Always a crazy time of year. After a nice,  relaxing summer.... we're back!!   Kids have multiple schedules.  Work is in full swing.  What is a cook to do?  How do you feed the whole family a wholesome meal?  I have two words for you.....

CROCK POT!!!!!!

I bought mine at Costco last year pretty cheap.  And it is huge.  Some days,  when the schedules are out of hand,   I take my favorite stew or casserole recipe (and the pot comes with some really good ones)  and I put all the ingredients in at 8 AM  before we all leave for the day.  When we all get home,  the house smells really great!  One child can have a good hearty meal at 5 and then run off to baseball practice.  The other gets home at 5:30 from music lessons and has the same hearty meal.  My husband and I can eat the same thing when we are relaxing at night and it still tastes great!  And the best part is,  I haven't had to cook 3 times and the dishes are minimal!!

If you all miraculously sit down to eat the meal together,  the inside of the crock pot is a nice white porcelain serving dish (one less thing to wash!)

Sure beats McDonald's on the run.  Give it a try.  Let me know what you think!

Love fresh pasta but don't want to spend the time to make it from scratch?

Go to the supermarket and look near the produce aisle where the tofu is kept.  Find the egg roll or wonton wrappers and buy them.  These are simply beautiful sheets of pasta dough that you can use in a variety of ways.  For example,  lay one wonton wrapper on a clean counter and place a big dollop of filling in the center (ex.  spinach and cheese pureed together)  Brush the perimeter of the dough with water and place another wonton wrapper on top of this.  Seal the edges tightly with your fingers.  Let dry for a few minutes and then boil in salted water for about 3 minutes.  Delicious homemade ravioli!!  Or simply cut in thin or thick strips for noodles!  (see chicken noodle soup in recipe section of this site)

Are your cookies spreading too much when you bake them? 

They taste great but you just can't get them to look good.  They spread out and lay totally flat on the cookie sheet.  Here is a great idea.  First,  take a small ice cream scoop and scoop out little balls of dough onto your cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly.  Then,  place them in the refrigerator for half an hour before you bake them.  I promise they will be beautiful and they won't spread nearly as much!

Kitchen Scissors

You have all seen them.  They come with the standard knife sets.  They are the kitchen scissors.   But do you ever use them for anything other than wrapping presents?  Here are  two ways I like to use these very handy tools. 

First,  nothing works better for cutting pizza when you don't have a pizza wheel. 

Second,  they are great at cutting the ends off bread for finicky sandwich eaters or fancy tea sandwiches.

Holiday Tip

If you have seen that beautiful peppermint chocolate bark at the mall stores lately you know just how wonderful and tempting it looks!  But it can cost anywhere from $10 to $20 per pound.  Well,  in the words of my grandmother Ida,  "We can make that at home!"  Here's how:

Melt a package of semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave (medium power for 1 minute and then stir to finish the melting).  Spread it out on an ungreased sheet of parchment paper (available at the supermarket).   Let cool completely.  Then do the same with white chocolate (except use low power for 45 seconds,  stir,  return for 45 seconds more at low and continue this until melted -  add a bit of shortening if still lumpy).  Now spread this out on top of the semisweet chocolate - covering completely.  Let that cool almost all the way.   In a plastic ziploc,  place 3 or 4 candy canes and close bag.  Smash them into small pieces with the side of a can or a mallet.  Sift the pieces to remove candy cane dust.  (Save this for ice cream and cookie sprinkles!)  Place the pieces randomly on the still slightly warm white chocolate.  Then let cool and break into pieces.  Voila.  Just saved yourself some bucks!

Tip

What to do with all those tomatoes?

Had a bumper crop this year? After you give some to the neighbors,  try this.  Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.  Slice the tomatoes very thin. Place on an oiled baking sheet and salt them lightly.  You can add some fresh basil to the top of each if you like.  Place them in the oven for a few hours or until they dry out.  Voila!  Homemade "sun-dried"  tomatoes!  These have a very concentrated tomato flavor that is a great addition to sauces or sandwiches!  They keep very well in the refrigerator.  Place in an air tight container and cover with a thin layer of olive oil if you plan on keeping them a long time.

Tip

Great Summertime Refreshing Drinks

 Iced Green Tea -  Steep about 6 bags of your favorite green tea (I like the one with passionfruit and mango flavoring)  in about 8 ounces of hot water until very dark.  (Sometimes I leave it overnight)  Remove bags and pour into 2 gallon jug.  Add water until it is as light as you like it.  For sweetening,  I add one packet of artificial sweetener for the whole jug and it is just right for me.   If you prefer to avoid this,  you can add a little apple juice (about a cup)  or any other fruit juice.  Chill and enjoy.

Another good iced tea is Red Zinger with apple juice for sweetening.  Try any of your favorite teas iced.

In my house right now,  my kids and I have a drink we call "the usual".  We drink it all day long.  It is very simple -  just seltzer or club soda with a splash of cranberry juice.  Very refreshing and not too sweet.  Try it -  much better than soda!

Tip

Easy Chocolate Fondue

This is a fantastic treat for kids.  A real hit at sleepovers!  And simple to make.  Also a great way to get your kids to eat fruit! Fill a small glass (microwave safe) bowl with chocolate chips.  Place in microwave at medium power for about 1 minute.  Remove and stir.  Return to microwave and repeat.  Stir every minute or so to prevent burning.  Remove when chocolate is completely melted.  Add a small amount of room temperature heavy cream.  If you have none at room temp,  simply microwave it for  about 20 seconds and then add it.

Slice some bananas,  strawberries,  peaches or any fruit you like with chocolate and place on a tray.  Other good items for dipping are cookies,  pretzels,  marshmallows - use your imagination.  Arrange nicely on tray.  Then give each person a fork and let them go!  If you are concerned about germs,   give each person an individual small bowl of their own fondue!  A second bowl of sprinkles or chopped nuts is also fun.

 Incidentally,  the days of melting chocolate over a double boiler are gone.  For most of our home purposes,  the microwave does a fine job as long as you stir often and use medium power to prevent burning.  Much easier to clean up as well!

Tip

Great for kids -  In the dog days of summer  what kid doesn't want an ice pop?  

Here is a great idea for a pop that will help them beat both the heat and dehydration!

Fill plastic ice pop molds (from the supermarket)  with Gatorade in pretty colors and freeze.  If you want to get real fancy fill them half way with one color and freeze.  Then finish filling with a second color and refreeze.  Yum!

 Tip

Compound Butter

Compound butter is a delicious topping for many dishes.  The butter itself adds a velvety taste to finish any grilled meat,  while the added ingredients provide additional flavors which enhance the flavors of the dish.   To make compound butter,   take a stick of butter out of the refrigerator and let it rest until it softens to room temperature. 
 

For a great accompaniment to steak or other grilled meats:

     Saute 1 - 2 cloves garlic in a bit of olive oil until lightly browned.  Chop a few tablespoons of your favorite fresh herbs.  Fold the garlic and herbs and salt and pepper to the softened butter until just blended.  Place softened butter on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and roll into a log (like slice and bake cookies).  Place the log in the freezer and after grilling your favorite steak,  slice a piece of butter off the roll and place on top of the steak before serving.

For salmon: 

    Fold chopped basil or pesto sauce into the butter.   Freeze or refrigerate and place atop grilled salmon just before serving.

For biscuits:

    Try adding fresh,  finely chopped strawberries to the butter.  Roll up in a log and place in refrigerator.  Slice as needed.

Tip

 How to deal with slippery cutting boards

Do you find that your cutting board won't stay still on the counter?  Here is a simple and effective way to fix this.  Take a paper towel and dampen it.  Then lay it out on the counter and place your cutting board directly over it.  Voila!