Mom Money-Saving Tip 43

Since meat is usually the most expensive ingredient in a meal, eat less of it. Bulk up dinner with an extra vegetable or a salad.

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Mom Cooking Tip 44

Freeze ground meat in gallon-size plastic freezer bags. Flatten the meat as much as you can before sealing. It will freeze faster and thaw more quickly. If you decide you only need half the package for a meal, whack the still-frozen meat on the edge of the counter to split it in half.

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What I'm Serving at My Oscar Party

Chocolate Cheesecake

I grew up watching the Oscars, even though I never saw any of the nominated movies in my Pennsylvania coal-mining town.  The show seemed so glamorous.  Then I moved to California and went to hundreds of movies every year as part of my job as an entertainment journalist.

So far, no one has assigned me to cover the Oscars, and I’m glad.  I hear it’s agony for the reporters, who have to dress up and write their stories super-fast while missing most of the action.  Seldom do they eat until late evening.  Meanwhile, I sit around in front of the TV in sweats and slippers and see it all.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 42

When buying grapes, shake the bunch gently. If grapes fall off, they’re not fresh. They may be wrinkled or getting moldy and need to be discarded.

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Mom Cooking Tip 43

Measure salt over an empty bowl or pot.  If it isn't empty, a twist of the wrist can add in too much salt, and there’s no easy way to remove it.

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Lunch in London

Unless you’ve actually eaten in London recently, you probably imagine people dining badly on Beans on Toast, Bangers & Mash (sausages & mashed potatoes) and Cornish Pasties (a meat/potato/turnip/onion concoction encased in pastry). 

On the other hand, if you’re a fan of Russell Hoban’s hilarious children’s book, “How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen,” you might even search for such unappetizing dishes as Greasy Bloaters and Mutton served with Cabbage and Potato Sog.  Roald Dahl fans might seek Mudburgers, Bird Pie and Stink Bugs’ Eggs.

These meals are no doubt still around.  But they weren’t on the menu at my friend Judy’s house when our plane landed an hour early.  We arrived before lunch instead of after it.  With no meal prepared, she reached into her cupboard for a selection of cheeses, crackers, a pot of plain yogurt, some cherry tomatoes and a few cut-up apples.  It was refreshing and healthy—the perfect antidote to jetlag.

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

Mom Money-Saving Tip 41

Make your own lunch and take it to work.

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