Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Kitchen Scale

Recently, I picked up a small kitchen scale at a yard sale. I had never seen one like this and almost didn't pick it up to see what it was!

I knew I would want to buy one eventually. It's just a nice addition to my kitchen. I use it to weigh fruits and veggies when recipes call for pounds and ounces. I use it to weigh some of the food I eat. "How big is an ounce of cheese, anyways?" I use it to weigh balls of bread dough to make more uniform loaves of homemade bread. It's much more exact than eyeballing everything. And it's so compact and comes with a lid(not pictured) that it fits right in my cupboard.

I'm sure as time goes on, I'll think of even more things to weigh on my little scale!

So that's my kitchen tip for today. Use a kitchen scale! Or at least, if you think you might use one, start looking for one at yard sales!

For more kitchen tips, visit Kitchen Tip Tuesdays at Tammy's Recipes!

**While you're here, please check out my giveaway that's open for entries through midnight tonight!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Milk Substitutions

I wanted to bake a couple of items several weeks ago and discovered that I was out of milk and both recipes called for it.

Rather than changing my mind and not baking those two items, I decided instead to try to substitute something I had on hand for the milk.

I did have sour cream and plain yogurt so I decided to try both of those as substitutes.

I used plain yogurt in the cinnamon rolls and sour cream in the rhubarb dumplings. I thinned both with a bit of water to make it a bit more of a milk consistency.

Both turned out great! Since the cinnamon rolls were a new recipe, I can't compare them to anything, but the rhubarb dumpling dough was especially rich with sour cream instead of milk.

What milk substitutions have you discovered as you cook? Please share!

**Thanks to Tammy's Recipes for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: No Pan Spray?

Lately, I've been trying to go without buying and using pan spray. Something about spraying that aerosol onto the pans my food is cooked in doesn't sit well with me!

For a while I used this homemade "Better than Pam" pan release. But since I've stopped using shortening as well, I've looked for other options.

Here's what I've discovered so far:

--Butter. Rub the stick of butter on the insides of the pan or use a pastry brush to brush it on.

--Butter wrappers. I save these in a sandwich bag in the butter compartment of the fridge. Use the wrapper to grease your pan. This is a great way to use something that you would ordinarily throw away. It does take several wrappers to effectively grease a larger pan, though!

--Coconut oil. Brush this on your pans. I like this for cookies and other treats.

--Olive oil. Again, just brush the oil. I've heard of putting this in a spray bottle but so far haven't had success with this. Let me know if you're successful with this or you've found a sprayer where the oil doesn't clog. I like to use olive oil on breads or non-sweet dishes. A little goes a long way! Too much gets pretty oily! :-)

What do you find works the best as a substitution for pan spray? Please share with the rest of us!


For more kitchen tips, please visit Kitchen Tip Tuesdays at Tammy's Recipes!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Following Recipes

Today's kitchen tip is a very simple one. But it has helped me so much as I cook and bake!

1) Pull out very ingredient that you will need for the recipe you're using. You'll know if you have everything.

2) Add each ingredient in the order the recipe has it listed.

3) As you use each ingredient, put it away. You'll be able to easily tell which ingredients you've already used!

These steps may seem like no-brainers, but whenever I do not follow my own advice, I invariably will leave something out or find that I'm out of a certain ingredient.

As a side note, one of my pet peeves is recipes that do not list the ingredients in the order you will add them to the concoction. This drives me nuts! If I need to combine all the wet ingredients at the beginning, then why is the vanilla listed way over at the end of the cookie recipe with the optional chocolate chips?!? I re-write recipes quite often so that they are easier to follow!

**This post is part of Tammy's Recipes Kitchen Tip Tuesday.

Coffee Grinder: For More Than Just Coffee!

When Andy's grandmother passed away last summer, I was invited to go through her little apartment and pick out anything that I wanted. I didn't see anything I really needed but I did pick out a coffee grinder to take home with me.

Since neither of us drink coffee and I am the practical, don't-keep-it-if-you-don't need-it sort, Andy was quite surprised when he saw me carrying an "unnecessary" coffee grinder out of there.

Well, I had read on at least one blog about how a coffee grinder could be used for chopping nuts, herbs, even grinding wheat berries(although I haven't tried that out), not just for coffee beans.

I convinced my husband what a wonderful tool this would be and took it home. And set it on the counter in the laundry room. And left it there. Until about 3 weeks ago.

I was just about to get rid of it since obviously, I hadn't used it!

Then one day 3 weeks ago, I was making meatballs. My recipe calls for oatmeal for stretching the meat. I only had old-fashioned oats which I think are too big to blend in to the meat mixture.

I thought, "Hmmm...wonder if I can grind them up?" Immediately my mind went to the coffee grinder. I pulled it out and plugged it in. I then proceeded to grind the oats to a finer consistency. Smaller than quick oats but not flour.

It worked great!

Since then, I've used it to grind dried rosemary and chop nuts. It works awesome and clean-up is really simple! Plus, it's small and doesn't take up a lot of space in the cabinet.

So if you have a coffee grinder, consider all its handy uses!

**Thanks to Tammy for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

Homemade "T.V." Dinners

Knowing I was going to be away last weekend, I prepared some freezer meals ahead of time so my husband could have a home-cooked meal if he got tired of eating out. I tried to think of easy things that he would like and that wouldn't be too much for one person. He likes my homemade pizzas so I put several of those in the freezer that he would only have to bake-as easy as a frozen pizza from the grocery store.

While cooking dinner one night, I got the bright idea to make him some meals from dinner leftovers. This way he could heat up one container in the microwave and not have to cook a whole freezer meal if he didn't want to.

I used my favorite rectangular Pyrex leftover dishes that I talk about here. They are the perfect size for a meat and a couple of sides. Over the next few days I came up with three different meals to freeze.

This was so easy to do. It required no extra cooking; just remembering to save a portion back so I could freeze it.

I plan to do more of this as it would make for very handy lunches when there are no leftovers!

Sonshine has a post about making individual freezer meals to share with elderly family members or friends. I think this would be a fantastic way to minister to singles as well!

For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes!

Veggies For Breakfast

As a way to get more veggies into our diet, I've been finding ways to add them into our breakfasts.

I once worked with a lady who would eat a small salad for breakfast as a way to get extra veggies in. I don't know about you, but that really doesn't sound that appetizing to me at breakfast! Neither does a bowl of steamed veggies,for that matter.

Here are a few more pleasing ways I'm adding vegetables into our breakfasts:

--Green smoothies. I've been adding a handful or two of spinach into our smoothies for a while, and lately have been reading about them all around the blogosphere. Lindsay has written a very informative post with different combinations of fruit and greens. My husband doesn't care for too much green color in his smoothies, so I add more fruit than spinach! We really like strawberry with banana or pineapple, along with some plain yogurt, a little honey and a dash of vanilla.

--Scrambled eggs and omelets. Green peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, and chopped tomatoes are good in eggs. For omelets, I usually saute peppers, onions and mushrooms before adding. But I add raw finely chopped veggies to scrambled eggs as they are cooking.

--Salsa. I like a spoonful of salsa on eggs!

--Sliced tomato. So the tomato is technically a fruit, but most of us use it as a veggie. My husband thinks this is a bit odd, but I enjoy sliced tomatoes alongside egg dishes.

--Avocado. I love the smooth texture of avocado. It's so good on toast, a bagel or with eggs(Can you tell we eat a lot of eggs?)

We don't eat veggies every morning, but I've been aiming for these healthy additions at least a couple of days a week. Not only do we get a few more nutrients, but we end up feeling full a little longer,too!

Please share any ideas you have for adding vegetables to your breakfasts!


**Visit Tammy's Recipes for more kitchen tips!

Sandwich Ideas

One food that my husband really likes to eat is sandwiches. So lately, I've been trying to plan more sandwich-type meals into our menu plan. (It's only taken me 4 1/2 years to figure out that he would like to eat more sandwiches! Oh well...:-)

Lunch meat can be quite expensive. So I'm trying to think outside the (lunch)box and come up with a variety of sandwich ideas that are easier on the budget. I've also tried to keep my eyes open for good deals on lunch meat and buy at least one package a month since he likes it so much.

I recently came upon a really good deal on containers of lunch meat. After coupons and a mail-in rebate, each box cost just under $1. I was able to buy 4 packages and freeze them. We, especially my husband, have been enjoying the different varieties of meat on sandwiches.

There are so very many varieties of sandwiches to be made. With a little creativity, we can come up with all sorts of yummy combinations.

Here's a list of sandwiches that we enjoy:

Hot Sandwiches:
-grilled cheese
-hamburgers
-sloppy joes
-french bread pizzas
-meatball subs
-tuna melts
-quesadillas
-hot dogs
-philly cheese steaks(I hardly ever make these at home, but we enjoy them occasionally at a restaurant.) This variation looks delicious!

Cold Sandwiches:
-turkey, bacon, guacamole
-bacon, lettuce and tomato
-egg salad
-tuna salad
-chicken salad
-veggie sandwiches with a dill cream cheese spread(I will admit that this is more my favorite than my husband's! A slice or two of lunch meat can make this a bit heartier for the men.)
-veggie wraps with cream cheese and olive spread
-any kind of lunch meat and cheese combo
-any kind of sub sandwich

What are your favorite sandwiches? Any yummy suggestions for me?

**Visit Tammy's Recipes for more kitchen tips.

Simmering Kitchen Spice

I often enjoy simmering a pot of spices on the stove to give the house a pleasant, spicy, and homey scent. This 'concoction' usually includes a couple of cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, leftover orange peels and sometimes a bay leaf. I fill the pot with water and let it simmer.

The other day, I was poking around again on A Year Of Crockpotting. How I love this site! I was reading through her 'fun stuff' category, which is basically non-edibles. I came across this post about using the mini-crockpot as a room deodorizer or an air freshener.

Well, with one dog and two small childcare kids, this house needs plenty of deodorizing. Add to the fact that the windows in our rental are painted shut, this poor house can smell pretty stale pretty fast!

I noticed that the air freshener recipe was similar to the one I usually simmer on the stove. So I got out my $1 yard sale Little Dipper and got her going!

I added a drop of eucalyptus essential oil to the mixture of orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves and water. It worked and made the house smell great! I like that I can move the crockpot around throughout the house instead of having it just in the kitchen like the pot on the stove. I also noticed that the water doesn't evaporate as quickly as it does on the stove.

Whenever we eat oranges, I save the peelings in a freezer bag to use for potpourri. Apple cores and peelings make a nice scent as well. This is a frugal way to use up something that you would normally throw out.And makes your house smell awesome!

A word of caution: Whether you choose the stovetop or crockpot version for a simmering potpourri, be sure that you keep an eye on it and add water as needed. You do not want the pot to go dry and the spices to burn. Also, be sure to turn the stove off/unplug the crock if leaving the house.

**Thanks to Amy for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays today!

Master Grocery List

Something I find very helpful is to have a master grocery list of all the items that we like to eat and keep on hand. This makes planning for grocery shopping so much easier and I am not as likely to forget something.

My updated list(below) is set up according to the layout of my local Aldi store. Although Aldi doesn't carry everything on my list, it is the store where I buy most of my staple items. For our area, Aldi definitely has the best prices on most basic items unless there is a good sale somewhere else.

Since I do my biggest shopping trip at the beginning of the month, I print out a new list for each month and go through the pantry checking off what we're running low on. I keep the list hanging in the kitchen where I can check off what I need as I go along throughout the month.

I don't buy every single item on my list every month. For both fresh and frozen veggies and fruit, I make sure I have several varieties on hand. On the list are the kinds we buy most often.

To make my master list, I started by making basic categories then listed the things we buy in those categories. For the next week or so, I came back and jotted down things I had initially forgotten until I felt it was complete enough to type up. Also, I can always edit the original document when it's time to change something.

Having a master grocery list helps streamline my shopping and is a kitchen tip that helps me simplify my life.

(Click on the right arrow to maximize the document. Arrows at the bottom will help you to see both pages 1 and 2.)


**Visit Tammy's Recipes for more kitchen tips!

**Visit We Are THAT Family for more Works For Me Wednesday posts!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Favorite Kitchen Tools

Even though I'm not one to have all the latest and greatest one-use gadgets such as smoothie blenders and quesadilla makers in my kitchen cabinets, I do love good tools that make my job that much easier.

And when it comes to good kitchen gadgets, I find that buying quality and often more expensive tools last longer than their cheaper counterparts. While I often purchase items from yard sales or thrift stores and certainly look for a deal whenever I make a purchase, I figure that a well-made kitchen tool will serve me well for years to come.

My kitchen is small and storage space at a premium. What I choose to keep and store must be something that I will use on a pretty consistent basis. Of course, some things like canning supplies, Christmas cookie cutters and a large roaster that you only pull out during the holidays are the exception and are worth keeping. I think you know what I mean.

In no particular order, here are ten of my favorite kitchen items.

1) Pyrex mixing and measuring bowls. These were a wedding gift. I really think that I use them every day. My set of 4 includes a 1-cup, 2-cup, 1-quart and 2-quart sizes. You can measure, pour and mix right in these bowls. In simplifying my kitchen, I've decluttered a lot of my other various measuring cups and kept these.

2) Baker's Roller. This two-sided rolling pin from Pampered Chef is awesome. I get so excited about this product that some would think that I get a cut from every one they sell. I am not really brand-loyal for most things but this item from Pampered Chef is worth the money. I use it for pizza crusts and any desserts that require rolling or pressing a crust into the pan.

3)Pyrex 3-cup rectangular dishes. Ok, so this is not technically a "tool". But in the process of ditching most of the plastic in favor of better quality and safer leftover containers, I've found these to be very useful. This dish is just right for lunches-the right size for dinner leftovers such as meat and a veggie or two. They stack really nice in the fridge and can be put in the oven(minus the plastic lid, of course). I also really like the 9x13 pans that come with the plastic lids. They're so great for stacking and transporting.

4)3-sided Grater. Well before I was married I was given a small gift card to Belk's. Being the practical sort I headed right to housewares to see if there was anything that I needed. All kitchen items were on sale and I was able to get one of these graters. I will not go back to the little flimsy graters that slide and fall and scrape my skin off. For large amounts of food, I'll pull out my food processor. But for everyday use, this grater is awesome.

5)Crockpot. This wonderful servant gets plenty of use in my kitchen. Not only can I cook main dishes in it, but it is also used for making yogurt, chicken broth, applesauce and cooking beans.

6)Bosch mixer and blender. Regular readers will know that I mention my Bosch a lot. Yes, a Kitchen Aid mixer is great but a Bosch is even better, in my humble opinion and is made for heavy-duty mixing such as large amounts of bread dough. I was blessed to receive mine as a wedding gift from my parents. If you're looking for a mixer that will stand up to making batch after batch of bread dough as well as other mixing, then the Bosch is for you. It is expensive, but will last and last with regular use.

7)Skinny spatula. The rubber spatula or scraper, depending on what you call it is the frugal cook's savior. It gets the last of the pancake batter from the mixing bowl and scrapes every bit of peanut butter out of the jar. Again, this is a tool that I use every day!

8)Mini-whisk. This is wonderful for gravies, pancake batter, sauces, scrambling eggs, anything that needs to be blended until smooth. I've had this for many years. I believe my mom purchased it from a restaurant supply store so it's nice stainless steel. I also have a large whisk which I rarely use. If I could only have one whisk in my kitchen, I'd choose the little one.

9)Rada vegetable peeler. My dad sells Rada cutlery and gifted me with a full basic set. I like the way the knives feel in my hand and they do a good job of cutting, too. My favorite piece, however, is the vegetable peeler. It peels quickly and smoothly. The cheap ones from the store don't hold a candle to this one. Again, I hope I don't have to go back. With items such as these, every cook gets used to and prefers the kind that they use. If you're looking for a good peeler or set of knives, I would recommend Rada,though.

10)Large baking pans. Not just a cookie sheet, these can be used to bake almost anything. I wouldn't suggest using them for lasagna or thick casseroles, though. LOL!!! Pizzas, french bread, rolls, bar cookies, cookies, roasting vegetables, granola....the list could go on and on.

So there you have it. My top 10 kitchen favorites. At least the top 10 that I can think of right now! My list is always changing since I love cooking. I love being in my kitchen. I love kitchen tools. Tools that don't clutter up my home but actually make some aspects of my job as cook a whole lot easier!

What are some of your most-used kitchen items? Please share!

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

No Crackers For Soup? Improvise!

When serving soup one day last week, I discovered that we were out of saltine crackers to eat with it.

Normally, I would serve bread or toast with soup, but this time I remembered a bag of croutons that I had in the pantry and used those instead.

They were crisp and seasoned with garlic and added a nice little extra to a bowl of soup. Yum! I'll need to use croutons instead of crackers more often!

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Cooking Day

I love having meals and different meal components cooked and ready in the freezer for quick meals. That doesn't happen automatically, though. I often cook and bake double or triple what I need so that I have extras all ready to go.

I wrote about nap time freezer cooking in December. This is where I prepare some foods for the freezer while my childcare kids nap. While I haven't gotten around to doing it again since that first time, I still want to make this a habit. But with ever-changing nap schedules and just not planning ahead, it hasn't happened yet this year. It will, though!

This past Saturday, I declared a cooking day and cooked up a bunch of stuff for the freezer. Most foods were not completed entrees but different foods being prepared so that it will be easy to throw a meal together.

Here was my list for the morning:
1)cook ground beef
2)cook brown rice
3)spinach quiche
4)mash leftover sweet potatoes
5)cook three kinds of beans-kidney, chickpeas and white/navy beans
6)chop ham off ham bone from earlier in the week
7)make sweet potato waffles
8)boil eggs
9)make split pea soup in crock pot with ham bone

I started the night before by soaking the beans. That way, they were ready to cook first thing! While the beans cooked, I worked on the other prep, ending with baking the rice and quiches at the same time.

It took me about 3 hours from start to finish, plus extra cooling and packaging time. I decided against making the waffles since I already had the crock pot using the only outlet in the kitchen and I still have several breakfast baked goods still in the freezer. I put the waffles on this week's menu-the sweet potatoes are already mashed and ready to go!

Here's the fruits of my labor:

--2 crustless spinach and ham quiches(completely baked; just need to be thawed and heated)
--4 (3/4 lb.) bags of cooked ground beef
--2 (1 cup) bags mashed sweet potatoes
--2 (2 cup) bags chickpeas
--5 (1 cup) bags navy beans
--5 (1 cup)bags kidney beans
--4 (2 cup) bags brown rice
--1 dozen hard-boiled eggs(8 for deviled eggs for Sunday's party and the rest for creamed eggs this week.)
--1 pot split pea soup with ham(We ate this for dinner plus there's enough for at least 2 lunches this week.)
--1 1/2 cups chopped ham (1/2 cup for each quiche and 1/2 cup to cook with black-eyed peas this week.)


I love having all this food prepared and at my disposal for the next few weeks. Spending a day or even a half day cooking can make meal prep so much easier!

For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes each Tuesday!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Another Week, Another Pot Of Soup

I've started nearly every week this winter with filling the crockpot with soup ingredients.

Soup is frugal and nourishing and having a big pot made means ready-made lunches for most of the week. It comes in handy on nights when there aren't any leftovers for lunch the next day. And soup can always be frozen in individual servings for quick lunches later, too.

Most of my crockpot soups end up being something I just make up as I go without a recipe. Here's a list of some of our most frequent soups:

--chicken(or turkey) noodle
--vegetable
--beef vegetable soup(recipe below)
--taco soup(recipe below)
--leftover soup using meat, beans, veggies,rice or pasta, etc. based on what I have on hand or need to use up.
--split pea soup with a ham bone if I have it, otherwise chicken broth adds a nice flavor.
--white chicken chili(I just put all ingredients except cheese in the crockpot and let it cook for 6-8 hours on low.Add cheese during the last half hour of cooking.)

Beef Vegetable Soup

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar(26-30 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
3 1/2 cups water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed veggies
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 teaspoon or 1 cube beef bouillon granules(I usually leave this out.)
1 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. You can add a bit more water if it seems too thick.


Taco Soup

1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 can chili beans, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package of taco seasoning mix(or make your own)
chopped onion, optional
cumin to taste, optional

Cook meat and drain. Mix all ingredients in greased crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve alone or with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

**Use any combination of your favorite beans. If you cook your own beans, as I do, use 2 cups beans for every can called for. I usually add some water with them to make up for the liquid.


Soups are easy to throw together when you use the crockpot combined with pantry and freezer staples such as homemade broths, frozen or fresh veggies, cooked beans and meats, rice and pasta. Paired with some homemade bread or a muffin, this makes a warm and filling meal during the chilly days of winter.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes every Tuesday!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Simple Apple Recipe

(Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is up a day early, so I'm going ahead and posting it now!)

With fresh apples in abundance, I've been trying to come up with a few new ways to use them. I found this easy recipe for Sauteed Apples and Bacon in the Joy of Cooking. I'm glad I tried it! It was simply delicious and went great with our pancakes for Saturday night supper. I will definitely be making this again. It would be wonderful as a side dish to really any kind of meat.

Sauteed Apples and Bacon

Peel and core:
Tart cooking apples
Cut in cubes, about 4 cups in all.

Saute in a heavy skillet:
8 slices bacon

Remove bacon when crisp. Keep hot. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Add:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I left this out. There was plenty of oil in the pan in my opinion!)

Add the apples. Saute uncovered over high heat until translucent. Sprinkle with:
2 tablespoons white or brown sugar
I also added a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Place the apples on a hot platter. Surround them with the bacon.

Garnish with parsley if desired.

Serves 4.


Please visit Tammy's Recipes for more kitchen tips!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: When Life Gives You Basil...

...Make pesto!

My two basil plants have really produced this year. I've snipped it liberally into many different dishes. I've made chicken pasta salad with basil-walnut mayo. We've eaten pesto on pasta, pizza and even mixed into eggs. Yum!

I've wanted to try freezing some of my bounty and had heard that pesto freezes well. So one day last week, I whirred up a big batch in my food processor. What looked like a whole lot of basil turned out to be only 3 recipes/bowls of pesto!

I usually just add basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, walnuts and olive oil to taste when I make pesto. This time, I followed the recipe in my Joy of Cooking. I decreased the amount of oil that was called for. It still was pretty oily after it set a couple of days in the fridge since the recipe stated to cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil in addition to the oil in the recipe. Next time, I'll decrease the oil in the recipe even more to account for the oil that's put on top.I put the pesto on pizza and it was very oily into the crust but mixed with pasta, I probably wouldn't have noticed it as much. So all I can say is try it for yourself and see how you like it!

Other than the amount of olive oil, this pesto recipe has a delicious flavor.
Pesto from Joy of Cooking

In a food processor, mix 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts or almonds(I use walnuts).
Puree then add about 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. When really thick add 3/4 cup olive oil(I used only 1/2 cup and will decrease it further next time), adding slowly and letting the food processor mix it in until a good consistency. Pour a film of olive oil over the top and cover to refrigerate or freeze.

Enjoy!


For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Drying Salad Greens

Maybe I'm the last one to actually try this... But this past weekend, I finally took to heart what I've read in oodles of articles and household hints books and tried spinning my lettuce leaves in the washing machine to get them dry.

It worked wonderfully.

If you're like me and don't own a salad spinner, here's how you do it. After washing lettuce, put salad greens in a large bag. I used a clean pillowcase and knotted it closed at the top. Place bag of greens in the washer and set to the final spin. Let spin. It's good to stand nearby so you don't forget about the lettuce. Also so your husband can come talk to you and, with raised eyebrow, see you remove lettuce from a pillowcase.:-)

I've always dreaded buying the lettuce that wasn't pre-washed and cut. Now I know it can be done in only a few minutes without lettuce laying on the kitchen counters being hand-blotted dry!

For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's blog!

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays-Fresh Peach Pie

Today for Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, I'm sharing my recipe for Peach Pie.

Peaches are still in season here, so I try to buy a bag of South Carolina peaches every time I get groceries. I've frozen some and we've eaten a lot fresh and in smoothies. I try to make a peach pie at least once during peach season. This makes my husband very happy!

I didn't have enough pie dough left to make a full double crust pie, so I used a heart cookie cutter to cut shapes to put on top. My 2 year old helper got a kick out of cutting the hearts for me.

Fresh Peach Pie

For one pie, you will need:
4 cups sliced fresh peaches
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 unbaked pie crust(enough for double crust)

Mix cornstarch and sugar together. Add to sliced peaches. Stir in lemon juice. Pour peach mixture into unbaked pie crust. Top with another piece of dough. If desired,brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 60-70 minutes.


Thanks to Tammy for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday-3 Quick Tips

Today I'm joining in with Kitchen Tip Tuesdays to share three quick tips with you.

1) I love planning my menus a week or two at a time. After trying many different printables, menu calendars,and scraps of paper, I've discovered the easiest way to have a menu plan on my fridge. I simply print out my menu when I post it for Menu Plan Monday. I love it!

2) Leftover hot dog buns make great last-minute garlic bread. I always have at least one hot dog bun left after the hot dogs are eaten. I throw these in the freezer and then pull them out for quick garlic bread. Simply spread with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and broil until browned. Great with pasta!

3)The best time for me to pack my husband's lunch is right after dinner. He's able to reheat food at work so dinner leftovers are what he eats most days. When I fix his lunch right after dinner, I'm saving time by doing it when all the food is still out. I like having everything ready the night before- small containers of leftovers in the fridge and any non-refrigerated items, a cup,napkin and silverware already in his lunchbox. In the case that I don't have enough leftovers for his lunch the next day, this gives me enough time to come up with a back-up plan instead of scrambling early in the morning! Sometimes, I go ahead and fix myself a plate, too, to have ready for lunch the next day!


To read more Kitchen Tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes.