Easy-Peasy Short Cuts

"Cooking is an observation-based process that you can’t do if you’re so completely focused on a recipe"

--Alton Brown--

As much as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, letting my creativity explore, I do at times, want to leave the kitchen.

So, I'm always on the lookout for good tips and short cuts. And one of the biggest motivators for me is finding a cleaner way of doing things.

Less mess = less labor & time

Crock pots of course, would come to mind for most people. And I do use mine often - I wouldn't want

to be without it. But, beyond the essential crock pot,

I am going to go into other ways to make things go a little easier and faster for you.

Although, there at times, when my "ideas" are very vexing to my older daughter Sasha, as she can be quite adamant that certain recipes cannot, under any circumstances be changed or deviated from.

But she has me as her mother, and so, well....

I live by Jacques Pepin's philosophy -

"Cooking is the art of adjustment"

So, with another of Jacques's sayings -

"Great cooking favors the prepared hands"

I proceed to lighten my load at times, enduring through the tisk tisking and eye rolling, and manage to complete a satisfying meal or dessert - and retire my wonder cape/cook's jacket to the closet for a while.

Some of these I have already shared in recipes on the blog and some will be coming soon to you.

Baking

I shy away from fried foods as much as possible and

have learned that baking is so much easier, faster, cleaner, and of course, healthier.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

Having a marine mindset in the kitchen is essential

to having a peaceful mindset in the kitchen.

We all have an "oopes" once in a while. And so,

unless the result is burnt, then there is hope of

salvaging the result for a different purpose.

For instance, muffins, biscuits, and similar

items can be ground up and used in recipes for

meatloaf, meatballs, zucchini patties, salmon

patties, etc.

Cakes and cookies can be ground up and used

as crust for cheesecakes and crumb sides over top

of frosting.

No Fuss, No Mess - No Egg Bath

Dip chicken or fish strips in coconut oil and then add to a baggie that has either ground cracker crumbs, ground muffins or biscuits, or bread crumbs for a coating.

Then bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Place fresh zucchini rounds/chips on parchment paper on a sheet pan and then cover them in Parmesean, Romano, or Asiago cheese and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Baking fajitas is also much easier and cleaner, than

sauteing them. No more splattering oil!

Everything can be done on one or two sheet pans, depending on how much you need, in a short period of time.

The same goes for baked fries, meatballs, zucchini patties and salmon patties.

"Cooking is LOVE made Edible"

Healthier options of ground flax, presoaked oatmal, quinoa, rice, millet, lentils, and Parmesean, Romano, or Asiago cheese can also be added to various recipes like meatloaf or salmon patties, instead of using breadcrumbs. Just add an extra egg.

No oil involved

You can heat tortillas up in a pan for quesadillas without using butter or oil.

But a better option is to place them on a sheet pan and heat at 350 degrees in the oven instead. This really cuts down on the time and effort, as you can do up to four filled quesadillas at once and serve them together, instead of waiting upon each one in a skillet to be finished and making an extra effort to keep the others warm, as well as, having more to clean up at the end.

If you don't want them to be crunchy, then just cover

for about 5-10 minutes and the steam will soften them.

Potatoes or sweet potatoes also do not need oil on them to bake. Just put into the oven and roast them at

425 degrees for about 1 hour, depending on the size.

If you are in a hurry, then cut in half length wise

and place cut side down on sheet pan and bake for

half the time.

When done, then if you don't want the outsides to be

crackly, then, again, just cover for about 5-10 minutes and the steam will soften them.

Never use aluminum foil

Side note - If you are making a casserole or pie that you would want to cover to prevent too much browning, then use a stainless steel sheet pan.

Pasta

Pasta can be made a week in advance.

Just cook it to al dente' - where there is still a small core in the middle that is not quite done, firm to the bite.

Quickly drain and pour ice water through it. Continue to work the ice cubes through with your hands until all is cool, then remove what's left of the ice cubes.

Place pasta into a container and pour enough of a quality olive oil on the pasta and work through.

Then place in the refrigerator. When you are ready

to use, then heat up a pot of water and place amount

of pasta you need in for about 2 - 3 minutes and then remove, drain, plate, and add desired sauce. Voila'

Cookies

When it comes to cookies, I have no aversion to spatting all the cookie dough onto a sheet pan, spreading it out, uniformly, and baking it and then just cutting it into cookie bars.

Yes, there are murmurings at times with this :)

But, do the math - maybe 30 minutes for cookie bars

compared to several hours for regular cookies.

Plus, the expense of the oven running all that time.

And who wants to do this in the heat of summer?

What a time saver - goal - score!!

"This kitchen is for dancing"

Bread doughs

I really appreciate the "folding" and fermenting techniques that came out about 10 years ago for bread doughs. These really reduce the labor and mess involved in proofing the dough, as well as, enabling one to have fresh bread several times in a week, without having to go through making the dough each time.

I am speaking about using active dry yeast in a way to

copy the sourdough fermentation process, that will provide a healthy bread, with great flavor.

Instead of kneading so laboriously, you just simply leave the dough in a large bowl and "fold" it with a rubber spatula, by gently pulling the sides up and over into the center as you turn the bowl. With the bowl making several complete turns, the spatula needs to go deeper under the dough, pulling up and over into the center each "folding" time.

The dough will tighten up as you do this and acquire the texture that is needed.

"Folding" times will be about 1 hour apart, over a period of 5-6 hours. Keep bowl in a warm place, as well as, saran wrap over the bowl to keep warm throughout.

Then place bowl into the refrigerator to go through a slow fermentation, that provides more time for a more complex combination of flavor compounds to develop, as well as, getting the enzymes in the grains to do some of the digestion work for you.

This can be used the next day or anytime throughout a week's time. It will acquire a tangier flavor the longer

it ferments.

When ready, then pull out the dough and either use all of it or cut off however much you need for your recipe and put the rest back into the refrigerator for another meal.

Great for having pizza one night and rolls or bread

for another night.

Pie dough verses Yeast dough

Aghast! Despite Sasha's indignation, tasty cinnamon and sticky buns can be made with pie dough.

This again, is a great time saver - - goal - score!!

I will be providing both recipes soon.

"You are the BOSS of that dough"

-- Julia Child--

Muffin pans

I put muffin pans near the top of the list of must

haves in the kitchen. They can enable you to present

an impressive quality, delicious breakfast/brunch or dessert, with a little bit of mass production and a shorter baking time.

One of my favorites is mini quiches - so many flavors

to choose from. And with the muffin pans, you can

make several kinds at once with ease, to suit the

discriminating palates awaiting.

I do bake, but when it comes to cakes, well.... they're

not my ***forte'*. I never trained under a pastry chef.**

And I won't use powdered sugar, which has taken me

quite a few years to overcome and find a frosting that

I am satisfied with - Ermine.

I want my end result to look "polished" so to speak, and my cakes don't always have that appearance.

It bothers me.....

So, I would rather make cupcakes, which turn out well.

And I love mini cheesecakes!

I don't know what it is, but for some reason, children

seem to enjoy muffins, rather than a breakfast bread.

So....that suits me fine.

"May the muffins be with you"

Condiments/Sauces

I can make guacamole, but it is easier, faster, and less expensive to just mash up the avocados and mix in some

salsa or Pico de Gallo. Ahí está

A good versatile sauce for sandwiches, baked fish or chicken, grilled chicken patties, zucchini patties, salmon patties, and onion rings, is simply adding some mayonnaise, mustard, a little honey, a dash of red

The Food Snob Corner

Easy-Peasy Short Cuts

"Cooking is an observation-based process that you can’t do if you’re so completely focused on a recipe"

--Alton Brown--

As much as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, letting my creativity explore, I do at times, want to leave the kitchen.

So, I'm always on the lookout for good tips and short cuts. And one of the biggest motivators for me is finding a cleaner way of doing things.

Less mess = less labor & time

Crock pots of course, would come to mind for most people. And I do use mine often - I wouldn't want

to be without it. But, beyond the essential crock pot,

I am going to go into other ways to make things go a little easier and faster for you.

Although, there at times, when my "ideas" are very vexing to my older daughter Sasha, as she can be quite adamant that certain recipes cannot, under any circumstances be changed or deviated from.

But she has me as her mother, and so, well....

"Cooking is the art of adjustment"

So, with another of Jacques's sayings -

"Great cooking favors the prepared hands"

I proceed to lighten my load at times, enduring through the tisk tisking and eye rolling, and manage to complete a satisfying meal or dessert - and retire my wonder cape/cook's jacket to the closet for a while.

Some of these I have already shared in recipes on the blog and some will be coming soon to you.

Baking

I shy away from fried foods as much as possible and

have learned that baking is so much easier, faster, cleaner, and of course, healthier.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

Having a marine mindset in the kitchen is essential

to having a peaceful mindset in the kitchen.

We all have an "oopes" once in a while. And so,

unless the result is burnt, then there is hope of

salvaging the result for a different purpose.

For instance, muffins, biscuits, and similar

items can be ground up and used in recipes for

meatloaf, meatballs, zucchini patties, salmon

patties, etc.

Cakes and cookies can be ground up and used

as crust for cheesecakes and crumb sides over top

of frosting.

No Fuss, No Mess - No Egg Bath

Dip chicken or fish strips in coconut oil and then add to a baggie that has either ground cracker crumbs, ground muffins or biscuits, or bread crumbs for a coating.

Then bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Place fresh zucchini rounds/chips on parchment paper on a sheet pan and then cover them in Parmesean, Romano, or Asiago cheese and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Baking fajitas is also much easier and cleaner, than

sauteing them. No more splattering oil!

Everything can be done on one or two sheet pans, depending on how much you need, in a short period of time.

The same goes for baked fries, meatballs, zucchini patties and salmon patties.

"Cooking is LOVE made Edible"

Healthier options of ground flax, presoaked oatmal, quinoa, rice, millet, lentils, and Parmesean, Romano, or Asiago cheese can also be added to various recipes like meatloaf or salmon patties, instead of using breadcrumbs. Just add an extra egg.

No oil involved

You can heat tortillas up in a pan for quesadillas without using butter or oil.

If you don't want them to be crunchy, then just cover

for about 5-10 minutes and the steam will soften them.

Potatoes or sweet potatoes also do not need oil on them to bake. Just put into the oven and roast them at

425 degrees for about 1 hour, depending on the size.

If you are in a hurry, then cut in half length wise

and place cut side down on sheet pan and bake for

half the time.

When done, then if you don't want the outsides to be

crackly, then, again, just cover for about 5-10 minutes and the steam will soften them.

** Never use aluminum foil**

**Side note - If you are making a casserole or pie that you would want to cover to prevent too much browning, then use a stainless steel sheet pan.**

Pasta

Pasta can be made a week in advance.

Just cook it to al dente' - where there is still a small core in the middle that is not quite done, firm to the bite.

Quickly drain and pour ice water through it. Continue to work the ice cubes through with your hands until all is cool, then remove what's left of the ice cubes.

Place pasta into a container and pour enough of a quality olive oil on the pasta and work through.

Then place in the refrigerator. When you are ready

to use, then heat up a pot of water and place amount

of pasta you need in for about 2 - 3 minutes and then remove, drain, plate, and add desired sauce. Voila'

Cookies

When it comes to cookies, I have no aversion to spatting all the cookie dough onto a sheet pan, spreading it out, uniformly, and baking it and then just cutting it into cookie bars.

Yes, there are murmurings at times with this :)

But, do the math - maybe 30 minutes for cookie bars

compared to several hours for regular cookies.

Plus, the expense of the oven running all that time.

And who wants to do this in the heat of summer?

What a time saver - goal - score!!

"This kitchen is for dancing"

Bread doughs

I am speaking about using active dry yeast in a way to

copy the sourdough fermentation process, that will provide a healthy bread, with great flavor.

The dough will tighten up as you do this and acquire the texture that is needed.

"Folding" times will be about 1 hour apart, over a period of 5-6 hours. Keep bowl in a warm place, as well as, saran wrap over the bowl to keep warm throughout.

Then place bowl into the refrigerator to go through a slow fermentation, that provides more time for a more complex combination of flavor compounds to develop, as well as, getting the enzymes in the grains to do some of the digestion work for you.

This can be used the next day or anytime throughout a week's time. It will acquire a tangier flavor the longer

Never use aluminum foil

Side note - If you are making a casserole or pie that you would want to cover to prevent too much browning, then use a stainless steel sheet pan.

not my ***forte'*. I never trained under a pastry chef.**