Here are a few tips from a vintage cookbook. I like the cracked egg one, and funny, I used to put baking powder when I made toasted westerns then I got away from it. I should do it again.

"To cook a cracked egg, wrap the egg in waxed paper, twist the ends and drop in boiling water."

"Keep parsley fresh and easy to use in this way: Wash it thoroughly, then shake or pat it dry. Wrap it tightly in a piece of aluminum foil. Whenever you need some, use a sharp knife or scissors to cut off the necessary amount. Return remaining wrapped parsley to refrigerator."

"Fill a wire basket with fruits or vegetables, (peaches, tomatoes, etc). Submerge it in a tub of hot water, let stand a minute then dip the whole basket in cold water. The peelings are loosened and come off quickly. This eliminates a lot of extra handling during canning season."

"Add a teaspoon of baking powder to every four eggs when making an omelet (beaten in thoroughly). The omelet will be considerably lighter, more attractive and tasty."

"If cake becomes dry, wrap it in a damp cloth, and set it in a moderately warm oven until the cloth is dry."

Luckygardnr, I've made carbonara but I just used bacon. It's really good.

Here's another crockpot recipe I'm going to try. I'm kind of leery about not cooking the bacon first--it may get too much grease. But it sounds good anyway.

Jasdip, those are helpful hints even today. Never heard of baking powder in an omelet, but it's worth a try. Maybe that's the secret restaurants use to make their omelets so nice.

BACON CHEESE POTATOES (Mom�s with Crockpots)

1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
butter
Green Onions (optional)

Line crockpot with foil, leaving enough to cover the potatoes when finished layering. Layer half each of the bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese in crockpot. Season to taste and dot with butter. Repeat layers of bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese. Dot with butter. Cover with remaining foil. Put the lid on and cook on low for 10-12 hours. (Make this recipe bigger if you are expecting company. Great to serve for a brunch!)

Glenda asked for my marinade recipe yesterday so here it is. They are all pretty similar. Last night I put the marinated chicken in a hot skillet that had some coconut oil in it and added a sliced up sweet onion. The onions are so good cooked that way. Just watch it closely the marinade will burn since it has sugar in it.

Caribbean Jerk Marinade

Ingredients
1 Tbsp minced onions
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed *
1 Tbsp allspice
1/2 Tbsp ground cloves
1/2 - 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp ginger
1/4 - 1/2 c light brown sugar (taste to decide sweetness)
1/4 c lime juice
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c soy sauce
minced garlic to taste (3 garlic cloves)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 c oil ( I use coconut oil)

Directions
Put everything into a blender and blend it on high for a couple of minutes to mix well.
In a zip lock bag, add meat and marinade; coat meat well and marinate overnight.
Heat grill, remove meat from marinade and place on hot grill. Brush meat with some of the marinade while cooking. Discard any leftover marinade that the meat was in.
You can just use a small amount of the marinade for less meat and put the unused marinade in a jar in the fridge it keeps well.
You can also cook the meat on a griddler, or in a skillet with a little oil. I like to slice up an onion and put it in the skillet if I do it this way the onions turn out wonderful in that marinade.

* You can omit the pepper if you prefer a less spicy version. Or you can add a few shakes of a hot sauce or Tabasco to get the amount of heat you like.

Thanks, I've done quite a few searches and they are all quite similar.

My son is the master griller, and I would love for him to make this for his son, my grandson.

Hope hope hope!