MARIES KITCHEN
         & COOKING TIPS

ELECTRICITY SAVINGS

Ovens should be turned off 5- 10 minutes before the end of cooking time. Keep door closed and remaining heat will finish the job saving you on your utility bill.

LONG LASTING APPLES

Apples last longer if you wrap them in a damp paper towel and store in a plastic bags in the fridge, or wrap in a newspaper and put in the fridge.

TASTY SWEET POTATOES

Sweet Potatoes taste even sweeter if stored a few days at warm temperature and high humidity. They produce an enzyme that gives a sweet taste when cooked.

HONEY AS A HEALTH AID

Stir a spoonful of Honey into a hot drink to promote relaxation and sleep. Chew a bit of Honeycomb if your body is overheated. Use a touch of Honey on chapped lips as a healing balm

HOT WATER BOTTLE SUBSTITUTE

For a substitute hot water bottle, use a large plastic bottle from dish washing liquid, fill with hot water, screw the cap on tightly, wrap a dish towel around it and you've got your bottle.

TOMATO VS ORANGE JUICE

Tomato juice is not only lower in calories than apple and orange juice, but the acidity may even help curb your appetite if you drink it before your meal.

EASE YOUR HEADACHE

Ease a headache by drinking tomato juice blended with fresh basil

HELP DIGESTION

Try a cup of basil tea after dinner to help digestion

PROTECT VEGETABLE NUTRIENTS

Summer greens like swiss chard, kale, turnipgreens and beet tops are packed with nutrients. The darker the leaf the better. To avoid boiling nutrients away, lightly saute or steam the greens just till they are barely limp.

KEEP FRUITS & VEGETABLES FRESH

Wrap your fruit and vegetables in newspaper before storing in the bottom of the fridge and they will last longer. Always store tomatoes at room temperature,however..

HONEY

* Stir a spoonful of Honey into a hot drink to promote relaxation and sleep.
* Use a touch of Honey on chapped lips as a healing balm.

TUMMY TROUBLE

Try a cup of black tea or drink fresh lemon or lime juice mixed with water to ease the stomach ache.

COLD CURE

Finely chop a few garlic cloves, cover with honey and leave for 2-3 hours. Take a teaspoon full several times through out the day.

MORE CUCUMBER

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day.
Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a cucumber before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free.
Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snaking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

CAULIFLOWER

Did you know that cauliflower protects against breast and prostate cancer, strengthens bones and gaurds against heart disease.

COFFEE FILTER GREASE REMOVAL

Put a few coffee filters on a plate and put your fried bacon, french fries, chicken fingers etc in them. Soaks out all the grease. (Danm now I am hungry) When opening a bottle of wine and you break the cork, filter the wine through the coffee filters.

BROKEN WINE CORK

When opening a bottle of wine and you break the cork, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

VIBRANT VEGETABLES

Refresh green vegetables such as french green beans in ice cold water. This stops them from overcooking and helps maintain their colour. Reheat quickly before serving.

GARLIC ODOUR

To make garlic and onion odours disappear from your hands, mix a ratio of two level tablespoons of baking soda to a glass of water, Soak your hands for 30 seconds to a minute and the smell will disappear.

PRE-COOKED TURKEY

If you cook your Turkey ahead of time, on serving day,lay intermix slices of turkey with Lettuce leaves..(this keeps the turkey moist) and place in a foil pan in the oven.

COFFEE FILTER WRAPPERS

Coffee Filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

HOW TO WEIGH CHOPPED FOODS

To weight chopped foods, place the chopped ingredients into a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

TIDBIT

4 oz. of regular cheese is equal to 1 cup shredded cheese.

TESTING EGGS FOR FRESHNESS

Put egg in a pan of cold water, if its a fresh egg it will fall to bottom, if rotten it will stay on the top.

STORING APPLES

Apples keep well 6 months at a temperature between 45 F and freezing. Store them in a styrofoam chest or a double cardboard box in a cool mudroom or cellar. This can approximate root cellar conditions.

COOKING HAM

Before putting your Ham in the oven, slit the rind lengthwise on the underside. When the ham is done, the rind will pull away without taking half the ham with it.

POULTRY

Truss poultry with unwaxed dental floss -It won't burn and it's much stronger than thread.

LEFTOVER PIZZA

Heat up leftover pizza in a non stick skillet on top of the stove. Set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.

NO MORE GREASY SOUP

This is for those of you who make your famous turkey soup after Thanksgiving dinner (or for that matter any kind of soup). Is your soup or stew too greasy? This may help. Wrap ice cubes in a paper towel or cheesecloth and skim the top of the stew/soup. The fat will adhere to the ice.This method also works using lettuce leaves.

COOL BROWNIE TREAT

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in a double boiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

BROCOLLI-BRUSSEL SPROUTS-ASPARAGUS

Before cooking any of these, cut an X into the end of the stalks. This way the stalks will cook as quickly as the florettes.

NO PREHEATING

Any thing that takes over an hour to cook, does not need a pre-heated oven, with the exception of cakes and pastries.

FRUIT LASTS LONGER

Keep unripened fruit in a perforated plastic bag. The perforations will allow the necessary circulation of air and the plastic will trap the ethylene gas which fruits produce naturally to promote ripening.

EASY TO SPREAD JAMS

To keep heavy jam and marmalade easy to spread try this --When the jar is about 3/4 full, put a teaspoon of water on top of the jam or marmalade. Let stand overnight to absorb the moisture.

HEALTHY FRUITS

* Bananas -- Protects your heart, quiets a cough, strengthens bones, controls blood pressure and blocks diarrhea
* Cherries -- Protects your heart, combats cancer, ends insomnia, SLOWS AGING PROCESS, shields against alzheimer's
* Figs -- Promotes weight lost, helps stop strokes, lowers cholesterol, combats cancer and controls blood pressure

EASY DOES IT ON COOKING THOSE VEGETABLES

You need not cover vegatables completely with water. A small amount of water not only uses less energy, it also saves valuable vitamins and minerals.

WELL PEELED BANANA

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little"stringy things" off of it.Thats how the primates do it. Take your banana apart when you get them home from the store,If you leave them connected at the stem,they ripen faster.

KEEP CHEESE FRESH

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresher longer and not mold.

PEPPER SELECTION

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating, peppers with 4 bumps are firmer and better for cooking.

FRYING GROUND BEEF

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. (I brown mine in a beef oxo cube,for a little extra flavor or even sometimes beef soup and do the same for ground chicken).

NON STICKY MEASURING CUPS

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next add your ingredient, such as peanut butter and watch how easily it comes right out.

LONG LASTING CELERY

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in fridge and it will keep for weeks

SWEETER CORN

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corns natural sweetness.

NON DRIP POPSICLES

To prevent a popsicle from dripping, poke one or two holes in a coffee filter and wrap around popsicle stick.

MICROWAVE TIP

Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave with coffee filters. They make execellent covers.