Tomato Paste - What To Do with the Rest of the Can

Did you know that you can freeze left over tomato paste? Well you can! 

Don't you hate it when you have to open up a can of tomato paste and all you need is one tablespoon? Then you either leave it in the can or plop it into a plastic container and off into the back of the fridge it goes, only to be found a month later and probably growing some funky science experiment type organism on it. You could dish out $5 for those squeeze tubes, paying .60 cents per ounce (highway robbery!) or you could do what I do - freeze it.  Here's how:

Place a generous sheet of cling on your counter (see photo). Run a spatula along the walls of the inside of the can and empty out the content of the tomato paste can onto the bottom third of the cling. With the spatula smooth it down and shape into a rectangle. It's not art, so no need to get fussy about it. Roll the cling cover the paste and continue rolling up until you have nice sausage like shape. Twist each end in opposite directions to tighten the bundle. Tuck the ends in and place inside a freezer safe container or zip bag.  Next time you need tomato paste all you have to do is cut through with a serrated knife, remove cling and use as needed. No waste, no science experiment and no highway robbery!

Peeling Ginger Root Effortlessly & Without Waste

Did you know a grapefruit spoon is perfect for peeling ginger root? 
It really is! 

I had just finished eating my morning grapefruit and was going to start prepping tonight's dinner which uses ginger root, when I realized my grapefruit spoon was the perfect gadget to peel it.

In case you don't know or have never seen one, a grapefruit spoon has a serrated edge almost all the way all around and is very pointy. I've used a regular spoon to peel up ginger root and it works fine except around the corners and nubby parts. It just doesn't reach in enough and either you end up cutting it of and trashing it or it breaks off. The grapefruit spoon does an excellent job of removing the peel and getting into those corners and around the nubby parts. If you use a knife or peeler to remove the peel, you are probably cutting/peeling off way more ginger too than you need to. If you have a grapefruit spoon lying around in the back of a kitchen drawer, give this a try, I think you'll be pleased with how easily it comes off and you'll have a lot less waste too! 

Baking Soda as a Tenderizer

Did you know that baking soda can be used as a meat, chicken, pork or shrimp tenderizer? Yes, that's right ... a tenderizer. It's an old trick that is used in many Asian restaurants and was quite popular back in the 50's and 60's of mainstream America.

Ever notice how Chinese restaurants get even the toughest cuts of meat to a level of tenderness no amount of mallet pounding could ever achieve at home? Or how the shrimp has an almost "velvety" texture to it? You can get the same results at home using their secret ... baking soda.

Now, let me make it clear, this works only on small bite size pieces of meats, like for stir-fry, pepper steaks, fajitas, etc.  This is NOT to tenderize a thick steak or a hunk of meat. It just won't work. It will make the surface mushy and that's not a good thing. At least that has been my experience.

After reading this you may ask "so why not just buy a better cut of meat? The honest answer is ... not everyone can afford to buy tenderloin, sirloin, skirt steak or chicken tenderloins, to make a stir fry or in a recipe that uses small strips of meat. I know I can't always spend the extra bucks and quite frankly, I'd rather use those cuts in other recipes.

Getting Rid of the Funky Stuff on the Bottom of Your Pans

Time: Left on for 5 minutes, wiped right off

Did you know that funky, gunky stuff accumulating on the bottom of your pan is easy to clean up? Yes it is! And there is virtually NO scrubbing involved either. I hate scrubbing stuff, it's one of my pet peeves and anything that can get me out of the dish and pan cleaning chore, gets a thumbs up from me. Like everyone, I have tried all the Pinterest cleaning methods and have yet to find one that doesn't require a days worth of "scrub, rinse, repeat" over and over or that actually delivers no-scrub results or for that matter works.  My secret weapon, you ask? A little old school product called oven cleaner. Yes, you read that right.  Oven cleaner will make your pans shine like new, get rid of the nasty stains that build up on the bottom of pans (the side that touches the burner) and if you happen to scorch an entire dinner to the bottom of your favorite stainless steel pan ... oven cleaner to the rescue! Now I want to make it clear that I've only used this on stainless steel pans and glass/cermaic bakeware and not on aluminum or copper pans. So please be mindful of this detail, and do a spot test if you are going to try it on aluminum or copper.
The "how to" is easy,  just spray it on and leave it on for 10 - 30 minutes, then done a pair of gloves, wipe off with a paper towel or damp sponge and clean as usual. Now, the time varies because it all depends on how much funky gunk is on there.  You may even have to repeat, on foods that  are scorched to the bottom of the pan, you know ... like last night's dinners. I've also used oven cleaner on my smooth glass top cook top, and on glass bake ware and boy does it power through stuck on, burnt on foods and again, virtually no scrubbing.  Yes, you will have to use a cleaner afterwards to gloss or clean it up, but I don't mind an extra step, if it's going to save me time in the long run. Next time you are contemplating scrubbing the funky gunk on your pans ... Stop! Just use the oven cleaner and with the time you saved, go get yourself a nice manicure or massage!

Make Your Own Taco, Ranch and Dry Onion Soup Seasoning Mix

Did you know that you can make your own Taco, Ranch and Dry Onion Soup Seasoning Mix? Yes, you can! Plus, you’ll get more, save some bucks, it’ll certainly taste better and you’ll cut out nasty additives. Additives?!

Oh yeah, additives! I recently took the time to look at the ingredient list at the back of a taco seasoning mix and I was appalled to see all kinds of nasty additives, among them: maltodextrin, corn syrup, carbometylcellulose and my own personal enemy monosodium glutamate (MSG). Like everyone else, I sometimes have to reach for convenience foods or shortcuts to get dinner on the table. But by doing this, not only am I sacrificing money and taste, I am also sacrificing my health. MSG is something I react to very badly, from extreme fluctuation in blood pressure and swelling to migraines. So when I realized how toxic these mixes were for me, I set about making my own mixes.  And you know what? I think mine taste better, I certainly get a bigger quantity and I get to control how much of each spice or herb goes into my mix … in other words customization!

Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Sweet Smoked Paprika

½ Teaspoon Onion Powder

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano

As Seen on TV... Are You Kidding Me?

Did you know that some of those "As Seen on TV" kitchen products are actually pretty decent? Okay, stop! Before you click off on this page, hear me out.  I am not a sales or spokesperson, just a curious individual.

My daughter (a.k.a. the Kid) and The Hub love those "As Seen on TV" commercials. In fact, they both say the same thing, if they win the lotto, they are going to buy whatever "As Seen on TV" products they want to try out, just for the heck of it. I use to just laugh it off, until one day I saw the commercial for the Pasta Boat. It caught my attention because there is nothing that I just hate more than filling a pot with water, lugging it to the stove and then lugging a pot that now weighs even more and has boiling water in it, back to the sink to drain.  Plus, my thumb muscle thingy (yup, I said thingy, that's the official medical term for it) sometimes just gives out for no reason and I can lose my grip on what I am holding.  I don't know about you, but having a pot of boiling water just tumble on over me just doesn't tickle me pink!  Anyway, I digress. So I told my daughter I wanted to get the Pasta Boat, and instead of a kindred spirit, she laughs and makes fun of me. I was flabbergasted, speechless even, here's the "As Seen on TV" enthusiast just giggling away. A few months later, guess what I got for  Christmas from The Kid? Yup, the pasta boat! And the results? I have to tell you, I was surprised at how well it worked.  No more lugging boiling water, no big pot to clean, no strainer to clean, no heat in the kitchen. Simply said ... it works. Guess what? A few months later The Kid got one too.

What other "As Seen on TV" kitchen gadgets do I have? The Titan Peeler. I always wanted a julienne peeler, and when I saw the commercial for it, I knew eventually I would get one. I found and bought a julienne peeler made by joseph joseph for about $3 on clearance at Home Goods and it didn't feel comfortable when I used it. Cool design but I didn't like it, the grip was off. I couldn't figure out how to move the blades around, put it back together, I just couldn't be bothered. I've never been good at nor had the patience for puzzles! Finally, I got the Titan Peeler at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It came with a regular peeler, the julienne peeler and the slicing board attachment (great for slicing truffles, garlic, ginger). Both peelers feel comfortable to the grip and peel effortlessly. The julienne peeler is exactly what I was looking for. I didn't have to lug out the food processor or loose a digit on the mandolin. It's great for small or even large julienning jobs, but mostly I wanted it for small jobs, where all I had to wash was one little peeler. In case you are wondering, nope, I don't have a dish washer, my kitchen is small but efficient and I can't justify sacrificing the cabinet space.

The point of all this is that you never know where your new favorite kitchen gadget will come from, sometimes it will come from the most unexpected place ... like an "As Seen on TV" commercial. You just never know. Cheers!

Small Neighborhood Markets Provide Different, Cheaper and even Organic Products

Did you know that shopping at small neighborhood markets and farmer's markets will offer a better assortment of products, many even organic? This time around I had the opportunity to visit a lot of different food marketplaces in San Francisco. What I learned, and knew is that buying local pays offs in quality and substance.
Yes, like all foodies I was drawn to the Ferry Building, which totes all sorts of gourmet and organic food products. I wasn't, however, thrilled with the prices. I knew they were over-inflated. We had just come back from driving along Big Sur, where artichokes where 12 for $1, at the oganic farms that line the coast on your drive. Here I was at the Ferry Building, looking at the absolute sticker shock of $5.99 for ONE very small artichoke. In my book, that is highway robbery. "Oh but they had to transport them there ... surely that accounts for the hefty price tag", you say. I say, absolutely not! At the farmer's market at the civic center they were 2 for $1.00 and organic, at a local produce store in the Richmond district, they were 5 for $2 and you guessed it ... Organic. Here is a tip, nothing new, but good to keep in mind. Go towards the end of the day to the farmer's market, the vendors mark everything down by up to 50% or more. A big produce bag, like the kind you get in the produce section at the grocery store, STUFFED with basil, thyme, rosemary or parsley were $1 each. Needless to say I was jonesing for a cooktop, a few pans and some olive oil to get cooking! And folks in case you think, they might mislabel the produce as organic at these lower cost markets, keep in mind, that the same flat boxes the produce come packaged in, are the exact same ones I saw at the back of the Ferry Building Marketplace. Yes, I did a little investigating of my own! The back side of any food establishment reveals a lot.
Next time you are out visiting a new city, think local, instead of trendy and not only will you save yourself some bucks, you'll also be able to try new and unusual fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Kitchen Shears ... They Do More than Cut Up a Whole Chicken

Did you know your kitchen shears have a double life? They do! They can be used in place of your knife in many instances.  How many times have you just cleaned and put away the star of your kitchen, "the knife" and it's trusty companion the cutting board, only to realize you forgot to cut the green onions that put the finishing touch on your dish. Kitchen Shears to the rescue! Here's a list of the many uses of your kitchen shears.

1. Cut green onions into discs or on the diagonal
2. Snip parsley or any herb over food
3. Slice a bell pepper or any type of pepper
4. Slice garlic
5. Cut up lettuces
6. Snip strips of meat for stir fry
7. Snip chucks of chicken to make nuggets
8. Cut bread slices in half
9. Cut the crust off of bread slices
10. Cut celery
11. Snip chives
12. Cut pizza
13. Shred cabbage - roll up several leaves to look like a cigar and snip away
14. Removing a lobster from it's shell
15. Trim the ends off of beans, like green beans
16. Cut up bacon into smaller pieces - fresh or cooked
17. Cut lasagna noodles to fit the dish
18. Cut up sausages
19. Cut up dried fruit
20. "Chop" canned whole tomatoes while they are in the can

And of course  ... cutting  up a whole chicken into individual pieces

Stop... Don't Throw Vegetable Scraps Out!

Did you know you can save the trimmings from your vegetables to make stock?  That's what I do and it saves you time and money. Unless your saving your vegetable scraps for compost, you could be using them to make any variety of stocks.
I am not at all against using the store bought stock that comes in cans and cartons, but nothing is better than homemade stock. What I do is I use a gallon size freezer zip bag to store the scraps. As I am prepping recipes I place all the vegetable scraps on a plate. When I say all, I mean all the end and the skins from the onions, which adds a deep color naturally to your stock, the greens from scallions, the tops and the peels from carrots, the bottoms of romaine lettuce or celery, parsley stems, the woody stalks from broccoli ... pretty much anything that is a vegetable goes into my scrap bag.  Of course, there are exceptions, I do not add potato peels (white or sweet) of any kind because it "dirties" the stock or beets and red onions, unless you want a red/pink stock. Green, white, yellow and orange vegetables all make it into the scrap bag. I'll collect 2-gallon size bags worth of vegetables before using them for stock. If I am making a vegetable stock, I tend to use 3-gallon size bags worth of scraps.
You are probably wondering, who has time to make stock? Everyone does! If you have a slow cooker, all you have to do is chuck all your ingredients in to it, set it on low for 8-10 hours and you've got stock. Portion out into freezer safe containers, zip bags or into ice cube trays and you are ready to elevate and enhance your recipes. Give it a try and not only will you be utilizing all your food resources, but you'll know what you putting into your food and body.

Salt Will Keep Your Beans from Softening

Did you know you shouldn't add salt to your beans until they are softened?  That's right, adding salt to your beans when you start cooking them will inhibit the softening process. The salt actually prevents the starches in the beans from breaking down, thus producing a hard bean. Beans are a superfood! They are high in fiber and protein and rich in anti-oxidants, and because they digest at a slower rate than their protein counterpart - meat, they keep you full longer and that makes them great for your waistline.  Beans are so versatile and it's another food staple that I think people, in general, tend to shy away from. I have found that the best way to prepare dried beans for cooking is as follows:

1. Soak beans overnight in water. At least 8 hours or more. The ratio I use for the soaking is 2:1 (2 parts water to 1 part bean)
2. If possible, I like to change out the soaking water a few times.
3. Never cook in the soaking water. Discard and and rinse your beans.
4. Place your beans in a stock pot or dutch oven. Add enough water or unsalted stock to cover beans about an inch over top of beans. You can add aromatics, such a onions, peppers etc., but NO salt.

Achiote Paste - Make Your Own

I've mentioned achiote paste in a few recipes and there is no doubt about my fondness for this seasoning. Aside from the beautiful red color it imparts on foods, it adds deep rich flavors to meats.  I find this is especially true with grilled meats. I've never made it myself, I usually by it at a local "mercadito Nica" (Nicaraguan market). But then I set out to figure out what's in it. After all, here I am writing out recipes that use this seasoning and I know that not everyone has a "mercadito" around the corner. Recent recipes where I've used achiote paste are Beef & Pork Marinade Version 1 & 1.1 and Carne Enchorizada Nicaraguense ("Sausage" Beef Nicaraguan Style). I purchased a bottle of achiote seeds at a local asian market, and I also found a packet of seeds under the "Badia" label of hispanic foods. Of course if all else fails ... you can find it on eBay. Take note that achiote seeds also go by the name of annato seeds. Several bottles and packets of achiote seeds later, I got it right! While my version is not as "pasty" as the one from the market, I am very happy with my results. This recipe makes about 1 cup. You can keep it in the fridge for about 10 days or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and then store in a freezer safe container or zip bag.

Achiote Paste
Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup achiote* seeds
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground

Don't Have Sour Oranges? Make Your Own!

Did you know you can make your own sour orange juice? We are lucky in South Florida that we have an abundance of places to buy sour oranges and as well as the bottled kind. Yet, I realize that not everyone has access to sour oranges, so I thought why not provide a substitute that will work almost or just as well.  After a few tests, this was the closest mix to sour oranges:

2 parts orange juice
1 part lemon juice
1 part lime juice

Mix together and you've got sour orange juice. Freeze in ice cube trays and transfer to a zip bag. Enjoy!