Saltine Crackers Caramel Brittle

Salty Caramel Brittle Ingredients 25 saltine crackers 1 stick unsalted butter ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar ¹/₃ cup heavy cream 1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract ¼ tsp. coarse kosher salt

Directions Line a baking sheet with Silicone Wonder® Mat and neatly arrange 25 crackers in rows in center of mat. Set aside. In TupperWave® Stack Cooker 1¾-Qt./1.75 L Casserole, place butter and microwave on high power one minute, until melted. Add sugars and cream to butter, whisk and microwave on high power 6 minutes, stopping to whisk every 2 minutes. Add almond extract and whisk to combine. Pour mixture evenly over crackers and sprinkle with salt. Allow to cool for approximately 15–20 minutes. Break into pieces (without cutting directly on Mat). Store in a sealed Tupperware container. I use Tupperware products that I sell but you can purchase them at www.myTWbiz.com

Refrigerator Storage for Holiday Left Overs

Turkey Tip

Turkey Tip:


The ideal weight to buy turkey is 14 - 16 lb. 
After that the bone to meat ratio rises. 
Better to buy 2 small than one big. 
Cook one day before, slice, and make ready to warm then sleep late and cook the other on the big day.

Look on wowfoodtips.com for more great ideas from Deb Bixler!

That = this

Little chart to help with measures.

Freezing Meat

Meat should be trimmed and flash frozen (see instructions below) before bulk freezing to avoid items sticking together. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, or English muffins should also be flash frozen before bulk freezing. Meals like casseroles may need stock/broth or other vegetables and herbs added after they are defrosted to add moisture and flavor.

How to Flash Freeze

• Lay individual pieces (1 layer, spaced apart) onto a cookie sheet, lined with freezer or wax paper.  Place in freezer. Once frozen, place into larger bulk container.

Freezing Liquid

• Liquids expand when frozen, so leave some space in the container. We recommend you leave up to 2 inches for every 4-cups/1 liter of liquid.

Plan Ahead

Consider how food will be cooked or reheated once defrosted. When reheating or defrosting, simply place the defrosted food in a Vent ‘N Serve™ Container nearly the size of the Freeze It® container so as to fill the container for even reheating. Never defrost meats and seafood at room temperature.

Food left at room temperature has a higher risk for developing bacteria and causing food-borne illness.

Place frozen items in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, or under cold running water until completely thawed. For faster results, use the defrost setting on your microwave.

Cool Food Completely before Freezing

All food must be completely cool before being placed in the freezer because warm or hot food can cause the freezer’s temperature to fluctuate and possibly rise. This may affect the food already in your freezer and the food you are about to freeze. If the temperature rises above 0°F/-18°C, foods that are already frozen could defrost slightly and then refreeze, which can lead to deterioration and bacteria growth.

Keep It Frozen

Once food is frozen, it should stay frozen until you are ready to use it. This is because fluctuations in temperature can lead to freezer burn, which can affect the quality and flavor of the food.

Colder food freezes faster, and foods that freeze rapidly are not affected by the freezing process. The quicker the food freezes, the more moisture, vitamins, texture, and flavor it retains. Freeze It ® containers are specially designed with thinner walls to allow for faster freezing. Rounded corners and a recessed base allows for even air circulation around the container, for faster and more efficient freezing and thawing.

Cool it Quickly

Food intended for freezing should be cooled quickly and safely in the refrigerator. Do not wait for food such as poultry, seafood, eggs, or meat to come to room temperature as this can cause bacteria to multiply and food to be contaminated, making it not safe for consumption.

These Vent N' Serve are what I use to reheat and also freeze plan ahead meals.

They can be purchases at www.myTWbiz.com under microwave.

Microwaving Hints

Microwaving Hints

Did you know…

Microwaves do not cook your food?

·         Microwaves cause food molecules to rub together 2 ½ billion times per second. This friction creates the heat that cooks your food.

Microwaves bounce off metal?

·         Microwaves pass though glass, paper and Tupperware just like sunlight through a window.

Microwaves are attracted to just 3 things?

·         Microwaves are attracted to fat, sugar and water (in that order).

Standing time completes the cooking process for all foods cooked in the microwave?

·         You’ll want to allow 20-25% of the total cooking time for the food molecules to stop moving to finish cooking your food after the microwave stops.

Cooking food at high power in your microwave is similar to cooking  foods at 500 degrees?

·         The high setting on your microwave should be reserved for foods that you normally would deep fry or broil.

Microwave cooking will save money?

·         The cost of 100 hours of microwave cooking is approximately 1/7 of the cost of 100 hours of conventional oven.

Determining Power Level

Conventional      Cooking	500°	350°	300°	250°	150°
Microwave Equivalent	100%	70%	50%	30%	10%

Determining Cooking Time

Power Level	100%	90%	80%	70%
Minutes per lb.	6 min.	7 min.	8 min.	9 min.

-          6 minutes per pound at 100% power will cook most food to done.

-          Sea foods, due to high water content, will cook approx. 3 minutes per pound.

-          Factors that lesson cooking time include high water, sugar or oil content, small pieces, porous/tender texture and warm starting temp.

FYI - Some benefits of microwave cooking

Cut back on rich liquid by 20 24%

Reduce spices and sauces

When using a leavening agent, let the batter stand for about 5 minutes before microwaving

Approx. cooking time will ¾ of conventional cooking time

Reduce your cooking and cleanup time by reducing the number of dishes you use.

Tupperware has several products that are safe for cooking and steaming the microwave.

Check the out at www.myTWbiz.com

PS my favorite is the stack cooker.

How to COLOR UNSWEETENED/SWEETENED COCONUT FLAKES

How to COLOR UNSWEETENED/SWEETENED COCONUT FLAKES

Directions

1. Put the coconut in a ziploc bag.
2. Dissolve a few drops of food coloring in the teaspoon of water, then pour this colored solution over the coconut in the bag.
3. Seal the bag and shake until all coconut is uniformly colored.
4. Best used within a couple of days.

Make many different colors. 

How to Freeze Vegetables Correctly

How to Freeze Vegetables Correctly

Freezing food is a good way to save time and money.

Freezing food helps it to prevent the growth of bacteria, yeast and mold—all of which cause food to spoil. However, improper freezing can change the texture, flavor, or even cause spoilage.

To properly freeze food, follow these eight easy tips!

1. Choose the Right Size

Choose the right container for the amount of food to be frozen. A small amount of food stored in a large container traps a lot of air, which increases the likelihood of freezer burn and deterioration. Poor quality containers cause changes to food texture and flavor when defrosting and can cause food to spoil faster while still frozen.

2. Freeze Small Portions

Pack food in small or individual portions so they freeze quickly. This ensures a higher quality product when defrosting. Smaller items will also defrost quicker, which helps save time.

3. Proper Preparation

Most vegetables are best blanched before freezing (see instructions below) because this preserves texture, color, and flavor. Raw vegetables with high water content like lettuce and cabbage don’t freeze well because they are vulnerable to damage from ice crystals.

4. How to Blanch

• Fill a 6 Qt Dutch Oven with water and bring to a rapid boil over high heat.
• While the water heats, fill a 12-cup Bowl about three-quarters full with ice, then add enough cold water to come just to the top of the ice.
• When the water is boiling and the ice bath is ready, trim the vegetables to the size you need. It's best to trim them just prior to cooking so they won't discolor or dehydrate.
• Add the vegetables to the boiling water in small batches to ensure that the water continues to boil.
• Boil the vegetables until they're barely cooked through but still tender (see chart below). To test, remove one piece with a slotted spoon, dip it into the ice bath to cool for several seconds and then eat it.

Vegetable Blanching Time

Asparagus  2 minutes

Beans, Lima Beans, Summer Squash  2 minutes

Broccoli, cut  2 minutes

Carrots, whole  5 minutes

Cauliflower, cut  2 minutes

Celery  2 minutes

Corn on the Cob  4 minutes

Green Beans, whole  2 minutes

Green Peas, shelled  1 ½ minutes

• As soon as the vegetables are ready, remove them from the boiling water and submerge them in the ice bath for the same amount of time they spent in the boiling water.
• Remove the vegetables from the ice bath as soon as they are no longer warm and place them in freezer container.

I use Tupperware Freeze-It Containers to freeze my vegetables.

My Tupperware web page  www.myTWbiz.com

Frozen Shelf Life of Vegetables

Frozen, store bought 1 year

Asparagus 8 – 12 months

Beets, Carrots 8 – 12 months

Beans, Lima Beans, Peas, Summer Squash   8 – 12 months

Bell Peppers – chopped 3 – 4 months

Broccoli Cuts 8 – 12 months

Cauliflower 8 – 12 months

Celery 8 – 12 months

Chilies 8 – 12 months

Corn 8 – 12 months

Garlic – chopped 8 – 12 months

Onions – chopped 3 – 4 months

Greens: Collards, Kale, Mustard, Spinach, Swiss Chard 8 – 12 months

Green Beans 8 – 12 months

Herbs 8 – 12 months

Mushrooms 8 – 12 months

Tomatoes – quartered 3 – 4 months