Freezing Fresh Vegetables

How To Freeze Fresh Vegetables From Your Garden

Every summer season, we plant a large garden in our backyard. As we became more proficient with our gardening skills, the larger our garden grew.

A few years ago, we decided to invest in a large upright freezer so that we could preserve our fresh vegetables for later use. Freezing is the most time efficient way to preserve foods at home. It is important to note that freezing does not improve the quality of foods, but when properly done it can preserve most of the quality of the fresh product.

Here are the steps that you need to take so you can freeze your own vegetables.

1. Choose vegetables that are at their peak of flavor and texture. Avoid any over-mature vegetables or ones that have any type of damage.

2. Wash your vegetables under cold running water. If desired, you can purchase and use a fresh produce rinse to remove dirt, bacteria and pesticide residue that might be on your vegetables. Pat dry.

3. Peel, remove seeds and slice vegetables to the desired size.

4. Blanche vegetables in a large covered stockpot of boiling water. Different vegetables require a different length of blanching time.

Water Blanching Times

Cabbage 3 minutes
Green Peas 2 minutes
Asparagus 2-3 minutes
Beans 2 minutes
Broccoli 2 minutes
Carrots 2-4 minutes
Cauliflower 2 minutes
Celery 2 minutes
Summer Squash 2 minutes
Sweet Peppers 2 minutes
Corn 4 minutes
Eggplant 4 minutes

5. As soon as blanching is complete, cool the vegetables quickly to stop the cooking process. To cool, drain the vegetables in a strainer, and then plunge into a container of ice water. Cool them for the same amount of time as they were blanched. Drain thoroughly, pat dry and freeze up to 9 months in re-useable plastic containers that are made for freezer use.

Shelly Hill and her husband enjoy planting a garden in their backyard every summer. You can find some easy recipes by visiting Shelly’s recipe blog or contact her through her website. Recipe Blog: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com Web: http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30

What You Need To Know About Herbs and Spices

Years ago, I received a nice spice rack and 25 jars of herbs and spices for a wedding gift. I remember sitting there thinking to myself, how am I going to use these? Back then, I was not an educated cook!

Don’t get me wrong, I was appreciative of this great wedding gift. However, I lacked the knowledge that I needed to know about using them.

As a new cook, I thought herbs and spices were the same thing and quickly discovered that they are different. According to Wikipedia, spices are made from a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetable substance and used to add flavor to a food dish or used as a preservative. An herb is made from leafy green plants and used for flavoring purposes.

Here are some great tips that I have learnt over the years.

Using a Mortar and Pestle: Dried herbs, aromatic seeds, garlic cloves and nuts will release more of their flavor when crushed with a mortar and pestle. The mortar is a deep bowl in which ingredients are placed. The tool used for crushing is the pestle. For a uniform grind, crush a small amount at a time. It is important to make sure your mortar bowl is completely clean and dry before using it.

Substitutions: To substitute fresh herbs for dried, use three times more of the fresh herb.

Freezing: You can freeze fresh herbs by washing young tender leaves in several changes of cool water. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Seal small amounts of the leaves into freezer bags, label and freeze.

Shelf Life For Spices

Ground Spices: 2-3 years
Whole Spices: 3-4 years
Seasoning Blends: 1-2 years
Herbs: 1-3 years
Extracts: 4 years, except pure vanilla, which lasts indefinitely

*tip* Here in Pennsylvania, we observe daylight savings time. Every season when we change our clocks, I will take the time out to go through my spice cabinet and remove any outdated products.

How To Properly Store Herbs and Spices

You will want to keep them in a cool, dry, and dark place. A good place would be inside your pantry closet or inside your kitchen cupboard. You never want to leave them out in sunlight or right near your stove where heat and moisture can destroy them.

When it comes to cooking with herbs and spices, you need to know the basics. Once you know the basics, you will feel more comfortable in using them. There are several good books out in the marketplace that you can purchase to use as a guide. The book I like to recommend is by Jill Norman. It’s called, Herbs and Spices, The Cook’s Reference.

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking and baking and spending time in her kitchen. You can visit Shelly online at http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30
Recipe Blog: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

Homemade Bread

How To Make Your Own Homemade Bread

When it comes to baking your own homemade loaf of bread, it’s really a lot easier than you might think. All you need are a few basic ingredients and a loaf pan.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Make sure you use warm water. Hot water kills yeast!
2. Always make sure your yeast is fresh and not beyond the expiration date.
3. Let dough rise in a warm area of your kitchen. Do not let the dough rise in a hot area near your oven or stove.
4. Follow bread making recipes exactly. Do not skip any steps or ingredients.

Homemade Bread Recipe

2 cups milk, scalded
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons shortening (Crisco)
3 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast, softened
1 cup warm water (not hot)
6 cups of Robin Hood Flour

Using a small bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm tap water. Let yeast mixture stand for 10 minutes. Scald milk in a saucepan. Add granulated sugar, salt and shortening in a large bowl. Cool to lukewarm temperature. Add yeast mixture and then add flour gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured dough board. Knead until smooth, then let it sit for about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large bowl. Let dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Shape into loaves. Place in greased bread pans (use 1 1/4 pounds of dough for each loaf). Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cool, then place bread in an airtight bread container.

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking and baking for her family and friends. You can visit Shelly online at http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30 or her recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

10 Tips To Make Cleaning Your Kitchen Easier

I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time in my kitchen each and every day. I rarely use box mixes and usually make our food from scratch so my kitchen gets a daily work out!

I am cleaning something up in my kitchen every day, I believe your kitchen should be one of the cleanest rooms in your home, after all, germs seem to accumulate there and its important to keep it clean.

Here are some nifty kitchen cleaning tips that I thought I would share with you today.

1. Cleaning and Deodorizing Your Garbage Disposal: You should never let food particles sit in your garbage disposal, always turn it on and use it after putting food down into the unit. Letting food sit there, will cause odors. Every few days I cut up a half of piece of citrus fruit (rinds work best) and put that down into my garbage disposal unit. I let it sit for approximately 30 minutes and then start running my water and turn the unit on to grind up the citrus rind. This not only cleans the unit but also removes smelly odors. I never put onions or other smelly foods down into my garbage disposal unit.

2. Cutting Boards: I use several different types of cutting boards, depending on what I am cutting up at the time. You should have a minimum of 3 different cutting boards in your kitchen. (one for raw meats, one for cooked meats and one for cutting up vegetables and other things). I am able to put two of my cutting boards directly into my dishwasher for cleaning. My third cutting board needs to be hand cleaned after I use it and one of the best ways of doing that is by using antibacterial liquid hand dishwashing soap and a damp sponge or microfiber cleaning cloth. Rinse your board thoroughly after cleaning. To remove odors from your cutting boards try using a half of a lemon dipped in salt and then rub that over the top of your cutting board and letting it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing your cutting board off under warm running water.

3. Cleaning Bakeware: I always follow manufacturers cleaning instructions, you can find that printed on the label of the bakware that you purchase. However, if that information is missing, you should never use abrasive cleaners. For stubborn baked on grime, you can soak your bakeware in hot soapy water or try some warm water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in it. I like to let mine sit and soak for approximately 20 minutes and then I use a soft sponge to finish cleaning them up. You should never allow metal bakeware to air dry as that can cause pitting and rusting. Always towel dry with a soft absorbent cloth.

4. Glass Carafes, Decanters and Coffee Pots: One of the best ways to keep these items clean is to use warm soapy water and a soft sponge. For stubborn stains and food debris, try cleaning them with one of those fizzing denture cleaner tablets.

5. China and Porcelain Dishes: The best way to clean these items is by hand, they should never be put into your automatic dishwasher. I like to handwash mine in warm soapy water. To prevent chipping and breakage, I line my sink with a rubber sink mat. Dry them with a soft clean and dry cloth.

6. Cleaning Metal Freezer Racks: One of the best tips I have ever received about cleaning metal freezer racks came from my great aunt. Remove the metal racks from your freezer after defrosting it. Clean them in warm soapy water and rinse. Towel dry them. Take an old plastic tablecloth or a plastic drop cloth and lay it outside in a clean area. Take your metal freezer racks outside and place them on top of your plastic cloth. Next, take a can of nonstick baking spray and lightly mist your racks. Let them air dry for 5 minutes. Place them back into your freezer. This will help to prevent food packages and other gunk from sticking on your metal racks in the future.

7. Cleaning the inside of your Refrigerator: One of the best ways to do this is to remove all food, beverage and condiment items and place them on your counter top. Next, remove any removeable shelving and drawers. Wash the shelving and drawers in hot soapy water, rinse and towel dry. Fill up a clean bucket with some warm water and a 1/4 cup of baking soda. Take a clean sponge and wipe out the inside of your refrigerator before placing the shelves and drawers back inside it. Another alternative is using 5 parts water and 1 part white vinegar to wipe out the inside of your refrigerator.

8. Ceramic Tiles: I have a ceramic tile backsplash behind my sink and also behind my stove top so its constantly getting splashed with grease and food debris. The best way I have found is to clean the ceramic tiles every day by using liquid dishwashing soap and a damp clean sponge. If you let the grime build up on the ceramic tiles, it will be harder to clean. To clean stubborn dried on grime, use an all-purpose spray cleaner.

9. Microwave: Fill a microwave safe glass container with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. The steam will help loosen stuck on food products and splatters for easy cleaning. The Lemon also is a natural deodorizer. After wiping out your microwave, dry the inside with a soft dry cloth. I find using microfiber cleaning cloths and towels great to use when cleaning the microwave oven.

10. Coffeemakers: Since we are a household that drinks coffee every day, our coffee maker constantly needs a good cleaning. After every use, you should be cleaning out the coffee pot and filter basket. You can do this by rinsing it out with hot soapy water. Just make sure you rinse it out completely. For stubborn stains, try sprinkling some baking soda onto a damp sponge and scrubbing the spot. Wipe up drips as soon as they happen.

I hope you find some of my cleaning tips helpful. I am a firm believer in cleaning up messes as I go along, and not letting them sit for another day.

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking and baking and spending time in her well organized kitchen. You can visit Shelly online at http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30 or her recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

Knowing Your Kitchen Knives

If you do a lot of cooking, it’s important to have a complete set of high quality knives on hand. High quality, doesn’t mean expensive!

There are many different types of knives now out on the market that perform particular tasks, but the following are the ones that every kitchen should have on hand.

Paring Knife for paring and slicing fruits, vegetables and other small foods. I feel that every kitchen should have 3 nice quality sharp paring knives. Why three? So that you can get others to help you in the kitchen during food preparation when you are entertaining a crowd.

Utility Knife for a variety of tasks. You should have 1-2 utility knives on hand. Make sure they are high quality and durable as they do heavy duty jobs.

Chef’s Knife for chopping food. In my opinion, the sharper the better!

Poultry Knife for deboning and slicing chicken, turkey, duck and other fowl.

Bread Knife for slicing breads, rolls, bagels and muffins. Your bread knife should be long and have a serrated blade.

You should invest in a nice knife sharpener. You should sharpen your knives on a weekly to bi-monthly basis depending on how often you are using them.

Knife Storage Rack for storing all your knives in. Knives should never be stored in a kitchen drawer, not only does that damage the blades but that is how accidents can happen. I have one set of knives stored in a knife block and another set of knives are stored (magnetized) to a knife rack that is attached to the inside of my pantry door.

These days when you buy high quality knives, they come with a nice warranty. Keep all your receipts and documentation for your purchase just in case you need to get it replaced in the future. Investing in high quality knives will last you a lifetime!

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly enjoys cooking and baking for her friends and family. You can visit Shelly online at http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30 or at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

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