Tuesday's Tips & Tricks: Chopping Tomatoes

Sometimes when my husband, Stan, goes to the store for me he will come back with an ingredient that is close, but not exactly what I asked for.  There are so many different types of canned tomatoes, the guy can't be blamed for getting mixed up about what I need.

If I get canned whole tomatoes by mistake, and I needed chopped or diced tomatoes, I pull out my kitchen shears and cut up the tomatoes while they are still in the can.  It is quick and easy and there is no mess.

Check back on Friday for my 

husband's favorite sandwich recipe,

Italian Sausage Sandwiches

 Be sure to enter the Giveaway for Stephen's cookbook!

Visit my friends blogs!

My friends are taking some time off from blogging, but they have incredible recipes in their archives!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Thanksgiving Tips to Make Your Day Easier

Frozen Harvest Pie 

I love Thanksgiving!  A whole day centered around being thankful for all the blessings in our lives.  Being surrounded by family and friends, as we all stuff our faces with yummy comfort food. 

I use the tips below to help me spend more time with family and friends, instead of being stuck in the kitchen, missing all of the fun.

Thanksgiving Tips to Make Your Day Easier

1. Shop Early.  Stores already have the items you need for a great Thanksgiving meal on the shelves and they are typically on sale.

2. Start cooking now.  Cook and freeze as many of the desserts and side dishes as you can.  If a dish cannot be frozen, prepare as much as you can a day or two ahead of time.

3. Use disposable pans.  There is no shame in using pans that you can cook in, then toss in the trash for easier clean up.  You can transfer the cooked food into pretty dishes for serving if you prefer.

4. Use your slow cooker.  A lot of dishes can be cooked in the slow cooker.  By using it, you will free up space on the stove top or in the oven.

Sweet Potatoes Two Ways 

5. Spread the load.  Ask your guests to bring a dish.  Be specific about what you want them to bring.  If you do not assign a dish for them to bring, you could end up with 5 trays of cut up vegetables.  

6. Set the table the night before.  Get your kids and spouse to help with this one.  Many hands make light work.

7.  Keep the kids occupied.  Cover the table with paper and have crayons on the table for the kids to get creative with.  One year, I forgot to get paper to cover the kids table with, so instead I took birthday wrapping paper and turned it over so the white backing was showing, then I taped it to the table.  It worked great!

Italian Pinwheels

8. Have appetizers ready for the early birds.  No matter how often you stress the time for people to be there, you know someone is going to show up early.  Have a few light and easy snacks to hold them over.  Fresh fruit, veggie tray, cheese and crackers, etc.

 Clean As You Go

9.  Clean as you go!  By doing this, you will have more time to spend with your guests.

10.  Have fun and remember what the day is really about!

On Friday, I will be posting a fantastic 

Thanksgiving leftover recipe called,

Cranberry Turkey Casserole.

Visit my friends blogs!

My friends are taking some time off from blogging, but they have incredible recipes in their archives!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Soup Tips & Tricks

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

I love soup!  I eat it all year long.  But as the weather turns cooler, soup is on the menu more frequently at our house.  Below are a few tips for soup that my mom taught me, and I thought I would pass them on to you, just in case you are a soup lover too.

Soup Tips & Tricks

1.  With today's pop top style of soup cans, this tip is a little harder to use, but it is still a good tip to know.  When using condensed soup, shake the can, and then open it up from the bottom.  The soup will slide right out and you won't have to use a spoon to remove the soup from the can.

2. If you are out of cream for your soup or don't have enough,  substitute with milk and add a little flour to make it a thicker consistency.

3.  If your soup is too salty, add a couple of slices of apple or raw potato to your soup.  Let simmer for a few minutes, then discard the apple or potato slices. 

4.  If you add too much garlic to your soup, put dry parsley flakes in a teal ball and add it to the soup to soak up the extra garlic.  The garlic will be attracted to the parsley.  Discard the parsley after several minutes of being in the soup. 

5.  Never boil your soup.  Simmering keeps the flavors intact.

6.  If you are making a clear noodle soup, cook your noodles, then drain and rinse the noodles before adding them to your soup.  Starch in the noodles will make it cloudy if you add them to your soup with out draining and rinsing them first. 

7.  Soup is always better if it is made the day before you serve it.

What is your favorite soup?  Do you have any tips you could share?  

Congratulations to the Winner of the Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway,
Ashley of What Does a Songbird Sing!

On Friday, I will be posting my

Slow Cooker Taco Soup recipe.

 

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

My Favorite Uses for Cooking Spray and a $20 Amazon Voucher

I love Pam Cooking Spray!  There is always a can in my cupboard.  It is an amazing product.  You can not only use it in the kitchen, but also around the house.  Below are a few of my favorite uses for the cooking spray.

Cooking Spray Uses

1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker for easier clean up.


2. Spray the bowl and plastic wrap with cooking spray before proofing yeast dough.  It makes it easier to remove the dough from the bowl and prevents the plastic wrap from sticking to the dough.

3. Spray your measuring cups before you measure honey and other sticky foods.

4. Spray your cheese grater with Pam to make clean up easier.

5. Spray cookie cutters so the dough won't stick.

6. Use it to take gum out of hair.  Spray the gum and hair around it with cooking spay.  With a little work, the gum will come right out.

7. Clean paint and grease from your hands.  Spray hands liberally with cooking spray, work in, rinse.  Wash with soap and water.

8. Coat the shower door with a thin layer of cooking spray. Wait a few minutes and wash off with soap and water. The oil in the cooking spray dissolves the soap scum buildup and lime deposits.

9. Spray squeaky door hinges with cooking spray.

10. Spray a bike chain with cooking spray.

11. Spray both sides of your snow shovel with cooking spay to keep the snow from sticking to it.

12. Spray your satellite dish with cooking spray to keep snow from building up in it.

What are your favorite uses for cooking spray?

How would you like a $20 Amazon Voucher?

I am so excited!  I was visited by the Appliances Online Fairy Hobmother, and she gave me a $20 Amazon Voucher!  

For your chance to be visited by the Appliances Online Fairy Hobmother, and your own $20 Amazon Voucher, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post!

Spot by and visit the Appliances Online site!

On Friday, I will be posting my 

Cottage Cheese Cake recipe!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Quick Cooking Tips

I love doing  cooking demos.

Just like everyone else, my life is very busy.  Outside of the days that I schedule to test and create recipes, I do not have hours to spend in the kitchen.  The tips below, help me to make the most of the time I do have in the kitchen.

 Messy cabinet.

1. Organize your cabinets.  If you have to search for an ingredient or dish, you are wasting time.  Get rid of items that you don't use.  If you feel like you can't part with anything.  Put items that you haven't used in a long time, in a box and place the box in another room.   

2. Always read through a recipe before you get ready to cook it.  Check and make sure you have the ingredients that are required to make the recipe.  It seems I always have to make a run to the store for ingredients that I was SURE I had in the cabinet.

3. Gather all ingredients and tools needed to make the recipe.  Put them away as they are used.

4. As my Mom always says, "Clean as you go".  Fill the sink with soapy dishwater and wash the pans and tools when you finish using them, or place them in the dishwasher.

My niece Miley, loves to help in the kitchen!

5. Cook together.  The family that cooks together, stays together.  

6. Use shortcut ingredients such as: Bagged lettuce, frozen cut vegetables, pre-cut fresh vegetables, refrigerated dough, jarred sauces, etc. and cut up and prep ingredients ahead of time.  I clean and chop fresh ingredients when I bring them home, so they are ready to use in recipes.

7. Use your slow cooker.  It does the cooking while you are gone.  You come home to a delicious home cooked meal.  I use my slow cooker more in the summer than I do in the winter.  It cooks without making your house hot.  I make desserts, vegetables, and side dishes, to go along with whatever I am grilling. 

8. Use a kitchen timer.  It is very easy for me to get distracted when I cook and the timer has saved a meal or two at my house.

9. Pick recipes that have just a few ingredients.
 

I am always on the look out for cooking tips!  

What are your favorite kitchen tips? 

On Friday, I am posting my recipe for:

Too Cool Apple Cake

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Stop by and visit Ashley, at What Does A Songbird Sing.  She posts recipes and exercise tips on her blog, and who couldn't use a little more of both!