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| If you don't find the answers to your cooking
questions, send Mary Amy an email: maryamy@cfweb.net |
Got any tips for a really moist meatloaf?
Tom, TX
Sure do. Mix 2 lb. Lean Ground Beef, 2 Eggs, 1/2 c. Bread Crumbs, 1/2 c. Ketchup, salt and pepper to taste. Form into 1 or 2 meat loaves and put in a baking pan or put into a loaf pan or 2 small loaf pans and bake in a 325° oven until done. Test with a meat thermometer.
No matter how I prepare ground meat, it always comes out
dry. Got any tips for that? Tom, TX
If you are putting bread crumbs and not enough other liquid or moisture, it will be dry. Try using ketchup, tomato sauce, b-b-que sauce, teriyaki sauce, and a little Worcestershire to any of the above sauces.
What are some tips for a very moist roast?
Pat, MS
Check out the recipe I have on my site, Charlie's Rice Cooker Roast. It is one of the easiest, moist, delicious roasts I've ever cooked. I've tried a beef roast and a pork roast - "to die for". If you don't have a rice cooker, do it in the oven and use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. DO NOT cook past thermometer reading for the meat you are cooking or it will dry out.
Got any helpful tips for cleaning up stains in the kitchen? Messy clean ups?
Susan, AK
I got hooked on Lysol with bleach Kitchen Cleaner and use that on everything in the kitchen. 409 is another one to use all over the house. I would not use any of these on wood surfaces, use a cleaner specifically made for wood surfaces. Ammonia is another good all purpose cleaner. Read the label, it is a wealth of information.
What kind of pots do you recommend for different recipes? What is the best pan to use for making pies? For making cakes?
Karen, OK
I pretty much cook exclusively with heavy aluminum pots (Magnalite is my favorite brand and it has been discontinued) and cast iron.
I always use glass pie plates, don't know why, just always have. I like a heavy aluminum cake pan, bundt or tube pan and sometimes a Pyrex dish. Those baking pans that have 2 layers of metal with an air space are also great. I have a couple cookie sheets like that and plan to get baking pans tool
In your recipe Maque Choux, I know it is a corn dish, but you didn't put the meaning of the French
words. Cal, FL
Definition according to A Dictionary of the Cajun Language by Rev. Msgr. Jules O. Daigle, M.A., S.T.L. Young tender corn (cut off the cob) fried in a small amount of fat, then simmered. I use this book for a lot to translate French terms into English.
What is an easy no mess way to crush crackers for cracker crumbs?
Sam, GA
Use zip lock plastic bags. Quick and easy clean up.
If I've scorched a gravy or roux, is there anything I can do to save it, or do I just throw it away and start over?
Sarah, UT
DonnE of DonnE's Restaurant gave me a great solution on that one. Use ketchup. Add a couple tablespoons at a time, stir it in, let it cook for a couple minutes and taste. If it taste fine, serve it, if not add a little more ketchup and repeat procedure. If it not burnt beyond recognition, it is salvageable DonnE said.
I would like a light oil or Italian dressing for pasta. I know that this is not Cajun, but I know that you can help.
Adeline, LA
I like to use a really good olive oil (1 cup), 1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 fresh hot pepper finely minced and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days. You don't need much because there is a lot of flavor in the oil and with the seasonings you have zippy flavor. Heat the mixture and pour over your pasta.
What's the easiest way to pickle okra fresh from the garden? Also, can you use the same method with jalapeno peppers?
Kat, AK
To pickle okra fresh from the garden is really easy. Pick your okra when they are about 3" to 4" long. Wash them and pack, standing up in a jar. Boil vinegar, pickling spice, and a jalapeno pepper cut in half. Strain this mixture into the jar with the okra and seal. Let cool and refrigerate. If you want to do several jars, and not refrigerate them, you will have to do a water bath.
Pickled jalapeno peppers are done a little differently. All I do is either coarsely chop or grind the peppers and fill a jar half full of them. Boil some vinegar and finish filling the jar with the peppers with the boiling vinegar and cover with the lid. The pepper mixture does not have to be refrigerated. It can be left on the shelf. Hot, hot, hot!
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