Frugal Friday!

Frugal Tip of the Day:
Amish Stores!

If you've never been to an Amish bulk goods store, you are seriously missing out. (It's even better if they have a deli as well. Amish cheese...mmm!) Most Amish bulk goods stores carry your basics; oatmeal, flour, sugar, spices, etc. Some also carry marked down groceries, such as canned goods and boxed goods that are about to expire. Always check the expiration date before you buy! For my Delaware readers, I recommend Byler's Country Store. They have two locations, one in Dover, and one in Harrington. For my Virginia readers, you can go to D & D Country Store in Bristol, located in a shopping center at Exit 5, or you can go to my new favorite.. The Dutch Pantry and Deli, located in Rural Retreat, just off of Exit 60 on I-81. I went there for the first time about a week ago, and I have fallen in LOVE. Can you really beat getting a giant bag of quick oats for $2? I don't think so! Imagine how much that would cost if you bought it in a regular grocery store! The Dutch Pantry also offers a wide selection of dried spices and herbs, which is much cheaper than if you were to buy them in the grocery store, as well. Small containers of spices can go upwards of $3 in the grocery store, but I bought a container of ground sage..easily a quarter cup, if not more, for only $0.70!

The moral of this story is...Go visit your local Amish bulk goods store! :)

Happy Friday, ya'll!

Twisted Treats Thursday: Healthy Substitutions!

Now, I'm not exactly the healthiest person when it comes to cooking. I live in the South, ya'll! Home of sweet tea, casseroles, and all sorts of concoctions that have made my mouth water since I moved. But there ARE some easy, simple substitutions you can make to make your meals healthy! It's all about give and take. Here are a few good examples:

• Who doesn't love Chinese food? Sometimes I think I should've been born in China. Fried rice is AMAZING, but how can we make it healthier? Well..step one. Use brown rice instead of white rice. You'll get whole grains, more fiber and more vitamins..and in my opinion, more deliciousness! Another thing is to add a lot of vegetables to your fried rice. Peas, carrots, snow peas, onion and broccoli are all deliciously easy things to add to your wok. Mmmm...Chinese food.
• Love Italian? Substitute whole wheat pasta for your regular pasta! Some people say there's a taste difference, but I don't notice a difference...and I love the health benefits!
• Chocolate chip cookies are one of my biggest weaknesses...Especially with a tall glass of milk. One easy, tasty way to add a little fiber and nutrition is to add oats to your cookie batter! About 1/2 cup of oats added to your batch of cookie dough adds a little texture and a whole lot of nutrition. Mmmm...cookies. I may go make a batch right now!
• Another one of my weaknesses is fruit juice. Ya'll, I could probably drink a whole container of orange juice in one day! But who needs all that extra sugar? Instead, fill your glass halfway with ice water, and fill the rest with orange juice. You still get the great orange taste, but with half the calories! Also, if you're buying juice, such as apple juice or cranberry juice, make sure to go for the 100% juice varieties, preferably with no sugar added. Much better for you, less sugar, and in my opinion, it tastes a lot better too!
• And finally, for today, probably my favorite food substitution of all. Butter. How I love butter...But as we all know, too much of a good thing (check that: delicious thing!) is bad for you. Instead of using butter in my baking and cooking, I switched to Smart Balance spread. It has healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and it tastes just as good as butter. Use it in your cookie recipe, when you make a roux, whatever! Deliciousness.

Join me again next Thursday for more healthy substitution tips!

P.S. For more information about Smart Balance, you can check out their website here: http://www.smartbalance.com/  They even have coupons! (And as you'll find out later, I love coupons!)

Twisted Treats....Let's get this party started!

Hey! Welcome to Twisted Treats, a blog for cooking advice, recipes, and more.  Wanna know who the girl is behind the keyboard? My name is Katie, and I have an Associates degree in Culinary Arts. Now, just because I have a degree doesn't mean I'm going to get all stuffy on ya'll. If you don't follow my recipes to the letter, great! The best part about cooking is to be creative, make substitutions, and find new and exciting ways to...literally...play with your food!

So if you're one of those people who believes that food is just plain boring, well..Stick around, and maybe I can change your mind!

Now, more about me.. Because when it's not about food, it's about me! I believe blogs can be much more enjoyable when you know about the person behind them.  Now, I'm certainly not going to tell you EVERYTHING.. ya'll really don't need to know what my shoe size is, what my favorite flowers are, etc. But let's talk about food! I grew up in a family where food=fun! On my mom's side of the family, cooking is a passion. My grandfather worked in a bakery, my uncle loved to cook, my mother TAUGHT me how to cook, and the love of cooking (and some really great recipes) has been passed down to me naturally. I can still remember sitting in the kitchen, watching my mother cook, and as I got older, helping her cook. I remember how proud she was when I made my first cake by myself, and I have a LOT of great memories of being in the kitchen with her. (And next time I see her, she's giving me a refresher course in cake decorating!) So, culinary school made absolute sense! Some days it was really hard (i.e. 8 hour lab classes, making lunch for the president of the college) and some days it was easy (baking bread)..But EVERY day, it was fun! Even if i was sore at the end of the day, tired from everything we did, it was still an amazing experience.

So why am I here, you ask? Well, I believe in sharing. Isn't that what our mamas taught us when we were little? While you may never get my soft pretzel recipe out of me (the inspiration for the blog name), I LOVE to share what I know, to help make your dinner planning a little easier, or just to make cooking even more fun! So stick around, subscribe to my posts (hint hint) and let's see what kind of wild ride we get into. :)

 P.S. Special thanks to my mom, Karen, without which this wouldn't be possible. You taught me how to cook, AND you homeschooled me for 12 years. I love you. :)