Never try out a recipe and a new ingredient the first time on a special guest. Work out the kinks before you go for impressing.

Always add cooked pasta to the sauce in the saucepan and cook it for at least a minute. The starch from the pasta will help thicken the sauce, and well......it's the Italian thing to do!

Make sure the pan, grill, or griddle is hot before adding meat. That "sizzle" you hear is the heat searing the outside of the meat so that the juices stay inside, instead of running out and producing a tough, dry end result.

Recipes are a guideline, not the Bible. Feel free to experiment with similar ingredients.

Keep in mind that meat continues to cook after it has been removed from the heat. If you are wanting a medium lamb chop, remove it at medium rare and it reaches the desired stage as it rests.

Place a cloth towel under your cutting board to keep it from sliding around while you're using it. Safety first!

Clean as you go. Nothing ruins a fun day of baking like facing a kitchen full of dirty bowls and utensils.

Keep the handles of your pots and pans turned inward toward the center of the stovetop. Handles hanging over the edge are just begging to be knocked off, causing a dangerous burn (not to mention a big mess and wasted work.)

Develop a relationship with your butcher and fishmonger. Ask to see the merchandise up close, and smell it for freshness. It's your money, spend it on quality food.

Continually update your spice/baking cupboard. Dried herbs, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar need replacing after 3 months (they loose their potency). Other baking ingredients like flour, corn meal, oats, and cornstarch need replacing just as often, but because they can become victim to meal worms. I know that's gross but it's a kitchen fact that insect eggs are inherent in flour and grain. The FDA allows a certain small percentage in processed flours and grains. Use a permanent marker to write the purchase date on items just to be sure they are as fresh as possible.

Get your children working in the kitchen as early as possible. Cooking and baking offer opportunities to learn Math, Reading, and Science. They also provide lessons in patience and following directions. Plus, trying and testing new flavors develops a more sophisticated palette and ensures a less picky eater. All children love to "help" and to do things that grown ups do; give them that pleasure.

How to correctly measure ingredients: 

• Liquids: pour into a glass measuring cup held at eye level.

• Dry ingredients: lightly spoon into measuring cups but do not pack down, then level off with the flat side of a butter knife.

• Brown sugar: measure like dry ingredients - but DO firmly pack in the measuring cup.

• Butter: this one is easy - use the markings on the wrapper. If there are none, use the solid fat method below.

• Solid fat (shortening, butter, mayonnaise): convert the cups to ounces and use a digital food scale. For example, 3/4 cup shortening equals 6 ounces. This is the only accurate way, as fats do not fit perfectly inside a measuring cup....gaps are left and it's difficult to adjust for that. Here is an easy conversion chart for you: Conversion Chart.

White sugar, light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar - what's the difference? When my recipe calls for "sugar" it's white sugar. I do specify the need for brown sugar....most all recipes do. White sugar is the most processed sugar, while light and dark brown sugars are less processed and have more of a "molasses" flavor. Generally speaking, light and dark brown sugars are interchangeable.

I keep potted herbs in the sunniest spot in my kitchen. They're beautiful, they can stay year-round, and it's so handy to simply walk over and snip the needed herbs for my lastest dish.

My favorite Cook Books: The Fannie Farmer Cook Book is my #1 "go to" resource. There are no photos, but it's a big book chock full of Americana-style recipes that are well concieved and delicious. I'm a traditional woman and I like the classics: my other favorites are The Betty Crocker Cook Book and The Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. I'm also working on completing my collection of Southern Living Annual Recipe Books. Two of the most unique and treasured cook books I own are The Toll House Cookbook, which is from the 1940s, and The Rebecca Boone Cookbook which features recipes for bear and possum (as her husband Daniel Boone no doubt brought home for dinner back in those days). I also love love love all of Julia Child's books. The appreciation of a good cookbook is something my late Mother-In-Law and I shared. She was the only other person I knew who enjoyed reading a cookbook cover-to-cover.

I honestly use only 3 knives. I own more, but rarely use them. You'll need only a large chef's knife (for slicing, dicing, and chopping), a small paring knife (for peeling fruits and veggies), and a good serrated bread knife (also perfect for slicing tomatoes). And don't forget to buy a good steel for keeping blades at their sharpest. You'll make your life easier and you'll be able to hone your knife skills with good quality, sharp cutting instruments. Here is a great short video (less than 2 minutes) to help: Gordon Ramsay Knife Sharpening Video.

Always sift flour before using it in recipes. I find hard bits in my flour that would end up in my recipe if not sifted out. Who knows where they come from?

You'll find no terry cloth towels in my kitchen...only the soft, smooth, no-nap cotton type. Why? I've picked out far too many little pieces of cotton thread from the food I've prepared. Those little terry cloth bits seem to get into the air and land on everything. I use towels not only for drying dishes, but covering freshly made pasta, bread, and pastry dough. I even use folded up kitchen towels as pot holders. 

My favorite pans are my ugliest pans. I have a beautiful set of shiny, sparkling stainless steel "professional" cookware that I paid an arm and a leg (and another arm) for. Typically I use my "other" pans...Sam's Club sells a line of professional cookware that I have used for many, many years. They're found way in the back of the store with the restaurant supplies. They are good, solid, heavy-bottomed, stainless steel pans which are practically indestructible. Plus you can scrub the dickens out of them without scratching them.

There is evidence that suggests wooden cutting boards repel bacteria, and are therefore safer (bacteria-wise) than plastic or marble ones. The reason? Trees are living organisms, and possess enzymes which kill unwanted bacteria. These enzymes remain active for many many years after the tree has been harvested and turned into cutting boards. Bacteria left on a wooden cutting board is killed naturally, without the addition of bleach or other cleansers. Here is a link to the research article: Dr. Cliver and Dr. Ak Research Cutting Board Safety. Wooden cutting boards which are varnished or laminated do not offer this feature, and of course when a wooden cutting board becomes deeply grooved it may not offer this protection and should be discarded.

Must-have kitchen utensils: Wouldn't it be fantastic to walk through your favorite kitchen store and buy everything in sight? Until the day comes that you can afford that, just stick with these tried-and-true, couldn't-live-without kitchen utensils:

• rubber spatula: 1 large and 1 small

• my 3 knives (see above)

• cutting board (see above)

• kitchen scissors: much stronger than ordinary scissors

• wire whisk

• 2 sets of measuring cups (1 for dry and 1 for liquid)

• measuring spoons

• meat thermometer (the instant read type is best)

• large slotted spoon

• large wooden spoon

• metal spatula

• colander

• large, medium, and small mixing bowls

• box grater

• large mesh sifter

• stainless steel tongs

Nice-to-have kitchen utensils: When you've branched out into specific areas of cooking and baking, you'll find the need for more specialized utensils. 

• rolling pin (for pastry, pasta dough, biscuits)

• digital food scale

• cake tester

• various size round cutters (for cookies, biscuits, & more)

• parchment paper 

• mandolin (for even slicing)

• meat mallet

• pasta spoon

• funnels

• various size scoops

• vegetable peeler

• rasp or microplane (for fine zesting and grating)

• cooling racks

• candy thermometer 

Keep the utensils which are used most within easy reach. Mine rest in a pretty ceramic jar on the countertop I prep on so that I can quickly grab what I need without searching through a drawer.

I keep all of my knives and cutting tools in their own drawer. I cannot count how many times I've cut my hand fishing around in a drawer filled with both utensils and knives. When I open my knife drawer I'm already thinking, "Be careful, there are sharp instruments in here".

Love what you're doing in the kitchen. Generations ago, being in the kitchen was not a choice for many (especially women). It was work; it was expected; it was menial. Today's society celebrates the art and science of cooking and baking. Men, women, and even children are whipping up homemade goodness because they want to: because it's a wonderful way to be creative, healthy, economical, and to promote togetherness. Cooking has become therapy, bonding, playtime, hobby, and passion. Keep at it until you find your own style and what works for you. Then, be sure to share your bliss so that others can love what they're doing, too.