Archive Category: 'Food'

• Tip: Freeze Bananas (Plus Banana Bread Recipe): Can you freeze bananas? You bet! Once a fresh banana is too ripe to eat don’t throw it out, you can freeze it in a number of ways: strong>How To Freeze Bananas Peel the banana and place it whole in a freezer bag Leave the peel on and freeze in a freezer bag Mash a ripe banana and place [...]
• Quick & Easy Recipe For Rasberry Butter: Ingredients: 1 pound butter (unsalted) 1 cup raspberry jam Directions: Set butter on counter until at room temperature. Then blend jam and butter until it’s well mixed. Seal in an airtight container and store in refrigerator. Optional: You can also blend in mashed, fresh raspberries to the above recipe Alternative Preparation: First melt the butter over low heat, mix in raspberries [...]
• How To Skin Tomatoes: Some recipes call for first removing the skin from tomatoes. Sounds a bit messy and may be intimidating for the less experienced cook, but the process is really quite simple. Skinning tomatoes is common for sauce recipes and the reason you want to peel the skin off a tomato first is to avoid having strings [...]
• Ice Cube Ideas for Punch & Recipes: Here’s a great tip when preparing your favorite punch recipe: Prepare punch as recipe instructs, then ladle the liquid into each section of a muffin tin. Freeze, then add to rest of punch just before serving. The thick round ice blocks won’t melt as quickly since they’re larger than regular ice cubes, plus the added benefit of [...]
• Freezing Bell Peppers: If you have part of a bell pepper left over from a recipe and no other immediate use for it, just slice it into strips or dice (whichever you prefer), seal in a freezer bag and freeze. You can also freeze whole bell peppers: Simply wash well, slice off the top and remove seeds and membrane. I [...]
• Easy Frozen Yogurt: Tips: Did you know that you can freeze yogurt? Buy whatever’s on sale, mix it up well to distribute the fruit (or add your own if you like–1 cup mashed or chopped fruit per quart yogurt), then freeze and serve as a frozen treat. This is pretty much the only way I’ll eat yogurt. You can also [...]
• Quick Tip: Make Ahead Fresh Herbs & Butter: Here’s a tip for leftover fresh herbs: Make herb butter and freeze for use later. Herbed butter is lovely on breads, pastas, potatoes, vegetables, you name it. Directions: Chop the herbs fine & mix well into butter (first let soften at room temperature). Chill for a few hours then slice the butter into pats or shape into balls (melon [...]
• How To Microwave Fresh Corn on the Cob: Cooking times will vary due to cob size, amount of corn cobs cooked at the same time, microwave type and personal taste/preference, experiment a bit to see what works best for you. Tip: Try adding salad herbs or chopped chives to the corn when preparing, or make a separate dish with melted butter and chives to brush [...]
• Why a Cake Fails: Humped Cake The oven was too hot when baking started Too much flour used Dark Bottom Pan too deep or too large, keeps top from browning Dark pans absorb too much heat, place on higher oven rack (same with pyrex) Pan was warped which caused uneven browning Cracked Cake Temperature too high Too much flour Too much baking powder Fallen Cake Temperature too low Peeked while baking Removed from [...]
• Quicky & Easy Roasted Almonds (Microwave): Recipe #1: 1 cup almonds 1 tsp butter (melted) Directions: Toss almonds in the melted butter to evenly coat, microwave for 2 minutes. Cool, then eat. Recipe #2 Almonds Vegetable oil Directions: Lightly coat almonds with oil and arrange on a plate (single layer). Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir almonds, sit for a minute and microwave again until almonds are golden brown (approximately 2 [...]
• How To Make Deviled Eggs: Fill deviled eggs easily with this tip: Prepare the deviled egg mixture according to your favorite recipe. Place mixture in a ziploc bag, snip off a small corner and squeeze filling into hollowed egg whites. No mess and fills the egg nicely! For a decorative deviled egg: Use a pastry bag with a nozzle to get [...]
• How to Dry Herbs With a Microwave: Cooking with fresh herbs is nice, but most times we grow or buy more than we can use. Drying the extra is a great way to save money as well as ensure that we always have good quality cooking herbs on hand. Here’s a quick & easy method to drying them in the microwave if you [...]
• Easy Candied Ginger Recipe + Storage Tips: Candied Ginger Recipe – Easy Slowcooker Method 1 lb fresh ginger 2 cups water 2 cups sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup sugar for coating Peel ginger and slice into 1/4″ thick pieces. In the slowcooker pour water, corn syrup and 2 cups of sugar–heat on high until sugar is dissolved. Add ginger bits, stir well, and reduce heat to low. Simmer in [...]
• 5 Homemade Garlic Syrup Recipes: Garlic is eaten regularly by many for a variety of reasons, they believe garlic helps reduce cholesterol, fights coughs, colds and infections, ridding worms (!), calms the hysterical, cancer prevention, asthma treatments and respiratory ailments, vampire protection as well as develops courage if you’re a Roman Gladiator (hehe). And many more. Instead of eating raw [...]
• Homemade Croutons: How To: Frugal tip: Don’t toss out your bread once it’s no longer fresh, homemade croutons are yummy! Here’s a quick and easy method to make them: Homemade Croutons Cut bread into large cubes Crush garlic and mix with olive oil, brush on bread cubes (or put bread cubes in a bowl and toss with oil until evenly coated) Brown in [...]
• How To Clean Mushrooms: Washing fresh mushrooms can add water to the dish you’re cooking, and depending on the dish you’re preparing–you may not appreciate the extra liquid. Here are a few tips for cleaning fresh mushrooms: Briefly rinse mushrooms in water then lay them out on a towel for a few hours so the mushrooms have time to release [...]
• How to Clarify Butter: Sounds a bit intimidating for those of us that aren’t gourmet chefs or fancy cooks, but cooking with clarified butter is a great habit to get into if you fry or saute dishes, it doesn’t brown quickly like regular butter can. Clarified butter is melted butter fat with the milk solids and water removed. This [...]
• Darken Gravy Tricks & Gravy Enhancer Recipes: How to Darken Gravy: Last minute “in a pinch” fixes… Instant Coffee Granules Soy Sauce Dark Molasses Cocoa Worcestershire Sauce Gravy Enhancers like Kitchen Bouquet, Gravy Master Recipes for Prepare Ahead Homemade Gravy Enhancers: Kitchen Bouquet Copycat Recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 cups water Directions: Cook brown sugar slowly in a pan on stovetop till it burns, stir slowly throughout entire cooking process. Once the brown sugar turns [...]
• Homemade Orange Extract Recipe: Orange Extract Recipe 1/2 navel orange (large) 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup vodka Peel the half of navel orange and remove all white pith from the peel Dice the orange peel rougly Combine water, vodka and orange peel in a sterilized glass canning jar Cover and store in a cool, dark place to steep (for 3 to 5 days before using) Can be [...]
• Homemade Lemon Extract Recipes: Recipe #1 1 lemon 1/2 cup vodka 1/2 cup water Peel lemon removing all of the white pith from the peel Dice the lemon peel finely Combine vodka, water and peel into a large glass jar, seal Store for 5 days before using Recipe #2 1 large lemon 1/2 cup vodka Peel lemon making sure the peel has no white pith on it Chop peel roughly Add [...]
• How To Make Your Own Brown Sugar: Here are some recipes and tips for making your own brown sugar, perfect to use when you’re in a pinch or you may find you want to use it all the time rather than store bought. Mix ingredients together well with a fork or with your hands. Store in an airtight container or sealed plastic [...]
• Lavender Vinegar Recipes: Lavender is a wonderfully fragrant herb that can be used in cooking. When combined with vinegar, it can also be used for cleaning. Looks pretty and smells nice! See tips below for preparation and uses of lavender vinegar. Lavender Vinegar Recipe Handful of Lavender flowers 1 Pint White Vinegar Combine lavender and vinegar, seal and let sit for 6 weeks [...]
• Homemade Lavender Sugar Recipes: Once you have prepared the Lavendar Sugar, each of the recipes below need to be kept in an airtight container, stored in a dark place and left sealed for about 2 weeks. Mix well again and use as needed. The sugar is good to use for up to one year. When using loose lavender (rather than [...]
• Homemade Lemon Sugar Recipes: Store the Lemon Sugar in an airtight container and refrigerate. Can be used for several months. There is also an Orange Sugar recipe at the bottom. Recipe #1 3 Lemons 2 Cups Sugar Remove the zest from the lemons using a citrus zester. Roughly chop lemon zest. In a food processor, add 1 cup of the sugar and all [...]
• Homemade Vanilla Sugar Recipes: Following are three recipes to try for Vanilla Sugar. They each require storing the sugar in an airtight container, placed in a dark cupboard, and occasionally shaking or mixing the sugar. Wait two weeks before using. The vanilla sugar is good to use for up to one year. Vanilla Sugar Recipes Recipe #1: 1 Tahitian Vanilla Bean 1 1/1 cups sugar Split [...]