Kitchen Tips

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle - perfect shaped pancakes every time.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

4. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

5. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature & roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

6. To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop-skillet will be much easier to clean.

7. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead-no white mess on the outside of the cake.

8. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato-it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."

9. Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

10. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.

11. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness. (ah, an old 1940’s Fannie Farmer trick!)

12. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh-if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

13. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

14. Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

15. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

16. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

17. To get rid of itch from mosquito bite: try applying soap on the area, instant relief.

18. Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march-see for yourself.

19. When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

20. NOW Look what you can do with Alka-Seltzer:

* Clean a toilet-drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush, and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.
* Clean a vase-to remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.
* Polish jewelry-drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
* Clean a thermos bottle-fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
* Unclog a drain-clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

Pasta Fisherman

In June, I travelled to San Francisco for my graduation from the Graduate School, USDA Executive Leadership Program. One of the places I was able to have dinner with my ELP friends was Scoma's Restaurant, located in Fisherman's Wharf overlooking the San Francisco Bay with Alcatraz in sight. Owner Al Scoma died just weeks before we arrived, but he and his brother have run this family business since 1965 using their mother's recipes. I had the Calamari Fritti (excellent!) but there are many other delicious dishes. If you are in San Francisco, I would highly recommend going to Scoma's. It's not easy to find, and it's moderate to high priced, but it's worth it! Below is a very easy recipe from their website.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz dry linguini or 1 lb fresh pasta, Cooked when sauce is ready
• 4 to 5 oz fresh bay shrimpmeat
• 6 oz fresh dungeness crabmeat
• 1 to 2 cloves fresh garlic-minced
• 6 medium fresh mushrooms – washed & sliced
• 1⁄2 small yellow onion – finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
• 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh italian parsley – finely chopped
• 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh basil – finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil1-tablespoon butter

PROCEEDURE

1. Heat olive oil and cook garlic in a non-reactive saucepot.
2. Sauté garlic and onion until almost golden color.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
4. Turn heat to medium high.
5. Add the wine-reduce for about 5 minutes.
6. Add marinara sauce and fresh herbs.
7. Reduce heat to medium low cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
8. Add the fresh seafood and butter, cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Season with salt & pepper to your taste and toss with cooked pasta.

Under The Sea Cake

I made this cake for Jim's birthday in May. We were lucky enough they were here on his birthday, and they'd just come back from Hawaii, so we tried to make it a tropical theme. The idea came from FamilyFun.com. You use your favorite yellow cake recipe (although you could use any flavor) and ice as directed. Mine didn't come out quite like theirs, but the variance is what makes it fun!

Click on their cake for the blow by blow recipe.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Fresh asparagus
Olive oil cooking spray, like Pam, or regular Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400-425 degrees F. Trim ends off of asparagus.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil (optional) and spray with oil. Place asparagus in single layer on baking sheet and spray asparagus with oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to individual preference.

Place in oven and roast asparagus for 20-30 minutes, until tender-crisp, being careful not to let tips burn.

Ultimate Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pancakes

I've made these many, many times, and they come out much better than regular recipe Bisquick pancakes. -- Heidi

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs

1. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)
2. Stir all ingredients until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle.
3. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden. To keep warm, place in single layer on cookie sheet. Cover with aluminum foil, and place in 200°F oven up to 10 minutes.
(Total time will vary; cook or bake time is per batch.)

* From Betty Crocker.com

Turkey Meatloaf

1 lb frozen ground turkey
1 lb frozen ground turkey sausage
1 pkg. (6 oz.) favorite Stuffing Mix
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup water
1/2 cup Favorite BBQ Sauce
Optional: Add some chopped up green peppers and onions

Thaw ground turkey.

PREHEAT oven to 375°F.

Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the BBQ sauce.

Form mixture loaf in loaf pan (or favorite meatloaf pan) and top with remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.

Bake about 1 hour or until cooked through.