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Reader Submissions ~ Hints and Tips Weekly Features Highlights: Virtual Cookbook Harvesting Vegetables Sassy Salsas Bushels of Beans Easy Snacks for Busy Kids Back to School Breakfasts - Quick and Easy Beating the Breakfast Rush Hour Lunch Smiles Ask The WebChef Freebies and Fun Stuff Cook your bacon in the oven to minimize the spattery mess. Turn oven on to 350 degrees. Place bacon strips side-by-side on a jelly roll (like a cookie sheet, only with 1/2 inch sides). Watch bacon until done to your own liking. ~ LSELL When making Kraft Dinner, include one or two processed cheese slices in the mix. ~ David My favorite cooking tip is for high protein Tofu (fake hamburger) Crumbles Go to your nearest Oriental Grocery Store and purchase homemade Tofu. Cost is 4/$1 here in Austin. These are four 3x4x1" squares. (double the plastic bags and place 4 inside, then you can freeze the others) In large Teflon skillet on medium heat, add: 1 tbls. Canola Oil 1 tsp. minced garlic 1 large diced onion 2 good shakes of Cayenne pepper Stir until unions are clear, then into same skillet, grate: 4 rinsed Tofu Squares Stir until heated then add: 2 tbls. Braggs Aminos Liquid Flavoring (or if unavailable, 1 tsp. salt) 1 tbls. Mesquite Liquid Smoke 1 tbls. Kitchen Bouquet Browning Liquid Stir thoroughly. Mixture should be the color and consistency of browned ground beef. Stores well in sealed containers in refrigerator for weeks. Use in gravy, lasagna, spaghetti sauce, scrambled eggs. Also use on pizza topping or in tacos, or add Mesquite Flavored Barbecue Sauce for a great juicy sandwich. Can easily be made into great Chili by just adding a little chili powder & water, or simply be added to Top Ramen Noodle soups. I've been a vegetarian for twenty-five years and just this past year concocted this wonderful mixture. It has really been a boon for my new hubby who has only been a vegetarian for 5 years. It is also great on the pocketbook! ~ Clydene Add a little lemon juice (and sugar to taste) to make tomatoes in any recipe have the tangy, acidy taste that is so elusive to our modern-day tomatoes ~ The Leiths When BBQing chicken cook it until about 3/4 done in the oven or microwave to reduce flare-ups and BBQ time. This still gives the chicken the BBQ taste and ensures that it is cooked through without burning the skin. ~ Robb I have tried to add the recommended 5 or 6 servings of fresh vegetables to our daily diet. This is made easier in my very busy schedule by: Once a week, I clean, chop and bag and refrigerate: 1 small head of cabbage 6 large carrots 6 onions I do the same with small servings of other vegetables in season such as: All varieties of squash various green beans and peas sweet potato all varieties of greens red, green and yellow peppers It is now very easy to steam, stir fry, oven roast any combination of the above in any amount needed. All you have left over at the end of the week makes great stews or soups. ~ Jean One of our favorite things are Mediterranean Vegetables. Just put a bunch of hearty winter vegetables (small squash, tomatoes, onions, sweet potato, regular potato, mushrooms, garlic etc....whatever you have) brush with oil, and bake. Yummmmm! Great way to get in your vegetables for the day! ~ Dawn Use 1/2 cup of applesauce in place of the oil in you cake mix. It really cuts the fat content. ~ Sharon Most recipes call for 2 or 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, so instead of wasting a whole tin just separate the rest of the tin into tablespoons on a piece of foil and put into the freezer. When completely frozen, transfer to freezer bag and you have individual tablespoon servings of tomato paste. ~ Anne Add a little chicken broth to fry fish instead of butter. It's less fattening. ~ Fay Add salt to meat only after it has been fully cooked. Adding salt while cooking can make the cut tough. ~ Kelly Roast Potatoes Peel and rub with olive oil before placing around the roast. It decreases the tendency to stick to pan and is flavorful. ~ Greta Use foil in the bottom of your oven to prevent messy oven cleanup! ~ Becky When using meat that needs to be cut, cubed or sliced before cooking, keep meat partially froze. It is easier to cut, less mess and goes a lot faster. It can still be put in egg and flour if necessary. ~ Jan When cooking noodles or rice, I toss in a few eggs to hard boil while water is boiling. ~ Cathy For the people out there who make their own sauerkraut. Take the first excess juice of the top and use it for the water in a pot of the best tasting cabbage soup ever. ~ Evie Bite on a piece of bread when slicing onions, no tears! ~ Angela Put your kitchen sponge or scrubby in the dish washer at least once a week to keep it clean and smelling fresh ~ Jackie Before opening canned broth for cooking, put it in the refrigerator for several hours. This will cause the fat content to harden in a lump and can therefore be removed to provide a fat-free broth. ~ Victoria To add sweetness without the sugar, grate a carrot or two into the mix. ~ Dolores When a recipe calls for crumbled bacon, dice it before cooking. It works wonderfully! ~ Wanda Keeping lettuce fresh: Place in wet paper towel and put in Ziplock bag, keep in cool place, zip close. ~ Ida When I make my homemade apple sauce, I make sure that I spray the kettle with a nonstick spray. Then I add the water, sugar, cinnamon, and apples. This really makes the sauce come out easily. ~ Kathy When making cake icing and I'm hurried, I use a can of store-bought icing and add some powdered sugar and almond extract. It tastes just home made butter creme icing. ~ Debbie A great snack tip: Cook 2 cups Minute rice according to directions, put in skillet, stir in 1 cup of your fave salsa, and top w/ cheddar cheese. Mmmmmm, a great snack! ~ Lynne For children that can't stand a bite of onion, just peel an onion and cut in half and cook with whatever you are cooking and remove it before serving. All the flavor of the onion but no one will know that you had an onion in there, No telltale little pieces. ~ Rita To prevent "crying" when peeling onions, peel the onion under cold running water. I use this tip all the time and I have yet to cry while peeling an onion. ~ no name submitted Add onions to your homemade mac and cheese to bring out the cheesy flavor. My husband won't eat mac and cheese without them anymore. ~ Kathleen When using frozen chicken breasts in recipes that call for cut up chicken, leave them slightly frozen to make them easier to cut up. ~ no name submitted Keep your nonstick pans in mint condition. After cooking in your pan, add one drop of liquid dish detergent, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and simmer. A soft sponge and warm water will keep the pan as new. Also a great way to rid those iron cast pans of build up for those spring cleaning. ~ no name submitted When boiling eggs, place in cold water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain off water, cover with cold water and add ICE. This will make peeling much easier and the yolks won't be edged in green. ~ Mel Did you like this article? Rate it. Mail this article to a friend (or yourself) You will be returned to this page after your mail has been sent. Your email address Your Name To email address

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