Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Lettuce Saver; Sweet Tooth Quick Fix and Dealing with Yolks

Hello Loyal follower(s)

      Knowing that you are likely to be too busy with your life to be aware of some of the neat ways of solving everyday problems, I will help you out.  The following were sent to me via E-mail or taken from my favorite magazine; Cook's illustrated.

     First from the Oct-Nov issue of Cook's illustrated was  suggestion from Tom Clark from Noblesville Ind.  He suggested creating a carbon dioxide generator to help extend the shelf life of greens such as lettuce. Just exhaling into a bag of lettuce was not sanitary. The people at Cook's Illustrated followed through and developed a neat CO2 generator.

This was all that was necessary to create a CO2 generator for extending refrigerator life of greens.

At the left is a cut down plastic container that would hold about three ounces which was to become the CO2 generator.
Three pieces of paper towel and a rubber band to top off the generator, yet allow the gas to escape into the plastic bag containing the greens.

Baking soda acted as the trigger.

Finally the White Vinegar. I know that it seems to be a rather large bottle of vinegar just for cooking, but I also use it to clean filters for our dehumidifier.

CO2 Generator:   First freeze 1 teaspoon of vinegar in the bottom of the 2-3 ounce container.  Then sprinkle 1 teaspoon baking soda over the frozen surface of the vinegar. Lastly seal the top with the three layers of paper towel and a rubber band.  Store in the freezer until you need it.



OK! It's time to put the CO2 generator to work.

Take it out of the freezer and slip it into the bag of greens and seal the bag. As the vinegar melts it will interact with the baking soda; Voilà ! CO2.

That is why I like Cook's Illustrated, I get many great ideas from their articles.


NOW ABOUT THAT DESIRE FOR SOMETHING SWEET WHILE WATCHING TV.  Here is something you can make during one of the commercial breaks.  This recipe is actually on the Duncan Hines web site!

This was sent to me by my dear friend in Minnesota; Joanne Knabe.  This is perfect for those of us with just one or two in the house these days & hate to make a huge cake (cause I tend to eat it all). This way you can make 1,2,3, or as many as you need.
She says, "trust me it is great for a little treat.  I tried the angel food and spice cake and added a some raisins and chopped walnuts in each cup before microwaving and put some carmel sauce on top when it was hot and let it melt and cool and it is heavenly!"  What more can I say.

3, 2, 1 CAKE

These individual little cakes are amazing and ready to eat in one minute!
They are perfect for whenever you feel like a treat without all the fat and
calories that cake can have. Genius idea!

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 box Cake Mix - Any Flavor

Makes 1 serving.

DIRECTIONS: In a zip-loc bag, combine the two cake mixes together and mix
well. For each individual cake serving, take out 3 Tablespoons of the cake
mix combination and mix it with 2 Tablespoons of water in a small
microwave-safe container. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and you have your
own instant individual little cake!

KEEP remaining cake mixture stored in the zip-loc bag and use whenever you
feel like a treat! You can top each cake with a dollop of fat free whipped
topping and/or some fresh fruit.

Helpful Tips:

This recipe is called 3, 2, 1 Cake because all you need to remember is:

"3 tablespoons mix,

2 tablespoons water,

1 minute in the microwave!"

TRY various flavors of cake mix like carrot, red velvet, pineapple, lemon,
orange, etc. Just remember that one of the mixes has to be the angel food
mix; the other is your choice. The flavor possibilities are endless!

NOTES:

The best thing is, you open both cake mixes into a gallon storage bag,
one that 'zip locks' or 'self-seals', or a container that seals
tightly, shake the two cake mixes to blend and then make the recipe.
Storage of mix is simple, put it on a shelf. No need to refrigerate,
since the mix is dry.  Always remember, that one of the cake mixes
MUST be Angel Food. The other can be any flavor. The Angel Food is the
cake mix that has the eggs whites in it.

OK! The grand finality is the neat way to separate egg whites from yolks.  This
was also sent to be from Joanne Knable and will be the way I will separate whites from yolks;  First crack the egg on the counter and place the egg (minus the shell) on a plate.  Second take an empty water bottle ( the flimsy type) and while compressing the plastic bottle a little bring the mouth of bottle carefully in contact with the yolk.  Release the compression on the bottle and presto the yolk will be in the neck of the bottle. Yea! really.
Watch here > http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/cooking/1160651.html


Before I close for the day here is a photo of the quilt that Cyndy is making for me for cool nights in front of the TV.


That's it for today,

À bientôt, 

Mr Nut   


No comments:

Post a Comment