Fabulous Freezers

Thanks to Lindsey for letting us come to her home and thanks to Carol Garner for sharing with us helpful tips and techniques for freezing food. Carol has great, quick ideas such as freezing fruit (banana chips, grapes, apple slices, berries, etc.) instantly creating easy and healthy snacks. I'd never thought of doing bananas that way. She brought some for us to try and they were tasty!
Also, a big thanks to those who brought a special treat to share. We sampled several different dishes and they were all amazing. Recipes are coming, so stay tuned....

For more information on freezing, check out the following resources:

**Fruit Freezing Methods**
Website: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_215.pdf or obtain a written copy at the USU Extension office located in Logan City's Office Building. It contains a comprehensive list of fruits, how to freeze them, instructions for syrups, and the types of containers to use.

**Freezer Meals and Mixes**
http://extension.usu.edu/duchesne/files/uploads/FCS/Freezer%20Meals/freezermeals%20and%20mixes_updated%20Mar08.pdf or obtain a written copy at the USU Extension office. This is a wonderful packet full of instructions as well as a three week menu complete with recipes!! Check it out!!

**Ball Blue Book of Preserving**
Buy online at http://theconsumerlink.com/product_detail.asp?BID=FreshPreserving&T1=TCL+14400214001&navStart=14 ($5.49) or watch for it in stores during the canning season. Also, the USU Extension office may have copies available for purchase. This is a great resource for canning, freezing and drying a wide variety of food.

RECIPES:

Frozen Raspberry Dessert (Lisa Saraiva)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberries
(thaw if frozen)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Mix flour and brown sugar and cut in the butter until crumbly; add the pecans. Press in an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes until light brown. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, crumble the pecan mixture and set aside 1/2 cup for dessert topping. Sprinkle the remaining mixture into a 9x13 pan and press down lightly.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the berries, sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Fold in whipped cream and spread evenly on top of crust. Sprinkle with reserved pecan mixture. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight. To serve, cut into squares and top with additional whipped cream and fresh berries.


Frozen Ice Cream Dessert (Joanne McBride)

1 cube of Butter
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Coconut Flakes
3/4 cup ground Cashews
1/4 cup ground Almonds
1/2 gallon Ice Cream, Strawberry or Vanilla

Mix together Butter, Rice Krispies, Brown Sugar, Coconut Flakes, Cashews, and Almonds. Place 1/2 of the mixture in a 9x13, then spread Ice Cream and then the rest of the mixture on top. Put in freezer until Ice Cream is firm or ready to serve.

Eggs-tra Delicious!

Powdered eggs, egg whites, regular eggs, mayo or egg substitute? Five yellow cakes were baked, each with different types of eggs. Could YOU tell the difference? The sisters who came to the cooking class did a fairly good job. OK, so the mayo cake was not the favorite, but the good news is, all of you who have powdered eggs in your food storage....it's safe to use them! No complaints there.

Thanks to Jodi Price for demonstrating crepe making. They were fantastic.

CREPE RECIPE: (Better Homes & Gardens)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 T cooking oil
2 T sugar

Pour batter onto heated skillet. Roll skillet around until the batter spreads into a nice large circle. As edges start to turn golden, flip and cook the other side. That's all there is to it! Fill with delicious fillings and enjoy!

Here are the favorite fillings we used tonight (choose any combination from the list below. You can't really go wrong!) If you have a favorite, not on this list, please email me (a.m.jensen@hotmail.com) so we can share it with the ward! Does anyone have a good Chicken Salad recipe that they've used in crepes? Just curious if this could become a lunch item as well.... Anyway, here's that list:

• Fresh strawberries
• Powdered Sugar
• Cool Whip
• Bananas
• Nutella
• Caramel
• Raspberry Jam
• Strawberry Jam
• Apricot Jam
• Sliced Peaches
• Maple Syrup & Sausage links
• Slivered Almonds
• Cream Cheese

GENERAL EGG INFO:

Eggs – as an ingredient they add nutrients as well as richness, flavor, texture, thickening, and/leavening to recipes.

Egg whites – mostly water with some protein
Egg Yokes - contain most of the protein and all of the fat, cholesterol, vitamins, and minerals.

1 cup of eggs = 4-6 eggs or 8-10 egg whites

Substitutes:
1 egg = 2T liquid + 2T Flour + ½ T shortening + ½ t baking powder
OR ¼ cup cholesterol-free egg product
OR Dried egg powder
OR egg whites (Substitute 2 egg whites for each whole egg. This substitution may make baked goods less tender. To compensate, try adding 1 teaspoon of oil per egg called for in recipe.)
OR flaxmeal (Make flaxmeal by grinding flaxseed in a blender until it has the consistency of cornmeal. Use two tablespoons flaxmeal plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder plus 3 tablespoons water for each egg called for in recipe.
OR egg yolks (Higher in fat, but increasing the egg yolks in a baked good often makes it moister and more flavorful.)
OR gelatin (To replace each egg: Dissolve 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water, then add 2 tablespoons boiling water. Beat vigorously until frothy.)
OR cornstarch (Substitute 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 3 tablespoons water for each egg called for in recipe.
OR mayonnaise (Substitute 3 tablespoons mayonnaise for each egg called for in recipe.)
OR Ener-G Egg Replacer (Substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer plus 2 tablespoons water for each egg called for in recipe.)
OR bananas (Substitute 1/2 of a mashed ripe banana plus 1/4 teaspoon baking powder for each egg.)
OR silken tofu (Substitute 1/4 cup tofu for each egg.)
OR fruit-based fat substitutes (Substitute 2 tablespoons fat substitute for each egg in recipe.)
OR 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
OR 2 tbsp potato starch
OR 1 heaping tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water
OR 1 tbsp soy milk powder + 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water

Homemade egg substitute recipe
Homemade egg substitutes are less expensive and just as satisfactory. They also have few calories. Here's a low cholesterol egg substitute recipe:

1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder

2 egg whites from large eggs

4 drops of yellow food color

Sprinkle powdered milk over egg whites, then beat them with fork until smooth. Add food color, and beat until blended. This makes 1/4 cup, which is equal to 1 large egg. If you use this homemade substitute for scrambled eggs, cook it in vegetable oil or margarine so the eggs won't be too dry.