Mom Money-Saving Tip 81

If a recipe calls for buttermilk and you don’t want to buy a whole quart of it, here’s how to make it yourself.  Add I tablespoon lemon juice to a cup of milk.  Wait 5 minutes and it’s ready.

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Mom Cooking Tip 106

Eggplant tastes a lot better when you peel and discard its purple-black skin before cooking it.  Once I figured this out, I began to like Eggplant Parmesan.

Ramen Noodles Not Just for College Students

If you toss out the flavor packet (too much salt), packaged ramen noodles can be the basis of a reasonable emergency meal.  I proved it last night when I was scrambling to get dinner on the table and discovered two lonely packages of ramen noodles at the back of a pantry shelf.  They were just what I needed for the leftover pork stir-fry I wanted to make.

Mom Cooking Tip 105

After serving ice cream, put plastic wrap directly on top of what’s left.  That will help prevent ice crystals forming inside the container.

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Mom’s Basic Bootcamp: Salmon

This is the third in a series of basic recipes anyone can easily make.  They have existed for centuries because 1) they are simple, and 2) they taste good.  Once you master their preparation, you’re free to improvise…or not. 

A popular restaurant menu item, fresh salmon is very easy to cook at home.  You can grill it, roast it, poach it or pan-fry it.  You can serve it whole or as fillets, steaks or kebabs.  You can make it into a soup or an appetizer spread the British call Potted Salmon.  If any salmon is left over, you can turn it into Salmon Cakes or add it to Risotto or a salad.  If you’re adventurous, you can even make your own smoked salmon.

Served hot or cold, salmon is hard to ruin. 

Mom Money-Saving Tip 80

Did you know you can freeze grapes?  Buy some extra seedless ones when they’re on sale.  Wash and dry individual grapes and put them on a tray in the freezer.  Make sure they don’t touch each other.  When they're frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag, seal it tightly and store in the freezer.  They will last for several weeks.  Serve them frozen, if you like, but they taste like fresh grapes once they have defrosted..

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Everything Is Better with Chocolate, Even Pizza

When I first floated the idea of making Chocolate Pizza, my kids thought I was nuts.  They said that chocolate did not belong in the same sentence with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, sausage, anchovies or pepperoni.  And I agreed. 

I’m not about to waste chocolate on a cockamamie idea, but I could visualize this pizza.   Maybe it’s because I make regular pizza at least once a week, or maybe it’s because I’m slighted obsessed (some would say demented) when it comes to chocolate.