A Tip from Grandma: Involve the Kids

I'm not sure if this is a tip or just more of a philosophy Grandma had. She felt like kids should be involved with the cooking. She always told me to bring it down to their level. Grandma was really good at this and even let the kids help with dipping chocolates, and making yeast breads. Stuff that needs to be precise, but she was always very patient.
So in that spirit, I decided to involve my girls in dinner last night. We made waffles. Yes, I know, I pulled out all the stops. They were both cheering "We love brinner, we love brinner"!
Now I can't say that I always want to or enjoy involving my kids in the kitchen. Sometimes I just want to be left alone in my little domain. But the waffle-making was really fun. They asked for waffles, then were so eager to help, and so excited that it just made the whole event great. I let them measure and stir, pick their toppings and pour them on. They are getting old enough that pretty soon we should delve into reading the recipe and let them do things with no help.
As you can see the evening was a big success, the waffles were great, and the girls even helped clean up the dishes. After all that is part of cooking, right?
Waffles

1 3/4 c. flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. oil

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, set aside.
In another bowl beat eggs slightly. Add milk and oil. Add mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until combined. Batter will be lumpy.
Pour about 1 1/4 c. batter onto a hot, greased waffle iron. Close lid and bake according to manufacturer's directions. Makes about 6 6-inch waffles.

A tip from Grandma: Blanching Almonds

Oh man, does anyone else out there feel like they have a candy hangover from the weekend? I sure do. We partied hard all weekend long. Halloween was a blast. Between family visits, tiny ghouls and goblins, yummy food, late nights, and pseudo-scary movies I am worn out today!
So an easy post for the day.



Have you ever tried to find blanched almonds in the grocery store? I don't know about you but I have never been able to find them around here. And lots of recipes call for them, darn it. So here is a tip from grandma. Blanch your own almonds. She was such a smart lady!

Buy whole almonds with the skins still on. When you get them home, prepare a largish bowl with an ice bath. Set aside. Then on your stove, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Throw your almonds in the boiling water and let the water return to a boil. Boil almonds for 2 minutes. When time is up, drain almonds and immediately put them in the ice bath. Let them sit until cool enough to handle. This won't take long. Drain off the water. Put a couple of paper towels on a plate. Then just go to work squeezing those almond right out of their skins. If you squeeze in the large end of the almond the skins should pop right off. Easy as that! Then you can use them or freeze them. I would give you one warning: be prepared to be squirted in the eye with cold water. Those little guys spit at you every once in a while. It keeps things interesting.

A Tip from Grandma: Write Things Down

I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out: Don't be afraid to write in your cookbooks! I guess I was afraid to write in them for a long time. Grandma always told me to write things down about a recipe. It took forgetting important things time and time again before I got this figured out.
When I try a new recipe I like to write down what I liked about it, what I didn't like, what went well, what I could do better next time, even write down if the recipe is worth making again. This is a much easier way to keep track of things than trying to remember them. Besides I think it's really fun to go back through a cookbook and see what your first impressions were of a dish that has become a favorite, or how you have modified a recipe over time to fit your needs better. Thanks for a good tip Grandma!

Just as a side note: My grandma is gone now, but I find great comfort in looking at her handwriting. It makes me feel like she is in the kitchen with me. She also taught me that when someone gives you a recipe, keep it. You will enjoy looking at a loved one's handwriting someday, even if the spelling is not that great!

A Tip from Grandma: Garlic

I love garlic.It is my go-to guy in the kitchen. I love the way it smells, I love the way it tastes. It wasn't always like this. I had never cooked with fresh garlic before Shawn and I got married. When we got married he brought two things with him Betsy (our '69 Ford Ranger that I am actually very fond of) and a garlic press. After that is was true love. But the problem is that I can rarely use a whole bulb of garlic before it starts to go bad. So here is what Grandma taught me:
Freeze it! Buy it on sale and get that good deal on a whole bunch of bulbs. Then when you get them home peel all the cloves (yes it takes some time and your hands will smell for a while, but it is easy with this tool) them throw all the cloves in a pint jar. Then close up the jar and put it in the freezer. The cloves won't stick together when they freeze and then you have garlic quickly and easily at your fingertips when you cook. A frozen clove only needs to sit out for about 30 seconds to a minute before it is ready for the press.