Southern Charm

Well everyone, I have closed a chapter in my life ArmyTankersWife Blog, I decided that it was time to move on to a new blog name. I have closed that chapter in my life, and moving on. I am back in NC, and on to bigger and better things in my life. This blog is about family, parenting, and everything Southern.   

Think of this as a blueprint for throwing the ideal Southern-flavored holiday brunch/formal dinner/cocktail party/New Year’s Day football-viewing party, no matter where you live or how formal (or not) the occasion. If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time planning meals and preparing food, making all of those helpful kitchen tips and tricks that save you time! I have rounded up some of the best kitchen tips that my mom and grandmother has passed down.

I think you’ll find a few hacks here that will make life easier!  

Grate Cold Butter

I haven’t tried this little trick just yet, but I love the idea! Your stick of butter has to be close to frozen for it to work, and you must work fast to keep it from melting, but the grated butter is perfect for adding to flour before baking biscuits, scones, muffins, etc.. It also makes the butter melt much faster, so if your butter is too cold to spread, consider grating it first and then topping toast, veggies, or a baked potato!

Scooping Up a Broken Shell

It happens every time! I make eggs for breakfast just about every morning, and the brown organic eggs seem to break off into little pieces so much easier. Instead of fishing around with your finger to dig them out of your bowl (yeah, I do that), use one of the egg shell halves to scoop it out!

Egg Freshness Test

I eat too many eggs for them to ever go bad, but this sure is good to know. I got so excited when I saw this, I dug into my fridge to test it for myself. My eggs seemed to be 4-6 days old — good enough! You’re probably wondering how this works, and yes, there is some science behind it. Eggshells are porous, allowing air to slowly get in over time. As more air enters the egg, it gets lighter and lighter, which explains why it will eventually float.

How to Peel an Orange

This tip is especially useful for those of you that don’t have any nails to dig into the tough skin of an orange. With a few clever cuts of a knife, you can peel an orange and eat it without juice dripping all over your hands. But best of all, it’s FUN!

Freeze Leftover Sauce

How clever is this? I hate wasting food but sometimes it’s hard to prevent, especially when a recipe calls for half a cup, but the cans are sold in 16 ounce servings. Essentially you could do this with homemade sauces as well as anything canned that you don’t use up like refried beans, chopped jalapeños, etc.

There are more tips in my Southern Cooking Cookbook...