Quick Tip: Strawberries

Pick fully-ripe, firm strawberries with a deep red color. Wash berries in several changes of cold water. If you want to freeze the berries whole you will want to remove the stems and place the berries in several rows on a cookie sheet and freeze. When the berries are frozen then place them in a large freezer bag and store in the freezer. You can also mix 1 cup of sugar with 6 cups of cut berries and place in pint freezer container.

Tip: Mason Jars

I like to use Mason Jars to store my brown sugar and powdered sugar in. You can also use the smaller jars for baking powder and soda.

Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

5 large baking potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 (10 oz.) can of condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

ground pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the soup, onion and black pepper in a bowl. Arrange one layer of sliced potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon one layer of soup mixture, then continue layering until all of the ingredients have been used. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Bake for 45 minutes until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are fully cooked.

Quick tip: rent movies

Do you know where you can rent movies for free??? The local library! I don't know how long it has been since I've paid for a movie rental. When I know of a new dvd coming out in the stores I go online to my local library and place my name on a list to reserve that movie. Very simple. Just saw the movie "New in Town."

Recipe: Smores

We've been using this recipe for a while now. It's very simple and cheap.

1 package of chocolate striped cookies (Any kind will do. I use Aldi's brand because the packages are under $2.00.)

1 package of marshmallows

After you heat the marshmallow place it between two cookies. Note: if you are using metal hot dog sticks, spray them first with cooking spray. When finished you can clean the sticks with wet wipes or soak in hot soapy water.

Kitchen tip: recipe card holder

I use a plastic picture frames to slide my recipe cards in so they don't get splatter on them. The frames come in all different sizes. This one is a 5x7.

Recipe: Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza

1 frozen loaf (Rhodes bread) thaw for the day or 1 prepared pizza crust
1 - 2 chicken breast cooked and cubed (boil 45 minutes to cook)
1/2 cup Buffalo red hot sauce or 1 (2 oz) bottle of sauce
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 cup Ranch salad dressing or Blue cheese dressing
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are using Rhodes dough for the crust, bake it for 10 minutes before adding the toppings. Then combine the chicken, melted butter and hot sauce. Mix well. Spread salad dressing over pizza crust, then top w/ chicken mixture and sprinkle w/ cheese. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. About 10 minutes. Let set for a couple of minutes before slicing.