A Dozen Kitchen Time-Savers...

Keeping your time in the kitchen to a minimum and spending more time with family & friends enjoying the results...
isn't that what we all want? Give these time-saving tips & kitchen hints a try...
they're all from our soon-to-be-released book, Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets!

Keep most-used recipes at your fingertips!
Tack them to self-stick cork tiles placed
inside a kitchen cabinet door.

Convert your favorite soup recipe to one for the slow cooker. Most soups that simmer for one to 2 hours will be done in 8 to 10 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high. Wait until the last 30 minutes to add dairy ingredients and tender veggies like peas.

Monday burger night, Wednesday spaghetti night, Saturday slow-cooker night...dinner traditions make meal planning a snap and give everyone something to look forward to. Why not start a few of your own, featuring your family’s favorite simple-to-fix foods?

Save time with double-duty slow-cooker recipes by saving half for another meal. Use extra roast chicken as the start of a yummy noodle casserole, simmer shredded beef roast with barbecue sauce to serve in crusty buns...even spoon extra chili over hot dogs or into taco salads. The only limit is your imagination!

Are you preparing a recipe that calls for
thin strips of chicken or beef? Pop it in
the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, until
slightly frozen...it will slice in a jiffy.

On a dry-erase message board, use a marker
with permanent ink to list kitchen staples like
milk, bread, cheese and eggs. Post the board on
the fridge and you can check off items with a
dry-erase pen as they are almost used up!

Often, casserole recipes call for precooked
chicken, ham or roast beef. For a handy recipe
shortcut, stop at the deli counter and pick up
a rotisserie chicken or order thick-sliced meat...
it’s ready to cube or chop as needed.

Team up! Invite your best girlfriend and
make several casseroles together. Having
someone to chat with makes prep time go
quickly and, when everything is done, you’ll
both have casseroles to freeze for quick
heat & eat meals for weeks to come!

Want to make meals ahead without leaving a favorite casserole dish in the freezer? Simply line it with aluminum foil before baking. Freeze casserole in the dish and then lift out the frozen contents to store in the freezer. Later, when you’re ready to enjoy your casserole, simply unwrap and bake in the same dish. 

Make a handy potholder rack from a vintage
wooden rolling pin. Place a row of cup hooks
along one side and add a strip of homespun
tied to each end for hanging. So simple!

Bacon continues to cook briefly even after it’s removed from heat. To avoid burning, be sure to remove it from the skillet just before it reaches
the desired crispness.

Protect non-stick skillets from scratching
when stacked...tuck a coffee filter
or paper plate between pans.