In the Kitchen

It's no secret that I enjoy cooking. I feel comfortable in the kitchen, thanks to growing up in the restaurant industry, and having a mom and grandmother who loved to cook. But I'm still tired--just like you--at the end of the day, and I want my money to go far in the kitchen. Here are just a few tips that might be helpful.

I do not chop garlic. Period. It's too much of a hassle for me. Can you say lazy? I'm okay with it, really. And I still use chopped garlic, instead of ground, though. It's just in this form:

It saves me five minutes and smelly hands. I keep it in the fridge AT ALL TIMES.

Another thing you'll find in my fridge:

This chicken base makes soups--and other recipes--so easy. I use it in place of  those little bouillon cubes that sit for years in my pantry; 1/2 teaspoon = one bouillon cube. The flavor is richer, and I don't have scrape the bits of paper from the cubes anymore! With about 40 servings in a little jar, it's also cheaper than buying cans or boxes of chicken broth. I also have a jar of beef base in the fridge.

Don't enjoy chopping onions? Who does?! It just takes time at the end of a busy day. I have two tricks for this one. I either chop several onions at one time and freeze them in a Tupperware, OR I buy chopped frozen onions from the frozen food aisle. For about a dollar, you can get a bag of onions already chopped!

Do you have any tips in the kitchen? Time savers or money savers? I'd love to hear those!