Low-Budget Hollywood Secrets: Part One

To give our rental apartment kitchen a more custom, high-end look for the on camera cooking demos, artist Craig Edwards created a piece of art in photoshop that resembled off-white porcelain subway tiles with a small glass mosaic tile inlay. The art was created to fit the backsplash area of our kitchen, and set up to repeat in a tiling manner horizontally. We printed out eight identical 11"x17" sheets at Kinko's for a grand total of about $10 and stuck them on the wall with doublestick tape. Voila! Instant custom tile backsplash that looks indistinguishable from the real thing on camera, even in HD, and at a fraction of the time and cost of the real thing.

Simple Serrano Pepper Quick Pickle

These spicy little gems take practically no time to make and are great to have in the fridge to top pizzas or throw on a sandwich. Serrano Peppers are similar to Jalapeño Peppers in flavor and appearance, but are a bit smaller in size, with more heat than jalapenos. They are widely available; consult your grocer or seek out the local ethnic market if you have trouble finding them.

• Leftover brine from a jar of Pickled Jalapeños (and/or...)
• Leftover brine from a jar of Peproncinis (and/or...)
• Leftover brine from a jar of Dill Pickles
• Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
• Clean Jar with a tight fitting lid
• 10-20 fresh serrano peppers (enough to fill the jar after slicing)

1. Prepare a jar with a tight-fitting lid by washing it thoroughly with soap and very hot water, then letting it air dry.
2. Slice the serrano peppers into discs about 1/8" thick, discarding the inedible tops.
3. Pack the slices into the jar and then knock the jar on the counter a few times to encourage the peppers to settle.
4. Combine the brines in a small pot over medium heat. Top off with rice wine vinegar. You want enough brine to cover the peppers in the jar.
5. Bring just to a boil and the remove from the heat. Pour immediately over the peppers in the jar.
6. Let cool to room temperature, then lid tightly and refrigerate.

These last as long in the fridge as long as I've ever been able to hang onto them (weeks? months?). They are a great and inexpensive alternative to often bland commercial pickled jalapeños, are naturally fat free and loaded with Vitamin C.