5 timesaving techniques for the Kitchen (Easy Fast Five)


     1. Manicotti time Saver- 
     I don't know about you, but I love eating manicotti, the preparation which comes with it, I                                    don't love so much. I never made manicotti often because of the tedious time-consuming                                    stuffing of those shells but fear not, I have discovered a new easier faster method to                                              stuffing when you want delicious and quick meal. 

          Use Cheese Sticks, its mozzarella, It's cheese, and it melts. This is Manicotti made easy.
          For a more flavorful punch use 1 Mozzarella stick and 1 cheddar stick.  

                 2. Label your drawers. 
                 Remember that Chalkboard Picture project , if u have some Chalkboard Decal left                                                  you can label your drawers. cut some strips and label away. Can't remember where                                                you put your cookie press . Write it down and  Stick it, lol! 

              3. Not so Permanent Shopping List solution-  Another use for that left-over Chalkboard                                 Decal  is to Make a generous sized shopping list for your Fridgerator door. Simply affix an                                     ample sized square or rectangle and affix to the door of your refridgerator, write down things                               u need as the week goes on, on your Chalkboard List , when it's shopping day take a pic with                               your cell phone and you should have it with you, when you go shopping for groceries. No                                     paper to lose, Save a tree, :)

                       4. Pot-holder Solution- these are called Clip-strip with an S hook. U can find                                               these in any store holding impulse buy items, example... Batteries and Poufs to name                                             a few. Next time your in a store Grocery or Big box, ask an associate if they have any                                             they are throwing out. And if you could have one or two. Grocery stores especially                                                 have more relaxed policies on giving out stuff like this. Then you can hang your                                                     Pot-holders in one convenient location in your kitchen.  

                 Tip: you could even display those Christmas Cards on the slots I'm sure , as well as                                              giving each child a place for their personal poufs in the dreaded shared bathroom.                                                Okay u might ask for three, lol. 

                   5. Tortilla Warmer+ - everyone has a Tortilla warmer that only seems to get used                                                 when it's Mexican night.  But their are other ways to get some use out of it, get your                                             money's worth, I say.  Tortilla Warmers come in a variety of sizes , Other uses are                                                   keeping Pancakes and Waffles warm or microwave the frozen ones inside, for a                                                     better cooking experience? You can also warm up Dinner Rolls inside them. And                                                     most are diswasher safe, for easy clean up. 

                        Hope you enjoyed this easy fast five Kitchen hints

                                                                                            Keep it Easy!
                                                                                         Yvonne Doñate

           Added Dec. 29, 2014

                                               This Month's EASY FAST FIVE

                                                    Fast Easy Cooking Tips 101 

            1. Like Frying , but don't know why you burn it everytime, have no fear . Try a different cooking                                      oil. Foodies     and Chef's know all about which oils have High Smoke points.  I know everyone                                    loves olive oil and I do too. But in reality its not good for everything because of it's low smoke                                    point. So try Grapeseed, Safflower, Peanut, or Sunflower oils , they are just as good too. As a                                      home cook, all of these are the oils I have in my pantry. If your making Bruschetta stick to the                                    tried and true, but if your frying some Chicken or Fish, you'll need a different oil for that. Peanut                                    oil for instance is great for your Stir Fry's.

                      Note: What is a smoke point. The point at which it burns, baby, ha!

             2. I love baking, cookies and cakes, you name it. I have probably baked it at least once.  While                                      I actually prefer baking from scratch, a skill I learned from Baking with Grandma Opal on                                            weekends, there are times I use storebought mixes.  We all know you can frost a cookie to                                          dress it up , but what ever shall we do with the cake, so its not so ordinary. After you frost                                        it add some nuts. Pecans and walnuts are great to sprinkle on Chocolate cake, while almonds                                        are better on a cream cheese or Vanilla based caked. And if you really want to fancify it                                            more, get a little carmel sauce and drizzle it on after the frosting then sprinkle nuts, add it                                          to a chocolate cake and voila, it's a turtle cake. Haha. 
               It really is that easy to make a storebought cake seem fancy, your mate will rave about it and your                                guest will think you spent hours on it, haha. 

              Besides Dr. Oz says Nuts are good for you!

               Note: just be sure no one has a Nut allergy, otherwise they'll be raging, not raving, ha! 

                   Dressed up Spice Cake -  Recipe Here:  http://easylivin.org/easy-treats.html

             3.LEMON BAR CRUST CHEAT TIP: Have a Lemon Bar recipe but don't feel like making that 5                                            ingredient crust. Have no fear, try thistimesaver buy 2 stoebought graham cracker crust and                                          repress into your baking pan, Wow, your done with the crust.If your really pressed for time                                          just pour the lemon Filling into the Storebought Graham crust and make a sweet lemon pie                                          instead. 

              Note: if it won't stick together when you repress into your pan,try adding a litlle softened butter                                     or margarine.

          4. Kitchen tool must have is A kitchen Timer. Every kitchen needs a timer, as a home cook who                                      is also a mommy, When I get distracted it's a gentle reminder the food is done or needs                                            checked on. So don't be embarrassed about using a timer. Especially if your new to cooking.                                        Many recipes for making Candies recipes require one. A kitchen timer saves money and time, since                                  you won't have to waste burnt food or recook that Hollandaise sauce. And they are portable and                                    can be taken everywhere. Simply put a timer is the best investment you 'll ever make for your                                      new career as a foodie. 

                 5. Ziploc Rescue -

                               Have you ever ran out of foil when it came time to cover the cake or                                              perhaps you lost your lid to the plastic storage container. Hmmm... what should                                            you do? Do this just place the whole thing in a storage bag. I love this idea                                            because the bag can be sealed. I have even gotten plates inside of a                                                    Gallon size freezer bag. plus you can microwave it right inside the bag, just                                          open the bag for venting, nothing will splatter. That will certainly save you                                            from scrubbing the microwave, ewww!!! And think You can SEE the                                                    leftovers on the plate and seeing it will help you remember to eat it for                                                  leftovers. Which will save you money on your grocery bill.

               Small storage containers can fit into a sandwich bag, losing your lid doesn't                                          mean you throw the plastic in the dumpster, save the planet, people, ha!                                              Just slip into a Ziploc bag. 

                Hope you enjoyed this month's Easy Fast Five. Have a great week, Everyone!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Keep It Easy!                                                                                                                                                 Yvonne D.

     Added Aug. 31, 2014 = Happy Birthday Grandma Opal. Love and miss you!