for her paska, and it worked like a charm.  You need to make sure to grease well the upper lip of the posts,  and dust it lightly with flour, as it flares out, so the paska does not stick, making it difficult to remove.  You might need to loosen the edges up with a knife, so you do not damage your paska during removal for cooling.

Here is a clay flower pot, which was suggested to me by one of my readers (this one is for display only, as I am actually using it for my plant),  is also a great container to use for baking paska.   She recommended to use olive oil to grease the inside, before filling it with paska dough.

I have yet to try to use this idea for baking paska, but it sure makes perfect sense, since I am aware of terracotta cookware which some cooks highly recommend.  I would take a little more careful handling, so you don’t scratch your work surface, as terracotta pots usually do not have very smooth bottoms.

Some bakers use large coffee cans ( like those from Folgers or Maxwell House), line the inside sides and bottom of the can with a thick brown paper (brown paper grocery bags), greased of course, and cut about 1 inch taller than the can,to prevent the rising dough from spilling over.  These paskas are nice and tall, thus easy to arrange in an Easter Basket for blessing.

Tip: If you are using different sizes of bakeware, at the same time, keep the larger ones towards the back of the oven, and the smaller ones closer to the front, as the smaller ones will be done sooner, and more accessible for removal from the oven.

A while back, I have mentioned that I attended a Pampered Chef party, my daughter was hosting, and bought an onion chopper (yes, another one…).  This is my third onion chopper.  I  do chop lots of onions for my cooking, but that is not the reason for my third onion chopper. I am still searching for an improved version of a chopper, to ease my job.

Today I will share my opinion about all of my current onion choppers, and would love to hear from you, about your favorite onion chopper.

I would also like to know if there is a way to chop onions without crying over them. I love sauteed onions, but I always cry when I chop the raw onions.  I heard many tips on handling onions, without crying, but so far none of them worked for me.

Please share your tips, to make onion chopping a more pleasant experience for me, and for all of our onion chopping readers.

This is my most current onion chopper by Pampered Chef (also in the top picture).  This chopper is great since, as you can see, it comes apart so nicely, for easy cleaning.  It contains a handy container with a removable bottom, for chopping and collecting the chopped onions.  It is very user friendly, since all you do is repeatedly pounce on the top nob, which makes the blades rotate, and chop the onions placed in the closed bottom container.

You still need to peel the onion, remove the core, and cut it into quarters, at least, for faster chopping.  This chopper is very handy, and does cut down on my “crying on the job”. I highly recommend it.

Here is one, I received from my sister-in-law (before I bought the Pampered Chef one), and I really like it, because it chops the onions so evenly, actually better than the one above, but it is not very well engineered.

The top section is not attached to the bottom section, so it is kind of awkward to keep on turning the crank to chop the onions, and at the same time try to push down the onions toward the blades, and to hold the two pieces together.  But I love it any way.  Maybe because it was fee, and as the old saying goes, “you should not look a gift horse on his teeth”.

Here you have a close up view of the simple construction of the onion chopper.  Notice how freely the blade assembly sits on the bottom container, and the upper part just lo0sly fits over it, rather than snap on tightly.  However, the blades are very sharp, and make the onion chopping job a breeze.  The bottom container collects the chopped onions, and the bottom lid opens up for easy emptying.

This is my first ever onion chopper. Yes, they used to make a glass jar, rather than all plastic, and the chopping mechanism is similar to the Pampered Chef ’s, but the blades are much simpler, and smaller, thus do not chop as well as the other two choppers.  One would also pounce the protruding top nob, which pushes the blades down, to do the chopping.  The pumping motion of the handle does not rotate the blades, like in Pampered Chef, so the glass jar needs to be rotated to make sure all the onions are being chopped evenly.  Not the best, but it was better than chopping onions the usual way, on a cutting board, and crying profusely at the same time.

So, here you have it.

Please share your onion chopping stories with us.

TIP: Check out the comments, please. One of my readers suggested to burn a candle, while chopping onions.  I will definitely try this trick.

photo credit: Photocapy

If you are anything like me; you love shopping.  However, to shop for other people on your list, is just a totally different ball game, then I will give you some ideas for the cooks/bakers on your list.

Just in case you have missed my posts about my favorite kitchen gadgets and other kitchen items, I will provide the necessary links for your quick reference.  So please click on the highlighted word, and it will take you to the appropriate page, for more information.

Every kitchen will be much more functional, and the chef will be all smiles  with these:

Pressure cooker, which I love so much, as it saves me lots of time with meal preparations, and makes the meats very tender.  My friend from India told me that she uses it EVERYDAY for her cooking, and it became  a very popular item.

Slow Cooker – Crock Pot – if you know anyone who does not have one of these, they will love you for getting it for them.

Just think of setting it all up, turning it on, and have 5-8 hours of free time to read or write blogs, talk on the phone with your friends, wrap presents, decorate the house, or just enjoy your free time, while your meal is cooking itself in a crock pot, filling your home with a wonderful aroma of the delicious flavors of our meal.

Rice Cooker - a definitely a very convenient small appliance to outfit your kitchen with, especially if you just have enough of overboiled rice all over your pots and your stove, every time you cook rice in a regular pot.

Also, don’t underestimate the multiple functions of this helpful kitchen item, because it is much more versatile than just for cooking rice.  Please check it out and you will fall in love with it, for sure.

Chef’n Garlic Zoom – Best ever garlic chopper – this little gadget is a perfect stocking stuffer for EVERYONE on your list.  A definite must in every kitchen drawer (very inexpensive as well), also a “can’t live without” once you try it.

I have given one of these to so many people now, and they just can’t stop bragging about it, how this little gadget made their garlic chopping experience a real pleasure now,  rather than a chore.

I hope this short list will come in handy for you, and I would like to hear back from you after the holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or what ever gift giving holiday you celebrate), if you found it helpful, and your gifts got a warm reception.

Also, please help us all out, and share any of your ideas for “must have” small kitchen appliances, and gadgets. Thank you!

Happy shopping!!!

photo credit: Iain Farrell

Thanksgiving time is for families and friends to get together and be thankful for all their blessings bestowed upon them during the last year, and throughout their life.

I am very grateful for having a wonderful, loving family, and for all the blessings we all are enjoying.  Being a grandmother is the most rewarding experience in the world, and right now, my husband and I are blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, and more to come in the future.

I am also very thankful for all my friends whom I personally know, and all of my blog readers.

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH for visiting my site, leaving comments, and being part of my everyday life, connected via Internet.

This December I will celebrate my 2nd Blogging Anniversary, and am very pleased to inform you that my readership started with 600 visits per month, and currently it stands at 4500, and growing.

ALL THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!

Besides  this blog, suburbangrandma.com is also actively connected through Facebook and Twitter.

I am equally thankful to all my followers from Facebook (95 as of this post), and Twitter (69 and growing).

If you enjoy reading my posts, please keep the list growing by becoming my follower, and spread the word to your family and friends.

My readers come from 89 countries, all over the globe, so today I would like to list the top ten, as per the Analytics Report, and thank everyone for their time and loyalty:

1. United States of America
2. Canada
3. United Kingdom
   
4. Australia
5. India
6. Philippines
   
7. Brazil
8. Ukraine
9. Germany
10. Netherlands

Seeing these results fuels me with additional energy, perseverance, and a definite continued dedication of my time and effort, to keep my blog going that much stronger.

H A P P Y   T H A N K S G I V I N G!!!

Rosh Hashanah, means “Head of the Year”, in Hebrew, hence a New Year celebration.

This year Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 8th, and is celebrated through Thursday and Friday.  It is a religious holiday, thus  regular services at the synagogue, plus the use of apples dipped in honey as part of the meal, to start the new year on a sweet note.

I would like to extend my warm wishes of happiness, health and prosperity to all my friends who celebrate this holiday.

I already posted my favorite Caramel Apple Dip recipe, which is perfect for Rosh Hashanah, since it contains apples and honey, and it is quite delicious.

Today I will post my recipe for a Jewish Apple Cake, which was given to me by a friend of mine a couple of decades ago.  I am not sure why the word “Jewish” is in the name of this recipe, so if anyone is familiar with how it got the  name, please share it will all of us.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2  1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups sifted, all purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 6-8 medium size apples (I use Granny Smith), peeled and sliced
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tbs sugar (to sweeten apples)
• 1 tsp lemon extract, or lemon juice
• Powdered sugar (optional, for dusting the top of the cake)

Directions:

1. Wash and peel apples.
2. Into a large bowl, slice apples to thin slices (use slice section of a grader, or food processor),
3. Add cinnamon, 3 Tbs sugar, and lemon extract/juice.
4. Fold in well, to coat the apples.
5. Set aside.
6. In a large mixing bowl,using a mixer, mix 2 cups sugar with 4 eggs, until thickened and light creamy yellow color.
7. Mix in oil, orange juice, salt, and vanilla extract.
8. Mix flour with baking powder.
9. Slowly keep on adding to the creamed eggs, and keep on mixing until all flour is used up.
10. Grease (I used Crisco shortening) well a 9×12 cake pan, or bundt cake form, and flour generously to prevent the batter from sticking:

11.  Pour 1/2 of the batter into the pan.

12.  Cover with apples, and smooth the top to keep it evenly spread out.

13.  Pour in the second half of the batter, over the apples.

14.  Bake at 350 degrees F, for 60 minutes (if the top start browning too much, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

15.  Cool in a cake pan for 10 minutes, then remove onto a cooling rack until cooled completely.

16.  Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of the cake, or sugar glaze, or caramel glaze , if that is what you like.

17.  Cut to serving pieces, and enjoy!

TIP: If you like some crunchiness in this cake, you may add 1 cup of raisins to the apples, and 1/2

cup of walnuts to the batter.

Those of us who enjoy cooking, are always on a lookout for new gadgets, cookware and kitchen appliances, and other useful tools which would make the job easier, faster and still result with a scrumptious meal to put on the table.

I am on that list as well, and even though I already enjoy using my pressure cooker and a slow-cooker/crockpot, I came across yet another very useful kitchen appliance, the rice cooker.

Since I still do not have that one, I read about it on this blog, and it sounds like something I should add to my wish list, and you might find it useful as well.

Don’t let the name fool you, since it is not only for cooking rice.  According to Leah Ingram from Suddenly Frugal, this appliance may also be used to:

steam vegetables

cook seafood

make pasta–as in heat it up in the absence of a pot on a stove, not actually “make” pasta

act as a stockpot for making soup

cook and steam dumplings

Don’t you agree that it is a must have kitchen appliance?

I have a Flavor Scenter Steamer,  made by Black & Decker, which I use for steaming rice and vegetables.

This steamer may also be used for steaming fish, clams and chicken breast, but these are not my favorite foods to steam.

I love using it for steaming my rice, since it is such a clean way to get the job done (no overflowing all over your pot and stove)….what a mess that creates…which is my problem lots of times with cooking rice on the stove.

My daughter does not seem to have this problem, because she actually follows directions when cooking rice, and I seem to skip over some very vital parts in these directions…oh well…this way I had a good reason to own a steamer, and help the economy, at the same time.

I will continue to share posts about my other  favorite kitchen tools/gadgets, but as always, I would love to hear about your favorites as well.

I always loved my mom’s  homemade pasta, especially in her homemade chicken or tomato soup.  I also started to make my own pasta for my  family, and they love it.  It is simple to make,  and out of 2 cups of flour, you get enough pasta for a family of four.  Talking about saving money and having great tasting food!

Of course I was doing it the hard way, until one day my daughter presented me with an Imperia Pasta Maker Machine, and making pasta has not been the same since.

I still make pasta, but now this job is a breeze with this little gadget.
It is quite simple to operate, yet produces wonderful results.
I even used it for flattening the dough rounds for making homemade perogies  (potato dumplings).
A small motor is also available to ease the operation of this pasta maker machine,  if you prefer not to use the crank, but I have not decided on that purchase yet.

It is also very easy to clean, since all you do is use a small brush to brush off the remaining flour and any bits of leftover dough, and wipe it clean with a paper towel.  It is not recommended to wash it with water.

Here are some samples of the final product:

Yummy…..home made pasta.  Doesn’t this make you hungry, and wanting to whip some up for tonight?

If you still do not have this wonderful little gadget in your kitchen, you are long overdue for one, and must add it to your wish list.  You will love it as much as I do!  I know it!  Your family will love your homemade pasta.

If you have been reading my posts, you already know that I love my pressure cooker, but I also use a slow cooker on my days off, especially when I am busy catching up on housework, gardening, or crafts.  It is such a wonderful way to have your dinner cook “all by itself”, while you go about your other business.

I have been using a slow cooker for many years now.  My first slow cooker was a Sunbeam Crocker Cooker-Fryer, and I used it for a very long time, but recently I have purchased a Rival Crock-Pot. I love it so much, that I even purchased one for each of my children, to get them started on experimenting with the slow cooking method.

Every household probably has at least one slow cooker, if not more, but if you are not one of them, then you really should look into it.  Basically it is a two piece pot, consisting of an insulated metal outer shell, with an electric cord, and a stoneware vessel, which is used for the actual preparation of your meal.

Preparing a meal in a slow cooker is probably the easiest way to have a home cooked meal without a lot of fuss.  For your convenience, a small cook book is included with each slow cooker, to get you started with some suggested recipes.  Once you become comfortable with this style of cooking, you will create your own favorite recipes.

It is very easy to use a slow cooker:

1. Select a recipe.
2. Have all your ingredients ready.
3. Follow your recipe directions (since meats usually need to be browned first, to add flavor).
4. Place all your ingredients in the pot.
5. Plug it into an electric outlet.
6. Set it on the recommended setting (low, high).
7. Set your timer (usually 5- 10 hours, depending on a recipe).
8. While you are taking care of  other chores, your home is filling up with a delicious aroma of your dinner.

I will be posting some of my favorite slow cooker recipes in my future posts.
I love reading your comments, so don’t be bashful, and be the first one to post yours.