Fat-Skimming

Here's a helpful tip on how to skim fat from a soup or broth. Click the button below to hear the podcast:




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Cleaning Brush for Grill

I can't wait to buy a house for several reasons, but my top priority is a nice size kitchen and yard. But, until that day comes, I compensate by cooking at my parents. We have always struggled with finding a good brush to clean the grill. But, for Father's Day, I found one highly recommended - Grill Wizard BBQ Brush. It's wonderful! My family grills several times a week, and the brush is till in tact! Not only has it cleaned your typical grilled meat, but we did kabobs and cobbler on the grill. All the sugar and juices from these two dishes came off - easily!

Marinade for Beef Kabobs

A couple nights ago, I made beef kabobs. I tried a new recipe from Cook's Illustrated (if you are not familiar with this magazine, I highly recommend it). The kabobs turned out wonderful! Here's the recipe:

Marinade
* 1/4 c. EVOO
* 3 cloves of garlic
* 3/4 T. salt
* 1/2 T. ground black pepper
* 2 lbs. blade steak (4-5 steaks)

Marinate for a couple hours.

While the meat marinates, prepare the fruits and veggies. I used pineapple, red pepper, and red onion on the kabobs. Cut the fruits and veggies into bite size pieces. Toss fruits and veggies in 1 1/2 T. EVOO. Season with salt and pepper.

Place meat and fruits/veggies in any order on skewer. Grill for about 8-9 minutes, turning the skewers every 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=6684

Salsa

Salsa is a must during the summer! I love going to pick fresh veggies at the local Farmer's Market to make our family's recipe. An ingredient not found in many recipes that is a must is green pepper. Adding this makes homemade salsa stay fresh for days!

Oil Misters

After watching many hours of Food Network, many of the chefs are using oil misters to spray their pans with olive oil. After reading some into these spritzers, the two best brands are Cuisipro and Misto. Both were very easy to operate, sprayed for 10-plus seconds, and pans were evenly coated.

Homemade Pita Chips

Lately, I've been addicted to hummus. I love it on vegetables, crackers, and pita chips. My sister came up with an idea on how to make homemade pita chips. All you need to do is cut 2 8 in. pita breads into wedges. Brush 2 T. olive oil, 1/s tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. dried herbs on top of the wedges. Then, place on a baking sheet at 350* in an oven for 8 minutes. Flip and continue baking another 8 minutes, or until the wedges are fully toasted.

Removing Corn Silk

One of my favorite memories about going out to my grandparent's farm is picking corn off the vines for dinner. An easy trick to removing corn silk is using a toothbrush. While holding the corn under cool running water, use a firm-bristled toothbrush to brush off the silk. You can clean the toothbrush in the dishwasher and save for later use.