Potato Masher Twist

'Potato Masher Twist' - a straight down move and then a slight twist of the wrist.

Did you know that potato mashers have more uses than just mashing potatoes?  Well, they do.  I've found just a few and if you think about it I'm sure you can come up with more.  Here are just a couple of things I do beside mashing the potatoes.

When one of my ingredients calls for browned ground beef I've found that you can crumble it by using your trusty old potato masher.  You simply smash down and give it a little twist.  You can do this after the meat is cooked but it's a lot easier if you do it as it's cooking.

When I make my beef veggie soup I like to cook the meat until it's falling apart.  To help it along I use the 'Potato Masher Twist'.  This breaks the meat up to the size you want it to be.

Mixing butter and flour is made a little easier by using the potato masher.  It won't do the job completely but it sure is a quick start allowing you to only use your hands near the end.  This also works with cream cheese.

When I made my sausage balls this year I started my blend of flour, sausage and cheese using the masher.

These are just a few of my uses.  I would love for you to post any other uses you've found for this remarkable little tool.  There is just one thing that I have to warn you about.  Make sure you use the type pictured above.  If you try doing this with one that has holes it will work but not as well and it's a lot harder to clean up.

Waiting to hear from you!

Best metabolism boosting foods - Part 7

7. Green tea

While black tea, oolong and green tea all come from the same plant, green tea leaves are prepared differently. As a result, green tea is richer in antioxidants called catechins, which may trigger a boost in metabolism (and weight loss) by stimulating the body to burn calories.

Comment:  I haven't been a hot tea drinker since childhood.  Mother used to make it for me when I was sick so my mind seems to relate it to being ill.  Might try to give it another chance.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

1 medium sweet potato
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch of cloves - to taste

Peel the sweet potato and grate as you would for hash browns.  Melt the butter.  Stir the sugar into the butter.  Toss melted butter into the grated potato.  Spray a non-stick frying pan with non-stick spray.  Over medium high heat 'fry' the potatoes until done, allowing some to actually brown.  Sprinkle with cloves.  Serves 2

Comment:  When I was a kid my Mom would make fried sweet potatoes.  She would cut them into strips and fry them in butter allowing some to brown.  When they were done she would sprinkle them with sugar instead of salt.  This was a delicious dessert for us.  I decided to try grating my potatoes and see if I could get the same taste without all the butter that was required when she fried hers.  This worked perfectly!  I could eat these every day!  If you don't like cloves you can sprinkle a little nutmeg or cinnamon or nothing at all.

Better Baking Tip

The easiest thing you can do to make any recipe better is to set out all of your ingredients, and then wait 30 minutes.  That 30 minutes allows the butter to get to room temperature, so it's perfectly softened and will smooth into anything. Eggs at room temperature will also result in baked goods with more volume.

(This tip is from Better Homes and Gardens)

Baked Bacon

I hate to fry bacon!  And the microwave type never seems to cook evenly.  I end up with some of the bacon being burned, some crispy and some limp...  all 3 in just 1 piece of bacon!  The other day I found that I had a package of bacon that needed to be cooked but I wasn't ready to eat it just yet.  Soooo I preheated the oven to 400, lined a cookie sheet with sides with foil, put my bacon down trying to keep it from touching and stuck it in the oven.  I couldn't get the full package to fit the one pan but that was ok too.

The 1st pieces of bacon were ready in about 8 minutes after being turned once about half way through.  About half of the bacon was done after the 8 minutes and these were around the outer edges.  I removed them and added the rest of the bacon.  After about 4 minutes I was able to remove the rest of the 1st batch and turn the 2nd batch, removing them in about 4 more minutes.

When I fry bacon it pops and makes a mess of my stove.  To get it to cook evenly and not curl I usually have to cut it in half and use a bacon press.  Not with this method!  It didn't curl, it stayed flat without the press and it didn't seem to shrink very much.  My cooked bacon came out with the crispy texture I wanted and perfect for just about any use.

Now... I still didn't need a whole package of bacon so I put it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator.  To use it I simply put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds (700 watt) and it comes out warm and perfect with no burning.

This may sound like it takes longer but it really doesn't and it's so much better than frying or microwaving.

Sweet Wild Rice

This isn't a real recipe so I'm posting it here... but it is a really tasty dish that you might want to try.

I love Wild Rice Blends and my favorite carries the HT Traders brand.  It has American basmati white rice, wild rice, brown and red rice.  A few days ago I ended up cooking too much rice and didn't know what I would do the the leftover.  Then it hit me.  When I was a kid my mom would make a sweet rice that contained butter, sugar, and canned cream.  I've never tried this using wild rice before so I didn't know if it would work but decided to give it a try.  I opened the refrigerator to get the butter and spotted a partial can of cake icing.  It was the Cinnamon Bun flavor.  Why not?  Instead of sugar and cream I mixed just enough to slightly sweeten the rice.  OMGoodness!  This is so good.  The different textures of the rice gave it a uniqueness.  The slight sweetness and cinnamon was a perfect blend.  I took some to a neighbor and she begged me to cook too much rice and bring her some more.

Think of the possibilities - chocolate, strawberry, cream cheese, pecan & coconut, the list goes on and on.  And it doesn't take much to flavor and sweeten the rice.  Plus, everyone can have a different flavor if they want.  This is a must try.  Just add a little icing mix at a time to your hot/warm rice allowing it to melt.  Then just enjoy.

Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer: - Part 5

Vanilla

Shelf Life - long lasting

Do keep vanilla in a tightly sealed container away from light and heat.

Don't get rid of old vanilla.  Vanilla's high alcohol content makes it extremely self-stable.  Tests found that even 10 year old vanilla is indistinguishable from fresh.

Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer: - Part 4

Soy Sauce

Shelf Life 1 year

Do store pasteurized soy sauce (most common type) in the pantry.

Don't store unpasteurized soy sauce in the pantry: put it in the fridge.  Though the high levels of salt, sugar, and acid in this fermented soybean liquid protect against rapid spoilage,  tests showed it took on a fishy flavor after a few months in the cupboard.

Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer: - Part 3

Vinegars

Shelf Life - long lasting

Do ignore any sediment in your vinegar.  The sediment is a harmless cellulose that has been shown to not affect taste.  It can be easily strained out if you want.

Don't toss old vinegar.  Most vinegars contain about 5% acetic acid, which (along with pasteurization) prevents the growth of harmful bacteria, and will last indefinitely.

Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer: - Part 2

Olive Oil 

Shelf Life - unopened 1 year; opened 3 months

Do check the harvest date printed on the label and high-end oils to ensure the freshest bottle possible (some labels cite an expiration date, which producers typically calculate as 18 months from harvesting, but unopened olive oil can go rancid 1 year after the harvest date.

Do move olive oil from the countertop or windowsill to a dark pantry or cupboard.  Strong sunlight will oxidize the chlorophyll in the oil, producing stale, harsh flavors.

Don't buy olive oil in bulk.  Once opened, it has a very short shelf life.

Checking for freshness - heat a little olive oil in a skillet.  If it smells rancid, throw out the bottle.  This test works for all vegetable oils.

Other Oils

For optimal flavor, replace these oils 6 months after opening:

Store in the pantry:

  Canola
  Corn
  Peanut
  Vegetable

Store in the fridge:

  Sesame
  Walnut

Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer - Part 1

Spices and Dried Herbs

Shelf Life:  Whole spices 2 years; Ground spices and dried herbs 1 year.

Do buy spices whole, versus ground, whenever possible and grind them just before using.  Grinding releases the volatile compounds that give a spice its flavor and aroma.  The longer the spice sits around (or is stored) the more compounds disappear.

Don't store spices and herbs on the counter close to the stove.  Heat, light, and moisture shorten their life. 

Checking for freshness - crumble a small amount of the dried herb between your fingers and take a whif.  If it releases a lively aroma, it's still good to go.  If the aroma and color of the spice have faded, it's time to restock.

Info from Cooking Illustrated Magazine

Glass Covers

Use cupcake cases to cover drinks glasses in the summer

and prevent flies from dropping in.

GOOD ONE
Just in time for Summer!

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Drop a couple of denture cleaning tablets into the

toilet bowl at night to clean off stubborn stains.

Chopping Onions

To prevent your eyes watering while chopping onions,

wipe the chopping board with white vinegar

(which won't affect the taste of the onions).

Bed Sheets

Store bed sheets inside their pillowcases for easy storage and access.

This is a super idea!

Jar Opening

Use rubber bands to help open a jar easily:

place one around the jar lid and another around the middle of the glass.

The rubber provides friction to prevent your hands from slipping.

Scissors

To sharpen scissors, simply cut through sandpaper.

ANOTHER GOOD ONE

Chopping Board

To clean a wooden chopping board, sprinkle on a handful of Kosher salt

and rub with half a lemon.

Rinse with clean water and dry to ensure it is clean and germ-free.

House Plants

Prevent soil from escaping through the holes in the base

of flowerpots by lining with large coffee filters

Good Egg, Bad Egg

To tell if eggs are fresh, immerse them in a bowl of water.

Fresh eggs will lie on the bottom, while stale eggs will float to the surface.