Cook and Blog: July 2009

Monday, July 13, 2009

Cucumbers with Homemade Dressing

Mmmm, the garden is flourishing. Time to blog some fresh-picked and super-easy recipes!

Ingredients

5-6 small to medium cucumbers, scrubbed and sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon minced garlic

In medium bowl combine cucumber slices and salt. Toss to coat. Add Splenda and toss again. Add cider vinegar, dill weed, and garlic. Mix well. Allow to sit for about half an hour or more to fuse flavors. Enjoy!

***If you like them sweeter, add more Splenda.
***If you like them more sour, add more salt.
***Some lovely additions, in no particular combination: diced red onions, feta cheese, grape or cherry tomatoes, croutons, and/or diced red pepper.

Cooking Tips

Tip #1: UNDER BLOG ARCHIVE BELOW, DON'T FORGET TO CLICK ON THE LITTLE ARROW TO THE LEFT OF THE YEAR AND THEN AGAIN ON THE MONTH TO ACCESS ALL OF MY BLOGGED RECIPES. OR, TYPE IN A KEYWORD, LIKE "CHICKEN", IN THE WHITE RECTANGLE SEARCH AREA AT THE TOP LEFT OF THE BLOG. THIS WILL AUTOMATICALLY TAKE YOU TO ALL RECIPES CONTAINING THAT KEYWORD.

Tip #2: Add a 4-serving box of cheesecake-flavored pudding when making a boxed cake mix. It adds a velvety consistency to your cake, making it a little more like a pound cake. Tried and true, straight from my mom, who knows her way around the kitchen!

Tip #3: Spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray before adding your recipe ingredients. Sure makes clean-up a lot easier!

Tip #4: If you spend time in the kitchen cooking, spend a few minutes more presenting your work in a "pretty" way. Place the food in a nice dish - DON'T use foil pans and plastic storage containers! Make your food presentable so that everyone will "ooh and ahh".

Tip #5: Keep your pantry stocked with back-ups of often-used paper products. I always have an extra box of quart and gallon-sized storage and freezer bags, sandwich bags, foil, waxed paper, parchment paper, and plastic wrap.

Tip #6: When cooling cookies or muffins from the oven, skip the wire racks. I use paper towels covered with waxed paper. The baked goods don't stick to the waxed paper, and it absorbs some of the oils from baking. Also, never use an old towel or tablecloth. Your baked goods will absorb the scent of your laundry detergent and mar the flavor of your creations. NEVER use newspapers, ew!! Enough said.

Tip #7: Keep the essential spices stocked in your pantry. Black pepper, salt (iodized and sea salt), garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, Tabasco sauce, ground yellow mustard, ground celery seed, and bay leaves are essentials for me.

Tip #8: Keep a bottle of pre-mixed cleaning solution handy to your sink. I'm partial to the new Clorox Anywhere spray. Makes cleaning up a breeze - simply spray and wipe! I also use it to spray down the sinks, bath tubs, and showers daily.

Tip #9: When making a baked pasta dish, including lasagna, cook the pasta to al dente and add lots of sauce. Pasta absorbs the sauce during the baking portion of the recipe. This simple step will ensure that your baked pasta dish is flavorful, not mushy, and not dry.

Tip #10: When making a baked dish, if you are required to cover with foil when baking, spray the non-shiny side that will touch the food with non-stick cooking spray. This will prevent the foil from sticking to the food, especially a nuisance with dishes that are topped with cheese!

Tip #11: Invest in a really good metal potato masher. I have seen many cooks on TV using these lately for mashing up tomatoes in sauce and ground meats when they saute them. I tried it with ground sirloin and it breaks it up like a dream into tiny little pieces!!

Tip #12: When using a glass baking dish, reduce the heat in the recipe to 325. Many items will burn or cook unevenly in a glass baking dish at temps higher than 325. Thanks, Mom! She figured out why all of my dishes were burning in my new oven.

Tip #13: If using tomatoes or peppers from your garden, add a little sugar to the dish or sauce. White sugar to tomato sauces and brown sugar to the ones with peppers. This removes the bitter taste that accompanies home-grown produce. Thanks, Grandma Vera, for that tip!

About Me

I come from a family of cooks and bakers, none professional, all recreational. Whether following recipes or making them up, nearly everyone in my family loves to be in the kitchen creating. Therefore, it's only natural that I love to experiment with cooking and baking, too!

My favorite thing to do is to get a recipe that sounds good and then change it to match mine and my family's dietary needs and taste preferences. Thus, my experiments! My hubby wants his proteins paired with healthy carbs. My daughter is experimenting with trying new foods and has recently and thankfully given up her little kid carb diet. I have PCOS, so I need more veggies and proteins and less of the refined sugar.

Not all of the recipes on here are saintly, though!!

I am working to pass this love of cooking on to my daughter. She enjoys helping in the kitchen, but right now we end up with lovely dishes and sometimes big messes, so she is also learning to clean!!

I also like to talk, a lot. In this age of blogging, this is a perfect outlet for me! I can chat away to everyone without keeping them on the phone, hooray!

Happy cooking!