Put the rinds of lemons, limes, grapefruit and oranges in your kitchen sink disposal—the strong scent of the citrus fruit as they grind refreshes the disposal as well as air in the kitchen.

I learned this trick years ago from a caterer and used it last week when I was making tons of chicken salad sandwiches for a bridal shower. To coarsely or finely chop hard-boiled eggs, grate them on a box grater. You can also press hard-boiled eggs through a fine-mesh sieve to get extra fine crumbled eggs to use for garnishes.

When preparing Steak au Poivre, it’s best to crush the black peppercorns rather than grind them. I have two methods I find do the trick. Put the peppercorns on a cutting board and use the back of a heavy skillet (rocking it back and forth) to crush them. Another method is to spread the peppercorns in a plastic storage bag (be sure to seal the bag completely) and whack them with a sturdy rolling pin or meat pounder. The layer of crushed peppercorns on the steak prevents juices from escaping and causing dryness.

I’m not much of a baker so I don’t know many of the tricks of the trade. But I did learn one today. Trim excess pastry from pie crust with kitchen shears. Probably this is an old trick, but a new one for me.

Allspice (also known as Jamaica pepper) taste like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves but really comes from the pea-size berry of the evergreen pimiento tree. Just a bit of it added to stewed chicken gives it a delightful flavor. It’s also good (just a bit) in beef stew.

Fresh (and I mean fresh—not the one in a bottle) lemon juice can tweak just about anything—salads, baked or grilled fish and chicken, and steamed vegetables, and such. During the summer, I use lots of fresh lime juice…
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File (pronounced fee-lay) powder is ground dried sassafras leaves from trees that grow along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. First used by the Choctaw Indians, it is commonly used today to flavor and thicken gumbo. It becomes stringy when boiled and should be added to gumbo after the gumbo pot is taken off the heat. It is available in most supermarkets and in some specialty food stores.

Summer berries (blackberries, raspberries and such) as well as peaches are ideal for making a quick parfait dessert. In a tall glass or parfait glass, make layers of scoops of ice cream or frozen yogurt and fresh fruit, drizzle a bit of your favorite liqueur such as creme de cacao, creme de menthe, Grand Marnier or brandy.

Storing Chocolate - Some helpful hints
Store in a cool room. All chocolate should be wrapped in aluminum foil to protect it from light, along with an airtight covering of plastic wrap. If chocolate is stored in the refrigerator, it may develop sugar bloom from moisture on the chocolate. Sugar crystals in the chocolate will re-crystallize on the surface, making the chocolate gray and gritty. To avoid sugar bloom, and store chocolate in the freezer or refrigerator, place the chocolate in an airtight container, then wrap the container to prevent any moisture from collecting.

If adding fruit (peaches, berries, bananas and such) to your homemade ice cream, soak them in a bit of rum or your favorite liqueur for an hour or so before adding them to the ice cream mixture. This prevents the fruit from freezing too hard.