Those New Watermelon Slicers....

Have you tried one yet?

Love!

You can turn a huge watermelon into these perfect

half-plate size slices in about 2 minutes.

No fussing with the rind.  No mess.

Wonderful!

I got mine on ebay for $6.00.

♥

Serendipity Cooking

It's my favorite kind of cooking...

Look in the refrigerator and see what needs using up!

Monday night I put a spaghetti squash in the microwave.

While that cooked, I grilled a pork tenderloin

and threw zucchini, onion, mushrooms and garlic

in a skillet with olive oil.

Then everything came together and was sprinkled

with shredded Parmesan, salt and pepper.

The Mister said to remember how I made it, because

he wants it again!  And I do, too!

♥

Autumn Wedding Favors

I've been working the last two weeks on a wedding order ~

chocolate oak leaf cookies...265 of them!

First you roll out, cut and bake the leaves.

Then you frost with one color and drizzle a contrasting

color in the middle. Run a toothpick through while wet

to get that marbleized look.

Next, using a pastry bag and tip, pipe a thicker

icing around the edge. Wine and gold colors are beautiful wedding colors for November, don't you think? After they are dry, give a little sparkly gold dust detail. Wrap in cellophane bags, tie with ribbon and tags.They will be laid at each place setting at the reception. Fun! Yum!

Like a Hot Knife Through Butter

I sharpened my knives today!

This chef's knife now cuts through a watermelon

like it was warm butter. Oh my!

Now I'm a little scared of it!

In all seriousness, it was a long overdue chore

and so nice to have done. And I still

have all of my fingers! :)

Tip for the Iceberg

I don't remember where I learned this little tip, but it's a great one! To remove the core, hold the head in both hands with the core pointing down. Give it a good, strong whack on the kitchen counter.

The core should dislodge from the head and pull out nice and clean like this! I wonder if that's how Julia Childs did it!

Freezing Berries

I love freezing berries while they are in season! These

huge blackberries will be wonderful this winter!

If you freeze them laying on a jellyroll pan before putting

them in a Ziploc, they will be separated instead of frozen

in a big block. They're instantly ready to toss into muffin

batter or on top of pancakes.

Choosing a Watermelon

My great uncle and grandpa enjoying a huge watermelon

way back when!

A stock boy at Trader Joe's told me that the best way to pick

a watermelon is to look for all the brown veining on the skin.

What? No sniffing or thumping? Actually, I just pick the

biggest one if they are all the same price.

He says the more veining, the more sugar..and the sweeter

the fruit. I don't know if this one was any sweeter, but

it sure was good!

Don't you just love the seedless ones? I'll never go back...even

if there won't be any seed spitting contests! And isn't it interesting

that you can still see the little marks where the seeds should be?

~~~~

Watermelon is rich in beta carotene, lycopene

and the amino acid citrulline. It's also 92% water!

Did you know that numerous watermelon seeds were recovered

from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun? Maybe it was his

favorite! Maybe Harry is related to him in some way!

Debbie Meyer Green Bags

Have you tried these green bags yet?

I think they are wonderful!

Here are my bananas that have been sitting on

my kitchen counter for 7 days!

Can you believe that?

They used to only be available on their

website, but I saw them at Walmart last week!

So there you have it! A commercial that you didn't

even have to turn on the tv for! :)

Indiana Melon

What is it about Indiana Melons that make them so delicious?

There is a vast difference between a regular cantelope and an

Indiana one! They hardly taste like the same fruit!

How do those Hoosiers do it?

I was born there and I don't even know the answer!

Storing Asparagus

The best way to store asparagus in your refrigerator

is to trim the ends and put them in a container with

an inch or two of water in the bottom.

They will stay fresh and crisp much longer!

Notice that I don't have a vase of flowers in

my frig! Although it would have made a

pretty picture here! LOL

Hands Free Soap Dispenser

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets has become this

hands-free soap dispenser. It has a sensor that

detects when a hand is there to get soap and

it squirts out just the right amount into your hand!

It's battery operated and you can adjust the amount

of soap it dispenses. It takes any type of liquid soap.

It's especially nice when you're cooking and

have been handling raw meat, etc.

This one is made by Sharper Image, but I'm

sure there are other similar types, too.

Sometimes it's the little things that make life easier!

Peppercorns, Olive Oil and Kosher Salt

I like to watch cooking shows when I

get a chance. It's always fun to see

what's being prepared, how it is done, and

I try to pick up some new idea or tip

that makes my own cooking a little better.

I recently decided to use more olive oil.

I know it's good for you and has a nice

fruity flavor but really never used it much.

I even had this cute little stainless olive

oil can in my pantry that I got to bring out

and enjoy! I've loved the flavor and am

already on our third big bottle. My

last use was for homemade croutons ~~

cubed bread, drizzled with olive oil,

kosher salt, Italian seasoning and garlic

powder. The smell from the oven was

fantastic!

I've used peppercorns and a grinder

for years now. It's amazing how much

better the freshly ground tastes!

The last time I needed peppercorns I

got this tricolored mix. I really can't

tell much difference in the taste,

but they sure are beautiful!

And as I was saying above, I started

using Kosher salt. All the gourmet

cooks talk about what a big difference

it is, allowing the food flavor to really

come through and not be over-powered

by the salt. It really does enhance the food!

I like it in cooking , but not so much in baking

as I find the coarse grains don't always dissolve

in a baked good. But for meat, fish and

veggies, it's wonderful! Not to mention it's

really fun to sprinkle out of this little bowl!

Thanks Giada, Ina and Paula!

You're the best!

Lemons

I used lemon zest and juice in my cookies the other day.

Then I squeezed the extra juice in a little bowl, added the

lemon halves and steamed them in the microwave for

a couple of minutes. The scented steam softened any

dried food bits and they wiped out quick and easy!

Then the lemons went down the garbage disposal to freshen it!

One lemon = cookies, clean microwave and disposal! :)