Man, I rely on this tip nearly weekly — the easiest and fastest way to peel potatoes! I know it will come handy this holiday season, so I thought I would repost from a year ago.

This will work for any dish calling for the yummy tubers, and it’s so much easier than using a peeler! You’ll shed their skins in at least half the time, and save your wrists all that peeling motion.

Here’s what you do:

You’re done. Immerse in salted cold water to keep from turning brown, and use when you need. I did this the night before Thanksgiving, and then just boiled and mashed the potatoes in the morning. A super timesaver!

Hope this will save you time in your holiday prep — and all through the year!

I made my Quick Creamy Potato Soup recipe today with some Idaho ones I had sitting around, and that gave me the idea for today’s post — an easy way to peel potatoes!

This will work for any dish calling for the yummy tubers, and it’s so much easier than using a peeler! You’ll shed their skins in at least half the time, and save your wrists all that peeling motion.

Here’s what you do:

You’re done. Immerse in salted cold water to keep from turning brown, and use when you need. I did this the night before Thanksgiving, and then just boiled and mashed the potatoes in the morning. A super timesaver!

Hope this will save you time in your holiday prep — and all through the year!

Do you know what’s for dinner?

What time is it?

If you are trying to decide at 4 or 5 p.m., you are setting yourself up for insanity — or at least, calling on an expensive prepared frozen dinner ($8), a pricey ordered-in meal (read a $15 pizza), or the worst, going out for dinner ($25+).

But by just taking 5 minutes in the a.m. before you go to work, or 5 minutes midday if you work at home, your dinnertime can be so much more enjoyable — and cheaper!

People ask me the easiest way to save money, and the answer is simple — eat at home!

But, yes, it does take time — 5-15 minutes to decide on a menu, and then 30-60 minutes to make a multi-course dinner. The secret is the prep is everything.

Deciding early in the day will allow you to defrost any food needed, as well as plan what you may need to buy to make dinner.

Add in using excellent prep skills done days in advance, and you will have dinner prepared in 30-60 minutes, these include roasting chicken in advance, mincing onions ahead of time, slicing bell peppers in advance, washing produce when it comes in the house, having cheese ready for you, and know what you have in the pantry.

Use these skills, and you have saved nearly an hour off making dinner — and saved between $6 and $20 each night! I hope you see how all these tips add onto each other to make your life easier.

Want some recipes? Click this link for the ones previously posted. I gave them to our married receptionist today, and she was so happy to give her some basic dishes she could use.

So, I will end like I started — what’s for dinner? Tonight, we are having kielbasa (defrosted at noon) with onions and bell pepper (bought on the way home), smashed potatoes (pre-cleaned) and peas. Not bad, huh? … and less than 60 minutes in the kitchen! (Hey, I even had time to post this 30 minutes before dinnertime!)

Try these tips and see how much time you’ll save - and how much money!

I just found tonight that we are having overnight houseguests on Thursday! But I am calm, because with a little planning, I can make the stayover happen with ease (in two days!).

Tonight, I addressed menu planning. I will need to provide two dinners, one lunch. and at least one breakfast. (If they stay Friday night, too, I will punt on breakfast.)

But what matters is not the menu, but the planning. I am convinced that the biggest part of cooking is the prep — dicing, measuring and shopping. If you can knock these three tasks ahead of time, you can knock the socks off your guests.

So tonight, I did what I could — I measured the dry ingredients for cornbread and stored in the mixing bowl (a great tip!), pre-diced the carrots, and pre-chopped the onions. I am so ahead of the game! I rounded out the night by writing a list of what I need to pick up at the store, which is not a lot.

I also planned an easy menu — the first dinner entree can be made ahead of time and put in the oven, the second dinner will be in the crock pot. Breakfast will be pre-mixed (cornbread) or pre-cooked (the maple-roasted bacon). I’ll just need to scramble eggs (and you know they will be pre-mixed).

My point is planning — and doing a little ahead of time — can make your life so easy. Of course, I’ll prep the guest room for them using these tips. But that can wait till Thursday morning.

I’ll say it one more time — planning will make your life so easy. That is the secret to entertaining, as noted in this post. A little here and there results in you being relaxed. To help in that regard, you know I will have the Cosmos ready to go Thursday night, but they’ll be done Wednesday, using this tip.

Finally, if you’re curious, here is the menu plan:

Dessert for both dinners will be a homemade (OK, box) two-layer cake. Even Prohomemaker takes some shortcuts. But I hope you can see how these tips build on themselves.

I hate summer. My mom always said “hate” was a strong word, but in this case, it’s true.

I don’t like hot weather, I don’t like the seasonal “holidays,” barbecues are not my cup of tea, and I miss the wonderful feel of fall and winter (of course, I am in Southern California, but there is a “feel” of winter here).

And, I get so tired of the recipes for summer! Grill this and no cook salads! I long for comfort food, but don’t wish to rack up the A/C bill any more than need be.

Coming to my rescue is the trusty (and under-used) toaster oven.

It doesn’t heat the house up like an oven, but I still net the same baked, roasted and hearty meals I long for.

Two nights ago, I popped in a Tuna Noodle Casserole and tonight, I prepped a Chicken Divan by roasting two chicken breasts till they were succulent. (That dinner will come tomorrow, and most likely I will make it in the toaster oven.)

So, re-think that bastion of the counter … make that small appliance work for you. It’s the perfect summertime dinner-saver!

Tooting my own blog today, but I used so many past tips this evening when I was preparing dinner — a spinach and bacon quiche (which was ready to go in the oven in 30 minutes) that I just had to point out how they work.

First, I already had the bacon prepared and in a zipper bag in the fridge, as noted how to do in this post. This saved at least 20 minutes.

Second, to add some flavor to the quiche, I sprinkled on some diced onions, which were already in the fridge, as noted in this post. That saved at least 5-10 minutes.

I mixed the custard in the blender, which I could have cleaned using the hints found in this post, but I put in the dishwasher instead, ’cause I had room. However, I knew what to do if it hadn’t fit.

But before I started dinner, I did a quick clean in the powder room, using the hints found in this post.

Dinner is almost done, and I just had to brag how the tips work. Hope you are enjoying them, too!

I was just making my Tuna Noodle Casserole for dinner and realized I did not have the red bell pepper I like to dice and add.

Then, it hit me, I had roasted red bell peppers in a jar in the fridge. Took ‘em out, diced ‘em up, and added those instead. It worked perfectly.

Do know there is a difference in peppers? Green bell peppers have a much stronger taste (and some have trouble digesting them), while red and yellow have a more mellow taste. I find the yellow are usually even more expensive, so I always lean toward red. And they add a pleasant dash of color to most any dish.

One more tip that I should have followed: If you see any bell peppers on sale, slice them up in 1/4-inch slices and freeze. Then, like today, you could just pull ‘em out and dice what you need. This comes in handy when they are no longer in season. I just store mine in a small zipper bag.

Ground beef, of course, is versatile, but it’s expensive. It will go on sale, but it’s always in those darn 3-5 pound chubs. Take it, and run to your stove and freezer.

Why? Because cooked ground beef freezes like a dream — and also equals quick dinners later!
This is a great tip for smaller households (2-4 people) because we are often unable to take advantage of sales for fear whatever is on special will go bad.

For a teeny bit of effort in advance, you will be able to whip out a couple meals in less than 30 minutes!

Here’s the strategy:

You may be tempted to cook the whole batch at once, but I find the small amount at a time allows you to use a normal size frying pan, and it makes it easier to separate later.

So what do you use the meat for later?

That’s what I can think of. By cutting off that 15-20 minutes of cooking and draining time, you are on your way to quicker meals — and enjoying that savings.

Hope it works for you, as well as it does for us.

I promise, this is the best meatloaf tip you will ever read.

Tonight, we are making the comfort food (as I am sure George Bush is doing during these tough times — oops, did I say that?).

If you want to save cleanup and calories, place a couple slices of day-old bread under your formed meatloaf, and it will soak up the grease. I used old hot dog buns tonight for the task, but most any bread will work. Just transfer the loaf (sans grease) to a serving plate, and slice (after waiting for 5 minutes for all the remaining juices to settle).

And if you wish to make cleanup even easier, before placing the meatloaf in the baking dish, line it with foil or parchment paper.

Try the bread trick — it works! Laura, did you hear?

Sure, it’s not a tip you will use every day, but it comes in handy when you make a cake. (And let’s face it, with coupons, a cake and canned frosting is cheaper than ice cream for a treat!)

After baking the cake, before inverting on the plate, cut parchment paper, foil or waxed paper in about 4 slices about 3 inches deep. Place on the cake plate. Invert the cake onto the paper bed and frost.

Then, when done frosting, slip each slice of paper or foil out. Voila! All the mess is gone, and you’re left with a clean cake plate.

I made a carrot cake tonight with a boxed mix and canned frosting I bought with coupons. Easy peasy. And it will be such a treat for days! (The cost? Less than $3 for all ingredients.)