I know. I know. It has been a while, but I’m still here. Since we last spoke, we’ve settled into our new home in Austin, done a little sightseeing to get acclimated, and decided we love it here. We love our home in the hills. We love Austin and all that it offers. We love our new neighbors and friends. And we love being closer to our daughter and grandkids.
We never did get around to sharing pictures of the new house, so I’ll work on that next, I promise. Not to make excuses, but it has been really hopping around here. Because of that, I’ve been focusing more on quick & easy meals. Not just those that can be thrown together quickly like a grilled cheese and tomato soup, because who doesn’t love a grilled cheese with tomato soup, but those that can be prepped in advance and put on the table quickly.
This weekend, this new OXO 14-piece glass baking set made meal prep a snap. I’ve talked about this before, but OXO’s Blogger Outreach Program has allowed me the opportunity to try new products at no cost to me when I’ve been lucky enough to be selected to participate. All that’s required is an honest opinion. I love that, and I love their commitment to clever, thoughtful design.
Case in point – this OXO 14-piece glass bakeware with snap-on lids. This stuff is heavy-duty. It also appears to be tough as nails. I took mine for a spin with a quick and easy Shrimp & Grits and a super snappy pumpkin snack cake for dessert. I had planned to post a big Texas-style cookout, but it will NOT. STOP. RAINING. HERE. So instead, I’ll share this supper in a snap.
I used the round bowls to prep my dinner ingredients in advance. It took about 15 minutes to dice, clean and prep everything I’d need for dinner.
Smoked sausage, shrimp, peppers, onions & garlic, a handful of green onions, and salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Oh, and half a stick of butter. I love butter. Butter, butter, butter. I butter everything.
Once I had it prepped, I snapped on the lids and made a tower of dinner. Literally.
That tower went straight into my fridge and I went on with my day.
Later, when we were getting rumbly, I grabbed my goodies and took them to the stove. I grabbed my favorite non-stick skillet and this is where the magic happened.
I threw a tablespoon of olive oil and half a stick of butter (butter, butter, butter – I always say it three times) and turned it up to high. The sausage went in first, until it took on a little color, then the shrimp went in just until they curled and turned pink. Then the meat came out and the veg went in. Like adult swim.
I left those until they got good and gooey brown. Look how pretty. Pretty, pretty, pretty.
Then I tossed the sausages and shrimp back in, splashed in a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of white wine, and let it simmer just long enough to make a little pan sauce.
What do you do with all of this? Glad you asked. You serve it on cheese grits.
For those, you just need stone-ground grits, half-n-half or cream, water, salt, pepper and cayenne, and butter (butter, butter).
In a heavy saucepan, I combine water, half-n-half (or milk or cream), the seasonings, and… well, you know what (3x). Once that comes to a simmer over medium heat, I slowly whisk in the grits and keep whisking until it really starts to thicken up and come together. If it gets too thick, like wall paper paste thick, just add more water or milk. Once they’re done, stir in a good handful of grated parmesan cheese. Other than lumps, you really can’t screw this up. Look at those gorgeous cheese grits. Grits, grits, grits. Greee-uts.
Put a big creamy spoonful of this in a bowl, then ladle on that pretty sausage and shrimp mixture. Top with a big spoonful of that pan sauce. It makes those grits sing.
Mmm, mmm, mmm…. I wish you could smell this. It’s amazing how simple some foods can be. And even better, you should see how easy clean-up was. One skillet, one wooden spatula, and this. For real, yo. Bowls & lids. Super easy.
I know OXO says this set is dishwasher safe, but I baby things I love. It’s an obsession. For example, every time I use my stand mixer, I detail it with Clorox wipes and toothpicks before I put it away. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but that puppy looks brand new and I’ve been abusing it for years. In this case, I hand washed my lids and bowls. I can foresee a day when I may put them in the dishwasher. I am willing to consider it. And maybe the freezer, because they say I can right there on the box and I trust them. I really do.
Because you can’t read the entire box from there, here’s what you need to know:
Both Glass Bakeware and SNAP Glass Food Storage are made of thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass, which means the Bakeware can go from freezer to oven or microwave without cracking – both lines can withstand up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit of temperature change
- Glass Bakeware
- Raised, slosh-proof lid for easy transportation and storage without squishing your baked goods
- Convenient, easy-to-read size markings on the container
- Wide, comfortable handles that work with oven mitts
- SNAP Glass Food Storage
- Lids are interchangeable between SNAP Glass line and SNAP Plastic line
- Stackable and nestable
- Microwave safe (lid is too, just undo the tabs first!)
- Leak-proof seal
I can attest to the leak-proof seal. I made a fresh tomato & cucumber salad with a vinaigrette dressing in the larger bowl last week. Every 30 minutes, I flipped the bowl to make sure everything marinated. Like I literally turned it upside down and set it lid side down for 30 minutes, then flipped it again and again for 3-4 hours. It never leaked. Not a drop. But back to today’s meal.
I’m also sharing another quick and easy favorite. One that’s embarrassingly easy and super that-word-that-rhymes-with-hoist. Like dump cake easy, but I’m not calling it that because gross. It’s a one-bowl pumpkin nut cake and it’s perfect for the square baking dish. The only prep for this one is spraying the pan lightly with cooking spray and grabbing a bowl & whisk.
In a bowl, combine a yellow cake mix, a can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling but plain canned pumpkin), a handful of chopped pecans (optional), and half a stick of butter (confess: did you say it three times just now?) melted first. I also throw in some ground cinnamon, but you can also use pumpkin pie spice if you have it in your pantry. Whisk this up. It will be a little thick and it will smell delicious, but you have to bake it first.
Spread this in a square baking dish and smooth it out into the corners like this. Then sprinkle it with a combination of raw sugar and ground cinnamon. This is where my pumpkin spice candle obsession comes from. I’m sure of it.
Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for a good half hour or so, if you can stand it, then cut it into squares and serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. You can thank me later.
You’re welcome. (;
And guess what? The square and rectangle baking dishes come with snap-on lids, too.
This set makes cooking just about anything a snap. And that’s one of the reasons I love OXO. They really do think of everything. I’m giving the OXO 14-piece glass bakeware set with snap-on lids two thumbs up. And if I had more thumbs, I’d put those up, too. I’d use my big toes, but that’s gross.
Please Note: As a member of the OXO Blogger Outreach Program, I am occasionally selected to participate in campaigns featuring new products. These products are sent to participating bloggers at no cost to them. They are asked only to share their honest opinion of said products. Everything you read in this post is my honest opinion. If you’d also like to participate, visit the OXO Blogger Outreach homepage for more information.