cooking tips

How To Cook Butternut Squash The Easy Way

There are a number of ways to cook butternut squash. Leave it to my mom, she found the easiest, most flavorful way to do it and I am going to share it with you.

Yes, my mom was a really good cook. She was so tickled when she discovered the oven method. It was one of those “where have you been all my life?” moments.

Baking butternut squash in the oven requires less preparation and is the most flavorful. When I make it to accompany a big holiday dinner, I usually make it a day ahead and rewarm it in the microwave when it is time to serve.

Depending on the quality of the squash itself, it is unlikely that you will need to add any sweetener. It is plenty sweet all by itself. I prefer to add just a little bit of butter. Delicious!

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butternut squash, cooking squash, winter squash, side dishes, holiday meals

How To Make Butter Nut Squash

Ingredients

Fresh butternut squash

1 T. Butter per squash

Directions

1. Cut the end with the stem off and discard.

2. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise.

3. Scoop out the seeds and throw them away.

4. Place the squash, flat-side down on a foil lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350º until the squash is soft when you prick it with a fork.*

Remove from oven and cool so that it can be handled.

5. Using a fork and knife, peel the skin off the outside of the squash.

Cut the “meat” of the squash into chunks and place in a microwave safe baking dish.

6. Add 1 T. butter (or more) and mash.

*Expect cooking time to be at least one hour

Serve or refrigerate to reheat for later.

One large squash serves 4 people.

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The easiest way to cook butternut squash - you will love it! #tips #cooking

We enjoy butternut squash all winter long but I especially like to serve it with holiday meals. It is the perfect compliment to a traditional turkey dinner.

Enjoy!

Cook Bacon In The Oven The Easy Way

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Bacon lovers, get happy! Here is how to cook bacon in the oven! You can make an whole pound of bacon in the oven in less than 20 minutes, no burnt pieces, and even cook a second pound right after it.

I used to fry bacon in a skillet. Of course, it works, but it takes lots of tending and can be so messy. I hated cooking bacon!

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Then I learned the oven method using a cold oven and bringing it to 400°. It was a great alternative and much neater but I found that some slices got a bit too well done while the others were not quite cone enough. That is when I tried a new method that works perfectly every time!

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

Preheat the oven to 350°

While the oven is heating, line two baking sheets* with aluminum foil

*pans with short sides which will keep bacon fat from dripping off

Lay out raw slices of bacon on each sheet so that they are close together, but not touching.

After the oven reaches temperature, place the sheets on the middle rack of the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Not every oven heats the same so it is best to check on the bacon at that time but it probably will have to go a bit longer.

Reset the timer, if the bacon is not completely cooked, for 2-3 minutes. That will probably do it.

Remove pans from the oven.

Move the slices of bacon to a plate covered with clean paper towel to drain the fat.

When it is cool, put a clean sheet of paper towel in a freezer bag and add the cooked bacon. Freeze and use as you need it.

Cook bacon in the oven the EASY way! #tips #baconlover Share on X

Note: prevent cooking fires, do not leave the kitchen while your bacon is cooking.

Tip: you can cook a second pound of bacon right after this one because you do not have to cool the oven first. Be sure to use new baking pans freshly lined with foil or throw away the fat and foil from the used pans and reline them with new foil.

Another great bacon tip=> How To Get Bacon Out Of The Package

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How To Butter A Skillet The Easy Way

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It is very simple to butter a skillet but this is how to butter a skillet the easy way!

The goal should be to spread the melted butter evenly over the surface of your frying pan without the butter burning.

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It sounds like it should be simple to do but that is not necessarily so. I have tried buttering a frying pan using just butter on a knife, but the butter didn’t spread evenly. Then I tried pressing a spatula onto the butter and rubbing it around. I still could not reach every part of the pan’s surface.

Another technique is to drop a wad of butter into the skillet, allowing the butter to melt by itself. Of course, I’ve tried that way as well. As the butter melted, I moved the frying pan around to get it to cover. The results were just so-so. Often it took too much butter to do it and sometimes, when I put the skillet back on the burner, the butter began to change color. It was starting to burn.

So, this buttered bread method quickly became my favorite. It works perfectly every time.

How To Butter A Skillet The Easy Way

Turn the burner of your stove on medium.

Place the cold skillet on the burner.

Tear a piece off a slice of bread at least 3 inches square.

Slice off a pat of butter and place it on the bread.

Holding the piece of bread in your hand, wipe the butter side of the bread all over the cooking surface of the skillet.

You now have a perfectly even coating of melted butter in your pan!

Of course, there are other ways to prepare a skillet for cooking. You can spray it with non-stick pan cooking spray or even use cooking oil instead of butter. In our household, we prefer the buttery taste and, since our non-stick skillets have begun to age a little bit, we use butter every time to keep food from sticking. [In theory, brand new non-stick skillets shouldn’t need greasing at all.]

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Love practical solutions to everyday problems? Try these tips:

How To Seal Envelopes Without Licking Them

How To Gift Wrap A Big Box

How To Get A Throat Culture Without Gagging

Simple Food Safety Tips At Home

Enjoy!

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How To Read A Recipe

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You are an adult and you don’t know how to cook? You are not alone. The greatest key to cooking success is to first learn how to read a recipe. Soon as you do that, all it will take is a little bit of practice to gain true cooking expertise.

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Many simple dishes do not require a recipe. Tackling a birthday cake from scratch, though, or creating elaborate dinners with special homemade sauces are best made by following a recipe. These recipe reading tips will help you to make sense out of it.

For you adults who do follow recipes just fine but want to teach your children how to cook, these recipe reading steps should be of great help as you enter into the teaching process.

Tip 1: be sure to get your FREE PRINTABLE table of equivalents before you leave. You don’t have to do this but I am laminating mine to tape inside of a cabinet door in my kitchen to keep it handy. It is just a suggestion.

Whether you are an adult who just has not had the opportunity to learn how to cook or a parent teaching your child how to read a recipe, there are certain steps that all beginners should learn how to follow.

Tip 2: Find an easy to read, tried and true cookbook for starters. There are many but this one is a particular favorite >>> Better Homes & Gardens’ New Cookbook. It includes a “Secrets to Success” feature that helps identify key ingredients and ways to make each recipe most successful.

How To Read A Recipe Step-By-Step

1. Read the recipe all the way through. Do NOT skim it. Read it through. Assess what ingredients are included in the recipe. Locate them or go to the store to buy what you don’t already have on hand.

2. Take note of the tools you will need, such as:

measuring spoons, cups or pitchers
mixing bowls
pans, skillets, baking sheets
mixer, blender, whisk
rolling pin, cookie cutters

3. Find those tools and put them out on the counter.

4. Follow your recipe like a ROAD MAP. Recipes are step-by-step directions on how to create a particular dish.

Good recipes will take you from the very beginning, such as “preheat the oven to 350°” to the end such as “allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.”

Recipes also tell you how many servings they will make or how many people you can serve. That is all relative. Big eaters may take exception with the serving size advice. I have many recipes that I double or triple knowing that it will never be enough for my family. Guess that makes us big eaters!

5. Do not get distracted. Forgetting a pan of something on the stove can result burnt food or, worse, a kitchen fire! Be sure that you are cooking at a time and place where you can fully concentrate on what you are doing.

6. Do not cut corners. Good recipes have been prepared over and over again before they have ever been printed in a cookbook. Trust the author and do not veer from the plan. As you gain experience, you may want to make some changes to fit your particular preferences but, while in training, stick with the plan!

Use this cooking equivalents sheet while you learn how to read a recipe and afterward. We all use equivalents tables!

Get your FREE PRINTABLES here

Get your FREE PRINTABLES here!

Tip 3: print either the colorful or black & white copy of the table of equivalents on white card-stock instead of copy paper, if possible. The heavier paper is more durable. For extra protection, you can laminate it. I would especially recommend laminating if you will be referring to it throughout the cooking process. Food spills on your table of equivalents can be easily wiped clean with a laminated copy.

Enjoy!

How To Hard Boil Eggs

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Making hard boiling eggs sounds easy – and it is – however, hard boiling them so that the shells do not crack takes just a little bit of TLC.

cooking, eggs, household hints, kitchen hacks

This method is the simplest and works so well … just be sure to keep an eye on them to turn the stove OFF when the water hits a full, rolling boil. This is important so that the shells stay in tact. If you wait too long, some make crack a little.

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How To Hard Boil Eggs

Place eggs in a cold saucepan.

Fill pan with cold water to 1 – 2 inches above the eggs.

Place the pan on high on your stove.

Bring the water to a rolling boil.

Leaving it on the heating element, turn the heat off.

Time the eggs for 10-12 minutes.

Drain the hot water out.

Fill with cold water to make them cool enough to handle.

Peel or store in refrigerator with the shells on.

kitchen hacks, household hints, cooking tips

If you are making deviled eggs, I suggest peeling them instead of storing them with shells. They will be easier to peel if you do it right away. When coloring Easter eggs, allow them to cool for 1 hour or more.

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making deviled eggs, coloring Easter eggs

Have you ever made bi-colored Easter eggs? They are so easy and fun⇒ How to Die Easter Eggs with Two Colors (NEW post coming this Friday – be sure to stop back!)

Enjoy!