To get the most juice from citrus fruit, microwave it for 20 seconds and then roll it on your work surface while applying gentle yet firm pressure to get the juices flowing.
Tips
Burger Redux
Posted by Dawn Welch
Turn these burgers into meatballs by making small, golf ball-size rounds and browning them in the skillet. They’re great with spaghetti or crumbled and used in place of meat in lasagna or chili.
5 Ways to Use up a Handful of Pasta
Posted by Dawn Welch
Does your pantry suffer from random pasta syndrome? You know, when 3 or 4 boxes each holding barely 1 serving of pasta begin to clutter the shelves? Don’t stress it—there are great ways to use up those odds and ends. Boil it up (cook different shapes separately, as they may have different cooking times) and have fun.
- Add to a frittata (add the boiled pasta to the egg mixture when it just starts setting up in the pan, top with cheese, and run under the broiler).
- Mix with canned beans, olive oil, and herbs for a healthy lunch.
- Toss with a single serving of chili or lentils.
- Make a kitchen-sink pasta casserole (cook all of your pastas and then layer in a casserole dish with sauce, cheese, and vegetables or chunks of sausage, and top with more cheese before baking until bubbly).
- Sweeten with cinnamon sugar and butter to satisfy a dessert craving.
The Price is Rice
Posted by Dawn Welch
At only 10 cents per serving, rice is an excellent value-staple to have in the pantry at all times. Besides being delicious simply steamed and served plain alongside something stewy or spicy, here are some other ways to take advantage of the low price point of rice.
Use as a mix-in. Stretch out dishes such as meatloaf, meatballs, or even a small amount of leftover stir-fried chicken or pulled pork by mixing in rice.
Use as a foundation. Become a champion of stir-fries. With a small amount of protein and some veggies plus an interesting sauce, such as the peanut sauce on page 62 or the teriyaki sauce on page 97, a few cups of rice with a minimal addition of fresh ingredients becomes a meal.
Use as a stuffing. Moisten cooked rice with canned tomatoes or chicken broth and mix in herbs, spices, dried fruits, nuts, and even bacon or sausage to use as a stuffing. Acorn squash, bell peppers, eggplant (slender Italian or Japanese, not globe), and zucchini are all vegetables particularly suited to stuffing. Grape leaves are wonderful, too. You can also stuff butterflied leg of lamb and pork loins, whole chickens, and Cornish hens with rice.
Recooked Rice
Posted by Dawn Welch
Leftover rice loses its tenderness when refrigerated. To replump it, place it in a microwave-safe dish and sprinkle with some water before reheating.
Spice Swap
Posted by Dawn Welch
Ground turmeric is often used as a stand-in for saffron. The flavor is a little different, but your guests probably won’t know the difference.
Tuna Two-fer
Posted by Dawn Welch
Buy oil-packed tuna instead of water-packed tuna. It’s moister, and you can use the tuna-infused olive oil in place of extra oil called for in recipes.
Mint in a Pinch
Posted by Dawn Welch
If you don’t have fresh mint handy, steep a bag of herbal mint tea in 1/4 cup of water and stir it in.
Be a Cheatin’ Two-Timer
Posted by Dawn Welch
In this recipe I double time it and roast two chickens instead of one: the first is dinner tonight, the second goes for chicken salad or sandwiches or enchiladas or a steaming bowl of noodle soup. Cooking in big batches saves time. It’s like cheating—in a good way!
Bean Counting
Posted by Dawn Welch
Buy canned beans in the ethnic food aisle of your grocery store, where they’re often much less expensive.
