Recipes for Non-Cooks

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No-Spill Gelatin

When making gelatin, place the mold in the refrigerator before pouring in the last cup of liquid or fruit. This prevents the spills that often occur when transferring a full mold to the refrigerator

Store all your pastas in canning jars or glass pickle, or mayo jars, well cleaned. Pasta will stay fresher and jars stack nicely. You will be able to see what you need at a glance in your pantry for the grocery list..

Note from McClug:

Dianne, I love this idea for pasta shapes. I heard once you could store long pasta in those Pringles Potato Chip cans, but of course you can't see inside. Since I always break long pasta into two pieces before cooking it anyway, maybe it would fit in the glass jars O.K. I'll give it a try.

Instead of using a knife to butter hot corn on the cob, just butter a piece of sliced bread; hold the bread in one hand and roll the hot ear of corn over the buttered bread, evenly coating the corn with butter without the mess.

Easy grilled pocket's for all veggies..

Releasable foil. (great stuff!!) Your choice of size. Your foil must be large enough to be folded and sealed on all ends after adding your veggie and/or meat.

Some quick ideas:

Boneless pork cut of your choice, hamburger steak, your choice steak cut, or boneless chicken parts of your choice. Marinade of your choice. I use a cheap bottle of real oil Italian dressing. There is enough oil in the dressing for a nice marinade. Discard marinade. Rinse meat. Hamburger steaks need no marinade.

Seasonings of your choice.

Frozen CUBED potatoes (I use the style with the peppers and onions). I like to thaw these a bit.

I usually use frozen veggies or raw for this. Yet that will add to grilling or baking time. Cook your choices on the stove or in the microwave until tender..

The sky is the limit!! Add your favorites.

Wrap up and place on a slow to medium grill, turning a couple of times. Use a nice big spatula to turn and remove.

A splash of liquid of your choice is great. OR, AN ICE CUBE OR TWO added before sealing..

In oven, 350 degrees. Lay on a baking pan. Turn a couple of times. Cook depending on desired doneness of meat and veggies.

Enjoy the company of others while your personal pockets grill or bake.

Roasting Vegetables

I love roasted vegetables of all sorts. Here's a hint from B. Brace of Strongsville, Ohio via "Cuisine" magazine, May/June 2000. http://www.cuisineathome.com

To put a nice caramelized crust on roasted vegetables, preheat a skillet or a heavy duty baking sheet in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the preheated skillet; they'll sizzle when they hit the hot pan, creating a beautiful caramelized crust.

Mess-free Measuring Cups

To avoid the frustration of trying to clean measuring cups that have contained a solid fat such as shortening or lard, line the measuring cup with plastic wrap before adding the fat. Push the fat into the cup with a spatula or wooden spoon to be sure the cup is full. When you remove the fat, the measuring cup stays clean. You can wrap the fat in the plastic to chill it before cutting it into the flour for pie dough.

New Uses for Old Things

I use the carboard box part of the Velvetta cheese boxes as a pen, colored pencil, marker, notepads, household stuff, nuts and bolts, hair pins,sharp knives, EVERYTHING... EVERYWHERE IN THIS HOUSE.
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Elise uses the straight tall glass olive bottles for her paint brushes.
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I like to make flavored oils with garlic, onions and peppers for cooking. These work well for this also.
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The small glass jars from tartar sauces or horseradish sauces make a wonderful baking soda container for the bathroom. My family brushes their teeth at least twice a week with straight baking soda and peroxide. These also make a nice sized jar for Glen's dressings and/or salsas for his lunch.
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The big plastic bottles from the liquid soaps? Or gallon milk jug? These can be made into plant starters. A few rocks and a small hole or two in the bottom placed on an old pizza pan...you have an herb garden or starter flower/veggie garden.
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Old cake pan's work well in the garage as a drip pan...or as a cat's box.
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Worn out, stretched out clothes lines (not wire ones) make good tie-downs for a short trip.
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Old style heavy draperies you plan to discard make a good tarp for a short road trip or tarping in sheds and garages.
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Paper grocery bags make wonderful easy book covers for school...Or, if you wish to wrap something in brown paper.
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I have made Holloween masks out of the DRYER LINT for many years.

Note from McClug:

Those are great ideas, Dianne. Here are a couple more:

Stuff plastic produce or grocery bags into an empty Kleenex box. Remove one at a time when needed.
Store the boxes containing plastic sandwich bags, rolls of tin foil, plastic wrap and the like upright in the slots of a cardboard six-pack container that once held beer or soda bottles.
Use flat bottomed coffee filters in place of little bowls or ramekins when cutting up small quantities of ingredients for stir-fry etc. When you are done just throw the filters in the trash. Paper cups can be used as well. Nothing to wash afterwards,

Drying Salad Greens

I saw someone do this once but I had forgotten about it because Ihave a salad spinner, but if you don't have a salad spinner, just put your washed greens in a plastic grocery bag lined with lots of paper towels. Twist the top of the bag closed tightly, then spin it around your head in a loop like a lasso. The greens will be perfectly dry and ready to use...

...they will also be very dizzy.

Preserving Scallions

Here's a good tip a friend told me about and I found that it is absolutely true!

Scallions go soft rather quickly, but you can preserve them longer by cutting off the roots and trimming the tops to fit in a jar. Rinse the scallions and dry well before placing in the jar. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. The onions will keep for weeks. (According to my friend you can also store them in a sealable plastic bag with a little air in it, but I haven't tried it that way.)

Substitute for Oil

I received this bakers' tip today in my e-mail from http://www.worldwiderecipes.com.

The equivalent volume of applesauce can be substituted for oil when baking. Buy the small "snack packs" of apple sauce, and invariably one tub has enough for one batch of cookies or brownies, etc. The lack of oil will not be noticed, and baked goods come out moist and healthier!

Noncook, Dianne, replied on 6/17/04:

This is very true.. If baby food applesauce, carrott's, squash, sweet potatoes, are on sale.. These work also.. Not as well as a fat replacement.. Yet.. They do work for a small serving cake when the bigger can's are too much.. I always have some on hand for cake's or cookies.. Squash bundt cake is a favorite around here..

Chucky adult style applesauce is great for almost everything!!!

I usually add a little more spice than the recipe calls for..

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These also are a great treat for an eldery person who might have trouble swollowing or chewing.

I use to give Flora a toddler style fruit as a dessert all the time.. SHE LOVED IT!!! AND, THE EXTRA VITAMIN'S MEANT FOR THE LITTLE BODIES WORK GREAT FOR THE ELDERLY ALSO!! The same with her main meal's.. A few noodles/potatoes/rice mixed with a couple of jars toddler's whatever as an entree.. A few added spices her stomach could handle, yet, remember, these are made for delicate young tummies.... The eldery tummies can be just as delicate.. Just the right size for a single serving of something.. Bake whatever or mircowave.. (I usually baked it in her own baking dish so she felt as if it was home cooking..)

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