FOOD TIPS

To help keep your vegetables fresher, longer, place a couple of paper towels on the bottom of the vegetable bin in the refrigerator. Also if you buy ready to eat salads that come in plastic bags, place a paper towel in the bag. They keep fresher longer, because the paper towel absorbs the excess moisture. (Then let the paper towels dry out and re-use them)

When you buy iceberg lettuce, before you store it in the refrigerator; dampen a few paper towels and wrap the lettuce. Store in a Ziplock bag. Lasts a lot longer.

Don't Throw away that milk: Use up your older milk: make your own yogurt if you have a quart left, or some pudding if you have a cup or more left. Don't forget to fill the jug up with water and feed the plants, they love the residual milk.

If your milk is expired and starting to spoil, don’t throw it away. Use it like buttermilk in biscuits, pancakes, waffles, etc.

Cottage cheese: After opening cottage cheese, applesauce and sour cream, place container upside down in refrigerator. It forms a vacuum and lasts twice as long.

Brown sugar: When your brown sugar gets hard, do not throw it out. Put a slice of bread in the container and it will become as soft as when you bought it.

Wax Paper: Save the wax paper bags from cereal and crackers. Next time you have a recipe that calls for meat to be thin/pounded, place the meat into one of the bags to pound it. This will save you money and also make easier clean up.

Stale chips/dry cookies: Have a half bag of stale chips? Place on cookie sheet and cook in oven a few minutes. Also have some cookies that have hardened? Place a slice of white bread in with them and you will have soft, moist cookies again.

Take the plastic off celery and wash with cold water, shake off water, and wrap in aluminum foil. Celery will last three times longer, up to 3 months.

Longer Lasting Cheese: Cheese stored in plastic wrapping will mold faster than cheese stored in cheese cloth or foil. Wrap it in foil, label with a marker, and place it in a large bag. Cheeses last longer and are all in one place (no more digging to find that last stub).

Bread Pudding: Any time you have extra toast that didn't get eaten or bread that gets stale before being eaten, place them in a Ziploc bag and put them in the freezer. When you have enough saved, use them to make bread pudding. It is great with caramel or meringue on top.

Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. It will double the volume and you can frost more cake or cupcakes with the same amount. You will also consume less sugar and calories per serving.

Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal and mash until they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal and keep mashing, mixing thoroughly. Cut off the tip of the bag and squeeze the mixture into the egg white. Just throw the bag away; easy clean up.

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