Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

When I moved to California, my neighbor told me about Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, a key ingredient in some Mexican recipes.  Eventually I bought a 7-ounce can to try it.  Here is what learned:

Question for Mom

What am I doing wrong?  I wanted to make a two-layer birthday cake so I mixed up the batter, transferred it to two cake pans and put them in the oven to bake at 350 degrees.  The recipe said to bake the layers for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the layer came out clean.  Luckily I checked after 20 minutes.  The layers were done. In fact, they were overdone. Why did this happen?—Gloria K.

If a cake cooks much faster than it should, it’s likely that the oven is too hot. Some people might say the quicker the better, but too high temperatures are not good for cake-baking. 

Can Food Look Too Pretty to Eat?

I’m not a person who spends a lot of time in the kitchen trying to make what I cook look pretty.  For me, cooking serves a purpose—feeding my family and my friends.  That means getting a meal on the table almost every night.  How the dishes look is much less important to me than how they taste.

Mom Cooking Tip 164

If you keep extra butter in the freezer and sometimes forget to take it out until you’re in the midst of preparing the dish you need it for, here’s what to do.

If the butter is to be melted before adding it to other ingredients,

An Explosive Side Dish

Corn on the cob always heralds summer for me, but after eating it five nights in a row the thrill wears off. That’s when my mind turns to Fresh Corn Fritters.  Nothing could be easier to make, especially if you have a few ears of already cooked corn sitting in the fridge.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 104

Grocery stores often have an out-of-the-way corner full of net bags containing fruit or vegetables a little past their prime.  My local supermarket likes to sell its excess apples or oranges this way for 99 cents per bag.  The other day I found a 2-pound bag of fresh okra as well as a 2-pound bag of fresh yellow squash, each at 99 cents.  There were a few blemishes, but I overlooked them.

                                              See all my Money-Saving Tips!

Salad vs. Vegetable: Can One Dish Serve Two Purposes?

Yes, one dish can serve two purposes—if you choose the right vegetable.  In this case, Dorothy, our hostess, picked fresh green beans.  I know many ways to cook fresh green beans, but making them the basis of a salad never occurred to me.

Dorothy combined the cold cooked beans with halved cherry tomatoes, tossed in a handful of chopped up feta cheese and topped it all with vinaigrette dressing.  What could be easier – or more colorful?  Dorothy is a fashion designer and knows how to dress a table.

Green Bean Salad – serves 4-6 

1/2 pound (8 oz.) fresh green beans, stem end trimmed
2 cups cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
1/2 cup minced feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Vinaigrette dressing 

Half-fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. And the green beans and cook, covered, for 5-to-6 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a sharp knife.  Remove the beans from the heat, drain into a colander and pour cold water over them.  When the beans are cool, cut them into 2-inch pieces. 

Combine the beans and cherry tomato halves in a serving bowl.  Add the feta cheese, salt and black pepper and toss to combine.  Add some dressing and toss again.  Serve when needed.

                  For easy recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

Mom Cooking Tip 163

To thicken tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes, stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste near the end of cooking.  It will give the sauce more body and extra flavor.

                                           See all my Cooking Tips!

Why Are They Called Lava Cookies?

How do certain foods get their names?  Consider Toad in the Hole, a British concoction featuring sausages baked in a flour-egg batter that puffs up in the oven.  Could it be named after the character Toad in “Toad of Toad Hall,” a play written by A.A. Milne of “Winnie the Pooh” fame?

Question for Mom

Are fresh ginger and ground ginger interchangeable? – Stephanie A.

I used to think they were, but after doing some research I discovered that the answer is NO.  Ground ginger is the spice of choice for baking.  I’ve often used it in stir-fries, soups and casseroles, and it provided a good flavor. So I seldom go to the trouble of peeling and dicing fresh ginger.

I did wonder why fresh ginger didn’t seem to add much flavor, but

Chewing Through Memory Lane

Chopped  Vegetable and Barley Salad

For most of my adult life, I have maintained a notebook of recipes I like.  Every once in a while, when temporary amnesia sets in, I flip through it for ideas.