Baking Tip: Avoid having to wash shortening from a measuring cup

I really don't like washing my measuring cups after I measure out shortening.  I don't think I'm the only one either because Crisco has made easy measure Baking Sticks.  They are convenient for sure, but you pay for it at 70% higher cost of the big tub.  This tip is a cheaper alternative with the same convenience.

 Line your measuring cup with a small piece of plastic wrap.

Fill with the amount of shortening you need.  Unfortunately, I did dirty a spatula getting the shortening in the cup, but I use it to clean all the ingredients off of the side of my mixing bowl so I don't really consider that a loss.

 Pull up on the plastic wrap to remove the ball of shortening from the measuring cup.

Flip the plastic wrap over into your mixing bowl and the shortening will pop right off.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  I love being able to use the same cup to measure the sugar or flour or whatever else I need without having to clean the sticky, slimy shortening off first.  Happy baking!

Cherry Berries on a Cloud

INGREDIENTS

Meringue:

6 egg whites 

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 3/4 cups sugar

Filling: 

2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whipping cream 

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Cherry-Berry Topping: 

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

2 cups sliced strawberries or 1 package (16 oz) frozen strawberries, thawed, drained

Heat oven to 275°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in 1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Spread in pan.
Bake 1 hour. Turn off oven; leave meringue in oven with door closed 12 hours.
In large bowl, mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and the vanilla until smooth. In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff. Fold whipped cream and marshmallows into cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly over meringue. Refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
In medium bowl, mix all topping ingredients until well blended. Spoon over individual servings of dessert. Store in refrigerator.




From Betty Crocker

Chicken And Black Bean Burrito Suizo

1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp vegetable oil
12 cooked chicken, shredded
1 12 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ tsp cumin
1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced (adjust to taste)
4-8 tortillas (8" or 9" tortillas are best)
¾ cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Green salsa, to taste
Sour cream (if desired)

Heat oil and sauté onions and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring regularly.  Once the onions turn translucent (about 3 minutes), add the chicken, beans, cumin and jalapeno and continue cooking until the chicken and beans are heated through and the jalapenos begin to turn a little tender, another 2-3 minutes.
Warm the tortillas over a gas flame (or on a hot skillet, if you have an electric stove; they can also be warmed in a microwave oven if desired).  Add about ½ cup of filling to each burrito and top with a little cheese and salsa. Fold up the burritos and top with more salsa and a little sour cream, if desired.

From Mexicanfoodrecipes.org

Mexican Shredded Beef

1 (4 pound) beef bottom round roast or other lean roast

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 large onion, diced

1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chilies

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or to taste

1 cube beef bouillon

Trim the roast of any excess fat, and cut into four pieces. Rub with black pepper, and place into a slow cooker. Add the onions, green chiles, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle peppers, and beef bouillon. Pour in enough water to cover 1/3 of the roast.  Cover, and cook on High until the meat begins to fall apart, about 8 hours. Add water if needed to keep the roast from drying out.  Turn the slow cooker to Low, and remove meat to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces using two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker; cook about 20 minutes to reheat before serving.

From Allrecipes.com

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Cook rice in rice cooker:

2 cups white rice

1/2 teaspoon salt

water

Blend in a blender or food processer while rice is cooking:

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove

Stir into cooked rice, and fluff with a fork.

from Martha Stewart

White Bean Soup with Ham and Rosemary

(from http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2005/11/white-bean-soup-with-ham-and-rosemary.html)

2 c. dry white beans (soaked 8 hours or overnight, then drained)
2 quarts chicken stock (or 2 quarts water with 2 T bouillon.)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped ham
1 envelope Goya brand ham flavor base
(optional- I found some in the bag of dried ham beans I bought.)
about 2 additional cups water
1- 2 T finely chopped fresh rosemary (1 T. dried)
2- 3 T finely chopped fresh parsley (or use 1 T dried parsley)
fresh ground black pepper to taste


Soak beans 8 hours or longer in cold water, drain and rinse well.  Put beans, 2 quarts of stock or water/chicken base, and thyme in large soup kettle. Simmer 30 minutes. While soup simmers, chop veggies and ham so that pieces are about 1/4 inch square. Add celery, carrot, onion, and ham to soup pot and simmer 30 minutes more. Taste soup for seasoning. Add up to 2 cups more water, ham bouillon if needed, rosemary and parsley to soup pot. Simmer one hour on very low heat or until beans are nicely softened
and soup is flavorful. When the beans are softened, season soup to taste with fresh ground black pepper and serve hot. This freezes well, so you may want to freeze some in individual containers to take to work for lunch.

Chicken Tortilla Delight

4 chicken breasts, cooked
1 pkg. tortillas, 12
1 onion, cut fine
1 can green chilies (1/3 cup)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. milk
16 oz. cheddar cheese

Cut up tortillas. Mix with all other ingredients except cheese.  Put in large casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 350º for 1 hour or microwave until heated through.