Tasty tip: Dollar store finds

When's the last time you bought food at the dollar store? If it's been a minute, you might want to stop by your local store and look around.

You can easily save money by picking up olive oil, pasta, and other nonperishables, many of which are name brands. When label errors (the wrong color, perhaps) occur, they ship the products to the dollar store, where you'll pay less for the same product.

So don't delay - head over to the dollar store and a ton of groceries for half the price.

Tasty tip: Low-fat brownies

Ever since I had my son, I've been suffering from an INTENSE sweet tooth. I mean, it's rough. Every night I need to have a taste of something sweet or there will be some problems.

I got out a box of brownie mix recently and I realized I was pouring in a half cup of oil. Considering I usually eat most of the brownies myself, I Googled some alternatives.

Which leads me to today's tip: I read that you can swap applesauce for the oil and it will keep the brownies moist. Because it's so much chocolate, you can't really taste the applesauce. I tried it - and it works.

The brownies do come out more on the cake side rather than the gooey, fudgy sweets I like so much, but with less than half the calories, I guess I can live, right?

Tasty tip: Big girls don't cry

I've already featured a few tips on this blog about getting perfectly chopped onions without crying a river. My latest tip? Throw the onion in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before you chop it. It usually works for me!

Tasty tip: Create some fake-out take-out dinners

Next time you're out at your favorite restaurant, pick up one of its to-go menus. Go home and try to recreate your favorite dish for half the price and none of the waiting.

Thanks to the ever descriptive menu writers, you will have the basic game plan at your fingertips. Tinker with the ingredients a bit, reducing the amount of fat usually found in your dish.

Besides, people have already concluded that eating at home costs less than eating at restaurants. Plus, it's healthier.

Whenever I have a strong Chinese food craving, I reach for this Asian Glazed Wings recipe from Rachael Ray. The glaze is good on chicken breasts, beef, vegetables, pasta and rice. If your kids don't like heat (it's not that hot, really) you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes you use.

Asian Glazed Wings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
12 whole chicken wings, drummers and tips
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup plum sauce
1/2 cup orange juice, eyeball it
2 inches ginger root, peeled
3 tablespoons tamari, dark soy sauce, eyeball it
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, medium heat to extra spicy
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
Preheat a large oven safe skillet over high heat with the oil. Liberally season the chicken wings with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is screaming hot add the wings in 1 even layer. Brown the wings for 3 minutes per side.

While the wings are browning, assemble the plum glaze: in a small pot over high heat combine the plum sauce, orange juice, ginger root, tamari and hot pepper flakes. Bring up to a simmer and lower the heat, reserving it until the wings are done browning. Remove ginger from glaze.

Pour the simmering plum glaze mixture over the browned wings. Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, flipping the wings once half way through the cooking time.

Remove the wings from the oven, if the glaze is not syrupy and thick, place the skillet of wings on the cook top and turn the heat on high, allow the glaze to reduce for about 1 minute. Toss the wings around in the glaze and finish with the fresh cilantro and basil.

Serve hot or room temperature.

Tasty tip: Stinky hands

I've heard about this tip before, but Ms. Denene Millner, over at MyBrownBaby, reminded me.

If you've been cutting onions, garlic, shallots, fish or really anything that can make your hands smell not-so-fresh, rub your hands on stainless steel - cookware, utensils, whatever. It magically makes you odor go away and you can go back to running after the kids.

Tasty tip: Switch your rice

To easily make meals a teensy bit healthier, switch out white rice for brown rice. You get additional fiber and nutrients effortlessly.

Tasty Tip: Veg out

To easily add some veggies to your next pasta dish, add some fresh or frozen veggies to the pasta water during the last three minutes of cooking. If you've already salted your water, the veggies should come out ready to eat. Plus, since you used the same pot to cook both the pasta and the veggies, it means one less dish to clean!