Temperature

Crisp & Fresh Lettuce Storage Tips

You’re hungry and you know there’s something you’re craving. Ah a salad is what you want. You run to the fridge, open the vegetable crisper only to find the lettuce you bought 2 days ago is brown and mushy. Ever happen to you? It happens more often than not.

Here are a few storage tips to make sure you have crisp, fresh lettuce when that craving strikes.

Lettuce is not cheap. When it’s not stored correctly we find ourselves tossing it in the trash more often then we care to admit. Lettuce can be purchased in a bag or by the head. Either way, if not stored properly lettuce can, and will, go bad in a very little amount of time.

One way to preserve your lettuce until salad time is to buy a fresh head of lettuce. Lettuce that is in a sealed bag can turn brown faster. It has already been handled, chopped or cut by a metal object and then sealed in the bag. Often times when a bag of lettuce is purchased you can already see the edges beginning to brown before it’s even made it off the shelf.

Grocery stores mist their vegetables to keep them hydrated. Of course we can’t do this at home and when it comes to lettuce you are better off if it’s stored dry. Always rinse lettuce before storing, but use a paper towel to dry the lettuce leaves before placing them in the proper container.

Store your lettuce in a dry, sealable, plastic bag. Condensation with gather on the inside of the bag even though the lettuce has been dried so line the bag with paper towel before adding the dry lettuce. This will keep a head of lettuce fresh for about a week.

If your refrigerator has a crisper tray, keep your lettuce stored there. Keep the temperature of the refrigerator in the middle of your temperature scale and if you have a humidity setting you can adjust, keep it set on low. The more humidity inside your refrigerator, the better chance of the lettuce leaves acquiring moisture. If the temperature is too high you take a risk of freezing the moisture on the leaves causing them to become translucent and mushy.

Always store your salad fixings in separate containers. The moisture or juices from vegetables and dressings will cause lettuce leaves to wilt. There’s nothing worse than craving a salad only to find your lettuce has turned brown and nasty when you open the container. Not only does it make the lettuce less appealing, but the veggies probably aren’t in that great of shape either thanks to the turning of the lettuce.

By storing your lettuce properly you can have a fresh made salad anytime you wish. There’s nothing like a good, healthy salad. Go ahead and buy that head of lettuce today and feed your craving whenever the urge strikes, not whenever you’re lettuce feels up to it.

Temperature

Arctic Pickles

What You Need:

 

6 cucumbers, sliced thin

1 lg red onion, sliced thin

2 T salt

1 C white vinegar

3/4 C sugar

Freezer containers

 

How to Make It:

 

Place the cucumbers and
onions together in a large mixing bowl,

Add the salt.

Fold all together.

Let stand 2 hours at room
temperature.

After the 2 hours, rinse the
cucumbers and onion in cool water.

Drain them well.

Place them in the freezer
containers.

Mix the vinegar and sugar
together until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Pour the mixture over the
cucumbers and onions.

Freeze for at least 3 weeks
before eating. 

When ready to eat thaw in
the refrigerator overnight or run under cold water if you want to thaw faster.

Temperature

Holiday Baking: Time-Saving Tips and More.

There is nothing better than the sweet smell and delicious flavor of fresh homemade pies, cakes, and cookies…especially during the holidays.

Baking for the holidays should be both rewarding and fun. Get your kids involved. Have them go with you when purchasing the ingredients…make a day out of it and go for lunch. It will make the day more meaningful and also will get your children interested in actually helping to prepare your family favorite treats.

You can always take the easy way out and purchase Mrs. Smith or Sara Lee ready-made desserts. But of course, it’s just not the same as made from scratch and certainly not as much fun. If you’re like me…you want everything festive, special, and homemade. The aroma of homemade delights baking in the house gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

There are a lot of helpful tips to sweeten your holiday baking experience. And with the added tasks of gift buying, decorating, and planning your holiday events, some useful tips will come in handy…especially if it saves you some time in the kitchen.

Below are a few time-saving baking tips

Unfrosted cakes can be frozen for up to 4 months, but no longer. To freeze layered cakes, place the cooled layers on baking sheets, and then freeze until firm. Transport the layers to large freezer bags and then seal them in freezer wrap.

Angel food and chiffon cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. The fragile sponge-texture may crumble and deteriorate if stored in freezer longer. Loosen wrap and thaw cakes at room temperature for 3 hours before frosting and serving.

Homemade fruit pies can be frozen for up to 4 months. For baked pies…let them cool completely. Store them in freezer bags and then seal them in freezer wrap. Thaw them at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

For unbaked pies…it is best not to cut slits in the crust tops or brush with egg white until thawing. Before assembling pies, treat light-color fruit with ascorbic acid color-keeper. Assemble pies in metal pans. Store in large freezing bag and then seal them in freezer wrap.

To bake a frozen pie…unwrap, and cover with foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 55 to 60 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Cookie dough can also freeze well for 4 to 5 weeks. For sugar and butter cookies…divide dough into small sections and form into logs. Double wrap the logs with plastic wrap. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, slice the dough log in 1/4 inch slices with a sharp knife. An electric knife works really well for this.

For drop cookie dough…here is a great idea. And remember, you can do this 4 to 5 weeks ahead of time. Roll spoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on cookie sheets lined with waxed paper and put the sheets in the freezer for about an hour. Then place the dough balls into a large resealable freezer bag. When ready to use, you can then bake the frozen dough balls at the normal temperature without thawing. Just make for sure you add just a few minutes to the baking time.

Important Note: Always make for sure you label everything before storing in the freezer.

Some helpful reminder baking tips

Frozen Desserts: To make serving frozen desserts easier, dip knife in warm water before slicing

Cookie Tip: Allow cookie sheets to cool slightly between baking each batch to preven cookies from flattening and not hold shape.

Glass Baking Pans: For best results, when using glass baking pans, always reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Golden Crust: Give partially baked pies a golden crust by brushing the edges with a lightly beaten egg white.

Pumpkin Pie Tip: For real homemade pumpkin pies, picking the right sized pumpkin is important. A 6 pound pumpkin makes about 2 cups pulp. A 15-ounce can of pumpkin equals approximately 1 and 3/4 cups pulp.

Crust Tip: Too much flour or water will make a crust tough, while too much shortening will make it too crumbly.

Cinnamon Sticks: They just have a pleasant aroma and can also infuse festive holiday treats with appealing taste. For a spiced drink, simmer with cider. A cinnamon stick can also be used as a stirrer for hot cocoa, coffee…or any of your favorite drinks.

Just a few simple tips such as these can ease the stress a bit from the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Joy and peace to you this holiday season!

Article Written By: Tammy Embrich

Tammy owns and operates two work at home websites, a work at home forum, a recipe site and three blogs.

She offers free work at home job leads for the job seeker, business work at home articles, tips, and more. You can visit Tammy at Work At Home Jobs and Cookin At Home.

Temperature

Afforable Easy to Make Holiday Recipes

This is just a small sampling of all the great easy to make recipes we have in our new Holiday Cookbook 2008 you can learn more about this book by clicking here

<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Trebuchet MS”; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

Hearty Pumpkin Soup Recipe

5 T. butter, softened
1 T. brown sugar
4 slices whole wheat bread
1 C. chopped onion
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 t. salt
a pinch each of ginger, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon
1 C. heavy whipping cream

Combine 3 tablespoons of the butter, along with the brown sugar; spread evenly over bread. Place bread, buttered side up, on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F. 8-10 minutes until bread is crisp and butter is bubbly; cut into squares for croutons and set aside.

Saute onion in remaining butter in a large saucepan. Add remaining ingredients – except cream – mixing well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and cook 15-20 minutes. Add cream and heat through.

<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Trebuchet MS”; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

Coffee Cookie Recipe

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese
1 C. plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 dozen chocolate kisses
1 large egg
2 t. instant coffee powder
2 t. cocoa
1/2 C. sugar

In a small bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese. Beat in flour, a little at a time, until completely incorporated. Cover and chill dough about 1 hour, until firm and easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and press into mini-muffin pans, making sure dough goes up the sides of each depression. Place a chocolate kiss in each depression. Set oven rack to upper middle level and preheat oven to 325°F.

In another small bowl, beat together the egg, coffee powder, cocoa and sugar. Spooning over each kiss, divide mixture evenly among prepared pans. Bake coffee cups on upper middle rack at 325°F. for 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly puffed and golden. Cool slightly in pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Trebuchet MS”; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

Fruit Cake

3 cups of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3/4 cup of shortening
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup of brandy
1 pound of candied fruit, diced
1 cup of whole glace cherries
1 cup of light raisins
1 cup of broken walnuts

Sift flour with salt, soda, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cream shortening, honey and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Stir in brandy, fruits and nuts.

Gradually add dry ingredients. Beat well with a spoon until well blended. Spoon into a greased and floured 9 inch tubepan.

Bake in a 300ºF. oven for 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove to rack to finish cooling. wrap in foil and store to ripen. Once a week, open foil and sprinkle thoroughly with more brandy, Just before serving, brush with glaze and decorate with candied fruits.

Fruit Cake Glaze

2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of light corn syrup
2 tablespoons of water

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cool before using.