Pasta

I never gave pasta or noodles much thought, they have just always been there!
Fresh or boxed, frozen or pre-packaged "fresh", we all have our preference.

I came across some neat facts about pasta and noodles and thought I would share.
We could all use a little enlightening.

• Pasta comes in many different colors and over 600 shapes
• Most pasta is cream colored, but some is colored using vegetables. Spinach for green, tomato for red, etc.
• There is a type of pasta called "cellophane" because it turns clear when cooked
• The average person in Italy eats 51 lbs of pasta a year! The average person in North America eats about 15.5 lbs of pasta a year.
• The difference between pasta and noodles? Noodles contain eggs, pasta does not!

How to make the perfect pot of pasta:

1. Fill a large stockpot with water.

2. Add salt

3. Bring the water to a roiling boil

4. Measure the pasta you need (pasta usually doubles in size when cooked, so 1 cup=2 cups cooked)

5. Slowly add the pasta to the boiling water

6. Stir to separate and keep it from sticking

7. Start timing when the water returns to a boil

8. Most pastas cook in 8-12 minutes, make sure to read package directions.

9. Taste the pasta to see if it's done. It should be "al dente"- firm, yet tender

10. Drain the pasta into a colander.

11. Only rinse if you are using the pasta in a cold dish. Rinsing removes the starch, which holds the sauce when served hot.

Help! I need my soup/chowder/stew to thicken!

We have all been there. Sometimes all the right thickening agents just don't work.

I wonder sometimes to the science behind this, but then it exhausts me and I just look for a simple solution.

This is a product I keep on hand for the sole purpose of the girl.
When she is sick, I can get her to eat nothing else. Plain. No seasoning or butter.
We all have our comfort items and this is hers.

I saw it...and realized it would be my perfect, simple solution.
The flavor blends with all I would think to use it with.

Have you guessed yet?

It works fantastic!

Thickens the broth just so and adds a potato flavor.

Never will I serve a too thin chowder or stew ever again!

Popcorn Seasonings

Darling daughter and I are both self proclaimed popcorn junkies.
Some people like chocolate, some want chips...we want popcorn.
ALWAYS.
(oh what a painful three years we had between head gear and braces, she couldn't have any, so I wouldn't so she didn't have to smell it)

Our microwave decided it really didn't want to make popcorn anymore. Every bag we would put in would burn. We adjusted temperature, time, to no avail.

Auntie Audrey came to the rescue one year and bought the girl child a popcorn maker. I knew she was getting it (who do you think gave her the idea?!) so I went out and bought popcorn, butter flavored oil....and these seasonings.

I packed them all in a pretty gift bag and set it to the side, hidden in my room. After the Christmas mayhem, we packed up all the cousin's gifts and left to go to another aunts for family time.
As hubby and the girl were leaving, I oh-so-sneakily stuck the bag under the tree.

She got so excited to unwrap the popcorn maker! When we got home, we played the "hey look, there is another present under the tree, wonder who it is for" game.
She was so psyched to get the edible "accessories".

Needless to say, we popped popcorn right away!

These seasonings taste so incredible!
The girl likes to mix and match flavors, I am a purist...one at a time please.

How to store leftover soup

We love soup in our house, we eat gallons of it, especially in the winter.
I was never taught how to cook "small", everything I make feeds an army. As a family of three, that makes for tons of leftovers.
I usually make soup and farm it out to Nana, neighbors, whoever happens to cross my path...but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.

Eventually we get tired of eating it meal after meal after meal...
and freezing it as a whole meant, you guessed it, more of the same meals.

So, to make it easier, I freeze it in single servings.
This way, we can take it out of the freezer 1 cup at a time. Much more manageable!

You will need: Leftover soup, a muffin tin, and plastic wrap

Place plastic wrap over all of the cups. I needed two sheets. The middle of the pan overlapped, but that is ok. It does not have to be pretty, it exists only for making soup removal easier.

Remove the frozen soup cups and store them in twos in zipper bags. (Labeled!) and then you can reheat just a cup at a time! No more wasted soup!

P.S. The leftover soup here is Caboosta

Bechamel Sauce

What is a bechamel sauce?

Simple answer...it is a white sauce. Period.

Bechamel is the base for so many sauces and recipes.

Just off the top of my head:

1. Mornay Sauce

2. Sausage Gravy

3. Macaroni and Cheese

4. Creamed soups

You have probably made it 100 times without realizing what it was called.

Ingredients:
Equal parts butter and flour (Roux)
Half and Half

Directions:
Melt butter, add flour and whisk
Cook for a minute until the flour flavor is cooked out
Slowly add half and half, while whisking

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Mornay Sauce

Mornay is a fancy name for a cream based cheese sauce. Yes, exactly the same sauce you use when making homemade macaroni and cheese!

Ingredients:
Equal parts butter and flour
Half and Half
Cheese

Directions:
Melt butter, add flour and whisk (roux)
Cook for a minute until the flour flavor is cooked out
Slowly add half and half, while whisking
Once at desired amount, add cheese and flavor to taste

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Free meals at IHOP

I have a soft spot in my heart for IHOP.
They were always a spot to stop at when we were traveling, a place you could get just about anything you wanted. Never failed some of us wanted soup/sandwich, some wanted breakfast, and some wanted chicken.

I also have fond memories of using all the different flavors of syrup. Sometimes I would cut up my pancakes and use them separate on different "piles", other times I would mix all the flavors together.

This offer gives you a coupon for a free "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity" meal. If that isn't good enough, they also send you a coupon for a free meal (up to a $7.99 value) on your birthday AND another free meal coupon for the year anniversary of you signing up.

While I was filling out the forms, they also asked for my family member's birthday info so they could get free meal coupons as well.

I see some IHOP trips in our near future!

Click here to sign yourself up!

Hamburger Tip

The best tip I have EVER gotten about making hamburgers...is s simple I felt silly afterwards!

You know how they get the big "bubble belly" in the middle while cooking?

How about, when you make the patties, squish a crater into the middle of them...

Perfectly flat patties all the time, with an ideal "cheese melting" surface area!

Bacon in the oven

Bacon=Meat Candy. Period.

I love bacon, especially the smell permeating the house..it just wakes everyone up in a good mood.

What I don't love is all the grease, splatters, taking up one burner, and having to pay constant attention. How can I make a big breakfast with 2 or 3 other items while babysitting bacon?
Not to mention, I hate regulating the temperature in the pan so that all the bacon stays flat and doesn't crinkle up.
I only have one pan that fits the bacon press...so that is not always an option.

Oven bacon to the rescue!

Take a big cookie sheet and add oven safe cooling racks (to keep the bacon out of the grease). Lay your bacon out in strips on the racks.

Take entire pan and put it in a cold oven. Set oven to heat to 400 degrees.

Depending on the length of time your oven takes to preheat, by the time mine was preheated, it was cooked perfectly crispy!

I will be doing this again...often.

I think next time I will line the bottom of the pan with tin foil. Let the grease harden and just fold up and throw away.

Baking Powder

Don't waste time by using baking powder that has lost its potency.
If baking powder is more than 6 months old (or if you are unsure...which I have been guilty of), test it by mixing 1 teaspoon baking powder with 1/2 cup hot water.
If bubbly, the baking powder will work.

Here are the tools needed....

...and we have GOOD baking powder!

Stock, Bouillon, or Base?

This is one of those general questions that I never have thought to ask.
My daughter is really getting into the kitchen as of late, and she DOES ask these things.

I decided to type this handy little post because she cannot be the only one who has wondered.

Chicken Stock:
Made from whole chickens, veggies, and seasonings.
Stock is used as the base for SO many recipes.

Chicken Bouillon:
Normally comes in cube form and is used to flavor soups and stews by dissolving them in boiling water. They can be really salty though, so if you are salt restrictive, try to purchase low sodium brands. Basically, bouillon is a stock that has been dehydrated and shaped into a cube form.

Chicken Base:
This is a highly concentrated stock used for soups, stews, sauces and casseroles. Chicken base can be found in powder or cube form.
To make a chicken base, start with the basic ingredients for making stock. Let simmer for at least a few hours, until the liquid is reduced and the vegetables have dissolved. Strain before freezing.

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Flour: What really IS the difference?

All Purpose: Just what it says! When a recipe calls for flour, this is what they mean. All purpose flour has an average protein content, which makes it able to adapt to a wide range of recipes; from bread, cookies, cakes, and as a thickener (roux).

Cake Flour: This has the lowest protein content, and also undergoes a unique bleaching process. The consistency is very soft and fine, much like powdered sugar. This is used most for light cakes, like angel food.

Self Rising Flour: This is used more for biscuits (hence the RISING part). Really, all this is is an all purpose flour with salt and baking powder mixed in.

Bread Flour: This has the highest protein content, which makes for a lot of elasticity and rise.

Whole Wheat: Due to the high protein content, this is not directly exchangeable with white flour.


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Spice Conversions

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon + ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg + ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 whole bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon crushed bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp chopped chives
• 1 Tbsp chopped green onion tops
• 1 small clove garlic
• ⅛ Tsp garlic powder or dried garlic
• 1 Tsp garlic salt
• ⅛ Tsp garlic powder + ⅞ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh herbs
• 1 Tsp dried herbs or ¼ tsp ground herbs
• 1 Tsp dry mustard
• 1 Tbsp prepared mustard
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 Medium onion chopped or 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
• 1 Tsp dry parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• ½ Tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ Tsp ground cinnamon + ¼ tsp ground ginger + ⅛ tsp ground allspice + ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 Vanilla bean
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tsp bottled steak sauce

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Misc Conversions

Misc conversions:

• 2 Cups tomato sauce
• ¾ tomato paste + 1 cup water
• 1 cup chili sauce
• 1 cup tomato sauce + ¼ cup brown sugar + 2 Tbsp vinegar + ¼  teaspoon cinnamon + dash of ground cloves + dash of allspice
• Ketchup (for cooking)
• 1 Cup tomato sauce + ½ cup sugar + 2 Tablespoons vinegar

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Dairy Product Conversions

We are still not panicking about missing ingredients...solutions abound!

• 1 Cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 Cup
• Let stand 10 minutes
• OR 1 Cup milk and 1 ¾ tsp cream of tartar
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• Heat ⅓ Cup and 2 Tbsp evaporated milk + 1 Cup sugar + 3 Tbsp butter or margarine: Until sugar and butter dissolve
• Sour Cream
• Match equal amount of plain yogurt

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Baking Product Conversions

Sometimes we all get stuck...
It's ok...there is help!

• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• ½ tsp cream of tartar + ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 oz Semi Sweet chocolate
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa + 1 Tbsp butter, margarine, shortening, or oil
• 6 oz Semi Sweet  chocolate chips (melted)
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate + 2 Tbsp shortening + ½ Cup sugar
• ¼ Cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate + decrease whatever fat is in the recipe by ½ Tbsp
• 1 Cup light corn syrup
• 1 Cup sugar heated to a syrupy consistency + ¼ cup water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 7 oz jar Marshmallow Creme
• 16 oz package of marshmallows, melted + 3 ½ light corn syrup
• 1 Cup mini marshmallows
• 10 Large marshmallows
• 1 Cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup regular oats, toasted
• Also to be used for people with nut allergies
• 1 Cup powdered sugar
• 1 Cup sugar + 1 Tbsp cornstarch: mix well
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1 Cup corn syrup + decrease liquid in recipe by ⅓ cup

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Cake Pan Conversions

How many times have you gone to bake a cake and found out that you either

1. Do not have the size pan they want you to use

2. All your pans are dirty except for XYZ

3. You just want to make it in a different shape

This is a nice conversion chart that can help you during these baking emergencies.

I would suggest printing it (here) and hanging it in the cabinet in which you keep your baking pans.

Crock Pot 101

I love my crock pot and use it as often as possible. My addiction is so bad, I don't even bother putting it away.
I have 3 assorted sizes, a regular large oval one, a smaller one for sides, and a little one for dips.
My aunt has the same crock as I do, except hers came with an extra insert, she has the normal open one as well as one that is split in half so you can make two separate dishes.

One cannot measure the level of jealousy.

This is the idea I am trying to convey...

1. When shopping for a crock pot, get one with a removable crock. If you get one that is not removable, you will get annoyed cleaning it and will stop using it. This is not acceptable. If you already own one without a removable crock, invest in slow cooker liners.

2. When cooking in your slow cooker, the low setting is about 200 degrees F and the high setting is about 300 degrees F. Depending on the age of your crock, this can vary. Be familiar with your crock pot’s cooking habits.

3. One hour on high is equal to two hours on low.

4. A slow cooker should be at least ½ full to ¾ full for best results.

5. DO NOT LIFT THE LID TO STIR. Each time you lift the lid, enough heat will escape that the cooking time should be extended 20-30 minutes.

6. For food safety reasons, it’s a good idea to cook on high for the first hour to quickly bring the temperature up to 140 degrees. Then turn the dial to low and finish cooking.

7. Experts recommend you do not put frozen foods in the crock pot. All foods should be defrosted before cooking so the food temperature can reach the minimum 140 degrees F as soon as possible.

8. Remove cooked food from the crockpot or liner before you refrigerate. The crock is made from such a thick material, the food won’t cool down quickly enough to prevent the growth of bacteria.

9. When seasoning your recipe. Add all seasonings at the end of the cooking time. The amount of low and slow cooking can rob these spices of their flavors. Cayenne pepper and tabasco sauce tend to become bitter if cooked for long periods of time.

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Roux

Roux (pronounced roo) is a thickening agent for soups, stews, gravies...anything!

It’s an equal measure of fat and starch. Most commonly made with butter and flour.

Melt butter, add flour and whisk. Cook until it smells slightly nutty and is somewhat brown. It’s important to do this, otherwise you will be able to taste the flour.

Once your roux is completed, slowly add your chosen liquid. Keep whisking and building until you have the amount/consistency you are looking for.

Melt butter (ignore my O-L-D pan)

Add an equal amount of flour

Cook for a few minutes. Mixture will smell nutty.

Shredded chicken

This shouldn't even qualify as a recipe. Maybe I should tag this as a helpful hint. Hm, decisions, decisions.

I make this frequently. Some recipes I have call for it, but I do it plain and simple as well.
I like to make this and have it on hand always. I freeze portions in bags for later use.

Talk about an easy weeknight dinner, pull out one of these bags and make:
1. Chicken Salad
2. Chicken Tacos
3. Chicken Pie
4. Chicken Soup
5. Chicken Quesadillas
6. Chicken Tacos
7. BBQ Pulled Chicken
8. Taco Salads
9. Buffalo Chicken

The list is endless!

Ingredients:
6-8 Chicken breasts

Directions:
1. Spray crock pot with non stick spray
2. Add chicken
3. Cook for 5 hours
4. Shred with fork
5. Mix and cook for 30 more minutes

All shredded and ready for as many recipes as your imagination can come up with!