Making candies can be a fun activity to do and can be the perfect way to spend time in the kitchen with your children. Alternatively you could have a candy making party at your home and invite your close friends and neighbors over!
When it comes to making candy you do have lots of choices. Here is a quick rundown of the types of candy you could be making.
- Molded candy and chocolates
- Lollipop candy
- Dipped candy
- Candy plaques for cake toppers & decorations
- Candy baskets
- Candy flowers
- Hard candy
- Marshmallows
- Fudge
- Chocolate nuts and pretzels
- Brittles
- Toffee
Fresh salads and healthy lifestyles go hand in hand. After all, what could be better for you than a big plate full of leafy greens, fresh vegetables, fiber-rich legumes and lean proteins? Unfortunately, you could end up negating these delicious and healthy choices if you aren’t careful about the type of salad dressing you use.
Taking a quick look at the list of ingredients on your favorite bottle of store-bought dressing can be a real eye opener. In fact, you may be surprised to see a host of ingredients you weren’t expecting, including high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners, trans fats, MSG, and an assortment of artificial colors and preservatives to make it all seem more fresh and natural.
Fortunately, making your own homemade salad dressing is faster and easier than you might think. Plus, you get to control how much you make at one time, so you don’t have to worry about throwing out your hard-earned money if you don’t use it all in time. Continue reading
Although you can use your slow cooker any time of year, many people associate them with the warm, rich foods of autumn and winter. It’s true that slow cookers are ideal for meaty stews and other hearty winter dishes. They are also economical.
Regardless of what style or size of slow cooker you have, there are other benefits to using a slow cooker as well. Here are some to consider.
1 – The Busy Woman’s Best Friend
The slow cooker can be a busy woman’s best friend, especially if you are going to be gone all day. While quick-cooking foods can be convenient too, a slow cooker allows you to do something else all day while dinner cooks. There are some breakfast foods you can allow to cook all night, too, so that you can awake to a hot breakfast or have a meal ready to take to a morning or afternoon potluck. Continue reading
Slow cookers are an absolute wonderful way to have food “cook itself.” If you’re not familiar with using one, knowing some tips and tricks ahead of time can help reduce your learning curve. Even if you do use your slow cooker frequently, it’s nice to expand your recipe repertoire and learn something new about this time honored stand-by of busy cooks.
Here are some tips and tricks for crock pot cooking success:
1 – Keep the Lid On!
When you’re using your slow cooker, leave the lid on unless the recipe directs you not to. If you take the lid off during cooking, it can take up to 25 minutes for the food to resume its proper cooking temperature, and that extends your cooking time. It’s rare that a dish needs to be stirred. That’s why crock pots are so loved and useful, no standing over a hot pot stirring to keep foods from sticking. Continue reading
