Dried Herbs - From Garden to Jar in Under Five Minutes

I have an abundance of rosemary growing in my herb garden. While I'm glad that it's thriving so well, there's not much that you can do with a lot of it at once, since too much in a dish can be overpowering.

I decided to dry some of it. I found a great video online that demonstrates a quick way to dry herbs.

1. Lay the herbs in a single layer on a paper towel.

2. Cover with another paper towel and microwave for two minutes.

3. After microwaving, the herbs are very dry and brittle. Transfer them to a piece of parchment paper.

After microwaving, the herbs are dry and crush easily.

4. Pull the dried herbs from the stems (they should fall off easily) and crush between you fingers.

The parchment allows easy transfer to a jar.

5. Pick up the ends of the parchment and transfer the dried herbs into a clean, dry container.

6. Store, tightly sealed, in a cool, dark location.

Aw Shucks - A Fast Way to Remove Corn Husks and Silk

Removing the husk and silk from corn can be a pain. The silk never comes completely off, even when you use one of those brushes, and then you're pulling it out of your teeth.

I found this video tip which uses the microwave to create steam between the corn and husk. You then just shake/squeeze the corn and it comes out, silk free. I tried it last night and it worked great! I then grilled the corn, which tasted great slathered with some butter. Try it next time you're going to make some corn!