Crock Pot Cooking

One of my favorite cooking tools for the summer months is my crock pot. It doesn't heat the house up like the oven does, I can start it in the morning and not have to worry about dinner getting started when I am out running errands or doing afternoon classes.

Food $ense teaches an amazing slow cooker cooking class and you can learn to adapt ANY recipe to be used in your slow cooker.

If standard recipe says: 
Standard Recipe       slow cooker on high heat          Cook in slow cooker on low heat
15 to 30 minutes              1½    to                                  2 ½hours 4-6 hours
35 to 45 minutes              3-4 hours                              6-10 hours
50 minutes to 3 hours       4-6 hours                            8-18 hours

From my extremely informal research, these are my top three favorite slow cooker recipes.

Beef Goulash   Or Veggie Stew  You can load this up with seasonal veggies or you can use canned or frozen vegetables in the winter time. With the addition of whole grain pasta this is a meal really worth putting on your favorites list.

Lime and Cilantro Chicken This is amazing just served with rice. But if you use the Food $ense "cook once, eat twice" program you can have amazing chicken tacos or fajitas on the second night!

BBQ Pork There isn't anything that this isn't amazing with. It is yummy on rolls and in tortillas, it is great on salads and just plain.  You can make it as spicy or as sweet as you choose with the sauce that you use.

I love my slow cooker, especially in the summer months. I urge you to pull yours out and start experimenting with it.

Ya gotta wash your hands.

One of the first lessons that Food $ense teaches is about Food Safety. If you haven't been able to take a class locally, (by contacting a local agent), you can take the class online. I have a few random thoughts about Food Safety, well not the entire realm of Food Safety, but Hand Washing in particular.

This last week we had people on both sides of our extended family come down with the stomach flu. With all the business of the summer, I was desperate that none of our immediate family come down with the dreaded sickness. So I started preaching and became really vigilant about hand washing. I was shocked at how little of it went on in our home. I even noticed that I wasn't washing my hands as much as I should have been. Thankfully, I think we escaped the dreaded germs.

Here is some Great information on Food Safety basic practices. If you follow these all the time, you will be in the clear when it comes to food borne illness, but I bet as you read through them, there are some that you aren't doing. I was breaking quite a few of the rules.

CBS News ran a report a little while ago and they reported that 95% of people are washing their hands wrong. Say WHAT?!?! Am I living around all these people? Is everyone using those cleaning wipes at the grocery store to clean their carts and forgetting how to use soap and water to wash their hands? The CDC says Handwashing Saves Lives, I am sure that it does, but it can save you a lot of other things too, like discomfort, sick kids and dirty laundry. A healthy family is a happier family. I know we are going to be much better about keeping our hands clean.

Supermarket Survival

One of the household tasks that I absolutely hate the most is grocery shopping. I find it intimidating, and I really feel the pressure to "do it right", so when I buy something that I shouldn't I feel a lot of guilt. It doesn't seem fair that most of the store intentions are to trick you into spending more money on foods that aren't that great food you. It feels like an mission into enemy territory.

I would like to say that it doesn't have to be that way, but I haven't exactly found a way around it yet. Shopping at roadside produce stands, and farmer's markets can greatly add to the pleasure of your food buying experience. But it still feels like the big bog stores and the chain marts are still out to get me and gobble up my little grocery budget on things that won't nourish my family, but make them lots of money.

I found this AMAZING super market guide that I wanted to share with you. It has great tips for grocery shopping smarter in every area of the store.

Food $ense also has a really smart shopping guide to help. Here is there super market shopping guide with their ideas on how to make us smarter more savvy shoppers.

And here are some ideas from SNAP-Ed

• It can be a challenge to make healthy food choices and stay within your food budget. Here are some tips to help you get the most from your grocery budget:
• Take an inventory of the food you already have in your home. Plan your meals for the week, keeping in mind what you already have in your pantry.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Compare unit prices (cost per ounce or pound) to determine if you are getting the best deal.
• Buy the generic store brand versions of foods.
• Take advantage of store loyalty savings programs, as well as clipping coupons and online discounts.
• Remember that stores retain your purchase habits. Make sure you are protecting your privacy and know your rights.
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• Only take advantage of the deal if you know you will eat the discounted item. It’s not a deal if the food goes to waste.
• Shop the perimeter of the store for nutrient dense foods. Processed and packaged foods tend to be more expensive.
• Visit your local farmer’s market to find fresh produce. Arrive early to get the best selection or late to get the best deals. Fresh food spoils quickly so don’t buy more than you can eat or freeze. Find your local farmers market.
• Shop for foods that are in season. When the supply is plentiful, the prices tend to be lower.
• Some stores offer discounts to customers for bringing their own bags.

We don't have to be at the mercy of our the stores eating up our grocery budgets. A few smart tricks and lots of informed shopping can make us the masters of our own fate.  - And we can use our food budgets fully nourishing our families and taking care of ourselves.  Remember to always plan, the most expensive food item you can buy is the one you end up not using.

Brushing Up on a Well Stocked Pantry

Between the fact that I just had to empty, move and refill my entire fridge / freezer and summer break beginning, It is time to inventory what I have. When I was putting all our frozen food back into our new freezer, I must have said 5 separate times, "I totally forgot we had this" 

You had better believe that I was smart enough this time to label Everything! (even the things I was sure I would remember. And I made a list in my planner of everything we had. It will be a month before I have to grocery shop for anything in the frozen food aisle.


With summer upon us I have been shocked recently by a pretty obvious fact: the food at my house is getting eaten at an alarming rate. I buy the food and bring it home, most times I even put it in the pantry, but then something mysterious happens to it and it gets consumed.

So after quite a few (more than I am comfortable admitting) scenarios where I would attempt to make dinner only to discover that I was lacking a can of olives or pineapple or mandarin oranges I sat down to make a complete pantry inventory and do some serious restocking.

Food $ense has compiled an amazing list that you can refer to that will help get your started.

Well Stocked Pantry

Staple items you should have on hand to create meals on the fly. Mix and match these with fresh vegetables, meat and/or seafood

• broth: veg, chicken, beef
• butter
• carrots
• canned tomatoes ( I prefer to have all types - whole, diced, and both sauce and paste)
• canned vegetables ( I don't buy a lot of canned vegs, but I think this list can include frozen)
• celery
• cereal (Be sure you are buying a whole grain)
• coconut milk (unsweetened) - (I skipped this, I am not sure when I would ever use it)
• corn meal
• cream soups (If you prefer you can use the S.O.S. mix instead. It is ideal for this purpose!) 
• cream
• dried peppers
• dry beans
• dry herbs
• dry pasta
• dry spices
• flours ( I always use a whole grain and an all purpose flour 1/2 and 1/2. If you use pastry, cake or bread flour, be sure you put it on your list)
• grated cheese
• grains: barley, quinoa
• honey
• jalapenos ( I don't know if this refers to diced green chilis in the can, but I always love to have those on hand)
• lemon juice
• maple syrup
• mayo
• molasses
• mustard
• nuts
• oatmeal
• oils
• olive oil
• olives
• polenta
• rice
• salt & pepper
• shredded cheese
• soy sauce
• spices
• sriracha
• sugar
• tortillas: flour or corn
• tomato sauce
• vinegars
• yogurt

Fresh Watermelon Mint Lemonade

I love a good drink! I know how that sounds, but I love to make a sweet icy treat and sit out in my porch swing with Joseph and enjoy the last few hours of the summer day. 

I made this lemonade because the watermelon that we bought was not good. It wasn't sweet and juicy and I couldn't get anyone to eat it. So I decided to see if I could use it up in a drink. 

I had lots of mint because I ordered a mint plant with my grocery pick-up order and they didn't have one... so they gave me 3!! packs of fresh mint leaves. I was swimming in it. 

I love to make lemonade by putting whole lemons (that I cut the peels off of) in my blender, so I thought I would test this out.  It is Delicious! So sweet and refreshing and the mint and watermelon together are just perfect. You'll wonder how you didn't put them together before. 

What motivates real change?

There has been pretty reliable basic nutrition information available to most of us for a while. I think most of us know that we need to eat more veggies and less junk food. Drink more water and have less soda. Sure the guidelines are updated and changed and fine-tuned every once in a while.  To give us a more detailed and up to date picture of what is happening in the world of nutrition. But the guidelines that Food $ense follows and are provided by MyPlate have stayed pretty basic and straight forward.

So most of us know some of these things, or have a pretty good idea where to start. But what motivates us to start in the first place? What motivates us to make a dinner at home instead of eating out? Or to add a snack of vegetables to our day instead of some salty chips or a candybar?

I would like to think that the motivation for change at the most basic part is knowledge. Each of us has learned something and then decided that our life would be better in some way if we implemented this knowledge into our lives. First you have to know there is a need for change before you can want to change.

Food $ense and the Snap-Ed programs in general are a really great place to start to gain some knowledge about food and nutrition. There are some great programs that can help you become a nutrition-wonder in your home and family. I think it is presented in a easy to digest and understand way. One of my favorite programs has been the Eat Right When Money is Tight series. It encourages you to be informed and make the small changes that you can. Even one little change is a movement in the right direction.

Another great place to start gaining some knowledge is the Food $ense lessons at home. Or to contact your local county extension agent and ask when local classes are being held.

Learning is what really leads us to change our lives. We all think that we have "heard it all before" and a lot of us probably feel like eating healthy is too hard, too expensive and too yucky. But it isn't any of those things. With a little bit of know-how it can be the exact opposite. Eating and Feeding our families healthy can be easy, we can do it on our budgets and most of all it can be really really delicious!

Drinking in Summer - Ideas for Healthy Beverages

Isn't June grand?! The last month of Spring (and the warmest and sunniest of them all!) With school out and the kids all at home, it feels like it is summer already. Perhaps the clutter of cups, empty soda cans and water bottles all over my house and lawn are making it feel that way. - Or like I had some huge party over the weekend and no one stayed around to help clean up.

If your house is like mine, you have a lot of thirsty little bodies that are constantly wanting "a drink". Most of my kids can get a drink by themselves, but I have two that are still too little to reach the cups and the water in the fridge. But being able to get themselves a drink of water does not always equate with being able to pick up after themselves. Here are some ideas that we are going to be trying in our house to cut down on sugary beverages, drink more water and cut the waste / clutter of all those cups and water bottles.

We make a pitcher of Crystal Light (or other sugar-free beverage) once a day. Around 2 o'clock or so - the hottest part of the day. Everyone can have a nice tall glass with lots of ice. Other than that, we try and teach them that water is the best choice and that water is what their bodies Really want. I have found that in my kids, they actually want to keep their bodies healthy and treat them right. Knowing how something is good (or something else is bad) for you can really go a long way in helping them make decisions of their own.

We are trying a simple, single cup per person (for water) during the day program.  If someone needs to come in a get a drink of water from the fridge - find the cup that you were using before. (They stack nicely on the little counter next to my fridge, but you can leave them on the edge of the sink or I have heard about moms gluing magnets to theirs and sticking them to the fridge. Since they only have water in them (and they are only being used by one person that don't need to be washed all that often and then everyone is responsible for creating just one dirty dish and saving lots of money and waste in water bottles.

If you have kids (or yourself) that just can't stand to drink plain water try adding just a splash or two of Real fruit juice to a glass of water. Just enough to give it flavor. While 100% fruit juice is good for you, it can add up to a lot of extra calories and sugar if you are consuming it instead of water. It also can end up costing quite a bit because Real fruit juice does not come cheaply. You can also try adding pieces of actual chopped fruit (or veggies) like strawberries, apples, peaches or cucumbers. They flavor water beautifully and you will really enjoy how delicious and refreshing it is. You can also add fresh herbs like mint. Try the herbs and fruit together!

The last piece of advice is to stay way from added sugars, caffeine and added sodium.  These aren't things your body needs in the course of a normal day and it isn't good for you body to start to crave or depend on them. I understand the desire as much as anybody to sit on your porch at night and drink an icy cold Coke, but don't confuse the "treat" that you are having with something you are trying to supply your body with to survive (and be the healthiest it can be) Sure it is coming into the summer season and we all want to kick back and live a little bit. But we also have to actually Live these next few months and we all will be happier parents and kids and families if we are the healthiest we can be.

Mindful Eating - starting a practice

With all the chaos that I feel goes on in my life, I have tried to develop some habits and teach my children some tools that can help deal with stress in this wild world we all live in.  One of these habits that I have been working on and trying to teach my oldest is Mindfulness. He tends to become overwhelmed quite easily and stresses out over things that others seem to deal with effortlessly.

I discovered mindfulness when I was looking for ways to not only help him relax, but also to help him focus his energies. It is a really awesome process and thankfully it is just as easy at it sounds. Being Mindful of yourself and aware of what is happening in the present. Sure it can take a lot of time and effort to master, but just like yoga and meditation, it doesn't take a lot of skill to start practicing.

You can do lots of things mindfully, exercise, meditation, housework, but one of the biggest mindful movements is Mindful Eating. Isn't the idea of that wonderful? The really good news that goes along with that wonderful idea is that it can be really really good for you. Over the last 20 years there have been several studies done that show mindful eating can help you be in better health and improve your relationship with food.

So how do you actually do it, this mindful eating stuff.  Here is a good way to get started:

1. Read up a a little on what mindful eating really is. Here is a great website that answers just that exact question. There are principles and suggestions that you can add to your practice.

2. Just be mindful - just be aware.  You don't have to start out knowing everything about it, this is a practice that you are beginning. Just the fact that you are beginning in a step forward. Start by being mentally focused and engaged in exactly what you are doing. Put down your phone, do not multi-task and be engaged fully in the one thing you are doing.

3. Check in with the 4 mindful points. Examine each point of mindfulness, if you are not being mindful gently bring yourself back to your focus.

a. Mind: Am I tasting each bite or am I zoned out when I eat? (You can download the awareness checklist here.)

Body: How does my body feel before and after I eat? Low energy? Stomach rumbling? Full? Empty?

c. Feeling: What do I feel about this food? Guilty? Pleasure? Joy? Disappointment? Regret?

d. Thoughts: What thoughts does this food bring to mind? Memories? Beliefs? Myths? Fears?

Being mindful of ourselves, especially while we are eating can help us enjoy our food and our meals more completely.  Start out slow, give yourself one meal or snack a day that you are going to practice being mindful during. You will love the feelings that it gives you and how much more you enjoy your meal and the food.

Menu Planning - Theme Nights

For those of you that are members of Instagram you are familiar with some of the fun things that go on over there like Man Crush Monday (#mcm) or Woman Crush Wednesday (#wcw) or Throwback Thursday (#tbt).

When I first started learning about Food $ense, one of the first things that we focused on was Menu Planning.  It has been the one thing that I have tried to really incorporate in my life and it is one of the things that can make the biggest difference in your life too.

If you are having a hard time beginning menu planning, or starting to make menu plan, something that you can do to help kickstart your planning is have Theme Nights. Food Sense taught me this trick, and I think they learned it from the Food Nanny. (She is Amazing, check her out!)

Some ideas that are really popular are:

Meatless Monday: Make the first day of the week easy on your budget and go meatless. You don't have to make a specifically vegetarian dish (although you can do that!) make it a pasta dish, focus on beans, make a seasonal veggie your star.  If you have someway to narrow down all the choices that are available sometimes it is easier to make a plan.

Taco Tuesday: Make soft tacos, or crisp taco, heck! make some fish tacos. You can vary your toppings - one week have salsa and corn, the next week try olives and fresh tomatoes. You know you can wrap just about anything in a tortilla, have breakfast burritos for dinner.

Or check your schedule and plan what works for YOU. If monday is busy for you with lessons and sports and family events make Monday your Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Night. Plan a dinner that you get prep and have ready in the morning (or even Sunday night) and then just turn the cooker on in the morning and get your busy day done.

Plan to have a Leftover Night. With summer here, we are eating lots of leftovers for lunches. But it is a good idea to plan a night to eat all that food you spent all your time and energy making. Teach your family to love leftovers and your life will get a whole lot easier.

If you are interested in trying new recipes plan a night during the week to Pinterest Recipe Night. Or if you are people who crave the old stand by have a Family Favorite Night, and eat something that you made before that everyone loved.

I am fortunate enough that my kids are older and can help in the kitchen, sometimes we will each take a night and have it be Chef's Choice. Each of my kids get to be head chef for the night and choose what is for dinner and have my help making it. My sister does something similar to this and her kids have specific nights where they are in charge of planning the menu and making dinner. Her teenagers are a little bit older, but you will never regret teaching your children how to cook and care for themselves in a healthy way.

The possibilities are only as limited as your mind. If you have craving for ethnic food plan a night around that. Plan a night that is soup in the winter and salads in the summer.  Have a sandwich night, Have a breakfast night, Have a pizza night! The ideas are endless. And remember these are your "rules" so you should feel free to break them anytime!

How to Eat Lots More Veggies

 

I was reading at article this weekend about boosting the recommended daily servings of fruits and veggies from 5 up to 7. If you are having a hard time getting your 5 servings, 7 is going to seem like a Mount Everest climb of vegetable eating. Something that is almost too daunting to even think about.

That has gotten me thinking about ways we can get more vegetables into our day, Perhaps here are a few ways that you might not have thought about yet.

Eat your Veggies for Breakfast- put some spinach into your omelet or toss in some peppers for a southwestern style breakfast burrito. The first meal of the daily can be the first place you are eating veggies.

Don't let Mid-Morning sneak by- You know that 10am slump we all feel? This is the perfect time to pick ourselves up with some veggies. A crispy snack of snap peas or carrots sticks can be just that cool zip to power you through to lunch time.

Stack up your Sandwich- Loading your sandwich with veggies can not only help stave off lunch time boredom, but really pack a punch of nutrition and energy into your mid-day meal. You can load up a sandwich with not just lettuce and tomatoes, but sliced avocado, sliced cucumbers, strips of asparagus, or slices of bell peppers. The only limit here is your imagination.

Snack Time is the Perfect Time -  Don't let any snack time pass without taking this opportunity to eat some veggies.  You can dip them into hummus, peanut butter, or mashed avocados. Try one of the fashionable new greek yogurt dips for some added protein ( you can even chop some veggies up and hide them in your dip!)

Half your plate - Don't forget dinner time. My Plate recommends that you fill half your plate with veggies. If you find this hard, always make a green salad and then a vegetable side dish. Or let two of your kids each pick out a vegetable for dinner.

With a little planning and forethought, we can not only be reaching the recommended 5 servings a day but the super extra healthy 7 servings!  Can you imagine all the extra health benefits we would be getting with those two extra servings a day. So let's get out there and go get 'em!  Yay Veggies!!

How to Eat Right When Money is Tight

I am been doing some browsing and amazing learning on the national Snap-Ed site this week.  There is so much good information here, it could take a month to read it all. But I want to share with you a few things that caught my eye.

Eat Right When Money's Tight.  There is a whole section devoted to helping us eat right on small and reduced budgets. With great shopping trips, menu planning strategies, and recipes it has everything that we are used to seeing from our own Food $ense lessons.   There are applications and helps to apply for SNAP benefits, MyPlate tips for eating healthy on a budget, and an Eat Right When Money's Tight tip sheet.

There is so much information on the SNAP-Ed website it could take weeks to go through it all. That is why I think Food $ense is such an amazing place to start.

It shares with us all the most basic steps that we need to start eating healthy on a budget.

A Few Kitchen Shortcuts!

Quick Kitchen Tips from the Weber Food $ense Program. 

1. Strawberry Tip: Wash freshly picked strawberries & then take a wide plastic straw and insert it at the bottom of a strawberry–then push the stem out. This was previously published as a feature tip on Tipnut for Ask Your Neighbor – Helpful Household Tips.
2. Measuring Tip: Rinse measuring cup in hot water before using syrup, oil, etc. Will pour out clean and not stick to cup. This was also mentioned in the 45 Cooking & Baking Tips – A Collection Of Timeless Wisdom tip list.
   
3. Sugar In Fruit Pies: When making pie, sprinkle the sugar under the fruit instead of on top. This prevents pie from boiling over.
4. Baking Fruit Pies: Cut four small slits into top pie crust and stand one piece of tubed pasta into each slit (choose pasta at least 2 or 3 inches long–cannelloni and cut ziti work well). The juices will bubble up the pasta ‘pipe’ and back down into the pie–instead of running all over your oven. Once pie has finished baking, remove pasta.
5. Pie Dough Rolling: Try rolling pie dough between two sheets of waxed paper, the dough is easier to manage and doesn’t stick to the table or your rolling pin. Once the dough is in the desired shape and thickness, peel off the waxed paper and place directly in the pie plate. Cut off the excess. This was also included on the 45 Cooking & Baking Tips – A Collection Of Timeless Wisdom page of tips.
6. Bigger Cakes From Mixes: To make a bigger cake from a mix, add 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp. baking powder. *Found on loose page from an old cookbook. This was also included on the 43 Cake Baking Tips & Tricks page.
7. Icing Cakes: For one layer cakes, turn the cake upside down before icing so that the top is perfectly flat and even. When icing two cake rounds or squares, place a layer of frosting on the top of one round, then place the other round upside down on top for a perfectly flat top. If the cake rose high and uneven in the middle when baking, you may need to slice a bit off across the top to lay it flat. This was also included on the 43 Cake Baking Tips & Trickspage.
8. Neatly Cut Fudge: Use a pizza cutter to easily slice through flats of fudge and candy squares. Make sure the baking has been chilled or thoroughly set before cutting. The process is fast and easy and the result is nice, neat squares.
9. Freeze Cookie Dough: Try preparing a few batches of cookie dough at once and freezing the extra that you won’t be baking that day. You can roll the dough in logs first before freezing (wrap the dough really well) and then just slice off and bake what you need whenever you crave freshly baked cookies.
10. Soften Butter: A few different methods for speeding up the process of getting soft butter right from the fridge (without melting it): Grate the butter into a bowl–comes down to room temperature faster; Microwave for a few seconds at a time–watch closely because you don’t want to zap it too long; Cut butter into squares and put them into a bowl, insert bowl in a pan of warm–not hot–water.
11. Remove Dough Quickly From Hands: Keep a small bowl of cornmeal nearby while kneading and working with dough. If you need to quickly answer the phone, the door, or rescue a runaway toddler while your hands are full of sticky dough, rub dry cornmeal on your hands. This removes dough faster than washing your hands in soap and water.
    
12. Mashed Potato Warmer: Is there ever enough stove top space when preparing large meals (like at Christmas or Thanksgiving)? Here’s a way to get the mashed potatoes done early and out of the way: Prepare your mashed potatoes an hour or two before serving the meal and store them in the slow cooker (on low heat). Serve with the rest of the meal and they’re still hot and tasty :).
13. Fluff Up Mashed Potatoes: Try adding a healthy pinch of baking powder to the potatoes when mashing them. For fluffier mashed potatoes, use an electric mixer to whip air into them. Any other additions? Me, I’m a real butter and splash of milk potato masher-er ;).
14. Mixing Raw Hamburger: If you can’t stand mixing raw hamburger by hand and the wooden spoon just won’t do, try covering each of your hands in a clean plastic bag (or baggy) and dig in. The plastic bags will still give your hands and fingers free movement, yet keep them free from raw meat contamination. Did you know: Meatloaf aficionados declare that the ingredients must be mixed by hand or the meatloaf is doomed? Check out these favorite tasty meatloaf tips.
15. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: Try slathering mayonnaise on the outer sides of the bread instead of butter when making grilled cheese sandwiches. Makes a nice and crispy sandwich as well as tastes delicious. Another favorite addition of mine is chopped green onions melted in the sandwich with the cheese. Sweet, at least the green onions are healthy! If you have a favorite twist to Grilled Cheese sandwiches, please share and add them below. I’m officially hungry now ;).
16. Cabbage Salad Kicker: To take a cabbage salad “out of this world” add chunks of banana just before serving. *Found on a loose page from an old cookbook. Cabbage Salad would be Coleslaw I believe. My mother-in-law always made hers with slivers of apple mixed in with the coleslaw (delish!). Bananas? I’m hesitant to try this lol. If you do, please let me know how it turns out.
17. Greaseless Griddle Cake: When making griddle cake grease the pan for the first cake. After that rub a piece of raw potato over hot griddle instead of greasing. The cakes brown nicely and there will be no smoke. *Found on loose page of from an old cookbook.
18. Slicing Meat Thin: If you need really thin sliced meat when cooking stir-fry recipes or other dishes, try partially freezing the meat before making your cuts. This will make the meat easier to slice very thin since it will hold firm while slicing, no more uneven cuts from the raw meat mushing underneath the knife blade.
19. Stop Meat Edges From Curling: When grilling steaks or frying up pork chops, sometimes the edges can curl and the meat no longer sits flat in the pan or on the grill. To help prevent that, just cut a slit in the fat along the edge of the meat every inch or so before cooking.
    
20. Baking Soda Meat Tenderizer: You can use baking soda as a meat tenderizer. Two different ways to do this: Sprinkle baking soda all over the meat, rub it in a bit and then let sit (refrigerated) for several hours. You could also make a baking soda/water paste and slather it over the meat. Let it marinate for several hours. Rinse meat before cooking to remove all the baking soda.
21. Baking Soda Test: Do you have an old box of baking soda in the pantry and you’re not sure whether or not it’s still good? Fill a small cup half full with vinegar and drop a teaspoon of baking soda in it. If things start fizzing, the baking soda is active.
22. Fresh Fruit & Veggies Washing Tip: Sprinkle wet fruit and veggies with baking soda then gently scrub and rinse. This cleaning method safely removes dirt and residue off produce. This was part of Tipnut’s Arm & Hammer week.
23. Prevent Bacon Spatters: Bacon can be quite a messy item to prepare, try lightly dusting the bacon with flour before frying. This helps prevent the spatters and meat shrinkage.
    
24. Veggie Roasting Racks: Try roasting a chicken or roast on top of long slices of celery or carrot sticks. The vegetables act like a roasting rack plus add flavor to the meat. You can eat the vegetables too, yum! Not only do the veggies work well as a roasting rack, there’s one less item to wash ;).
25. Potato Flakes Thickener: Add dried instant potato flakes to homemade soups and sauces to thicken the consistency. This won’t change the flavor at all and is a sure trick when a dish sauce turns out too watery or thin.
26. Natural Peanut Butter Storage: Here’s a tip sent in by reader Beth: Regarding natural peanut butter, the type that separates after it sits for a while. Store the unopened jars in the cabinet upside down. The oil will want to rise to the top again and will pass through the solid part to do so, basically stirring itself! Great tip! Thanks for sharing that Beth :)!
27. Flour Bugs: Keep a couple bay leaves in the flour canister to help deter the bugs (flour Weevils) congregating in their favorite hangout. You can toss the leaves loose in the flour or make a rough pouch out of one layer of cheesecloth to keep the leaves separated from the flour. Another tip is to tape the bay leaves to the inside of the lid. Always try to keep flour and other grains in air tight containers, this will help keep pantry pests out.
28. Squeezing Lemons For Juice: For those who suffer from arthritis or hand pain, use a nutcracker to mangle and squeeze wedges of lemons to juice them. Otherwise jab a fork into the fruit flesh, squeeze both ends of the wedge together (towards the fork) and then twist the fork every which way. Lots of juice!
29. Herb & Spice Storage: To help preserve flavor, herbs and spices are best stored in airtight containers, out of sunlight and away from heat sources. Store the jars and containers in the pantry or a cupboard. Keeping spices and dried herbs in cute glass jars over top of the stove is a popular practice, but it does negatively affect the flavor of your spice collection.
30. Make Your Own Celery Flakes: Instead of cutting off the leafy tops of celery and tossing away, try making your own celery flakes. Simply wash and dry the leaves well, place in oven at 180° F. until crispy dried (a few hours), crumble and store in an air tight container. Use the celery flakes in cooking dishes such as soups, stews, stuffing and anything else you’d like to add a little flavor.
    
31. Crystalized Honey Fix: If your honey has crystalized, place the bottle or container in a pot full of hot water and let it sit for about 1/2 hour or until the honey is melted. Stir the honey well and the crystals will be gone.
32. Soften Marshmallows: Slice open the top of a marshmallow bag then place in a large ziploc freezer bag. Freeze. Remove the amount of frozen marshmallows you need as you need them. Thaw and they’re soft and ready to use. If you have hard marshmallows in the pantry, try tossing a piece or two of sliced bread in the bag. Seal, then check after a few days. The marshmallows should be soft again.
33. How to Keep Cookies Soft: Keep cookies moist and chewy by throwing a few slices of apple in your cookie jar to keep cookies soft. Don’t do this if you like crispy or crunchy cookies ;).
34. Lunch Box Notes: When packing lunch for your child, include a little note just for them to brighten their day while they’re at school. I learned this tip from my son, when he was younger he let me know his friend had nice notes from her mom in her lunch every day–I’d say kids look forward to getting them ;).
35. Use A Pastry Brush To Butter Baking Pans: Use soft butter and a pastry brush to grease decorative cake pans, bundt pans and muffin tins. The brush makes it much easier to get into all the grooves. Martha’s Good Things for the Kitchen booklet also suggests to butter the top of muffin pans between the cups as it helps remove the baked muffins easier. This was also included on the 43 Cake Baking Tips & Tricks
36. Reuse Butter Paper Wrapping: Save the paper or foil wrap from blocks or squares of butter and use them to grease baking pans. Keep the paper refrigerated in a separate baggy. Not only do they do an effective job buttering the pans, it also puts to good use something we often toss freely.
37. Muffin Tin Use: After stuffing peppers and tomatoes, arrange in a muffin tin before sticking them in the oven. They’ll stay upright and keep their shape perfectly! You could also do this with baked apples or other round or stuffed items.
38. Fill Empty Muffin Tins With Water: If your muffin or cupcake recipe doesn’t fill all the spots in your muffin pan, fill the empty places 3/4 full with water. This will help protect those slots from darkening or getting scorched.
39. Easily Color Shredded Coconut: If you’d like to color shredded coconut for toppings on cakes and desserts, simply put the coconut in a clean jar (only one half jar full at a time), add a few drops of food coloring in your choice of color, then cap the jar and shake it until all the coconut is evenly tinted. This was also mentioned on the 45 Cooking & Baking Tips – A Collection Of Timeless Wisdom page.
40. Add Flavor To Cooked Vegetables: Toss in a bouillon cube or two to the boiling water instead of salt when cooking vegetables. Adds a delicious flavor to the veggies. Another alternative is to add a couple roughly halved cloves of garlic to the boiling water, then lightly tossing veggies in butter once cooked. This was also mentioned in the 45 Cooking & Baking Tips – A Collection Of Timeless Wisdom page of tips.
41. DIY Non-Slip Bowls: No need to buy expensive mixing bowls with rubber bottoms–just set a bowl on top of a damp cloth and no more worries about it sliding around while you’re mixing something.
42. Cheesecloth In A Pinch: If you’re out of cheesecloth you can use a sheet of paper towel or a coffee filter to line a colander or strainer and then strain liquid. Single use only and you may have to do in batches.
43. Open Tight Lid Jars: If tapping around the lid with a knife won’t loosen a jar lid, try putting on a pair of latex gloves then twisting the lid off. This gives a good grip that won’t slip. Another helper: cut a square of leftover nonslip shelf liner and keep that on hand to unscrew lid.
44. Separate Eggs With A Funnel: If you don’t have an egg separator and need just an egg white or yolk for a recipe, you can use a small kitchen funnel. Crack the egg gently then break into the funnel. The white of the egg will flow through the funnel leaving the yolk behind. No funnel? You could also clip a corner off a ziploc bag and use that as a funnel. Make sure to place the funnel inside a glass so the egg white is contained ;).
45. Reuse Nylon Mesh Bags: If you buy veggies that are bagged in nylon mesh, you can use that mesh for various cleaning jobs around the house and yard. Just wad up the bag and use it as a scrubber.
46. Finding Broken Glass Under Soapy Water: If you break glass in soapy water while doing dishes, to prevent cutting yourself while looking for it you can use a tall clear drinking glass or a wide clear glass bowl–keeping the top part above the bubbles, push the glass into the water and use it as a lens to look around and find the broken pieces.
47. Protect Cookbooks & Recipes: Recipe cards and cookbooks getting a little grungy and marked with goop? To prevent this from happening or the damage from getting worse, place the cards and cookbooks in a clear plastic bag first before using them to prepare a dish. This will keep them from getting smudged up with gooey fingers, yet still be perfectly readable when doing a quick check on a measurement or instruction.
48. Extra Oven Rack: Take out the extra oven rack when baking and you can use it for the cooling rack. Works for cakes, cookies, hors douvres, whatever you like. If you’re baking smaller items that might fall through, simply cover the rack with tinfoil first (fold foil tightly over the edges). Works like a charm!
49. Put Out A Stove Top Grease Fire: Douse the fire heavily with salt or baking soda. Turn off the heat as soon as it’s safe to do so without being burned. This is a great way to use expired baking soda or the boxes you just replaced in the fridge, keep those in the cupboard beside your stove. Teach children how to do this as soon as they’re old enough to start cooking.
50. Repair Rusty Dishwasher Racks: A co-worker found a way to fix up her dishwasher rack by using vinyl caps. You can buy repair kits that contain both liquid vinyl repair paint and vinyl tine caps or ends. They come in a few different colors too so you can match with what you have. Search Amazon for Dishwasher Rack Repair and you’ll find a few options. Prices range from $10 to $30 so it’s not expensive at all to get your dishwasher rack fixed up.
51. Easy Jello Mold Release: Cover the open side of the mold with a plate and then flip. Let it sit at room temperature until the Jello drops out itself (about 45 to 60 minutes before serving). Just cover with plastic wrap and re-chill if you prefer serving jello molds cold. Tip #2: Dip the mold in hot water right up to the top of the rim (but not seeping over into the Jello) for about a minute and then cover the open side of the mold with a plate, flip over. If the jello doesn’t pop out onto the plate easily, dip the mold in warm water again and repeat.
52. Remember to keep the handles of cookware turned in so they are completely over the stove top and they are not protruding over the edge of the stove at all. It’s far too easy for young children to reach up and pull a hot pot down on themselves or to bump into the handle and set a pan with hot grease flying when rushing around preparing a meal.