The Sweet Hearty Heart Cafe': October 2019

The Short Order Cook

I grew up eating my mothers' delicious foods, she was a great cook. I have fond memories of coming home from school to fresh baked bread or craving her homemade lasagna. Years later when I became a mom of 8 kids I wanted to make my moms bread one day and realized I never got any of her recipes. I decided then that I would write down all the meals that my kids seem to enjoy so they would have one place to go to find them. Here you will find our family favorites written down for my posterity to enjoy, and also because my brain seems to have lost all ability to remember anything (probably from having these darling children) and therefore I want them written down for my remembrance as well. Many of these recipes are ones we take from the internet, some are my own, but together they are in one spot for us to get to. ENJOY!!!

Cooking Tips

STICKY STUFF: When measuring sticky stuff like honey, molasses, syrup or peanut butter spray your measuring cups or measuring spoons with cooking spray so that it slides right out
SHREDDING CHICKEN?: Put chicken breasts in your KitchenAid with a hook while chicken breasts are still hot and it will shred in less than a minute. You can do this also by placing chicken into a bowl and using a hand mixer!
SPRUCE UP BOXED CAKE: by adding 1 more egg, use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount, use milk instead of water, add 2 tsp. vanilla - Preheat oven to 350* than reduce to 325* when inserting cupcakes - bake for 25 min.
After working with GARLIC, rub your hands vigorously on your stainless steel sink for 30 seconds before washing them. It will remove the odor.
Always make stock in a large quantity and freeze it in plastic bags. That way, when you want to make a nice soup or boil veggies, you can simply pull the bag out of the freezer.
TO ROAST PECANS: Bake at 350* for 4 1/2 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with foil, stir and bake for an additional 4 - 4 1/2 minutes.
Save on yeast and buy in bulk. 1 package dried yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 Tablespoon Fresh Herbs=1 teaspoon dried herbs
MEASURING NUTS: Do you measure nuts before or after chopping? If the recipe calls for NUTS, CHOPPED measure the nuts then chop. If it calls for CHOPPED NUTS, chop than measure...follow this rule for all nuts because it will make a difference in the amount of nuts you use.
SOFTEN BROWN SUGAR In order to soften brown sugar add a piece of bread to the bag, the bread will add moisture back into hardened sugar and it will soften. Replace bread as needed. This is a great way to use the heels of bread no one will eat.
STEAK FRIES: In order to make stake fries, cut one end othe potato for stability, then use an apple cutter. Add your favorite seasonings and cook
PROOF BREAD IN THE OVEN: If your kitchen is too cold to proof bread, put the dough in the oven, don't turn it on, but place a pan of simmering water below your dough and shut the door. The warmth and humidity from the hot water will help you get the lift you need.
PERFECT BOILED EGGS: For me, I put eggs into a stockpot, add hot tap water, and place on stove. I turn heat to high, and put a 20 minute timer on. When timer goes off I remove pot from stove and leave on counter til the water is cool. I then peel the eggs, and I get a perfect hard boiled, easy peel egg every time.
KNEADING DOUGH IN STAND MIXER: Sometimes you don't want to knead by hand, place a dough hook on your stand mixer and turn on high, you get the knead without manual work.
JUICING LEMONS: To easily juice a lemon, either roll the lemon on the counter multiple times before cutting, or microwave the lemon for 10 sends, then roll. You will get more juice this way.
BAKE FISH IN PARCHMENT: If your place your fish in a parchment packet the fish will delicately infuse with whatever ingredients you add, and it is a mess free way that seals in flavor.
PIZZA CUTTER HACK: I use a pizza cutter to cut not only pizza, but pancakes, waffles, quesidillas etc. so much easier than a knife and easy clean up.
SALTY SOUP?: Next time you oversalt a soup, toss in a few wedges of raw apple or potato, simmer for a 10 minutes, and discard the wedges to get the flavor back to normal.
BOIL HAMBURGERS! I know this seems weird, but line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, put patties on, place under broil in your oven for 5 minutes on each side and you have hamburgers in under 10 minutes.

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Sunday, October 27, 2019

Chicken Chili Instant Pot