Work Smarter, Not Harder, and Please Pass the Gravy!

Hello! It's "random stuff" today:

First, I'm always looking for ways to make kitchen work easier, my reasoning being that if it's

easy, we'll be more inclined to do it. My friend, Patty, shared these helpful tips with me and I

thought in case there's something new here, I'd pass them on:

·         Cover cookbooks with clear plastic report covers while you cook.  Spills can be wiped off more easily.

·         Wash utensils as you go instead of constantly reaching for new ones. 

·         Line baking sheets or jelly roll pans with aluminum foil to save scrubbing later.

·         Turn a metal colander upside down over the skillet when frying food.  This allows the steam to escape but keeps the fat from splattering.

Next: We have this running joke in our family built around my husband, Rich. He says (and he's not kidding) that GRAVY is one of the cornerstones of life! The guy could eat shoe leather if there was enough tasty gravy slathered over it. I feel bad for him--I wasn't raised with a gravy ethic like he was, so I don't come into my cooking role as a naturally inclined gravy maker. In fact, to be honest, I don't even LIKE the stuff.  

Oh sure, I buy the 3/$1.00 packages at the grocery store (that you just add water to), and good sport that he is, he'll eat it. But I can see that wistful look in his eyes that says, "Where's my mom when I need her?" So I want to improve in the gravy-making department--I love him and want him happy. If it takes gravy, so be it!


So why am I sharing this little bit of family laundry? I need your help. Are YOU a gravy enthusiast? Do YOU have expertise with it? Do YOU have a good, foolproof gravy recipe you could share? I look forward to any help you can give, and until next time, here's to passin' the gravy and of course, to making family dinner hour possible!