Tips (and I ain't talkin' 'bout money...

I heard from my friend, Linda (who knows a thing or two about cooking). She gave me a great tip that she got from a friend of hers. Here it is:

"Tip for taking corn off the cob... use a bundt pan, the center will hold and stabilize the cob and the pan will catch the corn..." Great idea... but then I'd have a bundt pan to wash :(

She also sent me the addy to a site she enjoys and it sure does have some great recipes. Add this to your favorites: http://www.melindalee.com/

Linda's son will be married on January 3 next year. I told her that I hope she is having fun in the planning of the wedding. She wrote back and said since she is the "MOG" (Mother of the Groom), it's pretty much "wear beige and shut up" for her. Linda cracks me up.

More tips....

* Use a plastic knife to cut brownies. It'll be a cleaner, neater cut and the brownies won't crumble. This was one of my Mom's tips!

* To keep lettuce super fresh, cut the core out of the lettuce. Rinse in warm water several times, turning the head upside down to drain after each rinse. Let the lettuce drain in a colander, then put it in a Ziploc bag with some paper towels to absorb the moisture. Lettuce prepared for storage this way stays crisp, crisp, crisp!

* While we're talking about lettuce... use a plastic knife to cut your lettuce and you won't get the icky brown gunk on the edges... of the lettuce, that is.

* Perfect hard-boiled eggs: Put eggs in cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel and refrigerate.

* While we're talking about hard-boiled eggs... hehe... Have you ever boiled eggs and had a heckuva time peeling them?? Ugh - I hate that. I learned that eggs that are very fresh are more difficult to peel than older eggs. So, if I'm planning on a big egg salad or deviled eggs, I buy the eggs a week or so in advance. Love it when hard-boiled eggs peel easily!!

* Eat by candle light! Really! No, really! B and I have been eating our dinner by candle light for many years now, thanks to Mom. She gave me her wrought iron candelabra - a yard sale find that she had Dad paint silver. B sandblasted it and painted it black for me. We use it all the time-- except in summer, when the heat of 5 candles at the table is a bit too much! I bought some yummy beeswax candles from Williams-Sonoma that last a long time and drip soooo pretty... http://www.williams-sonoma.com/