Dried Herb Fresh Test

When cooking with herbs it is hard to tell if what you have in the cupboard is fresh.

Dried herbs actually have a shelf life of about 1 – 1½ years, but if you are like me, most of my herbs have been there for much longer!

Before using the herb in your recipe, pinch a few of the leaves between your fingers and roll a bit. If you can smell the herb it should be good to use.

If you don’t smell anything or the smell is very faint toss the herbs and buy some new ones.

Cheesecake Tips

Here are a few useful tips to help you make a successful cheesecake. Although a cheesecake is quite simple to make, the right techniques can help make it a success every time.

Before starting your recipe, let your eggs and cream cheese sit at room temperature for at least a half an hour. The cream cheese will be softer and easier to incorporate and the eggs will blend in easier also.

When mixing the cheesecake batter, remember that you are blending the ingredients, not whipping them.

If you mix them too quickly you will get air into the batter, then as the cheesecake cooks, the batter will continue to expand.

After the cheesecake has been removed from the oven and allowed to cool, the cake will settle and deflate causing cracks.

Chopping Nuts

When chopping nuts, they are actually easier to chop when they are warm. The meat will be more pliable and you will not have to chase pieces down all over the kitchen.

To warm the nuts, place them in the microwave and cook on high for a minute or so, mix with your hands and see if more time is needed.

After the first minute, only microwave in increments of 30 seconds. You don’t want them so hot that you can’t handle them and when they cool off they may be a bit crunchier.

You can also heat them in the oven by baking for about 5 minutes at 325º.

Preparing Squash for Baking

You are getting ready to bake a squash, but first you have to get it cut and remove the seed. Here is a quick and easy way to get it ready for baking.

Place the whole squash in the microwave oven for 2-3 minutes. The squash should be warm to the touch but not hot.

Place on the counter and let stand for about 15 minutes.

Using a large sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise (from the stem to the base)

Using a large spoon, remove the strings and seeds.

Now all you have to do is finish baking your squash as per your recipe.

Pretty Pie Crusts

You are making a double crust pie and you are wondering how all the pies in restaurants get their pretty crusts.

This is actually so simple to do! After you have completely prepared your pie for baking, grab an egg and break it into a small bowl. Using a fork mix the egg thoroughly and add a tablespoon of water.

Once the mixture has been thoroughly blended use a pastry brush and coat the outer crust with the egg mixture.

Cover the crust with a piece of aluminum foil and bake according to recipe. About 10 minutes before the pie is due to be done, remove the foil. This way the crust will not be overly brown.

Lump Free Gravy/Sauce

This is the entertaining time of year. You too can have lump free gravy with just a few simple extra steps.

Instead of dumping the flour right into your gravy fixings, instead, mix the flour with an equal amount of water or milk, or broth from your recipe.

Combine well until there are no lumps.

Now just pour into your fixing whisking well to prevent new lumps.

Keep your heat low to medium and continue to whisk until it starts to thicken.

You can use this method when making most types of sauces, including cheese sauces.

Don't forget, do not keep adding flour as the gravy will thicken as it cools also.

Recipe Prep

When I am preparing a recipe, I like to make sure that I have everything on hand and ready to go.

When I read a recipe I will make note of the ingredients and the process. I will pull each of the ingredients out and place them on the counter.

After reading the process I will usually measure out or prepare all of the ingredients and place them into bowls so that when I start making the recipe I can just grab what I need in and add it with out having to take the time to prepare.

This is especially helpful when making Stir Fry's or some baking projects that come together fast.

COOKING A STUFFED TURKEY

Cooking a stuffed turkey can be a bit tricky. No matter what method you choose, you will need to make sure that you bake your bird to an internal meat temperature of 165º in an oven no less than 325º.

If you cook the turkey at any temperature less than that the stuffing will not cook thoroughly. The stuffing internal temperature needs to be more than 140º to kill any bacteria.

Using a slow cooking method with a stuffed bird has been known to cause numerous food poisening cases.

To prevent this, you can put some stuffing into your bird, but cook the remainder in a pan in the oven. When you serve the bird, do not serve the stuffing inside the bird.

Another option is to bake the stuffing in another pan in the oven, then stuff the bird just before serving.

Nuttier Nuts

The holidays are upon us and all of the recipes are asking for nuts. So how do you toast nuts for most recipes? Here is a quick guide. Be sure to use the prepared and toasted nuts as soon as possible, or store in a tightly sealed container.

To toast the nuts you can place them in a single layer in a baking dish or baking sheet. Keep a close eye on them because the times below are suggested. Once nuts begin to toast they can burn very quickly.

You can bake all of the following nuts at 375°F for 4-6 minutes, you can tell that they are done when:

Pecans - Toasted color will be slightly darker than raw color

Walnuts - Toasted color wil be pale brown and a definate stronger aroma

Macadamia Nuts - Toasted color will be golden brown

Hazlenuts - Toasted color will be darker than the raw nut and the skins may begin to crack

Almonds - Toasted color will be a light golden brown

Boiled Egg Blunders

How many times have you reached in the refrigerator to grab a boiled egg, just to find out that the egg that you grabbed is raw, not cooked.

When you are boiling your eggs, add a drop or two of food coloring into the water. Now as they cook they will also be infused with a hint of color so that you can tell a cooked egg from a raw egg.

SOUP STOCK STORAGE

If you decided to make up your own stock, you probably aren't going to use it right away.

I will usually make up stock after I have prepared a beef or chicken dinner that left me with some decent bones.

Just pour the finished stock into plastic containers and refrigerate immediately. It will keep fresh for a few days.

If you don't plan of using the stock for at least 6 days, place in the freezer after you have marked the container well.

You should be able to freeze it for 6 months.

If you find that you need smaller quantities of stock you can also freeze it in ice cube trays.

Once it is frozen, dump the trays into tightly sealed plastic containers or zip lock bags.

Each cube will be the equivelant of about a tablespoon of stock.

You can also freeze any left over stock from a can in this manner if you don't need all of it for your recipe.

PASTRY BRUSH POSSIBILITIES

You are spreading butter with your pastry brush and you are going crazy. Your brush is leaving little bristles all over your creation. What can you do to prevent this from happening?

Go down to your local craft store and pick up some sponge brushes. These are relatively inexpensive to buy.

When you get them home, wash them well and let them dry.

The next time that you are cooking a need a brush, us one to spread your sauces or butter. They will spread much smoother and are much easier to clean when you are done.

GROCERY MAYHEM II

There are certain things in your pantry that you really shouldn't run out of, especially if you have kids in the house.

There are certain staples such as Flour, Sugar, Ketchup, and BBQ sauce that is just really inconvenient to run out of.

Now I keep an extra of each item in the pantry.

When I run out of the item in use, I grab the one from the pantry and place the item on my shopping list.

Even just going shopping once a week, I still have plenty of time to pick up the item before we are out again.

MAKING STOCK

When you are making home made stock you do not need to measure everything or prepare everything perfectly.

Start your stock with cold water in a large pot.

When you are preparing your vegetables, you don't need to peel and trim them. You can just wash them and cut them up coarsley into about 1 inch pieces.

For the best flavor, simmer your stock. You don't want a rolling boil, the bubbles should move slowly from the bottom of the pot and burst just before they reach the surface.

When you are ready to strain the stock, don't try to pour it from the pot. Instead use a large measuring scoop or ladle and transfer the stock to another container that has a strainer removing the large pieces. This may take a bit loger, but it is worth the trouble and a lot less messier.

Try not to use any seasoning when you are making up generic stock. As you use it for a recipe then you can add seasoning as needed to suit your recipe.

A FRESH EGG

When you are preparing your ingredients for your recipe, you look in the fridge and you can't remember when you last bought eggs.

Are the ones that you have still fresh?

Grab a large bowl and fill it up with water for this quick test.

Place a fresh egg into the water and see where it settles.

If it settles on the side the egg is fresh.

If the egg stands at a bit of an angle the egg is anywhere from 3-9 days old.

If the egg stands completely on end your egg is at least 10 days old

SOUP STOCK SUBSTITUTION

If you have a recipe that calls for chicken or beef broth you don’t always have to make it from scratch.

Although home made tastes better, you can use any one of these commercial substitutions.

You can buy a can of beef or chicken broth to use in your recipe.

Some will need to be diluted before use so make sure that you read the instructions on the can first or your recipe may turn out too salty.

Instant boullion is usually my preference because it doesn't take up as much room for storage and I can make exactly how much I need.

I will always mix it up with hot water according to the instructions and then let it sit for about 20 minutes for the granuals to totally desolve and for the flavor to develop.

LEFTOVER BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Not everyone likes brussel sprouts, but if you are a lover of them you may occasionally find yourself with some leftovers.

Here is a quick and easy idea to use them up.

Cut leftover brussel sprouts into quarters and drop in the same italian dressing container as some beans or by themself.

The next time that you have a salad use as a garnish or serve by itself as a side.

PRE-PREPARING FOR LUNCHES

Putting together bagged lunches can be really hectic in the morning.

You can actually save a lot of time by preparing a lot of the items before you need them.

When you go shopping, pick up larger packages of snack items like pretzels, chips, vegetables, and even cereal.

When you get home, break each larger package into small zip lock style sandwich bags.

Now when you are ready to make your lunch all you have to do is make a fresh sandwich and grab a few bags of your pre-prepared snacks.

Lunch is ready to go!

Cutting Board Control

When you are cutting vegetables you find that your cutting board tends to skid across the counter top.

You can actually solve this easily with items that you might already have. You can lay down a damp rag under the cutting board that that will keep it from moving on you.

This also works great for stabilizing a warped cutting board.

Lemon Juice Plus!

When juicing a lemon, it will yield more juice if it is left at room temperature for at least an hour before juicing.

Don’t forget to wash the outside of the lemon before squeezing. Now when you have extracted all of the juice you can grate the peel and freeze it in a tightly sealed container. Now when you need some lemon peel just grab a container from the freezer and you have it fresh and ready to go!

Garlic Prep & Storage

My family loves garlic. It does take a bit of time to prepare so I have found this simple solution to always have some on hand.

When you go shopping, pick up a few heads of garlic.

When you get home chop up all of the garlic at once and place into an airtight glass container.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil for each head of garlic, then seal tightly.

Place the jar in the coldest shelf of your refrigerator.

Now you will have fresh chopped garlic whenever you need it for up to 2 weeks.

No More Watered Down Iced Drinks

When you are making iced drinks such as coffee, tea, or juice (non-alcoholic) you find that by the time that you get to the bottom the ice cubes have watered down your drink.

To prevent this from happening again simply make a bit extra of your cold drink and freeze it into ice cube trays.

Now when you make up your favorite drink drop in a few cubes and sip away!

WHEN DO I USE MY BANANA?

You have some banana's but you have no idea when to use them for what.

I usually buy banana's when they are still bright yellow with some green streaks.

These fresh banana's are great for cooking treats like Banana's Foster or Banana Splits.

When the banana is no longer green, but mostly yellow with some small flecks of brown starting to show up, now is the prime time for eating whole.

When the skin goes from mostly yellow to lots of brown splotches, you now have banana's that are ready for baking into breads or muffins.

Don't worry if the skin turns totally black on the outside. The banana is still good for several days.

You should throw out any banana's that have any kind of mold starting to grow on them in the advanced stages of ripeness.

PREPARING DRY BEANS

You are making a recipe and you aren't quite sure what is the best way to prepare the dry beans.

If you are using dry beans or whole dry peas, they will need to be soaked before cooking. If you are cooking split peas or lentils, they don't require a presoak.

When you start preparing you will want to dump the contents of your bag of beans into a large bowl and pick out any rocks.

I then fill the bowl with water and pick out any pieces that float to the surface.

To presoak, read the package that your beans came in. It will give you measurements for the water to bean ratio for the particular kind that you are using.

Place the specified amount of water and beans into a large pot. Bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 1 hour.

If you prefer the over night method, simply place the beans and water in a pot and let sit covered overnight.

In both cases, drain off the liquid that the beans soaked in and discard.

Your beans are now ready for use.

RECIPE RECALL

It is hard to keep track of your favorite recipes. When you get busy you can't remember which book had which recipe and special notes about ingredient changes and preparation.

There are a lot of different computer programs that can help you keep your recipes organized and within easy access. I found a program that I liked called Now You’re Cooking! Recipe Software. You can download the program at http://www.ffts.com.

This program is great for organizing recipes, creating shopping lists and has more helpful information than I can remember.

I keep several different cookbooks within the program for easy access. I have created a book for tried and true recipes as well as a book for things I want to try.

You can also find lots of recipes that you can upload and try from the ffts website as well as importing recipes from other sources. Have some fun creating!

Uneven Cakes

You are baking a cake and when you check on it you see that the top of the cake is very uneven.

One side is much taller than the other. There are several reasons that can cause these results. Here are just a few:

If you are baking more than one pan in the oven, you may not have adequate air circulation. If the side of the pans are touching or too close you can get results like this.

When you poured the batter into the pan, did you tap it down or spread it out to make sure that it was evenly distributed across the bottom?

Your oven may be heating unevenly. You will need to test this by placing pieces of bread across every inch of rack space with your oven set at 300º. After a few minutes start keeping a close eye on the bread. Are any pieces browning faster than others? Once your test is complete (before the bread starts burning) turn off the heat of your oven and open the door to let cool a bit. Using a pair of tongs remove the bread and save for breadcrumbs.

Your oven may not be level. While the oven is cool grab a common level to check and see if your oven is truly level. It may be your oven or just the racks. Check both (oven first, then rack)

Picking Pans for Baking

You are getting ready to bake and you have several different types of pans to pick from. But which one do you use?

When you are baking pies and breads, use a dark pan. This will aid in browning the crusts better.

When baking cookies or cakes, use a shiny pan. This will help prevent over darkening of the bottoms and sides.

If you decide to use a glass pan, don’t forget to reduce your oven temperature by 25º. You may also want to check for doneness a few minutes before the timer goes off.

Slick Casseroles

When you are preparing your casserole for baking, use this quick and easy tip for greasing the pan.

Place your butter or oil in the pan, grab a piece of bread and use it to spread the butter/oil around.

When you are done, break up the piece of bread and use it in your casserole recipe.

Perfect Preheat

The recipe requests that you preheat your oven. What exactly does that mean?

Most ovens have a preheat feature. You set the oven for the temperature that you desire. It will usually beep or a light will go off to let you know that the temperature has been reached.

Remember when preparing your recipe that it can take up to ½ hour for the oven to reach temperature. I usually let it go for about 5-10 minutes after the beep to make sure that the oven is ready.

If you do not preheat your oven you could see results of burned bottom or over cooked as the elements are actively hot while baking for longer than if the oven has been preheated.

WHAT IS CLARIFIED STOCK?

You have a recipe that asks for clarified stock, but you have no idea what it is.

When you look at regular stock that may have just made, it is slightly muddy looking.

Clarified stock is a clear stock that you don't see any pieces floating aroung in.

If you have stock that needs to be clarified, it is very simple.

In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup water, 1 egg white, and 1 egg shell. Yes, don't freak out, you have to use an egg shell.

Once this has been thoroughly mixed, add it to your soup stock.

Bring your stock mixture to a boil then remove from the heat.

Let he stock stand for about 5 minutes. While your stock is cooling, lay a double thickness of cheese cloth over a larger bowl or pot than your stock pot.

Pour your stock in to the cheesecloth. Slowly pull up the edges of the cheesecloth and strain the liquid through the cheese cloth.

Your stock should now be clarified. If it is still a little opaque, simply repeat the process until the stock is clear.

CROUTONS

You are making up a fabulous salad and you want to throw on some croutons. Don't go out to the store and buy the stale ol' box of croutons, make your own fresh, it is really simple.

Take out a few pieces of fresh bread, and using your pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.

Spread them out onto a shallow baking pan and bake in a 350º preheated oven for 30 minutes or so until they are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.

If you want to spice it up a bit, melt a tablespoon of butter for each slice of bread and toss your bread cubes in it before baking.

Then toss in 1/4 tsp garlic powder and a dash of salt for each slice of bread.

Bake in a preheated 300º oven for about 30 minutes.

Let cool on wire racks and store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

To perk up a bit before each use, reheat in a preheated 300º oven for 5-8 minutes until crisp again.

I allow about 2/3 piece of bread for each serving because I just love croutons!

MIXING IT UP

Why is it that every time you make up a cup of cocoa or soup, you always end up with lumps. You have tried everything and nothing seems to help. The next time that you make up a cup, try this:

Place the dry mix in the bottom of your cup or mug. Slowly add just enough HOT water to cover the mix.

Using a spoon, blend the water into your mix until a thick paste has been created and all of the mix has been dissolved.

Now add the rest of your water mixing well.

Voila! Lump free!

FINES HERBES Vs. BOUQUET GARNI

You are looking at recipes trying to decide what to make. As you are reading each recipe you see that a few ask for Fines Herbes or Bouquet Garni. What the heck are they talking about and what is the difference between the two?

The French term Fines Herbes means to combine herbs to be used in flavoring dishes. The herbs are chopped fine, then mixed together and mixed into the food just before serving. Common uses would be in sauces, soups and cream cheese spreads. You could also use Fines Herbes when cooking scrambled eggs or omelet’s to add flavor.

The French term Bouquet Garni typically means to use dried herbs. Combine the herbs requested into a small cheesecloth or muslin bag. Place the bag into whatever it is that you are cooking. Just before completing the preparation or serving, remove the Bouquet Garni and discard it. Typically the flavor will be released fairly quickly (approx ½ of the baking time in most cases) when preparing hot dishes. Remember if you are preparing cold dishes or salads to allow at least 2-3 hours for the Garni to release its flavors.

DEFROSTING MEAT

Frozen meat should be defrosted in the refrigerator not on a counter top.

Place the meat in your refrigerator on a platter or in a bowl to catch any juices that may leak from the package.

For a large cut of meat allow 4-7 hours per pound, for a small cut of meat allow 3-5 hours per pound, for Steaks allow 12 – 14 hours.

You can also defrost meat during cooking time; just increase your cooking time to 1 ½ of the original cooking time to the recipe time.

You will want to monitor the cooking process closely to make sure that it is cooking according to your schedule.

RECIPE TOO SMALL?

You have a recipe that you would like to make up for your next dinner party, but it does not make enough. You can easily double the recipe, just remember a few basic pointers:

Take a look at your ingredients, use exactly double what the recipe asks for of each item.

Make sure that mixing bowls, if required are going to be large enough and that the ingredients will not spill over during the preparation.

If the recipe calls for one pan, make the recipe in 2; or use 1 pan that is double the size that the recipe asks for. In either case you want to make sure that the batter/casserole/whatever is the same depth as it would have been in the original recipe size so that baking time and temperature will remain somewhat close to the same.

TRICKY TEMPERATURE

You are making up some bread and the recipe says to use warm water or milk that is anywhere from 110 - 120. Is there a quick and easy way to tell if the water is warm enough?

Really when making bread you will need to go down to the store and pick up a good thermometer. The problems that can arise from "guesstimating" are bad enough that you don't want to risk it.

If your water/milk is too warm, you can kill your yeast and the recipe will not rise properly.

If you use water/milk that is not warm enough it will not activate the yeast and your recipe will not rise.

So for now, it is better to be safe than sorry.

EASY ROLLED COOKIES II

To make a large batch of square rolled cookies just find an empty wax paper or plastic wrap box.

Line the box well with plastic wrap or waxed paper.

Make up a batch of sugar cookies or other rolled cookie dough.

Pack the prepared dough into the lined box.

Place wrap/paper on top of the dough and close the box.

Refrigerate well at least 4-6 hours.

Now whenever you are in the mood for cookies, just remove the dough from the box and cut your cookies to the desired thickness and bake according to your recipe directions.

SIFTED FLOUR

When you are baking sometimes a recipe asks for sifted flour.

It is very important to read the recipe carefully, where it asks the flour to be sifted is very important.

If the recipe asks for “one cup sifted flour” it means that you sift the flour before you measure it.

If the recipe asks for “one cup flour sifted” it means that you sift it after you measure it.

If you get it in the wrong order, you will either have too much or too little flour.

TOASTED OATMEAL COOKIES

If you would like to have a more adult, nuttier tasting oatmeal cookie, try this the next time.

Using whole oats, measure out the amount of oatmeal that you will need for your recipe.

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.

While the oven is preheating, place the measured oats onto a clean dry baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the oats appear lightly toasted.

Make sure to cool the oatmeal thoroughly before combining with the remaining ingredients for the cookies.

GREAT GRAPES

My family loves grapes. My hardest problem is how to store them. This is the easiest way that I have found to store them yet give my family easy access to them.

When I get home from the grocery store, I thoroughly rinse the grapes and remove them from the stem.

After I rinse one more time I place into a 2 qt juice container. I put the lid on and place it into the refrigerator.

By doing this we can grab a handful of grapes whenever we want and it doesn’t take up a lot of space.

They will usually keep for about 5-6 days.

WHAT KIND OF BARLEY?

You are looking at your recipe and it asks for one kind of barley. You go to the store and you see several different kinds on the shelf and wonder what is the difference?

Quick Cooking Barley - Quick cooking barley cooks in about 10-12 minutes, then you let it rest for 5 before serving. Because of the extra processing to make it cook quick it will not be quite as flavorful or nutty as other varieties. For each cup of barley that you cook, your recipe should ask for at least 2 cups of water. Different brands can have different tendancies, so be sure to read the bag for specifics.

Pearl Barley - Pearl barley cooks in 35 - 60 minutes and will become tender. It does have a bit of the nutty flavor, but not as much as whole grain barley. For each cup of barley that you cook, your recipe should ask for at least 3 cups of water. Different brands can have different tendancies, so be sure to read the bag for specifics.

Whole Grain Barley - Whole grain barley takes the longest to cook of all because it still contains all of the bran and some hull. You need to allow at least an hour and a half for cooking, and it will still be chewey. To alleviate some of the cooking time you can try soaking the barley over night, but this will only save you 15 - 20 minutes of cook time. For each cup of barley that you cook, you will need at least 3 cups of liquid in your recipe.

NON-STICK COOKING SPRAY HELP

We have all done this at least once!

You are spraying your baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and you turn to walk across the kitchen and you end up skating instead.

To make sure that you don't hurt yourself in the kitchen, spray your pan over the sink instead.

This way extra spray can be easily cleaned up and not left on the floor for the next unsuspecting victim to step in.

NAPA CABBAGE

You are getting ready to prepare a new recipe and it asks for Napa Cabbage. You are not sure what it is, so you veture out to the grocery store.

Napa cabbage can also be named Chinese cabbage or Celery cabbage. Unlike the regular round head of cabbage that is the staple in most stores, the napa cabbage is shaped like a football and looks a little like leaf lettuce.

It has a sweeter taste and is much milder than the standard round cabbage. When you do find it, you will want to find a head that has tightly packed leaves that are frim and not floppy.

To store the cabbage once you get home simply wrap the head in paper towells and place back into the plastic produce bag and refrigerate. It will keep for up to one week.

When you are ready to use remove amount of leaves that you desire, rinse well under cool water and dry thoroughly.

You can use Napa cabbage in pretty much the same way that you would use standard cabbage.

NO BONES ABOUT FISH

When you are making up a recipe that asks for a deboned fish fillet, you look at the slab of fish and think to yourself, how am I going to do this?

It is actually easier than it looks.

Simply take a clean bowl from your cupboard and put it upside down on your counter.

Lay the fish fillet over the domed surface and using a pair of tweezers, pull out the bones that are jutting out.

MORE CROCK POT HINTS

When cooking food in your crockpot remember that items like carrots, potato's and other root vegetables take longer to cook.

Make sure that you place them in the bottom of your pot so that they will get full benefit of the heat to cook.

If they are larger, you may want to cut them up into smaller pieces to help them to cook faster.

Less expensive cuts of meat are tougher and generally will benefit the most from being cooked in a crock pot.

They will have more time to tenderize as they cook.

Sometimes seasoning ingrediends like herbs, citrus and vinegar will loose it's flavor when cooked for a long time in a crock pot.

If at all possible, wait to add these items about an hour or so before you are ready to serve.

If you are cooking larger cuts of meat that are not fully submerged in the liquid, try to turn them about half way through your cooking time. This will ensure that the meat is more thoroughly and evenly cooked.

While your food is cooking, it is very tempting to lift the lid to check on it and see how it is doing. Remember that the same rules apply as when you are grilling or smoking food, if you lift the lid important heat escapes and this can slow your cooking time.

MORE CROCK POT HINTS

When cooking food in your crockpot remember that items like carrots, potato's and other root vegetables take longer to cook.

Make sure that you place them in the bottom of your pot so that they will get full benefit of the heat to cook.

If they are larger, you may want to cut them up into smaller pieces to help them to cook faster.

Less expensive cuts of meat are tougher and generally will benefit the most from being cooked in a crock pot.

They will have more time to tenderize as they cook.

Sometimes seasoning ingrediends like herbs, citrus and vinegar will loose it's flavor when cooked for a long time in a crock pot.

If at all possible, wait to add these items about an hour or so before you are ready to serve.

If you are cooking larger cuts of meat that are not fully submerged in the liquid, try to turn them about half way through your cooking time. This will ensure that the meat is more thoroughly and evenly cooked.

While your food is cooking, it is very tempting to lift the lid to check on it and see how it is doing. Remember that the same rules apply as when you are grilling or smoking food, if you lift the lid important heat escapes and this can slow your cooking time.

CHECKING YOUR OVENS TEMPERATURE

You aren't sure that your oven is heating properly, but you don't have a thermometer, nor are you sure that you can trust it.

Try this little tip to guesstimate where your oven is heating at.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Place a tablespoon of flour onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes.

If the color is:

Light Tan, Approx oven temperature is 250º-325º

Golden Brown, Approx oven temperature is 325º-400º

Dark Brown, Approx oven temperature is 400º-450º

Almost Black, Approx oven temperature is 450º-525º

Although this is not an exact science, it will still let you know if someone needs to take a look at your oven.

CHECKING YOUR OVENS TEMPERATURE

You aren't sure that your oven is heating properly, but you don't have a thermometer, nor are you sure that you can trust it.

Try this little tip to guesstimate where your oven is heating at.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Place a tablespoon of flour onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes.

If the color is:

Light Tan, Approx oven temperature is 250º-325º

Golden Brown, Approx oven temperature is 325º-400º

Dark Brown, Approx oven temperature is 400º-450º

Almost Black, Approx oven temperature is 450º-525º

Although this is not an exact science, it will still let you know if someone needs to take a look at your oven.

ARTICHOKES ARE REALLY EDIBLE?

Artichokes are a wonderful food. I did not discover them until later in life, but they have fabulous flavor and are easy to prepare for a simple appetizer.

Selecting an artichoke at the store is easy. Look for artichokes that have a deep green color and tightly packed leaves. When you move the leaves, they should "squeak".

If you are not going to use it right away you can put them in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Make sure that they are loosely wrapped in a plastic bag.

Preparation is the key with an artichoke. You want to make sure when you get it home that you rinse it thoroughly under cool water to remove any debris. Dry off the artichoke and take a look at the stem. You will want to trim the stem down to no more than 1 inch. After you have trimmed the stem, take your vegetable peeler or paring knife and peel off the top layer of skin from the stem.

Next, you will place the artichoke onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut about ¼ off the top of the artichoke. This will give the artichoke a “flat top” appearance. Take a pair of kitchen shears and trim about ¼ inch off the remaining leaves, removing all of the “prickly” ends. Using the juice of 1 lemon, thoroughly coat every cut area; this will help prevent the artichoke from discoloring. Use your fingers to gently pull the leaves apart to give it a “flowery” appearance.

In a large pot, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil. Place the artichoke(s) in the boiling water and cover with a lid. Reduce your heat to a simmer and cook for 30-50 (depending on size) minutes until the leaves pull away easily. To test, firmly grasp a leaf and pull gently, do not yank.

While the artichoke is cooking, prepare a quick dipping sauce by combining ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 large garlic clove (minced) and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve your artichoke.

Once the artichoke has cooked to your satisfaction, remove from the water and place upside down on a few paper towels to drain well.

Artichokes can be served warm or cold, although cold is preferred. To eat, simply remove a leaf by the tip, dip it in your sauce and scrape the “meat” from the underside of the leaf with your teeth. Discard the tip.

Once you have eaten all of the leaves, you will find some of the young leaves inside with some fur. Using a spoon, gently remove the fur and the undeveloped leaves. This will leave you with the heart and stem. Simply cut up and enjoy!

CUTTING RAW BEEF

If you have a recipe where you need to cut up uncooked beef, partially freeze the beef before you start cutting.

When the meat is partially frozen and firm, the meat can now easily be cut into strips or cubes as needed for the recipe that you are preparing.

BETTER CAKES

When preparing a new cake plan ahead enough to let the eggs and butter come to room temperature. (about 1 hour)

Now when you prepare your cake it will mix smoothly and give you a smooth and lofty cake when it is done baking.

EASY ROLLED COOKIES III

When you are making rolled cookies at home, you can make them extra special.

After you have shaped your dough into a roll and refrigerated it, unwrap your “roll” of dough and roll it in colored sugar crystals, ground nuts, flaked coconut, or candy sprinkles before cutting your cookies.

Now when they bake up they will have a decorative border.

UNIQUE CARROT CAKE

The next time you make carrot cake try this little change in the recipe for big results.

Make the butter cream icing as normal, except exchange equal amounts of maple syrup for the milk, and omit the vanilla extract.

The taste will be subtle, but everyone will love it and wonder what makes it so unique!

PERFECT MUFFINS

When making cupcakes or muffins, you can make them all the same size by using an ice cream scoop to fill your cups.

If you don’t end up using all of the holes in the pan it can warp your pans if you cook with empty cups.

Fill any unused cups half full of water, or buy some baking pebbles and place in the empty cups. These can be found in cooking specialty stores near the pie supplies.

DUSTING WITH FLOUR EASILY

Sounds kind of silly, but keep a new powder puff in your flour canister.

The next time that you need to dust your counter or pan with flour, use the puff.

STIR FRYING TECHNIQUES

Compared to your preparation, stir frying occurs very quickly.

Place your wok over high heat, and when it is hot add corn, or canola oil.

After a few moments test the oil with a bit of the aromatics, ginger or garlic; if it sizzles the oil is ready.

Now you will add the remaining aromatics. In less than a minute they will begin to release their flavor and aroma.

Now you can begin to add the vegetables and meat in the order of their cooking times.

Those that take the longest are added first.

Stir, lift, and toss the ingredients until they are evenly cooked without scorching.

If you are cooking with a wok, push the cooked ingredients up the side of the wok. If you are not cooking with a wok, Ingredients may be removed once they are cooked and returned just before you begin the final sauce.

Next you will add add the liquid ingredients and seasoning. Lastly you will add thinly sliced or shredded items.

Turn down the heat for a few minutes to let the flavors combine, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

BUTTERING BREAD FAST

If you are having a large get together and you need to make a large amount of bread that needs to be buttered you may not want to spend the whole afternoon buttering each piece.

Instead you can microwave the butter for about 20 seconds, stir it and if necessary microwave again at 10 second incriments until melted.

Now all you have to do is pick up a pastry brush and paint the bread!

YEAST BREAD CRUST OPTIONS

When you are making home made yeast bread you can try this if you want soft, evenly browned, but not shiny crust.

Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter just after the second raising and just before baking. This will give your bread a golden matte look.

If you want a shiny crust, combine 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Just after the second raising, and just before baking, brush the top of the bread with the mixture. When you bread is done baking you will have shiney evenly browned crust.

EASY CRUMBS

You are making up a recipe and it asks for bread crumbs. What do you do?

I usually take the last few pieces of bread that are left and let them sit out for a couple of days in a clean, dry environment (I will also also only use white bread, wheat bread can get a funky taste to it sometimes)

Once the bread is dry, place it into a tightly sealed plastic bag and store in a cool dry location.

Now when your recipe calls for dried bread crumbs you have some staples on hand to make it with.

Take a piece of bread out of the bad and using your cheese grater, grate a side from the crust to the white, turn a quarter turn and repeat. Once all of the crust has been grated, now you can grate the white part last.

This is super fast and easy to do, and clean up is a breeze! Just wipe your grater with a damp cloth.

EASY MOCHA CAKE

If you want to jazz up a regular old chocolate cake, break out the coffee!

Using a regular box of chocolate cake mix, make it up as per the instructions, except replace the water for cold coffee.

If you don’t have any coffee made up, just add a tablespoon of instant coffee to the water for making the cake and mix well.

BUTTER/MARGERINE SUBSTITUTION

When substituting margarine for butter in recipes, make sure that you do not substitute them for “light” butter/margarine or butter/margarine that is in tubs.

These products are whipped more with or without water and they will contain less fat by volume, therefore your recipe will not have the desired results once it is completed.

MENU PLANNING I

The holiday season is over but you still havefamily is coming and going.

It is hard to remember what you are going to make for dinner tonight let alone for a few days while you have guests.

I put a white board on my refrigerator for just this occasion. I make a list of the dates that I am responsible for making meals.

As I plan I write the menu items on the board for the day that I will be serving it.

This will also prompt me to think of any other grocery items that I am missing that I would need to put on my shopping list.

SERVING ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Before you serve an angel food cake, place it in a tightly sealed container and freeze it for an hour or two.

When you remove the cake from the freezer place it on a wire rack to defrost for a few minutes.

Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in to 2” slices while it is partially frozen.

Freezing the cake will keep the cake firm and minimize crumbling.

PERFECT PANCAKES

Everyone knows that the first batch of pancakes that come off the griddle are always the ones that you throw out.

To ensure success on the first try, apply a thin film of oil to the preheated griddle.

Remove any excess with a paper towel as too much will make your pancake crusty and uneven in color and height.

After cooking your first batch of pancakes, using the paper towel that had the extra oil on it, recoat the griddle.

Wait a minute for the griddle to come back to temperature, and cook your next batch of pancakes. Repeat until all cakes are cooked.

A CLEAN KITCHEN

When getting ready to cook any large meal I find it a lot easier for clean up if I start with a clean kitchen.

Take a few minutes before you begin cooking to empty the dishwasher and clean any other dishes that might be lying aroun the sink.

Now as you are preparing your meal, you can place your dirty items directly into the dishwasher.

Now, just before you sit down to eat, set up your washer cycle.

When your meal is done, all of your dishes should be clean and dry.

Now just put away your cooking utensils and fill the washer with your dining utensils and the kitchen is clean.

If you don't have a dishwasher, leave some hot soapy water in the sink, and simply wash each item as you are done using it and place on a rack to dry.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

It is time for another great sourdough recipe to use with your starter. This is a great change from your normal pizza, but read the instructions carefully first as the prep is a little different.

Preheat your oven to 500º f. In a large non-reactive bowl, combine 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 ½ cup Flour and 1 ½ cup Sourdough Starter. Mix well with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are well combined and the dough forms into a ball.

Set the bowl aside and let the dough sit for about 20 minutes. You are not waiting for it to rise; you are just letting it rest so that it is easier to work with.

Lightly flour a surface and place the dough in the center. Sprinkle the dough with more flour and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to the size of your pan.

Lightly oil the pan and sprinkle on a light amount of corn meal. Fold the dough in half, then in half again and place on one quarter on the pan. Unfold the dough onto your baking pan.

Place the crust in the oven and bake for about 7 minutes. The crust will be slightly puffy and a touch of light browning will occur. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

While the crust is still warm, brush the crust with some olive oil or melted garlic butter.

Place your sauce and toppings on the pizza now as you usually would.

Now bake your creation for about 9-11 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Serve hot.

After dinner, don’t forget to refresh your starter with 1 ½ cup flour and 1 ½ cup water. Let sit out overnight loosely covered. Once the mixture is lightly bubbly, cover tightly and refrigerate until you use again.

Breading Blues

You are making a recipe that asks for the meat to be breaded.

Only problem is, you can't get it to stick!

Before breading your food, make sure that the item(s) that you would like to bread are totally dry.

Next take a room temperature egg and mix well. Dip your item to be breaded into the egg mixture and then into your prepared dry breading mix.

Let sit for as long as you can in the refrigerator, up to an hour, before cooking.

Skimming Fat

You need to remove fat from the top of our soup or broth, but it is really difficult to get it all when it is warm Here are a couple of hints to help you out.

Transfer soup into a large container and place in the refrigerator or freezer. Once it has cooled sufficiently the fat will clump together and float to the top. You can now use a fork to pull the fat off and discard.

For broth, you can get a batter dispenser. Cool your broth and place into the batter dispenser and let sit for at least 5 minutes. This will allow the fat a chance to rise to the top. Now just squeeze the handle and let the liquid pour out of the bottom into a new bowl, don't forget to stop the flow just before you get to the fat.

Easy Meatballs

The next time that you are making meatballs, try this quick and easy tip for making the perfect meatballs.

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Line a baking sheet that has at least a 1/4 inch rim with aluminum foil.

Make up your meatball recipe as normal.

Using a 1 inch cookie scoop make your meatballs and place directly on the cookie sheet.

Once all of the meatballs have been made, Bake for 20-25 minutes.

While they are baking, prepare your favorite sauce.

Once the meatballs are done baking, just drain off the excess fat and place the meatballs into the prepared sauce.

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes to let flavors blend and finish the cooking process on the meatballs.

Interrupted Bread Rising

If you are interrupted while making bread you can place the bread dough in the refrigerator for the first raising.

Cover the bread in it’s rising bowl tightly with plastic wrap.

You can let it sit for up to 8-10 hours.

The cool rising will help develop more texture and flavor than the standard rise.

When you are ready to bake the bread, simply remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch down the dough.

Shape into the pans that you have prepared and let rise again for at least an hour, or until the dough has risen again and it back to room temperature.

Bake per recipe.

Salt or Not to Salt

When you salt meat before cooking a bit of the juices does leak out. But if you can let it sit for about 20 minutes the meat will reabsorb the juice, and after 2 hours it should be almost completely reabsorbed.

Salting meat about 2 hours before cooking allows the meat to have a deeper flavor, although it is not always noticeable.

If you do salt the meat just before cooking, you will loose a little bit of juice, but you should not notice it in the finished product.

Either way you should have flavorful meat.

SIMPLE CAKE DECORATION

For a quick decorative topping on a chocolate cake, place a paper doily or stencil on top of the cake and sift on powdered sugar.

Gently lift off the doily and the pattern will be left on the cake.

For a cake made with white frosting, try using sifted cocoa or candy sprinkles.

Meatball Mess

When you are making meatballs, you find that it is difficult to roll them with out making a huge mess.

To help prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands you can grab a pair of food grade latex (or non-latex) gloves. If you don't have a pair try grabbing a bowl of water.

Before you start, dip your hands in the water, using a spoon scoop out the amount of meat for your meatball and roll in your damp hands. Repeat this process using the water as needed until all your meatballs are formed.

You can use this method for forming meat loafs, burgers and most any other ground meat dishes.

SOGGY CASSEROLE?

You are making dinner and the casserole that you prepared had turned out perfectly, except the top is not browned at all.

This can occur when you are baking a casserole if you leave it covered for the entire cooking time.

For a brown crunchy top on your casserole, make sure that you uncover your casserole for the last 15 minutes of the bake time.

CLEAN PLATE AFTER FROSTING

If you are having company and you want to make a great looking cake, you can try this for a clean neat plate.

Bake your cake as normal, and cool for at least an hour.

Freeze the cooled cake for 20-30 minutes.

While the cake is in the freezer, prepare your frosting and cut a piece of waxed paper large enough to cover the serving platter.

Sprinkle the waxed paper with powdered sugar or cocoa powder.

Take the cake out of the freezer and place on the sugar/cocoa coated waxed paper.

Ice the cake as normal.

Firmly grip the waxed paper in one hand, and slightly lifting the cake with a spatula with the other hand, pull the waxed paper from under the cake in one swift motion.

All of the extra frosting stays on the waxed paper, leaving your serving platter clean.

BAKING LOTS OF COOKIES

If you are making up large quantities or cookies, you may not have enough cookie sheets to prepare them all.

When you run out of cookie sheets, start using aluminum foil.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil, the same size as your baking pan on the work surface.

Prepare your cookies as normal, placing on the aluminum foil instead of on a cookie sheet.

When your cookie sheet becomes available, slide the aluminum foil with the cookie dough on it onto the clean, cool cookie sheet and bake as normal.

CROCK POT TIPS

When using a crock pot for preparing your meals, keep in mind a few basic tips so that will help minimize your risk of food poisoning.

Only use refrigerated foods. Do not use frozen or partially thawed food.

Only cook pieces of meat that have been cut up.

Don't cook whole roasts or chicken as it may not allow for thorough cooking.

Don't use your crock pot for reheating leftovers.

When filling up your pot make sure that you fill it at least 1/2 full or there may not be enough contact with the sides to heat all food to full temperature.

Make sure that you have enough liquid in your recipe. The crock pot relies on the liquid for producing steam.

All Purpose Waxed Paper

You are getting ready to make your holiday cake, but you don't want to make too big of a mess or dirty too many dishes.

Grab your forgotton about box of waxed paper to make your job easier.

Tear off a sheet of waxed paper and lay it on the counter. Measure your flour over it, that way if you spill you can pick it up and gently pour back into the container.

When you are done measuring simply cut the waxed paper to fit in the bottom of your pan. Spray the sides of your pan with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Now when your cake is baked you will be able to remove it easily after it has cooled with out leaving half of it stuck to the pan.

Seasoning Simplicity

You have a thin cut of meat that you need to season, the only problem is that every time you lie it down it sticks to the plate or pan and the meat is beginning to fall apart.

To minimize handling with thin cuts of meat, sprinkle your seasoning into a baking dish large enough to hold your meat. Then take the meat directly from the package and place it into the dish. Now just sprinkle the top with more seasoning.

Both sides are seasoned, and the seasoning will help prevent the meat from sticking, now all you have to do is transfer the meat to your cooking surface.

WHISKING DRY INGREDIENTS

You are preparing your bakery item and you see that they recipe asks for you to blend your dry ingredients before adding your wet ingredients.

I have found that the most effective way to do this is with a wire whisk.

It is simple to use and it will incorperate all of the dry ingredients together well so that you won't have lumps of one spice or another in your finished product.

Plus, when you add your liquid ingredients you can continue to use the same whisk, alleviating another dirty utensil to clean.

EGGS IN THE MICROWAVE?

OK, everyone has done this at least once!

You have put the egg into the microwave to boil it and the next thing that you know, KABLOOIE! Egg mess everywhere!

Here is the deal. You can't microwave a whole egg, or even an egg with a whole yolk.

If you would like to microwave the egg you will need to make sure to puncture the yolk first.

This will allow for expansion and should prevent the egg from exploding.

RICHER STOCK

You have just had a great dinner of turkey or chicken.

You are preparing the bones in a pot to make some stock.

When you are adding your liquid, go ahead and throw in any left over gravy that you might have from your dinner.

It will add an extra kick to the stock that you are preparing.

High Altitude 101

If you are baking at high altitude, there are few easy adaptations that you will need to make in order for your recipes to turn out correctly. (High altitude is generally above 3,000 feet)

For each cup of sugar that you use, reduce the amount by 2 or 3 tablespoons.

Increase each cup of liquid in your recipe by 3-4 tablespoons.

If your recipe requires Baking Powder, reduce the amount by ¼ teaspoon for each teaspoon.

Finally, don’t forget to increase your oven temperature by 25º F.

You may need to experiment a bit with each recipe, and depending on your altitude minor adjustments may need to be made.

MELTING CHOCOLATE

There are several methods for melting chocolate. Each one is good in it’s own, and it is just up to you to decide which method that you would like to use.

Stove Top (Good) – Place a small saucepan over low heat on the stove. Measure the desired amount of chocolate into the saucepan. Using a spatula slowly stir the chocolate constantly. It should begin melting after 3 minutes or so. Once about 80% of the chocolate has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Continue to stir until all of the lumps are gone.

Microwave (better) – Melting chocolate in the microwave is a bit tricky. Depending on the wattage of your oven, this can spell disaster if you are not careful. Measure the desired amount of chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate and place back in the microwave oven. Cook for 10 seconds then stir again. Repeat this process until the chocolate is almost completely melted, you will still see some chunks floating around. Continue to stir until all of the lumps have melted. DO NOT CONTINUE TO COOK until all of the lumps have melted, they will melt on their own once about 90% of the chocolate is melted.

Double Boiler (Best) – Place the bottom double boiler over medium heat. Fill the bottom pan with water and place the top pan in place. Measure the desired amount of chocolate into the top pan. Stir occasionally until all of the chocolate has melted

SPRUCED UP BAKED BEANS

The next time that you are making baked beans from a can, try this little twist to make your beans a little tastier.

Empty a 1lb (16oz) can of beans into a saucepan and place over Med-High heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of Molases and 2 tablespoons of Brown Sugar.

Just when beans come to a bubble, stir until all ingredients are combined and reduce heat to Medium Low.

Continue to simmer for at least 5 minutes or until dinner is ready, keeping the stirring to a minimum.

LINING A CAKE PAN

We have all made that superb cake for a special occasion and when you try to remove it from the pan, half of it stays in the pan…..

There are actually a couple of easy fixes for this and this one is the easiest:

Place your baking pan on a piece of Parchment Paper or Wax Paper.

Trace the outline of the bottom of the pan onto the paper and cut out just on the inside of the line so that the paper is a bit (1/4" or so) smaller than your pan.

Prepare your pan according to instructions and then place the parchment/wax paper cut out in the bottom.

Now when your cake is done baking, it should pop out of the pan in one piece.

Once the cake has cooled just a bit, lift off the paper and discard.

SMOKE POINTS OF OIL

When cooking oil it is important to know the smoke point (how hot you can heat oil before it starts to burn)

Safflower Oil 450º f
Peanut Oil 450º f
Canola Oil 435º f
Corn Oil 410º f
Sesame Oil 410º f
Sunflower Oil 390º f
Olive Oil 375º f
Lard 360-400º f
Vegetable Shortning 355-370º f
Unclarified Butter 350º f

If you do happen to catch oil on fire, you can put it out by placing a lid on the pan, dumping on a box of baking soda or use a fire extenguisher that is specifiacally for use with oils.

WHO NEEDS A SPOON REST?

OK, so you see them in the store and you think to yourself, who would ever use one of those really?

You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a decent spoon rest.

Just look in your kitchen cupboard!

Use a small saucer or dessert plate next to the stove the next time that you cook.

You can place any utensil on the plate with out worring about it rolling off and making a bigger mess.

When you are done preparing your meal, simply wash with the rest of your dishes.

You will never have to worry about, when was the last time that I washed that??

WET SPOTS FROM LIDS

You are cooking some spaghetti sauce and you take the lid off the pan and place it on the counter while you inspect your handiwork.

When you are done, you place the lid back on the pan.

As you continue to cook dinner and are preparing some rolls, you set them on the counter, right in the wet spot.

To help keep your counter dry while cooking something with a lid on it, simply fold up a dish towell a bit larger than your lid and place in on the counter.

Be careful not to get it too close to the heat source.

Now when you remove your lid, place it on the cloth and the towell will absorb the moisture.

When you are done cooking, simply toss the towell into the wash.

HIGH ALTITUDE CANDY MAKING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

If you are cooking candies, you can decrease the cooking temperature in the recipe by 2º for each 1,000 feet of elevation. The candies concentrate much faster at higher altitudes, therefore lower temperatures and shorter cooking times are required.

EASY POTATO WEDGES

You keep doing the same ol’ potatoes every night for dinner.

The next time that you want to try something a little different, grab your apple corer.

This little tool makes perfectly sized potato wedges for baking or frying.

When you get to the round “core” you can either cook it whole or cut it in half lengthwise to more resemble the other wedges.

HOW MUCH IS IN THAT FRUIT?

HOW MANY CRUMBS IN A CUP?

When you are cooking, you are just getting ready to add the crumbs to your recipe and you realize that you don't know how many crackers you need to crush up. Here is a quick little table to help you out. This will also help you if you need to make a last minutes substitution.

CUTTING HERBS

You need to cut up some fresh herbs to use in your recipe and you are getting frustrated. You try to cut them on the cutting board and not only are they going everywhere, but they are getting stuck to the knife and making a mess.

Try placing the herbs that you need into a small bowl, measuring cup or mug.

Using a pair of scissors begin snipping the herbs in a random fashion.

Once they have been cut to the sizes that you need simply dump the cup where you want the herbs to go.

Remove any that are sticking to the side of the cup or scissors with a rubber spatula.

HIGH ALTITUDE YEAST DOUGH

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

If you are cooking yeast dough, let the dough rise according to the recipe. After you have punched down the dough, repeat the rising process. Flour will tend to be a bit drier in a high altitude setting so it may absorb more liquid, therefore you will probably tend to use a bit less flour than the recipe requires.

AMOUNTS OF NOODLES

When you are cooking up dinner, you just really don't know how many noodles to cook. It is hard to tell how much you will really have when they are all done cooking up. Here is a table that will help you decide how many to cook.

EVAPORATED MILK

The recipe asks for Evaporated Milk, what is it?

Evaporated milk is exactly that, milk that has had 60% of the liquid evaporated (cooked) from it. The milk is then pasteurized by heating, giving it a light caramel appearance.

You can find cans of Evaporated (condensed) Milk in the baking aisle of your grocery.

You can add equal amounts of water to evaporated milk to replace regular milk in a recipe.

Once you open the can to use the evaporated milk, you can store covered tightly in the refrigerator for no longer than a week.

Evaporated Milk cannot be interchanged nor should be confused with Sweetened Condensed Milk.

DECORATING THE TOP OF YOUR PIE

You just got done making your pie, and you know that when it is done cooking it is still not going to look as pretty as the pies that you see at restaurants and stores.

If it is a double crust pie, you can make the top more decorative by cutting out shapes with small decorative cookie cutters. There are several different effects that you can get with these cutters. Place the top layer of crust on the pie and seal around the edges.

Take your cookie cutter and gently press into the dough and:

1. Lift the cookie cutter out, leaving the cut out piece in its place. After baking, you will see an outline of the shape.

2. Lift out the piece of dough that you just cut. After baking you will see the pie filling through the hole.

3. Lift out the piece of dough that you just cut and place it next to the hole that you cut. After the pie has baked you will see the pie through the hole and have a raised image next to it.

I will usually do method #3 in a ring around the outside edges, then take one cut out of the middle.

HIGH ALTITUDE CAKE BAKING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipe.

If you are baking a cake that uses fat or chocolate, you may have to experiment a bit by decreasing the shortening a bit and adding an extra egg.

This will help keep the cake from falling.

If you are still having problems you can try decreasing your oven temperature by about 20º and slightly decrease the cooking time also.

SACK LUNCHES II

The next time that you fast food, save some of the extra packages of condiments that you get. When you get home, place them in the freezer.

When you are making sack lunches, leave the condiments off your sandwich and place a few packets in your lunch bag.

Now when you are ready for lunch, just put your condiments on your sandwich.

No more soggy bread and by freezing the condiments it will help keep your sack lunch cooler.

CARMELIZED SUGAR

You are ready to make some goodies for a small party that you are throwing, you decide to make some caramel covered nuts or a flan.

The recipe asks for caramelized sugar and you have not a clue what it is, where to find it, or how to make it.

Caramelized sugar is something that you make yourself, and is actually quite easy, but you need to watch it very closely through the whole process.

Measure out your sugar and place it into a heavy-duty skillet or saucepan.

Cook over medium high heat with out stirring just until the sugar starts to melt.

Once the sugar begins melting, reduce the heat to Low. Continue to cook the sugar stirring often.

The sugar is caramelized when it turns a deep rich brown and is completely melted.

Once the sugar reaches this state work with it very carefully, if you get any on your skin it can burn instantly and quite severely.

HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved to or are visiting high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

Cookies, muffins, biscuits, and other like items may come out ok. If you want you can slightly reduce the baking powder and sugar, and slightly increase the liquid and see if you have better results. If you are still having problems you can try decreasing your oven temperature by about 20º and slightly decrease the cooking time also.

BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS

SIFTING WITH EASE

When you need to sift dry ingredients you probably just dread to pull out the old hand crank sifter. It is cumbersome to use, your hand get tired and it is impossible to clean with out it rusting.

I tossed mine a long time ago and just got a small sieve that is fine ware woven into a mesh. It only holds about 1 cup of dry ingredients at a time, but it will sift them about 10x faster than a standard sifter.

Just hold the sieve over the bowl that you would like your ingredients to go into then add your dry ingredients to the sieve a cup at a time.

Pick up the sieve and gently tap it against the palm of your other hand.

The dry ingredients will just fall through the mesh leaving behind any larger lumps.

You can squash these lumps through the sieve with the back of a spoon or your fingers.

If you notice that the lumps are hard, remove them from the sieve. Make sure that you replace anything that you remove with the same amount of the like item.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CHOCOLATE?

You just pulled out your chocolate to bake with it and ewwww...... It looks nasty with a white film all over it! Is it still usable?

If chocolate gets wet or damp, it will create a white “film” over it.

If you have some chocolate that this happened to it is not really pretty to use in most recipes.

You can however melt the chocolate for frostings or other recipes and it will still work just fine.

To make sure that this does not happen again, make sure that you store it in a tightly sealed container in a cool dry location.

MEAT - IS IT DONE?

You are cooking a nice cut of meat. The recipe says to cook it to a certain temperature. You just got a meat thermometer, but you aren’t exactly sure how to use it.

This actually may take you a few times of using to get the meat to your liking, but they are pretty easy to use.

To get the most accurate reading possible, insert the thermometer into the meat at the thickest spot.

You will need to make sure that the thermometer does not touch or is not near a bone. The bone will give you a false reading as it heats up faster than the rest of your meat.

Place your meat in the oven and begin cooking. Check the thermometer every 15 minutes or so.

When the thermometer reads about 5-10º lower than the temperature that you need for your recipe, push the thermometer into the meat a little more. If the temperature drops, return the meat to the oven for a few more minutes and try again. If the temperature remains the same or goes up, remove the meat from the oven.

Keeping the meat in the baking dish, or removing it to the serving dish, cover the meat with foil or a lid and let sit for about 10-15 minutes. Doing this allows all of the juices to absorb into the meat and the temperature will increase 5-10º while it is sitting.

Now when you cut the meat for serving most of the juices will stay in the meat instead of running out and causing the meat to have a “dry” taste.

NO COLOR, SOGGY PIE

If you are baking a pie or a pastry do not use a shiny metal pan. These pans will keep the pastry from browning properly. Instead us a glass or dull metal pie plate.

To keep the pastry from getting soggy, cool the pie on a wire rack or trivet. This will keep the pie elevated so that air can circulate around the bottom.

EGGS PEAK?

You are looking through some recipes for desserts. Some ask for egg whites to be beaten to a soft peak, and some ask for a stiff peak.

How can you tell which is which???

To produce a soft peak, mix the egg whites only in a clean glass or metal bowl with a rotary beater or mixer. Occasionally stop and pull out the beaters. When you have reached Soft Peak the egg white will pull straight up, and then gently fall over a bit forming a curl.

You have reached a stiff peak when you pull the beaters out and the peaks will stand up straight and stiff with out any curl.

THE RECIPE ASKS FOR SUGAR, WHAT KIND?

There are 3 standard kinds of sugar. Granulated, Brown and Powdered.

In most of the recipes that you will make if it asks for 1 c. Sugar, it means Granulated.

If the recipe means Brown or Powdered Sugar it will usually specify it.

THE PERFECT PIE CRUST

Making a piecrust is quite simple, but it is even simpler to mess it up. I have found that by making the crust totally by hand will help prevent over working the dough and making it tough.

When starting the piecrust it is very important not to have your work area too warm. On hotter days it is ok to refrigerate your bowl and rolling pin if needed.

Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and with your fingers blend the ingredients well.

Next add your shortening. Coat your fingers in the flour then break up the shortening blending it well with the flour. This will easily take 5-10 minutes.

When you are done, the whole combination should look like coarse sand with little bumps.

Now you are ready to add your water.

If you are given a choice of amounts, like 3-4 tablespoons, always start with the lower amount. You can always add more.

Add the water to the center of your bowl. Using your hands gently fold the mixture together gently pressing to make a large ball.

If you still have some crumbs running around the bottom of the bowl or the dough does not hold together real well after 10-15 folds, add another tablespoon of water.

You know you have enough water added when you have a firm ball of dough that is not sticky and feels slightly dry to the touch.

The whole process will take less that 2 minutes.

Next you will flour your working surface and place enough dough on it for one crust. (usually about a cup to a cup and a half of dough for an average pie plate)

Gently shape the dough into a ball and then press down on the center making a flat disk an inch or so thick.

Flour your rolling pin and place it in the center of your dough disk. Using gentle but firm pressure, roll the dough from the center away from you to the edge.

Pull the rolling pin back toward you applying pressure. Pick up the dough from one edge and sprinkle the work surface with more flour.

Flip the dough over and rotate 90º. Roll again with the same process that you used above.

Repeat this process until you can place the pie plate over the dough and there is at least an inch and a half of dough extending past the edges of the plate. Your dough should be no thinner than ¼ inch.

Gently fold the dough in half and lift onto your pie plate. Unfold and gently push the dough to the bottom of the place.

Trim the edge of the crust leaving about ½ inch overhang.

If you are making a single crust pie, fold the ½ inch overhang in half under itself so that the crust is just over the outside edge of the pie plate rim. It will shrink a bit during baking.

If you are making a double crust pie prepare the top crust like you did the bottom crust. Place your filling in the pie, and then place your crust on top. Trim the outside dough the same as the bottom crust.

Gently press the 2 together and fold in half under itself leaving the outside edge just touching the rim of the pie plate.

Using the tines of a fork or your fingers, crimp the edge shut. Now you can cut your air holes in the top of the pie and bake according to your recipe.

SUGAR REPLACEMENTS

Your recipe may not turn out exactly right, but these are close substitutions when you are in a pinch.

HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

For breads or cakes that are leavened by air you should reduce your oven temperature by about 20º and slightly decrease your cooking time.

For angel food cakes, you will not have to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, only beat them to soft peaks. If you over beat the egg whites your cake will over expand. If you are still having problems you can try decreasing your oven temperature by about 20º and slightly decrease the cooking time also.

STEWING OVER NO BEEF STEW MEAT?

You want to make a stew but you don’t have any beef stew meat ready to go.

You can sometimes save some money by making your own. The best cut for stew meat is usually a roast or round steak. When you go shopping browse the sales and see what is available.

When you get it home simply cut off any extra fat or marbling and cut the meat into 1 inch squares. I will place appropriate servings into tightly sealed bags and freeze. Now when I am ready to make up a stew, I just grab a bag and it is ready to go.

Fortunately you can use almost any cut of beef, chicken or pork for a stew. If you have unexpected company it is a great meal to serve as it tastes great and it extends supplies that you already have.

For an even more impressing meal, locate some bread bowls or "cannon ball" style bread. Cut out off the top 1/4 of the bread, hollow it out, serving the bread that you remove from the bowl with spinache dip as an appetizer. When ready to serve, just spoon stew into the bowl and serve piping hot.

BUYING BEEF

CLEARING UP BROTH

You are making broth and you notice that it looks a little cloudy and you wanted it to be clear.

Strain the broth once through a clean cheesecloth.

Place the broth into a large Dutch oven or kettle.

Separate 1 egg for each 4 cups of broth and place the raw whites only in the broth with ¼ cup cold water.

Over Medium High heat bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Strain once more through a clean cheesecloth.

Your broth should now be clear with no milky shading.

HIGH ALTITUDE BOILING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

If you are trying to boil you will need to increase your cooking time and liquid while you lower the temperature just a bit.

The water will evaporate faster at the higher altitude even though it will boil at a lower temperature, so keep a close eye on it to make sure that you don’t boil dry.

SLIGHTLY BEATEN EGGS

You are baking and the recipe asks for slightly beaten eggs. You crack the egg(s) into your bowl and start stirring them. You are trying to decide when they are “slightly” beaten enough.

Slightly beaten eggs are when the yolk and the white have been thoroughly mixed together and you don’t see any streaks of one or the other left.

TOASTING NUTS

You are making a recipe for some muffins and the recipe asks for toasted nuts. You rummage around the cupboard and discover that you only have fresh nuts.

To easily toast most any kind of nut, seed, or coconut simply preheat your oven to 350º.

Using a shallow baking pan or dish, spread the nuts evenly into a single layer across the bottom.

If your pan is too small for the amount of nuts that you need, use a second pan or bake several batches.

Place the pan in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Make sure that you keep a close eye on them and stir them every few minutes for even browning.

Remove from the oven and place the pan on a trivet to cool.

Once the nuts have reached room temperature, add them to your recipe.

HIGH ALTITUDE DEEP FRYING

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

If you are deep-frying any foods, you will need to cook them at about 3º lower per 1,000 feet of elevation and a bit longer than the recipe calls for.

If you try to cook in high altitude at the temperature and time that the recipe calls for at sea level, the food may be a bit crispier on the outside but underdone on the inside.

HIGH ALTITUDE COOKING WITH YEAST

High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes.

For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.

If you are cooking yeast dough, let the dough rise according to the recipe. After you have punched down the dough, repeat the rising process one more time before proceeding with the recipe.

Flour will tend to be a bit drier in a high altitude setting so it may absorb more liquid, therefore you will probably tend to use a bit less flour than the recipe requires.

WHAT IS CLARIFIED BUTTER?

You have a recipe that asks for clarified (drawn) butter. You have been all over the store and you don’t see any.

Clarified butter is actually a process to separate the butter fat from the proteins. Once the fats have been removed, the butter will have a higher smoke point, and will not turn brown as fast if you are using it for cooking. If you are using it for a dip, it creates a lovely clear liquid that is quite flavorful. For best results use unsalted butter.

To clarify butter, place the desired amount of butter into a small heavy saucepan.

Warm the butter over low heat with out stirring.

Once all the butter is melted and has simmered for a few minutes, you will see that it has separated into 2 layers. The clear layer is the clarified butter and the milky layer at the bottom is the milk fat.

Gently pour out the top layer into your serving dish and discard the milky looking fats.

COOKING SUBSTITUTIONS

If you are trying to cook and you find that you don’t have some ingredients that you need you can try using one of the substitutions listed above. Your recipe may not turn out exactly right, but these are close substitutions when you are in a pinch.

MILK (PRODUCT) SUBSTITUTION

If you are trying to cook and you find that you don’t have some ingredients that you need you can try using these substitutions. Your recipe may not turn out exactly right, but these are close substitutions when you are in a pinch.

Seeding Tomatoes

You are making up a batch of salsa, and you need to seed your tomatoes. The last time that you made this it took forever to get all the seeds out. This time you can use another kitchen tool!

Dice your tomatoes and normal, place them in a colander and rinse thoroughly in the sink.

Now to get rid of the rest of the seeds, place your tomato pieces into your salad spinner and spin away the seeds!

TOO HOT IN THE KITCHEN

No one likes to cook inside in the summer. The kitchen always gets hot and untolerable.

If you find that you just have to cook inside make sure that you use lids on your pots and pans whenever possible.

You can also turn on your fan over your stove to the lowest setting. Most fans will vent into your attic or outside. The suction of the fan will pull the hot air away from your oven/stove and take most of it out of your kitchen.

Make sure that you turn it on when you are baking also as your oven vents beneath one of your burners on your stovetop if you have a combo unit.

MEASURING HONEY/MOLASSES

HOT HANDS??

When cutting up chile peppers the biggest problem is getting the juices on your hands. As we have all experienced, it lasts forever.

If you wear contact lenses, this is even a larger problem as you feel like you were maced every time you put them in or take them out for days.

The next time that you need to cut up a chile pepper stop by your local Medical supply store or larger grocery store and pick up a box of disposable latex gloves first. Yes, like the ones that you see doctors and nurses wear.

These gloves are valuable tools in the kitchen. Don a pair and cut up your pepper as desired. When you are done, simply remove the gloves and toss the gloves in the trash. There is no pepper residue on your hands now.

AVOCADO PREPERATION

Everyone knows that Avocados make great guacamole, but it is hard to find a good recipe to make any other kind of dip or salad for parties.

I ran across this recipe for a great party salad with avocados. A little goes a long way and it has superb flavor.

First you have to know how to dice an avocado. This is actually a lot easier than you think.

Cut an avocado in half from small end to big end all the way around.

Grasping one half of the avocado in each hand with the cut in the middle gently twist the avocado halves in opposite directions.

This will break the pit out of one half of the avocado.

Set aside the part with out the pit.

Place the avocado half with the pit still in it on a cutting surface.

Take a sharp knife and hit the seed with the sharp edge of the knife like a hammer. (Please watch out for your fingers and hand!!!)

The knife will lodge in the pit.

Gently hold the avocado and twist the knife to remove the pit.

Hold an avocado half in one hand, using a table knife cut the meat to the shell (being careful not to cut the shell itself) in horizontal slices about ½ inch apart.

Turn the avocado and repeat until all of the meat is scored to the shell.

Over your bowl, gently push the center of the shell toward the scored pieces. This will in essence turn the avocado inside out, in the process your pieces will separate and fall off of the shell into your bowl.

Repeat with the other side of the avocado.

For the salad, coarsely chop up and fry 8 slices of bacon over medium heat until crisp.

Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.

Remove all of the bacon fat from the pan except about 2 tablespoons.

Lower the heat under the pan to Med-Low and sauté ½ cup of Onion that has been finely chopped.

Add ¼ cup vinegar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper to the onion.

Cook for about 3 more minutes to blend the flavors.

Add the bacon to the onion mixture, combine well and remove from the heat.

Prepare 2-3 avocado’s as listed above (about 2 cups prepared).

Place the avocado’s into a medium sized bowl and pour the warm onion & bacon mixture over them.

Serve warm, or let sit for a half an hour to allow flavors to mingle.

Serving Suggestions: Serve on lettuce leaves, garnish with fresh diced tomato’s if desired.

Oiling the Bottom of a Pan?

You have a recipe that asks you to oil the bottom of the pan only. How in the heck are you supposed to do this. Especially if you are making muffins! The answer is quite simple. I have my oil in an old syrup container so that I can control the flow.

Place a drop of oil in the bottom of each muffin cup. Now using a small (new) clean paintbrush, brush the oil around the bottom until it is covered.

You can use a paper towell also if you don't have a brush handy.

Baking Bacon

I have found that making bacon is a cumbersome task. It spits grease all over my kitchen and you have to constantly watch it and turn it until done.

I have found the easiest way to prepare the bacon is to bake it.

Take a large baking sheet with edges (jelly roll pan or cake pan) and line with aluminum foil.

Lay your bacon pieces on the foil with the pieces just touching.

Bake in a preheated 400º oven for 15-20 minutes depending on personal preference for crispiness.

Remove from the oven and serve everyone piping hot bacon at the same time.

After breakfast, just pull off the foil from the pan and toss. Clean up is done!

Recycling "Yolks"

You decided to make a meringue pie, it turned out fabulous and the family loved it.

Only problem now is, what to do with the egg yolks. You hate to throw them out, but there are hardly any recipes out there that ask for just “yolks”.

Recycle your yolks by cooking them and using them as garnish on soups and salads.

After you are done separating your eggs for your recipe, place the yolks in a small bowl filled with water so that they don’t dry out.

Place a medium saucepan on the stove and bring to just a simmer over medium heat.

Using a slotted spoon, gently lift each egg yolk out of the bowl of water and place in the water and let cook until it is firm, about 5 minutes.

Gently lift them from the water and place on a paper towel to absorb the extra water.

After about 10-15 minutes place the yolks into a tightly sealed plastic container and refrigerate.

The next time that you make a salad or a soup that you would like to garnish, grab a ball and break it up in your fingers over the desired dish.

These will keep in the refrigerator for 8-10 days.

KEEPING PASTA HOT

When you are making a pasta dinner, sometimes it seems that by the time you get the meal to the table, everything is hot except the noodles.

If you expect a delay in serving the noodles after you have drained them, place them back into the pan that you cooked them in with just enough water to cover the bottom and keep the noodles from sticking. Place over the burner turned on the lowest setting and cover stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

When you are ready to serve the pasta, just drain off the remaining water. If you are adding sauces or other ingredients to the cooked pasta, return the pasta to the cooking pot after you have drained off all the water, then add the sauce or ingredients. Reheat the pasta over medium heat until the pasta and the sauce are brought to serving temperature.

While you are making dinner, take the bowl that you will be serving the pasta in and fill it with very hot water. Let the bowl stand to absorb the heat from the water. After you drain the water from the pasta, dump the water from the serving bowl also. Wipe out the serving bowl with a soft cloth, and then place your pasta directly into the pre-warmed bowl.

FRESH MINT, HOW CAN I USE IT?

You can use fresh mint in all kinds of dishes or drinks.

Use it as a garnish for iced teas or drinks. Place a sprig on top of the drink with a cherry or a small slice of lemon.

Use it as a garnish to dress ups some cottage cheese or split pea soup.

Use it to add flavor to salad dressings, meat, salads, and salad dressings.

OVERFLOWING PIE

You have just made the perfect pie, you get it into the oven and set the timer. After a while, you start smelling something burning. This is not good… You go to the oven and you see that the pie is bubbling over the rim and falling onto the floor of the oven burning with glee.

To prevent this from happening, grab a pizza pan or a baking sheet larger than your pie plate. When you place your pie in the oven, place it on the top rack as close to the center of the oven as you can. (Most ovens come with 2 racks) Place the second rack just below the rack that your pie is sitting on. Place the pizza pan/cookie sheet under your pie on the second rack.

If you only have a single rack in your oven place the pie plate directly on the pizza pan/cookie sheet. The advantage to having the pizza pan/cookie sheet on the lower rack is you will not drag your fingers through hot pie filling that has spilled when you are removing the pie from the oven.

BUYING SHELLFISH

You can buy shellfish in many forms and varieties. You can find it live, cooked, partially prepared, frozen, canned and blister packed.

When you are shopping for live shellfish, it is often hard to tell what is fresh and what is not.

To select the best oysters and clams possible, you need to try to find them live. To determine if they are alive they should close their shells tightly when you tap on them.

When looking at crabs or lobsters, you want to look for critters that move all of their claws and legs.

Shrimp will pretty much always be fresh or frozen; you most likely will not find it “live” anywhere except a bait shop. For shrimp you just want to look for evenly colored shrimp that does not exhibit a “fishy” smell.

ARTICHOKE ANTIPASTO

You are having a grouping of people come over and you don’t want to serve anything heavy, but you also something that is a little classier than ranch dip.

Try this hot artichoke antipasto with either crackers or corn chips and really impress all of your friends.

In a medium bowl combine 1 14oz can of artichoke hearts coarsely chopped with ¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, and 3 cloves garlic that has been finely minced.

Place the mixture into an oven proof container and sprinkle the top with some finely grated colby cheese.

Bake in a 350º preheated oven for 25 minutes or until heating through and serve warm.

COATING MEAT WITH FLOUR

When you are making recipes like chicken or pork that require dredging with flour it seems that you get more all over you and the kitchen than on the meat.

The next time that you make up a recipe make up your flour mixture, then place into a large zip lock plastic bag.

Now all you have to do is add a piece of meat into the bag and shake well to coat.

Remove the meat from your bag and place in the next piece. Do not do more than one piece at a time or it will not be as effective and the coating mix may get gummy.

WORKING WITH RAW MEAT

When you are working with any meat, there are a few cardinal rules to remember.

1. When you are preparing your meal don’t leave uncooked or raw meat at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. If you are marinating the meat, place it in the refrigerator for the required amount of time.

2. If you do not plan on using the meat for more than 2 days, wrap it up in freezer paper or a freezer proof container and freeze until needed. If the meat has already been frozen and defrosted once, do not refreeze.

3. When you are ready to use the meat, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Do not allow meat to thaw on a countertop.

4. After you are done handling the raw meat, or in between steps of your recipe before you touch other items or ingredients in your kitchen, wash your hands well with soap and water.

EASY BREAD CRUMBS

Not everyone likes the heels of bread, this is an easy way to use them up.

Take the heels of the bread or any extra slices that might be a bit stale and place them into a large ziplock bag into the freezer.

When you have a recipe that askes for bread crumbs, grab your bag out of the freezer.

Break the bread into pieces and drop into your food processor or blender.

Process and now you have instant bread crumbs.

CRACKING A COCONUT

You are shopping and you see that there are some fresh coconut.

You pick one up with lofty aspirations of sweet desserts.

As you are looking at them you have no idea how to pick one out.

The easiest way to pick out a fresh coconut is to shake it. If you can hear juice inside it is fresh.

If you don't hear anything, pick out another one. It will be too old and rubbery.

You get it home, and you look at it, where do you start?

The easiest way to crack a coconut is to grab a screwdriver and a hammer.

Place the screwdriver tip into one of the "eyes" and strike the end of the handle gently with a hammer until you have a hole.

Repeat the process for a second "venting" hole.

Now pour out the juice into a glass and reserve for later use.

Place your empty coconut into the freezer for at least an hour.

When it is good and cold and you are ready to get cracking, get your coconut and wrap it in an old dish towell.

Using your hammer gently start tapping on the shell all over.

Gently increase the pressure of the hits until you crack the shell.

When it breaks open, you can remove the white meat from the shell and prepare it for your recipe as needed.

CREAMY SMOOTH BUTTER FOR LARGE GROUPS

You are getting ready to serve a load of people at a pancake feed.

You are on a limited budget but you want to serve the best.

Try this extender to make nice creamy easy to spread butter.

In a large mixing bowl combine 1 pound of butter (4 cubes), 2 cups of evaporated milk and a teaspoon of salt.

Blend well until all of the milk is absorbed into the butter.

Now you have 2 pounds of butter to place in individual serving containers.

SPICE ORGANIZATION

When you are cooking and the recipe asks for a specific spice you find yourself rummaging around the cupboard looking for it.

If you take just a few minutes one afternoon you can organize your cupboard.

Remove all of the spices and products from your cupboard.

Wipe each one down and replace the spices back in the cupboard in alpahbetical order.

Once all of your spices are in order, now replace all of the other items by size and how each one is used.

I group things like Corn Syrup and Molasses in one area and all of the types of vinegars in another, etc.

Now when you are cooking you will have each item at your fingertips.

SMALL AMOUNTS OF PRODUCE ITEMS

If you are making a recipe that only calls for 1 cup of broccoli, or maybe a half a cup of sliced mushrooms, check with your local grocery store and see of they have a salad bar.

If they do, simply buy the amount that you need, already prepared in most cases for your recipe.

Now you will not have a large amount left over that you may not use.

HOW MUCH SEAFOOD DO I BUY??

PIE CRUST FINISHES

You just got done making your pie, and you have done all the cute little cutouts to give it the extra touch, but now you would like to finish it off.

For a matte finish on your crust, brush the top of the crust with milk, butter, margarine, or water just before baking. Sprinkle the top lightly with granulated sugar.

For a shiny crust after baking, mix a raw egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water until uniform in color. Brush the top of your pie with the egg just before baking.

Don’t forget the edges cook much faster than the rest of the pie, so be sure to cover the edges of the pie with a thin strip of aluminum foil. Remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking so that the edges will be lightly brown.

RECIPE TOO BIG?

You want to make up a recipe, but there is only 3 of you and the recipe serves 6. You don’t have the room for leftovers right now.

You can take most recipes and divide them as needed. If the original recipe calls for one egg, and you are now dividing the recipe by 2, mix the egg well in a bowl. Measure the egg, then divide by 2. Keeping the part that you don’t need for an omelet or scrambled egg later.

Once the item is prepared, your baking pans should measure ½ the size of the original pan. You will leave the baking time approximately the same, although might want to start checking it about 5 minutes before it is done. Always leave your oven temperature the same.

SINKING NUTS IN BATTER

When you are making fresh bread and muffins with nuts or fruit in it, you will sometimes find that the nuts/fruit sink to the bottom before they set in the oven.

The next time that you are baking, take your nuts/fruit and roll them liberally in flour.

Mix up your batter per the recipe and just before baking fold in the nuts/fruit.

Pour directly into the baking dish and bake immediately.

The flour will help keep the fruit/nuts suspended so that they should not sink.

EASY JELLY ROLL PAN REMOVAL

When making cakes or jellyrolls, cut out a piece of wax paper large enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Grease the pan, place the wax paper in the bottom, and pour in the batter.

After baking, invert the pan onto a cooling rack and peel off the waxed paper.

The waxed paper will prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

PREPARING CAKE PANS

When making boxed cakes, reserve about 2 teaspoons of the powdered mix before blending.

After you grease the baking pan, sprinkle the reserved mix into the pan.

This will help prevent the cake from sticking, will taste great and will not leave a residue like flour.

EASY REMOVAL OF BAR COOKIES FROM THE PAN

To help removing bar cookies from your baking sheet, just follow this quick and easy tip.

When preparing the baking sheet, line it with a sheet of aluminum foil before baking.

Once the cookies have been removed from the oven and cooled you can lift the bars right out of the pan in the foil.

CUTTING A CAKE IN HALF (TAKE 2)

If you don't have any dental floss, you can try this method to cutyour cake into 2 layers.

Grab a box of toothpicks and measure where you would like to make your cut, and insert wooden toothpicks about an inch apart around the cake.

Resting a long serrated knife on the wooden picks, slice across the cake. When done, discard the toothpicks and frost as normal.

EASY BREAD RISING

When making yeast bread dough use nonstick cooking spray on the inside of the bowl that you will be using to raise the bread in.

Once the dough ball has been placed in the bowl, spray the top of the dough itself.

By doing this your bread will not be rising in a puddle of oil.

CUTTING CAKES IN HALF FOR FILLING

When making filled cakes such as Boston Cream Pie or Black Forest Cakes, here is an easy way to cut the cakes in half.

Grab a container of dental floss and cut a piece that is large enough to go around the outside of the cake with about a foot to spare.

Wrap the floss around the outside of the cake where you would like to split it.

Cross the ends in front of you and pull, firmly to cut.

If your floss is placed properly the first time you should have a cake that is split in half perfectly each time.

SMOOTHER CAKE MIXES

For a smoother cake, from a boxed mix, sift the boxed cake mix before making the batter.

A quick and easy way to do this is to take a small colander/strainer, preferably wire mesh, and place it over a bowl.

Dump the cake mix into the colander/strainer placed over your mixing bowl and gently shake to sift the mix through the holes.

ROLLED COOKIE TIPS

When cutting out cookies from rolled dough, make sure that the dough is thoroughly chilled.

If the dough is too warm it will stick to the rolling pin and surface.

Take only as much dough as you are planning on preparing, then cover and replace the remaining dough to the refrigerator until you are ready to work with it.

After the cookies are rolled out and cut, try lifting the cookie cutouts with a spatula. This will help prevent any distortion as you lift the cookie to the baking sheet.

REMOVING THE CAKE FROM A PAN EASILY

If you have problems with cakes sticking to the bottoms of your pans, try this next time you bake.

Read your recipe carefully. If you need to grease the pan, try to use shortening or spray in oil. This will ensure complete coverage.

After the timer has gone off, make sure that the cake is thoroughly cooked.

Most cakes are done when they pull back slightly from the sides of the pan or if it springs back when pressed lightly with a finger in the center.

After removing the cake from the oven, place the pan on a wet towel on the counter to cool.

After about 10-20 minutes place a wire rack on top of the cake pan. Holding the rack firmly in place, invert the pan so that the cake will fall onto the rack. The cake should slide out of the pan onto the rack.

SOURDOUGH STARTER REVIVE

I was probably a bit vague on the last post for sourdough, so let me clarify a bit.

Whenever you use sourdough starter, you need to replenish what you use.

To replenish your mix, just figure out how much you used.

If you used 1 1/2 cups of mix, you will need to replenish the same amount.

In a non-reactive bowl, mix 3/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup water. (1 1/2 cups total)

Once this has been combined well, add it to your sourdough starter and combine them together well.

Let sit in a warm place loosley covered until you start to see bubbles appearing.

Usually 12-24 hours. At that time you can cover tightly and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use again.

SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

You have made up your sourdough starter last week and now it is time to use it! This is an easy way to make some impressive biscuits that taste great with any meal!

Don't forget to refresh your starter once you have made this recipe. Add 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour to your sourdough starter and mix well. Cover loosely with your lid and let sit in a warm place for up to 24 hours until the mixture is bubbly. Cover tightly and refrigerate again until ready for use.

Here is what you will need:
2 cups sour dough starter
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon of baking powder

This is how you will make them:
Place a large pan of water on medium-high heat so that it starts boiling.

In a large glass or plastic bowl, combine the Flour, Sugar, Soda, Salt, and Baking powder.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Remove your sourdough starter from the refrigerator and mix well to combine if it has separated before measuring for your recipe.

Combine the milk and sourdough batter and mix well, then add to the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a ball.

Place the ball onto a heavily floured surface and knead gently until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.

Roll dough about 1 inch thick. Fold in half and roll again to 1 inch. Repeat this process for 3 or 4 more turns. This will give your biscuits a "flakey" texture. Flour your surface as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

Using a 2" circle cutter, or a juice glass, cut into circles.

Place about 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet or your favorite biscuit pan.

Place the pan of biscuits over the pot of boiling water and cover lightly with a soft clean towell and let rest for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 400º f.

Brush tops and sides of your biscuits lightly with some melted butter and bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits have puffed and are lightly brown.

Serves 4 - 6 depending on appetite!

PASTA MIX-UP

Ok, I know that we are all guilty of this at least once. You have about 1 cup of macaroni left, and you need 2 cups.

You buy a new bag, different brand because it was on sale, and you use 1 cup new and 1 cup old.

You bring your pot of water to boil and dump in both cups.

As you are checking for doneness, you find that they are cooked and you dump out to drain.

As you start preparing your pasta you notice that some pieces are cooked, and some are not. What happened?

When you buy pasta, if you buy a brand different than what you have already and need to combine for a recipe, you will have to cook them in 2 different batches.

Not all pasta is equal. One company may manufacture at one thickness, where another company uses a different thickness.

Even a change in ingredients can affect your cooking time.

A good rule of thumb, only cook pasta from the same package or brand/style together.

Same rule would be applied if you want to cook both wagon wheel and macaroni.

Each style of pasta has it’s own cooking time, and usually varies brand by brand.

FROSTING FALLING OFF?

If you are icing your cake and you are finding that frosting is not sticking to it, it could be one of several problems.

If the icing just slides off the cake, the cake may not have been thoroughly cooled.

Try placing the cake in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Leave the frosting well covered and at room temperature while the cake is being refrigerated.

Once you are certain that the cake is cool, try frosting again. If the cake is cool and the frosting is still running off, the frosting may be too runny.

Using an electric mixer, start adding powdered sugar, ¼ of a cup at a time to the frosting until the consistency is firmer and the frosting adheres to the cake.

STIR FRY PREPARATION

Preparation of vegetables and meat is usually more time consuming than the actual cooking.

When stir frying, high heat is used to cook meat and vegetables quickly in a very small amount of oil.

The largest amount of time will be spent fine chopping aromatics such as garlic, green onion, ginger, or chili, and cutting meat and vegetables into uniformly sized pieces.

This can include thin slices, shreds, or a medium dice.

It is important that all of the sizes are the same size for quick and uniform cooking.

It is not necessary to own Asian cooking utensils, such as a seasoned wok and a long handled scoop, but they will make your task easier.

A wok is made to concentrate the heat in the center of the pan for cooking, and the edges acting as a warm resting area to leave your food after it has completed it's cooking cycle in the center.

A long spatula or scoop is used to keep the food in motion, by stirring, lifting and tossing.

This will insure that each piece is evenly exposed to the heat without scorching and to seal in the flavor as well as keeping your hands away from the heat.

Once you begin the actual cooking occurs very rapidly, and so it is important to have everything ready and near the stove before you begin.

I like to cut each ingredient and place it in a separate bowl. Now when you are ready to start cooking, you just pick up the bowl for the items that you are ready to cook and dump it in.

If you don't have a wok, you can use a skilled and a large sauce pan for the same results if need be.

Heat the skillet to high heat, and place a nonstick saucepan over Medium Low heat.

Now cook each item in the skillet, when it is done cooking place it in the sauce pan.

When you are ready to complete your dish, place everyting back in to the skillet and prepare the sauce.

FLANK STEAK HELP

If you have cooked flank steak before and you found that the edges keep curling up on you, try this the next time that you are preparing one.

Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the steak with diagonal slits making a diamond design.

Do this to the front and the back of the steak before seasoning.

Also make a few slits in any fat that is around the outside edges of the steak.

These cuts will also help to tenderize the steak.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Sourdough is a cooks friend.

I you make up some starter, you will have a constant supply of good baking matereal.

Here is a quick and easy recipe to make up some starter along with some sourdough tips.

Find a large 2qt container that has a lid.

In a non-reative mixing bowl (plastic, glass, ceramic) combine 3 1/2 cups flour, 1pkg Active Dry Yeast and 2 cups warm water (105º-115º)

Using a wooden or plastic spoon, mix all ingredients well until there are no lumps.

Pour the mixture into your 2qt container and place the lid on with out sealing tightly.

Set in a warm place of your kitchen for 2-4 days.

Open it up and take a look, it is ready when you see bubbles.

Mix well with a wood or plastic spoon and cover tightly.

Now place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

It is ready to use this first day, but I usually refrigerate for an additional 2-3 days for convenience.

If I start the make the starter on a Sat, I use it on the following Sat.

Check for new posts each Saturday with new recipes and ideas for using your starter!

SALT/PEPPER

Salt and pepper are very commonly used in seasoning most meats and vegetables.

To help save some time and energy in the kitchen, take a large shaker and fill it with 2/3 salt and 1/3 pepper.

Now when you are needing to season you creation, just grab the shaker and shake away!

FUN SANDWICHES

You have seen them in the stores before, the white dumpling presses.

These are great for making cool sandwiches that your kids will love!

Just remove the crust from a piece of bread and place it in the center of the press making sure that the bread covers the whole thing.

Decide what you would like to fill it with and place in the center.

Press the 2 sides toghether and voile!

A fancy sandwich that your kids will love!

BURNED OUT MICROWAVE

OK, if you have a toddler in the house you know that they love to push buttons.

They see Mom/Dad heating up things in the microwave oven and they want to try it out for themselves, except there is nothing in the microwave.

This is very dangerous and can cause damage to your oven.

If you have a toddler that you have found is experimenting with buttons, make sure that you leave a mug of water in the microwave when you are not using it to help prevent damaging it.

QUICK BOUQUET GARNI

You are preparing to make your broth and you just looked and you used the last of your cheesecloth to make those cute ghosts for halloween.

Don't worry, there is an easy replacement!

Simply locate a clean new coffee filter. Place your herb in the center of the filter then fold in half.

Take each side and fold to the center, then fold the top down once.

To seal your package simply staple it closed.

Voile! Bouquet Garni in a pinch, and all you have to do is toss it when you are done!

CRYSTALLIZED SUGAR?

You are making candy and when you pull the sugar mixture off the stove you notice that little crystals have formed in it.

To help prevent this from happening, heat the sugar in a non-reactive pan (Steel, Aluminum or Glass), over low heat without stirring it.

Watch carefully until all of the sugar is dissolved.

If you see some sugar that is still stuck to the sides of the pan, simply place a lid on the pan for a few more minutes.

As the mixture continues to cook steam will build up inside the pan dissolving the sugar.

TOASTED PECANS

That wonderful baking time of year is upon us. Make your next recipe extra special by toasting some Pecans.

Preheat your oven to 375. Place your shelled Pecans onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 5 or 6 minutes, or until you see that they are slightly darker in color than when they started.

Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before adding to your recipe.

STICKY RISING BREAD

When letting bread rise, most people will cover the bread with a clean cloth and place in a warm environment for the yeast to raise. When this is done, sometimes you will have problems with the dough rising to the cloth and sticking.

To help prevent this from happening, and to give your bread the best environment possible for raising, cover the bread first with a piece of plastic wrap that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray, then cover with your cloth and set in the warm enviroment to raise.

Now when the dough has doubled in bulk, simply remove the plastic wrap and towell and continue to prepare as the recipe requests.

LIDS STUCK?

You have been cooking a covered pot on the stove. Once it was done, you removed it from the heat. Now you can't get the lid off.

While you were cooking the pressure inside the pot increased and some was expelled.

As the pot was cooled, the pressure decreased causing a suction.

To get the lid off easily, simply place the pan back over your burner and reheat.

The lid should loosen and come off easily.

A WATCHED POT…

It always seems that when you want to boil water it takes longer and longer. Water actually boils at 212 F at sea level.

If you have a pot holding a gallon of water and place it into a range, it will take approximately 23 minutes minutes to bring to a boil if you leave a lid on.

If you leave the lid off, it will take about 35 minutes to raise the same pot of water to boil.

BROWN BAG TURKEY HINT

You are getting ready to make your Thanksgiving Turkey with the old recipe that your mother used. The recipe has you place the bird into a paper bag and bake it.

Now days you are not going to want to do this. Most brown bags that are provided by your local grocer are made from recycled paper products and may contain harmful chemicals.

Instead, just run to the store and pick up a plastic baking bag that is designed specifically for this purpose.

QUICK PUMPKIN FOR PIE

To quickly and easily peel a pumpkin for pie or mashing just turn to the microwave.

Take your pumpkin and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and fiber.

Place the pumpkin cut side down on a large plate or in a bowl.

Place the plate/bowl in the microwave and cook until tender.

Using a pair of oven mitts, remove the pumpkin from the microwave and scoop the softened pulp out of the shell and into a bowl.

Let the pumpkin cool, then continue with your recipe.

SPECIAL STUFFING

If you want to make an extra special stuffing for your turkey or chicken, replace half of the liquid in your recipe with canned apricot nectar.

You stuffing will now have a sweet taste that is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters!

SHARING THANKSGIVING

To really get kids into the festive spririt for Thanksgiving, get each one of the kids a cornish game hen.

As you are preparing the Turkey, let them prepare their own birds.

You can then bake them in their own roaster and as you baste your bird, they can baste theirs and for the feast they can enjoy their own creation.

This is a great learning experience and it keeps the kids occupied.

PRE-COOKING MASHED POTATOES?

If you find that you are going to be in a pinch for space while preparing your special meal, you can always prepare your mashed potatoes up to 2 hours ahead of time.

When you have thoroughly prepared your potatoes and they are ready for serving, simply place them into a crock pot and let them sit at the low setting for up to 2 hours.

You can serve them right in the crockpot to save dirtying any more dishes and they will stay toasty warm.

FRESH VS DRIED CRANBERRIES

You are getting ready to prepare a recipe for the holiday season and you notice that it calls for fresh cranberries.

You run down to the store and all that you find are dried cranberries and you wonder if they are ok to substitute.

You can use dried cranberries in most recipes with satisfactory results. You will need to change the quantity though. For each cup of Fresh, substitute 3/4 cup of dried.

If the recipe turns out too dry, you can soak the cranberries in some warm water for about a half an hour before using in your next recipe.

You can use dried cranberries in the place of raisins or currents to add a little extra kick in recipes asking for them.

GRAVY TIPS I

When making gravy a few simple things can help to make it a success. First, start with drippings from your bird. This will give your gravy a richer taste that will blend more than if you use butter or margerine.

Flour is a necessity but don't use "quick dissolving" or "cake" flour. Your gravy will not set up correclty as there is not enough protein to give your gravy that nice texture.

Whenever possible use home made broth, but you will get equally pleasing results using canned broth. In a pinch you can make up some instant broth although the flavor will not be quite as rich.

To make the gravy you will make a roux with the fat and the flour before you add the liquid. You need to make sure that you cook the roux long enough to remove the "flour" taste. Make sure that you cook it at least 3-4 minutes at a medium-low temperature. If you cook it too hot, your roux will burn before you can get rid of the raw flour taste. You will know that the roux is done when it has changed color to a golden brown to a caramel brown and you can smell a slightly nutty fragerence.

When adding the liquid to the roux, remove the roux from your heat source and add about 1/3 of the liquid to the roux. Using a wire whisk, vigerously beat the liquid into the roux until there are no lumps visible. Return your pan to the heat source and add your remaining liquid. Using the whisk, continue to stir the mixture to prevent lumps. Let simmer, stirring often for at least 10 minutes.

The gravy will thicken a bit on cooling, so don't keep adding flour because you think that it is not thick enough.

STUFFING TIPS I

You want to make home made stuffing, so you go to the store and go to the bread aisle….. My oh my…. Lots of choices!

For starters, you don't want the cheapest bread that you can find. The more inexpensive breads lack the volume that is needed to make good firm stuffing.

You will want to pick sourdough, white, french, wheat, or sandwich bread. Give the bread a gentle squeeze. If it isn't real firm, but soft and squishy, you aren't going to want it for your stuffing.

Once you get it home grab the good ol pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut each piece of bread into about 3/4" cubes.

Let sit overnight uncovered on the counter, or you can bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.

I prefer the overnight method as the bread has time to totally dry out letting it absorb all the moisture from your stuffing recipe.

You can prepare your stuffing at least 12 earlier than when you plan on baking your bird. Just prepare all of the dry ingredients and set aside, then prepare all of the wet ingredients and place in a covered container in your refrigerator. Just before you are ready to start cooking, just both the wet and the dry together.

Preparing Dried Mushrooms

When a recipe calls for dried mushrooms, you sometimes find it a challenge to cut up the mushrooms after they have been reconstituted.

When I start my recipe, I use a sharp knife and cut the mushrooms into smaller pieces than I need. I then drop them into the water to reconstitute them. Remember they will puff up larger as they absorb water.

Now you are not chasing slippery mushrooms all over the cutting board.

COLORED SUGAR

When you are making up sugar cookies for Halloween it is sometimes fun to use colored sugar as part of the decoration before you make them. Then when you pull them out of the oven you can just pipe on a bit of frosting and they are done.

To make colored sugar, measure about 1 cup of sugar into a zip lock style baggie. Add about 2 drops of food color and close the bag. Knead the bag well to mix the color into the sugar until uniform in hue.

If you want to make orange, use one drop of red and one drop of yellow.

For purple use one drop of blue and one drop of red.

If you would like stronger colors, increase the coloring one drop at a time. Don't add too much or your sugar will become mush.

CHEESECAKE STORAGE

Here are a few useful tips to help you make a successful cheesecake. Although a cheesecake is quite simple to make, the right techniques can help make it a success every time.

For optimum presentation and flavor, once the cheesecake is cooked, it should be thoroughly cooled and if possible chilled for at least 2 hours before serving.

The cheesecake will actually develop deeper flavor after it has been refrigerated for a few days.

After the cheesecake has been removed from the oven and cooled at room temperature for about a half an hour, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator with out any covering to complete the cooling process.

Once the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled remove it from the refrigerator and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can store a cheesecake this way for up to a week.

To serve, just remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator, cut off the number of pieces that you would like to serve, and place on serving plates.

If you wish, you can let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for about a half an hour before serving to bring out the creamiest flavor of your creation.

FREEZING VENISON

Hunting season is upon us again. Venison is a staple in our house and there is not a time that we don’t have any in the freezer. I have chosen the option to process my own meat instead of taking it to a butcher. It does take a long time, but it is definitely worth it in the end.

When I know that a deer is on the way, I will run down to the local butcher and pick up about 5-10 lbs of beef fat. It is very inexpensive and if I don’t use it all, I just freeze it until the next deer comes along.

Personally I don’t do any fillets or steaks except for the back straps. Once I pull the back straps, I cut all of the remaining meat off of the animal and place it into large tubs that I then place in the refrigerator until I am ready to process.

Once the deer has been totally stripped, I will take the containers from the refrigerator and rinse each piece of meat. Inspect each piece carefully for any hair, gristle or foreign matter. Even one piece of hair will give your meat a “gamey” taste.

Once the meat is rinsed and inspected it goes into another clean container and back to the fridge until I am done inspecting all of the meat.

Now comes the fun part! You will need an electric grinder or a good mixer with the grinder attachment. Using the larger grinder attachment (about ¼ inch holes) grind up all of the meat from one container.

Using a guesstimate, grind up enough fat that would be about 10% of the weight of your meat. Mix the fat and the meat together well. Now, grind again. This will mix the meat and the fat thoroughly.

Place the ground meat back into the refrigerator until you are ready to package. Process all of the meat in this way before starting your packaging process.

It is very important to use the proper paper for packaging. Purchase a large roll of freezer paper from your local paper supply, butcher or warehouse store. Cut off about as many large squares as you think that you will need.

Weigh or measure out the amount of meat that you want in each package. Place the meat in the center of a square of freezer paper. Fold one corner down so that it covers the meat and fits snugly. Take the points to the left and right of your fold and fold them across at a 90º angle forming an envelope. Now roll the meat toward the final point and run a piece of tape well around the outside of the package securing well.

Write the month, year and type of meat in the bundle and place in the freezer. For the initial freezing, make sure that you space the bundles out and try not to layer them until they are mostly frozen. Once they are thoroughly frozen you can stack them all together in one area of the freezer.

Venison can be frozen for 9 or 10 months if the temperature is kept constant and no thawing occurs.

"HANDY" PUNCH

If you want to liven up your punch a bit at your next Halloween party, go to your local medical supply store and pick up a box of non-latex disposable gloves.

Take out a few of the gloves and rinse them inside and out well with warm water to remove any powder.

Fill the gloves with water or colored juice (different color than your punch) and tightly seal the end using a chip clip or other method.

Place the glove onto a cookie sheet and place into the freezer. Freeze at least 3 hours until frozen solid.(preferably make up the night before)

When you have your punch made and guests arriving, remove the "hands" from the freezer and rinse under warm water to loosen up the glove. Remove the glove from the ice had and place in your punch bowl.

CANDY CORN CONTAINERS

To make some great appetizer dishes find some clean dry terra cotta pots.

Using some lead free craft paint, paint the bottom third of the pot white, the middle third orange and the top third and inside yellow.

If the hole in the bottom of the pot is large enough for your snacks to fall through, place a small folded up paper towel or piece of aluminum foil large enough to block the hole.

If you are planning on putting a dip of some kind in the pot, like the interior with plastic wrap.

BAKING SHEET SELECTION

Setting up a kitchen can be quite a task. You don’t know exactly what you need and when you do look, there are a billion choices. Please remember when you are making your purchases, don’t skimp on the quality. If you spend a little bit more now, you will save a lot of money down the road and in most cases you will have better success with your recipes.

Buy a good Jelly Roll Pan. If you can only buy one pan, I select this one instead of a cookie sheet because the possibilities are endless.

You can use it to bake cookies, or you can line it with foil and bake bacon or meat. It is quite the versatile pan.

Make sure that you purchase a nice heavy weight aluminum pan. The heavier professional grade pans will resist warping more than lighter weight pans.

Try not to heat an empty pan, nor douse a hot empty pan with water. These actions may cause your pan to warp.

SAUSAGE PATTIES

You have decided to cook sausage, but you have never cooked it before. You look all over the packaging, and there is really nothing to help you out.

Here is a quick guide for cooking Ground Sausage that is not in links.

Uncooked ground/patties can be pan fried or baked.

Make your sausage patties approximately ½ inch thick.

Pan Fry - Place on a preheated greased skillet on Medium heat. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes, and turn patty over. Continue cooking another 5-7 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Bake – Place your ½ inch thick patties onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 400º F. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until juices run clear.

DIRECT OR INDIRECT?

When you are grilling, you always hear the terms Direct-Grilling and Indirect-Grilling. Not everyone knows what the difference is between the two, so here is a brief explanation.

Direct grilling is placing the meat on a rack directly over coals or briquettes. You then cook the meat uncovered until the desired internal temperature is reached. You will usually turn the meat once during the grilling process.

To indirect grill, you would arrange your coals or briquettes around a drip pan that is the same size as your meat. You then place your meat directly over the drip pan, fat side up. The benefits of indirect grilling is that as the fat melts it hits the coals causing brief flashes of flame that can char the meat. You then cook the meat with the hood of the grill closed until the desired internal temperature is reached. Typically you will not have to turn an item that you are indirect grilling.

PEELING TOMATOES

Ok, so you have a cool recipe that you would like to try, but it asks for peeled tomatoes. You look at the tomato and remember what it was like to cut it up for the salad the other day and you wonder, How in the heck am I going to peel that thing??

This is going to be easier than you thought! Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, fill up your sink with 2-3 inches of water and add several trays of ice cubes.

Now that your water is to a rolling boil, drop in the desired tomatoes 3-4 at a time. Once the first 3-4 have been in the water for about a minute, remove them with a slotted spoon and drop immediately into the sink of cold water. This will stop the cooking process. Repeat this with the next 3-4 tomatoes until all that you need for your recipe have been cooked, then cooled. This process is called Blanching.

Next, remove the tomatoes one at a time from the ice water bath and using a knife the gently peel the skins from the tomato.

MAKING THE PERFECT RECIPE

Everyone knows this, but how often do we do it?? You are preparing a recipe that you have been wanting to try forever. As you are preparing it you realize that you are missing an ingredient or you forget a part of the preparation.

To ensure success with any recipe, take the time to sit down and read the recipe from beginning to end. Make a note of any preparations that need to be made ahead of time.

Before beginning the recipe, take an inventory or all of the ingredients that will be needed. Making especially sure that you have all of the ingredients that you need.

If the recipe has picture, even though you know how to cook, take a look at the pictures to make sure how the preparations should be made.

Make sure that you have the oven preheated to the temperature that you need.

Collect any utensils that you might need for the recipe. You don’t want to have to stop to clean something that was dirty from another recipe.

PIPIN' HOT MUFFINS

If you want your muffins to be nice and hot when you serve your meal, just make up the muffin recipe and fill the cups according to the directions.

Place the prepared muffins in the tin into the refrigerator.

Take a look at the muffin recipe and determine how long the muffins need to cook before serving, calculate about when you need to pop them in the oven.

Place the muffins in the oven and bake them so that they are done when the rest of the meal is ready.

Serve in a bowl that has been lined and covered with a towell or cloth napkin.

BUTTERMILK VS SOUR MILK

Buttermilk and Sour milk are interchangeable.

The difference is you can buy buttermilk, or you can make Sour milk.

Do not ever use milk that is too old, it is much to sour and may contain unsafe bacteria.

Sour milk can be made by adding 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Mix well and let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes for flavor to develop.

PREPARING OYSTERS

Preparing oysters can be scary for some people. It is expensive in most areas and you want to make sure that you are preparing it properly to get the best flavor. Preparing oysters is quite simple but it is also time consuming, so allow plenty of prep time.

Scrub each oyster under running water with a kitchen scrubber. If you are going to serve the oysters raw, they will shuck easier if you refrigerate them well for a few hours before trying.

Oysters have very sharp shells; so to protect your hands, use a pair of gardening gloves with rubber palms. The rubber palms will help prevent the oyster from slipping when you are opening it.

Using an oyster knife (preferred over regular knives) locate the “hinge” of the oyster. Firmly press the knife in the crack of the shell just on either side of the hinge.

Firmly press the knife toward the top of the shell, so as not to pierce the stomach on accident, and firmly slide the knife toward the opposite end of the oyster as the hinge.

As you are sliding the knife, gently twist the knife to open the shell slightly. Toward the center you will find a little resistance. This will be a muscle holding the shell closed. Gently slice the muscle to release the top of the shell.

The top shell should then lift off with little effort. Place the knife under the meat in the remaining shell and slice the second muscle to release the meat.

Keep one of the shells from each oyster for serving if you wish.

PREPARING MUSSELS

Preparing mussels can be scary for some people. It is expensive in most areas and you want to make sure that you are preparing it properly to get the best flavor. Preparing mussels is quite simple.

When you purchase mussels, make sure that they are “live”. To do this, select mussels that are all tightly closed and not “slimy”. If it appears that the mussel is even slightly opened, leave it.

Rinse the mussels under cold running water. Remove any loose debris or sand, and using your fingers, remove the beard from between the shells.

Place the mussels in a large pot (8qt or so), and for every 24 mussels add 4 cups of cold water and 1/3 cup salt. Stir will once to mix the salt, mussels, and water. After soaking for about 15 or 20 minutes, dump the water rinse the mussels and repeat. Complete the process a total of 3 times.

This process will help clean any unwanted sand and debris from inside the shells. Now your mussels are ready for use in any recipe.

PREPARING SHRIMP

Preparing shrimp can be scary for some people. It is expensive in most areas and you want to make sure that you are preparing it properly to get the best flavor. Preparing shrimp is quite simple, although can be time consuming so allow for plenty of prep time if buying shrimp in the shells that need to be peeled.

When you get the shrimp home, run them under cold water to remove any extra debris and to rinse off any juices.

If you are going to peel the shrimp, place a colander in the sink and grab a bag for garbage.

If the heads have not been removed, place the shrimp on a cutting board and remove the head just behind the “helmet” (This will be very obvious to you when you see it)

Next turn the shrimp over in your hand so that the feet point upward. Grasp the shell where the legs attach on each side and gently pull apart. This will remove the shell from the main body.

Next, grasp the meat in one had as close to the tail as you can while holding onto the tail with your other hand, gently pull the meat free from the tail.

Take a look at the back of the shrimp, if you see a definite gray/black vein using a paring knife, slit the back and grasp the vein to pull it out. You do not need to bother with smaller shrimp, but you will need to de-vein larger varieties. If you make the cut too deep, the shrimp will “butterfly” when cooking, so make sure that you only make a shallow cut.

Once you have completed this process, rinse the shrimps to wash off any errant shell pieces and place in the colander. Repeat until all are shelled.

If you are not planning on using the shrimp immediately, you can store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in a tightly sealed container.

QUICKLY THAWING GROUND BEEF

You love cooking with ground beef, but you have the same problem every time. You take it out of the freezer and it is a huge brick. When you try defrosting it, the outside get's soft and the outside is mushy and soft. Try this little hint to help defrost it faster.

When you get home from the grocery store, take your ground beef and break it into meal sized chunks.

Place the chunks into large zip lock bags and gently press the beef so that it is flat and fills all of the crevaces of the bag.

Now place in the freezer. Packaged this way, they stack easier in your freezer and when you are ready to cook, they will defrost faster.

You can defrost in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or you can place it in a large container of water for about an hour or so.

Your hamburger is now ready for your creation.

EASY BACON STRIPS

You are getting ready to make breakfast for your bunch and you pull out the bacon and try to pull off a piece. You get an nice long lacey looking thing. Well, that didn't work too well. What can you do to get bacon off easier?

Once you get home from the store, place your bacon in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to make your bacon, remove it from the refrigerator and place the package of bacon on to the counter. Now starting from one of the short ends, start rolling it into a tube from short end to short end. It does not have to be real tight, just a nice loose cinnamon roll type shape.

Once you have it rolled, hold it that way for a minute or so.

Now just unroll and unwrap and your bacon should now pull off and separate easier.

SALTY CASSEROLE HELP

You have made a casserole and you take a bite, WOW! Way too much salt. How are you going to save this one? This great little tip may just save your meal!

You can try to save it by placing some thinly sliced apple strips into the dish for a while.

When you pull out the pieces of apples, they will have absorbed some of the salt.

You can also use apples to remove the burned taste from foods and sauces that have cooked just a bit too long.

STICKY KNIVES

If you are cutting up sticky items like raisins, dried fruit, marshmallows, etc. it will go a lot easier if you place a large glass of cold water next to your cutting board.

Dip your knife in the water before you start.

As you continue to cut and notice that your fruit is sticking, wipe off the blade with a soft cloth, dip in the water again and continue cutting.

GREASY SOUP

You are making up some soup and just as you are ready to serve it you notice that there is some fat floating on the top of it. You don't want to serve it that way, but skimming it off with a spoon is not working. How are you going to get all that fat off before you finish it and serve it?

Grab a piece of cheesecloth and place a couple of ice cube in the center and tie it off.

Now just drag the cloth over the surface of the soup and the fat will stick to the cheese cloth.

The ice will cool the fat enough to make it solidify a bit and stick to the cheese cloth like magic!

Now just toss the cheese cloth and finish preparing your soup!

NO MORE MESSY MEATLOAF

When you are making meat loaf, you really don't like to get your hands in there and mix it up.

The next time that you make some meatloaf try placing all of the ingredients into a large zip bag.

Now when you are ready to mix it up, press most of the air out of the bag and knead the bag to mix all of the ingredients together.

Now just gently shape your meatloaf a bit and drop it out of your bag into your baking dish.

Bake away and your family will enjoy!

ANNOYING EGG SHELLS

You are making your favorite recipe using eggs and when you are cracking the eggs a piece of shell falls into your mixture.

You have been fishing around for it for a while now and you are getting frustrated.

Should you just finish making it and hope that no one notices?

The simplest solution is to grab the piece of egg shell that you still have.

Scoop out the piece of shell that you dropped in your mixture using that piece of shell.

The piece that dropped in will be attracted to the shell that you are scooping with kind of like a magnet.

SACK LUNCHES

When you have kids, making sack lunches is a given. You want to make sure that you send good food with them, but you also want to make sure that you are sending it safely.

Spend the money and on a good insulated lunch bag.

When making your lunches, start with a clean work surface, and make sure that anything that you prepare the lunch with is also clean.

Make sure that you seal dry food items in clear plastic airtight bags.

If you are sending cold items, prepare them the night before and refrigerate. Drop them in the bag just as you are going out the door.

Send hot foods in preheated insulated bottles. To preheat/chill a bottle, fill with hot/cold tap water and let stand for about 5 minutes or so. Empty the bottle and refill immediately with the hot/cold food.

If you are sending a layered sandwich, pack the vegetables in separate airtight bags.

If sogginess causes issues, pack condiments in small containers or purchase pre-sealed packages.

If you are sending boxed fruit juice, place the juice in the freezer a few days before. When you are packing your lunch, place this on the top of your bag and it will act as an ice pack to keep food cool.

FROSTING LAYERED CAKES

To create a professional looking cake, try this set up the next time that you make a layered cake.

Make your cake up as normal. When you bake it, reduce the heat by 25º and bake an extra 5 minutes or so, depending on the recipe.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool.

Once the cake has cooled off, place the first layer on the cake plate with the bottom (squared) side up.

Frost only the center of the cake, leaving about ½ inch space of unfrosted cake from the edge.

Place the top layer on your cake with the top (rounded) side up.

Your inside frosting will be evenly balanced with out huge pockets of frosting toward the outside edges.

Now place the remaining frosting on the top of the cake and gently smooth it over the top pushing toward the edges.

Gently push the frosting from the top of the cake down the sides coating all sides evenly.

This makes a great looking cake every time!

MUSHROOM STICKS

When cutting mushrooms up for a salad, try this fun trick.

Using an egg slicer, slice the mushroom once, the turn 90º and slice again.

This makes great matchstick style mushrooms that still taste great, but have an interesting shape that is easier to eat.

EASY WATERMELON

If you are like me, you love the taste of watermelon, but hate to try to cut it.

It always rolls one way or the other, or you can’t get the pieces cut evenly.

A quick and easy way to slice and serve watermelon is to place the watermelon on a large stable cutting surface and cut the watermelon in half from end to end.

Now take one of the halves and place it face (flat) side down on your cutting surface and make 1-2” slices.

Repeat the process for the other half, and in just a matter of minutes your watermelon is sliced!

EASY SLICING

Your egg slicer is not just for eggs anymore!

You can use your handy dandy egg slicer for cutting up most any small soft fruit or vegetable. Common uses are for Strawberries, Mushrooms, Olives and cubed Avocado.

CLEANING CLAMS

Preparing shellfish can be scary for some people. It is expensive in most areas and you want to make sure that you are preparing it properly to get the best flavor. Preparing clams is quite simple.

When you purchase clams, make sure that they are “live”. To do this, select clams that are all tightly closed. If it appears that the clam is even slightly opened, leave it.

Once you get home, rinse the clams under cold running water, scrubbing the shells with a kitchen scrubber. Remove any loose debris or sand.

Place the clams in a large pot (8qt or so), and for every 24 clams add 4 cups of cold water and 1/3 cup salt. Stir well once to mix the salt, clams, and water then let sit for about 15 or 20 minutes. Dump the water and rinse the clams. Complete this process a total of 3 times.

This cleaning process will help clean any unwanted sand and debris from inside the shells. Now your clams are ready for use in any recipe.

FREEZING NUTS

To keep nuts like walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts fresh, double bag in tightly sealed freezer bags and place in the freezer.

Most nuts can be kept this way for up to 6 months.

When you are ready to prepare, just pull from the freezer and chop.

Marinating Magic

If your family is like my family, summer time is for spending out in the pool, not cooking in a hot kitchen.

We love to BBQ in the summer, but some evenings it just seems that you run out of time to let something marinate.

The next time that you go shopping place each serving of fresh meat into a large re-sealable plastic freezer bags.

Mix up your favorite marinade and pour into the bag and seal well.

Place the bag in a large storage container with sides (in case your bag drips) in your freezer.

Now when you pull each serving out and defrosts for dinner, your meat is marinating itself while you are having fun!

HOW MUCH FISH DO I NEED?

When planning meals, it is always hard to determine how much food to buy.

When serving fish a good rule of thumb is to buy 8-12 ounces of drawn or dressed fish per serving.

If you are serving steaks or fillets, buy 4-8 ounces per serving.

I usually tend to buy a bit heavy when serving fish & chips, as there are not as many accompaniments as there would be when you are serving steaks.

SAUSAGE LINKS

You have decided to cook sausage, but you have never cooked it before. You look all over the packaging, and there is really nothing to help you out.

Here is a quick guide for cooking Uncooked Links.

Small Links (3/4” diameter) Place the sausage links into a skillet that has been preheated to Medium heat and lightly greased. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often until all of the sausages are light brown, and the juices run clear.

Bake – Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear. Large Links (1 to 1 ¼” diameter) Fill a large skillet with ½” water. Place the links in the water and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Drain off the water and return the pan to medium heat. Continue to cook stirring often until the sausages are brown on all sides.

BBQ – Preheat grill to medium indirect heat. Grill for 10-12 minutes, or until juices run clear.

A GOOD EGG

An egg, is an egg? Right?

Not so if you are starting to get serious about cooking. Great tasting dishes depend on great tasting ingredients, and the egg is not one to get looked over.

When shopping for eggs, take the time to open each carton and inspect the eggs. Are they kept in a refrigerated compartment? Do they all look uniformly white with out any thin spots on the shell or cracks? Pick up each egg; do the all come out of the carton easily?

Once you have found your perfect dozen eggs, don’t stop caring for them when you get home. Place them in the refrigerator immediately with the large end up. Eggs should be used within 1 week of purchase, although you can keep them for up to 5 weeks if refrigerated properly.

Can’t decide if you should be healthy and buy brown eggs? Take your pick. It has not been prove that there is any additional nutritional value between a white egg and a brown egg.

CRACKED CHEESECAKE

You made a cheesecake for guests that were coming and you noticed that the top cracked.

Time for some cover up work! Cover the cheesecake with:
· canned cherries
· sour cream and fresh fruit that is in season.
· Jam or Preserves

Cheesecake usually will crack it is cooked at too high of a temperature and/or cooked too long. To avoid this in the future, try cooking cheesecake at 300º – 350º F. The center of the cheesecake will just barely move if you move the pan in the oven. If it ripples, it is not done. Remember that it will firm up more upon cooling.