HOW TO USE RECIPES

The recipes in this cookbook have been researched over the last 60 years.  You may find multiple recipes for one meal, like pork and sauerkraut is presented in a multiple of ways, but that is for you to choose what appeals most to your taste.  Choose the recipe with the ingredients your family favors.

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All the recipes were submitted for you to create them as you desire.  There is only one rule in cooking:  Cooking is relative, baking is precise.  What that means, when you are cooking proteins, vegetables, side dishes, etc., you can change things up as you desire.  Just keep your proportions in mind so you have enough sauce for the meat you are preparing.  Baking, on the other hand, must be precise.  The ratio of flour to baking powder and baking soda is really important, as well as the ratio of dry ingredients to liquid ingredients in cakes, cookies and breads.  Pies must have the right amount of liquids or liquid emitting ingredients to the thickener recommended. 

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Take advantage of the Oma’s Spice Blends section.  The blends that you use most often should be made up in bulk and kept stored in an airtight container in a dark place.  The spices will keep at maximum flavor for up to six months.  And you will save money when paying high dollar for the blends at a market, and the flavor will be more consistent with what you like.  Not all of the blends will appeal to you or be ones you would use often.  But the blends you find most often in the recipes you choose can save you valuable time when prepping your meals if you have them available to you in blend form, rather than amounts of each ingredient in the blend.  Try some that appeal to you and see how often you use them.

The best hint I can give you for saving time in prep, Read through your recipe before you start, and measure out all the ingredients ahead of time, so when it comes to cooking, there is no time lost or burning taking place because you must find that bottle of oil or vinegar in the back of the pantry.  It should be ready at your fingertips.  That will cut out a large amount of time from the prep, and make prepping so much easier.  Chop all your fresh ingredients ahead of time, and even pre-cook some of the ingredients, like the pasta or rice.  Making these processes your habit will save you much time and make cooking much more enjoyable. 

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Eventually, as you use these recipes more and more, you will be adopting your own techniques.  (e.g. when you make a cake, you always cream the sugar and butter before adding the eggs one at a time, then divide the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, adding alternatively.  You will eventually get in the habit of preheating your oven when baking.  You’ll find less and less that you forget to do that as you cook more and more. 

Seek out those appliances that you will use often that can save you time, for example, the air fryer.  Many of the recipes can be adopted to use in these specialty appliances.  If you need to know how to adopt the recipe, contact me at cathy@momsdinnerhotline.com.  I’ll help you figure out a way to use the recipe in the specialty appliance you have on hand. 

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Enjoy using the recipe I have put together for you.  Use this as your recipe file, and change the flavors and ingredients as you desire.  Bon Appetit!