• Cooking With the Walnut Archive

    What’s up with Mother Nature? While the calendar may say it’s spring, it’s still pretty cold out there. This may be the winter that just won’t quit, but that doesn’t have to spoil your fun. If you and your kids have had your fill of the white stuff, how about warming up with an indoor tea party? And if you’ve got a Girl Scout in the house (or a wannabee one), so much the better for this shindig. Speaking of scouts, hold onto your green berets for this one: Due out this fall, the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven lets you whip up freshly baked batches of Trefoils and Thin Mints in the comfort of your own kitchen. And if you’ll be joining your little ones [&hellip

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    It’s the first rainy day we’ve had in weeks, and somehow, it’s oddly comforting. Staying indoors practically forces me to hunker down, brew a cup of tea and watch the raindrops fall. And yet, when you add kids to that equation, it suddenly becomes a different story. Lucky for us, my 6-year-old had a puppet-making class at our local library this morning that helped save the day. On our way out, we stopped by a table of books featuring kids’ crafts, an ideal way to extend the creative experience back at home. While we perused several noteworthy recommendations, nothing comes close to the recent book I received for review. The Complete Book of Activities, Games, Stories, Props, Recipes and Dances for Young Children is teeming [&hellip

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    When my younger daughter was a toddler, she loved eating a bowl of soup…but the soup didn’t always love her. She’d scoop up a spoonful of hearty noodles, shovel it into her mouth and scream bloody murder because it was “tooooo HOTTT!!!” No matter how long I kept vigil over the stovetop, I could never get that temperature just right (even the ever-fickle microwave couldn’t quite master temperature effectiveness). It seemed I was doomed for a life of servitude: forever blowing and waving frantically over piping hot bowls…until my mother casually suggested tossing in a ice cube, and that was that (moms do know everything, don’t they?). But because ice cubes don’t work on solid foods, what’s a perplexed parent to do? Enter the Coolit, [&hellip

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    TGIF. It’s been a long, hard week of deadlines, doctor’s appointments, pick-up and drop-offs, and now you’re finally free. Until, of course, that famous question is asked: “What’s for dinner?” Short of turning the kitchen over to the kids (who really wants to clean up the aftermath?), it’d be nice to give your family a home-cooked meal without the prep that goes along with it. And while you’re somewhat tempted to hit the drive-thru, you know they deserve something more than that. That’s where Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza comes into the picture. It’s one of the few, if only, pizza-making companies that puts together  your pre-ordered pie, but lets you do the baking at home. We love the concept of all the prep [&hellip

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    It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and we’re feeling the love already! If you’re looking for a fun way to woo your sweetie with a little help from the kiddies, check out this recipe from Entenmann’s. (Not a whiz in the kitchen? Click on this video that walks you through it, step by step. And after the kitchen’s been cleaned up, you can enter the Entenmann’s Sweet Donut Sweepstakes on the Entenmann’s Facebook page for the chance to win lots of prizes, including Entenmann’s coupons, Mr. Rich Frosted and Ms. Crumb plush toys, 1-800-Flowers arrangements and more. Details can be found on Facebook.com/Entenmanns or on 8-pack boxes of Rich Frosted Donuts and 8-pack boxes of Crumb Donuts. Good luck, and Happy Valentine’s Day!   Tags: Entenmann’s, Entenmann’s Sweet Donut Sweepstakes, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day [&hellip

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    My daughter’s bus driver just told me it’s supposed to snow on Sunday. Already? I was just admiring the still-ripe roses and their unseasonal bloom on our garden trellis. We’ve been so spoiled by the mild fall here in the Northeast, that it’s hard to believe it’s nearly December. Since so many of you will be sitting down to Thanksgiving leftovers in the coming week, we thought we’d share a useful product idea to make your oven accident-proof. Spud Spikes are a cooking nail that, when inserted into a pre-cooked potato, prevent blow-outs and allow for even cooking. The result is a tasty side dish, and less clean-up. We think they’re more effective than jabbing a fork into your pretty potato skin over and over….And [&hellip

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    Happy first weekend in November. Have you scarfed down all that Halloween candy yet, or at least put it out of plain sight? As the countdown to Thanksgiving begins, we’re trying to be a bit more…er, healthy and so that means making smarter choices in what we put in our tummies. And that’s the perfect excuse for updating your kitchen gadgets or dropping a few hints what you might appreciate under the tree this December. Because my 5-year-old has been on a smoothie kick lately (I wish I could take credit for this, but I think it’s because of Healthy Snack Fridays at school), we can truly appreciate a juicer that gets the job done and looks pretty on the kitchen counter. The Omega NC900 [&hellip

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    It wouldn’t be summer for my family without having a lemonade stand. My 9-year-old prides herself on being an entrepreneur. Or maybe it’s just  that she likes being showered with attention from all our kindhearted neighbors. Whatever the motive, this past weekend was sunny and hot–an ideal setting for a setting up shop. With her 5-year-old sister on hand as a helper, my daughter laid out the provisions and in no time at all, was ready for business. And what an operation it was! Not only did they rake in some staggering profits (in the upwards of $15!), but the addition of some lemon Oreo cookies complemented the refreshing beverage of choice. They were so excited by their job well-done, they are already thinking about [&hellip

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    My 9-year-old isn’t big on breakfast these days. As much as I’d like her to consume more than just a glass of OJ, she refuses to eat anything (unless, of course, we happen to whip up a hot meal of pancakes and bacon. Sorry, kid; that’s what weekends are for). Well, as luck would have it, she is now a changed young woman, thanks to a personal chef and a special delivery. It all started back in May when we decided to throw a “Chopped”-style birthday party for our resident foodie (even if breakfast isn’t her thing, she is an otherwise well-rounded eater who adores the famed reality cooking show). When the chef proposed a smoothie round, my daughter was a bit skeptical–and so was [&hellip

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    Yes, we admit to focusing mainly on new kiddie products here at the Talking Walnut. But every now and then, it’s nice to shift gears and give a shout-out to the grown-up world. (After all, where would our kiddos be without us?). And because this Sunday marks our all-time favorite TV event of the year, we are paying tribute to the Academy Awards. In our house, we make scorecards and rate our favorite red carpet moments. (My 8-year-old can rate a dress “don’t”  faster than the fashion police!) But if you’re hosting or are invited to an Oscars party for adults, these are some fun specialty cocktail recipes supplied to us by Polar Seltzer that you can mix up. We’re not sure which concoction we [&hellip

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