Potato Peeling by Mary Anne

Here's an easy way to peel potatos... it's basically the same thing you would do to blanch a tomato or another veggie, but what a great tip! And a bonus - it's Mary Anne (Dawn Wells) from Gilligan's Island!

Napkin Folding 101

I found this tutorial on 12 different napkin folds via Hostess With The Mostess. Throw a party with the best of 'em by dressing up your table with a pretty napkin.

Photo: HWTM

Lunches on the Go

Whether it's sending the kids off to school, helping the spouse out the door in the morning, trying to leave before traffic gets too bad, or just wanting to cut back on spending- lunches and snacks to take from home for school or work can be a great option to always eating out during the day while you're away from home.

I recently came across Hillbilly Housewife, where they share all kinds of fresh ideas for ways to keep from getting in the "sandwich, chips, and juicebox" rut that many can fall in to!

For the main entree of a lunch box, they suggest choosing from one of the following:
Tuna Salad with Celery
Egg Salad with Pickles
Chicken Salad with Raisins
Turkey Salad with Curry Powder
Baloney & Cheese & Mustard & Mayo
Turkey and Cranberry sauce
Fried Spam & Cheese
Fried Canned Corned Beef & Sauerkraut
Meatballs in a hotdog bun with tomato sauce
Meat Loaf with Tomato Slices
Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato
Bacon and Fried Eggs
Fried Baloney or Spam & Fried Eggs
Sloppy Joes
Turkey & Bacon and bean sprouts
Sliced Cucumbers & Butter
Sliced Cucumbers & Cream Cheese
Cream Cheese & Jelly
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff
Peanut Butter & Raisins
Sausage & Egg Biscuit
Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Pork Roast & BBQ Sauce & coleslaw
Sliced Beef Roast & horseradish
Sliced Beef and Swiss Cheese
Sliced Beef & Cream Cheese
Sliced Beef & fried onions or mushrooms
Loose fried hamburger & onions & cheese
Burritos with beef or beans & cheese
Tacos
Quesadilla (fried cheese tortillas)
Baloney, mayonnaise & Pineapple Rings
Cream Cheese & minced peppers
Baked beans with pickle relish
Hamburgers with fixings
Corn Dogs
Hot Dogs with Chili
Hot Dogs with Cheese
Hot Dogs with Coleslaw
Chopped Chicken & BBQ Sauce
Ham Salad with Pickles
Fajitas with Beef or Chicken
Baloney, Mustard & Sprouts, wrapped in a tortilla

If you've got a thermos on hand, you can also try out any of these:
Baked Beans & Sliced Hotdogs
1/2 cup Hot Rice with 1/2 cup Beef & Broccoli overtop
Mashed potatoes with creamed chicken or turkey & gravy
Tuna Casserole
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Beef & Tomato Casserole
Canned Soups
Chowders
Creamed Soups
Hot Pinto Beans & Salt Pork or Bacon
Chili with beans
Spaghetti and Sauce
Chopped up Lasagna
Scalloped Potatoes or Potatoes Au Gratin
Macaroni & Cheese
Lentils & Rice
Beef Stew
Hamburger Gravy to spoon over bread
Sausage Gravy to spoon over biscuits
Creamed Ham to spoon over biscuits
Mashed Potatoes with Cheese
Ramen Noodles & Veggies

Great options for the classic Ziploc baggie can include these:
Apple Wedges
Orange Smiles
Cluster of Grapes
Small Banana
Carrot Sticks
Celery Sticks
Broccoli Trees
Turnip Sticks
Radishes
Boiled Eggs
Green Pepper Strips
Cucumber Slices
Cheese Cubes
Peanut Butter Crackers
Crackers & Baloney Triangles
Crackers & Cheese Slices
Crackers & Cream Cheese
Pretzels
Popcorn
Caramel Corn
Raisins
Dry Apricots
Prunes
Banana Chips
Peanuts
Sunflower Seeds
Cheese Crackers
Celery stuffed with Peanut Butter
Celery stuffed with Cream Cheese
Granola
Gorp
Homemade Cereal Snack Mix (like chex mix)

And finally, to add some variety to your drink selection during the day, choose from one of these:
Reconstituted Milk
Chocolate Milk
Hot Chocolate
Hot Coffee or Tea
Kool-Aid
Iced Tea
Ice Water
Fruit Smoothies
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Grape Juice
Lemonade

You can view the original post for "Lunchbox food" here!

Also, in the next few days, check out our Sassy Chefs store for some great options for a thermos!

Enjoy!

The Garlic Smash

My mom (my own culinary teacher!) recently said I should write a post about how to peel garlic. I was shocked that she didn't know the technique that I have loving dubbed, "The Garlic Smash"! The very best way to get a clove of garlic out of its paper is to take a flat object (I use the flat edge of your chopping knife - it's probably what you will use to cut up the garlic anyway, so it's convenient), and place it on top of the clove of garlic. Use one hand to steady your choice flat object and the other to give it a good firm smash! The clove will separate from the paper making peeling easy!

Photo: courtesy of startcooking.com.

So - mom, and the rest of you faithful readers - happy smashing! And if you have a great way to peel garlic - leave it as a comment!

Kristy

Frozen to Dinner-ready in 5 min.

In our little newlywed family, we have to be very conscious about how our money is spent each month. One way that we've been able to lower our monthly grocery bill is by buying some of our meat (mainly lean ground beef and chicken cutlets or chicken breasts) in bulk when it goes on sale.

I've NEVER been a fan of defrosting, though. Especially meat. I've taken too many microbiology courses to make me overly-aware of the possible bacteria that could proliferate if I were to defrost something in the wrong way or time frame.

Recently, though, I've started using an old trick of my Mom's that works perfectly for frozen meat! The morning of the day you'll be cooking, place the meat in the fridge. That evening when you're ready to cook, turn your tap water on very hot and start to run the meat (chicken, beef, doesn't matter!) underneath the faucet. Soon the styrofoam bottom will peel away very easily. At that point it's a good idea to seperate chicken breasts, etc., one at a time and run each individual breast under the very hot water until you are able to easily palpate it and it no longer feels hard and frozen. Obviously, with beef and other ground meat you'd just need to run it under hot water until you can peel it off its packaging. I usually like to run it under for about a minute more after that point to ensure that even the middle of the meat is properly thawed.

I've also been told that freezing vegetables works well, too; I'd assume you can apply all these same techniques to thawing them as well!

Happy cooking!

Brittany

Weekly Menu and Shopping List

Here's a simple way to build a file of weekly menus and simply grocery shopping.

First, create a list of meals you want to prepare for the week. Put some thought in to it and try to pair meals with similar ingredients or "convertible leftovers" (for example, leftover roasted chicken may become chicken tacos the next night).

Once you've created your list of meals, make a complete grocery list on your computer and save it by Date (e.g. "October week 2" or "November 7-12"). Include all of the ingredients for each dish, even if you know you already have it. This part takes a bit more time up front, but it will save you tons of time in the long run!

Print your list and go shopping in your kitchen first. Mark off any items you have and then head out the door to the grocery store!

On weeks that you have more time, use this system to create a new menu and grocery list. When you don't have the time - make the system work for you and just open up and old menu. Your grocery list will be pre-made and ready to go! Because you put all of the ingredients on it the first time, you can head back to the kitchen to mark off the items you have, then ..... Just print, and go!

Leave your favorite grocery list system or template as a comment! We love your ideas too!

Cost Comparison: Holiday Turkeys

This is straight out of one of the Sassy Chefs' favorite magazines - Real Simple. This month's issue has a comparison of the cost of the most popular brands of Turkey, and it's worth passing along.

Butterball (frozen): $1.20 / pound

Bell & Evans (fresh): $2.10 / pound

Eberly (Organic): $2.65 / pound

Empire Kosher (Fresh Kosher): $2.90 / pound

Heritage Foods USA (Mail Order): $12.00 / pound

More expensive doesn't necessarily mean better, but it may mean more convenient. Remember that it takes 2-3 days in the fridge to thaw a 12-16 pound turkey, so buy early and thaw early. Otherwise, you may have to pay more for a fresh turkey at the last minute!

Keep some Toothpaste in the Kitchen!

Some of you may have heard of this one, but it works so well, it’s worth sharing. Lots of dishes require some kind of base of garlic and onion, but there is absolutely nothing sassy about smelling like the two tasty companions. Though there are several new smell-cutting soaps on the market, I think this tip works the best.



The solution: you can remove the smell of dinner’s preparation with a little dollop of toothpaste. Make sure to scrub it all in and under your nails and rinse. Voila! Dinner is done, and you're back to sassy.

Kristy