Category: Kitchen Tips

1. Friday, December 16

   It’s the most wonderful time of the year…Birthday Cake Time!

   While the rest of the world is celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and the like…you know holidays involving winter, snow, lights…well, our house is celebrating birthdays galore! Both of my sweet daughters were born just a week before Christmas. It’s crazy town. But (as long as I can survive the stress) it’s lots of fun!

   

   Since their birthdays are so close to Christmas, each year I make them whatever birthday cake their little hearts desire to make sure their day is special and non-Christmasy.

   

   Anna is having a “Glamour Party” this year, which evolved into a “Hello Kitty Glamour Party” when she discovered the Hello Kitty plates and napkins at Target. So, a Hello Kitty cake it is! Hello Kitty by the way is an AWESOME subject for a cake. SO easy. Thank you, Anna! She was so cute this morning, staring at her cake the whole time she ate breakfast.

   

   Cate picked out some kitty cat cupcakes from my favorite kids’ cake book. For some reason I thought Juicy Fruit was white. It’s yellow. So yeah, yellow ears and whiskers is what we got. I’m pretty sure Cate won’t mind!

   

   Because I would like to make this post semi-useful to you, I used regular buttercream frosting this year (adding a little cream cheese to the frosting for Cate’s red velvet cupcakes). And I most definitely did a crumb coat on the Hello Kitty cake (a thin layer of icing on the cake that picks up all the crumbs, followed by 10 minutes in the freezer before doing the final coat of icing). And for the kitty eyes, just use a food writer on M&Ms. Instant cat eyes!

   Even though the birthday cakes invariably cause me to stay up way too late at night, I must admit the torture is fun.

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:11 am   18 Comments
   Categories: kids, Kitchen Tips, sweet things

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2. Friday, December 2

   Kitchen Tip: Keeping Your Brown Sugar Soft

   I’m doing something I’ve never done on my blog before…reposting a post! But I have a very good reason: this Kitchen Tip is awesome. I almost wrote about it today thinking I hadn’t before, but then I did a quick search and found that I had! The post is over four years old, so I figured I could bring it back. And I really want to make sure you all know this little bit of knowledge, so here we are! (And, eternal editor that I am, I made a few tweaks to the original copy. I just couldn’t help myself.)

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   The other night I was thinking that it’s been a while since I did a Kitchen Tips post…then later that evening a friend stopped by to borrow some brown sugar and was excited about the piece of bread inside my brown sugar container. Tah-dah! A post!

   

   Want soft brown sugar? Just throw a piece of bread in the container. That’s it. Simple, easy, cheap. I change it out, oh, I don’t know…hardly ever. I use whatever sandwich bread I happen to have lying around. The bread never gets moldy (seriously, it doesn’t) and the brown sugar always remains a perfect, soft consistency. Just a little something I learned from my mama at a very young age.

   My friend Adrianne’s scientist husband tried to explain why it works to us…he said the explanation really wasn’t complicated, but I think Adrianne and I only caught a couple words, like “the bread won’t go moldy” and “there’s a scientific reason it works.” Good enough for us cooks!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:26 am   13 Comments
   Categories: Kitchen Tips

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3. Thursday, October 6

   Salt Box

   I love coarse salt. And I love Penzeys. So when I saw a big bag of course salt at Penzeys, of course I bought it. However, I had nothing to store the salt in that made it easy for me to use, so it’s just been sitting in my cupboard for months. Until now.

   

   Shopping on Amazon is something I can do while I’m recovering from Owen’s birth, so I finally spent a little time this week searching for the perfect salt container. There are all kinds of salt crocks out there so it was tough to pick, but I decided to get this small bamboo salt box. It came in the mail yesterday and…I LOVE IT. I almost went with the Le Creuset salt crock but decided to go with this one instead, and I’m so glad I did. Here are the reasons it rocks:

   • It has a lid, so foreign objects can’t easily get into the salt.
   • The swinging lid has a little magnet that helps snap it closed.
   • It’s small, but fits in a good amount of salt, I think around 3/4 of a cup.
   • I like that the opening to the box is on top of the container rather than on the side.

   I can’t wait to start salting things!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:55 am   8 Comments
   Categories: Kitchen Tips, the goods

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4. Thursday, July 14

   Fresh Garlic…and LOTS of it!

   Last week when it was time to put my order in for this week’s CSA bag, garlic made its first appearance on the list of available produce. I have been waiting for this moment. I love fresh garlic. But I HATE buying garlic bulbs at the market that end up being old…you know, you cut into a clove and it’s already sprouted green inside. Which happens probably 90% of the time. It seriously makes me bonkers.

   Of course I added garlic to my order as quick as I could. And I picked up my CSA bag yesterday. AND this is what I found:

   

   SO MUCH GARLIC. I am super excited about it, don’t get me wrong…but what am I going to do with all this garlic?

   I think this giant bag of garlic is just screaming for a Call for Recipes, don’t you? And this Call for Recipes is also a Call for Tips…as in, if you have good tips for storing garlic or ways to use it up that doesn’t necessarily involve a recipe, please share! And, as always, we love it when you share recipes, too!

   I’ll start us off Roasted Garlic Bulbs. Heaven.

   So, put your garlic thinking caps on and let’s get this party started.

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 2:26 pm   24 Comments
   Categories: call for recipes, CSA, Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips

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5. Tuesday, July 12

   New Member of the Family! And Cutting Mangoes Like Avocados

   No, I’m still pregnant. But we do have a new member of the family…well, of my cutting board family, which continues to multiply like bunnies. I think I may be addicted to beautiful wood cutting boards. Just maybe. Anyway, I spotted this beauty at the Ferry Building a few weeks ago and knew I had to get it. We needed a small cutting board – the one we had was yucky and cracked. Plus, I knew that every time I would use this, it would make me happy. And I was right. You can’t put a price on that!

   

   The board is made by Russell James Ooms from Walnut Grove, CA. He is a cabinetmaker/woodworker who saves the cut-offs from commissioned work and combines that with found wood to make these cutting boards. The shop where I found this board was also selling big, beautiful mosaic cutting boards that Ooms makes (you can click here to see a sample). BUT…I didn’t need a big board, so I resisted. See, I do have self-control!

   Doesn’t the board look absolutely stunning paired with mango?

   

   Which leads us to topic #2. My dear friend Liz commented on Sunday sharing a great technique for cutting mangoes. Nate and I have tried so many different ways of cutting up mango I’m surprised we never thought of this one…especially since this is how I “chop” avocados.

   You cut off the wide sides, cut a grid into the fruit, without cutting through the skin, then scoop the fruit out with a knife. Genius!

   

   The core portion still has plenty of yummy fruit on it, so I cut the skin off around the edge and then just sort of hacked off the remaining fruit.

   

   I have to say, the spoon is more blunt than a knife, so the pieces were a little mushier and I feel like I get closer to the skin when I cut slices and then cut the fruit out with a knife. BUT…it really was MUCH faster to cut it this way, which is good when you’re hungry and/or pregnant. Plus, it felt a little safer and more in control since these slippery little buggers can be downright dangerous when you introduce a sharp knife to the mix!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:04 pm   17 Comments
   Categories: fab faves, Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips, the goods

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6. Tuesday, June 21

   A Healthy Twist on Classic Potato Salad

   When I discovered my next Newman’s Own “Own It” recipe challenge with Martha’s Circle involved utilizing one of their salad dressings, I immediately knew what I was going to make. Back when I was first married and still learning how to cook, Nate’s Gram Maynard was the one to teach me how to make potato salad. I loved her potato salad. Simple and classic, it always hit the spot. Not too sweet and not filled with too many surprises. (I’m not a big fan of surprises in potato salad.)

   

   Gram had a trick, one that I have never forgotten and have always used since. Once the potatoes are cooked and cut, instead of using vinegar, she would toss the potatoes in Italian dressing. You get your vinegar in there, along with a bunch of built-in seasonings. It’s a genius idea that I absolutely love.

   

   Since I needed to also add a “twist” to my potato salad recipe, I decided to go for a healthy twist. In fact, I went for three healthy twists on this classic!

   1. Replace the bulk of the mayonnaise with fat-free yogurt…less fat and the health benefits of yogurt to boot!
   2. Leave the skins on the potatoes…that’s where are all the vitamins are!
   3. Throw in some cauliflower…easily hidden, most people won’t even know it’s there (Nate didn’t notice after eating a whole serving) and this nutrient-packed veggie adds an additional healthy kick to the salad.

   

   And guess what? This healthier version of the classic potato salad tastes just like…potato salad! Go figure. Seriously, it tasted just like the much less-healthy version I used to make. These twists are here to stay!

   

   Classic Potato Salad with a Healthy Twist
   From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
   - 3 pounds potatoes of your choice (I used russet this time around)
   - 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped small
   - 1 1/2 cups cauliflower, chopped then steamed
   - 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
   - 1/4 – 1/2 cup Newman’s Own Lighten Up Italian Dressing
   - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
   - 2/3 cup fat-free strained Greek yogurt or other thick yogurt
   - 1/2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
   - 1/8 tsp. dry mustard
   - 1/2 tsp. salt
   - 1/4 tsp. pepper
   - 1/4 tsp. paprika

   

   Chop unpeeled potatoes into 1″ cubes. Add to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and lightly boil 5-10 more minutes, until potatoes are easily pierced by a fork but not falling apart. Drain potatoes and put in refrigerator until cool. Feel free to fish out potato peels that have fallen off any potato pieces…some of them may do that after cooking.

   Mix together the potatoes, eggs, cauliflower and onion. Pour Italian dressing over the mixture and toss to cover.

   

   Mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, dry mustard, salt, pepper and paprika. Add to potato mixture and stir to combine.

   Eat!

   

   P.S. Part of my participation in this project with Martha’s Circle was my recipe featured in a Newman’s Own advertorial in Everyday Food (kind of like the last recipe I did with them, which appeared in Martha Stewart Living).

   CHECK. IT. OUT. My name, blog, recipe and photo are on the inside front cover of the July issue of Everyday Food! Somebody pinch me! Get out there and get a copy for your scrapbook!

   

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 7:38 am   15 Comments
   Categories: eat less meat, featured recipes, Kitchen Tips, Martha Stewart, Recipes, side dishes

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7. Thursday, June 16

   Buying the Right Amount of Strawberries & Raspberries for Jam

   My jam is all made and stored in the freezer, ready and waiting to make our year a happy jam year indeed! We ended up with 28 cups (14 containers) of raspberry freezer jam and 48 cups (24 containers) of strawberry freezer jam. I bought WAY more berries than I realized, but I must admit that I’m happy to have such a large supply!

   

   Every year when I go to buy my berries and pectin, I end up standing in the store feeling frustrated. I can never figure out how many boxes of pectin I should buy for the amount of berries I have. Generally the containers the berries come in are measured in ounces, but the pectin recipe tells you how many pints of berries to buy. And it’s surprisingly annoying to figure out how those match up. AND…I’ve found that the amount of pints that the pectin box recipe suggests doesn’t necessarily yield the amount of crushed berries that they tell you it will.

   SOOOOOOOO…this year I kept track! And I crushed so many berries that I feel like this is pretty fool proof. This post will be helpful for those of you who are planning to make strawberry or raspberry jam. And it will be very helpful for me next year when I go to make more jam. I’ll actually have all the amounts written down. No more frustrating google searches on my iPhone and hasty calculations on the back of a receipt while my girls tear the store apart, only to end up being wrong! This post will forever keep me on track. Yippee!

   So here’s how it broke down:

   • Four 6-ounce containers of raspberries crushed to 3 cups (if you’re making freezer jam, this is the amount you want for 1 box of regular pectin and you will use 5 1/4 cups of sugar – this will make 7 cups of jam)
   • A 64-ounce container of strawberries (which was also labeled as 4 pounds) crushed to 6 cups with a few berries left over (if you’re making freezer jam, this is the amount you will use with 3 boxes of regular pectin and you will use 12 cups of sugar – this will make 15 cups of jam)

   This year I used sixteen 6-ounce containers of raspberries (4 boxes of pectin and 21 cups of sugar) and three 64-ounce containers of strawberries (9 boxes of pectin and 36 cups of sugar) to end up with the amounts of jam I outlined in the first paragraph of this post.

   Someone asked in the last freezer jam post about the Ziploc containers I use. Growing up my grandma and mom used all kinds of containers – jars, random tupperware, even Ziploc bags! For freezer jam, as long as it’s clean and can close, you’re good to go! I personally use the small (2-cup) round Ziploc containers that have a screw-top lid. We always eat our jam within a year and we’ve never had ice crystals or freezer burn. Then I save the containers for next year – they stack nicely so they don’t take up too much space while waiting for the next batch of jam. (One quick tip – often there is a $1 coupon inside the Ziploc containers for the pectin I use. I never discover the coupons until the jam is already made and am kicking myself for not saving $13! Just keep that in mind if you buy these containers for jam.)

   I hope all of this is helpful for at least some of you. Even if it isn’t, I have to admit it will be for me. I know, so selfish.

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:18 am   23 Comments
   Categories: fab faves, Kitchen Tips, sweet things

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8. Tuesday, June 14

   Miracle of Miracles…An Organized Spice Cupboard!

   I have never attempted to organize my spice cupboard. I don’t know why because I have always hated my spice cupboard. If I want to know if I have a particular spice, I literally have to pull out every bottle in the cupboard to see if it’s there. And I often end up with multiple bottles of the same spice floating around. I could go on and on with the troubles my spice cupboard has caused me…and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one!

   

   So, this past week, I couldn’t take it anymore! I took a trip to the store and bought a lazy susan-type double shelf thingy and went to town on my spices. Here’s what I did:

   • The spices I use most frequently are on the bottom shelf, organized on the lazy susan. I can easily see them all and spin the shelf around to reach the ones in the back with no problem!
   • I put all the spices I use less often on the second shelf.
   • I wrote down every spice I have in the cupboard and taped it inside the cabinet door. Now I can look at the list and see if a spice even exists in the cupboard before I begin the big search!

   

   I know it’s not much. For example, I could type my list and alphabetize it. I could also better organize those spices on the second shelf. But what I have going on right now is sooooooo much better than what I had going on before that I don’t even care! Maybe one day I’ll have that perfectly organized spice cupboard that I’m sure Martha Stewart has, but, until then, I’m downright ecstatic over my “new” spice cupboard!

   And, one day, when I have a giant kitchen, my dream is to have a spice drawer, with the names of all the spices on the lids. Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

   Please do share any spice organizing tips that you may have. I’m certain you people are full of great ideas!

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:28 pm   20 Comments
   Categories: Kitchen Tips

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9. Thursday, June 2

   Kitchen Tips: Maximizing Dryer Sheets

   Okay, today’s kitchen tip about dryer sheets doesn’t have anything to do with the kitchen. BUT…it’s a tip I love, so I’m sharing it anyway. Plus, I store my dryer sheets in the kitchen, so technically it is a kitchen tip in the Maynard household!

   

   Let’s begin with this…I love dryer sheets. Not for the smell, I use fragrance-free dryer sheets. I just love how they keep clothes from getting all crunchy-like and also keep static in control. I never dry clothes without throwing a dryer sheet in with the clothes!

   Years ago when I was visiting my Aunt Barbara, I needed to do some laundry at her house. When I popped open her box of dryer sheets, they were all cut into strips. Barb simply said, “You don’t need a whole dryer sheet, a strip will do it!” I believe her because she lives in UTAH…the driest, static-iest place I’ve ever been to!

   And you know what? She’s right. You really do not need a whole dryer sheet for one load of laundry. Cut those babies up! Or just rip off a piece, which is what I usually do. I usually use 1/3 or 1/2 of a dryer sheet, while Barbara uses only about 1/4 of a dryer sheet.

   And, can I tell you, my boxes of dryer sheets last FOREVER. It’s kind of awesome. Saves money and resources, can’t beat that!

    

   Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:33 pm   27 Comments
   Categories: Kitchen Tips

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10. Tuesday, May 24

    Where have you been all my life, Scoop?

    Remember the kitchen disaster story contest? Remember how I came in second and didn’t win the $3500 Pampered Chef shopping spree? In all honesty, I was totally fine with not winning. I loved reading all of your fantastic disaster stories and my life is just as happy with or without oodles of kitchen gadgets floating around my house. However, there was one item that I was intent on using my winnings to purchase. When I didn’t win, that one item came immediately to mind. I begged The Pampered Chef people to hook me up with this item. Which they did. They’re nice like that.

    So, what is this item I was dying to get my hands on?  A scoop. For scooping cookie dough. I’ve wanted one for years and, for whatever reason, just never got one. The Pampered Chef folks were kind enough to send me their medium and large scoops. Well, I finally used both of them for the first time this week.

    

    And, can I say, I don’t know how I lived without them!!!

    

    The medium scoop was PERFECT for cookies. It was so easy to bang out cookie dough ball after cookie dough ball, all perfectly shaped, all exactly the same size. Why has no one insisted I get one before now? This scoop seriously rocks my cookie world.

    

    The large scoop is pretty big, so I wasn’t entirely sure I would use it that often. I rarely make giant cookies. But then, this past Sunday, as I was making pancakes and dribbling batter all over the pan off the back of my 1 cup measuring cup that I always use to pour the batter with (that was a mouthful!), I thought about that large scoop. I pulled it out and…yup…it worked like a charm. The batter poured into the pan so nicely and all the pancakes were the same size. I love it!

    

    So, if you don’t have a scoop yet, get one. Or two. Because you need a smaller one and a bigger one. Life will never be the same!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 2:51 pm   32 Comments
    Categories: fab faves, Kitchen Tips, the goods

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