Buying Fresh Vegetables

Artichokes
Look for compact and tightly closed heads that are green with clean leaves. If you see leaves that are brown or separated, pass them by.

Asparagus
The stalks should be tender and firm with tips that are compact and close together. The less white on the stalks, the better as they will more tender. Use immediately upon purchase.

Snap Beans
Pods with smaller seeds inside are better. Avoid beans that appear to be dried out or spots on them.

Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
For the broccoli and cauliflower be sure that the flower clusters are tight and close together. Avoid ones with dark spots on them. Brussels sprouts should be firm.

Cabbage and Lettuce
The heavier, the better. Avoid dark spots. Check the bottom of the lettuce for signs of yellowing and browning. Pick the nicest looking ones you can find.

Carrots
Carrrots are fairly simple, just avoid those that have a white appearance on the skin.

Cucumbers
Pick the longer, thinner cucumbers for the best taste. The darker the better and avoid yellow. Should be firm. Avoid mushy.

Mushrooms
Caps should be closed around the stems. For the white button type, the whiter the better and avoid those that are darkened from abuse. Use immediately for best flavor.

Peas
Choose pods that are not too big, but yet filled out. Avoid any spotted or dried pods. Should be crisp and firm for best flavor. Bigger is not always better.

Tomatoes
Firm and deep red. Avoid mushy, spotted overripe tomatoes.

Tips For Baking Bread

Tips for Baking Breads

Kneading dough for 30 seconds after mixing improves the texture of baking powder biscuits. For most biscuits, I mix as little as possible for a more tender biscuit.

When bread is baking, a small dish of water in oven helps keep the crust from getting hard. It is very helpful in higher elevations to keep the bread moist so it will rise as it should.

Instead of using shortening, I use cooking oil in waffles and pancakes.

When measuring butter or shortening with a spoon, dip your spoon in hot water first. This will help the fat come free from the spoon.

You know you have to preheat your oven before baking. It is also a good idea to preheat the cookie sheet and muffin tin.

If you have any leftover corn, ham, turkey, cheese, add it to your pancake/cornbread batter for a different taste.

I always add sugar to my cornbread mix.

Helpful Hints II

*To avoid tears when cutting onions, try cutting the under cool running water or briefly placing them in the freezer before cutting is what I have read. But something that really works for me is not cutting the root part of the onion. Go ahead and cut the top off and peel the dry skin off the onion. Do not cut off the bottom of the onion, the root. You may go ahead and slice, cut, chop or mince your onion.

*Perk up soggy lettuce by soaking it in a mixture of lemon juice and cold water. That is fine, but I prefer to just throw it away, especially if you don’t want any hint of lemon on your lettuce.

*Vinegar will remove spots on your clothing caused by tomatoes. Soak the spoiled spot with vinegar and then wash as usual. Oxi Clean is also a good recommendation.

*Eggs shells can be easily removed from hard-boiled eggs if they are quickly rinsed in cool water after they have been boiled.

*After buying fresh bean sprouts and Jicama (Mexican potato) you can keep it crisp and fresh by immersing them in cold water in a container. Refrigerate them and they should keep until 5 days.

*To make evenly beautiful slices of fruit, such as bananas, kiwi and strawberries use an egg slicer to slice the fruit,

*Very important for fresh vegetables. If they are fresh, do not use seasoning. You do not need it. Their taste cannot be beat. However, if the vegetables are not so fresh, adding seasoning such as salt, pepper and butter will enhance their flavor. Remember, fresh is best. And they are best all by their self!

Helpful Hints I

* Fresh lemon juice will remove onion scent from hands. Normally, I must admit, I do not have fresh lemons on hand, so I keep a little squeeze lemon bottle in the fridge for occasions like this, especially since I cook so much with onions and garlic.

* To save money, pour all leftover vegetables and water in which they are cooked into a freezer container. When full, add tomato juice and seasoning to create an “easy soup”. For seasonings, you can use powdered onion and garlic along with salt and pepper. Always save the water, because a lot of flavor and nutrients are here. I prefer to keep a lid on whatever vegetables I am cooking.

* Instant potatoes are a great thickener for stews, soups and chili stews. There are many days that life is too hectic and I admit I will make instant mashed potatoes. It’s not my preference, but I usually will add more milk than I add water and I always add butter, salt and pepper to enhance the flavor. Any leftovers of potatoes, I freeze by putting them into a Ziploc sandwich baggie and pop it in the freezer. These work great when something I have made needs a little help in thickening

* The word is that celery stalks chopped and added to every 2 cups of beans (brown, navy, pinto, white northernmy favorite by the way for ham and beans) will help make them easier to digest. I did not know this, but I always add celery to my ham and beans for the extra “wonderful flavor”. If I don’t have fresh celery stalks on hand, I use the bottle from my pantry, celery flakes for the flavor.

* An old rule of the homemaker is that when you are cooking vegetables that grow above ground, you should never cover them. I agree with this and automatically think of potatoes. When I boil potatoes for mashing, no lid. When I fry potatoes, I never use a lid. When I cook hash browns, no lid, even though the directions on the package tell you to cover the potatoes. Covering the potatoes will only make them mushy. My family prefers crispy hash browns, so no cover and always add butter to your oil! See my recipe for hash browns and fried potatoes.

*They say, “ To cut down on odors when cooking cabbage, cauliflower, etc…, add a little vinegar to the cooking water. Okay. I have something to say about this. I am not a friend of vinegar unless I am canning and even then, I prefer to use as little as possible, which of course, pickles, you cannot ignore, along with pickling peppers (for my son-in-law). I would not add vinegar to my cabbage and I am not a fan of cauliflower as my family can attest. I will put up with the smell of cabbage for a certain dish that my mom taught me to make, Runzas.

Cookie Making Tips

To easily shape drop cookies use an ice cream scoop. An ice cream scoop with a release bar is easier to use. There are some scoops that have a number on them. What does the number mean? It means how many scoops can be made with this ice cream scoop from one quart of ice cream. So, a #90 scoop should yield 90 scoops of ice cream.

When a recipe calls for greasing the cookie sheets, use shortening or nonstick cooking spray for best results. Parchment paper will also work and will eliminate a lot of clean-up as you can just throw the parchment paper away after the cookies have cooled.

Always bake your cookies in the center of your oven for even baking. If your oven heats unevenly, turn the cookie sheet around, halfway between cooking.

Candy Temperatures

For every 500 feet above sea level it will be necessary for your to cook candy syrups 1 degree lower than indicted in most recipes. Below are common temperatures and distinctive traits that reveal the temperature if you do not have a candy thermometer. Using a fresh cup of very chilled water for each test will yield the best results.

Thread~Begins at 230 degrees
The syrup makes a 2 inch coarse thread when dropped from a spoon.

Soft Ball~Begins at 234 degrees
A small quantity of syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball which does not disintegrate but instead, flattens out when picked up with the fingers.

Hard Ball~Begins at 250 degrees
The ball is more rigid but still pliable in the fingers.

Soft Crack~Begins at 270 degrees
Drop a small quantity of syrup into chilled water. It will separate into hard threads, which when removed from the water, will bend slightly.

Hard Crack~Begins at 300 degrees
The syrup separates into threads that are hard and brittle and will break easily.

Caramelized Sugar~ Begins at 310 degrees to 338 degrees
Between these temperatures, syrup turns dark golden, but it will turn black at 350 degrees, so use caution.

Types of Chocolate

Unsweetened Chocolate
Also called baking or bitter chocolate. This is a pure chocolate with no sugar or flavorings added. It is usually used in baking and is commonly packaged in individually wrapped squares or as a large bar.

Bittersweet Chocolate
This is pure chocolate with some sugar added and packaged normally in 1 ounce squares or bars. If you do not have bittersweet chocolate on hand, you may substitute half unsweetened chocolate and half semisweet chocolate.

Semisweet Chocolate
A pure chocolate also known as dark chocolate, it is combined with sugar and contains approximately 50 percent cocoa solids. It is sold in 1 ounce squares, bars, chips and chunks.

Milk Chocolate
A pure chocolate with sugar, extra cocoa butter and milk solids. It is milder tasting and has a creamier flavor. Milk chocolate is more sensitive to heat than semisweet chocolate.

White Chocolate
Not considered as a real chocolate since most or all of the cocoa butter has been removed and replaced by another vegetable fat. It is also available in the same forms as milk chocolate.

Unsweetened Cocoa
This is formed by extracting most of the cocoa butter from pure chocolate and by grinding the remaining chocolate solids into a powder and does not contain any additives.