I first learned about fiberglass-reinforced, nonstick, heatproof, silicone pastry mats (Silpat was the brand she used) watching one of her cooking shows years ago. When I saw how cookies (perfectly baked with no burnt bottoms) slid off a baking sheet lined with Silpat, I just had to try this for myself. I ordered one of these flexible mats from the Martha Stewart website.

Suddenly, the only thing stuck on silicone was ME.

These baking mats are also perfect to use when rolling out dough for pies. And, whether you’re using the mats for baking cookies or pastries, food slides right off the cookie sheet.

Today, kitchenware stores across the country carry all sorts of silicone baking products including muffin tins, cake pans, spatulas, and whisks, etc. These items can withstand high temperatures and don’t crack or melt. And foods baked in silicone rarely burn.

Try one of these flexible baking pans for yourself. My guess is, the only thing stuck on silicone will be YOU!

An indoor herb garden makes it easy to garnish a hearty winter stew with a sprig of fresh rosemary, or decorate a special soup with a fresh basil leaf, even if the weather outside is below zero on a snowy afternoon in January.

But since fresh herbs tend to lose their flavor when cooked for long periods of time, dried herbs are best for seasoning those soups and stews that bubble on the back burner all day in a warm, cozy kitchen.

Different herbs dry best at different times of the year, of course. But, if you have an outdoor herb garden, it’s not too late to harvest some of your summer herbs and dry them for use during the cold winter months ahead.

Find out about harvesting and drying fresh herbs here and here.

Dry some summer herbs and get your indoor herb garden started. Soon you’ll be ready to cook up plenty of tasty dishes for family and friends this winter.

Do you have trouble getting your hibiscus plants, geraniums, and African violets to flower continuously?

Maybe they just need a good cup of coffee.

My husband and I were sitting out on our deck the other morning enjoying a leisurely breakfast of apple-cinnamon scones and coffee. When I got up to go back into the house, I poured what was left in my cup into one of the big potted hibiscus plants covered with beautiful huge hot pink blooms.

My husband laughed and asked, “Is that the secret to getting that thing to look like that – a good jolt of caffeine?

“Sort of,” I told him. “I don’t think it’s the caffeine that makes it flower so profusely. It’s the acid in the coffee.”

Hibiscus, geraniums, and African violets all love acidic soil, so I guess coffee is like a B-vitamin shot for plants. It gives them a big burst of energy (or acid, in this case) and they flower like crazy.

Check to see which of your flowering plants thrive in acidic soil. Then, give them a cup of coffee (or even more than a cup, for a large plant) to encourage dozens of blooms.

Of course, you can also give your plants a regular dose of the appropriate plant food. I do that a couple of times each summer, too. But it’s kind of nice to share your morning coffee with your flowering plants.

Try it.

They’ll love it.

And they won’t even ask for cream or sugar.

I ground some fresh coffee beans, poured filtered water into a pan and heated it, then spooned the ground coffee into the French Press
(also called a press pot). When the water was the perfect temperature (it should be around 190 to 200 degrees F.), I carefully poured it into the French Press and let the coffee brew for about 4 minutes. Then I pressed the metal filter down to trap all the coffee grounds before I poured myself the perfect cup of coffee and put the remaining coffee from the pot into a carafe. Ahhh…what a treat!

If you love coffee, but you don’t own a French Press, you owe it to yourself to buy one. They aren’t expensive and they really are the best way to brew the most flavorful cup of coffee.