I was blog hopping this morning and found this great tip on storing tomatoes! I was amazed and thought I just had to share!! I can't wait to try it.
The Ups and Downs of Tomatoes
This information came from Cooks Magazine. Did you know that storing a tomato with it's stem side down prolongs it's shelf life? The magazine did a test by placing tomatoes on a counter and after one week, the stem side down tomato was still in perfect condition while the stem up side was shriveled and starting to mold. The conclusion was the stem allows moisture to escape and bacteria to enter, so placing the stem side down blocks this. They confirmed the test by covering the stems and leaving them up for one week, and the tomatoes stayed fresh.
They also have great information on sprouting all sorts of things, and lots of resources to visit on their side bar, might be a fun site to visit, I know I will!
Showing posts with label Cooking: Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking: Tips. Show all posts
Friday, July 17
Thursday, July 16
Zucchini Bread
I picked several more zucchini from my garden and received some more from our ward garden. I grated it all up and measured out 12 very generous cups of grated zucchini. I bag and freeze (it freezes very well) my grated zucchini in 4 or 5 cup amounts so it's ready right 
from the bag for one of our summer favorites...
Zucchini Bread!!
from the bag for one of our summer favorites...Zucchini Bread!!
3 eggs
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup oil (I use Canola)
2 C grated zucchini
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Cups sifted flour
Grease & flour bread pans, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs: add sugar, oil, zucchini, & vanilla, mix well. In separate bowl add all dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture 
until well blended. ( I don't use a separate bowl, I just dump the dry ingredients one at a time into my Bosch doing the flour last.) Batter will be runny. Pour into pans (it should fill the pan about 3/4 full) and bake for 1 hour.
until well blended. ( I don't use a separate bowl, I just dump the dry ingredients one at a time into my Bosch doing the flour last.) Batter will be runny. Pour into pans (it should fill the pan about 3/4 full) and bake for 1 hour. Makes 2 loaves. I usually double, because 2 loaves is never enough!!
*I will often add more than the 2 cups (4 cups if doubled). I just grate up what I have then measure out the 4 cups, if there's left over, I just even it out to all the bags. This time I probably ended up with closer to 5 cups. I guess I should date those bags, huh!
*I ran out of white flour in the kitchen and didn't feel like going downstairs to the storage room to get some more so I used some wheat flour in the recipe. I put about 1 3/4 cups in the 6 cup total. We couldn't tell a difference! I think next time I'll try half and half!
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, June 9
Meat Tenderizing
There are three main ways to tenderize your meat: mechanically, chemically and time with moisture.
Mechanically tenderizing is when you cut, pound or grind the meat. This breaks down the elastin in the meat; examples include hamburger, cubed steak, pounding with a meat mallet, and slicing across the grain (this one shortens the elastin).
Chemical tenderizing is when you add an enzyme substance (liquid, powder, etc.) that break down the elastin. Some of these enzymes include; marinades, and commercial tenderizing products containing papaya and pineapple.
The last tenderizing technique is when you cook the meat at a relatively low temperature for a long period of time with moisture. This one is probably the most common and includes: braising, simmering or poaching.
You can use a combination of two or all three if the meat is fairly tough.
Mechanically tenderizing is when you cut, pound or grind the meat. This breaks down the elastin in the meat; examples include hamburger, cubed steak, pounding with a meat mallet, and slicing across the grain (this one shortens the elastin).
Chemical tenderizing is when you add an enzyme substance (liquid, powder, etc.) that break down the elastin. Some of these enzymes include; marinades, and commercial tenderizing products containing papaya and pineapple.
The last tenderizing technique is when you cook the meat at a relatively low temperature for a long period of time with moisture. This one is probably the most common and includes: braising, simmering or poaching.
You can use a combination of two or all three if the meat is fairly tough.
Sunday, June 7
Great Yogurt Tip!
Another great tip from Deals to Meals Blog, I just had to share!
"A fellow blog reader emailed me this great tip I wanted to pass on to you...
"When yogurt is on sale, but you can’t eat it fast enough before it goes bad, you can freeze it! Just in it’s same container! Then, you pull it out and have frozen yogurt or thaw it out and the texture is exactly the same. You can also pour the yogurt into popsicle trays and make frozen yogurt bars, YUMMMY."~Amy
Thanks for the great tip! This sounds like a great low-fat summer snack! "
Forgive me for copying, I just thought what a GREAT TIP!! I can't wait to try it!!
Wednesday, May 13
Bean Flour?
We don't eat too much in the way of beans. We like chili and pork & beans, mostly. But I was concerned about storing beans and not using them. How do I get my family to eat more beans???? Last night we had Pork & Bean Sandwiches, turned out pretty good.
Recently I read an article about how to get our family to eat more beans. It's an article from the old Emergency Essentials site. I just went on their new site and wasn't able to access it anymore, so I guess I'll type it here. Good stuff!!
Do your beans take FOREVER to cook? Do your old beans refuse to soften even when cooked all day? Do YOU refuse to cook them because they just take TOO LONG?? Or, does your FAMILY refuse to eat beans, so there's no sense in even trying to cook them???
AN EASY SOLUTION - Bean Flour! Dry beans ground to a flour in an ordinary wheat mill or grinder can be turned into fantastically delicious fat-free soups, gravies and sauces in only 3 minutes! Nutritious, almost instant cream soups, made without fat or dairy products can be served hot or cold, summer or winter. Bean flour can be added to any recipe calling for wheat flour. (Replace up to 1/4 of the total amount of wheat flour with bean flour.) The best part is that no one will ever know they're eating beans!
Super nutrition can be added to any commercial dry mix (cakes, cookies, muffins, breads) by adding a few tablespoons of bean flour to the dry ingredients, then adding extra liquid as necessary. combining bean and wheat flours also helps form a complete protein for those cutting out or down on meat.
To make using bean flour easy and convenient, grind any one of a variety of beans to a fine flour. If necessary, stir beans as they go into the grinder to prevent hangups. (I put my grinder on the coarsest setting and it ground them beautifully fine!) Lima beans or other large beans will have to be cracked first, using a hand grain grinder or a strong blender. I most often use small white or navy, pinto, small red, black, garbanzo, green or yellow peas and lentils to make soups, sauces, gravies, casseroles, breads, dips and desserts. "Safe" shelf life for bean flour is 4 - 5 months, but I like to keep the flour fresh in the refrigerator or freezer.
I've personally added white bean flour to some of my bread recipes (Jennie's half white, half wheat bread & my french bread) and we can't tell a difference! It's pretty yummy!
They have a Cream of Chicken soup recipe with this bean flour, I haven't tried it yet, but here it is...
3 minute "Cream of Chicken" Soup
3 C. boiling water
1 Tbs chicken bouillon or soup base
1/2 C. fine white bean flour
1 C. diced chicken pieces (opt)
In a saucepan over med heat, whisk bean flour in boiling water and flavoring. Stir and cook 3 minutes. Blend 1 minute for a "souper" creamy texture. Add chicken, if used. Serves 2-3. (For vegetarians, use vegetable bouillon, or "chicken" flavored soup mix in place of chicken bouillon.) This soup can be used as a gravy that not only tastes good, but it good for you because it is fat free! For those who use milk, you can use one-half milk or add about 1/4 cup evaporated milk to cooked soup. Non-dairy creamer may also be added (about 1/4 cup). Great for gravy or cream sauce.
This soup is also excellent with pasta and/or up to 1 1/2 cups cooked potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, etc. Use 1 cup more water (4 cups total and cook veggies until tender, then whisk in bean flour and cook 2 minutes after soup thickens.
copyright to this article is 8/13/2001 Emergency Essentials (italics are quoted exactly from article non italics are my additions.)
Recently I read an article about how to get our family to eat more beans. It's an article from the old Emergency Essentials site. I just went on their new site and wasn't able to access it anymore, so I guess I'll type it here. Good stuff!!
Why Grind Beans to a Flour????
Do your beans take FOREVER to cook? Do your old beans refuse to soften even when cooked all day? Do YOU refuse to cook them because they just take TOO LONG?? Or, does your FAMILY refuse to eat beans, so there's no sense in even trying to cook them???
AN EASY SOLUTION - Bean Flour! Dry beans ground to a flour in an ordinary wheat mill or grinder can be turned into fantastically delicious fat-free soups, gravies and sauces in only 3 minutes! Nutritious, almost instant cream soups, made without fat or dairy products can be served hot or cold, summer or winter. Bean flour can be added to any recipe calling for wheat flour. (Replace up to 1/4 of the total amount of wheat flour with bean flour.) The best part is that no one will ever know they're eating beans!
Super nutrition can be added to any commercial dry mix (cakes, cookies, muffins, breads) by adding a few tablespoons of bean flour to the dry ingredients, then adding extra liquid as necessary. combining bean and wheat flours also helps form a complete protein for those cutting out or down on meat.
To make using bean flour easy and convenient, grind any one of a variety of beans to a fine flour. If necessary, stir beans as they go into the grinder to prevent hangups. (I put my grinder on the coarsest setting and it ground them beautifully fine!) Lima beans or other large beans will have to be cracked first, using a hand grain grinder or a strong blender. I most often use small white or navy, pinto, small red, black, garbanzo, green or yellow peas and lentils to make soups, sauces, gravies, casseroles, breads, dips and desserts. "Safe" shelf life for bean flour is 4 - 5 months, but I like to keep the flour fresh in the refrigerator or freezer.
I've personally added white bean flour to some of my bread recipes (Jennie's half white, half wheat bread & my french bread) and we can't tell a difference! It's pretty yummy!
They have a Cream of Chicken soup recipe with this bean flour, I haven't tried it yet, but here it is...
3 minute "Cream of Chicken" Soup
3 C. boiling water
1 Tbs chicken bouillon or soup base
1/2 C. fine white bean flour
1 C. diced chicken pieces (opt)
In a saucepan over med heat, whisk bean flour in boiling water and flavoring. Stir and cook 3 minutes. Blend 1 minute for a "souper" creamy texture. Add chicken, if used. Serves 2-3. (For vegetarians, use vegetable bouillon, or "chicken" flavored soup mix in place of chicken bouillon.) This soup can be used as a gravy that not only tastes good, but it good for you because it is fat free! For those who use milk, you can use one-half milk or add about 1/4 cup evaporated milk to cooked soup. Non-dairy creamer may also be added (about 1/4 cup). Great for gravy or cream sauce.
This soup is also excellent with pasta and/or up to 1 1/2 cups cooked potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, etc. Use 1 cup more water (4 cups total and cook veggies until tender, then whisk in bean flour and cook 2 minutes after soup thickens.
copyright to this article is 8/13/2001 Emergency Essentials (italics are quoted exactly from article non italics are my additions.)
Thursday, March 26
Over Ripe Bananas???
What to do with over ripe Bananas....
Usually we make Banana Bread. But it really wasn't a big hit at our house until I got this recipe from My Food Storage Meals blog that I love to frequent.
The other day I was blog hopping and came across a Great Banana Cookie recipe! It was a big hit at our house! Whoever said that blog hopping was a waste of time? :)
Usually we make Banana Bread. But it really wasn't a big hit at our house until I got this recipe from My Food Storage Meals blog that I love to frequent.
The other day I was blog hopping and came across a Great Banana Cookie recipe! It was a big hit at our house! Whoever said that blog hopping was a waste of time? :)
Tip**If you have over ripe bananas and don't have the time to make bread or cookies, you can peel the bananas and put them in a ziplock, in the freezer! When you are ready...you just pull them out and either microwave them or let them thaw and your good to go!!
Any more ideas??
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