Serve this tummy-warming fast and festive chili throughout the holidays and beyond!

1 can (28 oz) Progresso® diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (19 oz) Progresso® red kidney beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) Progresso® chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) butter beans, drained

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

3 small red, orange or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Anaheim or jalapeño chili, seeded and chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons salsa

Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

1. Mix all ingredients except sour cream, salsa and cilantro in 4-quart Dutch oven. Heat to boiling, breaking up tomatoes; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until bell peppers are tender.

2. Mix sour cream and salsa in small bowl. Serve chili with sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Food properly wrapped will reach its maximum storage life without changes to texture, flavor, or nutrient value. Meats can be frozen directly in their supermarket packaging if you plan to use them within a month or two. For longer storage, however, overwrap them in a plastic bag or foil.

The best types of packaging include heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer bags, plastic wrap, and laminated freezer paper. Butcher paper, waxed paper, stretch wrap, and thin plastic bags won’t protect the food from freezer burn.

These two food-wrapping methods will fight off the burn of Jack Frost.

Drugstore Method:
1. Center meat on paper.
2. Bring two sides of paper together at the top.
3. Roll down paper about 1/2 inch.
4. Fold rolled edge down snugly against meat.
5. Turn package over and press air out from sides.
6. Fold ends into triangles, bring to center, and tape to secure.
7. Label and date.

Butcher Method:
1. Place meat at one corner of paper.
2. Tuck corner under meat and roll meat tightly in the paper towards the opposite corner.
3. Tuck in the sides, pressing out any air, as you roll to the end of the corner.
4. Seal open edges with freezer tape.

No rolling pin or cookie cutters are needed for this cookie recipe! Cookie mix dough is pressed with fingers, then cut into wedges to create the sugar cookie holiday trees.

6 oz white chocolate baking bar

1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

7 drops green food color

24 thin stick pretzels, broken in half

1 teaspoon shortening

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grate 2 oz of the white chocolate. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, melted butter, egg, flour, almond extract, 2 oz grated white chocolate and green food color until soft dough forms.

2. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Press each piece into 6-inch round. Cut each round into 8 wedges; separate wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 2 inches apart. Under each wedge, place half of 1 pretzel stick for tree trunk.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

4. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 4 oz white chocolate and the shortening uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Dip top of each cookie in white chocolate mixture, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, decorate with decorator sprinkles or sugars. Place cookies on waxed paper; refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

1 -12 to 14-pound country ham

2 tsp. whole cloves

8 cups apple cider or apple juice

Orange Juice and Brown Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)

Place ham in sink and cover with cold water. Soak overnight, changing water once.

Next morning, drain sink. Scrub ham in warm water with a stiff brush and rinse well. Cut skin from ham and trim off fat.

Insert cloves into ham.

Place ham, fat side up, in a large roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the ham, making sure it doesn’t touch fat or bone.

Pour apple cider or apple juice over ham.

Bake ham, covered, in a 325~ oven for 4 to 4 1/2 hours or till the meat thermometer registers 160 degrees. Drain off pan juices.

Makes 25 to 30 servings.

Orange Juice and Brown Sugar Glaze

Makes about 1 cup

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix sugar, orange juice, and cloves together in medium bowl to form thick paste. Set mixture aside until ready to glaze ham.

Makes about 1 cup

There are often occasions in the kitchen when a particular ingredient is not available, and for most of us, this usually happens right in the middle of cooking a particular dish - unless of course you are one of those people who prepare everything before embarking on the cooking!!!

This need not be a catastrophe as there is often something else that can be used as a substitute, such as -

Saffron

Use a small amount of Turmeric instead.

Breadcrumbs

Crushed water biscuits or cornflakes.

Cornflour/Cornstarch (1tbsp. as a thickener)

Use 2 level tbsp. plain flour.

Single Cream (1/2 pint/285ml)

Use 8fl. oz./225ml milk plus 2fl. oz/60ml melted unsalted butter.

Honey (8fl. oz/225ml)

8 oz./225g sugar plus 4 tbsp. water or golden syrup.

Dark Brown/Muscovado Sugar

White sugar and a teaspoon/5ml of treacle or molasses per 100g.

Lemon juice (1 tsp)

1/2 tsp. vinegar or lime juice.

Ice Cream

Frozen yoghurt.

Whole milk (1/2 pint/285ml)

1/2 pint/285 ml. skimmed milk plus 3 tsp. melted butter.

Noodles

Spaghetti

Tartare sauce (4 fl. oz/115 ml)

7 tbsp. mayonnaise plus 2 tbsp. chopped sweet mixed pickles.

Tomato Sauce

Condensed tomato soup or a packet of tomato soup made up with half quantity of water.

Seafood/Thousand Island sauce

Use 2:1 mix of salad cream and tomato ketchup. You can alter the quantities of each to taste.

Gravy

Condensed tinned soup or packet soup made up with half the usual quantity of water.

Need sour milk or cream  

Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to each half pint of fresh milk or cream and stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Or use natural yoghurt or smetana.

Run out of baking chocolate and you really must have that gooey desert!

For every ounce (oz) of unsweetened baking chocolate required, mix a quarter of a tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Recipe requires self raising flour and you only have plain. 

Plain flour can be used with the addition of baking powder.   The amount to add varies depending upon what is being cooked, however, a usual amount would be 1 level teaspoon of baking powder to 4oz. flour.

No baking powder.

This can be substituted with two parts Cream of Tartar to one part Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda.

No fresh yeast.

Two teaspoons of dried yeast can be used for 1/2 oz. of fresh yeast. Follow instructions on the dried yeast packed.

Short of an egg.

If you need an extra egg for a cake recipe that uses a raising agent such as baking powder or self raising flour, replace the missing egg with 15ml (1 tablespoon) of vinegar.  This will not affect the result.

Money short or you get unexpected guests, here are some handy hints on how to make ingredients go a bit further -

Efficient Cooking Methods
Instead of repeating the same steps day in and day out, utilizing any of the following efficient cooking methods would save a lot of time and headache, and still provide a variety of nutritious meals for my family.

1. Multiply the recipe and then freeze the extra meals for later in the month. For the most part, you are saving time by getting two or more meals completed with the same amount of energy you’d spend on one meal. Defrosting and browning two pounds of meat takes about as much time as browning one pound. It doesn’t take much to chop up a few more vegetables and add another quart of water to the stew you’re cooking. In addition, you don’t need an intensive plan to begin building up a freezer full of meals. Decide what you want to make and double the recipe. When you can pull these meals from the freezer later in the month, without pulling out pots and pans to start from scratch, you’ll easily see how much time you’ve saved.

2. Use one day to cook all your meals for the next month. Unlike suggestion number one, this method takes much planning. (Your Cook’n software would certainly come in handy here). In the end, however, you’ll spend two or three days in the kitchen for a return of 27-28 days out of it. The idea behind this method is that you plan a month of meals, shop for all the groceries needed in bulk, combine cooking processes, and then put the meals together and freeze them.

For example, you’d stew all the chicken required for Chicken Divan Casserole, Chicken Curry, and Barbecued Chicken Pizza all in one pot, all at one time. Then you’d remove the chicken from the bones and toss it into each individual recipe. You’d cook all the rice needed for the month and either combine it into the Chicken Divan Casserole or portion it into freezer containers to serve with Chicken Curry. You’d chop all the celery, onions, green peppers, and so forth at one time.

If you would like more information on this method of cooking, I suggest trying a time-tested month plan first. You can find step-by-step instructions and recipes in such books as Once-A-Month Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg and Dinner’s in the Freezer by Jill Bond. Once familiar with the intensive planning required, you’ll be able to incorporate your favorite recipes to come up with a month plan of your own.

3. Lastly, prepare and freeze frequently used items, storing them in small containers, to pull out as needed for quick-throw-together meals. Each time I’m serving spaghetti, lasagna, or even pizza, I start simmering the sauce on the stove, adding herbs and spices, etc. How much easier it would be if I made up an entire batch of the spiced tomato sauce all at once. Then, I’d just have to pull it from the freezer, defrost and heat the sauce, and pronto I’d save time. Other staples used frequently include browned ground beef, cooked chicken, cooked rice, frosting, pesto, gravies, cooked beans, muffins, rolls, bread, bread dough for pizza, pie crusts, and so forth. Having half the meal prepared and in the freezer not only give you ideas of what to make, but allows you to throw a meal together quickly, making it less tempting to skip a meal or eat out.

Freeing Up Freezer Space
Don’t count yourself out of the freezing world just because you only own the freezer that came with the refrigerator. You can increase the space in that small unit by adding dividers and shelves. Be innovative and you’ll soon see you can fit quite a bit more in there than you thought possible. Often, just a thorough cleaning of the unit will free up quite a bit of space, as old packages of who-knows-what are sent to the garbage!

If after stacking and reorganizing your refrigerator/freezer unit, you still find the space is limited, take heart. Today, you can buy chest freezers inexpensively in a variety of sizes that can fit into even the smallest apartment. The rule-of-thumb for how much freezer space you should invest in is 4-5 cubic feet per family member. Remember, though, that freezers use the least energy when they are full. If you just don’t think you could fill a 20-cubic foot freezer, even with a 4-member family, opt for a smaller size. It will still give you more freezing capability than the refrigerator unit.

Square containers make the most of freezer space. I especially love the containers found on the canning aisle of supermarkets, and typically used for freezer jams. These square plastic containers come in 2-cup, 3-cup, and 4-cup sizes. The pint (2-cup) size seems to hold just the right amount of ground beef, cooked beans, and sauces needed for meals. These stack neatly, are inexpensive, can be used over and over again, and are clear enough to let you envision what’s inside. Another alternative is to freeze foods in freezer bags. Once frozen, these stack nicely and of course are usually see-through.

Organizing the Unit
The freezer will save money and time only if the food stored in it is utilized. Too often, food hides in and around new additions. Months and sometimes years later, you’ll discover that extra casserole or those fresh green beans you blanched long ago. While still edible (since frozen food cannot spoil from microbes) the nutritional value, texture, and flavor of frozen items diminishes month by month, year by year. Wasted effort! Wasted time! Wasted money! Avoid these mishaps by implementing the following steps.

a) Keeping a perpetual inventory of every item placed in the freezer. Tape the list to the unit with an accessible pen or pencil. Discipline yourself to keep it up faithfully. Having a freezer chart of the best if used by dates nearby will also make the inventory easier to keep. See the table below.

b) Arrange like items together. Keep all bread items on one side. Place all frozen vegetables together. Use baskets or boxes for just juice, or just sauces. Store prepared meals together. Keep all the uncooked meats in one area. You get the idea.

c) Be ruthless with labels! Buy some freezer or masking tape and a permanent marker or grease pencil. Store these items at the point of first use so you’ll be less likely to ignore the labeling step. Every time you open the freezer and study an item to determine what it is, you are letting out quantities of cold energy. Save time and energy costs with simple labeling. Write what the food is, the date frozen, and how it is prepared (sliced, whole, diced, stewed, etc.) On casseroles and prepared meals, write short thawing or cooking instructions too, so you won’t have to dig out the recipe later.

d) Rotate the food. When adding new items, place them in the back or at the bottom of the freezer and bring the old to the front or top.

e) Finally, if you don’t know what it is, throw it out and learn from your parting sorrow . . . or guilt!

Thawing Food
Food safety sense tells us that thawing food on the counter, in the sink, in the basement, garage, or a garbage can at room temperature promotes bacterial growth and spoilage. Instead, plan ahead and thaw in the refrigerator, use a microwave oven or if wrapped well, under a steady stream of running cool water. If defrosted in the refrigerator, food can typically be frozen again if not needed. However, some quality may be lost in the product because of moisture loss. Use the following guidelines for defrosting individual foods.

Baked goods: Cover and thaw at room temperature

Bread Dough: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator in a greased bowl. The next day, set out, warm to room temperature, and continue with recipe.

Casseroles: Thaw partially or completely in the refrigerator (pull out night before), and reheat in oven. If only partially thawed, allow up to 50% more heating time. For best result, though, let it thaw completely for about 24 hours.

Fruit: Thaw partially at room temperature as it is best served with some ice crystals. If used in a cooked dish or smoothie, pull it directly from the freezer f or use.

Meat: Thaw in refrigerator (1 day/5 pounds), microwave, or sink full of cold water (ensure the water stays cool).
Unbaked goods: (Cookie dough, muffin batter, pastry) Bake directly from freezer.

Vegetables: Cook directly from freezer, cutting cooking times in half as compared to fresh vegetables. The exception is corn on the cob. Cook just like fresh cobs.

Miscellaneous items:
The following items need additional help once removed from the freezer:

Dairy: (Milk, Yogurt, Sour Cream) Stir after thawing as these separate when frozen.

Egg Yolks: Use in scrambling as freezing makes them syrupy and thick

Cheese: Hard cheese crumbles, but this is still fine for cooking. Shred cheese and toss with a bit of cornstarch to prevent sticking, and then freeze in a large bucket or freezer bags. Alternatively, cut cheese into one-pound portions and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator. Cream cheese turns slightly gritty and can become watery. You may overcome this partially by beating it and combining it with other ingredients. Cottage cheese separates, becomes mush, and slightly gritty. Stir after freezing.

Cooked Vegetables, Grains, Pasta: Freezing softens these items, so slightly undercook them to prevent overcooking and mushiness when warmed up later. Add raw noodles to cooked soup after cooling and before freezing, or add them when reheating the frozen soup.

Gravy: May need to add broth to thin it out once reheated

Sauces: May separate after reheating; simply whisk back together

Seasonings: (onions, herbs, flavorings) These change once frozen. Onions, paprika, and celery seasonings grow stronger in the freezer. You may wish to add less of these than called for by the recipe. Pepper, cloves, garlic, green pepper, and imitation vanilla turn bitter. Reduce or add after thawing.

Whipping cream: Freeze for use in sauces because it will not whip up fluffy once frozen; you can freeze previously whipped cream, however.

Store unpopped popcorn in the freezer for kernels that never fail to pop. The freezer helps the kernels retain their moisture, and the heated moisture is what turns that little seed into a fluffy treat. No need to thaw kernels; simply pop them straight from the freezer.

You can adjust many of your favorite recipes to freezer fare through awareness of foods that won’t freeze well and solutions to the problems they present. Use this chart to help you create a freezer full of the recipes your family already loves.