Parchment paper

Go out right now to your local restaurant supply store and get some parchment paper. This stuff is magic. Use it to line your cookie sheets, for sweet and savoury recipes. It keeps the goo from sticking, making clean up easy. Plus, cookies just slide right off (and no worries about possible toxins from Teflon).

Buy your bread at the local bakery outlet

Most cities have at least one bakery outlet. My local is an Orowheat one. They have bread that's fine, but sometimes a little squished or close to the expiry date. Still good! Freeze it!

Hug your cat

Hug your cat daily. It is good for you and for the cat.

On Envy

I love this quote.

"[E]nvy is the gift that helps us know what we want for ourselves."
Rosemary Daniell, author of The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself

A must read book

Anyone who wants to lose weight, improve their health or who has been told to use drugs or diet to lower their cholesterol should read this book. I warn you, it's a fairly academic tome. The author spent five years researching and writing this book. It's an eye-opener!

How to cook killer bacon

Use the oven. I know she didn't invent the idea, but I always thank Martha Stewart, God love her, for that tip. In her great cookbook, the The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, she has a recipe for brown sugar bacon. I usually leave off the brown sugar, and just cook the bacon in the oven at 425 for about twenty minutes. You might need to drain the bacon fat off partway through, depending on how lean the bacon is. Save it! It's great for seasoning roasts, or sauting onions/garlic for soups.

Put a sheet of parchment paper down before putting down the bacon, it'll make clean-up a snap.

Keep It Simple

I have some rhubarb. It's lovely, bought it at the farmer's market. I wanted to make Rhubarb Crunch with it. I have a great recipe for it, given to me by a college classmate MANY years ago. Thing is, I can't find the recipe. It's not in my recipe box, and since I'm finishing up a kitchen remodel, if it's anywhere else, it's as good as in Siberia.

So, since I'm not in touch currently with this classmate, I decided to try to search for her. At first, I couldn't remember her last name, so I went to our college's alumni page (where I had to create an account and then log in so I could search alums). I found her pretty quickly. But, she doesn't have an email address listed. I then googled her and found her name associated with a couple of different schools in another state. I then tried to look for her on the websites of those schools. No luck.

Want to know what I did next? I googled frakkin' Rhubarb Crunch. Found the right recipe on the first click.

Lesson learned? Keep it simple. Try the easy solution first.

Best Donuts in Seattle

Yes, that's right, I know where to find the best donuts in Seattle. And, so do a lot of other people, thanks to recent profiles of Family Donut in the two major Seattle newspapers! See here for the Seattle P-I's take. The Seattle Times had an article too, but their site search is flukey and I can't find it. Dessert blog CakeSpy talks about the Seattle donut scene, check it out for other donuts to try. But don't blame me if you end up just driving back to Family Donut!

Get any donut there, they are all good! But I especially like the maple old-fashioned ones...serious yum. Owner Tony is a treat, and he's got a mind like a computer, remembering what you like, even if you haven't stopped in for a few weeks.

Go now, and get thee a donut! 2100 N. Northgate Way, just west of I-5. Careful in the parking lot, it's a tight squeeze.

Score a Free Song on iTunes from Starbucks!

Starbucks is (again) giving away free songs on iTunes. At the register, they've got stacks of little cards for the latest song. There's a code on the back, along with instructions. Follow them exactly, and get your free song!

Enjoy!

Stock Up and Save at Walgreens!

I used to hate Walgreens! High prices, weird circulars with confusing terms like "Register Rewards" and such, and those darn in-store cameras and mirrors--they make you feel like you *should* be doing something naughty!

But, then I discovered the secret of saving money big-time at Walgreens. The trick? It's got several parts to it, and frankly, I am still learning it myself. That's why I'm going to send you to the Walgreens guru, Money Saving Mom! She's got it all figured out, and she spells it out for newbies, too. There are other great bloggers who discuss the Walgreens deals. Here's one of them: Centsible Shopper.

Essentially, the trick is to keep your newspaper coupon circulars around, use the Walgreens Easy Saver Rebate & Coupon book, and watch the weekly ad. When you redeem your Free After Rebate items and other rebates, always get them put onto a Walgreens gift card--they give you and extra 10% when you do that!

Welcome to Tiki's Tips!

Here, you'll get great tips on all the things under the sun. If I figure out a neat trick or idea or new way to do something, I'll share it with you!