Yeast are tiny one-celled fungi. There are both benevolent and obnoxious strains. One can find yeast commercially for brewing, as a nutritional supplement, and for baking. In bread making, yeast digests sugars and creates carbon dioxide. The structure of the dough traps the gas, giving yeast bread its loft and softness. Too little yeast will …
Ivy says: I might be the last person on earth to discover that frying bacon is easy peasy. When I was a kid at home, my mom always microwaved the bacon. That takes forever and you constantly have to pour off the bacon grease, which is a pain. I asked mom once if you could …
Heather says: The ability to sauté, or cook over high heat with a small amount of fat, is a great method for bringing out great flavors in simple foods. Typically zucchini is a summer vegetable, but there was a bag in the marked down produce for a dollar. Who can pass that up? Sautéed Zucchini …
Dear Home Ec 101, While my parents were visiting over the Christmas holiday, I made a pot roast for us all to share. We had lots of leftovers and my mother emptied them from the hot crock pot into a tupperware container and left it sitting on the kitchen counter. I saw it sitting there, …
Heather says: This pizza sauce can be simmered on the stove or made with a slow cooker (Crock-pot® folks, Crock-pot®). Pizza night’s order of operations are as follows: I start the sauce, begin a crust, chop the veggies, roll out the dough, and finally add all the toppings. The kids help by eating all my …
Heather says: Digging through old cookbooks you may come across some strange ideas, especially concerning gelatin. However, there are many classic recipes forgotten or replaced by new convenience items. A perfect example is tomato gravy. Sure, the name doesn’t invoke images of glamour or haute couture, but not everything in life has to. Tomato gravy …
These cookies may also be called penuche oatmeal drops. Penuche describes the original flavor of fudge. It’s what fudge was before someone brilliant decided to add chocolate. They are very simple cookies. However, if you don’t like the texture of oats in your cookies, they will not be a good fit for you. They are …
Heather says: Beef pepper steak is a great meal that can be prepared in about the same amount of time it takes to make rice. It’s also flexible enough to play with. Use different colored bell peppers for variety and if you’d like, toss in extras like: bean sprouts, snow peas, or mushrooms. This meal …
Dear Home Ec 101, When should one begin their holiday baking if they want to give out cookie platters the week before Christmas? Last year I did all my baking in 2 days and it nearly killed me, but I don’t want to do it too far in advance or the cookies won’t be fresh. …
Dear Home Ec 101, A friend and I were talking earlier today. She is a big fan of doubling casseroles and freezing half for later. I was telling her that I don’t because I usually freeze my meat before cooking it and you can’t refreeze meat. She said that as long as you cook it …