Over the Christmas holidays, we visited the Second Street Market here in Dayton. I saw these little gems in a bin...and they were calling my name. I like brussel sprouts. I've liked them all my life. But I've never cooked with them. I'd only eaten them from a bag out of the freezer. Cooked, of course. But never had I made them from "fresh" sprouts. Since I wasn't … [Read more...]
How to Cook & Freeze Dried Beans
Beans. Beans. The Magical Fruit. Beans. Beans. They make you... Alright, Alright. I couldn't help it. I'm surrounded by little boys who think that saying the word "toot" is the FUNNIEST thing...EVER! There really isn't anything funnier than a little boy giggling after saying "toot." That word invokes a special giggle. And I can't help but laugh … [Read more...]
How to Roast Pumpkin and Squash Seeds
How to Roast Pumpkin & Squash Seeds 1. Scoop seeds from squash or pumpkin. Remove as much of the flesh attached to the seeds as you can. If there's a little left, that's OK! 2. Spread seeds out on cookie sheet or in shallow metal baking pan in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic salt. Eyeball it! (Amounts will vary … [Read more...]
How to Bake Butternut Squash
Are you intimidated by the butternut squash you see in the produce section? But intrigued at how cheap they are in the fall and winter months?! Let me help you learn how to make butternut squash. I'm seeing glimpses of fall all around us. Red and orange leaves on our neighbors tree. Cool mornings. Acorn bits all over our yard. Fatter squirrels. And … [Read more...]
How to Cook a Whole Chicken
Recently there have been quite a few Tyson fresh chicken coupons out there! I have used some when boneless skinless chicken breasts were on sale. And I have used others for the much cheaper whole "cut up" chicken....which is what I used below. I have seen whole chickens for as low as $.88/lb! So here's what you do... 1. Buy a whole chicken when it's on … [Read more...]
How to Make Homemade Rice Milk
I have suspected a dairy allergy in both of my kids for a long time. Since nursing them, really. Without going into all the gory details, I knew something was just not right with their tummies and how they reacted to milk. I tried soy milk, and that seemed to help. But their the symptoms remained. We did several rounds of allergy and metabolic testing, only to come up short, … [Read more...]
How to Grill the BEST Burgers
No recipe from me tonight! But I do want to share a few things that I learned from my dad! He's whipping up Bacon Cheeseburgers with Tarragon Russian Dressing! {licks lips} What a treat!!! I'm really thankful for these 2 tips for grilling burgers that he shared with me! Place patties in bowl of ice water for 30 seconds before grilling. Makes them juicier. As … [Read more...]
How to Grill Corn
I've always been afraid to grill corn. Well, afraid is probably the wrong word. Lazy? Impatient? Those would probably be better! It takes a little more prep work and it takes longer to cook on the grill, as opposed to the stovetop or microwave. BUT...since I snipped herbs from the garden and I was able to do most (minus melting the butter in the microwave) of the prep work … [Read more...]
How to Bake a Sweet Potato
Learn the proper way to bake a sweet potato - so that it caramelizes itself and doesn't need extra sweetener to taste perfect! Tonight the guys had fish sticks (I know!), mashed sweet potatoes and corn. I didn't have any trouble preparing the veggies, but just couldn't handle the meat! (Note: This is an old post and I was pregnant when I wrote it and couldn't handle meats … [Read more...]
How to Saute Asparagus
So....... I think you might be sauteing your asparagus wrong?!? Maybe?! You want to know my favorite (and the best!) way to saute asparagus. First, you let it soak in a little olive oil. (This is the secret hack!) Almost like marinating it. Sure, it takes a little forethought to remember to let it sit for a bit. But all you have to do … [Read more...]