Hints and Tips

Question about stuffing

puckaway — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:36:31 GMT

Does anyone know if you can make stuffing a day ahead, refrigerate it, then bake it in a casserole dish the next day? In my stuffing, I only use bread cubes, celery , onion, chopped apple, dried cranberries, walnuts and chicken broth. I do not stuff the bird. Thanks

Cranberries

1ldhorn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:54:21 GMT

In a lot of the holiday receipes it calls for dried cranberries. Can fresh cranberries be used and is there a difference in the amount to use?

Using a Springfoam pan for Cheesecake

dadbar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:19:00 GMT

I do not like anything with cream cheese, but my family does. So I do love to try new recipes such as cheesecakes. But I always hate to leave the finished product on the bottom of the springfoam pan! Does anyone have a solution? I have several pretty platters to use, but leaving it on the metal bottom leaves it to sliding on the platter. HELP!!!

Cupcake Problem

artist — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:32:18 GMT

When I take the cupcakes out of the oven, the paper holders always separate from the cake. I don't see this happening in bakery cupcakes. What am I doing wrong?

How do YOU freeze bananas?

BrytEyz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:02:44 GMT

My family loves bananas, so I always keep them on hand. However, each family member is so picky about eating them at a different level of ripeness, I always seem to have one or two more than we can eat before they become over-ripe. So I've decided to start freezing those over-ripe ones until I have enough to make a banana bread or something.

Anywho... I'm trying to decide what would be the best way to go about freezing them. So, how do you freeze your bananas: skins on or off? Whole or mashed before going into the freezer? Any other tips?

Super zester!!

mah53 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:51:16 GMT

One of the best things I've discovered for zesting citrus is the "PediEgg". In their advertisements, they show show how gentle it is by zesting an orange. I thought, why not!! I purchased one just for zesting. It gives fine zest, is easy to clean and the little cup attached holds the zest until you're ready to use it. I just LOVE this thing!

Saving celery

Donna Keller — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:40:09 GMT

If you have celery with damaged outer stalks, simply use a vegetable peeler to remove the bad spots. It works great and you don't waste your celery.

moist top on cupcakes/muffins

AndyBug — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:47:50 GMT

Does anyone know how to keep the tops of cupcakes/muffins from being SO moist the day after baking? Am I putting them away too quickly? Tips or suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!

Cooking meal for a big crowd at church and need ideas!

BeckyJayne — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:01:50 GMT

Hi, all!

I wasn't sure where a good place to post this would be, so I hope you'll help me out! Our church in Ft. Collins, CO, is planning a Christmas extravaganza for Dec. 4 and we'll be feeding a crowd...I'm guessing it could be anywhere from 250-500 people. Last year, my husband made wonderful sloppy joes which we served with chips, a pop and a homemade cookie. I'd like to do something a step up this year (although after having hot dogs for years, sloppy joes was a huge improvement!) and would love some ideas for cooking a great meal for a bunch of people. This is a fundraiser, by the way, so I need to watch my budget just a bit. I'd love to have something like a pretty Christmas salad and perhaps some other hot side dish, but I am open to any and all ideas!

Thanks, all!

Becky

How much flour to add?

sulynn051467 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:08:03 GMT

Hello everyone!

I live in Denver, Co (high altitude) and my cakes and especially my muffins and cupcakes are not rising properly when baking (they are flat but still taste delicious). I know that I need to add extra flour due to the high altitude but my question is how much do I need to add?

I would appreciate any help or advice!

Thanks,

Susan

Keeping fruits and veggies fresh

ilenevictory — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:35:39 GMT

Save the bag liner from cereal boxes and put fruit and vegetables in the bags to keep them fresh for weeks in the crisper drawer. A great way to recycle and it really works!

testing...

mama_fluffy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:43:56 GMT

Stuck with pink frosting... Grrr

mrskellygreen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:39:24 GMT

Last year my best friend and I decided to start a tradition of making Christmas cookies. We did great at baking, and other than underestimating the decorating time and getting sloppy at the end, made some very cute cookies! There was one downfall to the entire operation... No matter how much food coloring we put in, the red was pink and the green was a mint color and not dark. We even got the Wilton brand red dye and everything!

We are doing it again this year, and are switching up the cookie recipes... except for the staple decorated sugar cookies. Im planning the recipes now and have a few tricks up my sleeve for the frosting except for the dang red! Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! :)

Easy Greasing

misscleocat — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:29:17 GMT

I've always had a difficult time greasing bundt pans, especially the decorative ones. Now I use a triangular makeup sponge, which glides easily over the pan and into the deep surfaces. I store the sponge in the refrigerator in a small, resealable plastic bag.

cool whip or dream whip?

t-dove — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:19:03 GMT

can i subsitute 8 oz cool whip for 2 enveolpes of dream whip in a recipe?

bacon cheese quick bread

mblue — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:38:33 GMT

can anyone help me find a recipe for bacon cheese quick bread?

Dried Minced Onion to Onion powder

TNkrazykrafter43 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:20:01 GMT

If a recipe called for 1/3 cup dried minced onion but all you had was onion powder - how much do you think you would use???

Thank you in advance for your help!

brown rice

julistrev — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:16:20 GMT

I have a recipe that calls for regular white rice mixed with 3 kinds of cream soups plus chicken, that is in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, can I substitute brown rice since its in the oven for 2 hours?

Gravy

angelbevyann — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:27:21 GMT

You know when you heat up leftover gravy how it looks like jello? Well I would like to know how to make gravy so that doesn't happened. If you have a recipe that would be great.

Sausage gravy in a large quantity

mschuster — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:23:21 GMT

I am co-sponsor of our school's Student Council. We have a Veteran's Day breakfast every year. We have the students bring casseroles, muffins, and breads for a buffet line. One year our superintendent brought biscuits and gravy, and it was a big hit. Unfortunately, our superintendent has retired. I would like to make the gravy in a big roaster. Is this possible? Any information would be appreciated.

reheating frozen bread rolls or cinnamon rolls

seraphim — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:06:12 GMT

how do you keep rolls from drying out during reheating?

defrost in frig or on the counter?

cover or no cover, how high the oven heat?

thanks to anyone that can help me with this

evaporated milk info from cooking school

maria9547 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:27:57 GMT

Does anyone remember the tip about using evaporated milk in recipes? I think I remember something about it having more calcium and ?????

Thanks in advance!

freezing single serving desserts

elmojabr — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:04:48 GMT

Hi I'm new here. I am married for 16 yrs with four kids 15 to 6 yrs. I was wondering if anyone had advice or recipes for single serving desserts. My hubby likes to have a little something before bed but not everynight. So whatever I bake for him goes bad before he finishes it all. So I would like to be able to pull something out of the freezer and heat it up as needed. Thanks for your help. Amy

Cutting Brownies

bingoqueen63 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:09:55 GMT

Use a plastic knife to cut your brownies. Slides thru so much easier than a metal knife.

Using Applesauce in cake instead of oil

SouthernAngel09 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:10:57 GMT

I am embarking upon the German Chocolate cake adventure tomorrow, and I was wondering if anyone has ever used applesauce instead of the oil to make the cake more moist? Any suggestions?