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.

Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator as that prevents the ripening process. They should be kept at room temperature either in a cool, dry pantry or on your kitchen counter. It’s best not to put them on a windowsill in the sunlight as they can lose some of their nutrients.

One of my rosemary plants has turned into a large bush and I’ve been using as much rosemary as possible in cooking and thought I would pass on some ideas to you…
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My rosemary plant is growing into a shrub! If you too have a lot of fresh rosemary, make an infused oil.

ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL
3 cups fresh rosemary, cut into l-inch pieces
A large sterilized, dry glass jar with a large mouth and a lid
32 ounces olive oil
Smaller bottles (sterilized) with corks or screw-top lids

Crush the rosemary slightly and put it in the jar. Cover the rosemary with the olive oil and cover with a lid. Put the jar inside a sunny window or outside in a sunny location. Let the jar stand for about 10 days. Taste the oil occasionally by pouring a little on a piece of bread. When you find the oil is sufficiently flavored, remove the rosemary (or strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer) and discard it or use it in cooking. Put the oil into pretty glass bottles or jars and add a sprig of fresh rosemary. Seal with a cork or lid and store in a cool, dark place. Remember to label the jars.