As I cooked and ate with many friends over the past couple weeks for non-holiday, (everyday but fun) evening dinners and get-togethers, I was struck by some really cool tips and techniques they use, the kinds of things that aren’t taught by schools but by friends. I had to share the tips with you!
From Lisa–A heart-shaped cookie cutter makes a pretty biscuit — in this case for a chicken pot pie topping.
From Tammy–Use a decorative sea shell to serve individual portions of Coquiles St. Jacques (scallops in a buttery cream sauce) in an elegant way.
From Jordan and Allison–Homemade crackers rock. Storebought pales in comparison. Use dried herb blends or cheese to give them variety.
From Suzanne and Mike–Freeze bananas whole in their skin (they’ll turn black but it’s ok) and you’ll always have “fresh” banana for cake or bread.
And I gave a little trick to a friend –as we were packing up food to be frozen and didn’t have any labels on hand, we used a sharpie to clearly write the type of food, date frozen and reheating instructions on tinfoil. No more freezer mystery packages. Please give us some tips to share with each other!
If you’re making cupcakes, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter – it’s neater than a ladle, and if it’s a scoop with the little bar that pushes the ice cream out for you, it’ll also neatly push the batter out for you. A total time (and mess) saver!