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Hope you enjoy this
new section of the
magazine and am
looking forward to
watching it grow! Do
feel free to send in
any kitchen tips that
you might have for the
kitchen including tips
and hints for cooking
or cleaning and even a
little wit would be
nice; we all need a
good laugh! Send to
emptynestmomsite@bellsouth.net
with Kitchen in the
subject line.
Kitchen
Tips:
Submitted by Granny
from “Granny’s
Cupboard”
**Sugar Free Baking:
Even diabetics and
dieters can enjoy
sweets now.
There are just a few
little tricks to learn
and you can surprise
everybody with the
sugary taste of
desserts.
The rest of my family
like my sugar-free
pies as well as the
ones I make with
sugar.
Fruit Pies:
Use your favorite
fruit pie recipe, but
substitute Splenda or
Equal for the sugar.
Use the same amount
the recipe calls for.
Sugar substitutes lose
some of their
stability when cooked
or baked, and the
result is less
sweetness. To
stabilize the
sweetness, add 1 or 2
TBLSP Sorbitol.
You have to ask the
Pharmacist for
Sorbitol. It is not
kept on the shelves
outside the drug area.
Some Pharmacies do not
get many calls for it,
and do not stock it.
They will have to
order it for you, and
can take a few days or
more, depending on the
Pharmacy. Larger
chains usually have it
in stock. I am always
able to get it at my
Walgreen's. I buy a 4
to 6 oz bottle, and it
lasts a few months.
Sorbitol IS a sugar
too, so you are not
totally sugar-free,
but 2 tblsps to a
recipe is a lot better
than 1 cup.
One slice of pie gives
you 1.2 to 1
teaspoonful of sugar,
if you slice the pie
in 6 slices.
For a pie that uses 5
cups of fruit, I use 1
tblsp Sorbitol. I like
a little bit of
tartness. If I use a
10 inch pie pan, and
increase the amount of
filling, to at least 6
cups of fruit, I use 2
tblsp Sorbitol.
I used Splenda in the
cream filling for
coconut cream pie last
Christmas. I used 1
tblsp Sorbitol, and
followed the rest of
the recipe exactly as
usual.
There is a less creamy
texture, but the taste
is the same as when it
is made with sugar. I
also used Sorbitol and
Splenda in the
meringue, but I used
cornstarch to
stabilize the egg
whites more. I think I
put 1 tblsp of corn
starch in 3 egg
whites.
For cakes and breads,
Splenda and Equal work
as well, with sorbitol,
as far as taste is
concerned, but the
product will be pale,
almost completely
white.
You will not get the
browning you get with
sugar.
If you use darker
flours, like whole
wheat or rye, you will
get a better-looking
product.
When I make banana nut
bread with Splenda, I
use half whole wheat
and half all-purpose
white flour. I have
Splenda brown sugar
now, so I will start using
that in my
banana nut breads now.
**For you Diabetes,
you should check with
your doctor before
using Sorbitol, just
to be sure it’s ok for
YOU.
Submitted by “Granny”
from Granny’s Cupboard
Use jumbo sized eggs
for baking. The larger
eggs make a higher and
lighter cake.
FREEZING
RICE. You can
cook up a bunch of
rice at one time and
freeze in individual
servings. Just take
out when ready to eat and
thaw or microwave till
warm.
FROZEN
PEPPERS. I
love bell peppers, but
they can be very
expensive so whenever
they’re on sale I
stock up. I cut them
open, remove the seeds
and then freeze them
in a container with a
tight lid. They’re
better than frozen
bell peppers from the
store and a lot
cheaper, too!
PICKING
THE BEST LEMON.
One lemon can contain
two to three
times more juice
as a seemingly
identical one.
To pick the
juiciest lemons in the
supermarket, lightly
squeeze several to
compare them; those
that yield under
pressure will contain
more juice than the
others, even if
they’re the same
size, shape, and
weight.
Kitchen Wit:
There
was a Blonde and her
husband
One
morning the husband
leaves for work and
the blonde gets up.
She's determined to
prove to her husband
that blondes aren't
dumb, by painting
the kitchen.
When her husband
gets home he says to
his wife "Honey
why do you have 3
coats on?"
The blonde says,
"Well the
directions on the
paint said to use
three coats for best
results."
Kitchen
Signs
-
Ring bell for service.
If no answer, get it
yourself!
-
If you must write in
the dust, please don't
date it.
- So
this isn't Home
Sweet Home ...
Adjust!
-
Martha
Stewart doesn't
live here!!
-
I
clean house every
other day. Today
is the other day.
-
Thou
shalt not weigh
more than thy
refrigerator.
-
Blessed
are they who can
laugh at
themselves for
they shall never
cease to be
amused.
-
Countless
number of people
have eaten in this
kitchen and gone
on to lead normal
lives.
-
My
next house will
have no kitchen
... just vending
machines.
-
I'd
live life in the
fast lane, but I
am married to a
speed bump.
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Cooking/Baking
Pureeing pumpkin:
Submitted by
Lovetocook
Cut the pumpkin like
you would a
cantaloupe, scoop out
the inside and cut
into chunks. Put in a
large pot with an inch
or so of water and
steam for 30 minutes
or until soft (add
more water if and when
necessary). Trim off
the outside rind and
mash like it was a
potato. Then use as if
it were canned
pumpkin. Yum.
Rolling Pie Crust
Submitted by “Granny”
from Granny’s Cupboard
Dampen surface to roll
piecrust, lay the
waxed paper on it.
Dampening the surface
will hold the waxed
paper still while you
roll your piecrust.
You will need to tear
off two pieces and
overlap one on top of
the other. I lap the
front piece over the
back piece, to make it
easier to take up your
piecrust.
Spray the waxed paper
lightly with pan spray
and dust with flour.
Place your dough on it
and roll it out.
With a small brush (I
buy a 1 inch, cheap
paint brush to use for
this) brush the excess
flour from the sides
around the piecrust.
Pick up the edges of
the top layer of waxed
paper and fold crust
in half. Fold one side
of the crust over your
hand to lift it. Place
the piecrust with the
folded edge centered
in the pie pan; unfold
the crust to cover the
pan.
Gently push down the
crust and pat along
the bottom and sides
to remove air bubbles.
Trim edges as you
like. Put in filling
and adjust the top
crust, flute.
Lining a Cake Pie
Submitted by “Granny”
from Granny’s Cupboard
To line cake pan with
waxed paper.
Tear off as many
squares and you need
for the pans. Put them
together, turn one pan
over and hold the
sheets of paper down
with one hand while
you cut around the rim
of the pan with
scissors.
The waxed paper rounds
will curl a little.
Place them with the
curl down as they will
flatten and put one in
the bottom of each
pan.
Pour in the cake
batter and bake.
Cool the cake for 10
minutes, loosen sides
from pan with a knife
run around it, and
turn upside down on a
cooling rack. Peel off
waxed paper.
No muss, no fuss, no
cakes sticking to the
bottom of the pan. No
need to make a mess
dusting flour.
Kitchen Tips: Misc.
Use empty toilet and
paper towel rolls to
store appliance cords
& extension cords etc.
Just fold them up and
tuck inside the roll.
It keeps them neat and
out of the way and you
can write on the roll
what the cord goes to.
FRIDGE
ORGANIZER.
Find it hard to reach
some of those items in
the back of your
Fridge? Purchase
some of those small
rotating trays (lazy
Susans) to accommodate
the smaller items. Now
with a simple turn of
the tray you can
bring things from the
back to the front and
not forget
what’s in the
back!
NON-STICK
CHOPPING.
Whenever I've needed
to chop dates or
any dried fruit,
the fruit tends to
stick to the knife. I
started putting
non-stick cooking
spray on both sides of
the knife before
beginning to chop and
this prevents the
fruit from sticking to
the knife blade!
CAULIFLOWER
STORAGE. To
keep cauliflower from
turning brown in the
refrigerator, store it
in a plastic bag stem
side up. Poke a few
holes in the plastic
bag so air can
circulate as well.
Kitchen Tips:
Cleaning
Spray your plastic
storage containers
with pan spray before
storing foods with
tomatoes or other acid
foods. This prevents
stains and keeps the
acids from etching
your containers.
Cleaning
a Ceramic Cook
Top
Submitted by Granny
from “Granny’s
Cupboard”
I
have a great cleaner
for my ceramic cook top.
It’s also very
good for cleaning
the scorched food
from the bottom of
stainless pots and
pans.
It
is Weiman Glass Cook
Top cleaner.
Just
squeeze a little on
the surface, spread
it around over the
soiled area, and let
set a few minutes.
Then scrub off.
On
your Glass cook top,
you should NOT use a
steel wool or other
abrasive pads to
scrub with, unless
you use Amway’s
Scrubby pads. They
are the only ones
that will not
scratch your cook
top.
They
do not tear up or
rust like other
steel wool pads, and
are safe to even use
on chrome. Don’t
bear down very hard
while cleaning. You
don't need to
anyway. That cleaner
is great, and the
gunk comes right up.
Then wipe with paper
towels, like you
would if removing
the glass cleaner
that dries on glass.
I
love those Amway
pads, and recommend
them. They last
longer. One pad
lasts me about 6
months.
I
slip it on a glass
rack in the
dishwasher to keep
it germfree. I have
a separate pad for
my cook top.
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