1. When heating up canned whole kernel corn, add a tablespoon of sugar to it. It makes it taste fresh from the cob. (I like to heat it with some butter, salt & pepper too.)

2. When making a tossed green salad for a party or potluck, plan on using one head of lettuce per 20 people. Let's face it, people don't really take lots of salad when there are other good things, besides the carrots, celery, tomatoes, etc. really pump up the volume.

3. Baby doesn't like formula or milk and you're ready to wean? Try what Grandma did. She used to give babies a bottle made with evaporated canned milk diluted with water (50-50). Or my babies' favorite, milk with a tablespoon of sugar and a drop of vanilla added.

4. Add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar to canned Cherry Pie Filling, to cut the tin can flavor.

5. When you make a batch of cookie dough, double it and roll what you don't use in waxed paper, then tin foil. Mark it with a sharpie: type, cook time, and temp. Just slice and bake when you get a craving.

And one tip from me: when making cookies that you roll in balls and dip in sugar/ or cinnamon sugar, make all the balls at once and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze. Then pour them into a ziploc bag, toss your sugar in, and shake and bake. I keep the bag of frozen cookie balls in the freezer and only cook what I need. It's so nice to be able to bake a batch of warm cookies any time you have the urge.

*My Grandma was an amazing cook. When she was a teenager (about 14 years old) in Hubbard, AZ in the early 1900's, she and her sister Amy would cook for the Cowboys who'd come to help with the Haying. Grandma (Sadie) would always make the pies and Amy would make the cakes. One day Amy was sick and Sadie got to make the cakes. She got lots of compliments and was thrilled to know that she could bake a cake as well as Amy.



Then, she began cooking for her own family. She had 13 children! Plus, she was the President of her LDS Church Women's Relief Society and would often cook for funerals and large parties.



All of that cooking experience was put to good use when she ran the cafeteria for the Kyrene School District. That was in the 1960's and early 70's, when they still made everything from scratch and did their own baking. My friend used to live out there, and remembers her parents taking her to breakfast at the school! They used to beg to go eat there. I attended Junior High at the same school, and there were still a couple of teacher's left (Mr. Williams and Mr. Huber) who had known her and her cooking. When I introduced myself to one, all he could talk about was Grandma's Molasses cookies. Of course, I made him some the next day! (Yeah, I got an A.)

Labels: grandma's, tips