easy kitchen tips Archives - Page 2 of 21 - One Hundred Dollars a Month

How to Clean Your Dishwasher

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 30, 2014 · 5 Comments

Now that the holidays are over, my dishwasher can finally take a break. This year, it seriously felt like every time I turned around I needed to start the dishwasher or unload it {Sidenote: I hate unloading the dishwasher–I’ve even timed myself, it takes 3 minutes. 3 little minutes, and I still don’t want to do it.}

After being run nonstop,though, I like to give my dishwasher a good cleaning. {Do you remember that Friends episode when Monica vacuums her vacuum cleaner with a smaller vacuum cleaner. Ha. Well, I like to clean the the thing that cleans our dishes.}

Ingredients:

Distilled white vinegar
Baking soda
Old toothbrush, q-tips, and toothpicks
Dishcloth
Paper towels

Directions:

Take out the racks and silverware caddy.
Fill your kitchen sink with hot water and 2 cups of vinegar
Dip the dishcloth into the water/vinegar mixture and then use it to wipe down the silverware caddy and racks.
If you have a filter, remove it and clean it in the vinegar mixture.
If you fill comfortable with it, remove the arm and place it in the sink to soak. {You might be really surprised by the gunk you find in the hole of the arm–where supposedly only clean water is coming out of.} This is where you may need to carefully use the toothpicks to remove said gunk.
Reassemble the dishwasher.
Add 2 cups of vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher and turn it on.
Stop the machine mid-wash so that the vinegar has a chance to do its magic with the added benefit of the steam from the dishwasher {about 1/2 hour}.
Turn the cycle back on and let it run its course.
Open the dishwasher and wipe it down completely with paper towels to remove any loosened build-up. Remember the top and sides of the door.

Now, take a moment to enjoy the clean dishwasher, because believe me NO ONE else is going to notice. Ha!

~Mavis

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Melting Chocolate in a Crock Pot

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 12, 2014 · 21 Comments

So, I have an unhealthy obsession with my crock pot. Seriously, I use it ALL of the time. When people aren’t looking {even when they are}, I talk to it–like an old reliable friend. So when a friend {not the crock pot} told me I could melt chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc. in a crock pot, I nearly squealed with delight. Nearly.

I don’t know about you, but with all of the holiday recipes around here, this is going to make my life soooo much easier. Basically, all you need to do is fill chocolate chips, almond bark, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips {and the list goes on} into mason jars. I like to use the wide mouth pint sized because they are easy for dipping.

Simply put the chocolate filled jars into the crock pot {you can put multiple jars in at the same time} then pour water in around the jars, until it is about half-way up the side of the jars. Be careful NOT to get water INTO the jars. It has disastrous consequences on the melting process. Finally, turn the crock pot on high and LEAVE THE LID OFF, because again, you don’t want condensation dripping back into your jars. Stir the contents of the jars every so often until they are completely melted.

That’s it. Now you have melted whatever you need as you do your holiday recipes. Genius, right?

~Mavis

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How to Make Powdered Sugar

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 8, 2014 · 7 Comments

Now that baking season is in full swing, I have found myself going through ingredients lightening fast. I swear, there is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you are short on one measly ingredient. That’s why I like knowing how to make substitutes with common staple ingredients. Powdered sugar is one of those items that I typically buy, but in a pinch, it’s totally easy to make on your own. So, if you are running short and don’t want to run to the store, you can just whip some up in under 5 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Directions

In a high powered blender or food processor, combine the sugar and cornstarch until powdery. So easy, so deliciously easy.

~Mavis

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Top 10 Cookie Baking Tips from Mavis Butterfield

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 2, 2014 · 4 Comments

It’s no secret that I LOVE baking cookies and on any given week bake 4-6 dozen cookies. I bake breakfast cookies {yes, there is such a thing}, biscotti, all the way to delicious double chocolate brownie cookies {they had me at “double”}. I probably eat at least a dozen cookies a week all by myself 🙂

Now that the holidays are upon us, it’s time to crank up the baking a notch. If you plan on delivering plates of cookies to friends/neighbor {or dimming the lights in the dining room and eating a whole batch yourself–no judgement}, here are some tips to help you get the best results:

Follow recipe amounts exactly. Baking isn’t like cookies, it requires precise measurements {I think that’s why French pastry chefs weigh all of their ingredients}. Save a “pinch of this and that” for the spices in your soup, and commit to measuring out everything in your cookies.
Use eggs at room temperature. It can really screw up the mixing process {cold eggs and melted butter will cause your butter to clump and not mix properly.}
On that note, unless the recipe calls for melted butter {or whatever fat you’re using}, keep butter at room temperature. It will blend soooo much better.
Don’t over-mix your batter. It really ticks off your baking soda and can cause flat spread out cookies.
For bars or squares, make sure to pay attention and use the size of pan the recipe calls for. That probably seems like a no-brainer, but even I have been tempted {okay, okay, I have been more than tempted, I have succumbed} to use a different pan because it was what I had on hand. Most of the time, it results in dry or overly gooey bars.
For sheet cookies or bars, use a plastic knife to cut them. I don’t know what it is, but plastic knives do not tear them to pieces and leave perfectly cut bars.
When measuring flour, spoon it into the measuring up and then level it with the back of a knife. {Don’t sift it–unless called for in the recipe.}
Don’t overcrowd cookies on a pan in order to complete baking faster. They need room to spread and they also need warm air to encircle them evenly.
For roll-out cookies, ALWAYS chill the dough first. It will make it more easily to get a consistent spread.
Use parchment paper or silpats to make sure your cookies don’t stick to the pan.

Happy baking,

~Mavis

Need some ideas on what to bake? Check out all my cookie recipes HERE.

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