If you like to make your beans from scratch, a crockpot is a good way to go. It does take some serious time, though, so if you’ve never cooked beans this way, bear in mind that you will need to leave them at least 8-10 hours, though some beans cook faster.

The process is extremely simple. Take a pound of dried beans, pick through them to remove rocks and buggy beans. Then put in a bowl and cover with plenty of water. These can sit overnight . . . or all day, if you plan to run the crockpot during the night.

The beans will swell up considerably from soaking and will be soft enough to dig your fingernail into.

Put the beans into the crockpot and fill to the fill line (about two inches below the lid) with fresh water. Set on high and allow to cook for min. 8 hours. Do NOT add salt since this will harden the beans before they even soften up.

During the final hour of cooking, if you wish, you may add chopped onion, bay leaves or other flavorings. Wait until the beans are fully cooked to salt to taste.

And that is how you cook beans in a crockpot or slow cooker. Next up, what to do with your beans once you’ve cooked them!

I love deviled eggs and make them for every picnic or special occasion. They’re so simple to do and they taste so heavenly that you really can’t go wrong!

That being said, it does get just a teensy bit old to have the same deviled eggs every single time, so recently I have been doing some experimenting. Curry is another flavor that my family enjoys, so I combined the two to create this very tasty curry deviled egg recipe.

Curry Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. curry powder
3 drops Worchestershire sauce

Peel the eggs, cut them in half and scoop out the yolk. This should be mashed with the remaining ingredients.

You can either spoon the yolk mixture back into the eggs or use an icing bag to pipe it in for a more decorative look. I have yet to get a decent frosting kit, so my eggs are spooned. Either way, they taste wonderful!

Real vanilla extract
is made by marinating chopped vanilla beans in a mixture of alcohol and water, which is allowed to age for at least two years to get the maximum flavor. Each company has their own method of doing this, some use heat, others do not. Most use a special blend of vanilla beans from various parts of the world to create their own special flavor blend. You might want to try a few different types to decide which one you prefer, flavor-wise.

The minimum alcohol level in a vanilla extract is 35%, though some will go over this to ensure top flavor and preservation. The more expensive the extract, the higher quality the beans used to make it. You really do get what you pay for in this case!

Essentially what you want is an extract that has aged naturally and in coolness, with no unnecessary additives such as sugar or chemicals. The purest vanilla extract will give an extra kick to everything you use it in and the difference really is noticeable.

Buy Gourmet Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract Here

You can easily apply your garnish by putting the oil in a condiment squeeze bottle and then applying it in the design you wish.

Ideas for garnishing with oil include drizzling in a zig-zag pattern, a cross-hatch design, drawing a rough circle around the plate, drawing a spiral, or decorating with dots of oil.

Making Oil Garnishes

Olive Oil

1 c. herbs, finely chopped (parsley, basil and cilantro are all good options)

Coffee filters

In a pot, add both ingredients and then turn on the heat to low. Allow to cook slowly for 2-3 minutes or until the oil begins to bubble and the herbs soften.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 10 min. Pour into a blender and blend well.

Set two coffee filters over a cup and pour the oil into it. Allow it to drip through slowly, don´t press or force it if you want a nice clear oil garnish.

The oil can be stored for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Other Ideas for Oil Garnishes

Try using curry powder instead of herbs for a bright yellow oil. You will still need to strain it, however, if you want a clear oil.

Saute mushrooms in the oil for a more pungent flavor. The oil will come out brown or black and is ideal for darker garnishes.

Other herbs such as garlic, peppercorns (use whole, not crushed), and chili peppers can be used as well, but don´t blend them, just strain the chunks out.

Red peppers can be used as with the herbs above. You may want to roast the peppers ahead of time and then saute and blend for a beautiful red garnish.

This is a super quick and easy dish to whip up when you get home late and still need something tasty. As long as you have the ingredients on hand you`ll be able to go from walking in the door to eating in about 10-15 min.

Sweet and Sour Lemon Chicken

Serves 4

1 chicken breast, cubed
3 T. cornstarch
1/8 c. water
2 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt

Toss the chicken in the cornstarch until coated. Heat a little oil in a frying pan until sizzling and add chicken.

Cook for a minute, stirring. Add garlic and cook until chicken is golden brown.

In a cup, mix remaining ingredients and pour into pan, stirring quickly so all the chicken is coated. Cook until chicken is done (test by cutting a large piece in half. No pink means it`s done) and serve with veggies and rice.

Although raw garlic can be very pungent in flavor and be difficult to eat much of it at a time, roasted garlic has a delicious nutty flavor that is almost sweet. It’s positively delicious with crackers and cheese, or used in recipes to enhance the flavor without being overpowering. The best part about roasted garlic is that it is easy to make but makes it seem as if you are a gourmet chef.

To roast garlic, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove as much of the paper from 2 whole heads of garlic as you can without breaking it apart and place in ¼ cup water in a small baking dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and cover with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. After about 30 minutes, baste them with the olive oil and water and bake for another 30 minutes until the garlic is soft.

The entire process is much easier if you use a garlic roaster, which is made of clay. You just soak it in water, pop the head of garlic inside and roast it in the oven, no water needed.

Instead of peeling, just squeeze the cloves out of the peel. Roasted garlic can be refrigerated for up to three days if you keep it in a sealed container. Roasted garlic can be used as a spread on bread, or to add a rich flavor to soups and stews, or rub it over raw chicken, then cook as usual. It can be added to nearly any savory recipe and will soon become a staple in your house.

photo by jspatchwork

If you think cinnamon rolls take too long to make for breakfast, think again. While still more involved than a quick coffee cake, you can still go from thinking about breakfast to munching on hot rolls in just 30-40 minutes.

In a small pot, melt one stick of margarine and add 2 cups of sugar and 2 Tblsps. of cinnamon. Stir and let cool while you make the following recipe.

Quick Yeast Bread

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls

1 1/4 c. warm water
3 Tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
3-4 c. flour (start with 3, add more if dough is sticky)
2 1/2 Tblsp. yeast

Preheat oven to 350º.

Mix sugar, water and yeast in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes to foam up.

After 10 minutes, stir in oil and salt. Add flour gradually, mixing until it`s fully incorporated. Dump onto a floured surface and knead for 5 min.

Once kneaded, roll the dough out very thin, like this:

Spread the margarine mixture out on your dough, making sure to leave about a half inch around the edges since it will leak out as you roll. If you want to add something special like raisins, chopped pecans or chocolate chips, just sprinkle it over the butter mixture.

Next, roll the dough up to form a log. You might want to pinch the edges so that it holds together. Also, if your butter mixture is too hot, you won`t be able to do much with it, so just pop the whole thing in the freezer for a couple of minutes to make it more manageable if need be.

Use a sharp knife to cut your roll into 1.5-2″ sections, like so:

Place the rolls in a pan (I line mine with tinfoil because the sugar turns into a hard crust that is virtually impossible to get off), leaving a little space between them, about a finger width.

Finally, pop those suckers into the oven and bake for 15-20 min. or until golden on the top (mine were kinda squished in there, as you can see). Serve warm.

If you want, you can drizzle with icing for more of a dessert than a breakfast!

Working with chocolate can be a frustrating endeavor because it is a fairly finicky medium to work with. Although very tasty, if you don’t know the proper tips and tricks, your chocolate creation can turn into a real mess! Here are some of the best tricks to know when you are working with this sinful ingredient.

Measuring cocoa, flour and sugar – When measuring these dry ingredients, its best to spoon them into the measuring cup and level it off with the strait edge of a knife. If you tap it, it will pack it down and cause inaccurate measurements.

The proper chocolate – Double check your recipe before you buy your chocolate because some types of chocolate will not work with certain recipes.

Melting chocolate – When you are melting chocolate it is easy to burn it, therefore, you want to be careful in how you melt it. For best results, place the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and continue to stir through the entire process.

Storing chocolate – You want to store chocolate in a cool place, below 75 degrees F. If the temperature is any higher, your chocolate may end up “blooming” which is when the cocoa butter rises to the surface and turns the chocolate grey. It does not change the taste of the treat but who wants to eat grey chocolate?

Chocolate and water – Whatever you do, don’t let any water touch the chocolate when it is melting. Even a single drop can cause the chocolate to tighten and makes it stiff and really hard to work with. If you do accidentally get some water in with it, try to stir in a teaspoon of vegetable oil for each square of chocolate.

Chocolate garnish – To make chocolate curls, you need to warm a square of chocolate until and use a veggie peeler to scrape curls off of the square.

Tempering chocolate – Start by setting aside 4 ounces of chocolate cut into one-inch chunks. Microwave 1 pound of chopped dark chocolate uncovered in a microwave safe plastic bowl on medium for 3 minutes and then stir.

Continue microwaving in shorter increments until 2/3 of the chocolate is melted. Stir gently until the rest of the chocolate is melted. Stick a candy thermometer in. If the temperature is less than 90 degrees F, the chocolate is in temper. If its warmer then you can cool it with the reserved chunks until it reaches that temperature.