A Few More Tips for the Kitchen

I love getting tips from magazines, other people, and sometimes, the school-of-hard-knocks and the wisdom that comes from mistakes I've made. These few tips are very practical and maybe will be helpful in your kitchen. Blessings...

1. Sometimes, even those of us who love to cook take the easy and fast way of opening a prepared meal from the freezer for dinner. There are some very good ones, now, from many different cuisines. When I use one, I add extra veggies such as sliced carrots, sweet red pepper, fresh onion or broccoli to an Asian meal or Italian meal. Great added nutrition.

2. Clean up is easier when measuring things like spices, powdered sugar or baking cocoa, if you do the measuring over waxed paper or the empty liners from cereal boxes that have been cut open and laid flat. The spills can be poured back into the container for later use, rather than being wiped up and thrown down the garbage disposal. 

3. Summertime is the time for lots of fresh berries. If you freeze them when in season a great deal of money can be saved over buying them at the market. Gently wash blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. and drain them on paper toweling. Lay them on cookie sheets in a single layer and freeze them until hard. Measure one cup measurements into freezer bags for later use. Strawberries can be done for things like smoothies, and not much else, as they are very mushy when thawed.

4. To freshen the kitchen drain, pour 1/2 cup Borax into the drain and follow with 2 cups boiling water. This is also great for keeping the other drains in the house fresh, as well. Borax is amazingly cheap.

5. If your recipe calls for buttermilk and you find none in the fridge, try this substitution trick. Measure 1 teaspoon lemon juice, preferably fresh, into a 1 cup measure and add milk to make 1 cup. I've been using this trick for years with very good results.