Mom Cooking Tip 145

If a layer cake hasn’t fully cooled when you frost it, the icing will slide off.

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A Cheap Emergency Meal

Thank goodness for eggs.  Most people who have refrigerators also have a box of eggs in them.  Eggs are cheap, versatile and full of protein.  They’re one of the basics of my life, whether I’m making a dessert, an omelet or a heavy-duty soup that can serve as a main course.

When I’ve assessed the contents of my freezer and can find nothing I want to eat for dinner, I turn to Oniony Egg Soup.  I don’t know where the recipe came from, but I’ve been making it for years. 

It doesn’t require many ingredients:

Question for Mom

(Left) Uncooked Broccoli  (Middle) Broccoli Cooked for 5 minutes  (Right) Broccoli Cooked for 10 Minutes

Why do green vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts and green beans become dull and unappetizing when I cook them? –Ralph B.

Most likely you overcooked them.  To maintain their bright color, cut the vegetables into smaller pieces and cook them for no longer than 5 minutes.

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Vanilla: Why Does It Cost So Much Today?

I got some real sticker shock a few days ago when I bought a large bottle of vanilla extract.  A few years ago a 16-ounce bottle cost $8.  That same bottle now sells for $34. 

I do a lot of baking, especially with chocolate, and I never skimp on the vanilla.  It was probably my first unwritten cooking rule—Honor the vanilla.  Never use imitation vanilla, made from something called vanillin. 

The Nancy Drew in me did some research and discovered a few reasons why vanilla extract has shot up in price.

Mom Cooking Tip 144

Keep a loaf of French bread in the freezer – if it won't fit, cut it in half or thirds .  Warm French bread is good for emergencies.  Make garlic bread or simply heat and slice the bread and serve it with butter.

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It’s Time to Take Turkey Leftovers Out of the Freezer

After gorging on turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I got truly sick of it.  That’s why I carefully packaged up the leftovers and popped them in the freezer for a day when I’d appreciate them. 

Well, that day arrived.  After rummaging through an overcrowded freezer, I was actually excited to see a package labeled Christmas Turkey Leftovers.  A few nights ago I made Turkey Stuffed Tortillas--cut up pieces of turkey as a filling for a heated tortilla, topped with grated cheese, guacamole and salsa.

Then I used up some more

Mom Money-Saving Tip 91

To keep bread from getting stale, do not refrigerate it.  Store it at room temperature or in the freezer.

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Mom Cooking Tip 143

DO NOT DO THIS: chop large chunks of chocolate in the food processor.  You may break the food processor.  Better to melt the large chunks first or use chocolate disks, small chocolate bars or chocolate chips instead. 

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My Adventure with Baby Back Ribs

Ribs have never been part of my culinary life.  I’d eaten them several times but never cooked them.  Never considered cooking them.  But with several one avid meat eaters in the family, surrounded by vegetarians, partial vegetarians and a few fish lovers, I figured it was time to branch out.

My inspiration was a sale on pork baby back ribs: $1.99 per pound versus $6.99 per pound, saving $16.  I dashed home with my bargain and began opening cookbooks and checking internet recipes.  Because my grill is in the shop, I needed a recipe for oven-baked ribs, and I didn’t find many.  One involved slathering the ribs with mustard and liquid smoke, while another called for a dry spice rub.  One said bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours, another said 300 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours while a third said 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Who to believe?

Question for Mom?

Why do my hard-boiled eggs have a green ring around the yolk? –Melanie R.

You overcooked them.  They will still taste fine, though.  Here are two ways to cook hardboiled eggs.

1) Gently place the eggs in a pot of boiling water, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 2 minutes.  Drain and add cold water to the pot to cool the eggs.  Peel, wrap in plastic or place in a covered container and refrigerate until needed.  This approach works well if you are also cooking a pot of noodles.  You can cook the eggs and the noodles at the same time.

2) Put the eggs in a small pot, cover with cold water and then a lid.  Bring the water to a boil (about 5 minutes) and cook the egg for 3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water, covered, for 12 minutes.  Then drain and add cold water to the pot to cool the eggs.  Peel, wrap in plastic or place in a covered container and refrigerate until needed.

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Please Teenagers with Homemade Chicken Fingers

Whenever I’m trying to figure out a dinner menu that includes teenagers, Chicken Fingers pop into my head.  This is a main course I started making years ago in London, inspired by my kids’ love of Fish Fingers (the British version of Fish Sticks).

At the time, chicken tenders were not available at the grocery store, so I simply cut boneless chicken breasts into “fingers,” marinated them for a while, breaded them and then baked them.  Leftovers made great snacks—although late-night excursions to the fridge usually resulted in an empty plate by morning.

Question for Mom

Do I have to soak dry beans before I cook them? –Natalie T.

No.  Not soaking beans means they will take a bit longer to soften during cooking – maybe 3 hours instead of 45 minutes-to-2 hours.  The longer you cook them, the more chance they will boil dry and burn in the pot.  Yes, I confess I have done that.  But that could have also happened had I soaked them first, so keep the heat low and check them often.

However, there is a good reason to soak dry bean.  Soaking reduces the possibility of flatulence. Here’s what the University of Nebraska website says about soaking and cooking dry beans:

Shortcuts in the Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 I love shortcuts when they work.  And you never know if they will work until you test them.  I tried what I thought might be a shortcut yesterday and was mightily disappointed.  I’ll say this much – it involved using packaged frozen chocolate chip cookie dough as a crust

I’d read about this in a magazine recently, and it sounded clever and quick.  It was clever and quick.  And the end result looked quite presentable.  It just didn’t taste very good.   I should have made my own chocolate chip cookie dough - but then it wouldn't have been a shortcut.