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Everyday, millions of Americans use their small kitchen appliances.  Today I realized how much I depend on them in my daily life.  I use my Microwave, Toaster, Coffee Maker, Blender, Slow Cooker daily, if not several times per day.

I’d like to poll my readers to see which is the one small kitchen appliance that they couldn’t live without.  Honestly, this is a really tough question for me.  I depend on these appliances in my daily life, and without any one of them, life as I know it would be much different.

Please check out my poll at the bottom of the page and participate.  In a couple months, I’ll be going over the results of the poll and featuring some of my favorite brands of each of these items.

If you have any suggestions about these appliances or others, I’d love to hear them!

I’ve really been on a mission to make my life “more green” lately.  There are so many reasons why it’s important to “think green”.  It’s great for the earth, it teaches our children good values about how they dispose of items and how their actions can impact the earth on a larger scale.  Even my 2 and 3 year old girls have become eco-conscientious.  I say you can never start too early!

Keep in mind though, that it’s never too late to start either.  I’ve put together some great tips that I found through Better Homes and Gardens (one of my favorite magazines!) on making your own “green cleaners” right at home.  This will jump start you on your way to being green.  I’ve tried several of them and surprisingly, many work better than the comparable store-bought cleanser.  Try them out for yourself to see the results!

The Basic Ingredients of Do-It-Yourself Cleaners

• Baking Soda - This works best on proteins, grease, and animal messes. Because it’s slightly abrasive, it can be used for scouring — and, of course, it’s a natural deodorizer.
• Distilled White Vinegar -This mild acid works on alkaline substances, dissolving scale, inhibiting mold, and cutting soap scum. It’s terrific for stains such as coffee, rust, and tea.
• Simple Soap -Try castile soap, made with olive oil, or a Read More
  

It’s the holiday of love - Valentine’s Day!  Each year that this holiday comes around, I try to think of something creative and unique to give my spouse.  I like Valentine’s Day, but what makes it really special isn’t the commercialized gifts like chocolates and flowers.  The great thing about Valentines is the fact that you, yourself have the opportunity to express your thoughts and feelings through a gift.

Now don’t get me wrong - chocolates and flowers are always good.  But my favorite thing to do is to personalize them.  You can do so many things with a bought gift to make it unique to the person whom you’re giving it to.  Use these unique ideas to personalize your Valentine’s Day gift this year:

• Red Hots or Hot Tamales- Use them to fill up a vase and stick in some chocolate flower candies, like a candy bouquet!
• Rub-On Letters - Use these neat letters to customize almost anything that has a flat surface.  Make your own picture frame and include a cute saying on the edge of the frame with a picture of your significant Read More
  

This time of year, warm beverages are my favorites!  Forget the Diet Coke and the Starbucks Iced Lattes and give me the warm stuff.  This one is a surefire way to warm you up after a day of ice-skating or sledding.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines, Easy Home Cooking, Issue October/November 2006.  Unfortunately, they have ceased publication, but these are definitely pulled out of recipe cupboard often!  I hope that you enjoy this one as much as we do!

To make Mulled Cranberry Tea, you’ll need:

• 2 tea bags
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 (48 oz) bottle of cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries (this is optional, but it definitely looks prettier with the berries.)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large lemon, cut into 1/4 inch slices (additional lemon for garnishing the glass is optional)
• 4 cinnamon sticks (optional: another 8 sticks will be needed if you wish to serve it with the tea)
• 6 whole cloves

Directions:

1. Place tea bags in a slow cooker. Pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Stir in cranberry juice, cranberries (if desired), sugar, lemon slices, 4 cinnamon sticks and cloves. Cover; cook on LOW 2 to 3 hours or on HIGH 1 to 2 hours.
2. Remove and discard lemon slices, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Serve in warm mugs with additional lemon slices and cinnamon sticks.

Makes 8 servings

What’s your favorite warm winter beverage?

I just love “cooking” with my kids. Even more, I love that they want to spend time in the kitchen with me! There are so many lessons that can be learned in the kitchen. It helps them to be more self-sufficient and independent. Learning these skills gives them more confidence in themselves. I truly enjoy watching them blossom into little individuals.

I’ve also found that the more that I let them help out in the kitchen, the better they eat the meal and the more appreciate (well as appreciative as a 2 and 3 year old can be) they are of the food.

Here’s a little video of my girls “cooking” Jello Instant Pudding. Chocolate of course! It’s something that they can do independently; which we all appreciate. I hope that all of you get the opportunity to share little moments like this with your loved ones! Read More

This is an age old question that is always a good topic of debate among food enthusiasts. I always forget the answer to this one, and today I’m making BLT’s for dinner, which reminded me of the great fruit or vegetable debate.

To really understand if a tomato is a fruit or vegetable, first we need to know what technically makes fruit a fruit, and what makes a vegetable a vegetable. The main factor to determining if produce is considered a fruit or a vegetable is to find out DOES IT HAVE SEEDS?

In the case with a tomato, the answer is yes; this means that technically, a tomato is a FRUIT.  It also means that cucumbers, squash, green beans and walnuts all fruits as well.

VEGETABLES such as, radishes, celery, carrots, and lettuce do not have seeds (that are part of what we eat anyways) and so they are put into the grouping of vegetables.

So… I don’t get it.  The tomatoes are always in the vegetable section of my grocery store.  In cookbooks, they’re always considered a vegetable as well.  No wonder why I always get confused as to the answer of this question.  If you ask me, a tomato is a vegetable.  Plain and simple.  Think about it… you don’t just pick up a big, juicy tomato and eat it like an apple now, do you?

What’s your verdict?  Is the tomato considered a fruit or vegetable?

I subscribe to many different websites, so it seems that daily a recipe appears in my email in box.  At the rate they come in, I don’t get an opportunity to try them all, but I am going to be making this one tonight.  It’s from SELF.com.

With the holidays over, and the new year, it’s usually a common time of year to start cutting back on the calories, starting new diets, and eating more greens.  This is a great recipe for those of you who are trying to be more health conscious in 2009.

Polenta and Vegetables With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Polenta is a great addition to any vegetarian fare. A delicious alternative to tofu, this dish will not only leave you satisfied but will also fulfill nearly a quarter of your daily fiber needs. Try this meatless meal today. Read More

Each week at FullGlassLiving.com, I highlight five articles that I found of interest to “Top Off Your Week”.  Each week, I write about different themes for the articles that I choose.  If you ever have any topics that you’d like me to focus on any week, please let me know.  I love a good challenge!

Since the kids are currently on holiday break from school, I wanted to share with you some more great kid-friendly recipes from sites that I’ve visited.  Let me know if you get a chance to try any of them!

• Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese - The Crepes of Wrath
• Chocolate-Covered Rice Krispie Treats - The Hungry Mouse
• Chopped Fruit Salad - Cookstr
• City Ham - A Good Appetite
• Italian Chicken Pockets - Meals Matter

I’m sure that you’ve heard all the buzz in the last few years about veggies; steaming preserves much more of their natural vitamins and antioxidants than the alternative of boiling them. If you want them warm, steaming vegetables is definitely the more health-conscious way to go.

Steaming my veggies took a little while to grow on me, but now that I’ve been eating them steamed for a couple of years, I would never go back to boiling them.  I recently purchased a new steamer; I love it so much that I had to share my discovery with all of you! Read More

I’ve been known to make this Kahlua recipe for the last couple of years.  It’s a winter-time favorite in our house.  My brother-in-law has stalked me for this one for a couple of years now.  Well, the secret is out now, Nate…

I hope that you enjoy this one as much as we have.  It’s recipe that was handed down from my husband’s Grandmother.  It’s so easy to make and you’ll save money; this recipe tastes better than the “real stuff” too!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 heaping Tbsp of Kava brand instant coffee (it’s important that you use this brand, as it contains much less acid than other instant coffees.)
• 5 tsp vanilla (you may substitute 1 vanilla bean if you prefer)
• 1 liter of vodka (any kind will do; I usually don’t spend a lot because all of the sugar makes almost any brand of vodka taste good )
• Milk, cream or prepared coffee for a mixer

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, coffee and vanilla.
2. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
4. Add vodka and chill until ready to serve.  To serve, fill a glass with ice, pour Kahlua until glass is half full;  add the mixer of your choice to the drink.

This mix keeps well for a couple of months as long as it’s refrigerated.

Makes approximately 1.75 liters of Kahlua mix

Enjoy and have a safe and Happy New Years!