Cooking Made Easy

With all the rush these days to have something prepared for company every time they are present, sometimes recipes dry up faster than wanted. Foods prepared over and over again can quickly lose savor to guests.

One easy recipe to spice up the snacks is for potato chips. The recipe has a thirty minute preparation time, but cooks in five minutes. With a short notice, this recipe can easily save money.

Ingredients required are:

- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

- 1 potato that has been sliced very thin (peel is optional)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or as much/little as it takes to season to taste.

Other preparation items are a microwave and plastic bag. The plastic bag serves to coat the slices of potato in the oil and seasoning, while the microwave cooks the chips. For more detailed preparation and cooking instructions, see the recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Another easy recipe is for French crepes. While crepes are thought to be a difficult dish, but this recipe proves that they don't have to. There is a five minute preparation time, but a thirty minute cooking time. However, many of the ingredients are in an everyday kitchen.

Ingredients required are:

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon white sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 3 eggs

- 2 cups milk

- 2 tablespoons melted butter.

The directions are also quite simple. The flour, sugar and salt are sifted together and then set aside. In a large bowl that can be used with an electric mixer, the eggs and milk are mixed. Then the flour is beat in until it is smooth. The butter is stirred in.

The cooking is a little more difficult to explain, so see the recipe at Allrecipes.com.

A third and final easy recipe for anyone is sausage balls. This one has a more intensive prep than the crepes, but less intensive than the potato chips. The prep time is fifteen minutes, and the cook time is twenty minutes. The ingredients are a little less likely to be in every kitchen, but can be easily obtained from a local supermarket.

Ingredients required are:

- 1 pound ground pork sausage

- 2 cups biscuit baking mix

- 1 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

The directions are pretty straight forward: while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, mix the sausage, biscuit baking mix, and cheese together. The balls should be no larger than a walnut when placed onto a baking sheet. For original recipe, check it out on Allrecipes.com.

The best part about all three of these recipes is that the majority of the ingredients will keep in food storage. Ground pork can be frozen and will keep for a good few years in the freezer. The cheese will do the same. Butter also stores easily in the freezer. All three of these can be pulled out the night before and defrosted in the freezer. If the pork or butter isn't defrosted enough, microwaving is a good option. However, it isn't recommended that cheese be microwaved to be defrosted.

Flour stores well in air-tight containers kept in dry places. Note that it is important the storage area be dry when dealing with flour. Sugar also stores well in dry, air-tight containers. Salt is also another ingredient that will keep well in air-tight containers. When any of these three ingredients gets wet, it can be difficult to use. After all, flour and water makes glue. Sugar absorbs water quickly, and salt forms a rock if it gets wet.

Eggs and potatoes are probably the only two ingredients that need to be watched when storing them for long periods of time. Potatoes do grow eyes, or root systems, when left alone for a while. However, eggs go bad within a few weeks and must be used quickly.