If you've ever wanted someone to take you by the hand and show you how to make scrumptious jams and preserves, wait no longer. Kim Morgan at  'A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen' does just that with a fun and humorous look at the event, from picking the berries to serving up your preserves.

In addition to preserves, you'll find lots of wonderful recipes to add to your repertoire, along with pictures and descriptions to tickle your funny bone. Kim is a talented, aspiring writer, photographer & passionate cook. You'll enjoy her take on cooking.

I realize it's a little last minute, but if you've ever been interested in taking a culinary trip to Catalunya, the 'Catalan Cooking in the Empordà' trip planned by the Epicurean Way is scheduled for September 5-10, and will be $200 per person off the regular price for bookings made by August 1. Come along for 6 days in a little-visited region of Spain north of Barcelona.

This is the start of a great list of time saving tips you can use in your kitchen. If you have a tip to share, please add to the list there in the comment section. Here are just a few to get started:

• Using a slow cooker (Crock Pot) is a great way to save time in the kitchen. Set it to cook while you're at work and you'll come home to a great smelling house and a tasty meal. If you have the room in your refrigerator, you can get the meal together while you're fixing dinner the night before, put it in the cooker or pot and then pop it in the refrigerator over night. All you have to do in the morning is put the pot in the cooker and switch it on.
• Put together lunches and snacks at a time when the kitchen is already a mess. A really good time to make lunches and snacks for the next day is while you are cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. The kitchen is already a mess and if you get tomorrow's lunches out of the way, you'll save yourself time the next day you would have spent cleaning up after making lunches. (Often I use leftovers in lunches so this saves putting away the leftovers.)
• Cooking several meals at once and in advance can save money on electricity, water, and clean up time. Also, double the quantity and freeze meals in advance. It's not much more difficult to make two dishes of lasagna than to make one. This will give you meals in the freezer for those nights when time will be at a premium.
• And while we're talking about making double quantities you really should start a cooking group among friends and neighbors. Once a week or once a month (or whatever time frame you decide on) each of you would make a double meal (each on a different evening) and keep one for your family and give the other to your cooking mate. That gives each of you a night out of the kitchen.
• The first thing you do, before you begin cooking, is empty the dishwasher and run a sink of soapy water. Then wash up and put dishes in the dishwasher as you go. Then when dinners over, the only clean up is the dishes you eat on.
• Spend an hour or so in the kitchen on a Saturday (or what ever day you choose) and get ingredients ready. Put a dozen eggs on to boil, (great for tuna or chicken salads, or a quick breakfast or snack or to top salads). While the eggs are boiling, I spread out newspaper, get my peeler and peel and chop veggies - carrots, celery, onions and green peppers. Once through, I pitch the newspaper and peels, and bag up each veggie and I'm ready for a week of cooking without having to stop and peel.

Then I cook some meat. Enough for several meals, and each Saturday I cook a different kind. This week I might brown ground round (you can pick up a couple of family size bargain packages), or maybe cook enough chicken or ham for several meals. Divide it into one meal portions and freeze. Don't forget to label and date the packages. Now you're ready to throw a quick meal together.

• Any time you cook pasta, rice or potatoes, always cook enough for two or three meals. Then divide up the excess and put in freezer bags and freeze. You'll be happy you did when you save the time later.
• Create a list of 10 meals your family enjoys that take ten minutes or less to prepare. Include meals with ingredients that are easy to store so that you are sure to have everything you need to make these meal quickies at a moments notice.
• Where possible, buy things that are already chopped up. Those little jars of minced garlic last a long time and are soooo convenient. Buy Chopped Chilies and chopped olives rather than chopping them yourself. It can save a great deal of time!

Ummmm, I just thought I'd pop in for a minute and pass on a recipe for British Scones. For anyone who misses the taste of homemade scones here is a recipe so you can have a taste now and again. Nicky at Delicious Days, has shared her recipe for "Very British Scones" if you'd like to drop by and have a look. These are melt in your mouth good.

Don't be afraid to change the dried fruit to some other type and enjoy the different flavors. Serve with butter and jam and your favorite cup of tea and you're all set. Yum!

Actually, the idea for this post came from a question from a young man, out on his own for the first time who had discovered he actually enjoyed puttering about the kitchen and wanted some cooking tips. He had some specific questions about grilling meats but generally wanted to know about cooking.

My first thought was to tell him to get a really good cook book such as The Joy of Cooking and simply start by standing in front of the stove.   But then I thought he does need that book (every kitchen needs that book) but I need to give him a couple of tips to get him started.

So I started with just a couple of little tips and just as I thought I was through I thought of a couple more and before I knew it the list had become quite long.   There are so many little gems you just can't narrow it down to just a few.

So here is a longer than short little list of tips for the kitchen.   I'm sure you have a few yourself you would have added had you been the one making the list.   Feel free to add them at the bottom.    You probably have some I've never heard.

• If you over salt your soup, gravy or sauce put a peeled potato in it and cook for 15 min and it will absorb some of the salt.
• When you're measuring honey, molasses or corn syrup, spray your measuring glass or spoon with nonstick spray first
• How to tell if an egg is still good: Fill a pan with water and put the whole egg in (still in shell). If it floats, it’s bad. If it stays on the bottom it’s still good.
• Use parchment paper for baking. It'll save a lot of burnt cookies.
• To boil eggs, place eggs in cold, salted water and bring to a full rolling boil. Remove pan from heat, cover and let stand for 9 minutes. Rinse the eggs in cold water. The salt will make your eggs easier to peel the eggs.
• Mix a quarter teaspoon of sugar in a cup full of water, then pour over your frozen vegetables just before steaming and it’ll make them taste fresh.
• Always use tongs to turn the meat when barbecuing. A fork will punch holes in the flesh and allow the natural juices to escape along with the flavor, leaving the meat dry and chewy.
• To marinate meat, put sauce and meat in a plastic bag and leave overnight in the refrigerator.
• Add cold water to hamburger meat before grilling for a juicer hamburger (1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).
• Let raw potatoes sit in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of your french-fried potatoes.
• Do not use metal bowls, forks or spoons when mixing salads. Only use wood, glass or china.
• When cooking any kind of strawberry dessert, add a splash of aged Balsamic vinegar to the recipe to enhance the flavor of the strawberries.
• Wet your knife before cutting a boiled egg to make a clean slice.
• Microwave a lemon for 15 seconds and double the juice you get before squeezing.
• Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off.
• The best way to store fresh celery is to wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator--it will keep for weeks.
• A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of corn to remove corn silk.
• Dip your bacon in cold water just before frying and it won't curl up.
• Before cooking noodles, spaghetti and other starches rub the inside of the pan with vegetable oil and they won't boil over.
• To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
• When separating eggs, break them into a funnel. The whites will go through leaving the yolk intact in the funnel.
• Make your own celery flakes. Just cut and wash the leaves off your celery stalks then dry them in the oven at about 150 ° until thoroughly dry. Crumble and store in an old spice container.
• Here's a link with grilling times for your meat.
• Have 2 separate cutting boards. One for meats and one for vegetables.
• This one is not really about cooking, but it has to do with the kitchen - when the disposal starts to smell, toss some lemon rinds.
• To slice meat into thin strips - partially freeze and it will slice nicely.
• To cut up onions, place in the freezer for 15 minutes before you begin and there will be no tears.
• A jar lid in the bottom half of a double-boiler will rattle when the water gets low and warn you to add more before the pan scorches.
• Add a little lemon and lime to tuna to add zest and flavor to tuna sandwiches.
• Never brown just one pound of hamburger, always brown two, and put half in a freezer bag an freeze to use at a later date when you're in a rush.
• Marshmallows won't dry out when frozen.
• Poke a hole in the middle of the hamburger patties while shaping them. The burgers will cook faster and the holes will disappear when done.
• For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water. To add extra flavor and nutrition, cook it in liquid from cooking vegetables.
• When picking a melon, smell it for freshness and ripeness. (It should smell like the fruit it is) Check to see that the fruit is heavy in weight and that the spot on the end where it has been plucked from the vine is soft.
• If a recipe calls for 1 cup sour cream, you may substitute 2/3 cup cottage cheese blended until smooth with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/3 cup buttermilk.
• To remove egg shells from batter (I hate when this happens), use the remaining shell to attract the piece.
• Keep your popcorn fresh by storing it in the freezer.
• Now this one is devious. If you're passing off take-out as your own cooking or are warming prepared food for guest, throw some onions on to saute and your kitchen will smell wonderful and homey. (Put on a pot of coffee as well and you'll have them drooling.)
• When using rice, keep in mind that 1 cup of uncooked long-grain white rice makes 3 cups cooked.
• Marinate red meats in wine to tenderize and chicken in buttermilk.
• A simple way to sharpen kitchen shears: cut a piece of steel wool.

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One reader wrote, 'We just bought a house and discovered that there is old asbestos tile under the linoleum in the kitchen. We were planning on putting in hardwood. Is it expensive to remove the asbestos tile? It's not a large kitchen - it's 9' x 10'. I realize you can't give me an exact cost, I'm just wondering what ballpark we're talking about.'

There really isn't a simple answer to your question.   It is difficult to say without knowing what state you live in.  Some states like New Jersey, New York and California have very strict and complicated rules that will add to the cost of removal.

Also part of the cost of removal is the cost of disposal. You can’t just bag this stuff and leave at the curbside on trash day. In New Jersey it can lead to a $10,000 fine and even jail time.

Now for the good news, if you are dealing with just asbestos - vinyl floor tiles, they are not as dangerous as asbestos pipe insulation or plaster with asbestos in it. The asbestos fibers are locked into the vinyl and unless cut with saw or smashed up, the tiles pose a very small health risk.

My first question is how do you know the tile have asbestos in them? Where the tiles tested in a certified lab? I ask because if the tiles really don’t have asbestos in them -then you don’t have a problem.

If your kitchen is in New Jersey, New York or California, then its probably going to cost between 3 & 7 thousand dollars to remove and dispose of the tiles.  But each job will have its own special circumstances and all of the removal companies are private contractors in a business where the demand out weighs the service providers.   So like any other business, they can charge what the market will bear.  And so it will probably be expensive.

Maybe you should start by calling your state department of health.   Many states will give a list of approved contractors for asbestos removal and they should be able to provide you with information on your state’s laws regarding asbestos.   Though some states have almost no rules at all, most will.

What ever you do, keep records of what happened just in case any questions should arise in the future or if you should sell your house.

Also see if your state allows you to sue the former owner of the house for the cost of removal.  Some states demand the seller of a home has to have an inspection and a certification that the home they are selling is free of environmental hazards like asbestos and lead paint.   But again it depends on what state you are in and the terms spelled out in your agreement of sale when you bought the house.

An online friend who knows quite a bit about Feng Shui decided I have “Fire in Heaven’s Gate”, and had a few suggestions for me.

She said using a lot of Earth as in granite, pottery ceramic vases, stones, in the kitchen as well as earth tone colors such as yellow , tan and ochre would be wise.  Fire ‘burns’ the metal of the NW and will affect the career, money and benefactors for the head of the household.  The earth element will weaken the fire element and nourish the metal element of the NW.  Strengthen the area for the patriarch with a metal statue of a man. Also place some yin water near the stove. That could be still water in a shallow bowl with a wide mouth. The water will extinguish some of the fire energy.

Your situation may not be as bad as you think.  Fire is good for the flying star 8 and that may be in your NW if that is the case , it will outweigh your neg affects of the Fire at Heaven’s Gate.  Also imagine you are blessing your family with a nourishing meal everytime you use your stove.

At present I'm thinking of painting the cabinets (cant afford to replace them right now) and want to paint my kitchen a dark brown/cafe color. Any suggestions. My Living area is burnt orange and the dining room is white. I want to paint the dining room too. The dining room is situated between the kitchen and living room; so, I need the colors to flow smoothly between the three rooms. The floor in the living and dining rooms is light color wood. '

Well there are so many ways you could go here. First and foremost a semi-gloss paint - whatever the color would be best. Grays and taupe would go well with the back splash and tie the room together. But those two colors don't necessarily reflect your choice taste. Remember the people from ‘House Beautiful’, ‘Better Homes” and whatever don’t have to live in your house. Go with what you like.

A nice coffee color in the kitchen would go well with the burnt orange and white. But the size of the room and the amount of natural light will be huge considerations when making your choice. Warm colors will tend to make a room look smaller and more cosy and cool colors will make the room look larger but less friendly. Light colors are more cheery while dark colors are more sedate and sometimes even depressing. Are there lots of windows? You may want to bring the outdoors indoors and use earth tones which would also tie in with the living room.

Go to your local home improvement or paint store and get paint swatches that are the same colors as the rooms that you are already happy with. Hold them together and compare them to other swatches that you like. This will give you an idea of how these colors will look near each other. The dark brown sounds nice, but try it out next to the others first. Another option is to buy several poster boards (they’re cheap) and paint them the colors that you are considering. Hang them in your kitchen one at a time for a few days and see how the colors look in the actual area that you are wanting to paint.

I love tilapia and almond crusted tilapia is just plan yummy. Here is the best of both worlds. Something good to eat and someone to show you how to make it.

For a list of the ingredients click Almond Crusted Tilapia Recipe.