Kitchen Tip Tuesday! - Sharp Knife

The best tool to have in your kitchen is a sharp knife.  No joke, just a very sharp chef's knife.  

A sharp knife is safer than a dull one. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it's true! A dull knife can slip while slicing, and the pressure you exert on dull knife is greater than that which you put on a sharp one, which can lead to fatigue, and sloppy slicing.  In my personal experience, I have also found that I am much more focused and careful when using my awesome, sharp chef's knife.  

Kitchen Tip Tuesday! Double up

Convenience foods for food allergy families are expensive!  You name it - breakfast foods, snacks, main meals, desserts?  All pretty pricey.  One of my secrets to staying on a budget is to double up! Double the recipe you are making, and freeze the extra!  I have a kitchen cabinet dedicated to freezer containers.  I double everything I can (that freezes well), and it saves me time and money when time is short, and the budget is tight.  With seven kids, we are always on the go, and some nights I don't have the time to make a healthy, safe, dinner from scratch.  With a well stocked freezer, I know that I can get food on the table without a huge amount of time, or breaking the budget.

Here's what you need in order to become a "Freezer Diva!"

- Reusable freezer containers in ALL sizes

- Zip-top freezer bags

- Sharpie marker

- Roll of masking tape

- Advanced planning to double at least one recipe each week (two is better) 

I use these "Pen Pal" pencil holders to keep my Sharpie and a pencil always on hand in the kitchen.  The holders just peel and stick right to the door.  I love not having to rummage around a junk drawer to get what I need.  The masking tape is always tucked right in there too! 

On a "Double Up" night, after your family enjoys the sumptuous meal you've prepared, portion out the leftovers into containers.  Use masking tape as a label, and write in permanent marker, not only the contents of the container, but a "Use by" date, and anything you'll need the day you bust out the frozen leftovers.  For example, if I freeze the veggie and meat mixture from a stir fry, I write "Stir-fry: needs rice" on the label. 

Be strategic about your portions.  Is it something that might be nice as a hot lunch?  Save in 2-cup containers for individual sized meals. Is it something that you'll want to heat up for the whole family? Make sure that the freezer container isn't bigger than the vessel you'll be reheating in! 

I can't tell you how many times using the "Double Up" method has allowed me to get a healthy safe dinner on the table on a super busy day.  Here are 10 of our favorite "Double Up" foods:

Pancakes (recipe in "Love Letters from My Kitchen")
Waffles (recipe in "Love Letters from My Kitchen")
Zucchini Bread (recipe in "Love Letters from My Kitchen")
Apple Bread
Kicked Up Sloppy Joes
Chicken Soup (freeze without noodles)
Potato Leek Soup
Turkey Slop (yep, it says slop...turkey in gravy, and then we serve it over a scoop of mashed                                     potatoes) *freeze just the turkey in gravy
Meat sauce 
Cookies (recipe in "Love Letters from My Kitchen")


Get started and "Double Up" a meal this week!  For additional freezable baked goods, get my cookbook, "Love Letters from My Kitchen!" Available here, or on Amazon!  

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday! Spice it up!

Have you ever purchased a bottle of spices and they just lacked that big flavor you were hoping for? A simple and compact kitchen appliance can give you awesome flavor to enhance your cooking.  A coffee grinder!  Buy an extra coffee grinder and use it exclusively for grinding whole spices as you need them.  Once a spice has been ground, it starts to lose flavor fairly quickly.  (Some already ground spices can sit on the grocery store shelves for a looooooong time.)  Purchasing whole spices and grinding just what you need ensures big, clear flavors, and a longer shelf life of your spices. Storing them whole keeps them fresher and bolder, longer!

*Bonus tip:  For spices like coriander and cumin, toasting them lightly in a dry skillet before grinding enhances the flavor even more! 

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Top Ten Stocking Stuffers! All under $15!

Stuff the Stockings With Kitchen Gear!

We're getting very close to Christmas and I know that some of you are looking for awesome stocking stuffers. Here are 10 of my favorites that just might make Christmas a little more merry for the cook in your household!  And here's the bonus: they're all under $15!

 

Number 1: My book, of course!  "Love Letters from My Kitchen"

                  is a wonderful gift for anyone in your family, or in your

                  life who bakes, or wants to bake, for someone with food

                  allergies. Cookies, breads, cakes, waffles, brownies, and

                  more, it's all in here!

 

 

 

 

Number 2: Unique measuring spoons!  Add some charm or color to

                  the baking experience. This double-sided, rainbow-

                  colored set nests and clicks together, so I'm never       

                  searching through the drawer for the elusive 1/4   

                  teaspoon. The elongated bowl of the narrow end is

                  perfect for fitting into spice jars!

 

 

 

 

 

Number 3: Microplane! I adore my microplane.  I use it most often

                  for zesting citrus, grating nutmeg, and grating fresh

                  ginger.



 

 

Number 4: Silicone baking mats!  These are a must for a budding

                  or serious baker.  Cookies slide off easily no matter how

                  sticky or delicate.  Eliminate the need for parchment

                  paper, and make clean-up easier with these mats. The

                  mini-marshmallows in my "Mega-Mash-Up

                  Cookies" (page 42 "Love Letters from My

                  Kitchen") stay perfectly gooey and manageable when I

                  bake them using my silicone mat!   

 

Number 5: Curious Chef products!  Do you have a young chef-in-
                  the-making in your home?  Curious Chef products are
                  durable and perfectly sized for little helpful hands.  The
                  line includes mixing spoons, spatulas, knives, aprons,
                  measuring spoons and cups, peelers, whisks, cookie
                  cutters, oven mitts, and more! My kids love to help me
                  cook dinner and make dessert, they each have their own
                  little knife and spoon set of Curious Chef tools.  Kids
                  with food allergies need to know how to cook, so get
                  them in the kitchen with you!

 

 

Number 6: Non-stick spatulas!  Choose a set that has one larger and

                  one smaller spatula.  You'll use both for different

                  applications in baking and cooking.  I like that these

                  sturdy red spatulas are one piece construction, because I

                  have been known to snap the tops off of cheaper ones

                  with my vigorous stirring! 

 

 

 

Number 7: Glass bottles with rubber stoppers! These beauties are

                  perfect for making and storing homemade salad

                  dressings, and making your own extracts.   

 

 

 

Number 8: Cookie scoops!  My kids love these scoops almost as

                  much as I do. My favorite sizes are 3 Tablespoon (size

                  20) for muffins and cupcakes, and 2 teaspoon (size 60)

                  for any manner of drop cookie.  Ensure consistent

                  results by using scoops for uniform baked goods!    

 

 

 

 

Number 9: Off-set spatula!  Get a few in a variety of sizes!  Perfect

                  for smoothing frosting, or gently moving rolled out

                  dough to a baking sheet.  

 

                          

 

 

 

Number 10: Organic Vanilla beans!  I always try to have a few high

                    quality, organic vanilla beans on hand for making

                    "Honey Vanilla Spread" or just boosting vanilla flavor

                    in my baked goods.  Buy a glass bottle and some

                    vanilla beans, then package as set for

                    making homemade vanilla extract.  (You can find a

                    recipe for both "Honey Vanilla Spread" and vanilla

                    extract in my cookbook, "Love Letters from

                    My Kitchen"!) 

 

 

 

Happy Shopping!  Now, go fill some stockings!

 

 

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!