Tip of the Week!! ((100th post & a giveaway!!))

This week’s Tip of the Week is also my 100th post!! To celebrate this achievement, I am giving away a set of 3 handmade, crocheted dish clothes. These dish clothes are cute but also get the “job done” better than any others I have found. They are a bit thicker & textured in such a way to really combat messes and grime! I hope the winner appreciates them as much as I do! In order to be entered in this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this blog with your guess to the following question: “Which blog post do you think is Food for a Year’s most popular post??” ((Pictured above “Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies“))

If you have an Instagram account, Facebook account & ((or)) a Pinterest account, share this post and leave another comment letting me know you shared ((what a nice thing to do!!)) and I will give you an extra entry.

Now for my Tip of the Week! ((Mental note: I need to tell you about this recipe below!!))

This one will get you out of the kitchen quicker, make clean-up a breeze and extend the life of your precious baking sheets! It isn’t fancy, it is not pretty, it is very inexpensive, it is used almost everyday and never fails to work perfectly, is easy to use & after its silent service is complete… it is thanked by being wadded up and tossed in the trash…any guesses?? ((Pictured: Smokehouse Meatballs))

Are you thinking what I am thinking? PARCHMENT PAPER!!!! Not to be confused with wax paper. Parchment paper is lightly coated with silicon, allowing it to reach temperatures of 500° with out igniting or melting into the food it is underneath. Wax paper is not oven safe – the wax will melt, adhere to your food and ruin it before you know what hit you! ((The recipe for these truffles will come around Christmas — I am such a tease!!))

I use parchment paper all of the time. Cookies never stick and crumble, oven fried veggies ((like these “Not Your Average Oven-Fried Zucchini Chips“)) slide right off – no more soaking overnight!

Brownies ((this perfect brownie recipe is found HERE))& sheet cakes? Just line your baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper that is 4″-6″ longer than the pan ((but exactly as wide)) & place the paper in the bottom of the pan, over-hanging the extra inches to use for lifting the brownies/cake out in one big slab. Why is this handy, you can more easily frost ((how about this Blackberry Buttermilk Buttercream??)) and cut perfect portions!!

Do you keep parchment paper on hand — or do you scrap, soak & scrub baking dishes and pans? I hope this tip saves you time & allows you to do more of what you like and less of what you don’t like ((such as cleaning dishes!)).