The Perfect Substitute: Potato Chips

 

I was making tacos for lunch when I suddenly realized we had eaten all the hummus. What could I use as a replacement alongside the beans and cheese? Then I spotted an open bag of potato chips. Why not crumble some of them and sprinkle on top of the tacos before serving? 

They worked perfectly, adding some crunch. Who needs hummus!

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Surprise!

 

Grocery shopping can be a chore or an adventure. I prefer the adventure part, even if it is 6 am, and I am one of only three shoppers in the store.  At the back of my supermarket there is a small piece of furniture filled with mesh bags full of overripe fruit and vegetables, Every bag is 99 cents, even the bag that held these colorful, stripy bell peppers. I couldn’t resist. I used them in a Chinese stir-fry, but they would be equally good raw.

I wonder what will be on sale next weekend.

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

There’s Always Something New for Cooks to Learn

 

Here is a little-known fact about avocadoes. If you cook them or heat them in any way, they are very likely to taste bitter. If you must add pieces of avocado to Tortilla Soup or any other dish that you traditionally serve hot, add them at the very last minute when the dish is on its way to the table. Avoid heating avocadoes as there is no way to get rid of the resulting unpleasant flavor.

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Question for Mom

Why does ground beef sometimes shrink more than ground turkey when you cook it?  ---Hannah B.

Ground beef often has more fat.  In fact, some ground beef can contain as much as 30% fat.  Fat melts during the cooking process, so not surprisingly your burgers become smaller.  Ground turkey does have some fat, and if it’s made from dark meat the fat content can approach that of ground beef.  Be sure to read the label.  I prefer the 7% fat ground turkey.

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

Meatloaf with a Twist

 

I grew up hating meatloaf. Whenever my mother would proudly announce she had made a meatloaf, I cringed. What she really meant was she put some ground beef and seasoning in a casserole and baked it. When it was done, she set it on the table, and my brother and I got to watch all the fat from the beef floating in the casserole. Had I known more about cooking then, I would have recommended that she transfer the cooked meatloaf to a clean serving plate, leaving the fat behind.

Calling All Cherry Tomato Fans!

 

Cherry tomatoes are a perfect antidote to cold weather.  They make you think of summer—a memory I can use right now since we just had a hail storm in normally sunny California.

If you are lucky enough to find a box of cherry tomatoes in the produce department, here are 5 things you can do with them today:

Having a Bad Day? Try This Chocolate Brownie Recipe!

 

Chocolate has always been my comfort food, so I guess it’s not surprising that when things aren’t going well I head for the chocolate chips.  Long ago I learned to stock up on the two-pound bags, not the dinky 12-ounce bags most stores sell.