From My Kitchen Table to Yours

I read so many cookbooks and magazines articles about Food and cooking, and have learned so much about cooking, I thought I would pass on some tips & tricks that You may find helpful or just interesting, whether you are an accomplished cook or new to the kitchen. 

Each Tuesday I will post a Cooking Tip "From my Kitchen Table to Yours"..... I am not a Trained Professional Chef by any means  I just love to cook and have learned a lot by trial & error..... Let me know if there is something you would like to know about and I will try to help you out by posting it in a future class...   Put on your favorite apron, Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cuppa.. and relax, Enjoy the class....

Let's start with  "Choosing Saute' Success "
*Cooking Light Magazine
Pick your pan: Be sure to choose a good quality, heavy skillet( known as a saute' pan)
Thin pans do not conduct heat as evenly, Creating hot spots where food burns. For the best Browning use a regular stainless steel  or cast Iron pan. You just can't get non-stick pans as hot and they don't brown food as well.
 1. Heat it up
    Place the dry pan  over medium high heat until its thoroughly heated.
2. Add the Heat
    Swirl just enough oil, fat in the preheated pan to coat the surface. This assures the food will take on a nice golden color and helps prevent it from sticking. Oils like olive or canola have a high smoke point and are ideal for this application, but you can also use a mixture of oil and butter to add more flavor.
3. Saute Away
    Add the ingredients  to the pan, be sure you don't over crowd it. It is good to have  a couple different size pans on hand, as over crowding  traps steam in the pan, making  it difficult to acheive the desired  browned food. A smaller 8-10 in pan works well for saute'ing vegetable side dishes, while a larger 12 in pan is ideal for meats and other entrees.
You can work in batches if needed. Foods brown & cook quickly but don't stir them often, You want all surfaces of the food to remain in contact with the pan until they brown nicely.
Now you Give it a try!

Dilly BeanTime

It is turning cooler here in Klamath Falls, bringing me back to the kitchen for opportunity to "put up"  my harvest. I will be posting more frequently again with tips and recipes I am cooking. Today out came the canner, ( I dusted it off from sitting onthe top shelf) and filled it with the first of many foods to come.
Dilly Beans are fun to do and quite simple.l ( I really like that part of the chore.) I am using my sister Judy's recipe as it has never faild us.. Two of my sisters cook and we exchange many recipes. 

Back to the recipe & photos:

Always use fresh ingredients.

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I doubled this recipe and used wide mouth pint jars. They will now be placed  on the pantry shelf to age about a month before, I will taste test them. (but it may be closer to Thanksgiving)

They work well in a Bloody Mary too...

Don't you think they look yummy?I hope I can wait to taste them. 

 PICKLED DILLY BEANS

2 LBS. FRESH GREEN SNAP BEANS
4 SMALL GARLIC CLOVES
4 HEADS DILL OR 4 TSP DRY DILL SEEDS
1/2 TSP. RED PEPPER FLAKES
2 1/2 C. WHITE VINEGAR
2 1/2 C. WATER
2 TBSP KOSHER SALT

WASH BEANS AND BREAK OFF STEM ENDS. PEEL GARLIC. IN 4 STERILIZED PINT JARS, PUT 1 CLOVE GARLIC, 1 HEAD OR 1 TSP DILL SEED AND A PINCH OF RED PEPPER FLAKES. FIT BEANS IN JAR, ALLOWING 1/2 INCH HEAD ROOM AT TOP OF EACH JAR. TRIM BEANS IF NECESSARY.

BRING VINEGAR, WATER AND SALT TO A BOIL. POUR OVER BEANS, FILLING TO WITHIN 1/4 INCH OF RIM. FASTEN JAR TOPS ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER'S DIRECTIONS AND PLACE IN A BOILING WATER BATH, COVERING LIDS WITH 2 INCHES OF WATER. PROCESS AT A HARD BOIL FOR 5 MINUTES. REMOVE AND COOL
BEFORE STORING THEM.

Bon Appetite!