How To: Make Roasted Garlic

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Roasted garlic is something that I think everyone knows how to make. It's such a simple staple and amps up the flavor of anything it touches. It's an extremely easy skill to have on hand, so I want to share the foolproof "how to" instructions with you! The uses for this are endless. In salad dressing, on pasta, on pizza, garlic bread topping...it's really universal and a great thing to have in your back pocket!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut off the top of the head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.

Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Wrap garlic tightly with foil. 

Place in oven and cook for 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Gently squeeze so the garlic comes out of each clove. Use as desired.

Source: SK Original

How To: Boil the Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

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I love having hard-boiled eggs on hand in our refrigerator. They make a great protein-filled snack and give your body a little boost. I usually dip mine in some light mayonnaise with a sprinkle of pepper. Or else I can easily whip up some egg salad or chop them up and put them on top of a salad. I found that it's best to use eggs that are a few days old. Sometimes eggs get that green ring around the yolk, turn out runny or are hard to peel, but this method has worked perfectly every time for me. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs, preferably at least 3 days old
• Cold water

Gently place eggs in an even layer on the bottom of a large saucepan. Fill with cold water so that the eggs are covered by an inch of water.

Put the saucepan on the stove and turn the heat on medium-high. Bring to a boil and remove the pan from the heat. Cover tightly with a lid.

Allow the eggs to stand for 12 minutes for large eggs (or 9 minutes for medium eggs or 15 minutes for extra large eggs).

Once done, strain the eggs. Either put the eggs in an ice bath until they are chilled, or fill up the empty saucepan with ice cold water and keep emptying and refilling until eggs are cold.

Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Tip: The easiest way I have found to peel an egg is to gently tap the bottom of the egg (the wider end where the air bubble usually is) against the counter. Then, under running cold water, start to peel the egg where you cracked it. It should easily come off!

Source: SK Original

How To: Make Freezer Meals

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Before Bradley arrived, I decided to prepare ahead of time for the sleepless nights and the low energy during the day. Since I think it's important to continue to eat home-cooked meals instead of take-out or delivery every night, I made a few of my favorite meals that I could prepare ahead of time and freeze for easy dinners.

I make sure to write the date somewhere on all the items I freeze using a permanent marker. Since everything can only freezer for a certain length of time (which I have noted below) it's important to write the date on there. I also recommend writing the heating instructions directly on the packaging. This saves you some time so you don't have to look up a recipe to figure out how to cook it once thawed!

Soups and Chili: Soups are super easy to prepare ahead of time and freeze. Make the soup as you regularly would and allow to cool. Add it to a gallon-sized plastic resealable bag and remove all the air. Press the soup lightly so that it lays flat in the bag. This allows for easy storage. Place in freezer for up to three months.

Chicken Pot Pie filling works the same way as soups. I used my recipe for Turkey and Pancetta Pot Pie and replaced the turkey with chicken since I knew I would be able to use the leftover chicken in other recipes. I used a rotisserie chicken to save myself some time, and it was easy peasy. I made the filling and poured it into a large ziplock bag to freeze. All I'll have to do is let it thaw in the refrigerator, place it into ramekins and top with pre-made biscuit or pie dough and let it bake.

I also made a big batch of my 30-Minute Stovetop Chili and froze the leftovers in a Tupperware container. Since this was already cooked, all I have to do is thaw it and reheat it on the stove just until it's hot. Same thing with my Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork. Freeze in a Tupperware container, thaw in the refrigerator, and reheat over the stovetop or in the microwave. Then you have a quick sandwich or quesadilla in no time.

Casseroles: Casseroles are probably the easiest things to freeze. Not only are they easy to prepare, but you can make them as you normally would and freeze them right before the baking process. They'll last for about 3 months in the freezer.

Baked Ziti is a great example of this. It took me MAX 15 minutes to put together, then I just covered in aluminum and stuck it in the freezer. When we're ready to eat it, I can thaw it in the refrigerator the night before and cook as directed, or I can even cook it frozen and add on about 30 minutes or so. For easy preparation, use a permanent marker to write the cooking directions right on the foil.

Enchiladas: I love making chicken enchiladas, so this was a no-brainer when preparing freezer meals. I had leftover chicken from the filling I froze for the Chicken Pot Pie, so I used that chicken to stuff my enchiladas. I made them as I normally do, and froze them right before the baking process. I'll just thaw these in the refrigerator the night before we're going to eat them and bake them according to the recipe's directions. Again, use a permanent marker to write the cooking directions right on the foil. These will last for about 3 months in the freezer.

Meats: I had some leftover rotisserie chicken from the Chicken Pot Pie filling and Enchiladas, so I froze it in 1 cup portions. I can pull out one bag at a time to use in things such as quesadillas, wraps or taquitos. Cooked chicken will last for about six months in the freezer.

I also bought ground beef in bulk-size. I used some for the Baked Ziti, and froze the rest in ziplock bags in one-pound portions. Since most recipes call for a pound of ground beef, it will be easy to thaw these in the refrigerator separately instead of thawing a huge chunk and finding a way to use it all (since you can't refreeze meat after it has been thawed). Stuffed Peppers, Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole, Taco Salad, Meatloaf, and Meatballs are easy uses for defrosted ground beef. Uncooked ground beef will typically last about 4 months in the freezer. 

Muffins and Snacks: Since ice-cream sandwiches are loved in my house, I made some of the Snickerdoodle variety to keep in the freezer when we want a homemade treat.

Muffins are also a great snack to keep in the freezer. They thaw at room temperature pretty quickly and are a great alternative to cereal or a pre-made meal in the morning. For a really quick treat, you can even zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. I made some Blueberry Muffins to freeze so Chris can grab one on his way to work while I'm busy with the baby. They'll last for about 3 months in the freezer.

These are just some of my tips and things I find helpful. What freezer meals are some of your favorites??

How To: Make a Sprinkles Number Cake

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For the 30th anniversary cake I made my parents, I wanted to do something special on the outside to make up for not making the cake from scratch. I wanted to make a cool "30" design on the top, so with the help of a printout, parchment paper and some sprinkles, I was able to achieve the design I wanted. Below are directions on how to decorate a pretty sprinkles number cake on your own!

What you'll need:

• 1 iced cake
• 1 printed sheet with desired number on it
• Parchment Paper
• Scissors
• Sprinkles

Step 1: Print out the number you want so that it is large enough to cover most of the cake. Place a piece of parchment paper over top of the number and trace. Cut out the numbers.

Step 2: Place the parchment paper numbers on top of the iced cake. Make sure you press the numbers down so no sprinkles can sneak underneath.

 

Step 3. Cover the entire top of the cake with sprinkles. Lightly press them down so they stick.

Step 4: Carefully remove the parchment paper numbers from the top of the cake. And you're left with an awesome number design. Enjoy!

How To: Make a Checkered Layer Cake

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I was 9.5 months pregnant when my family and I threw my parents a surprise 30th anniversary party. I had offered to make the cake, but at two weeks away from my due date I wasn't exactly motivated to spend hours in the kitchen putting together the perfect cake. Therefore, I decided to use store-bought cake mix, but make an eye-catching design inside and outside to grab their attention. I also made homemade frosting, so that helped a little. I made a checkered pattern in the cake, which was easy to do and looked really cool! Below are the instructions.

P.S. Sorry the picture quality isn't the best, but you get the idea!

Step 1: Bake two 9-inch cakes of  two different flavors/colors (you will have 4 9-inch cakes total).

Step 2: Cut a 7-inch circle out of a piece of parchment paper. Also cut a 5-inch circle out of parchment paper.

Step 3: Place the larger circle on each cake and cut around with a knife. Place the smaller circle inside the smaller cake cut-out and cut around with a knife. Separate each piece.

Step 4: Put each cake round so they are alternating colors (in this case, two of the cakes were vanilla, chocolate, vanilla and the other two were chocolate, vanilla, chocolate).

Step 5: Stack the cakes so the outer layer alternates in color/flavor (chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla). Make sure to spread some icing in between each layer!

 

Please note I only used three out of the four layers since my travel container wouldn't hold all four layers).

 

Step 6: Cut and enjoy! This obviously isn't the best picture, but you get the idea! Everyone (especially the kids) thought it was really cool!