RECRISP CHIPS AND CEREALS

If you open up a bag of chips or corn chips or cheetos and don't close them back good we all know they will go stale and not be out of date. To recrisp them put a serving size of them on a plate or in a bowl and put them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds (not minutes). Take out and let them stand for one minute and they will be crisp again. This also works with cereals.

KEEPING GREENS GREEN

When you cook fresh greens sometime they may turn a dark green color. If you will add a small amount of sugar to the water when cooking them they will stay a pretty green color.

SERVING CHEESES

If you are going to be having a party or buffet where you plan on serving cheese. Make sure that you take the cheese out of the ref. in time to let it come to room temp. This will let the flavor come thru more. But make sure you don't let it sit our for hours or overnight.

MORE TENDER ROASTS

Tomatoes are a acid food. So if you are fixing a roast a can of tomatos added to it will make it more tender. It will also give the roast a good flavor if you use the flavored tomatos like with basil or different spices in them. It helps break down the meat as it cooks or bakes.

BETTER TASTING FISH

We all know that lemon will bring out the flavor of fish. But do you know that putting it on the fish before fixing it will make it taste so much better. Just spread it all over the fish but don't use to much as you do not want it to taste sour. It also makes the fish stay white more when fixing it.

BRINGING OUT BANANA FLAVOR

Did you know that if you put just a tiny pinch of salt on a piece of sliced banana, it will bring out more of the banana flavor. Just like putting a pinch of salt in sweet rice for breakfast will also bring out more flavor of the rice. My sister-in-law was making sweet rice, (which is just cooked rice with some butter and sugar added to it after it is cooked) ,and serve with hot biscuits for lunch or breakfast and my mother-in-law wanted to know if she had added some salt to the rice. What for, it brings out the flavor of the rice more. Never to old to learn something. If you will notice most of the time now in tv they add a small pinch of salt to cookies, cakes and sometimes candy. But don't use a lot or they will be to salty. Brings out flavor.
I know when my mom always made breakfast gravy she would put a pinch of sugar in her gravy with the salt.

HOW TO MAKE MORE CUPCAKES AT ONE TIME

If you need to make more cupcakes than 12 at one time. Take a cookie sheet and take jar rings and sit the cupcake paper inside the jar ring. Pour batter into the cucake paper and you can make more that 12 cupcakes. Just don't let them touch each other as they will stick together and when they are done will pull part of the other off. Turn the jar ring upside down and they will sit down in them. Very neat idea.

ICE CREAM TRICK

Are you having a party or baby shower and serving cake? A easy way to serve ice cream is to take a muffin pan and line it with cup cake cups. Take a scoop and put a large scoop of ice cream in each one and freeze. Then when you are ready to serve the cake just get it out of the freezer and seve this with the cake. Now don't ask me how to store these without crushing the cups. I guess you would have to have a lot of room in your freezer for these but they are nice when most people just like a small amount of ice cream. Even nice to have for the kids when they want some ice cream. Cheaper than buying the cups of cream. Even better if you go to KFC save the little bowls that they put the mashed potatoes in now and wash out good and put some ice cream in these. Just the right amount of serving.
Also, to save your boxed ice cream from getting ice pieces in it just put a layer of plastic wrap over it and then add the top of the lid back on. This does work.

REGROWING GREEN ONIONS

Did you know that you can regrow green onions. If you like to use the green tops and don't like the white bottoms then just take the bottoms and put in a glass or glass jar and pour water in it. Sit in a sunny place inside and the while parts of the onions will start to regrow the green stems. Just change the water if you do this more than once and rinse off the onions and then start over. Great idea.

BOILED EGGS WITHOUT PEELING THEM

Are you like me, try to peel boiled eggs and leave half of it on the peeling. I even put salt in mine when boiling and they still sometimes will not do right. Just boil your eggs and then cut the in half with a knife with the shell still on them. Take a spoon and lift up under the unpeeled egg half and it will slip off and not ruin the egg. They might be a few small pieces of egg shell but just wipe it off. The shell should seprate away from the egg when you put the spoon between the egg and the shell.

NEW WAY FOR COOKING CORN ON THE COB

Got a family or church homecoming to cook for and don't have enough space to cook corn on the cob. Then take a CLEAN cooler and shuck and wash corn. Put in the cooler in layers. Take two large kettles of boiling water and pour over the corn. Be careful and not get burned by water splashing out. Put the lid on the corn and in 30 to 40 minutes the corn should be cooked in the cooler. Make sure is is ate and not left in the cooler or it may ruin. Try a small amount first to make sure it works for you.

BLUE PAINTER TAPE

If you have leftovers or what ever that you would need to label. Then use a sharpie and blue painters tape for labeling. The tape will lift off and will not stick to stuff. You can discard it and it will not leave a lot of gook on anything. If you have bowls for pot luck then just use it and then bring them home and wash them without have to scrape regular masking tape off of them.

HOW TO MAKE BROWN SUGAR

If you are  out of Brown sugar, but you have granulated sugar and you have molasses. The recipe for brown sugar is 1 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons molasses. In a stand mixer (can be done by hand with a fork). Put the sugar and molasses in your mixer bowl and with the whisk attachment, run on medium speed till all mixed, this may take a while to do. But it does go together. If you have some clumps that refuse to break up, use a fork to break them up. You will then have brown sugar.

NEW USES FOR VINEGAR IN COOKING

By adding a tablespoon of vinegar to a ham when boiling it will cut the salty taste and improve the flavor of it.
Apple cider vinegar (2 Tablespoons per pint) helps kill bacteria on fruits and vegetables by soaking in water treated with it.
To keep peeled fruits and vegs. from turning brown such as apples, pears and potatoes, place them in apple cider vinegar solution (1 tablespoon per gallon of water). Keep ref. until ready to use.

Steamed vegs. will keep their bright color if you put 1 tablespoon of vinegar in the water when steaming them instead of salt.
Dried beans will be less gas-producing when you eat them if you add some vinegar to the water you are soaking them in and then add a little while cooking them. Don't add to much tho.
A teaspoon of vinegar will improve the flavor of fruit when cooking it.
Add 1 tablespoon to the water when boiling eggs to keep them from brusting if the shells should crack.
When poaching a egg add 1 tablespoon to the water to keep the eggs together.
 Meat that has been marinated in vineger will kill bacteria and also tenderize the meat. 1/4 cup with some herbs to taste will marinate a 2 to 3 lb. roast.

Tenderize very tough pieces of meat in a marinade overnight in the ref . will tenderize it.
Soak wild meat in a vinegar-water solution prior to cooking will take the wild taste away or you can also use buttermilk for this.
Soak fish in vinegar and water before cooking to bring out the flavor and tenderize the flesh.

When making pasta, add 1 tablespoon to the cooking water to avoid adding salt which will cause the sauce not to stick to pasta. It will keep it from sticking.
For a fluffier rice, add a teaspoon of vineger to the water when cooking.
Substitute vinegar instead of lemon on fried and broiled foods.
Enchance the flavor of casseroles and pasta sauce by adding a little apple cider vinegar.
Make buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken.

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

Portobello mushrooms have dark gill that look like fish gills on the under side of them. These can cause dishes made with these mushrooms to turn dark. To keep this from happening take a edge of a spoon and scrape  off the gills before cutting them up.

HOW TO STOP SAUSAGE FROM STICKING TO ROLL

Run cold water over the paper or plastic roll before you remove roll sausage from the package, or let it set in cold ice water for a while. The sausage will not stick to the paper or plastic.

JUICER HAMBURGERS

If you want a juicer hamburger take a egg and beat it stiff and then put in the hamburger meat and mix good before you fry them. Also if you put a hole in the middle of the hamburger before putting them in a skillet it will get done quicker in the middle and the hole disappears.

HOW TO KEEP BACON FROM STICKING TOGETHER

To keep bacon slices from sticking together, roll the pack into a tube and then put a rubber band around it before you ref. it. If you are going to freeze take each piece and  lay them flat and put on a large piece of wax paper and just keep folding it over until you use all of it up. Then roll in a tube and freeze. You can then just take out whatever amount of slices you may need. Dip it in water and it will not shrink so much.

HOW TO USE RICE FOR FRYING

When making stir fry or any hot rice dish always using rice, make sure to cook it the day before and let it be good and cold before adding it to any type of Chinese dish. If making fried rice make sure it is cold so the rice will flake and not be googy and sticky when adding it to hot oil.

Sesame oil is always the best to use when making Chinese dishes. But be sure to always just use a little as it goes a very long way.

HOW TO KEEP LETTUCE LONGER

Store lettuce and celery in the crisper in the ref. in paper bags instead of plastic. They will keep longer.