Kitchen Tips From a Pro

Chef Paula Deen's newest book "Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible" contains not just recipes, but how-to tips, many of which I found interesting.

Going to serve crabmeat? Spread it out thinly on a cookie sheet and put into a 200 degree oven for three minutes -- any bits of shell still in the meat will turn red which makes it much easier to pick them out.

This is not such a great idea -- she cooks bacon in a deep-fat fryer!

She recommends that you not cut out biscuits with a glass juice glass. She says that the blunt edge of the glass will compress your biscuit sides and keep them from rising. A clean tin can will work fine.

If you don't happen to have a deviled egg dish, just cut a tiny slice off of the back side of the egg and put them on the plate.

Pepper jelly - you don't know how hot or, usually, how NOT hot it will be. If you get a dud, just mix in some hot sauce such as Tabasco and mix it into the jar.

When she serves taco chips with a dip, she warms the chips on a cookie sheet at 350 just long enough to warm them up.

She recommends this as a party treat.

DR. PEPPER PECANS
1 cup Dr. Pepper
2 T butter
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil.
Bring the butter and Dr. Pepper to the boil on the stove top. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half, stir in the pecans and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer the pecans and sauce to the cookie sheet, spreading them out and bake for about 10 minutes. Don't forget to flip them every now and then. You're dealing with a lot of sugar...