Before we go much further I want to acquaint you with some "rules of thumb, or "methods to my madness" in my cooking......

 

Salt during or Salt after, that is the question!! I have watched many shows or read many recipes that say salt every layer as you go along, that is one of my "are you serious" moments, isn't less salt good for us? why in heck were salt shakers invented? always amazes me the salt we all consume on a daily basis...one persons idea of the amount of salt and someone elses might be two different things entirely...why not just use that salt shaker that is forever on the table and do it yourself? my family is well aware of that rule of thumb.....

 

Never Ever Toss that liquid gold!!! I am talking about the water after you have cooked your veggies....it is flavor for soups, stews, and who knows what else.....depending on the veggie you cooked there might even be added vitamin benefits....who knew? freeze in small containers or ice cube trays, baggie up, toss in freezer and add to soups, stews, stir fries or just melt some to cook your pasta or rice, etc. in.....now when my daughter is here and I have veggies she says, "I know don't toss the cooking water" yup got em trained....

 

Aside from that much used and loved Garlic, my fav spices you will find anytime I can slip some in are nice big bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and dried thyme( a very powerful spice as spices go)....these are your cooking friends, or at least are mine, I have even skipped making a dish at the moment if missing the one of those I thought I might not be able to live without in it, hmmmm obsessive much!

 

And finally, my last "rule of thumb" is crock pots are ok, microwaves a little less ok, and frying is only used as a last resort...but that is just me, everyone has their own ideas and for working people, busy moms and dads, and teenagers who would not eat otherwise, they are a god send....I am still using my moms ancient 3 1/2 quart one, have been given and offered the shiny bright new ones, but as long as this keeps going and going and going, my mom is in my kitchen with me on any given day!!

 

I will also be giving tips and hints in my recipes where I think I could be helpful, it is really a challenge for me to get them perfect, having to now be aware of amounts, measurements and the like, but will do my best.....we might be learning together as we go along and have a misstep or two, but that is half the fun of cooking, and way cheaper then a visit to a therapist, cooking is therapy and that is a bonus, this is a fun blog, and a cook book for my family to pass on my recipes, nothing more or nothing less........