Tips and Tricks for the Kitchen

You know all of those helpful kitchen-related suggestions that old-timers are so willing to share with the younger generations? These little tips and tricks might be called “kitchen hacks” these days, but they’re still the same good old nuggets of wisdom that they always were. As with any old wives’ tale, hack, or tip, your mileage may vary. Some of these gems have been around for several lifetimes - and according to most grandmas, they really work.


1. For cleaning smelly hands after chopping onions or garlic, just rub them on a stainless steel spoon. The steel is supposed to absorb the odor.
2. Fresh coffee beans can also absorb nasty odors from your hands.
3. If you happen to over-salt a pot of soup, just drop in a peeled potato. The potato will absorb the excess salt.
4. When boiling eggs, add a pinch of salt to keep the shells from cracking.
5. Never put citrus fruits or tomatoes in the fridge. The low temperatures degrade the aroma and flavor of these persnickety fruits.
6. To clean cast iron cookwear, don’t use detergents. Just scrub them with salt and a clean, dry paper towel.
7. Will milk curdle if it is allowed to boil? It turns out that this age-old piece of wisdom isn’t true, after all. Milk that has been boiled is perfectly safe to consume.
8. To clean an electric kettle with calcium buildup on the heating element, boil a mixture of half white vinegar and half water, then empty.
9. When storing empty airtight containers, throw in a pinch of salt to keep them from getting stinky.
10. If you are making gravy and accidentally burn it, just pour it into a clean pan and continue cooking it. Add sugar a little at a time, tasting as you go to avoid over-sugaring it. The sugar will cancel out the burned taste.
11. Burned a pot of rice? Just place a piece of white bread on top of the rice for 5-10 minutes to draw out the burned flavor. Be careful not to scrape the burned pieces off of the bottom of the pan when serving the rice.
12. Before you chop chili peppers, rub a little vegetable oil into your hands and your skin won’t absorb the spicy chili oil.
13. If you aren’t sure how fresh your eggs are, place them in about four inches of water. Eggs that stay on the bottom are fresh. If only one end tips up, the egg is less fresh and should be used soon. If it floats, it’s past the fresh stage.

Reference Life Hackery

10 Tasty Ideas for Leftover Turkey

It's The Day of the Turkey (at least here in the US) and we all know there will be leftovers. Since I can only eat so many TLTs (Turkey, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwiches), I've come up with some easy recipes and ideas so all that tasty bird doesn't go bad. If you want, leave me a comment with some other ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers.

1. Turkey Cranberry Rollup
You can do this as a sandwich, too, but I prefer it in a tortilla. Spread some cranberry sauce, put some turkey on top of it, and roll. It has all the flavor of Thanksgiving with almost none of the work.
2. Turkey Chili
I love to throw together a chili. Anymore, I don't even use a recipe, just some broth (chicken or beef, depending on what flavor I'm going for), some beans (usually kidney, but sometimes black, pinto, or even garbanzo), sometimes corn, some diced tomatoes in sauce, and tomato sauce if I want it thicker. I definitely add some onions and sometimes garlic, then salsa and chili powder, and then I put in whatever kind of meat I'm using that day. It's as easy to put turkey in as anything else, and the bird doesn't do much to change the taste.
3. Turkey and Noodles
Cook up some egg noodles. For a sauce, heat up some creamy soup (cream of mushroom, cream of celery, etc..) and add some turkey and browned onions. Put the turkey topping over the noodles and serve. Most of the time, no one besides you will realize that the meat is even turkey!
4. Turkey Fajitas
Warm up the turkey and serve it instead of chicken or beef with grilled, sliced peppers and grilled onions. Add them all to a tortilla with toppings of your choice and eat.
5. Turkey Lentil Stew
Soak your lentils until they are soft. Cook them in water with some garlic, thyme, salt, and a bay leaf until the lentils have made something of a mushy mess. Add the turkey and make sure it's all heated through.
6. Turkey Stir Fry
It took me a little while to be willing to try this one as turkey is not a meat that comes to mind when I think of stir fry. Out of desperation for something new, I finally made an attempt, and it's actually good. Soak the already-cooked turkey in the stir-fry marinade or topping of your choice. Stir fry your vegetables (I usually use a frozen mixture). Add the turkey near the end, so it has a chance to heat up but not dry out. Eat over rice or Japanese noodles.
7. Turkey Stew

Mix chicken broth with chunks of carrot, onion, potato, celery and whatever vegetables mean "stew" to you. Add some parsley, thyme, a bay leaf or two, salt and pepper to taste, and maybe some oregano for something a little different. Bring the broth with the veggies to a boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Add the turkey and continue to boil it until the vegetables are soft. Serve with salad and/or sourdough bread for the Panera effect.
8. Turkey Burritos
Put in turkey with the refried beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and whatever else makes a burrito for you. Roll up the tortilla. Heat, eat, and enjoy!
9. Turkey Pad Thai
Ok, I have a confession here--I usually buy my pad thai from Trader Joes. I'll heat it up, add any extra meat or veggies that I want, use their sauce, and serve it...even to guests! When I have turkey around, that's the meat I add and it's pretty tasty. If you're worried about the turkey taste mixing poorly with the Thai spices, press some mashed up fresh garlic into the turkey several hours before you cook and let it sit in a bag or another closed container until you're ready to use it. The garlic should overpower the turkey taste so your pad thai will be yummy, like usual.
10. Freeze it
Amazingly enough, cooked turkey survives freezing fairly well. It comes out pretty dry, so I try to use it in soups or cassaroles when I use it later, but it's still tasty and good. The best part is that I can eat it at some future point when I'm not totally sick of turkey.
The End Result?
Nothing goes to waste, and I don't feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over just to get rid of the meat. Both the frug-a-holic and the variety-lover in me are satisfied. I hope it works for you!

Reference Wise Bread



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Beets! Try something new!

Description: Beets are a root crop with round red or gold flesh. Beet leaves are also edible.

Selection: Choose beets with tops attached. Bunches with beets of similar size will cook more evenly. Very large beets are sometimes woody and tough; those that are about 2 inches in diameter are just right. 

Storage and handling: Remove the leaves and treat them like other greens. Store beets in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer for 2-3 weeks, or in a root cellar. Before eating, scrub with a brush, remove dangling roots and all but an inch or so of the tops.

Preparation: Boil for 20-30 minutes, drain, cool and peel.  Microwave 1 pound of whole 2-inch beets by placing in covered dish with 1⁄4 cup water and cooking 10-11 minutes. Pressure-cook for 12-20 minutes, depending on size. Skins will slip off easily after cooking. Sauté peeled, shredded beets, covered, for 10 minutes.

Serving suggestions: Peel and shred raw beets for use in salads

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Sherry-Walnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients

10 small red beets
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 pound baby spinach, roughly chopped
5 ounces arugula, roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Method

Heat oven to 400°F. Place beets on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and make a pouch out of the foil, sealing it tightly. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let beets steam for 10 minutes. Open pouch and let beets cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, mustard, agave nectar or honey, and garlic in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oils and season with salt and pepper. Set vinaigrette aside.

After beets have cooled enough to handle, remove and discard skins and cut into bite-size pieces. Mix beets with half of vinaigrette, then mix spinach and arugula with the rest of the vinaigrette. Transfer greens to plates and top with beets, walnuts, and goat cheese.

How to store your cheese!

Store cheese in your refrigerator, which approximates the temperature of aging rooms. Keep it wrapped tightly in plastic, away from air. Air helps mold grow on cheese. If you get a little mold on the outside, just cut it off. The English say if mold won't eat your cheddar it can't taste very good.

Bring cheese to room temperature before melting. Melt cheese over a low heat to help prevent toughening and separation of oils and liquids.

Most ripened or aged cheese is low in moisture content and can be frozen without drastic flavor and texture changes. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more. If frozen for several months, the cheese may dry out somewhat and become crumbly when thawed.

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bones Steakhouse BBQ Tips!

BBQ Tips!

Approximately 30 minutes prior to grilling, prepare the charcoal fire so coals have time to reach medium temperature. At medium, the coals will be ash-covered. To check the temperature of the coals, spread the coals in a single layer. CAREFULLY hold the palm of your hand above the coals at cooking height. Count the number of seconds you can hold your hand in that position before the heat forces you to pull it away: approximately 4 seconds for medium heat. Position the cooking grid and follow recipe directions.

Never place meat directly over an open flame. An open flame is an indication of incomplete combustion, the fire will discolor the meat by leaving a black carbon residue on the meat. Actually an  open flame has a lower temperature than coals that are glowing red.

Whenever barbecuing, use tongs to turn the meat. A fork should never be used. For it will punch holes in the flesh and allow the natural juices to escape and loose flavor and become chewy.

Tomato and/or sugar based BBQ sauces should be added only at the end of the grilling process. These products will burn easily and are seldom considered an internal meat flavoring. Once added, the meat should be turned often to minimize the possibility of burning.

Joanne Vanderhoef
Media and Marketing Specialist

Bones Steakhouse
Battle Ground, WA  in the Battle Ground Village
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Cooking with beer hints!

Cooking with Beer Tips and Hints

Belgium is famous for its Carbonnade à la Flamande, a thick stew of beer, bacon, onions, and brown sugar. Many home cooks prefer their shellfish and hot dogs steamed in beer.

Beer also has wonderful tenderizing properties, making it an excellent choice for a marinade for tougher cuts of meat. Baked goods using beer have a more moist texture and a longer shelf life.

Used in a glaze or baste, beer adds wonderful flavor to poultry and ham. In batter coatings for fried foods, the yeast in the beer acts as a mild leavening agent, causing the batter to puff up, as well as adding a distinctive enhancing flavor.

The hops, barley, and/or malt flavor imparted by the addition of beer to foods will naturally depend on the amount and strength of the beer. Dark beer, such as stout and porter, have a much stronger flavor than a light Pilsener. A good recipe using beer will have a distinctively light, not dominating flavor in the finished dish.

Non-alcoholic (alcohol removed) or light/lite (low-calorie, less than .5% alcohol) beers can usually be substituted (except in baking), but keep in mind that the flavor may not be as desirable and the texture may have less body.

Reference: About.com

Posted by Joanne Vanderhoef
Marketing and Media Specialist

Bones Steakhouse
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All you can eat BBQ on Tuesdays Vancouver WA

Need BBQ? We have it and it's all you can eat!

Join us!  Visit http://www.bonessteak.com or call us for more information at (360) 723-0810.

Seafood and wine pairings

 

Scallops

Additions from readers:

Hermitage blanc is the classic French match with grilled or fried scallops. Zippy chardonnays (Grand cru Chablis), rieslings (German Kabinett, Pacific Northwest), Austrian grüner vertliners, Spanish Rias Baixas and Portugese white Vinho verde are more affordable alternatives. Scallops in cream sauces require richer whites, such as top-drawer Graves and Burgundies, New World chardonnays or German Ausleses and Spätleses. — Craig Schweickert

Shellfish

Sancerre and Muscadet from the Loire are exceptionally suited to oysters, perhaps because shellfish are an important part of the local cuisine and the wine evolved to match.
Shrimp work well with crisp whites like White Bordeaux (and Sauvignon Blanc in general) or with leaner Chardonnays like Chablis.

Pick a fatter, buttery Chardonnay to match lobster, and a slightly sweet white – Riesling might be ideal – to quaff with crab.

Surf and turf

This classic luxury dinner poses a dilemma because surf (lobster) really works best with a rich white like a big Chardonnay, while turf (beef) calls out for a dry red like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
About all you can do is decide which wine you like best and accept that it's not going to go as well with half of the main entree; or if the event is festive and you're having a crowd, say the heck with it and serve both!

You can also go with a very good Champagne or other sparkling wine, which would be great with lobster and fairly good with the beef, but it's still pretty hard for me to imagine enjoying a really good steak without a fine red wine.

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6 Simple Tricks To Eat More Mindfully

Whenever anyone tells me they eat healthy but still can’t lose weight, I ask them if they practice mindful eating. Most people just stare back at me blankly, wondering what on earth I’m talking about!

The fact is there is an "art" to eating healthy!  Here are 9 simple tricks!

1. Chew 25 times

Chewing is probably the simplest and most effective way develop the habit of eating mindfully.
I recommend 25 chews per bite here, but likely anything over 20 chews will provide a benefit. The most important part is that you choose a number and count your chews until you reach it. The number itself is less consequential.

2. Eat every thing with chopsticks for a week
Even if you grew up with chopsticks as your primary utensil, you’ve probably never used them to eat a sandwich or a bag of chips.

3. Try to identify every ingredient in your meal
Trying to taste and identify all the different ingredients in your meal is another great way to focus on the present moment and eat more mindfully. This is particularly fun at restaurants, when you didn’t make the food yourself. An added bonus of this technique is it may also help you become more creative in the kitchen.

4. Put your food on a plate
It may sound obvious, but eating out of a bag is not a very mindful practice. Get in the habit of placing even small snacks and desserts on a plate before you eat them. This will force you to acknowledge exactly what and how much you will be eating.

5. Sit at a table
Once your food is on a plate, you may as well go the extra mile to sit at a table. Formalizing your dining experience can help draw your attention to your food and your eating habits.

6. Eat in Silence
Put away your phone, turn off the TV! ny sensation that you experience outside of taste and smell while you’re eating can distract you and make mindful eating more difficult.

Why game meat is better for your diet!

Bones Steakhouse just recently ran a menu that was all "game" meats and boy was it a hit!  No wonder considering all the good benefits to eating game meat!

Adding wild game meat, such as kangaroo, elk, bison, rabbit, turkey and so on, may not sound appetizing at all, especially since staples like chicken, beef and pork have always been the primary sources of meat. However, if you would take time to find out the health benefits of game meats, you might be delighted enough to give this exotic meat a try. 

Less Fat

One thing that people are always worried about with pork and beef is the high amount of fat that it contains. Excessive fat, as we all know, contributes to health problems like hypertension, high cholesterol levels, heart disease and so on. Wild game is known to be leaner because wild animals are obviously more active than their domestic counterparts.

While domestic animals contain 25 to 30 percent body fat, wild game animals only have 4.3 percent. Imagine that huge discrepancy and how much that would make a difference on your overall health. Not only that, the fat found in wild game animals is only polyunsaturated, which is good cholesterol that can offset the adverse effects of bad cholesterol that is usually found in domestic animals. 

Higher Nutritional Value

Aside from EPA, wild game has a higher nutritional value overall. For one, it is very rich in protein, which is essential for metabolism, energy, digestion, and proper growth and repair of muscles, bones and tissues. Other than protein, wild game also contains B vitamins, iron and zinc. The iron that wild game contains is heme iron, which is the form that is most easily absorbed by the body. 

Safe Handling and Preparation

Aside from the nutritional benefits of wild game meat, they are also beneficial in terms of handling and preparation. Wild game meats do not contain artificial preservatives that are harmful to the body. They have not been raised with hormones or steroids to make them meatier and heavier. They are obviously the more natural option.

Indeed, wild game meats have various health benefits. Because of this, it would be great to include game meats in your diet. Just make sure that you cook and prepare it thoroughly to ensure that the meat will be free from microorganisms before you consume it.

How to Quickly Ripen an Avocado!

Bones Steakhouse Tips and Tricks!

Finding a ripe avocado at the supermarket is hit or miss, so what can you do if you need an avocado right away? Bones Steakhouse shared a food science tip for quickly ripening avocados with help from an unexpected source: a banana!

Ripe bananas release a lot of ethylene, the hormone that triggers ripening in mature fruit, so placing one in a closed paper bag with your under-ripe avocados will speed up the process. I tried it with a couple avocados that were just beginning to soften, and within 24 hours, they were perfectly soft and ready to eat.

Apples are another fruit that release a good amount of ethylene, so this would also work with a ripe apple.

Onions aren't just for cooking!

6 Little-Known Uses for Onions

Remove rust from knives
Forget about using steel wool or harsh chemicals — how’s this for an easy way to get the rust off your kitchen or utility knives? Plunge your rusty knife into a large onion three or four times (if it’s very rusty, it may require a few extra stabs). The only tears you shed will be ones of joy over your rust-free blade.
Eliminate new paint smell
Your bedroom’s new shade of paint looks great, but the smell is keeping you up all night. What to do? Place several freshly cut slices of onion in a dish with a bit of water. It will absorb the smell within a few hours.
Correct pet “mistakes”
If Rover or Kitty is still not respecting your property — whether it be by chewing, tearing, or soiling — you may be able to get the message across by leaving several onion slices where the damage has been done. Neither cats nor dogs are particularly fond of “eau de onion,” and they’ll avoid returning to the scene of their crimes.
Soothe a bee sting
If you have a nasty encounter with a bee at a barbecue, grab one of the onion slices intended for your burger and place it over the area where you got stung. It will ease the soreness. (If you are severely allergic to bee or other insect stings, seek medical attention at once.)
Use as smelling salts
If you happen to be with someone at a party or in a restaurant who feels faint — and you don’t normally carry smelling salts in your pocket — reach for a freshly cut onion. The strong odor is likely to bring him around.
Use as a natural pesticide
Whip up an effective insect and animal repellent for the flowers and vegetables in your garden. In a blender, puree 4 onions, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper, and 1 quart water (1 liter). Set the mixture aside. Now dilute 2 tablespoons soap flakes in 2 gallons (7.5 liters) water. Pour in the contents of your blender, shake or stir well, and you have a potent, environment-friendly solution to spray on your plants.



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5 tips for making delicious stuffing

 

Planning on serving stuffing at your holiday dinner? Follow these tips for a delicious dish your guests won't forget

1. Consider something other than bread. While it is the most common base, lots of other things can be used when making dressing or stuffing (technically, it’s called dressing if baked in a pan, and stuffing if cooked inside poultry or meat). For variety, search out recipes that use brown rice, quinoa or barley.
2. Sauté the veggies first. Cook all the vegetables in a pan before adding them to your base ingredient. Though the stuffing will cook further in the oven, it should be mostly cooked prior to going in—who wants to chew on a hard carrot chunk when eating stuffing?
3. Pair the herbs. I’m a purist when it comes to herbs and always use fresh over dried. But dried herbs are just fine—and using the right ones in a stuffing will bring out the flavour of the particular meat or fish it’s being served with. For example, sage works well with turkey; dill with fish; rosemary with beef, lamb or pork; and thyme with chicken.
4. Add moisture. If you’re making dressing rather than stuffing, be sure to add 
a little liquid to impart flavour and moisture. I use low-sodium chicken stock rather than butter or water; it has flavour but little fat.
5. Crisp it up. If you’re a fan of crispy pieces, finish cooking your stuffing or dressing under the broiler. But be sure to stir it occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t burn.

Reference Best Health




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Warm up with a nice winter soup!

Winter is upon us and what isn't better than a nice hot bowl of soup on a cold and blustery day?

Leeks and potatoes provide the base for this hearty vegetable soup, and butternut squash adds a hint of sweetness. Gruyère toasts add a salty note.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces) 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese 
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional) 

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Stir in half-and-half. Cover and keep warm.
3. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
4. Wine note: This is one vegetable soup that can easily handle a lighter red wine. Stick with the French theme and look for bargains from Burgundy, like Louis Jadot Pinot Noir 2005 ($20). This wine has pretty red berry fruit, great balance, and gentle tannins that make it ideal for lower-fat dishes. The underlying earthy, leathery flavors bring out the rustic nuances of the potatoes and squash. —Jeffery Lindenmuth 

Reference myrecipes.com



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