Thanksgiving 2013: Are you ready?

I had a lovely new recipe all ready to share with you today, but it just didn't feel right. It's the Monday before Thanksgiving, and who can think about anything other than the biggest food day of the year. I mean, Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of food. It would be sacrilege to tell you about pot roast.

Instead I'm resurrecting one of my favorite lists. Back in 2010 I compiled my favorite Thanksgiving Tips & Tricks. When I reread it recently, I was impressed. I don't want to toot my own horn, but these things are handy, people. So without further ado...

Making Dinner:

• Plan your menu early. And don't feel guilty if your menu doesn't include 12 different jello salads. No one needs that much jello, anyway.
• Are you making any new recipes this year? To keep your stress level at minimum, give new dishes a try in the weeks leading up to the big day. Once you know it tastes delicious, you'll be much less nervous. And if it tastes like crap, you can try something different.
• Whenever possible, make dishes the day before Thanksgiving. That way, you can enjoy the holiday with your family and friends. And many Turkey Day classics reheat well or can be prepared the day ahead and popped into the oven while the turkey is resting. That's a darn good reason to give thanks, if you ask me.
• The following items taste just as good (or even better!) when reheated or prepped ahead of time:
• Stuffing (I actually saute the aromatics on Tuesday, prepare the stuffing on Wednesday, and bake it on Thursday. Talk about make ahead!)
• Green Bean Casserole (Wait to add the onion ring topping until Thanksgiving day.)
• Mashed Potatoes (Just add extra milk and butter before reheating.)
• Candied Yams (If you're in the marshmallow camp, wait until Thanksgiving day to top with marshmallows.) 
• Cranberry Sauce (You don't even need to reheat this one! I usually make Cranberry Sauce on Tuesday.)
• Dessert items (pie, cake, whatever)

Staying Organized:

• Start early. Nothing will lower your anxiety levels like having a plan in place. This will also allow you to save a couple bucks by shopping the sales, clipping a couple coupons, and avoiding last-minute desperation purchases. 
• Once you know how many people you'll be hosting, count your plates, flatware, and glasses to make sure you have enough. My knives seem to disappear in the dishwasher, so I usually need to pick up a few replacements around the holidays. Also, it never hurts to have an extra place setting available in case you have a last-minute dinner addition.  
• After you have your menu planned, sort through your serving dishes and serving spoons to ensure you have an appropriate platter and utensil for each item. Scooping mashed potatoes out of tupperware takes the class out of a dinner party real quick. Also, have a few extra serving utensils on hand for guests who are bringing dishes.
• A few days before Thanksgiving, use post-it notes to label your serving bowls with what they will contain. Then set them out on the table or buffet. This will confirm that you have an appropriate dish for every item and also that there is enough room for everything. And it will be easy for you to give helpful dinner guests a job, "Katy, can you put this in the dish labelled "potatoes?" 
• Set the table the day, or several days, before Thanksgiving. You don't want to deal with this right before the main event. And if you're worried that your kids/animals/spouse will mess up your beautiful table, cover it with a clean bedsheet or extra tablecloth. (While I've never tried this myself, it sounds pretty doggone clever.)
• If you'll have candles on the dinner table, use unscented candles. Scented candles can confuse your taste buds when you're eating.

If You Are Not Hosting:

• Ask your host what you can bring. And if you have a family specialty that you'd like to share, suggest that dish to the host. Likewise, if you can't cook/hate to cook/don't have time to cook, offer to bring booze.  This will save your host moolah and will be much appreciated.  
• If you are in charge of bringing a dish for dinner, but you might be late due to another commitment, drop off your dish earlier in the day. Then your host can warm it up for you and serve dinner on schedule. My friend, Kelly, does this, and I love her (more) for it!
• Try to remember your own serving utensils in case your host didn't read our handy holiday tip guide and doesn't have extras. 
• If your dish needs to be reheated, use a post-it to label the dish with reheating instructions. Things get crazy in the kitchen at the last minute, and that way anyone can prep your dish. And there might be a cute guy/girl watching the football game or (let's be real) a crying baby who demands your attention more than your dinner contribution.

P.S. I wouldn't be a true friend if I didn't give this reminder: If your turkey is still frozen, get that baby in the refrigerator today! Thawing your turkey in the fridge takes about 1 day for every 4-5 pounds of turkey. If you're short on time, you can thaw the bird in a bucket of cold water, which takes about 30 minutes per pound. Change water every 30 minutes to make sure the turkey stays cold and safe. 

How To Refresh Stale Tortilla Chips

I admit some things on this here blog that I shouldn't proclaim to the entire world wide web. Things I should be embarrassed by, but, really, I have no shame. This is another one of those things.

Recently, the husband and I had a couple pals over for dinner. We were going to serve chips and guacamole to get things started. Thankfully, I had purchased a giant bag of tortilla chips from Costco. There was one little problem with the chips, though. I wasn't exactly sure when I had purchased that giant bag. And I wasn't exactly sure when the husband opened it in search of a little snack. What I was sure of...those chips were stale. 

If I was a really good hostess, or a person with moral scruples, I would have purchased a fresh bag of tortilla chips for my guests. But these are really good friends and the kind of folks who would be willing to be guinea pigs for a little experiment I had in mind. 

You see, those stale chips reminded me of a conversation my pal Shivani and I had many years ago. She told me that you could pop tortilla chips in the oven for a few minutes, and they'd taste like the ones served at Mexican restaurants. I don't know what took me so long to try it out, but it was high time. I baked those stale suckers and served them to our guests. I totally admitted this, mind you, and asked for their honest opinion about the freshness of the chips. It was unanimous; the chips were delicious!

So here's the secret...

How to Refresh Stale Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring them halfway through if you remember. Serve warm. 

Six genius ways to use leftovers...so they don't seem leftover!

Leftovers.

When I hear that word, I have a flashback to childhood. I would holler when the poor, sainted soul would walk in the door after a long day at the office. "Moooooo-ooooooom! What's for diiiiiiiinner?!" I was hoping for an answer like pizza or spaghetti or Poppy Seed Chicken. But her tired reply? "Leftovers." Ick.

Now that I'm in charge of meals, I love leftovers. It means you have a hot, homemade dinner without any work at all. Best. Dinner. Ever. But that begs the question, why did I hate leftovers so much as a kid?

I suppose leftovers can get a little boring if you just heat the exact same meal up again night after night. Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely do my fair share of re-heating. Some things are just better the next night. Pot Roast with Bacon, for example, gets more magically delicious after a night in the fridge. (Can I get an "amen!"??) But if you put a little twist on the original meal, it's more exciting for its encore performance. In fact, sometimes the husband doesn't even know we're having leftovers. I love getting sneaky in the kitchen.

Here are some of my favorite tricks for using up those pesky leftovers. And if you don't tell your family it's not a brand new meal, your secret's safe with me.

Make Mexican food.
I disguise leftover meat as a topping for nachos or a filling for burritos. Rotisserie chicken, pot roast, pork, whatever. I shred it up and stir in some chili powder. Pile it on chips or a tortilla, top with cheese, and bake until melty. Who doesn't like nachos for dinner?

Use your freezer.
I don't have a big chest freezer (someday....oh, someday!), just the standard unit that came with our fridge. But I pack that sucker full with leftovers. Making Lazy Beef Enchiladas? Double the filling. Put the second half in a baggie, squeeze out the air, and freeze it until later. Then you can just take 5 minutes to thaw it out and layer with tortillas when you're ready for a fast meal.

Toss a salad.
Shoot. I throw anything in a salad. It's a perfect meal for the summertime when you don't feel like cranking up the oven. Just the other day, for example, I sliced up the remnants of Ginger-Soy Marinated Steak and tossed it with lettuce, mandarin oranges, red pepper, and edamame. I drizzled on some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and I had the perfect (healthy!) dinner. (Then I ate a giant ice cream cone. The end.) Now that corn on the cob is starting to show up in the produce section, there's all kinds of salad ideas. Make a few extra ears when you're serving corn on the cob. The next night, slice the kernels off and make Corn and Black Bean Salad or Therese's Corn and Tomato Salad.

Always buy a rotisserie chicken. 
I know you're raising your eyebrow as you read this. "Uh, Erin? This is about leftovers, not buying new stuff." Well just hear me out. Every time I go to Costco, I buy a rotisserie chicken. Sometimes we eat it for dinner with mashed potatoes from a box. (Yes...from a box. I never said I was fancy.) Or I slice it up for sandwiches for lunch. Whatever we don't eat in a couple days, I chop up. Then I put one or two cup portions in baggies and put them in the freezer. Do you know how many recipes call for cut-up cooked chicken? Oh, about a googolplex. Curried Chicken Salad, Baked Chicken Chimichangas, Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Bake, Cheesy Chicken Packets (made with crescent rolls...good gravy), Couscous with Chicken, Chevre, and Cranberries, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce... I could go on, but you get my point.

Make Asian food.
No need to call for Chinese take-out when you have leftovers to use up. Pull the Tupperware of rice from the bowels of your fridge. Chop up that half-a-chicken-breast or the nub of pork tenderloin from yesterday's dinner. Now make Healthier Fried Rice. You can thank me later. And let's talk for a second about Lettuce Wraps. Thai Peanut Pork in the slow cooker is delicious on its own, but the leftover potential takes it to stratospheric heights of awesomeness. Thai Peanut Pork Lettuce Wraps. Just do it.

Bake fresh cookies...Yes, I said fresh.
What tastes better than cookies straight from the oven? Uh, nothing. Some next time you're making Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies, roll the extra dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet, and pop it in the freezer until the dough is frozen solid. Then toss the frozen dough balls in a baggie and bake as many as you want when the cookie craving strikes. Just add a minute or two to the baking time.

Tray Bien! by Lady of the House

We're kind of going through a phase in our house...well, let's hope it's a phase. My husband and I are sort of obsessed with chocolate chip cookies, and it's all my fault. Like, completely my fault.

I can remember being rebuked when the parcel from Amazon arrived years ago. Yes, I'd put in a special order for silicone ice cube trays after having reached my limit with the standard plastic guys. Swearing as you pour drinks for your guests is a little coocoo! My husband said they were stupid. I reminded him he can shuffle cards beautifully. I cannot. I am also apparently incapable of getting ice to plop out of a rock hard tray the way he does.



And then the other night, while we stared into a bowl of batter, lamenting the empty parchment roll that would have been perfect for wrapping up our cookies-to-be, I mentioned the blessed and now terribly scorned pink silicone ice cube trays. He called me a genius, and I happily plunked batter into each little square.




It's not anything new, but it's worth reminding you dear readers that your freezer can either be a locker for weird food you throw in there and swear you'll cook one day, or it can become your very own stockpile of perfectly portioned baked goods. I vote for the latter. Yum!



xoxo
{ Lady of the House }

Do Give Me a Call by Lady of the House

I'm in a completely new phase of life, I've realized. And with any change comes an introduction to a slew of new people you hadn't otherwise encountered. I was sorely unprepared to exchange information at a party last weekend. In fact, I resorted to my husband's iPhone to jot down a new friend's digits. How tacky! Well, not as tacky as the sound of my own voice, repeating the spelling of my last name while she scrawled my email address on a deposit slip in her checkbook.

We've all been there, but it isn't glamorous or necessary, and I'm determined not to let this happen again. Thankfully, as I type, my new calling cards are in the works. I am absolutely giddy with the thought of custom printed cards I'll be able to hand out here, there and everywhere, but I do realize some of you are snorting and tisking as you read this. How Stepford!, you might be remarking. And while I'm sort of dying to hear your thoughts on what some might deem a dilapidated and useless tradition, I'll beg you to hear me out. (But please do comment, my dears.)

First of all, I'm not on Facebook, surprise surprise. So I don't fall into the category of, "Just Facebook me." (And I probably never will.) Secondly, there's enough texting and tapping of phones, that I do believe perhaps a bit of paper is a welcome, dare I say sturdy and fashionable way to give someone a way to contact you. 'Cuz here's the deal, my mobile and email address are the only things on there, so it's not as if I'm not asking the recipient of my card to post me a letter, or even drop it off by horse and carriage. This is merely a brief pause before we jump back into technical land. (Yes, I just called it Technical Land.) Finally, a calling card allows you a way to carve out your individual taste and style, print it on yummy cardstock and leave your new friends with a small token. And there I go again, so hopelessly sentimental and old-fashioned.

If I've convinced anyone of their need, do take a moment to check out some of the following designs. I'm guessing once you get a glimpse, you'll be on board. They really are too cool not to have in your back pocket. Trust me.

This is the one I ordered. (Yes, Erin. I'm sending you one for your bulletin board. Mwah!)

Rifle Paper Co. aims to please with a line-up of personalized and downright hilarious calling cards. This botanical one is a good entree to Anna's dead-on, quirky style. (If anyone goes for her personalized portrait, will you please do me the honor of sending me one for MY bulletin board?)

Plain, simple, fully customized and super cool. Check 'em out!

And now, for some serious deliberating and work evasion, I give you this to wade through.

xoxo

{ Lady of the House }

How to...

Last week, I made Turkey Meatloaf Florentine. One of the key ingredients is spinach. Because I am too busy/lazy/whatever to steam my own spinach for this recipe, I rely on the frozen stuff to do the job. Every time I find myself faced with a box of thawed frozen spinach, I have the same question in my mind...

HOW IN TARNATION AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THIS STUFF DRY?!

Last week was no exception.

Over the years I've tried several methods for removing excess liquid from my spinach:

• Wringing it out with paper towels.
• Squeezing it with my two little fists.
• Mushing it between two plates. (Not kidding.)

This time, I wanted to try a new technique. I placed the spinach in my strainer and pushed the liquid out.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "Erin, please, oh PLEASE, tell us which is your preferred method for drying out frozen spinach!" Well, it's your lucky day! 

You're going to laugh, but my favorite way was smooshing the spinach between two plates. I know...this sounds totally crazy. But it was simple to hang on to the plates and the even pressure on all the spinach got the liquid out easily and effectively. 

One word of warning: If you give this a try, remember to squeeze the plates gently so you don't break them and cut your hands and bleed all over your spinach. Just sayin'. 

Science Geek strikes again!

The husband has dreams of being a line chef, so my mom gave him his own griddle. This weekend, the husband decided to christen his new culinary toy with homemade buttermilk pancakes.

Grand idea! I thought. I love buttermilk pancakes!

One minor issue. The likelihood of me having buttermilk on hand was incredibly small. The likelihood of me changing out of my jammies to buy buttermilk at the grocery store? Even smaller.

This was when my inner science geek took over. I had read that you could add lemon juice to milk and use that in place of buttermilk. Well, it was high time I did a little experiment to test this out.

I whisked lemon juice into regular old milk from my fridge. Then, I let the mixture sit on the counter for a few minutes to thicken. Although I was dubious when I went to check the results, the experiment worked! The milk had thickened up and looked just like buttermilk. And, most importantly, it made the husband's pancakes light and fluffy.

So, next time you're making pancakes, unleash your inner science geek and remember this:

1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 cup milk = buttermilk!!

Organizing Your Recipes

If you're anything like me, you have recipes coming out your eyeballs.  Stuffings from sweet to savory printed from the internet.  Newspaper clippings of fab summer salads.  Treasured family secrets in dear ol' grandmom's scrawl.  Not to mention the cookbooks.  Oh, the cookbooks!

How's an aspiring culinary mastermind supposed to keep track of all this good food?  And just as importantly, how are you supposed to keep a modicum of cleanliness in your kitchen when it's covered in recipe cards??

Well, I haven't exactly figured it out, but this is how I attempt to organize my (ever-growing) recipe collection.  There are two parts:

1. File Folders - I keep a stack of file folders on the shelf with my cookbooks.  Each folder is labeled with a course or type of food (main course: meat, main course: vegetarian, dessert, etc.).  When I read a recipe that I just must attempt, I print it from the internet or cut it from the newspaper/magazine I'm reading, and I shove it in the appropriate file folder.  Then, it's easy to find what I'm looking for when I'm planning our meals. 
2. Recipe Box - After I've tried a recipe from the file folder, and the husband and I have declared it delicious, I copy it onto a recipe card, and it's stored in my recipe box (also on the shelf with my cookbooks).  That way I know all the recipes in my gorgeous green box are tried-and-true.  

That's how I manage my recipes, but I'm wondering, what do you do to keep your recipes organized?

Toasting Nuts

I have read (and posted, for that matter!) many recipes that call for toasted nuts.  Pecans, pinenuts, walnuts, any nuts.  When I first started cooking, I would see "toasted ___nuts" in a recipe, and blatantly ignore it.  Why in the world would I take the time to toast nuts when I had perfectly good non-toasted nuts at the ready?  I couldn't be bothered.

Until I tried the nuts toasted.

Next time you're thinking about skipping the toasting step, I challenge you to try it.  First, try the nuts raw.  Try them again them once they're toasted.  And then let me know if you'll ever ignore the "toasted ___nuts" part of a recipe.

Toasted Nuts: Two Ways
Whichever method you choose, make sure the nuts are the same size so they cook evenly.  And when it comes to determining if the nuts are ready, use your nose and your tastebuds to make sure they're toasted.  

The Dry Skillet Technique
*Note: Use the dry skillet technique at your own risk.  It requires diligence.  I burned pecans three times in one night using this method. Not kidding.
Place nuts in a single layer in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Shaking incredibly frequently, toast for 5-7 minutes until nuts are fragrant and golden brown.

The Oven Technique
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for 8-12 minutes until nuts are fragrant and golden brown, shaking halfway through.

Like a Good Neighbor by Lady of the House

As an adult, certain inevitable situations still seem to strike me with all the horror and wonder of an anxious 8 year-old. The bus commute demands that we must cuddle up with and smell people we wouldn't otherwise encounter. Travel beckons our manners, even if Mr. Elbows with the wet cough isn't planning on sharing the armrest on your six hour flight to Cleveland. And living somewhere, anywhere, forces us into relationships with our neighbors, for better or for worse. These are all the things that no matter how many times I go through, I seem to cowar in temporary fear. Oh come on, you remember getting paired up with the smelly kid for gym class sit-ups. It's that same thing.

This first week in our new flat has brought about more than a few strange and uncomfortable encounters with the neighbors. In fact, we've started the search for another apartment. Gasp! Yes, it's as bad as the gym class fart.

And while I doubt any of you dear readers has behaved so poorly as to stir your own neighbors to up and leave a week after moving in, I will say it's never a bad thing to remember that we do live near people and our actions absolutely affect them.

I'll just maybe step up a rung or two higher on the ol' soapbox and encourage you with the following neighborly tips.

1) Welcome your new neighbors with a knock at their door, a brief introduction and oh, a pan of something yummy. You set the tone.

2) Okay so nobody knocked your door and welcomed you to the 'hood? Go say 'hello.' Be the neighborly person. You set the tone here, too.

3) It's time to sleep train your bundle of joy? Drop off a pack of ear plugs and some chamomile tea. Explain your phase, and your neighbors will nod their heads in sympathy as little Henry belts out another round of "waaaaaaaa!"

4) Party time? Hello! Invite your neighbors, or at least drop by with a bottle of bubbly to apologize in advance for the raucous evening about to unfold. (You ARE raucous, oh yes, I've heard about you!)

5) If you're in an apartment setting, where walls and floors may do little to dampen your noise, function with mindfulness. I suppose that means, step lightly, close--don't slam cupboard doors, and be sensitive to your neighbor's bedtime.

6) And I'll end here because this is turning into a sermon. Be GOOD to each other. Yes, I'm realizing I could have just written that and been done in one point, but it wouldn't have been as therapeutic for me.

How are you amazingly neighborly? Leave a comment. I'm dying to add to my repertoire.

xoxo

Lady of the House

Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

When Kelly and Cristoph came over for dinner, we made this delicious concoction to go with our Sesame Asparagus.

Cooking fish is intimidating for a lot of folks.  I know it is for me!  So, a good way to conquer the fear is to cook with friends.  If you mess up, you're all in it together, so no one has to take the blame.  And if that unlikely event does come to pass, you know my rule...pile in the car and head over to McDonald's.  Every likes McNuggets.

But, in hopes of avoiding disaster, here are a few general guidelines for cooking fish:

1. Typically, cook fish for 8-10 minutes per 1" of thickness.    
2. Raw fish is translucent; cooked fish is opaque.
3. When your fish is cooked through, it will flake easily with a fork.

Check out this article at finecooking.com for even more information on how to tell when fish is done. 

Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

Adapted from "An Occasion to Gather"

Serves: 4

Mahi Mahi

4 mahi mahi fillets (6 ounces each)

2 limes

3 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled and diced

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon hot chili sauce

In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, combine mahi mahi, zest from one lime, juice from both limes, wine, and ginger.  Shake to coat.  Marinate fish for 30 minutes to one hour, turning occasionally.  While fish is marinating, make the salsa.  

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl.  (You can store salsa in the refrigerator for several hours until you're ready to serve, but add the avocado close to serving time so it doesn't turn brown.)  

Adjust oven rack to the top position and preheat broiler to high.  Place mahi mahi on a baking sheet.  Broil about 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness, until fish is opaque throughout.  Serve mahi mahi with mango salsa. 

Building a Happy Home

Tomorrow, my brother and his lovely fiancee are getting married.  I spent a few minutes feeling a bit nostalgic, thinking back to the hours we spent playing Legos and kick-the-can, the concerts we performed in the living room, the forts we built in the backyard, his DJ skills on the way to school, the time he wore red shoes to prom...and pulled it off.  Obviously, I'm lucky to have the best brother in the world.

But before I got too weepy and mushy, I decided to think ahead to the happy home that they're building together.  I wondered, what advice would I give to them?  What things have I done to make my home a haven for myself, the husband, our friends and family?  What mistakes have I made that I'd urge them to avoid?  So, here's my list:

1. Think first.  Speak second.  Unless it involved shoveling in a big piece of chocolate cake, I have often regretted opening my big mouth.  But I have never regretted holding my tongue.  
2. Say, "Please."  Do you need help with something?  Maybe the laundry?  Instead of telling your partner, "I don't have any clean skivvies."  Try this: "Oh, wonderful love of my life, would you be so kind as to help me wash my underthings?"  Ok, maybe not that obsequiously, but you get my drift.  Asking nicely gets you much farther in life. 
3. And, "Thank you."  Don't take your significant other/children/friends/family for granted.  What they bring to your life is immeasurable.  In addition to companionship, emotional support, blah, blah, blah, they probably take care of a host of tasks you don't think about on a daily basis.  Does your husband pay the bills when they come due?  Tell him you're thankful that he's in charge of on-line banking so you don't have to worry about it.  Does your mom sew the missing buttons onto your shirts every time she comes to your house?  Let her know you appreciate it.  Does your wife stay home with the kids so you can pursue a career you love?  Tell her how grateful you are for her contribution to the family.   
4. It is NOT "my way or the highway."  Here's a real life example: I always put the silverware away in the same order in the cubbies of my flatware organizer.  First the big spoons, then small spoons, followed by big forks, small forks, and, finally, knives.  One day, the husband emptied the dishwasher, and he changed the order: big spoons, big forks, small spoons, small forks, knives.  I was flummoxed.  How could anyone think to put the silverware away in such a strange order?  Promptly, I re-arranged the drawer.  Later, I thought to myself, "Erin, you are a moron.  Your husband took the time to empty the dishwasher.  Who gives a rat's rear-end how he put the silverware away???"  Moral of the story: It just doesn't matter.  And also, I'm a little crazy about my utensils.

Wonderful readers, what advice do you have for those just starting to build their nest together?  I'd like to hear, and I'm sure all the newlyweds would, too.

And, to John and Emily, may your home be a joyful and peaceful respite for every person who walks through the door.  I love you guys!

Final Christmas Warning

This is what happens when you force your husband to decorate Christmas cookies with you:

Consider yourself warned. 

Science Geek Hits the Kitchen

In case you were wondering, apples are my favorite fruit.  In line with my standard weirdness, though, I only like to eat them when they're sliced.  I think it stems from some traumatic event during my (many) years in braces.

Anyway, the issue with sliced apples is that they turn brown.  Yick.  I am guilty of eating with my eyes first...I don't like brown fruit.

Recently, I did a little test.  I've heard that giving your apples a quick rinse in lemon water slows the discoloration.  So, I gave it a whirl.  Here's how it went, using the scientific method, obviously.

Ask a question: How do I keep my fruit from turning brown?
Construct a hypothesis: If I put sliced apples and pears into lemon water, it will slow down the discoloration.

Test with an experiment:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine juice of one lemon with 2 cups of water. 
2. Slice apples and pears, and place in lemon water.
3. Dry off fruit.
4. Place fruit on platter.
5. Bring platter to bookclub.
6. Continue to monitor browning while discussing "In the Neighborhood." 

Analyze results: The pears still turned brown pretty quickly, but the apples stayed white for quite a while.  

Draw a conclusion: Soaking fruit in lemon water slows down browning of apples, but not really pears.  But even once it's brown, the fruit is still delicious.   

Dinner Co-op

Am I the only one running around like a chicken with her head cut off this time of year?  Between buying presents, trimming the tree, singing with Bing, baking cookies, and signing cards, there's barely time for the little things...like working, for example.  Needless to say, cooking hot dinner has dropped a few pegs on my priority list.

On days like this I'm particularly grateful for dinner co-op.  Now I'm sure you're asking yourself, "Dinner co-op?  What in the world is that?"  Well, I'll let you in on this genius idea.

My friend and co-worker, Therese, and I both enjoy cooking.  For years we've swapped recipes and tips.  Then one day, we decided to start a dinner co-op.  It's a pretty simple concept: Therese and I both cook twice as much as we need one night a week, and then swap the leftovers.  Typically, we both cook the double dinner on Mondays and bring the leftovers to work on Tuesday.  So, the husband and I have a new-to-us meal on Tuesday night, and I don't have to cook a thing!

In addition to saving time, dinner co-op is fun because it gives you the opportunity to try new dishes.  Therese has some delish recipes that my belly has benefitted from.  Chicken curry, Indian lasagna, mini burgers, mac n' cheese...  I'm getting hungry just thinking about some of these meals!

So, if you have a friend who enjoys cooking, consider proposing a dinner co-op.  Once a week, month, quarter, or year, it's a fun project that will save you money and time.  Oh, and if you do start a co-op, I'd love to hear about it!  Comment, send an e-mail, or visit our Facebook page to let me know.

Just a friendly reminder

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Obviously.  For those of you roasting a turkey for the first time, today's post is a friendly reminder:

MAKE SURE YOUR TURKEY IS THAWED.

At this point, thawing your turkey by tomorrow will require a miracle.  Just kidding.  It simply requires some cold water.  Leave your turkey in it's plastic wrapping and submerge it in a big bucket (or sink) full of cold water.  Change the water every 30 minutes.  This thawing method will take about 30 minutes per pound.

If you'd like to read more about thawing turkey, our friends at the USDA have a handy guide to safe thawing.

Good luck tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Tips and Tricks

In my fanatical quest for a fabulous Turkey Day, I've been scouring the internet for all things Thanksgiving.  During my hunt through the world wide web, I've found a plethora of tips and tricks for a successful (and, dare I say, stress-free) Thanksgiving.  The list below is my attempt to gather all of these ideas into one place.  Did I miss something?  Feel free to share your own favorite tips in the comment section.

Staying Organized:

• Start early.  Nothing will lower your anxiety levels like having a plan in place.  This will also allow you to save a couple bucks by shopping the sales, clipping a couple coupons, and avoiding last-minute desperation purchases. 
• Once you know how many people you'll be hosting, count your plates, flatware, and glasses to make sure you have enough.  My knives seem to disappear in the dishwasher, so I usually need to pick up a few replacements around the holidays.  Also, it never hurts to have an extra place setting available in case you have a last-minute dinner addition.  
• After you have your menu planned, sort through your serving dishes and serving spoons to ensure you have an appropriate platter and utensil for each item.  Scooping mashed potatoes out of tupperware takes the class out of a dinner party real quick.  Also, have a few extra serving utensils on hand for guests who are bringing dishes.
• A few days before Thanksgiving, use post-it notes to label your serving bowls with what they will contain.  Then set them out on the table or buffet.  This will confirm that you have an appropriate dish for every item and also that there is enough room for everything.  I know this tip sounds psycho, but it really helps.  You don't want make your husband create a "buffet table" out of luggage covered with table cloths 30 minutes before dinner.  That will make everyone testy.
• Buy an oven thermometer to make sure your oven's temperature gauge is accurate.  This will help you avoid the 12-hour turkey.  "I didn't realize the oven was only at 200 degrees!  No wonder this took so long!" 
• Set the table the day, or several days, before Thanksgiving.  You don't want to deal with this right before the main event.  And if you're worried that your kids/animals/spouse will mess up your beautiful table, cover it with a clean bedsheet or extra tablecloth.  (While I've never tried this myself, it sounds pretty doggone clever.)
• If you'll have candles on the dinner table, use unscented candles.  Scented candles can confuse your taste buds when you're eating.

Making Dinner:

• Plan your menu early.  And don't feel guilty if your menu doesn't include 12 different jello salads.  No one needs that much jello, anyway.
• Are you making any new recipes this year?  To keep your stress level at minimum, give new dishes a try in the weeks leading up to the big day.  Once you know it tastes delicious, you'll be much less nervous.  And if it tastes like crap, you can try something different.
• Whenever possible, make dishes the day before Thanksgiving.  That way, you can enjoy the holiday with your family and friends.  And many of the Turkey Day classics reheat well. That's a darn good reason to give thanks, if you ask me.
• Speaking of reheating, the following items taste just as good (or even better!) when reheated:
• Green Bean Casserole (Wait to add the onion ring topping until Thanksgiving day.)
• Mashed Potatoes (Just add extra milk/cream and butter before reheating.)
• Candied Yams (If you're in the marshmallow camp, wait until Thanksgiving day to top with marshmallows.) 
• Cranberry Sauce (You don't even need to reheat this one!)
• Applesauce (Again, no reheating needed.)
• Dessert items (pie, cake, whatever)
• Prep the day before.  Chop vegetables for the stuffing, brine your turkey, wash fruit and vegetables. 

If You Are Not Hosting:

• Ask your host what you can bring.  And if you have a family specialty that you'd like to share, suggest that dish to the host.  Likewise, if you can't cook/hate to cook/don't have time to cook, offer to bring booze.  This will save your host moolah and will be much appreciated.  
• If you are in charge of bringing a dish for dinner, but you might be late due to another commitment, drop off your dish earlier in the day.  Then your host can warm it up for you and serve dinner on schedule.  My friend, Kelly, always does this, and I love her (more) for it!
• Try to remember your own serving utensils in case your host didn't read our handy holiday tip guide and doesn't have extras. 
• If your dish needs to be reheated, use a post-it to label the dish with reheating instructions.  Things get crazy in the kitchen at the last minute, and that way anyone can prep your dish.  And there might be a cute guy/girl watching the football game who demands your attention more than your dinner contribution.

How To

There are many things about cooking that I have yet to learn.  For instance, I am terrible at peeling hard boiled eggs.  No matter what I do, little bits of shell are left clinging to the side.  If I manage to get all the shell off, there are craters of white missing.  There must be some way to do this so-called simple task quickly and easily.

Other tricks of the trade that continue to allude me have to do with choosing ingredients.  In the produce aisles or the farmers market, I'm often trying to choose good ingredients.  If I'm going to spend my hard-earned money on food, I want to make sure it's the best.  It really frosts my cookies when I get something home and it's sub-par.  

One item that is always tricky to pick out is a good melon.  Something about that rind is intimidating...you have no idea what's going on under there!  So here are a few tricks I use to pick a melon.  I can't guarantee that any of them work for sure, but it's better than facing a stack of fruit unprepared!

Pickin' a Melon

• Smell - Give your melon a whiff.  Does it have a sweet, melon-y smell?  If so, it's probably ripe.  But beware of a melon that smells super sweet!  It might be over-ripe.
• Heft - If your melon is heavier than another melon of a comparable size, it's probably ripe. 
• Melon Button - You know the part at the top of a melon where it was attached to the vine?  Well, someone told me if this "melon button" was on the small side, the melon was ripe.  My source, by the way, was some dude in the fruit aisle of the grocery store, so this tip is particularly suspect.  

So, what about you?  Do you have any tips for picking a melon or any other ingredient?  And if you know how to peel a hard boiled egg, please, please share.

"Mabel, Mabel, strong and able..."

When the husband and I were in college, we attended an "etiquette dinner."  We figured they would at least feed us better food than the dining hall, and we were more than willing to assume the guise of improving our manners for such a benefit.

Aside from the usual "start with the flatware on the outside and work your way in," there was one topic that stuck with me.

Gristle.

"If you encounter a piece of gristle wile you're chewing," they told us, "you should raise your fork to your mouth, tastefully(?!?!) deposit the gristle onto the fork, then set the piece of blubber on the side of your plate."

Uh, no.  The husband and I both agreed that we would make a much more ridiculous scene attempting to spit a meat chunk on the tiny tines of a fork than by faking a mouth wipe and leaving the gristle in a napkin.  Several years later, though, we learned the error of our thinking.

It was our wedding anniversary, and we were celebrating at a fancy-pants steakhouse.  The lights were dim, I was looking pretty fly (if I do say so myself), and the food was delish.

Then...gristle.

According to our preferred method of gristle disposal, the husband fake-mouth-wiped the offending piece of prime rib into his cloth napkin.  All good, right?

No.  Not good.

After dinner, the husband set his crumpled napkin onto the table and reclined in a full-belly coma.  Our attentive waiter hustled over to take care of the inappropriately-placed napkin.  Did he clear it away?  Oh, no.  He shook out the "wrinkles" to fold it up, sending the gristle catapulting out to the middle of our empty table.

The husband's eyes were the size of, well, the prime rib he had just demolished.  By some miracle, the waiter hadn't noticed the hunk of half-chewed beef on the table.  With cat-like reflexes, the husband grabbed the gristle and put it back in the napkin.

Seeing the (again crumpled) napkin back on the table, the water returned to help us out yet again.  Shake, shake, shake, annnnnd the gristle goes flying.

We then laughed until our eyes watered, and I came close to wetting myself.

So, please, PLEASE learn from our mistake.  Always spit gristle on a fork and place it on the side of your plate.