How to Cut a Watermelon

Summer and Watermelon just go together.

But sometimes Watermelon cutting can seem daunting.

I try to keep it simple and quick,  and easy to eat for my little ones.

Push knife lengthwise, straight into melon...

Then around like the hands of a clock, turning melon half way through.

Now that you have melon rings...

Cut rind off, around the ring, then remove rind.

Cut slices in a checker board pattern and place in bowl.

Repeat with other slices, either as needed, or all at once.

To get the fruit out of the melon's end cap 'bowls', use a melon baller or spoon and dig out 'balls' of melon.

Enjoy Summer!

The Smashed Bread Solution

How to Salvage a Smashed Loaf of Bread

I was NOT a good grocery packer yesterday considering that when I got home and opened the trunk I found myself a few loaves of smashed bread.  Oh, man!

But when the trunk gives you smashed bread...

Make FRENCH TOAST!

Or if you're Gretta...make an edible hat.

Freeze your own strawberries

I happened upon strawberries for $0.75/lb yesterday!  I couldn't resist buying more than we could use fresh.  When I got home I started freezing them.  Here's how:

1. Wash and core them.

2. Lay them out flat on a cookie sheet.

3. Put them in the freezer until they are frozen.
(A few hours will do.)

4. Put them into a freezer bag.

Freezing them on the cookie tray first will keep them from sticking together; you'll be able to take out as many as you want this way.  We like to use them for smoothies.

A little more time than buying already frozen strawberries, but for half the price I'm there!

Homemade Cooked Jam

I came across strawberries on sale for $1/lb!!!  So I bought several and made some jam.  I have made freezer jam before but never cooked jam.  It wasn't hard to do and I don't have to worry about them taking up space in the freezer.  You will need: fruit, sugar and pectin (not instant).  Then you just follow the directions that came with the pectin.  I made 3.5 pints (7 cups) of jam with 3 lbs of strawberries.

To "crush" my strawberries, I just threw them in the blender.  You can make them as coarse or as smooth as your family likes it.

Also, the pectin tells you to process the jam in a water bath.  I was recently told by several people that water bathing jam is not necessary, they will seal and keep just fine without.  I didn't water bath mine.  Some people turn the jars upside down to help them seal better (I was told that wasn't necessary either).  I did turn mine upside down just in case.  They sealed just fine, but my jam is now stuck at the top of my jars. :(  Maybe next time I won't turn them upside down to seal.

Semi-Homemade Donuts

Our inexpensive, weekend, alternative.

Donuts

Canned buttermilk biscuits (not grand)

Oil--heated to 300 degrees

Cinnamon and sugar in a bowl

Remove biscuits from can and tear holes in centers.

Fry in heated oil, turning/removing when browned.

Set on paper towels to drain off some oil.

Coat in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Whole process takes about 15min for 1 can, 20min for 2 cans.

 

Beef and Barley Soup

Here is a yummy soup recipe that we had for dinner last night.  We ate it with bread sticks  last time we had it with homemade bread.

1/2-1 lb hamburger, cooked

1 medium onion, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 c. barley

4 c. water

2 tsp. beef buillon

1 tsp. oregano (dry), crushed

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

Put everything in a large saucepan (or soup pot) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes until barley is cooked and vegetables are tender.  

I haven't done it, but I bet you could do this in a crock pot too.

Chicken on Demand

When chicken is on sale, I like to buy a bunch, cook it up all at once and freeze it.  It makes fixing dinner lots faster, not to mention you only have to do the chicken dishes once!

I salt and pepper the chicken and put it in baking dishes and cook it for about 45 minutes at 350 deg, or until it is cooked through.  Once it is cooked I cube it up and put about 2 cups in a sandwich sized ziploc bag and write the date on the bag.  Then I put several of the small bags into a gallon size freezer bag (the theory being that regular sandwich bags are cheaper than freezer bags and the gallon freezer bag can be reused.)

Today I tried something new.  I shredded some of the chicken with the Kitchen Aid (cookie beater).  Just throw a few of the cooked chicken breasts in and run it for a minute or so on the second or third speed.  If you want shredded chicken, it is quite a bit faster than doing it by hand.

Pancake Pizzazz

Earn the "Best Mom of the Morning" Award by not just making pancakes but making LETTER PANCAKES!

Make the kids feel special by making the first letter of their name.  Just pour kinda slow as you form the letters.  And remember any mistakes are yummy mistakes.

Tips for better batter:

Use water; just like the box says.  The pancake mix already has milk in it.

Leave the batter lumpy.  Mix only until incorporated, not until smooth.

Making Pasta Not Stick

Nobody likes sticky pasta, especially spaghetti noodles. Here are my tips to make sure you don't end up with icky-sticky pasta.

1: Poke noddles with fork, several times, immediatly after placing in boiling pot.

2: Stir as soon as noddles are limp, to keep them from laying parallel to each other.

3: Run HOT tap water over noddles, in colander, after draining.

Homemade Potato Soup

Aunty and I made up this soup one chilly night when she was visiting several months ago.  I like to experiment with different homemade soups when its cold outside.  This potato soup happened to be delicious enough, even according to the husbands and childern, that I actually wrote it down.

 Homemade Potato Soup

3c. Chicken Broth

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

2-3oz Cream Cheese

6 Potatoes, peeled and cubed

Chopped Onion

Basil, Salt, and Pepper

1+ Cups Cheese

Directions: Get the broth boiling while you peel and cube the potatoes. Add potatoes, followed by cream cheese, soup, and spices.  After a few minutes add cheese.  Boil until potatoes are soft. Takes about 25 minutes.

Quésadilla Plus 1.0

Quésadillas make a great lunch or dinner entree because they are kid friendly. 

But for the adults I like to plus it up a bit. 

 So today's adult version includes some Zesty Black Bean and Corn Blend from Kroger's frozen section. This adds a little spice and life to the quesidilla.

I place a small amount of cheese on the tortilla, then the beans (defrosted), and some more cheese.  Make sure the cheese has begun melting to the top tortilla before flipping the quesadilla over or all your insides will fall out when you flip it.

ENJOY!

Fruit Kabobs

I went to a baby shower today and was asked to bring some fruit.  Rather than a regular fruit salad or tray of fruit, I decided to make some cute fruit kabobs.  I got 100 skewers at Walmart for $1.  I put red and green grapes, pineapple, banana, strawberries and apples on the skewers.  To keep the apples and bananas from turning brown I put them in some pineapple juice for about a minute after they were cut and then drained them.  

I stood the completed kabobs in our trifle bowl.  I thought they turned out pretty (and it is easy for people to just grab a stick too)!

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Tonight's dinner was Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I wanted to use up some extras before they went bad (hoagie buns, cheese, steak).
I thinly sliced two onions and cooked them on medium heat with salt and pepper for about 20 minutes. Then I added two sliced bell peppers (one red and one green) and cooked the onions and peppers about 5 more minutes. In a seprate pan I cooked some thinly sliced steak (you can slice it easier if it is partially frozen) with some salt and pepper until cooked. It would probably be good with  some garlic too.

To make the sandwich I toasted some hoagie buns, then added some meat and onions and peppers and topped it with a slice of provolone cheese. And that's it! It was pretty tasty. I am looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.