Mom Cooking Tip 166

Cherries are now in season.  If you don't have a cherry pitter to get rid of the pits, try using the tip of your potato peeler.  The pit will slide right out.

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Lure of the Chocolate Chip

Mom's Jaffa Cakes

I’m proud to be a chocoholic.  I’ve tried weaning myself off this addiction.  Once I managed to avoid chocolate for two weeks, but that was a long time ago.  Without the invention of chocolate chips, I might have succeeded. 

A 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips is incredibly versatile.  Eating a handful now and then is one way to empty the bag.  Making Chocolate Chip Cookies is another way. 

Are Boneless Chicken Thighs Worth the Trouble?

I used to be a fan of boneless chicken thighs. They actually taste like chicken, as opposed to bland, boneless chicken breasts.  And they are cheaper than boneless chicken breasts.

But as the cook and also the fat-remover I discovered that although boneless thighs do indeed lack bones, they do not lack considerable fat.  Cutting it out and discarding it is a major chore.  But not getting rid of the fat means eating it—not something I want to do.

Mom Cooking Tip 165

Here’s a way to transport a lot of deviled eggs with or without special egg trays.  Buy a package of paper cupcake cups, usually sold in the baking section, and pop each prepared egg half into its own paper cup.  Put the filled cups in a flat-bottomed container so they won’t slide around in transit.

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Tired of Chocolate Chip Cookies? Try Chocolate Biscotti!

A huge box of biscotti somehow found its way into my shopping cart at Costco, and soon after I got home every adult in the house was standing next to it.  Maybe the see-through packaging was too inviting to ignore.  Within a few days the box of 20 individually wrapped 8-inch-long biscotti was empty.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 105

Don’t feel like buying freezer ice packs to use when transporting food to a potluck.  Fill several plastic water bottles with water, leaving the top 2 inches near the lid empty.  Store them in the freezer until needed. 
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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: