How to Tell if an Egg is Fresh

Its really easy to tell the freshness of an egg.  Gently place your egg in a bowl of cold water.  If the egg is fresh, it will drop to the bottom of the bowl and lie on its side.  If it's somewhat fresh, it will stand on it's end and bob about in the water.  If the egg is old, it will float and you may need to discard it.

Loaded Potato Bake

You can add just about anything to this simple dish.  Broccoli would be a great addition.  The bacon can be left out and roast beef can be added making the dish a main course.  Spring onions would make a great substitute for the dehydrated onions.  You can also use instant potatoes but they won't be near as good as the real thing.  Think With Your Taste Buds!

See the full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet

Thumbprint Cookies

A few days ago I ran across a site that had a recipe that caught my eye.  I wish I had the name of the site where I found these but don't.  It's for Thumbprint Cookies and I wanted to share so here it is:

Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup Almonds (I used almond slivers)
1 cup Rolled Oats (I used the Old Fashion kind)
(I added 1 cup unsweetened coconut)
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour (Plain)
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp. Salt
Jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put almonds and oats (coconut too if you use) in a food processor.  Pulse until everything is coarsely ground.  Pour into a large bowl and combine flour, oil, syrup and salt.  Stir to combine.  (I used my hands to mix)  Shape into walnut sized balls and place on a baking sheet about 2" apart or put into mini muffin tins.  (I used the muffin tins)  Press your thumb gently down into the center of each cookie to make an indention.  Fill each indention with jam.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden born and firm.  Transfer to a rack to cool.  Store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container.

For my jam I used Polaner All Fruit with Fiber.  It's sweetened with fruit juice helping to keep the cookies healthy.  I used Black Cherry and Strawberry and wished I had bought the Apricot too.  They are delicious.  Not too sweet and would actually be great in place of a breakfast bar with coffee. 

Shrimp Toast

This is my version of Shrimp Toast.  I made it with pepper jack cheese to give it a little heat but you can tone down the heat by using cheddar.  These can be made up in about 5 minutes plus 15 minutes in the oven.  See the full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet.

Shrimp & Scallops Over Rice

This is a quick dish to make for seafood lovers.  The flavor of the finished product is a combination of Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp and Grits.  Changes you might add would be a little nutmeg and maybe a splash of Sherry.  Also, you can serve this over grits.  It's rich, creamy and delicious!  Find the full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet.

Freezing Vegetables

A friend sent this to me and since its that time of the year when veggies are coming in I decided to share.

Freezing our bountiful harvest is an easy way of preserving our produce, but the foods will not keep as long. In freezing the organisms that cause spoilage become inactive. However, they don’t die. The bacteria can’t grow as long as the produce remains frozen, but once it is thawed, they will begin growing once again.
You should be aware of some changes in your vegetables before you start freezing. Foods may become mushy when thawed because ice crystals cause damage in the cells of the foods. If you keep foods frozen for too long or if they are frozen in improper containers, it will cause freezer burn. This will cause the color and taste of the foods to be changed for the worse. Such food is still safe to eat in this condition, but it is not be as appealing.

Freezing is a simple process, and not much equipment is required to get started – just your household freezer and containers. The easiest containers are common freezer bags found in your local supermarket. You can also freeze in your canning jars, plastic containers (such as butter or cottage containers), aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and freezer paper. You will need to allow for the food to expand as it freezes, so be sure to leave plenty of space for this process. Not leaving this room for expansion will cause your containers to leak in your freezer and make an icy mess to clean up later.

Freezing Veggies

Freezing Vegetables is much like freezing fruits, only you won’t be adding sugar. Instead you will be blanching them (heating in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes and then immediately cooling in cold water) before packing into containers and freezing. Blanching kills the enzymes that age vegetables. Blanched foods will taste fresher when taken from the freezer. Submerging in cold water stops the cooking process.

You will need to leave a headspace on some of your vegetables.

Some vegetables darken after they are cut, and to prevent this darkening you will need to use an anti-darkening agent. A natural anti-darkening solution that can be used is a teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water. Soaking your veggies for five to ten minutes prior to placing them in the containers for freezing will prevent this. You can also use commercial anti-darkening, such as “Fruit Fresh” by following the instructions on the package. Using either will work with great results.

Veggie Freezing Instructions

• Asparagus: wash and cut off tough stems. Blanch small stalks 2 minutes, large ones for 4 minutes. Cool, drain, and pack into containers, alternating tip and stem ends. No headspace needed.
• Beans, Green and Wax: pick when young and tender (beans with strings are too tough). Remove stems and break into 1-2 inch pieces. Wash. Blanch 3 minutes, dip into cold water to cool. Drain, pack, and freeze. Leave ½ inch headspace.
• Beets: When trimming beets leave 1 inch of their tops to prevent them from bleeding. Not leaving the stems will cause them to bleed out and turn white during cooking. Wash beets and cook for 25 minutes. Cool in cold water. Rub off peels when cool—skins should slip off easily now. Cut into cubes or slices, pack into containers, leave ½ inch headspace, and freeze.
• Broccoli: Wash and peel stalks. To remove insects, soak in a solution of 4-5 teaspoons salt to a gallon of water for half an hour. Blanch three minutes, cool in cold water, drain, pack into containers leaving no headspace, and freeze.
• Brussels Sprouts: Trim and remove outer leaves. Wash and blanch 3 minutes for small heads, 5 minutes for large heads. Cool in cold water, drain, pack into containers leaving no headspace, freeze.
• Cabbage: Remove outer leaves and cut into quartets. Wash. Blanch for 2 minutes. Cool in cold water, drain and pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace. Once frozen cabbage is only suitable for use as a cooked vegetable, not for coleslaw.
• Carrots: Remove tops, wash, and peel if desired. Leave small carrots whole; slice large ones. Blanch whole carrots 5 minutes, sliced carrots 2 minutes. Cool in cold water and drain. Pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace, freeze.
• Cauliflower: Break into 1 inch pieces and wash. To remove insects soak in a solution of 4-5 teaspoons salt to a gallon of water for half an hour. Drain and rinse. Blanch three minutes and cool in cold water. Pack into containers leaving no headspace, freeze.
• Corn: Husk and remove silk from ears. Blanch ears five minutes. Cool in cold water and drain. Cut kernels from cob and cover with water, pack into containers leaving 1-inch headspace.
• Corn-on-the-cob: Husk and remove silk from ears. Blanch ears five minutes. Cool in cold water and drain. Wrap each ear in plastic wrap, pack into freezer bags and freeze.
• Mushrooms: wash in cold water. To remove insects soak in a solution of 4-5 teaspoons salt to a gallon of water for several hours or overnight. Rinse well. If mushrooms are larger than 1-inch, slice or quarter them. Soak mushrooms in anti-darkening solution for 5 minutes, drain. Steam for 5 minutes, cool in cold water and pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace, freeze.
• Okra: Pick young, tender pods. Wash and cut off stem ends, being careful not to open seed cells. Blanch for 4 minutes, cooling promptly in cold water. Leave whole or slice, pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace, freeze.
• Onions: Wash and peel. Chop and place into containers, leaving NO headspace.
• Peas: Shell peas and wash to remove blossom ends and pod particles. Blanch 2 minutes, cool in cold water. Drain, pack peas into containers leaving ½ inch headspace, freeze.
• Pea pods: Wash. Blanch for 2 minutes. Pack into containers and freeze.
• Peppers: Wash, cut out seeds and chop. Pack into containers leaving no headspace, freeze.
• Pumpkin: Wash and cut into quarters. Cook until soft by baking, steaming or boiling. Press through sieve. Cool, pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace, freeze.
• Sweet Potatoes: Wash and cook until almost tender. Cool in cold water and peel. Slice, mash, or leave whole. To prevent darkening dip in anti-darkening solution for 5 seconds. If mashed, add 2T lemon juice to each quart of sweet potatoes. Pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace, and freeze.
• Tomatoes: Wash, remove stems and blanch 3-4 minutes*. Cool in cold water and remove skins. Can quarter, halve, or leave whole. Pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace and freeze.
• Stewed tomatoes: Wash, remove stems and blanch 3-4 minutes*. Cool in cold water and remove skins. Quarter and cook about 20 minutes or until tender. Place pan into cold water to cool, pack into containers leaving ½ inch headspace and freeze.

Catch All Snacks

This is another of my "clean out the cabinet" snacks.  I used shredded wheat, honey flavored cherrios, pretzels, left over M&Ms, mini-marshmallows, about 3/4 can of salted mixed nuts and I cut up about 1/2 bag of toasted coconut covered marshmallows. I put all of this into a LARGE bowl, drizzled melted white chocolate over everything, tossed to coat.  So good!
And I feel it is actually healthy due to the shredded wheat and cherrios.  Right?

Italian Sausage Patties over Spaghetti

This one is so simple you'll wonder why you didn't think of it yourself...maybe you did.  I used 1/2 lb of Italian Sausage and 1/2 lb. of lean ground beef.  Mix the two together and form into patties.  The number of patties will depend on the size you make them.  I made 5 out of mine and pressed them thin.  In a large fry pan fry on med. heat until done.  I covered mine to make sure they cooked through without browning.  Remove from pan.  Pour off drippings.  I even wiped my pan out to get out as much grease as possible.  Place patties back into your pan in a single layer.  Top with a heafty amount of cheese.  I used an Italian blend.  Spoon a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over your patties and cheese.  Cut heat down to medium and cover.  Cook until cheese melts.  Serve over spaghetti noodles.

These are SOOOO good.  Changes can include adding mushrooms, bell peppers, black olives, etc.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Brownies

These are so simple and so chewy!  I made a package of brownies according to the package but added about 3/4 cup of chocolate covered peanuts and about 3/4 cup of mini-marshmallows.  Simply bake according to package and that's it!  Think With Your Taste Buds!

Great Book to Read

If you want a really great book to read, then I recommend He Kan't Kill Your Future by Sharquent Webster.  This book is the author's own story about her life through drugs, abuse and finally being rescued.  Read my review by going to A Book and A Dish.  Also, you'll find the author's tips creating the perfect BBQ.

Ground Beef Stuffed Shells

For this dish I used a cheese blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack.  You can use any cheese that you like.  The seasoning I used was an herb and garlic blend.  Think With Your Taste Buds and use whatever you really enjoy on your meats.  You can also leave out the soup and cover with a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce for a totally different taste and dish.  See the full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet

Potato Chip Chicken

I found a recipe for chicken crusted with cheese crackers and couldn't wait to give it a try.  It turned out that I was out of cheese crackers so I did my usual - I decided to Think With My Taste Buds and came up with this recipe.  This does have cheese in the crust so changes can be in the cheese flavor.  Pepper Jack would be wonderful and give it a touch of heat or you can increase the amount of onions and add more flavor.

Home Tips

 Sent to me by a friend

Thought I'd pass this along, some good tips.

DID YOU  KNOW? ,      Take  your bananas apart when you get home from the  store. If you leave them connected  at the stem, they ripen faster.   Store your opened chunks of  cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much  longer and not mold!  Peppers  with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for  eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the  bottom are firmer and better for cooking.  Add  a teaspoon of water when frying ground  beef. It will help pull the grease  away from the meat while  cooking.  To  really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple  of Spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy  cream; then beat them.    Add  garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light  taste Of garlic and at the end of  the recipe if your want a stronger taste of  garlic. Reheat  Pizza Heat leftover pizza in a  nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to  med-low And heat till warm. This  keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this  on the  food channel and it really  works. Easy  Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a  zip lock bag. Seal; mash till they are all broken up Add  remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up  mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze  mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done - easy  clean up.  Reheating  refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes,  or muffins that were refrigerated, place them  in A microwave next to a cup of  water. The increased moisture will keep the  food Moist and help it reheat  faster.  Newspaper  weeds away Start putting torn newspaper  in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet  newspapers, Put layers around the  plants, overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget  about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening  plastic; they will not get through wet  newspapers. Broken  Glass Use a wet cotton ball or  Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see  easily. Flexible  vacuum To get something out of a  heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper  towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to  your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow  openings. Reducing  Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to  the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt  or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when  wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta  DA! .. Static is gone.  Measuring  Cups Before  you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with  hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup.  Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and  watch how easily it comes right out. ?  Foggy  Windshield?  Hate  foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in  the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with  the eraser! Works better than a  cloth! Reopening  envelope If  you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to  include something inside, Just place your sealed  envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It  unseals easily. Conditioner Use  your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper  than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.  It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought  but didn't like when you tried it in your  hair. Goodbye  Fruit Flies To  get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it  1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar And 2 drops of dish  washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn  to the cup and gone forever!  Get  Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal  where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't  digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so,  especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have  the worry about pets or small children being  harmed! INFO  ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The  heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that  fixes things around the house for us told us that he  wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer  and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always  clean the lint from the filter after every load of  clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot  water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material  . I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks  like. Well .... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh!  It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer  sheets cause a film over that mesh - that's what burns out  the heating unit. You can't SEE   the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets  to make your clothes soft and static free. You know how  they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ...  well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint  screen. This is also what causes dryer units to  potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best  way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and  to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter  out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush  at least every six months. He said that increases the  life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about  that!?! Learn something new every day! I certainly  didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd  share! Note:   I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water  on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly  collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it  with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done  in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it ... the water ran  right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all!  That repairman knew what he was talking about!  PLEASE  PASS THIS ON TO OTHER FRIENDS IN YOUR ADDRESS  BOOK. NOT  ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE a  life !

 

 

Martha's Kitchen Korner

Some of you may have noticed that I've been making a few changes to Martha's Kitchen Korner...the real kitchen korner.  Most of you remember the blue kitchen that I've used forever, well a few weeks ago I received a message from a lady that tells me he picture is one of her retro kitchen pictures and in no uncertain terms suggested that I remove it quickly form my site.  After much pondering a friend suggested I make a picture of my own kitchen.  So I took a picture and replaced it with the blue kitchen.  The more I looked at my kitchen picture the more I wanted to make some changes, thus creating my Martha's Kitchen Korner project. 

One thing I decided when starting this "little" endeavor was that I would take it slow and just do a little each week.  I started by wall papering the walls, one side each week.  Then came the cabinets, one section each week.  So, above you will see the new Martha's Kitchen Korner.  It's bright making it fun to work in.

Now, I did discover 2 things that I didn't know before.  One was in the drawer that held my steak knives and other miscellaneous knives.  There are dividers in the drawer which holds the knives in one section.  When I emptied the drawer I noticed the back of my drawer looked like something had been chewing on the wood.  Turns out that every time the drawer was opened some of the knives would slide into the back of the drawer, tips 1st causing them to stick the wood.  Over time they actually chipped out little pieces of wood.  I solved this by applying a piece of foam to the back of the drawer. 

My second discovery was the use of wax paper.  When I paint cabinet doors I've always placed them on newspaper, painted one side, allowed it to dry and then turned over for the other side.  It never failed that some of the paper would stick to the doors.  I decided to try laying the doors on parchment paper.  That worked ok but there were times when the paint would dry on the paper and attach itself to the fresh paint when turned over.  Then I tried wax paper.  It takes a little more but it works perfect and you can use the sheets over and over. 

So, next time you decide to paint your kitchen, remember my 2 discoveries.

Portabella Spaghetti

Whether you are a vegetarian or just want to try something different, this dish is perfect and of course, simple.  Here is what I did:

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, covered a baking dish with foil sprayed with non-stick spray, placed 4 large portabella top side down on the foil.  Bake about 20 minutes.  You want them to still be slightly firm.  Cook enough spaghetti to serve 4 and heat up a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.  Place a serving of spaghetti into an oven proof serving dish, top with sauce, place portabella top side down over the sauce.  Top the portabella with your favorite shredded cheese and oregano.  Place under a broiler until cheese melts.

Due to the meaty flavor of the portabella, you will never miss the meat.  But...if you must have meat, brown some up and add it to your sauce or use a sauce that has the meat included.  This dish is mmmm mmm good!

Think With Your Tastebuds - Desserts

Thank you to everyone who participated in helping me select the cover for my new cookbook Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts which will be coming out in June, 2011.  This is the cover that received the most votes.  It's beautiful!  Thank you to all of you.

Ground Beef Balls

One night this week I was trying to come up with something different to do with ground beef.  Then it hit me.  I like sausage balls, why not make ground beef balls.  This is what I did.

1 lb extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 Tbsp. dried onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
1 1/2 cups biscuit mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together.  Form in to golf ball size balls.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  I made up a little white milk gravy to serve over mine.  They sure are good!  Makes about 12-15 balls.

Pace Stuffed Baby Bellas

Foodbuzz's Tastemakers and Pace Picante sent me 2 free jars of Pace's Original Picante Sauce to work up a dish suitable for a Super Bowl party.  I didn't make up one but 3 that I think will tantalize the taste buds of just about anyone who loves mushrooms. 

36 Baby Bellas
1 jar (8 oz.) Pace Picante Sauce
Medium size, pre-cooked shrimp
Wheat Crackers
cracker size cuts of cheddar cheese
Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Gently wipe off your mushrooms.  Carefully, using the tip of a paring knife, cut around the stem without cutting through into the cap of the mushroom.  Pop out the stem and set aside for other dishes.  For those made without crackers, spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.  Place mushrooms, cap side down into each tin.  Fill each cap with Pace Picante Sauce.  Top with shrimp and sprinkle with pepper jack cheese.  For those made with crackers, line a cookie pan with foil, spray with non-stick spray.  Assemble - cracker, cheddar cheese square, mushroom cap, Pace Picante Sauce and pepper jack cheese.  Bake 15-20 minutes. 

I passed these around to some of my Food Testers.  They were a great hit!  I personally like those made with shrimp best but I love shrimp.  Those made with crackers are delicious but are 2-3 biters so you must remember the Pace Picante sauce is inside and can spill out.  But it's worth it!

Pictured - Top left - Crackers with cheddar, Pace Picante and Pepper Jack
                Top Right - No crackers with Pace Picante and Pepper Jack
                Bottom - No crackers wit Pace Picante, Shrimp and Pepper Jack

Enjoy!