Get Ready for Holiday Baking with Watkins Vanilla

It's just about that time of year to stock up on baking supplies for the upcoming holiday season! Watkins Vanilla was first introduced to me by my grandmother and has been a staple in all of my baking ever since.
During the month of October, save $2.00 on Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla. Watkins vanilla is made from the world’s finest Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. Their secret low-alcohol, double strength formula is perfect in recipes requiring baking or freezing.

• Award-winning
• Less alcohol
• Double strength
• Bake-proof/freeze-proof
• Made with the finest Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans
• The best all-purpose vanilla for baking and freezing
• Value Size! Only $1.18 per ounce!
(11 fl oz/325 mL)
Regularly $14.99
Special $12.99

CLICK HERE TO VIEW WATKINS OCTOBER SPECIALS!

Fresh Rasberry Coffee Cake

It's Raspberry season here and time for Fresh Raspberry Coffee Cake!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh rasberries

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

2 to 3 teaspoons water

1/4 teaspoon Almond extract

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 F. Spray 8 or 9 inch square pan with baking spray

In medium bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, milk. vanilla, and egg with spoon. Stir in flour, granutlated sugar, baking powder and salt until moistened. Fold in rasberries. Spread in pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes.

In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over warm coffee cake. Enjoy!

I've also made this with fresh blackberries and lemon extract instead of almond...wonderful!

Limited Edition Snack & Dip Mixes

Back by popular demand, Watkins Limited-Edition Snack & Dip Seasoning Mixes add a burst of flavor to fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads. These dip mixes have become a staple in our house, especially during the summer months. I always keep bowls of fresh fruit and vegies in the frig for the boys. I mix the Mandarin Orange dip mix with lowfat vanilla yogurt and the boys love it with fresh strawberries, grapes, and apple slices!

Tomato & Basil (1.9 oz/56 g) Mix with sour cream and mayonnaise for a flavorful vegetable dip or spread.

Mandarin Orange (4.6 oz/132 g) Mix with sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese or whipped topping for a luscious fruit dip.

Sesame Garlic (2.8 oz/80 g) Our unique blend of toasted sesame seeds, garlic and other flavors add an Asian flair to dips, salads and spreads.

Regularly $8.99 Or just $7.99 each when you purchase two!

These three flavors will only be available during the summer months! Be sure to check out Watkins other Snack and Dip mixes as well. Some of our personal favorites include Garden Vegetable and Cucumber/Dill...just mix with lowfat sourcream, chill, and serve with fresh brocolli, carrtos, celery, and other fresh vegies!

Enjoy~

Kim

And the winner is.....

I am so excited to announce that the winner of my first Giveaway here at Kim's Country Kitchen is Denise of Momma B's Front Porch! Congratulations Denise...now just hold off on making any more ice cream until the "good" vanilla arrives!

For those who entered but didn't win..I'll be offering a free Watkins sample pack to the first FIVE people who leave a comment on this post. Thank you for entering and please stop by often. I'll be adding new recipes on a regular basis and hope to have another Giveaway soon!
Blessings,
Kim

Delicious Lemon Squares

Here's another one of my favorite summertime recipes! This recipe is so versatile! You can use any Watkins Dessert mix such as chocolate, coconut, banana, and of course Lemon. These bars are great for cookouts and family gatherings this summer!

Ingredients
Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup/125 mL butter

1 cup/250 mL flour

1/2 cup/125 mL chopped pecans

1 tsp/5 mL Butter Extract
Cream Layer:

1 cup/250 mL powdered sugar

8 oz/227 g fat-free or light cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 tsp/5 mL Original Double-Strength Vanilla

Half of a 1-quart/liter container of whipped topping

Lemon Layer:

1 pie filling recipe from Watkins Lemon Dessert package, using 2-1/2 cups/625 mL water, Lemon Dessert Mix 1 tbsp/15 mL lemon juice
Cooking Directions
Combine bottom layer ingredients and pack into an 11 x 7”/28 x 18 cm baking pan. Bake at 375°F/190°C for 15 minutes. Cool completely.Cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese. Add whipped topping and fold in. Prepare lemon pie filling; add lemon juice and let cool. Spread a thin layer of cream mixture over baked bottom layer. Spread lemon filling on top; spread rest of cream mixture on top of that. Chill. (Note: Chilling after applying lemon layer may make it easier to spread top layer.) Cut in large squares.

(Note: Other Watkins Dessert Mixes may be used in place of Lemon.)

Gold Medal Assortment Giveaway - Ends June 7th

In order to celebrate the beginning of my new blog here, I'll be hosting a giveaway for this incredible assorment of Watkins' award-winning products! Watkins made its reputation—at least in the area of food—on three products: Vanilla, Cinnamon and Black Pepper. Watkins has been making them since 1895, and they were the products that earned Watkins the Gold in Paris in 1928.
The set includes Watkins' award-winning Original Double-Strength Vanilla in the Trial MarkTM Bottle(325 mL/11 fl oz), plus Watkins' traditional tins of Cinnamon (170 g/6 oz) and Black Pepper (170 g/6 oz), attractively gift-boxed. A retail value of $30.99!
To enter, simply leave a comment here (with your email) and follow my blog! If you post this giveaway on your blog you'll receive an additional entry. Giveaway ends June7th!
Happy Blogging!
Kim

Grandma's First-Aid Remedy

My youngest son recently fell off his scooter and scraped his knee. I immediately pulled the first-aid ointment from the medicine cabinet and as all mother's do, I "made it all better". Thoughts of my grandmother came to mind and her infamous "cure-all" ointment. She always had a tin of Bag Balm in her cabinet...yes, that foul-smelling topical antiseptic ointment used on Cows' udders! Although the smell was offensive and the ointment itself was greasy, it always healed any cuts, scrapes, and dry skin, as well as soothed burns.

As you can imagine, I was never fond of using something that was meant to be used on a cow's udders! My grandmother soon discovered that Watkins' Petro-Carbo salve worked even better and it didn't have that awful odor. Still packaged in the nostalgic tin I remember as a child, Petro-Carbo Salve has become a must for my medicine cabinet. It's safe and effective for healing cuts and burns and relieving sore, irritated skin. And it also works well for drawing out splinters! It even comes in a small travel size tin which I always keep in my purse for those unexpected first-aid needs.

Blessings,

Kim

Root Beer Baked Beans

With the start of cook-out season fast approching, I wanted to share with you this recipe for Root Beer Baked Beans. My boys were never really fond of Baked Beans but nonetheless, I would continue to make them for every family cookout. However, once I made this recipe, they're more than willing to eat baked beans!

Ingredients
1/2 lb/225 g bacon,

diced1 medium onion,diced

2 tbsp/30 mL WatkinsOriginal BBQ Sauce

1/4 cup/60 mL ketchup

2 (28 oz/798 g) cans baked beans

1/4 tsp/1.2 mL Root Beer Extract—Trial Mark Bottle

1/2 tsp/2.5 mL prepared mustard

2 tbsp/30 mL brown sugar

Dash Black Pepper to taste

Cooking Directions
Cook bacon and onion in skillet until bacon is brown and crisp. Pour off drippings. Combine barbecue sauce concentrate and ketchup; add to skillet. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake at 300°F/150°C for 1 hour. Makes 12 servings.

Enjoy!

~Kim

Watkins Rootbeer Extract - Limited Time Only

Rootbeer isn't just for making floats! Try Watkins Rootbeer extract. The time-honored concoction of sarsaparilla, ginger and other roots is captured in this intense concentrate that’s back for a limited time. Make your own glass of root beer and browse my Web site for other unusually delicious treats…you won’t believe the delightfully different barbecue sauce and baked beans!

(2 fl oz/ 59 mL) Regularly $4.99 Special $4.79

Watkins' On-line Catalog

I'm so excited to be able to share Watkins' online Catalog with you! I finally have my website up and running, and you'll be able to view Watkins' products online at your convenience. The catalog is available for both the US and Canada, and all orders are shipped directly from Watkins' to ensure the highest degree of freshness.

Be sure to check out the Monthly Specials for May. Watkins' infamous Cinnamon and award-winning Original Double-strength Vanilla are just a couple of the items specially priced this month and are a must for any enthusiastic cook! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me anytime through my Watkins website: http://www.watkinsonline.com/ksscott/
Blessings,
Kim