20 tips to help in the kitchen!

If you are like me you love to find tips that will help you around the house and in particular with food. Here are some great ones!

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drip.

2. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

3. To prevent egg shells form cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

4. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it’s fresh, but if it floats, throw it away.

5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.

6. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

7. To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove-top.

8. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won’t be any stains.

9. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it’s still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant “fix.”

10. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in a refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

11. Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

12. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

13. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

14. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

15. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

16. Ants are said never to cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march.

17. Don’t throw out all the leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

18. Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.

19. A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast - the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.

20. Instead of the water your recipe calls for, try juices, bouillon, or water you've cooked vegetables in. Instead of milk, try buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. It can add a whole new flavor and improve nutrition.

Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

2 lb Sweet Potatoes
1/4 C Olive Oil
Sea Salt
2 Tbs chopped Rosemary
1/4 C Grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut potatoes into wedges
Put in a large plastic bag
Add in Olive Oil and Chopped Rosemary
Shake until well coated

Cover baking sheet with foil
Spread potato on baking sheet
Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and Salt

Bake for 20-25 Minutes and turn halfway through.
Transfer to paper towel and serve warm.

Maple chili!

I have been told to enter this Chili in the Minnesota state fair, I haven't done that but it has won many a chili contest. I know you will love it, the perfect blend of sweet and spicy- this is not your mama's chilly!







3 lbs Maple Sausage links
1 Very large onion chopped
1 Large Red Pepper Chopped
1 Large Orange Pepper Chopped
Two large cans of stewed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
3 1/2 Tbs. of Chili powder
1/2 tsp. of Cumin
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 cup of Per maple syrup (or more!)
2 14.5 oz cans of Spicy chili beans, do not drain.
1 14.5 oz Dark Red Kidney Beans drained and rinsed.
1 lb of shredded aged cheddar cheese

You can prepare this recipe on right on the stove top if you are in a hurry, or you can brown all the meats and throw everything into a crock pot on low for eight hours. I prefer to do it in the crock pot and let all the flavors blend together through the day but either way it will be delicious!

For the stove top method;
Brown the sausage
Add in onion, red and orange pepper until just soft.
Mix in the spices
Stir in the tomatoes
Add the chili beans and kidney beans
Simmer for at least an hour

Serve in bowl and cover with shredded aged cheddar cheese and enjoy!

Turning 45? Feeling a little mid-life crisis coming on? The cure - Bake!

Oh the joy of an upcoming birthday...It use to be that I looked forward to these days with anticipation, knowing that surely it would be a terrific day. But this one, oh part of me just wishes the day would just pass by without happening. The weekend before my 45th birthday is presenting me with a slight pain of life contemplation - so what better to distract myself - bake! Nothing better than the sweet smell of butter and cinnamon, peanut butter and chocolate, raspberries and almonds to wipe away the fears of middle age and make one feel like a kid again...And so I bake!

First on the list - Monkey bites

Oh you have all heard of monkey bread- that sweet cinnamon and sugar bread that is sure to make you swoon but Monkey bites- are like little bits of heaven, melting in your mouth, a delight of flavor rolling over your tongue, not enough to overwhelm but instead the perfect tease of flavor - slightly orgasmic if I do say so myself!

1 package Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla extract

Instead of baking the Cinnamon rolls as is, roll each out into a long strip. Cut into 1 inch wedges.

In the bottom of a muffin tin, fill each compartment with a half a pat of butter.
Spoon in a half teaspoon of sugar
Next add a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
Place 3 of the wedges on top of the cinnamon, these should be placed next to each other so they form a little triangle of dough.
Put another half pat of butter on top of the dough
Add another 1/2 tsp on sugar on top of the butter
Add another 1/4 tsp of cinnamon on top of the sugar
Now top each with just a smidgen (a drop) of vanilla

Put these babies in a 375 degree oven until golden brown and bubbly.
Immediately drizzle with just a little sweetened condensed milk and cool.

French Onion Soup - a little piece of heaven!

A chilly fall Saturday, perfect day to fill the house with wonderful smells and the warmth of our favorite soup. My daughter Jo takes to the kitchen and begins to chop- soon her eyes are watering but it's all for a good cause- French onion soup! A family favorite!



4-5 large onions chopped, about 4 pounds - sweet onion is best
A dash ( not more ) of fresh thyme
3-5 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
flour, about 1/4 cup
1-2 cups Sherry wine
8 ounces beef broth
4 beef bullion cubes
4-5 tsp of butter

1 package Provolone Cheese sliced
1 loaf french bread

The process:

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onion and all spices together, stir in with butter.
Put in oven at 350 degrees for an hour
Scrape the onion from the sides and bottom of dutch oven and put back in oven for another 45 minutes, Mix the onions again- making sure that you get the carmelization off the bottom and sides of the dutch oven. (Don’t worry too much about burning the onions. All that burned on goodness is going to be perfect flavoring!)
Add in the beef broth and wine. Put on the stove top at a simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Add in 4 bouillian cubes and stir.
Salt and pepper to taste and add in flour slowly while stirring.
Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Cut French bread in slices, toast under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Spoon soup into crock, put a slice of french bread in the soup and top with slice of provolone cheese...wait for it to melt and enjoy!

I love my chicken and cheese!

I was home all alone tonight, cooking for one can be a challenge but oh my did I come up with something good!

Exhausted after a long day at work and tired from the night before I surely didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking. I will blame my lack of motivation to spend hours in the kitchen on my dog Tucker. Tucker, my 6 year old lab, has suddenly developed a great fear of wind...Yes, you heard me right, wind...

It all started one night when we had a storm here in Minneapolis. The wind was howling outside. Living in a cute little brownstone that was built in the early 1900 means that we don't have the best windows. Our front windows are french doors, which I love as they add an element of old world charm to our place, but this particular night they created havoc! As Tuck and I sat in the living room, listening to the rain fall and enjoying the peace and quiet- the wind suddenly came up- it blew so hard that the doors suddenly opened.

Tucker,who was curled up next to me in a deep doggie sleep, went running across the room, tail between legs, hair standing up on his back, looking over his shoulder like the ghost from hell just came through the window. He proceeded to head right for the front door, taking both front paws and scratching wildly like he was saying "get me the hell out of here- NOW"

Needless to say, he has now developed a fear of- wind!

 Well , last night it was windy again, so Tucker paced about all night- sure that the door was going to fly open again and that ghost was going to come in again...So- I am exhausted, he kept me up til 2:30 am...time to keep it simple but delicious!

My version of Parmesan Crusted Italian Chicken Sandwiches
2/3 cup shredded chicken
1 slice of provolone cheese
1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan

4 slices sourdough bread

Top bread with shredded chicken
Top with provolone cheese
Butter outside of sourdough bread
Sprinkle outside of bread with Parmesan cheese

Fry in a frying pan

Amazing!

Enjoy!

The eggs that started it all!

It all started with an amazingly simple recipe! I tend to go toward the simple, delicious type of recipe. A single mom of two great kids, I had to learn to cook fast and easy. Now that they are both in older ( I have one in college and the other just graduated and is home while looking for gainful employment as a teacher- which many of you may know is a difficult feat in this economy) I continue to have to be thrifty- two kids in college = broke! A little restaurant in St. Paul MN called Day by day Cafe'. A sweet little joint on West 7th which I highly recommend. This is not only the recipe that started it all but also one of our family favorites. We first discovered this little bit of heaven at our favorite I hope you enjoy!

You start with mushrooms and spinach which are just slightly sauteed in a bit of oil ( add a little bacon if you like).

Add 2 eggs and scramble 'em up together!

Add in some small pieces of cream cheese and stir just until they get warm and creamy and top with a dollop of  cream cheese and pepper.

Simple yes- but likely the best eggs you have ever had!