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

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

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

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

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

How To Make Homemade Bread Crumbs

Making your own homemade bread crumbs is easier than you think! It’s a great way to use up left-over slices of bread, bread crusts, hamburger and hot dog rolls, potato rolls, crackers and even thin small pretzels.

Supplies Needed:

Food Dehydrator (I use one made by Ronco ™ that has 7 trays)
Blender or Food Processor
Large Bowl (I use a 32 cup bowl)
2 Large Gallon Size Freezer Bags
1 Large Air Tight Container with Seal

Bread Products Needed:

Bread, Rolls, Crackers, Pretzels

Spices Needed:

Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Dill, Season Salt, Black Pepper,
Chopped Dried Green Onion, Garlic Salt or Garlic Powder

Pre-Preparation:

The first thing that you will need to do is get two large one gallon zipper close bags or recycle a few of your bread bags. (I don’t normally recommend re-using bread bags, but in this case, they will work just fine).

During the next few weeks or months, as you have left-over bread and rolls, place them into the freezer bags and freeze them. Once you have saved up 2 full bags of bread products, you will be ready to make your homemade bread crumbs.

Preparation:

Remove your frozen bread bags from your freezer two hours before you are ready to begin so that they can thaw out to room temperature.

Set up your food dehydrator. Place your bread slices onto the food dehydrator trays. If you are using rolls, separate the tops from the
bottoms and place them down onto the tray. If they are too big, feel free to rip them into smaller pieces. Place the lid back onto the food dehydrator unit and set the temperature on low. It will take 6-8 hours for your bread products to completely dry out.

*note* The best time to do this is in the evening, then when you get up in the morning, they will be ready to be made into bread crumbs.

After 6-8 hours, you are now ready to begin making your bread crumbs. Turn off your food dehydrator and remove the trays. You can use either a blender or a food processor for the next step. (I find that a food processor works best).

Break up your bread into smaller pieces and place the pieces into your food processor. Put the cover on and use the chop or blend buttons. You will want to run the food processor until your bread products are the consistency of fine bread crumbs. Turn the food processor off.

Remove the cover and add in your spices and herbs. You will need to season it ‘to taste’. I like to use roughly 1 tablespoon of each spice or herb. Place the cover back on and mix again for 30 seconds.

You will need to store your new freshly dried bread crumbs in an air tight container. You should store them in a cool, dry and dark place, like inside a pantry or kitchen cabinet.

This is a great way to use up all of your left-over bread products without letting them go to waste. I like to use my homemade bread crumbs in meatloaf, meatballs, to coat fish and chicken.

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

When it comes to kitchen storage space we could all use more! Being organized in the kitchen saves you precious time and money which allows you more time to do “other” things. I have put together a list of ideas to help you get better organized in the kitchen.

1. Storing Spices: Put fresh spices in airtight bottles with labels indicating what they are and their expiration date. Store both fresh and store bought spices in a cool, dry and dark place to keep them fresher, longer.

2. Wine Storage: Wine should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. Store your wine on its side so that the cork stays wet. You can buy wine racks just for this purpose. I prefer the wall mountable style which I have inside my pantry closet.

3. Recipe Storage: Can’t find your favorite recipe card? If so, then its time to get organized! There are many different ways to organize them depending on your needs. A. Computer Software programs will help you store and organize all of your favorite recipes either on your hard drive or on a disk. B. Specially made recipe albums which are similar to photograph albums. C. You can also make your very own Recipe Scrapbook! Check out your favorite scrapbooking store for food themed supplies. D. The old fashioned recipe card box. These can be stored easily on a shelf or in your cabinet. E. Recipe card basket. If you flip through the pages of home decor magazines you will see a lot of cooks are now storing their recipe cards in pretty decorative baskets.

4. Bowl Lid Storage: To keep all of your bowl lids organized, install a horizontal plate rack inside a large kitchen cabinet or on a wall. Your lids will slide in and out just like a plate. They will be easily available and organized saving you valuable space and time in the kitchen! You can also shop some kitchen supply stores and find some specially designed lid racks and shelves.

5. Freezer Organization: Buy air tight and liquid tight plastic containers that are modular in design which allows for more stackability which saves on freezer space. Label all containers with the name of the contents and the expiration date. Money Saving Strategy: Buy high quality plastic products that are made for freezer use that can be reused. Stay away for cheap disposable products. Using containers that are specifically made for freezer use will save you money over time and keep your food safe from odors and freezer burn. If any of your freezer containers get damaged, throw them out.

6. Bag and Wrap Organization: Get those long and bulky boxes out of your kitchen drawers where they take up too much valuable space. You can purchase vertical slider box holders that attach to the inside of your cabinet doors. Each slider box will hold one box of wrap or bags. Depending on your cabinet door size, you should be able to attach 3-5 box holders. Another option is purchasing an under-the-cabinet wire mesh basket that will hold your wrap and foil boxes.

7. Coffee Mugs and Tea Cup Storage: Most coffee mugs and tea cups don’t stack so you loose a lot of cabinet space. The best way to store them is by installing cup hooks under your cabinets or inside the cabinet wall if you have large and tall kitchen cabinets. A great way to use up “head space” in cabinets. Another idea is to hang a large wall shelf and make up a decorative display using your tea cups and coffee mugs as the focal point of your design.

8. Knife Storage: There are two safe ways to store and organize all of your kitchen knives. Choose the one that best suits your kitchen and your cooking habits. A. Wooden knife storage blocks can be wall mounted or mounted underneath a kitchen cabinet. B. Wall mountable magnetic knife holder. Your knives stay put via a magnetized holder. Keep all knives out of the reach of children. Storing knives loosely in a kitchen drawer is dangerous for both children and adults and storing them in drawers can damage the knife blade.

9. Take-out Restaurant Menu’s: The best way to store all of your favorite Take-out restaurant menu’s is in a photo-style album or a 3-ring binder. We keep ours alphabetized and in a 3-ring binder that is kept in our pantry closet on a shelf with our cookbooks. You can also designate one small kitchen cabinet drawer as your Take-Out Menu storage drawer. Another idea is to buy a rectangular wall basket and mount it onto your wall or inside your pantry closet. Place all your menu’s inside it.

10. Miscellaneous Kitchen Paper Storage: The best way to store all of that miscellaneous kitchen paper is to purchase a compact cork memo board. You can store all of your receipts, memo pads, shopping lists, coupons and other things on the cork memo board. Make sure you add a calendar! Another idea is to purchase one of those ribbon-holder style message boards that you now see out in the market. To keep clutter down, clean up your message board on a bi-monthly basis and toss anything that you no longer need.

11. Small Kitchen Gadget Storage And Organization: Attach a heavy duty long magnetic strip to the inside of one of your kitchen cabinet doors. This is a great way to store: cake testers, bottle openers, metal skewers, kitchen shears/scissors, meat thermometers, corn cob scewers, meat picks, etc. Anything that is metal can stick to the magnetic strip saving you valuable drawer space!

12. Pantry Organization: Store all of your dry goods in airtight modular stackable containers and all of your liquids in liquid-tight and airtight containers. Label all of your containers with food contents and expiration dates. Attach plastic or rubber coated wire racks to the inside of the pantry door to store spices, condiments, oils, salad dressings, etc. Attach 1-2 plastic wall mountable bins to the inside of your pantry wall to store and organize all of your seasoning packets, beverage mix packets, dip and marinade packets etc. You can also buy one of those hanging plastic clear window shoe storage organizers and wall mount it in your pantry closet to hold your packets and bulky kitchen gadgets to save on storage space.

13. Kitchen Trash Organization: Buy yourself a triple compartment plastic garbage can. You can separate your wet garbage from dry garbage, glass from plastic, recyclable paper products from non-recyclables easily. Purchase one that is “lidded” to keep odors to a minimum. Heavy duty plastic models are easy to clean with an outdoor garden hose or pressure washer.

14. Miscellaneous Kitchen Drawer Storage: Line one of your kitchen drawers with little clear plastic bins to organize and store all of your small kitchen essentials such as: mini chip clips, clothes pins, rubber bands, container labels, corncob holders, toothpicks, twistie-ties, small measuring sthingys, scoops and other miscellaneous small items.

15. Above Sink Organization/Storage: Purchase a dual wall mountable soap dispenser like the kind you see in the bathroom that are normally used for hair shampoo and conditioners. These are great mounted above the kitchen sink with hand washing antibacterial soap and hand lotion!

16. Store Shopping List Organization: Go through all of your kitchen cabinets, pantry, refrigerator, freezer, laundry room etc. Make a list of all products that your household uses regularly. Type up copies and print out several. Attach one to the front of your refrigerator or kitchen memo board. As you start running low on products on your shopping list, check them off. Then when you are ready to head out to do your grocery shopping your shopping list will primarily be done!

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and has been with Tupperware since 2003. 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

There are advantages to using a vacuum sealer when freezing cooking and there are some tips that really make a difference.

An important tool in creating delicious freezer meals is a vacuum sealer such as FoodSaver. The last thing a busy mom who has taken the time to prepare and freeze home made meals for her family wants to find is freezer burn when it is time to use the meal. By vacuum sealing the meal, the threat of freezer burn is eliminated. Freezer burn occurs when moisture evaporates from frozen foods and causes the item to become discolored and dry out. Although food with freezer burn is safe to eat, the quality of the food is reduced. The removal of the air prevents the moisture evaporation.

If you want to try the vacuum sealing freezer cooking without making a large investment, Reynolds makes a low cost (generally less than $10 for sealer and three bags) Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer which is sold at most grocery stores. However, if you are serious about freezer cooking, a heavy duty vacuum sealer is worth the money.

Vacuum sealers do not handle liquids well. It is easy for liquid freezer meals such as soup, stew or chili to be drawn by the vacuum into the sealer. This not only makes a mess but also does not result in a good seal. A solution to this problem is to freeze the liquid item in a plastic container. Once it is frozen, pop it out and seal the frozen block. Make sure to label the plastic with the item name and date it was made. Using a rectangular container for the original freeze produces blocks of food that pack well in the freezer. In fact, when sealing steaks or roasts, it is possible to have problems with the meat juice. Again, the solution is to pre-freeze the pieces of meat. Place the steaks on a cookie sheet and freeze for several hours. Then you can safely vacuum seal the meat.

Besides plastic bags, most vacuum sealers also come with long rolls of plastic which are sealed on the two sides. You cut off the length needed, seal the bottom, fill the bag, and then seal the top. A useful technique for items such as meatballs is to make the bag longer than originally needed. You can fill it with several meals worth of meatballs. You just cut off the top seal, take out as many as needed and then reseal. By leaving the extra length, it is possible to reseal the bag multiple times. This way you don’t have to decide how many items you want for each freezer meal. The time and money spent freezer cooking is an investment, buying a vacuum sealer is a way to protect that investment.

In the summer time I use my crock pot even more than I do in the winter time as its just too hot to heat up the oven. You can make just about anything in a crock pot these days such as: Soups, Stews, Main Dish Meats, Desserts, Breads, Cobblers, Vegetables and more. Here are some great tips to help make your crock pot cooking even easier.

Crock Pot Tips

#1. Peel and chop the vegetables the night before, cover and keep them refrigerated.

#2. The night before, trim fat from meat and cut meat into the desired sized pieces, cover and refrigerate.

#3. Thaw frozen vegetables and meat in the refrigerator, never thaw at room temperature.

#4. Brown meat according to the recipe directions. You can brown your meat the night before and then refrigerate.

#5. Serve cooked food from your slow cooker or it’s removable liner to save on washing extra dishes.

#6. Slow simmering produces a mellow blending of flavors, but whole herbs and spices may give more flavor than usual, while ground herbs and spices may give less flavor.

#7. Remember to remove bay leaves and whole peppercorns before serving food.

#8. Some vegetables, especially onions and carrots, often take longer to cook than meat. Always place them at the bottom of the slow cooker.

#9. To assure even cooking of meat, be sure there is some space between the pieces to allow for circulation of heat and seasonings.

#10. Both regular and quick cooking rice need 4-5 hours to cook on your low setting, on your high setting it will take 3-4 hours so plan ahead. You may prefer to cook the rice on your stove top or in your microwave and then add into your crock pot recipe.

#11. Pasta needs stirring while cooking to prevent it from sticking to one another. It is best to cook the pasta on your stove top until its just tender and then add into your crock pot recipe.

#12. When converting your favorite recipes for the slow cooker, reduce the amount of liquid since the slow cooker lid gives a tight seal and retains steam.

#13. Pour your liquids in last.

#14. Fill your slow cooker at least 1/2 full for the best slow cooking results.

#15. Tender vegetables such as fresh mushrooms, tomatoes or zucchini will only need to be added for the last 45 minutes of cooking time, otherwise you could over cook them.

#16. To prevent milk, cream and sour cream from curdling, add near the end of the cooking time and just heat through.

#17. Coating pot roasts and stew meat with flour helps to thicken the broth as it cooks.

#18. If you have too much liquid in your slow cooker, you can remove the lid and cook on high for the last 25 minutes.

#19. Resist the urge to lift the lid. The heat that you lose will add as much as 30 minutes to the cooking time. If you have to stir, resume timing when the mixture starts to bubble up again.

#20. Cooking for 1 hour on high is the same as 2-2 1/2 hours on low.

#21. After the food has finished cooking, it can usually be held in the slow cooker for an hour on the low setting without over cooking it.

#22. If food is not done within the stated time in your recipe it could be because you overfilled your slow cooker or you took off the lid too many times. Adjust your cooking times accordingly.

#23. Slow cooking at the low setting is better for tenderizing cuts of meats (brisket, pot roasts, etc).

#24. Take time to trim and remove excess fat from your meat before slow cooking to reduce the amount of fat that accumulates during cooking.

#25. You can use a slice of bread to skim off excess fats or you can use a slice of lettuce leaf.

Shelly Hill ~ has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can contact Shelly at:
Web: http://www.classybusinesswomen.com
Web: http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30
Recipe Blog: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

Freezer cooking is also good for couples and singles who have other things they’d rather be doing.

Freezer cooking has long been associated with busy moms who need to get weekday meals on the table for their families. However, freezer cooking can be just as important to couples and singles. Many couples and singles have busy lives and also appreciate home cooked meals without the long preparation. When cooking for just yourself or yourself and another person, it can be difficult to stay motivated. It is easy to turn to take out and commercial frozen dinners. Making your own freezer meals will provide couples and singles a way to eat healthy meals that are tailored to their tastes without consuming the entire evening.

When freezing meals for one or two adults, it is possible to get very creative. For example, if you enjoy seafood then making a batch of crab cakes and freezing most of them can provide a quick and elegant dinner. The crab cakes, a side of microwave rice and steamed vegetables, and a glass of white wine can be on the table in under a half an hour and result in minimal clean up. A few dinners such as this will convince anyone of the benefits of freezer cooking.

Many dinners traditionally considered family meals can be modified for freezer cooking for individuals and couples. For example, small meatloaves can be shaped in muffin tins, with each tin providing an individual serving. This provides flexibility since the number of mini-meatloaves needed can be taken out of the freezer and prepared. A number of boneless chicken breasts can be prepared and individually frozen. The preparation and clean up caused by dipping the chicken breasts in butter, flour and cracker crumbs is then spread over several delicious meals. Even if the crumb coating gets a little soggy while frozen, it will crisp during the cooking process.

Freezer cooking is also a great technique for baked goods. Singles and couples usually don’t want to eat an entire cake or cobbler. Instead, bake cup cakes and small tarts. Enjoy one the day it’s cooked and freeze the rest for special treats over the next month. Keep in mind that cup cakes made with butter frosting freeze well, but those with egg-white frosting or cooked frosting do not. Freezing a batch of cookies or brownies in individual servings can provide a welcome sweet taste treat on a night that you don’t want to bake.

Freezer cooking provides a way for singles and couples to create healthy home cooked meals without requiring constant shopping, prepping, and cooking. Given the smaller size of the items being made, a large freezer is not necessary. Even filling the freezer on a typical refrigerator provides nutritious meals on nights you don’t have time to cook.