No more food pyramid

I'm sure you have all seen this on the news a few weeks ago. But just in case you didn't know.. the food pyramid is no more. I am kinda glad because I didn't like the second version at all. This is a much simpler way to show what you should, and shouldn't, be eating.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ 

Broiler Pan

I know that most of you "old school" cooks know what a broiler pan is. But I am fairly certain a lot of people don't. I rarely ever used ours until about a year ago. Now we use it for EVERYTHING. If you don't have one.. get one. You will be so glad you did. I use it to make burgers, bacon, pork steaks, you name it, in the oven. What's so great about it is that it lets all the fat drain off into the pan underneath. One, thats much healthier, and two it lets bacon get crispy, not soggy. And I HATE frying bacon. Hate it. This way I get crispy bacon with no frying. Can't beat that. Also another thing I love about it is it isn't a big mess to clean up. I spray the bottom pan and both sides of the top piece with PAM before I start. When I am done I pour off any grease or bits of gunk in the pan, rinse it a little if it is extra dirty, and then put it in the dishwasher. It comes out spotless every time. You really don't have to stand there and scrub that nasty pan afterward. Love it. Just something that my Momma taught me about that I thought I would share after using it last night for pork steaks. They came out perfect.

Mashed Cauliflower

OK I know this sounds INSANE, I thought so too when I first read it. But if you are counting those calories or are just looking for a new way to get your veggies, this is amazing. I found this on a calorie counting tips website as a substitute for mashed potatoes. When I read "it tastes JUST LIKE mashed potatoes".. I moved on to the next recipe. But I went back and decided what would it hurt to give it a try? Mom decided to make it later that week and we LOVED it. You have to get the amount of olive oil just right or it gets too thin, or won't have enough flavor. So do a little at a time and taste often. Seriously- try it. 


Steam 1 head of cauliflower until soft. 
Mash cauliflower or put in a food processor until smooth
Add olive oil, salt and pepper a little at a time until you get a good taste but don't get them too thin. 


It seems these always turn out runnier than mashed potatoes- for obvious reasons- but I am telling ya the taste will surprise you. It is a great alternative to the real thing! 

Substituting ground beef with turkey

I have found that using ground turkey instead of ground beef in my recipes is a wonderful thing. It is so much healthier, waayyy fewer calories, and you don't lose any of the taste. I have gotten the "fit" kind at Aldi's.. do not buy that kind. There was absolutely no flavor and no amount of seasoning helped. But I get the Wal-Mart kind from the meat department and you literally cannot tell it isn't beef. ESPECIALLY when using it in a dish like spaghetti, chili, something like that. And we have found that we actually think the turkey burgers taste better. And this is coming from someone who can ALWAYS taste when something is different or has been substituted. I hate artificial sweeteners and can taste them EVERY time... with the exception of sweet and lo in my ice tea.