Cleaning jars with small openings

I had a jar that I needed to clean yesterday but I couldn’t get anything but water down the small opening–and it really needed scrubbing. Then I remembered this handy dandy tip that I had never tried.

I poured 1/4 cup uncooked rice (or you could use dry beans, small pebbles, or any other small abbrasive item) into the jar with the water and dish detergent. Then I just shook the contents and let the rice do the scrubbing. After about 30 seconds of shaking, all the grime was scrubbed off and I had a clean jar.

Tuna Salad

Tuna salad is a great stand by meal–I typically have all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge so I can prepare it when I have seemingly run out of everything to eat.

This recipe for tuna salad is fantastic. It has curry powder in it but the taste isn’t overwhelming. The curry lends the salad a richness that tuna salad doesn’t normally have. My husband, who typically hates curry, loves this recipe. This tuna fish salad is great for special occasions–serve it on a croissant to really dress it up. Or serve it on small wedges of bread as a finger sandwich. But my favorite way to serve it is on whole wheat toast with a big bowl of tomato soup.

Tuna Salad

1 (7 ounce) can white tuna, drained and flaked
3 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons diced dill pickle or sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons diced onion or 1/8 teaspoon dried minced onion flakes
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 pinch garlic powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Chicken Legs: Perfect Toddler Food

No two toddlers are alike but one thing that most toddlers have in common is their love of finger food. Chicken legs are a quick, easy, healthy, and inexpensive way to satisfy toddlers’ urges to eat with their fingers.

My daughter’s favorite is baked barbecued chicken wings. To make the wings healthier, I remove the skin prior to cooking. I like to cook up extra and keep them in the fridge for easy lunches. To accompany the chicken, I served pasta with peas, whole wheat bread, and ketchup (she loves to dip just about anything into ketchup).

Baked Barbecued Chicken Legs

Low fat or fat-free Italian dressing
Chicken Legs
Barbecue sauce

Wash chicken and remove skin. Trim any excess fat from chicken. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag or bowl. Cover with Italian dressing. Let marinate 30 minutes or more longer. Note: I usually start them marinating in the morning or after lunch.

Heat oven to 400. Remove chicken from marinade and place in pan (I like to place it on the rack of a roasting pan). Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with barbeque sauce. Return to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes or until meat is fully cooked.

Barbecued Beef Ribs

I love barbecued ribs–beef or pork. And I got lucky this week and found some beef ribs really cheap. Our whole meal of barbequed ribs, corn on the cob, and potato salad cost less than 10 dollars for 4 servings.

I have never cooked ribs and I was a little intimidated. But they are no more difficult to cook than a roast. I let them marinate with a rub and then slow cooked them in the oven. The last 15 minutes of cooking I basted the ribs with barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Rub

1 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons seasoning salt

In a small bowl or jar, mix together chile powder, dried minced garlic, onion powder, cumin, salt and seasoning salt.

Place meat on a medium baking sheet. Rub vigorously with the chile powder mixture (I used about 1/4 to 1/3 of the mixture on 3 pounds of ribs and save the rest). Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.

Cook ribs covered on the grill with low, indirect heat for 2 to 3 hours, or to desired doneness. Or cook in the oven at 325 for 30 minutes per pound. Brush with the barbecue sauce of your choice during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Corn on the Cob

Corn
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Remove husks from corn and clean. Place ears of corn in large pot. Cover with water. Add the sugar and lemon juice to the water. Bring the pot of corn to a boil. Boil for 6-8 minutes. Note: Do not add salt to the water. Salt will make the corn tough.

Fruit Pizza

Today was a really good cooking day for me. We had a great dinner (which I will tell you all about tomorrow). And it was followed by a fantastic dessert that was so easy. This fruit pizza was great. It has a sugar cookie crust with buttercream frosting. I topped it with berries but you could use any fruit you want. I noticed that with the blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, the fruit pizza looked very patriotic (a great dessert for the 4th of July).

Fruit Pizza

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

Fruit of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool.

In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until fluffy. Spread on cooled crust.

Arrange fruit on top of filling, cover, and chill.

Notes: I will use more blueberries next time. This would also be good with a cream cheese frosting instead of the buttercream frosting.