Lettuce - Cleaning & Keeping Tips

I love lettuce and several varieties of it too! My family and I love to make salads for dinner. Anything from taco, chicken, steak, to small dinner salads. Let's face it; salad is a staple in my house.

Salad is wonderful if you have the right ingredients and your favorite dressings to boot. Lettuce is readily available and so easy to clean. I always purchase a head of green leaf lettuce and iceburg so that I can mix them up. I also buy Romaine and darker leaf lettuces on occassion. It just depends on what I am making for the week.

I have tried the pre-washed bag salad mixes and single bag varieties but honestly I do not like them. To me the lettuce doesn't have much taste and it doesn't keep very long in the bags they come in. If I have to purchase these I try and use it all immediately.

I just finished washing and spinning my lettuce that will keep for a week. I have iceburg and green leaf pictured below. I wash with really cold water and remove the core on both varieties. I use a salad spinner to spin the iceburg. I spin several times and then lay a paper towel on my counter or chopping board. I place the lettuce on top of the towel and let dry. Drying the lettuce is the key to keeping it longer in your refrigerator. I allow mine to dry for an hour or so. I repeat the process with the green leaf lettuce and allow it to dry also.

Once dried I then place the lettuce in a green vegetable bag keeper (I use separate bags for each variety of lettuce). First, I place a clean dry white paper towel in the bottom of the bag. This allows any moisture to be absorbed. Then I place all the lettuce in the bag and place in my refrigerator in the veggie keeper section. I used to use the plastic lettuce keepers but I simply don't have room for those in my refrigerator and find the lettuce does not keep as well for me. Now you are ready to fix a delicious salad any day of the week! Hope you find my tips helpful.












What better compliment to a salad than a big, red tomato!

All American Hamburger

My hubby and I ride our motorcyle when we have a nice weekend day. Sometimes we stop and eat at places that are way off the beaten path. This past Saturday we managed a ride and stopped at a place that I don't even remember the name. Anyway, they had the best hamburgers I have ever ate! Doesn't this look delicious? I couldn't even finish it.

Basic White Bread

I pulled my Hitachi bread maker out the other day and decided to make a large loaf of bread. I used the recipe included in the recipe book from the manufacturer. It made a fantastic loaf of bread and is great plain or toasted!

Here's the recipe:
1 1/8 cups tap water
3 cups bread flour (I used King Arthur unbleached white bread flour)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp dry milk (I used Carnation)
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast (Bread Menu) or 2 tsp (Bread Rapid Menu)

Plug the machine in and let her bake!

A Cupcake Recipe Book Video

Isn't this recipe book just adorable? I decided to make a video so that you could see the entire book. It is for cupcakes and each recipe begins with a letter of the alphabet from A-Z. I participated in a swap on Split Coast Stampers last year and we swapped recipe cards. I chose to do two recipe cards so that I could give one book away to my daughter for her birthday. The other one I plan to keep for myself!

If you like this video and would like to see more leave me a comment. I am thinking about showing how to use the Bind It All for making this book.

I would love to hear your comments. Please forgive me if the video is a little rough around the edges. I am using my new camera and still need to figure out how to use my tripod so I am steadier.

Hot Crab Dip

I apologize for not updating this blog. It has been awhile. I am going to strive to be better at it in 2010 and post some yummy recipes.

Since the weather is pretty chilly, I thought the following recipe would be appropriate for a great appetizer spread. It is quick to make and extremely tasty!

Hot Crab Dip

1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, free of shells
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup green onions, minced (optional)
5 to 6 roasted garlic cloves or 2 cloves minced
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole and gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or toasted bread.

Let me know what you think if you try it!

Comfort Foods

I have been a little behind on posting to this blog. It's that time of year when everyone loves comfort foods. Here is a great recipe that my mother-n-law taught me to make. My dad always loved it when I created this recipe.

Scrumptious Scalloped Potatoes
5-6 medium sized potatoes
¾ stick of butter
¾ can of evaporated milk
salt
pepper (fresh ground pepper is best)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes “scallop style” and wash thoroughly. Spray 2 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place potatoes in baking dish. Add milk and salt and pepper to taste. Slice butter in several pieces and place on top of potatoes. Bake in oven for approximately 30-40 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes to distribute butter and seasoning. A brown crust will form on potatoes when done. Do not over bake or potatoes will dry out.

In loving memory of our dad who loved this recipe and Dell’s mother-n-law Mildred who was so generous to share it with her. May peace be with both of you!

Mock Pigs In The Blanket

Last night I made Pigs in the Blanket. What's that you ask? Well, traditionally it is a spiced pork meat rolled into cabbage blankets and cooked with a tomato base. It is very delicious served with mashed potatoes. However, I decided to use ground turkey meat instead of pork in mine. Now, I am really not a fan of ground turkey meat. I don't know what it is but it just kind of turns me off in some dishes. I think it is just a mental thing with me. Anyway, I am on a mission to use up all my meats in my two freezers before I purchase anymore. So, I have started with the freezer that is in the kitchen (part of refrigerator). Each day I pull out something in the freezer and see what I can come up with for a recipe. So, yesterday it was ground turkey and I decided on Pigs in the Blanket. They actually turned out pretty good (at least DH loved them) but not sure if I will use turkey meat in them again or not. Just would rather have that ground pork.

Here's the recipe:
1 lb pkg ground turkey or pork
1 cabbage
1 small can tomato paste
1 12 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 cup bread crumbs or rice
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Boil several cabbage leaves for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside. Combine meat, tomato paste, rice or bread crumbs, garlic (minced), egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Mix well. Roll in desired ball shapes and place inside cabbage leaves. I remove the membrame in the middle of the cabbage leaf to make 2 rolls. Lay in baking pan and combine sugar and tomato sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Add remaining cheese on top of rolls and continue baking until brown. Serve.