Keep your Guacamole Green

Want to keep your guacamole green?
Of course you do.

Give this tip a try.

Before you put your guacamole into the refrigerator....


Rub some olive oil onto a sheet of plastic wrap and then press the plastic wrap against the surface of the guacamole.

Put a Magnet on your Thermometer

Inside my oven you are sure to find at least 2 or 3 thermometers.

And...up until now....you could find those thermometers sliding around---face down---and getting caught on the rack in the middle of the oven just when I'm ready to turn my cookie sheets around....UGH!

My oven is very temper-mental...so the thermometers have to stay.


I know that the thermometers come with a hanging device on the top of them, but that makes them get even more in the way than just setting them on the rack.
Has that ever happened to you?

One day, I happened to come across these really strong and cheap magnets..... that I'm using for another project......and the other day it dawned on me that maybe I could use those magnets to keep the thermometers in place.


 WOW! has that made my day or what? Sure wish I had thought of this years ago....geeze.

And even though this thermometer that you see below is not sitting on the rack next to the food that is cooking, like I know it should be..... hanging it on the side wall makes me say, "Brilliant!"

No glue or adhesive is being used with these magnets in place...they're just holding on by the sheer fact that the thermometer is steel and the inside of the oven is steel.

I hope you have some magnets sitting around so that you can also give this tip a try.

Burned Tongue

If you've ever burned your tongue--- like I have so many times before...you know how much it smarts.
And then, you can't even enjoy the rest of your coffee or soup because it hurts every time you take a drink.

There's no need to suffer like that any more...just take a small amount of sugar and sprinkle in onto your tongue in the area that got burned...or...just lick some sugar out of the sugar bowl.  Let the sugar dissolve on your tongue.
The sting from the burn will be relieved.

Dry Double Boiler

Have you ever had a double boiler run out of water and burn the pan. I did, more than once...then I heard of a little trick.
Put a couple marbles into the bottom of the pan along with the water and it will start to rattle when the water is low. 
The two seconds it takes to find a couple of marbles far out weighs the time it takes to trying to clean a scorched pan.

Keep celery fresh

Don't you hate it when you pull celery out of your refrigerator only to have it limp and spongy.
Celery will keep longer if you wrap it in aluminum foil.

At first I didn't think that this would really make that much of a difference...but then I gave it a try.
And now, this is the only way that I will store my celery.

How to Proof Yeast

What does it mean to proof yeast?

Proofing or proving yeast is simply a way to make sure that the yeast you are about to use is still good.

Some might think that this is a little old fashioned to do...but I would rather be sure that my yeast is alive before I use any more ingredients and time.

So first you will want to measure out the amount of yeast needed for the recipe you are making.
Sprinkle it over the amount of water or liquid your recipe calls for.
Make sure you use warm water 90 to 100 degrees.
If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast.

Stir in some sugar.
If the recipe doesn't call for any, add in 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Let the mixture proof for about 10 minutes in a warm and draft free area.
The mixture will become foamy.
The foam is the yeast becoming active.
If it does not foam up after 10 minutes, you know that your yeast is bad and the bread will not rise.

Yeast will keep for about a year if you store it in a refrigerator or freezer.

Brown or wild rice

Brown rice or wild rice can be made the same way as white rice with just a few changes.
 

The first thing to remember is to use 2 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice.  This will make about 3 1/2 cups of rice.



Start by putting the water in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. *I usually add one bouillon cube per cup of water to give added flavor to the rice when it is being used as a side dish*.
Bring the water to a boil before putting the rice into it, this is important.

Now add the rice and stir once or twice while the water returns to a boil.
Then turn the heat down until you are at a simmer *(see note at end of this post) and cover the sauce pan with a lid.

*When you put the lid on the pan place it so that there is a slight gap on one side of the pan. Not too much of a gap as you will loose all the moisture, and not straight down or the water will boil over. This is a very important step as well.*

Start your timer for 45 minutes.

Don't give in to the temptation to check the rice while it is cooking. At the end of the 45 minutes you may check it. The rice should have what I call termite holes in the top of it. The water should be nearly or completely absorbed.

Note: Simmer means to stay just below the boiling point while bubbling gently.
          A state or temperature just below the boiling point.

Cutting Onion

Cut and use the top of the onion when you only need part of it in a recipe. The bottom half, or root half of an onion will keep better than the top half.

Use Sea Salt

Salt is salt right! Not really, there is a big difference between regular table salt and sea salt.

Table salt is highly refined, which removes trace elements that your body needs, not to mention the additives that are put into the table salt.

Sea salt has naturally occurring iodine and minerals. Sea salt has a stronger flavor than table salt so you don't have to use as much.

Make smooth tasty gravy

Whisk 2 tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium/high heat. Add pepper to taste. Allow gravy to boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk to keep the bottom from burning.

Drippings from a cooked turkey or roast will give your gravy even better flavor. Be sure to strain the drippings with a cheese cloth before making the gravy.

Make perfect white rice

Have you ever wanted to make rice for a dish and decided that making the rice was too difficult so you made something else? Me too, until I learned how to get rice to turn out every time. It is easy!

This method works for white rice either long grain or short.

The first thing to remember is to use 2 cups water to 1 cup rice.  This will make about 3 cups of rice.

Some folks think it is necessary to wash the rice first. If that is your preference, go ahead and do so.

Start by putting the water in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. *I usually add one bouillon cube per cup of water to give added flavor to the rice when it is being used as a side dish*.
Bring the water to a boil before putting the rice into it, this is important.

Now add the rice and stir once or twice while the water returns to a boil.
Then turn the heat down until you are at a simmer *(see note at end of this post) and cover the sauce pan with a lid.

*When you put the lid on the pan place it so that there is a slight gap on one side of the pan. Not too much of a gap as you will loose all the moisture, and not straight down or the water will boil over. This is a very important step as well.*

Start your timer for 20 to 21 minutes depending on how wet you want your rice.

Don't give in to the temptation to check the rice while it is cooking. At the end of the 20 minutes you may check it. The rice should have what I call termite holes in the top of it and be soft and fluffy. The water should be nearly or completely absorbed.

Note: Simmer means to stay just below the boiling point while bubbling gently.
          A state or temperature just below the boiling point.

Easy knife sharpening

Have you ever grabbed a knife to cut a tomato only to have it glide across the skin and not even cut it. Well then it is time to either buy a new knife or sharpen it. Easy right...not so much when you try it without a easy to use tool.

I recommend a little knife sharpener like the one pictured below. They are very easy to use and once you have a good edge on your knife they are much easier to keep sharp with a few strokes on the sharpener.

 

Use a cutting board

Have you ever done like I have and cut food on a plate or in a glass dish. Each time you cut on a really hard surface with a knife you take the edge off of it.
Always use a cutting board and your knives will stay sharper for longer periods of time.
That's why they make cutting boards out of materials that cut fairly easy.

Check the recipe's ingredient's list

Do check the ingredient list on the recipe before starting to make the recipe. This might seem like a given, but we have all been there and done that.

There is nothing like mixing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies only to realize your forgot to buy more chocolate chips after you made the last batch cookies and now you are all out. Booohooo!

Don't over soften your butter

If your cookies spread too much, it could be that you have let the butter get too soft. Butter should be set out about 30 to 45 minutes before making your cookies, but not longer than that.
The butter should yield  when you gently press on it.

If your butter is too soft when you prepare your cake batter, your cake will be dense. Properly softened butter will give you a tender cake with a delicate crumb.

It is a temptation to microwave butter to make it soft when you're short on time or realized that you forgot to set it out. The results will not be what you want. If you need to soften the butter faster you can cut it into smaller chunks. And then if you want, smash it in your palms to speed the process up.

Aluminum Foil tabs

Have you ever had problems with dispensing aluminum foil?

Yeah, me too. That is until I learned that there are tabs you can push in on the end of the foil box.
Simply push the tabs in and the foil rolls off without pulling out of the box.  Brilliant.

Keep brown sugar soft

To keep brown sugar soft all you have to do is put a slice of bread into your container of brown sugar.

Or, if you have some marshmallows, throw one or two into the canister.
I think the bread slice keeps the brown sugar softer than the marshmallows, myself...I've used both methods.
Either way...you win because your brown sugar is soft and ready to use.

Oven temperature

Not every oven heats to the temperature you set it to.

Buy an oven thermometer to put in your oven. You will be able to see what temperature you actually have. Some recipes are very sensitive to temperatures.

It is a good idea to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before baking so that the oven gets up to a nice even temperature.
And then, if your oven gets temper mental like mine does, you'll be glad you have a thermometer to keep an eye on it.

Measuring

Use glass or plastic measuring cups with a spout for measuring liquids. Be sure to look from the side of the cup when it is on a flat surface.

Use metal or plastic cups, usually sold in 1 cup through 1/4 or 1/8 cup sizes, for your dry measurements.

When you measure flour, lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup. 
Level off the flour with a straight edge. (We use a Popsicle stick) 
Be sure not to tap or shake the measuring cup.

For brown sugar, pack the sugar firmly  into the cup until the sugar holds it's shape when it is removed from the cup. 

Easy pan greasing.

The next time you take the wrapper off a stick of butter put the wrapper in your freezer in a Ziploc bag. The next time you need to grease a pan use one of your wrappers.

Using your candy thermometer

Using a candy thermometer can be easy. Check out the instructions below.
http://ifmyrefrigeratorcouldtalk.blogspot.com/p/lattice-instructions.html

Grating cheese the easy way

Have you ever wondered if there were an easier way to grate some cheese for a recipe. 
Try spraying the grater with a cooking spray like Pam. 
A little squirt on both sides... and the cheese falls right off.
Makes for an easy clean up, too. 

Make hard boiled eggs

Add enough water to a saucepan to cover your eggs by an inch or two. Put a pinch of salt in with the water, it will make the water boil faster and help keep the eggs from cracking.


Bring the water to a boil. Then simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Take care not to let the eggs sit in a rolling boil as this could crack them.
 Don't crowd the eggs either as that could cause them to break.


Run cold water over the eggs as soon as they are done. This will make the eggs easier to peel.

There is a kitchen gadget you can buy that pokes a small hole in the large end of an eggshell, which is another way to keep your eggs from splitting when they are cooking.

Needless to say, but I will say it anyway, if you plan to dye your eggs you probably don't want to use this hole poking device.