Even More Tips/Tricks:

Fluffy Rice.  Use long grain rice (e.g., Basmati) and add a few drops of lemon juice and a teaspoon of oil to rice before boiling will separate each grain.

Retaining eggplant color. Add a spoon of milk to a bowl of water and add the cup up pieces to that water.   This should retain the color of the eggplant.

Another way to store brown sugar.   Store it in freezer.   This will prevent it from getting hard.

Fluffy Omelets.   Separate egg whites and yokes.   Whip the egg whites first and then fold in the yokes.   This omelet will be nice, light and fluffy.

Frying smells in the house.   Avoid these smells by dropping a few parsley leaves into the oil.   Be very careful though, parsley has a lot of water and it will splatter, so stand back.

Pomegranates are in season.   Use them as you would cranberries.   They’re great to add to salads, and make great non-cooked relishes by simply adding your favorite fresh herbs and spices, and for sweetness brown sugar or honey.   Also consider adding heat (jalapenos) to the relish to give it a punch

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… or not!   Try blanching them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes.   And, for easy removal of the skin, simply wrap them in a towel and squeeze hard to crush the skins and extract the meat.   You can store these in a cool dry place for up to week or in the refrigerator for up to 2-weeks.