Meal Tip Monday--Buying Ahead

We've found that buying meat ahead of when you'll need it proves to make for quick and easy meal preparation. We like to buy a large bag of frozen chicken or a 6+lb package of ground beef at Costco to do this. Or, even better, watch for sales on these meats (and others you cook with often), and buy a box of 10 or 20 lbs. It takes some time trimming (if it's chicken), but once it's done, it's done! Simply portion your meat into freezer-safe Ziploc bags (I like to do 1 lb. of beef or 2 chicken breasts per Ziploc), stick them in your freezer, and you're ready to cook your next meal! Then, when you're preparing a meal, you can easily pull out the bag and use it the way you need to. This comes in very hand when preparing a crock-pot dish. It saves so much time!

Right now, most grocery stores (Macey's, Smith's/Kroger, Fresh Market, etc.) are having case lot sales. I know that at Macey's right now, you can get a 40 lb. box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.49/lb. That is a great price!

So, make your meal prep easier, and buy ahead!

Meal Tip Monday: Tools

Egg Slicer

A handy tool that gets little applause is the egg slicer. Although it does slice a mean egg, it can be used for so many other things. Did you know you can slice strawberries? Mushrooms? Olives? Kiwi? Well you can! Give it a try!

Meal Tip Monday--Cooking for Two

When cooking for two, simply cook less food. It sounds simple, but so often I hear young couples my age talk about not wanting to cook because of the mass amount of leftovers. We usually eat the meal and have enough leftovers for one or both of us to have for lunch the next day, simply because I half almost every recipe I make. Very seldom do I throw out leftover food. So if your recipe calls for a 9X13 pan, make it in an 8X8. If it call so for 2 cans of something, only use one. Like I said, it sounds simple and maybe seems silly or even down right dumb to even mention, but I think it's one of those things we don't always think about. So don't live on frozen pizza just because you don't like leftovers; just cook less!

P.S., Don't forget to enter our giveaway here!

Meal Tip Monday: Speedy Rolls

If you haven't noticed by now, we Howe girls use frozen roll dough for everything. O.K, let me rephrase, not for everything...but alot. And more times than not when planning to use it, I am running late, behind schedule, and forgot to pull out my dough in enough time to thaw and raise. So, I have had to get creative. I will let you in on my amazing little secret that we sisters all now LOVE!

Pull your rolls out and put them on a plate. Microwave the rolls for 1 minute. Check to make sure they're not completely thawed or they will start to bake. Turn over and zap for 30 - 60 sec. By this point they should be soft enough to stretch for scones or pull into breadsticks. If making rolls and you want them to rise quickly, here is what I do. I turn my oven on and let it heat up. Then I open the door and set the pan on the door. They raise really quickly from the heat but don't bake. If you have little ones and can't leave the over door hanging open, follow the instructions on the bag which tell you to heat up your oven, then turn it off and put the rolls inside to rise. Happy Baking!

Meal Tip Monday: Baked Bacon

I love me some bacon.
Who doesn't?
What I don't love, is cooking it.
 Am I the only one who hates having my house smell like a big, fatty piece of greasy bacon?
Gross.
No thanks!
BUT! Good news! Did you know you can bake your bacon in the oven? I just recently discovered this little trick, and I am in heaven.
Place the bacon on a cooling rack and then place the cooling rack on a cookie sheet (which is lined with tin foil). This way, the grease drains off the bacon but doesn't make a mess.

I started by cooking it at 350*, and once the bacon was cooking I turned the oven up to 400*. It took about 15ish minutes total, and my house didn't smell afterwards!

Happy baking your bacon!

And don't forget to enter our giveaway here. Giveaway ends Tuesday  night at midnight!

Meal Tip Monday--Make a Menu

We all know that one of the hardest parts of cooking is deciding what to make for dinner, right? Growing up, our mom always had a menu taped inside the door of the spice cabinet. We all enjoyed checking it to see what we'd be having for dinner each night, and as we've grown up, we've all found that it makes for less stressful nights when we've got a menu planned out. We figured that since tomorrow is the first day of February, now would be a good time to tell you how we do it so that you can plan your menu for the month of love ;) It's really pretty simple, but here are the steps we take.

1--Start by making a giant list of all of your favorite meals, and add to it any time you find a new recipe or think of something else you love. For a starter list, check this.

2--Once you have a list of meal ideas, sit down with a blank calendar (There is a simple template here. I like this one because I can type everything in, print it, and it's ready to go. Just choose the month you need and start adding to it!). First, fill in all the days you know you have things going on (i.e. birthdays, dinner dates, out-of-town dates, etc. There is no shame in adding 'pizza night' or 'Chili's' to the menu!) and then fill in the empty days with a main course. We only list main courses because we already know what sides we eat with each meal. Try to rotate chicken, beef, pork, and meatless main dishes in order to keep things mixed up.

3--Once you've filled out your menu, make a grocery list. Go through each day and think about what ingredients you need for that meal, and then write them down. There is nothing worse than getting half way throuh cooking something and then realizing you don't have one spice.

4--Finally, go to the store! This method of meal planning is nice because if you'd like to, you can get all of your shopping done in one trip (minus produce, milk, bread, etc.), or you can break it up into bi-weekly or even weekly shopping.

Okay, so now that I've typed it, it sounds a little bit complicated, but it really is pretty simple. And, best of all, it keeps you from racking your brain every night for dinner ideas or, worse (if you're like me), stopping at McDonald's for a greasy double-cheese.

Here is what my menu might look like in a month.I threw this together pretty quickly, but here is something to get you started in case you are a visual person and want to see what it looks like:

I promise once you do this you will be hooked. If you do it, let us know how it goes!

Meal Tip Monday--Creamy Mashed Potatoes

If you want to make your mashed potatoes extra creamy, along with adding butter and/or milk, add an ounce or two of cream cheese! Since learning this trick, I have never made them any other way. When we had my in-laws over for dinner they kept asking why the potatoes were so good. So try it!

Meal Tip Monday--Perfect Pasta

We here on Howe to Cook have decided to start something new--Meal Tip Monday. Each Monday, we will provide you with a simple cooking, baking, preparation, or clean-up tip. We're excited about this, and we hope you'll learn something new! So for our first meal tip...perfect pasta!

When boiling pasta, always add a splash of vegetable oil to your water.
Not only will it keep the water from boiling over,
but it will also prevent your pasta from getting sticky after drained.