Cooking Tips from Mama Sue

Within 24 hours of launching this blog, I had an email in my inbox with some advice from none other than Mama Sue! My mother embraces all opportunities to continue learning new things and is great about passing ideas along to friends and family.

She thought you all might enjoy some new tips she picked up in a recent cooking class:

• Always cook extra pasta and rice. They freeze well and rehydrate easily so you can always make a quick meal.
• Cook potatoes in the microwave and have them ready to toss into a dish or make an easy soup.
• If you want to quickly add broccoli to a cold dish last, cook it in the microwave and then cool it down with ice.
• Always, always add your salt and pepper during cooking and then the other herbs last. Whatever goes in last will have the most impact on the dish.

Here's a cooking cat. You're welcome.

While we're on the topic of Mama Sue, I thought of some other good ones she's passed along over the years:

• Put sliced carrots, celery, and apples out for your family right before a meal, so they'll snack on them when they're most hungry. This not only ensure some fruits and veggies make it into our diets, but it also helps curb appetites a bit so we don't eat overeat during the meal.

• Don't forget the crock-pot! It really doesn't get any easier when you can throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot (even frozen chicken breasts - yes!!) and give yourself a wide window to eat it. This is perfect for busy households eating at different times during the evening. I also use crockpot liners to avoid the cleanup.
• Home grown vegetables and herbs always taste better.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to plant some herbs. It makes me so happy every time I use them!

 Hello, caprese salads! Made easy by my basil plant.