Jam & Jelly Making Basics

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As I have added more recipes for making jams and jellies, I began to realize I was repeating myself. A lot. I already do that as a teacher all day long. It’s not fun.

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Cleaning & Preparing Whole Squid

There’s not too many culinary tasks that intimidate me. I have a lot of nifty gadgets that can make even the most daunting tasks seem easy. However, I had a box of whole squid in the freezer for over a year because I just had no idea where to begin.

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Pitting Cherries (Removing the Pits, and Nothing but the Pits)

20200607092103_IMG_4021Yes, I know.  There are cherry pitters designed for this task.  But if you lose half the cherry with the pit, that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?

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Pressure Cooker “Boiled” Eggs

20200608_075533So I may be a little late to this party, but I guess the old saying “better late than never” still holds true.  At least it has for me.

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Using Phyllo Dough (Without Frustration)

20200204_214133There are few ingredients more traumatizing to use than the paper-thin sheets of phyllo dough.  I’ve been yelled at by more than one older Greek woman to “cover your dough!  You’re letting it get dry!!”

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Don’t Toss That Pumpkin!!

20180122_192011Every year, millions of pounds of pumpkin gets tossed into the garbage.  It’s a massacre of epic proportions and the saddest thing of all is that it doesn’t have to happen.  Don’t listen to the lies!!!

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Harvesting Grape Leaves

20180702_100425I have come to realize that so many of the foods I was **ahem** “not fond of” were ones that started with less than fresh ingredients.  Count dolmades, a Greek delicacy made with grape leaves, as one of them.

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Peeling Peaches (Using Common Sense)

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The fuzz has got to go!  Give your peaches a quick rinse first.

Ah, common sense.  The ultimate tool in anyone’s arsenal, and yet the one that is the most under utilized.  Let’s change that.

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Pitting Plums (and Keeping Fingers)

20180701_184827I have a few (okay, a fair amount, ummmm… maybe a lot) of kitchen gadgets.  Some I use more often than others, but I really do use them all at some point in time.

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