“Over here,” my dear friend Ruth cried as she bent over the spreading green bed of thick zucchini plants. “It’s almost a watermelon.”

“Can’t be,” I denied. “I checked this morning, and I picked every one.”

“Well, you missed this zucchini several days ago. It’s a blimp.” Read the rest of this entry »

Last Labor Day, I went to a little soiree that featured some interesting eats. One of the interesting eats was potato chips made in the microwave. Wow, I thought, that sounds like a great way to take the labor out of Labor Day potato chip making, and also have some very fresh, tasty potato chips.

The potato chips were still warm at the Labor Day party, meaning they had just been made in small batches. I hunted out the hostess, who provided very simple instructions on how to make microwave potato chips.

Here is what she told me about how to make microwave potato chips:

1. Scrub potatoes and let dry. Peel if desired. Slice potatoes paper thin using a mandolin, a slicing slot on a four-sided cheese grater, a food processor fitted with a slicing blade, or a very sharp knife.

2. Next step in making microwave potato chips, clean the microwave’s rotating glass turntable, and spray it with vegetable oil spray (such as Pam, any flavor). Place the very thin slices of potato all over the turntable, spacing them neatly. (If your microwave oven turntable is not glass, use a large microwave-proof ceramic or glass plate instead). Spray the potato slices with another shot of vegetable spray, and then quickly sprinkle salt and any dry spice you prefer on the potato slices.

3. Microwave the potato slices approximately 5 minutes, watching carefully so the potato chips don’t burn (length of time will depend on your microwave’s wattage). If the potato chips are not golden brown and crisp at 5 minutes, try adding 30 seconds at a time to the cooking period, until you know what works for your microwave. (Hint: thicker cut potatoes will require longer cooking times.)

Several kitchen gadget companies have a gadget/device for making microwave potato chips (that resembles an old-fashioned film slide carousel). If you want to buy one, know that the microwave potato chip maker is round with slots to stand the thinly sliced potatoes for microwaving. Given my distaste for most kitchen gadgets, the glass turntable method seems just fine.

It doesn’t take long to make microwave potato chips. You can also make apple chips, sweet potato chips, carrot chips, even yam chips using the microwave this way. I like the fact that I don’t need anything fancy to make homemade potato chips, and the fat and oil is toned down significantly. And, that’s always a good thing to talk about in your family cookbook.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

One of the most satisfying sandwiches on many restaurant menus is the proverbial French Dip Sandwich. As a menu standard, it meets all the requirements of a best seller: it is moist, flavorful, and filling.  The versatile French Dip Sandwich can be eaten with a side of macaroni salad or potato salad, with a dill pickle or pickled egg, or just by itself (with a touch of Chinese hot mustard for the brave).  Read the rest of this entry »

If you have no ideas for dinner, one of my old tricks to spark some creativity is to choose a letter from the alphabet and work around that letter with a great menu plan that can get quite a lot of attention.

For example, my dear friend, Ruth, picked the letter “L” recently while we strolled through the local supermarket in search of inspiration because we had no ideas for dinner.  Hmm, that would be lard, lemonade, and linguine, I said to her. Read the rest of this entry »

During the waning weeks of summer, it seems a perfect time to preserve favorite fruits of the season by dehydrating them to enjoy later in the year.  My dear friend, Ruth, an expert in dehydrating fruit and other foods, says the process is all about removing the moisture that causes decay. No water means no bacteria and no spoilage, she affirms.

Ruth explains that dehydration occurs best when the drying temperature is between 95°-140°F, with low humidity, and a constant movement of air (that helps evaporate the moisture).  Fruits are especially interesting to dry because many change character entirely after dehydration. For example, dried plums are turned into prunes, and dried grapes become raisins after the drying process.

Although there are several methods for drying food, we’ve picked three of the most popular ways for dehydrating fruit and other foods:

1. Sun Drying
Sun drying is the most ancient way of dehydrating fruit and other foods. Patience and a solid protective cover for the food is important in this process. Slow drying fruit in the sun can take up to 5 days or more, depending on weather conditions. If you aren’t in a hurry and want the true old-fashioned experience of dehydrating fruit and other foods, sun drying is a satisfying (and green) choice.

2. Convection Oven Drying
With convection ovens able to stir the air and keep a controlled temperature, oven drying is another viable option for dehydrating fruit and other foods. Many do-it-yourselfers like using their existing convection ovens for dehydrating fruit and other foods because it is one less appliance to purchase, store, and maintain. Convection oven drying can provide an adequate finished product for home consumption.

3. Drying by Food Dehydrator
A food dehydrator appliance acts much like a convection oven (except your large oven can still be free to use while the dehydrator does its work). The basic parts of a food dehydrator include a fan, air vents to allow air circulation, a heating element, and food trays (screens). Food dehydrator appliances are perhaps the most popular way for dehydrating fruit and other foods. You pretty much set it and forget it, and come back hours later with perfectly dried fruits and other foods.

Helpful Hints
Slice sweet apples (like Fuji or Delicious) or sweet ripe peaches into thin slices. Dip in cold water with ascorbic acid or lemon juice and place in single layer on dehyrator rack. Check your progress every few hours for dehydrating fruit and other foods.  You can also make fruit leathers by pureeing fruit in a blender and spreading them on a flat dehyrator pan

Dehydrating is really easy. I always think of the old backpacker’s original trail mix called GORP (get out the raisins and peanuts) when I think of dehydrated foods.  I like to dehydrate fresh herbs, too. Right now I have a Concord grape vine loaded with grapes.

So, I guess its either harvest and dehydrate, or harvest and make jam. I’ll have to check my family cookbook and recipe box for my grape pie recipe. Granny used to have a really good Concord Grape pie recipe, but that’s another story.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

Maybe you have this same scenario at your house:  I’ll tidy the kitchen in the evening, clearing all the dishes from the sink, only to discover that by morning the sink is littered again with late night snack dishes, used ice cream bowls, and other assorted after-dinner cups, mugs, or glasses. I often wonder if there isn’t a night shift of visitors coming in to take advantage of our home and my good graces. Read the rest of this entry »

You probably have a farmers’ market near your neighborhood. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 6,132 operating farmers markets in the nation (USDA stats August 4, 2010), which is a 16% increase over last year.

In some major metropolitan areas, one can visit a farmers’ market every day of the week. How’s that for getting fresh-from-the-farm produce! Read the rest of this entry »

Got a summer luau party coming up? I always think about carving watermelons and other fruits to make a nice edible centerpiece for a summer luau party. There is nothing so pretty as a watermelon cornucopia of sliced fruits to make a nice statement on the summer luau party table. The colors are so lovely, and the bountiful fruit is large enough for a crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve finally completed your family recipe book files using cookbook-making software, and now you want to make it a nice finished product at the local quick print store. There are many options available to bind recipe books together in either full-page or half-page formats.

I personally prefer a smooth finish to bind recipe books, but other bindery styles are more popular. Here are what many experts say are the top 3 ways to bind recipe books:

Perfect Binding - This method to bind recipes books is used primarily when a heavier weight paper is used for the wraparound soft cover and the recipe book has lot of pages (up to maybe 2 inches thick). A flexible adhesive is used to stick the cover onto the edges of the content pages.  When done properly, this type of binding is, well, perfect. Many thick magazines and paperback books use perfect binding.  See above for sample photo of perfect binding.

  Read the rest of this entry »