Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 161

Brighten Up Your Pineapple Salad

Pineapple salads are simple to make and I personally love them. I normally make mine by using pineapple rings on a bed of lettuce, a small amount of mayonnaise and a sprinkle of cheese. I'm trying to cut down on some of my cheese so I decided to try something different. I sprinkled my pineapple salad with shredded carrots. It's really good! And it brightens up the salad really making it appealing. You don't have to stop with just pineapple salad. Add shredded carrots to any fruit salad....

Season Meats Before Freezing

Sometimes bigger is better, or at least cheaper, when it comes to buying meats. I have a very small household and normally buy small packages of meats with 1-2 servings. But with today's economy and my busy schedule I've found a way to buy cheaper and save time. Per pound, larger family size packages of meats such as pork chops, chicken and even steaks are usually cheaper than small 2 serving packages. A lot cheaper! I've started buying the family size packages, dividing them into servings...

Garlic Mayonnaise

Garlic Mayonnaise
1 tsp. olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled
t Tbl. lemon juice
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbl. Dijon mustard

Place garlic and oil in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 20-30 seconds or until garlic is soft. Place in a blender. Add lemon juice mayonnaise and mustard. Process until blended. This is great on a toasted sandwich or as a spread used on fish. You can spice it up even more by adding just a little fresh dill or basil.

Ground Beef & Potato Pie

This versatile pie can be used as a one dish meal. It has ground beef and potatoes. You can add other vegetables if you like but I like to make it just as it is and add a salad on the side. This is a recipe that you can't help but love and make frequently. To view the full recipe click on Martha's Kitchen Korner in the right sidebar.

Donut Cupcakes

I've just posted a simple but tasty cupcake in Martha's Kitchen Korner. These little mini cupcakes are great for after school snacks. They are also great as a treat for yourself along with a cup of coffee after the kids have gone to school. The nutmeg gives the cakes a donut flavor. Changes can be made by changing the spice or cake mix flavor. And for you chocolate lovers, try this recipe using a chocolate cake mix. To view the full recipe click on Martha's Kitchen Korner in the right si...

Fruit Pies Year Round

So many times I've bought fresh fruit while in season and made pies. But fruit is seasonal and when the season runs out, the price of fruit goes up and no more pies.

There is a solution! Buy the fruit in season (strawberries, peaches, etc.) and make up your pie filling. Line a metal pie pan with plastic wrap, fill it with pie filling, wrap it up and freeze. When it's fully frozen, pop out the wrapped filing, place it in a zip top bag and stack your future pies in the freezer. When you are ...

Spicy Pecan Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

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If you like spice cake and pecans, you'll love this Spicy Pecan Cake with Browned Butter Frosting. It's simple to make using a yellow cake mix for a base. And the icing is as simple as the cake using nothing but butter that's been "browned", powdered sugar, vanilla and evaporated milk. And the taste? Wonderful! View the full recipe by clicking on Martha's Recipes in the right sidebar.

Keeping Fish Fresher

I love fresh fish but hear so much about bacteria that is scares me just a bit. I ran across this tip for keeping fish fresh and thought I would share.

Put whole fish or fillets in a large strainer set over a bowl. Pile ice high on top of the fish and refrigerate. The ice keeps the fish close to 32 degrees and as it melts, the water continually rinses off bacterial and drains it into the bowl.

Apple Ball Pull Bread

If you read my site, you will know that I believe in taking cooking to the "simple" level. My recipe for Apple Ball Pull Bread is a perfect example of simplifying. This bread will have everyone swearing that you spent all day in the kitchen and only you will know the secret used to speed up the recipe. To view the full recipe click on Martha's Kitchen Korner in the right sidebar.

Shelf Life of your Herbs and Spices

I found this in a McCormick's ad and wanted to share it with everyone. This is a short and simple list of the Shelf Life for your herbs and spices.

Spices, ground - 2-3 years shelf life
Spices, whole - 3-4 years shelf life
Seasoning Blends - 1-2 years shelf life
Herbs - 1-3 years shelf life
Extracts - 4 years shelf life, except pure vanilla which lasts indefinitely

I think I'll clean out my cabinets and buy fresh. I'm sure I have at least a few that need to be replaced.