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KITCHEN HACKS

or Sunday when you have a little more time, cut up some things you know you’ll need later in the week — onions, garlic, carrots or celery — and refrigerate them in plastic bags. You can freeze them, too — just make sure you label the bags with date and amount. If you buy heads of lettuce, wash as much as you think you’ll need for a few days. If you store it in a bag or container with a damp paper towel, it will last for three or four days. Another important time saver is to eat the skins — they are full of nutrients and fiber! Wash carrots, sweet potatoes or beets and roast with the skins on. If you really don’t think chopping vegetables is going to happen this week, pick up packages of fresh-cut produce at Rouses. Burger up: Dealing with a frozen lump of meat is no fun. When you buy ground beef or turkey at Rouses, season it, form the patties and freeze them. Later in the week before you rush out the door in the morning, you can pull out a few burgers and let them defrost in the fridge until you get home. Stock up: To really get the most out of a weeknight menu, think about stocking your kitchen with some timesaving foods: • Cooked chicken wings, turkey meatballs and frozen cooked shrimp are easy ways to add a little protein to a salad or pasta.They also work well for little kid dinners! • Refrigerated, prepared piecrusts, phyllo dough or puff pastry are perfect for making a quick quiche or pulling together an appetizer on the fly. • Prepared or frozen egg rolls added to some chicken wings and meatballs gives you an instant Pu Pu platter.

Restaurant Cypress The best chefs and cooks shop at Rouses, including Stephen Huth. Stephen and Katherine Huth’s Restaurant Cypress is located at 4426 Transcontinental, just a short drive from Rouses #14 (5245 Veterans Boulevard). The slow smoked duck is served with an andouille and cornbread dressing and huckleberry glaze; the sautéed veal with Portobello mushrooms and crabmeat. There’s Rabbit Sauce Piquant, rosemary chicken, salmon, steak and roasted eggplant with crawfish and crabmeat butter. It’s a great restaurant with a great menu. Just ask New Orleans food critic Tom Fitzmorris, who wrote of a recent meal: “I had the best Cypress dinner ever to pass through my lips. It has always been good, but tonight, the chef outdid himself. I don’t think I’ve ever used that cliché phrase, but it perfectly captures the eating here tonight.”

• No-boil lasagna noodles, jarred pasta sauce and prepared pesto make assembling an Italian meal super easy. Hint: pesto is really good in scrambled eggs or spread on baguettes. • Roasted red peppers (either in the jar or on the salad bar) or canned whole chilies can be used on pizzas, chicken breasts and even sandwiches to bring a weeknight meal to life. • Dried rice noodles (just dip in hot water to soften) and peanut satay sauce can be mixed with any types of meat or veggies you have in the fridge. Thinking a little ahead and stocking up on some basic ingredients will go a long way towards saving time and trouble in the kitchen — even when there’s not a professional chef around.

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