This particular piece of stainless steel cookware is part of a 3 piece pan set that I bought a few years ago. I use the pans constantly for everything from searing a steak, frying chicken, and making homemade sauces. The trick to a good frying pan is to buy a quality pan from the start and then taking good care of it. If you use the right utensils in them and wash them according to their instructions, your pans will last you for a good many years and work as well as the first day you purchased them.

These handy bowls can serve multiple purposes. While I did primarily by the mixing bowl set for my baking and cooking, they’re also good for other tasks as well. The three stainless bowls come with matching plastic lids, so I can use them for food preparation and food storage as well. They’re attractive enough that they also look good as serving bowls for chips or on my counter top as a fruit bowl. Since they were such a reasonable price, I’m pretty pleased with my latest purchase.

This is a nice deep saute pan with a 6 quart capacity and a tight-fitting glass lid.  It has a quality nonstick interior with a beautiful porcelain exterior, so the whole pan is really easy to clean. It also has a comfortable silicone covered handle and the pan itself is oven safe to 400 degrees if I need to keep something warm while I cook additional dishes. I really like this pan’s large capacity, it’s glass lid, and it’s quality design – so it looks like I have found the best saute pan for me.

I think she will love this set. It has 3 covered saucepans, a steamer insert, a nice-sized Dutch oven, and 2 open fry pans. The pots and pans have a nice modern flair and include attractive tempered glass lids too. More importantly, the cookware is made of durable 18/10 stainless steel with an encapsulated aluminum core bottom for even heat distribution. Plus it’s protected by the manufacturer’s 25 year warranty. I think stainless steel cookware sets make a great housewarming gift, I sure would have loved one like this for my first home.

Once you get beyond using your crockpot for roasts and stews, there are many interesting crockpot recipesto try.  Brave crockpot cooks have been developing all sorts of unique recipes for the adventurous soul.  This Apple Butter is one such case.  Cooking apples down with just sugar and spices is possible in your crockpot because you never have to worry about a pot boiling or the sugar scorching, and the crockpot method really makes the flavor intense, which is what you want in your Apple Butter.  I think I’ll get my crockpot ready for a second batch right away.

She would have gotten a big kick out of this new kind of bakeware, so very different than the metal pans and cookie sheets, though it still produces great results. This set from Baker’s Secret is durable enough to use in the oven and wash in the dishwasher, and can withstand both microwave cooking and freezer storage. Plus it’s the flexibility is wonderful for easy cake release. It has 2 baking sheets, a square cake pan, a muffin pan and a round cake pan. These baking pans will be handy for holiday baking, and they’d even make a great holiday gift too!

If you like bean and lentil recipes, this one should definitely become part of your collection. Even if you aren’t usually a fan of lentils, I’d encourage you to give this simple recipe a try. It’s not your usual lentil recipe and with the other flavors blending together with the lentils in the stewing process, the result is a thick and yummy soup, perfect with a piece of homemade bread or a plain muffin. In case you have any leftovers (I seriously doubt you will), this stew freezes well.