Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Dried Herbs in Kilim Bags" uploaded to Flickr by one2c900d

This picture makes me so happy - with all of the bright colors and the gorgeous looking spices!  Sometimes I have such luck on Flickr, and sometimes I don't!.

As you may have guessed, today's tip is about dried herbs.  You can certainly buy dry herbs at the store and use them right away.  But what if you buy fresh herbs, and only have to use a tablespoon, but don't need the rest (I hate that!!!)?

According to Good Housekeeping, you can dry the fresh herbs my using the microwave.  Sounds good to me!  Let's learn how.

Arrange sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary in a single layer on a paper towel.  Microwave the herbs on high for 2 minutes or until dry and brittle.  Remove leaves from stems and crumble.  Store in an airtight container for up to one year.

No other herbs were specified, but I have an entire bunch of mint in my kitchen right now.  I may try a few sprigs to see how that goes.  Has anyone dried mint before?  Any tips?

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Re-seasoned Cast Iron Pans" uploaded to Flickr by Island Vittles

 Hey there!  I hope you had a great weekend.  The Husband and I had a chance to have some time to ourselves while the Toddler spent sometime with her grandparents.  Everyone had a great time!

But now it's back to the hum-drum of daily life. 

In thinking for a tip today, I was inspired by a tip in Bon Appetit magazine and realized that I never shared any tips with you about how a cast iron skillet should be cleaned!  You have a cast iron skillet, right?  I hope so, because they are fabulous.  You can make anything and almost everything in there - from cornbread, to eggs to pizza.  If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one.

And when you do get one...please do not put it in the dishwasher to clean it!  It will ruin your new skillet.  The most important thing you have to remember about cleaning cast iron is that you want to preserve the seasoning (the "grease" that protects it).  So when cleaning, don't use any detergents or soap - simply use water and a pan scraper, rinse and dry immediately.  Or, for really stubborn food, scrub the skillet with a 1 cup coarse kosher salt into the still warm pan and scour it with a folded towel.  Rinse with hot water, and dry immediately. 

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Honey Roasted Virginia Peanuts" uploaded to Flickr by Nutsinbulk

Hey there!  How is your week going?  Mine is going pretty well.  I actually didn't eat a lot of junk yesterday.  So I felt great and was proud of myself.  I even was able to avoid having cheese, pepperoni and crackers with the Husband!  Woohoo.

One of my motivations is you guys.  The others are some "healthy" cooking mags that I picked up at the store over the weekend.  I have been reading them and re-reading them.  In addition to great recipes they have some tips too.  Like this one from Clean Eating mag - when you buy all-natural peanut butter (or any type of nut-butter) and you have to stir in all the oil that sits at the top, you should stir in the oil and then store the butter jar upside down.  That way the next time you open the butter, you don't have to deal with a big oily mess on top of the jar. . . it will be on the bottom, making it much easier to stir!

What are your tips for stirring oil into all-natural butters?  Do you buy all-natural butters?  I have a couple packs of your typical PB in my pantry.  But I do have almond butter in my fridge.

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Spaghetti Squash" uploaded to flickr by semarr

I really wanted to share about 20 tips with you that I found in my latest edition of Cooks Illustrated.  But then I realized that my last few Tuesday Tips were from Cooks Illustrated and that I needed to show you that I do read other things and occasionally have my own tips!

Today's tip doesn't come from me or any magazine.  It is courtesy of my mother in law who just learned that she loved spaghetti squash. 

I've always cut my spaghetti squash in half and then baked in until it was tender (about 40 or so minutes at 350 F).  But then my mother in law told me that you can get the same result if you cut it in half and microwave each half for about 8 minutes.  That is a real time saver!   And then I did some research and found out that you can microwave the whole thing (without cutting it) for 10-12 minutes and then let it sit for another 5 minutes, cut it in half and you are good to go!

How do you cook squash?  Conventional oven?  Microwave?  I even read about cooking it in a slow cooker . . .

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Christmas Cookies" uploaded to Flickr by everyspoon

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, are you thinking about making some holiday cookies?  Or maybe you already started making them?  Or maybe you just rely on co-workers, friends and family to supply them for you!

It is a tradition for me to get together with one of my good friends from high school and make cookies on Christmas Eve day.  Unfortunately this year will be the first time that we won't be able to meet up.  Life will just get in the way.

So this year I will make my own cookies and my sous chefs will be the Husband and the Toddler.  The cookies will probably not be that pretty, but I am sure they will be edible!  And that is all that counts.

I will be making sugar or butter cookies and decorating them with fun icing and tiny trimmings.  To be honest, I do not have the patience for decorating so intricately and usually the cookies just end up being iced with no decorations.  But I know many of you do!  And here are some tips to make simple holiday cookies (courtesy of Cooks Illustrated):

• Color your own sugar by placing 1/2 C of granulated sugar in a bowl and add about 5 drops of food coloring.  Mix thoroughly and push sugar through a fine mesh strainer.  Spread the sugar on a plate and let it dry completely.
• Use a muffin tin (mini or regular size) to hold and separate all of your tiny decorations.
• When doing cut-out cookies, peel away the scraps, not the cookie.

My own tips: (1) use a plastic sandwich bag with a corner cut off to pipe out icing/frosting; (2) sample all decorations, especially m&m's; and (3) do a cookie exchange with friends so you only have to make one type of cookie.

What's your tip?

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Christmas Cookies" uploaded to Flickr.com by Starshaped

I can't believe I am doing a post in November that includes a picture of Christmas cookies!  I am pretty dead-set against celebrating or planning for a holiday when we still have another holiday to celebrate in the meantime.  The turkey just gets no respect anymore!

That said, it is hard to not get caught up in the preparation and planning for Christmas.  So I guess having a little Christmas in November on my blog is no big deal.

And actually, this tip can be applicable any time of year since it deals with keeping cookies fresh.  I found this tip in my new favorite magazine - Cook's Illustrated. And their tip (courtesy of Lum Pennington of CO) for keeping cookies fresh is to store them in a tin with layers of flour tortillas and parchment paper between the layers of cookies!  Sounds good to me.

Do you have a tip for keeping cookies fresh?  My tip would be to eat them all right away so you don't have to worry about them going stale ;)

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

I almost skipped this tip because I am so excited to post pictures of a recipe I made last night.  The recipe is good, but I am more excited about my new DSLR camera!  Then I realized that I didn't install the software on the computer, so I can't upload the pictures yet :(  All in due time!

In the meantime, here is a tip that I am sure will help someone out at Thanksgiving! 
                                 

"Gravy" uploaded to Flickr.com by Sisterbeer

It deals with the dreaded lumpy gravy.  In fact, the recipe I just made last night used gravy, and mine turned out lumpy.  I just stood at the stove and stirred and stirred and tried to mash those darn lumps.

That did not help.

So what I should have done, according to Good Housekeeping, was strain the gravy through a fine mesh sieve, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. If the lumps are too large for this, then transfer the gravy to a blender and puree away!  Reheat the gravy if necessary.

Readers - tell me how you get your gravy to be lump free!

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Hot Cocoa Cubes" uploaded to Flickr by lizzybeans11

 I knew you could use ice cube trays to freeze stuff (other than water).  But my experience had been limited to fresh herbs and pesto frozen in cubes to be thawed out and used at a later time.

Then I read my latest issue of Taste of Home magazine, which had a really pretty picture of an ice cube tray (couldn't find it online) filled with all sorts of stuff?  Did you know you could freeze yogurt?  I didn't.  What about chipotle peppers?  Had no idea! 

Besides pesto and herbs, here are a few more things that can be made into cubes for later use!  What else do you freeze using this method?

• Chopped onion - freeze chopped onion in water and before cooking, thaw and drain
• Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - thaw and then puree
• Yogurt - blend a few cubes with juice to make a smoothie
• Tomato paste - use cubes to add to sauce
• Wine - put a cube or two into sauces

And, of course, you can use ice cube trays for a number of other things besides freezing stuff.  The picture above linked me to a post of Hot Chocolate on a Stick!  Yum!

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Egg egg egg egg" uploaded to Flickr by boughtbooks

Eggs have always been a favorite of mine and the Toddler's.  The Husband - eh, not so much.  But ever since we started eating Paleo, he has started to eat eggs for breakfast.  The poor guy really doesn't have a choice since his only other option is eating leftovers from the night before - he can't have his beloved bagels, waffles or cereals. 

I usually eat eggs for breakfast.  Apparently the Toddler likes to eat hard boiled eggs for lunch when my mom comes to watch her during the week.  I love hard boiled eggs, but always get so frustrated in peeling them - you know, when you take off the shell and half the egg comes with it?  So annoying.

Fresh eggs are harder to peel than older eggs.  I had heard this before, but then I saw something in Country Living magazine that confirmed it.  It is also recommended to peel right after cooling the eggs, and to peel the egg starting at the largest end while holding the egg under cold running water!  Who knew?

P.S. I'm linking up at J&M's Eye Candy

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

That's leftover bread from the Harvest Stew I made a few nights ago.  About half of the loaf was left.  And I suppose you could have just warmed that bread up in the oven and slathered it with some butter and called it a snack.  But I wanted to make a meal out of it.  So I decided to make French Toast using the leftover Italian bread!

I made the French Toast by whisking a few eggs, some milk, cinammon and vanilla together.  Dunking the bread into the egg mixture (and shaking or wiping off the excess bread mixture! I don't like eggy toast!) and then putting it on a hot griddle until brown on each side.  To top it off I added a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.  Yum!

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Curry Chicken b/w brown rice and green beans" originally uploaded to Flickr by Zole

 I am surprised to be taking this cooking tip out of Redbook magazine.  I usually read Redbook for cute outfits and funny stories.  But I found this tip towards the back of the most recent issue and thought I should share: it is the "best way" to cook chicken breasts. 

The only thing I would add to Redbook's tip is that you should pound or cut your chicken breasts so they have an even thickness throughout the breast.  After doing that, you  season the breasts with salt and pepper on both sides, and dredge the chicken in flour, lightly coating both sides.  Pat off the excess flour.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high high.  Add butter and swirl until melted.  Place chicken in skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and saute chicken for 7 minutes, turning once, or until lightly golden on each side.  Transfer chicken to warm plate.  Leave the drippings in the skillet to make a sauce according to one of Redbook's recipes, or with chicken stock and flour.

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Freezer Jam" originally uploaded to Flickr by Our Lady of Disgrace

 Maybe I am late to the party on this one, but I discovered a new way of opening a jar last night.  The Husband bought these huge jars of pasta sauce and I cannot open them for the life of me.

Given that the Husband wasn't home, the Toddler is of no help when it comes to opening objects, and our jar opener broke, I was on my own in solving this problem.

I tried whacking the lid with the handle of a butter knife.  No go.  I tried whacking the bottom of the jar with the palm of my hand.  Uh-no, still not budging.

Then, in an act of genius (at least I thought so), I used that little nubbin (what else do you call it??)  that sticks out of a bottle opener and slid it between the lip of the lid and the jar.  Gave it a little push - and - POP!  Off came the lid.

So that's my tip - use the nubbin of a can opener to open stubborn jars!  How do you open stubborn jars?

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

Do you ever feel so rushed during your day (or your week) that you are not sure how you are going to get everything done?  Yes?  Oh good, at least I am not alone.

But this week I feel the normal rush times ten.  Between out of state weddings, doctor appointments, days off from work, etc., etc., I just don't know when I am going to find time to grocery shop, let alone cook (and then blog about what I cooked!).  So this week I am going for super fast meals.  And my tip for you today (as if you didn't already know this) is to use your microwave!

But use it for more than popcorn and to warm up a plate of food.  Use it to cook your food.  Last night I made a really quick dish (which I will share tomorrow) and served fresh broccoli as a side.  I didn't want to dirty the veggie steamer and another pot, so instead I washed the broc, filled a Pyrex 1 qt. measuring cup half-way with water and added my broc to the cup.  Covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the microwave.  I cooked it until it was bubbling and the broccoli turned a little darker green - probably about 4-5 mins.  The length of time and the amount of water will vary depending on how much broccoli you use.

What do you cook in the microwave?  Please share!!

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

Hope you had a great Labor Day!  We spent time with some friends that we haven't seen in awhile.  The Toddler played nicely with their toddler, and the Husband and I got to catch up with our friends, so a good time was had by all!

The Husband was also able to get into the yard a little bit yesterday and put down some grass seed.  I wanted to get out there and take down some of my plants in the veggie garden that are done producing, but I didn't have a chance.  Instead, I decided what I was going to have (and not have) in the veggie garden next year.  Definitely tomatoes and eggplant.  Definitely not garlic.  I tried growing it this year and it didn't work.  The scapes died so early, so when I pulled out the garlic, it was just one big clove.  Bummer.


Source: Martha Stewart

                                                                      
It's a bummer because I do love garlic.  I use it in a lot of dishes.  I usually use my garlic press, which I love.  But sometimes I just smash it and put it in.  I typically smash the cloves with a knife.  I know - not safe.  I just read in a Better Homes and Gardens mag that you can separate a garlic head into individual cloves by striking it with an unopened can.  I bet you can clean the bottom of the can and then use that to smash the clove too! 

What do you use to smash garlic cloves?

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

My state is still recovering from the hurricane.  I am so thankful that my family is safe and sound.  So many people in our state are homeless or displaced for the time being.  We have friends who remain without power, but still have to go on with their daily lives of going to work, getting the kids to daycare, etc.  I don't know how you can do those things while not having electricity!  I am also thankful that our house is not damaged.  Driving in to work today I saw so many trees down with debris scattered all over.  We lost some mulch.  That's it.  We are lucky.

Well I guess I also lost a big chunk of my garden (but that is no big deal!).  I think that most of my eggplants will survive, but the tomatoes are questionable. Since it is getting to be the end of summer, I shouldn't expect to get much out of my garden anyway.  I mean, the sun is already setting at 7:30pm.  What a bummer.

To keep my garden going, this year I am going to try to bring some of it inside.  Just my herbs though.

"herbs in the bronx" uploaded to Flickr by chachlate

There are several herbs that will do well if planted in a pot that is placed in a sunny window.  According to Better Homes and Gardens, some to try include: mint, parsley, basil, sage, oregano, chives, rosemary and thyme.  I think I will stick to parsley and basil.  What about you?  Are you planning on bringing any of your garden indoors?

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

As I mentioned yesterday, we went to visit friends in PA this past weekend.  We spent the majority of Saturday at the Philly Zoo.  When we got home, I was exhausted.  I thought everyone was.  I guess not my friend J, who decided to "whip up" a couple zucchini breads.  They were delicious and I will share the recipe with you as soon as she emails it to me.

She put raisins and walnuts in the bread, and it was wonderful just out of the oven.  But then, for breakfast on Sunday, she "grilled" them in a skillet over medium-low heat. 

Wow!  I thought that grilling baked goods like muffins and breads was only applicable when they were a little stale and past their prime.  That is not the case.  The grilling gave the bread a nice "crust" on each side, and when you added the butter, it just melted all over.  It was fabulous and I highly recommend it.

So my tip of the day is - grill your banana bread, your zucchini bread, your muffins, what have you, then add butter and gobble it up!                                                                    

p.s. I'm linking up to Our Family World's Fun Tuesday Hop!                    
                                                                                                          

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Shrimp" uploaded to Flickr by Kevin H.



I love shrimp!  Do you?  What's your favorite way to eat it or make it?

Well, I could eat shrimp pretty much any way that someone prepared it - cocktail, scampi, fried, in a salad, in a stir fry... But unfortunately the Husband is allergic.  Thankfully not too allergic since we can still go to Red Lobster and he can get the steak and be fine.  But he can't eat it without having a reaction.  So I don't make it very often, and usually when I eat shrimp it is when I am out to lunch or dinner.

When I do make it, I typically buy already cleaned shrimp. You know - the kind without the shell and without the vein!  Bluck! That is the yucky part of shrimp that I could do without, so I am happy to pay a little extra to have that done already.

But just in case you buy shrimp that you need to clean by yourself, did you know that the "vein" - you know, that dark line down the curved side of the shrimp - is actually not a vein?  You wanna know what it is?  It's the shrimp's digestive tube!  Blech!

According to Bon Appetit magazine's prep school, you don't need to worry about deveining smaller shrimp, but for the larger one you should stick with this rule of thumb: if the tube is thick and black, take it out; if it's think and white, leave it in.

p.s. I've linked up to the blog hop at One More Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Cheeseburger Casserole" Uploaded to Flickr by lynn.gardner

 We have new neighbors right next door.  Well technically they aren't too new since they moved in this past January.  But they are the newest people on our block.

They are out in their yard quite often and the Husband and I always say hello and we typically spend about a half hour chatting about things.  So we decided to actually invite them over, inside our house, this past weekend.  I just made some BBQ chicken and a salad and the neighbors brought these extremely delicious potatoes.  They said they were just steamed and topped with butter and fresh parsley, but I swear there was a secret ingredient because they were so good!

Anyway, the neighbors brought the potatoes over in a fancy casserole carrier.  And even though we didn't eat as soon as they got over, the potatoes stayed so nice and hot until we did actually eat! 

I don't have one of those fancy carriers, do you?  If so what kind do you have?  Because I might have to invest.

In case you don't have a fancy carrier, here is what I do (and what Better Homes) recommends: prepare your hot foods in the dish you are going to serve it from.  Cover the dish with a double layer of foil.  Then, wrap the dish in one or two (in my case I use three) clean kitchen towels.  This should keep the dish and food warm until you get to your friend's house.

If you don't have a casserole carrier, how do you keep your dishes warm when traveling to a BBQ or pot luck?

Updated: I've linked up to the linky party at All Thingz Related

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"brown sugar" uploaded to Flickr by las-initially

I love the look, smell and taste of fresh brown sugar.  It immediately reminds me of cookies and more specifically, Christmas cookies.

I very rarely use up an entire box of brown sugar.  So the leftovers typically get hard and turn into a rock.  It's so disappointing when that happens.

When I got married several years back I registered for a brown sugar bear.  It was supposed to help keep the moisture in the sugar so it didn't become rock-like.  You were supposed to soak the bear in water, then let the excess water drip off and place it in your bag of brown sugar, wrap the bag up tight, and then store it in the pantry.  It actually worked pretty well if I actually remembered to soak the bear prior to use and if I actually used the bear!  I don't know what ever happened to that little bear, but I can't find it. 

I've also heard that you can put a slice of bread on top of the leftover brown sugar and that would help keep the moisture in.  This tip has not worked so well for me.  But maybe I was doing it wrong, or using the wrong type of bread.

When all else fails and you haven't remembered any of the preventative tips, you can always take your rock of brown sugar and microwave it.  I've done this before and it works pretty well.  According to Good Housekeeping, the correct way to do it is to place the rock of sugar in a microwave safe bowl, cover it loosely with a damp paper towel and nuke it on high for 30 seconds.  Keep repeating until soft.  Use the sugar immediately.

What are your tips to keeping brown sugar fresh? 

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip



"Poached Chicken in Ginger and Galangal Stock" uploaded to Flickr by avlxyz 

 The Husband has a friend who used to eat "poached" chicken every night of the week.  This friend would "poach" the week's worth of chicken on Sunday night and then store it in plastic containers until the next dinnertime arrived.

I say "poach" because he essentially boiled the chicken and ate it. 

Gross.

I have never poached chicken before.  I imagine that it may be good in some recipes.  I imagine that it could save fat and calories if you are concerned with those things (which the Husband's friend was).  But I could NOT imagine eating poached (or boiled) chicken seven nights a week.  That is just too much.

If I were to poach chicken, I would probably use it in a recipe that calls for shredded chicken.  And, I would not follow the Husband's friend's recipe of chucking chicken into a boiling pot of water.  Instead, I would follow the tips from Cooking Light magazine, which I now share with you!  (This tip comes from their "Enlightened Cook" feature in the May 2011 issue, which was just after the recipe for this.)

1.  Tightly roll each chicken breast in plastic wrap.  Twist the ends in opposite directions.  This creates a mini steam bath.

2.  Simmer chicken for about 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165F.  Turn the chicken at least once for even cooking.  The chicken can be simmered in water or broth.

3.  Allow chicken to sit, wrapped, for at least 5 minutes. Then shred.