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PASTA TIP:

When baking a pasta dish always preheat the oven for at least 10-15 minutes. Put a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Always cover your pasta dish with foil and bake in the middle of the oven above the pan with water. The water steams the pasta from the bottom and prevents the pasta from sticking.

CHEESE DISH TIP:

Before baking a cheese pasta dish spray your baking pan lightly with cooking oil. Prevents foods from sticking and makes an easy cleanup. You could also line your baking dish with foil and spray lightly before adding the food.

HERB TIP:

Always discard Bay leaf before serving food. Bay leaves do not dissolve and could be a choking hazard.

STORING CHEESE TIP:

After opening up hard cheeses, dip a paper towel in white vinegar and place around the cheese where you cut. Cover the cheese and paper towel in plastic wrap and put into an air tight container or zip lock bag, making sure all the air is out. Doing this prevents mold from building up on the cheese.

Before making red spaghetti gravy from fresh tomatoes, put a medium saucepan on the stove with 2 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil. With a sharp knife, cut a large X on the bottom of each tomato. When the water boils carefully place tomatoes in the boiling water a few at a time. Cover and boil quickly 3-5 minutes until the skin starts to come off the tomatoes. Fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Carefullly take the tomatoes out of the boiling water and place in the ice water, (this quickly stops the cooking process). Peel the skins off the tomatoes and discard. Process the tomatoes in a food processor. If not using immediately, put in a zip lock bag, date and freeze. Use within 6 months of freezing.