cooking tips

Bacon and Onion cooking tip

December 27, 2010 by Tiffany King 12 Comments

I hate to cook bacon. Even if I use the oven method and don’t have to stand over the skillet with it popping and sizzling. There’s just something about the process that I don’t like.

A few weeks ago, I made a recipe that called for diced bacon and onion. The recipe only required a few pieces of bacon, but I decided to cook up the whole pound.

Unfortunately, the recipe I was cooking the bacon for wasn’t very good. But it did turn out to be useful to cook and freeze the bacon and onion.

I froze it in zip top baggies, in about 1/2 cup quantities. I placed all the baggies inside a gallon size freezer bag to protect it and keep it organized.

Tomorrow I’ll share a soup recipe that uses the bacon and onion. If you’ve got that frozen, the soup can be finished quicker than you can make a grilled cheese sandwich.

Tips for Making Homemade Ice Cream

June 30, 2010 by Tiffany King 12 Comments

Summer is in here and it’s the perfect time to make homemade ice cream. I’ve already shared several recipes with you (I’ll link them at the end of this post), but I wanted to share a few tips too.

There are two kinds of ice cream freezers – traditional, which can be hand crank or electric and counter-top models. There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles.

Cooking for a Crowd – Dinner Menus and Recipes for 100 People

May 12, 2010 by Tiffany King 54 Comments

A few years ago I planned the menu and helped cook and serve meals for Bible School. We fed about 100 people each night that week. With VBS season coming up, I thought you might be interested in the menu and recipes we used that are perfect when you’re cooking for a crowd.

We did 4 nights of cooked dinners and ordered pizza for the last night. We needed to keep the cost down, so I shopped sales for the meat. I also cooked the hamburger and chicken at home and froze it. Doing so really cut down the amount of time we needed each night to prepare dinner.

Cooking for a Crowd – Night by Night Menu and Tips

My Big Fat List of 40 Low-Fat Recipes

April 15, 2010 by Tiffany King 13 Comments

Recently, Lisa who is one of my readers emailed me to ask about low-fat recipes. She is hoping for some low-fat menus. I may put together a menu or two that focuses on low-fat foods, but until then I thought I would at least compile a list to work from. Other readers have asked for similar things, but until now I’ve put them off. Amanda asked about low-carb recipes. The thought of a low-carb diet scared me so much I had to hide in the corner with a big bowl of ice cream.

All of that leads me to a few disclaimers: [Read more…] about My Big Fat List of 40 Low-Fat Recipes

7 Simple Ways to Spiff Up Your Salad

October 6, 2009 by Tiffany King 13 Comments

salad

Eating salad is a great way to get in all those veggie servings that are recommended, but it’s easy to get in a rut after a while. Here are 7 ways to add flavor and variety to your greens.

Onions

Red onion is good in nearly any salad. It adds such a kick and contrast to the other flavors. Chopped green onions are good too, but red onion remains my favorite.

Fresh Fruit

Add oranges (fresh or mandarin from a can), diced apples or pears. Strawberries are also good in salads if they’re in season.

Dried Fruit

Dried cranberries, blueberries or even raisins add interesting flavor and texture to the greens.

Granola

Why should croutons have all the fun? Pull out the box of granola and give your salad a generous scattering.

Cheese

Shredded swiss, crumbled feta, gorgonzola. Adding cheese is a quick and easy way to dress up the salad.

Nuts and Seeds

Sunflower seeds, pistachios, almonds or pecans add crunch. As a bonus, they’re a healthy alternative to croutons.

Vinegar & Oil, Salt & Pepper

Skip the bottled salad dressing. Give your salad a shake of red or white wine vinegar and a splash of oil. A bit of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper finish it healthy and delicious.

How often do you eat salad? How do you dress it up and keep it interesting?