10 Things I do to make Life Easier in the Kitchen

1. I put tinfoil in a bowl before I drain the grease from bacon. I throw it out or freeze it if I'm going to use it to cook with at another time. I don't need to worry about a gross bowl.

2. I prepare food on Sundays: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. I'm cleaning up for an hour or two one day versus every morning and night. I leave the house by 7 and get home at 6. I do not feel like cooking every night. Being prepared gives me no excuse for eating shitty processed meals. That being said, some weekends we're away or I'm too busy to do that. So I always have some meals in the freezer ready to heat and eat: quiche (pieces frozen individually), breakfast burritos, baked ziti, enchiladas, mexican stuffed shells, soup.

3. If a recipe calls for half an onion, I chop the rest of it and freeze it. Likewise, if I only need a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, I freeze the rest of the can in ice cube trays and to use at my leisure. No haste, no waste, and since I usually add them to sauce or soup, no defrosting. I hate wasting food. There are too many people in this world who don't have that luxury.

4. As soon as I use the last of something, I grab my phone and write it down on a list under the Grocery Note I keep in the notes. I check that when I'm making my grocery or Target lists. I've been shopping more at Target using my red card for a 5% discount plus the Cartwheel app, Target mobile coupons, and real live coupons.

5. Wear gloves when doing dishes. Do you think these nails keep themselves? I buy fun gloves at Homegoods to put a shine on a shit chore.

6. I separate bananas when I bring them home - it keeps them good longer.

7. I never buy buttermilk because it would go bad before I'd use it all. If I need it, I add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk, stir, and let stand for 10 minutes. Viola - you made buttermilk, bitches.

8. I whisk eggs in a four cup measuring cup so they're easy to pour out.

9.  I don't peel carrots, cucumbers, or potatoes. Again, I hate wasting food and more importantly wasting nutrients. Most nutrients in carrots are in or just below the skin. Scrub those bitches and cut the ends off and boom, you're good to go. Cucumber peel is a good source of fiber. Potato skin has a ton of finber and vitamins - it's full of vitamin K, potassium, copper, and iron. So if you eat over and we're having potato salad or mashed potatoes, expect the skin.

10. I always have a box of brownie mix in the pantry and a few bags of frozen berries in the fridge. If I have to make a dessert on the fly to serve to impromptu dinner guests or bring to a spontaneous gathering, brownies and berry cobbler will do nicely.

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Haikuesday

Share your kitchen tips!

Ordering out tricks work too.

Please, no tips on beets. 

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Tomorrow: our weekend in Mexico. Hasta manana, amigos.

Damn Good Crescent Roll Jalapeno Popper Bites

I rarely repeat dinner recipes. I mean, I have my basics (baked chicken or fish being my go-tos) but there's so many things out there to make, I rarely have difficulty finding new things to try.

Apps are a different story. I get in app ruts. I have the dips I like and sometimes I don't want to branch out. I'm glad I did with these because they were gooo-oood, Clark. And easy to make too. 

One of my requirements for apps is that they are able to be assembled in advance of people being there. We had them for the Super Bowl and I prepped and assembled them in advance so all I had to do was pop them in the oven. I got the original recipe here. 

Ingredients

1 tube crescent rolls

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced. Use more or less to your taste. I cut these a day in advance - and in the name of all that is holy don't touch your eyes for the rest of the day after cutting them

8 slices bacon, chopped and cooked till crisp - I did this a day in advance too. 

About half of a brick of cream cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Open can of crescent rolls and separate each roll along the perforation. Cut each triangle in half.

Smear cream cheese (amount of your choice, I just eyeballed it) on each roll and top with a few pieces of diced jalapeno (the amount depends on the amount of heat you want) and crumbled bacon.

Gather the edges of the dough up and pinch them together. Poke, prod, and do what you will to make sure all the filling is inside. 

Place the ball of dough seam side down and bake for about 12-13 minutes or until golden brown.

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Haikuesday

They're coming in hot.

Jalapenos are awesome...

but can burn your butt.

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Tomorrow: February Recommendations from me, Jana @ The Townhouse Pioneer, Amanda @ Voyage of the MeeMee, Kerry @ Til Then, Smile Often, and Kelli @ She Crab Soup. 

Cruise Essentials

This post originally appeared as a guest post on Green Fashionista on November 17, 2013. Kate is a fellow cruise lover, so a cruise essentials post was perfect to share there, and it's perfect to share here now because      

1. It's February and winter has us in a headlock

2. I'm sick of whining about cold and snow.  

3. Monday night our roof started to leak because, yes, too much snow and ice up there. Instead of laying in bed in the fetal position, I want to think of beaches and vacations. 

4. It's my blog and I do what I want. 

I never thought I'd like cruising, but I freaking love it. So does MFD, because a cruise ship is just another small town where he can be the mayor. 

Here are my cruise essentials:

1 - I hate clutter at home, I don't want it on vacation! Cruise rooms don't have a ton of counter space, so buy a hanging shoe organizer and bring it with you to store toiletries, batteries, chargers, etc.
2 - No one wants to deal with wet bathing suits. Most bathrooms have retractable clotheslines. You can fit more on them if you use clothespins.
3 - I know, I know, no drying clothes on the balconies. That being said, if you bring a clamp, nothing will fly away. Good for shirts or cover ups that get wet.


4 - A fierce manicure. There will be a lot of photos.
5 - Comfortable shoes. Boats are big, so even if you're sashaying around in flip flops, make sure they're comfortable. My favorites are Sanuk Yoga Mat flip flops.
6 - A stylish yet comfortable to carry beach bag. Some excursions can mean a lot of walking. It's not fun to lug a bag that's not easy to carry.

7 - A room with a balcony is a must for me. I'm claustrophobic and I need to be able to get outside without having to go up steps and down hallways. 

8 - Your on-board schedule. You don't want to miss out on bingo, baby. 

9 - Good reading material. A must on any vacation. 

10 - A camera to capture the gorgeousness that is the sun setting over the open sea. Your iphone isn't going to do it justice. 

The next time we'll be saying Bon Voyage is in December for a five day out of Miami with stops at Cozumel and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. And two days at sea to bask in the ocean on all sides of us. We're going with our good friends and cruise buddies Jill & Frank and hitting Disney for a few days after. It promises to be a wonderful time. 

Are you a cruiser? What are your cruise essentials? 

Linking up with Kathy for Humpday Confessions.

 Linking up with Shanna for Random Wednesday

Hungry Eyes: Ga-gung Ga-gung Chili

You know when Baby is learning to dance and she's not getting it? Johnny says, "It's not on the one, it's not the mambo. It's a feeling...a heartbeat. Ga-gung. Ga-gung. Don't try so hard. Ga-gung. Ga-gung. Close your eyes." Cue Hungry Eyes.

Chili is the same thing.You have to taste your way through making it. It's a feeling...a heart beat. Ga-gung. Ga-gung. Chili.

Ingredients
1.25 lb ground beef
1 lb beef for stew
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1 cup bell peppers, chopped
15 oz tomato sauce
3 tbs tomato paste
28 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz pinto beans, rinsed
15 oz kidney beans, rinsed
diced green chiles
Chili powder - start with two tablespoons and add as needed
Cumin - start with two tablespoons and add as needed
Paprika - start with one tablespoon and add as needed
Garlic powder - start with one tablespoon and add as needed
Ground mustard - start with one teaspoon and add as needed
Salt & pepper to taste (last)
Hot sauce if you choose, to taste.

Directions
Drain and rinse beans in colander.

Brown ground beef and half of the onion. Drain and set aside. Cook stew meat in same pot without washing it out. After the outside is all browned, add the other half of the onion and peppers and cook until veggies start to get soft, about four minutes.

Add tomato sauce, green chiles, crushed tomatoes in juice, and beans. Stir well. Add your seasonings and stir. Cook over medium for five minutes, taste, add additional seasonings if desired. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

If you want to be a fancy dancer, you can make homemade cornbread in a cast iron skillet using this recipe. To make it in a cast iron skillet, put two tablespoons of butter in the skillet in the oven and let melt, then pour the cornbread in and stir a bit. Bake as instructed - mine took a bit longer but I didn't time it so keep an eye on it.

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Haikuesday:

Dirty Dancing meals?

Hungry eyes...hungry eyes...mmm

Dance and dine with me.

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Did I just connect chili to Dirty Dancing? You bet your sweet maracas I did.

Snow Day Stromboli

Thursday I worked from home since winter took a big crap on Philadelphia.

MFD went to the store on Wednesday night to get fat guy in a little coat food because who wants to be snowed in without it? Stromboli sounded warm and delicious so I asked him to get the stuff for it on a whim.

Ingredients
pizza dough (I used Pillsbury in a can because I was out of bread flour to make my own - use your favorite)
2/3-1cup of pizza sauce (I make my own: heat 15 oz can of tomato sauce and  6 oz can of tomato paste. Add onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, basil, italian seasoning, salt to taste) 
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
6 slices cooked ham
12 slices genoa salami
1 egg
1 tsp milk or water
Italian seasoning
Garlic salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 500.

Roll pizza dough out into a rectangle with the long side facing you. I do this on parchment paper but it's not necessary.

Spread sauce out almost to the edges, leaving about 1.5 inches of room on the short side edges. Top with one cup of cheese.

Rip ham into pieces and place lovingly where you will. Layer with slices of genoa salami and top with remaining cup of cheese.

Crack egg into a small bowl and beat. Add milk or water and beat again. Congratulations, you have just made an egg wash.

Roll short side edges in. Brush with egg wash.

Beginning with the long side edge closest to you, roll up like a jelly roll. Press along the seam when you come to the end.

Place stromboli seam side down on baking sheet. Brush top and sides with egg wash, then sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic salt on the top. Cut a few slits in the top.

Bake at 500 for 8-10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 5 before cutting into it. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping if desired.

It was insanely easy and delicious. Best idea ever. It would also be good as a party app.

As for who had the best snow day ever...

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