"You do the hokey-pokey and you shake it all around--- that's what it's all about!" Who danced to this wearing roller-skates? If you are going to shake it all around in your kitchen, by all means turn up the music (probably skip the wheeled shoes, though; no doubt bruises today would take longer to heal than when you and I were 12). Cooking smarter is a mantra with me, and every time I add in a shortcut, skip a long process (without compromising the final result) or learn another bake-ahead, freeze-ahead trick, it is all I can do not to dance the post-touchdown dance.

I do the hokey pokey when I avoid cleaning up extra dishes or blenders, and skip the extra time to 'slowly add oil,' when I make salad dressing. I am a sucker for making my own dressing, and for streamlining the process. And I do shake it all around: literally. I pour all ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake it like mad. (Usually I use a jar that I previously used for canning; the little disk that once sealed a jar can be re-used for making dressing. It doesn't need to seal it for pantry storage, just for shaking and storing in the fridge). My typical oil and vinegar dressing lasts a week in the fridge:

Balsamic Vinaigrette 2/3 cup olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the handy, quick garlic press) 2 T minced fresh herbs OR 1 T dried italian herbs 1 tsp dijon mustard 2 T either balsamic, port or sherry vinegar

Place all in jar, screw on top, shake it all around. Music is optional, but encouraged.

Want more on jars? Find jar uses and re-uses, read books on jars, or buy your own jars.