Need a quick cooking tip? Here are a bunch of little things you can do to save a lot of money in the kitchen!
� Put flour in an old spice bottle to use when flouring cake pans.
� Unsure what a Dutch oven is? It's just a 6-8 quart saucepan or large pot.
� Having leftovers again? Serve them by candlelight with tablecloths or place mats. A tablecloth and candles make even plain meals look special.
� This is an unexpected canape and a handy little finger food. Take your favorite cream cheese dip and roll about 1 teaspoon full into a ball. Press it between two walnut halves. Lay on a platter to serve.
� Save dry cereal odds and ends to add to your Chex mix when you make it.
� Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting it in the fridge. It will keep much longer.
� When you have one hot dog, hamburger, sausage patty, or slice of ham left over, put it in a container in the freezer. Use these leftovers to make a meat lover's pizza or to add a little more zip to a regular frozen pizza.
� Add a few of your favorite spices to a frozen pizza or add extra cheese and toppings.
Mix and match any of these:
� Bread and honey butter. This is an old fashioned easy stand by. Place some soft, fresh bread on a plate and honey butter in a bowl for something that is good and couldn't be easier. (Make honey butter by mixing a little bit of honey into regular butter.)
� Sliced fruit of any kind. Cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, kiwi and others work well.
� Sliced veggies of any kind. Try tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots or celery.
� Sandwiches of every kind. You aren't committing a sin by serving your family easy sandwiches on a hot summer day. Combine them with fresh fruits or veggies and you've got a meal.
� Salads - Jello, fruit, veggie, pasta or potato salads make great summer fare.
� Desserts - Ice cream, ice cream and more ice cream. Make it into floats, banana splits, brownie sundaes or regular sundaes, milk shakes, ice cream pie or ice cream sandwiches.
� If you have leftover brownies or cake, add a few pieces to the bottom of a dish and then top with pudding and whipped cream.
� Keep a bag or container in your freezer to store that 1 or 2 pieces of coffee cake, donuts or other baked goods that are sometimes left over (which doesn't happen often in my house . Then when you get enough for your favorite bread pudding recipe, use them instead of bread.