Cooking Shortcuts

Bread Crumbs:
Don't buy bread crumbs, save the ends off you bread and freeze it.  When you need bread crumbs, pull a few pieces out and through them in your food processor - throw them in frozen - ready in seconds - cheap, simple yummy

Homemade Taco Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon or to taste salt
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 pound ground beef

1. Combine chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and ground beef and cook until beef is almost completely browned and cooked.
2. Add cornstarch, sugar,  and tomato sauce and continue cooking until meat is done and sauce is slightly thickened.
3. Serve as a filling for tacos.

Fajita Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 1/2 -3 teaspoons chili powder (vary according to how spicy you like it)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

1. Combine ingredients. Set aside.
2. Cook 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into strips.
3. Cook in oil until almost done, about 5- 6 minutes.
4. Add seasoning with 1/2 cup water. Mix well and finish cooking.
5. In a separate pan cook sliced onions and peppers (we like to mix up green, yellow, and red, or whatever is on sale) until tender in a little oil.
6. Stir vegetables into seasoned chicken.
7. Serve on warm tortillas.
8. You can also use sliced steak for this recipe.
9. You can make a lot of the seasoning mix and keep in a container to have anytime you want to make fajitas.

Paula Deen’s House Seasoning

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix all together and use as needed.

Homemade Nutella

The original recipe instructs to strain the spread at the very end, but I don’t mind a little nut texture in mine. Adapted from the Encyclopédie du Chocolat, by way of David Lebovitz.

1 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup powdered milk
1 Tbsp. mild-flavored honey
pinch salt
1 heaping cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or chips
1 scant cup chopped milk chocolate, or chips

On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the nuts in a 400ºF for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and their skins begin to pop. Transfer to a tea towel, gather into a bundle and rub together to remove as much of their skins as possible. While warm, transfer to the bowl of a food processor and blend until they go from finely ground to pasty and thick, like natural peanut butter.

Meanwhile, warm the milk, powdered milk, honey and salt in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat. In a glass or stainless steel bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in the microwave), melt the chocolates, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Add the melted chocolate to the ground nuts and continue to process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the warm milk mixture and process until everything is well blended and as smooth as you can get it. Makes about 2 cups.

Common Kitchen Mistakes

RepinEdit

Perfectly shredded chicken in seconds.... throw cooked chicken (still warm/hot) in Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment. Turn to speed 4-6 and in 20 seconds you'll have perfect, restaurant style shredded chicken.

Dry Onion Soup Mix:

2/3 cup dried, minced onion

3 teaspoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake.  I’d recommend shaking the jar to mix the ingredients well before each use. 

Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix.  Store this in a dry, cool place. 

Ranch:

5 tablespoons dried minced onions

7 teaspoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

For dressing: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.

For dip:  Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream.

Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend.

Easy Healthy Recipe Substitutions

Cream-of-Whatever Soup Substitute

Basic White Sauce (thick):

• 3 Tablespoons butter or oil
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper
• 1-1/4 cup liquid, milk or stock

Melt butter or oil in saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add liquid slowly, stirring with wire whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thick. Makes 1 cup or 1 can of condensed soup.

Tomato Soup: Use tomato juice for the liquid. Add dashes of garlic, onion powder, basil and oregano.

Chicken Soup: Use chicken broth for half the liquid. Add 1/4 t. poultry seasoning or sage.

Mushroom/celery/chive soup: Saute 1/4 C chopped mushrooms, celery or chives and 1 T minced onion in butter before adding flour.

Allergy Suggestion:  If you use a gluten-free flour (rice, tapioca, etc.) or cornstarch, you can make the soup gluten-free.  And if you use a stock rather than milk, you can make it milk-free, too.

 Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

(Recipe adjusted from Smith & Hawken, The Gardeners' Community Cookbook)

*2 quarts strawberries, washed & hulled
*2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 20 lemons squeezed)
*2 3/4 cups of sugar
*1 1/2 quarts water
* you will need a large nonreactive pot

Wash and hull strawberries, then place them into a food processor. Blend berries until smooth. Place the pureed strawberries, lemon juice, sugar and 1 1/2 quarts of water into a very large nonreactive pot. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture reaches 165'. Make sure you do not boil. Skim off any foam from the top and allow concentrate to cool completely before transferring to canning jars. You may want to strain the concentrate through a strainer before putting into jars. There will be a lot of pulp and seeds.

Before serving concentrate mix 1 part concentrate with 2 parts water, or go by taste. Concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week or place into the freezer for longer storage.

Makes about 3 1/2 quarts.