Shredded to Bits

Dear Home Ec 101,

My husband loves it when I make mac & cheese from scratch, but so far I’ve yet to find a recipe that I like.  It always just seems bland.  The thing is, I don’t think it was the recipes, I think maybe it’s the cheese I’m using.  I get a large bag of shredded mild cheddar because I can’t bring myself to buy the sharper stuff in the smaller (and significantly more expensive) bags.  Is there a way to add the tang of sharp cheddar without the expense?

Signed,
Mild  Melinda 

Heather Says:

I admit it, I buy the huge offbrand blocks of cheese for use in cooking.  While I’m sure some generics are better than others, the large no name bags of preshredded cheese are fairly low in quality, especially the cheddar. In my grocery store, ounce for ounce it costs the same as the much higher quality blocks of generic cheese.

Yes, there is a little work involved in shredding the cheese, but try a side-by-side taste comparison and you may find that it is worth breaking out the grater.

Additionally, the pre-shredded cheese is coated with cellulose to prevent clumping. While it’s certainly not anything to worry about, the off brand at my usual grocery store is pretty heavy handed which does nothing to improve the flavor.

When cheese is eaten alone or in small quantities such as blue cheese sprinkled on a salad, I do spend a little more on a quality brand. With some foods there is more satisfaction in a smaller serving of high quality and I have found this to be especially true for some varieties of cheeses.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Sweets for the Season 2008: Simple Peanut Butter Fudge

Heather says:

Have you ever come across one of those recipes that make you say, “And why have I never made this before?” Some fudge may be difficult, some fudge may be hard, but not this version. Later this week I’ll be testing a more complicated peanut butter fudge, but this four ingredient recipe is hard to beat. 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter + extra for greasing
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 lb powdered sugar

Line an 8×8 inch pan with foil, grease it well with softened butter. Cut and grease a piece of wax paper to fit over the fudge. Set aside.

In a large microwave safe container (capacity should be at least 6 cups) place the butter and peanut butter. Microwave on high for two minutes.

Carefully remove the container from the microwave and give it good stir. When you first remove it from the microwave it will be in 3 separate layers. Stir enough to create a smooth consistency.

Return to the microwave, cover, and heat on high for another two minutes. 

Be careful, the peanut butter is extremely hot. Remove from the microwave and stir constantly while adding the powdered sugar and vanilla.  

Once the mixture is smooth press into the foil lined pan and cover with the wax paper. Place in the fridge to cool. If your refrigerator has glass shelves, place a dishtowel beneath the pan. This is important, unless you firmly believe that nothing says fun like picking glass shards out of produce. Allow to cool completely (at least two hours, but preferably overnight) before cutting. Fudge dries out quickly, so cover with wax paper and store in an airtight container.

Kiss That Grease Goodbye

Dear Home Ec 101,

I am perplexed.  I have never had a good answer to the question: how should I dispose of cooking grease (that is, grease from hamburger, bacon, etc.)?  I’ve used several methods, but it’s all pretty disgusting and probably not environmentally friendly.  I’ve poured it off into old glass containers and tossed it; I’ve poured it off and let it freeze in a mug and then tossed it; and I’ve left it on the counter for days, waiting for someone else to take care of it (and the cat jumps on the counter and eats some of it – ick!).

I live in the country, so no sink disposal for me (and I can’t remember my city life well enough to remember if you should or should not dump it down the disposal) – and I DO know if I just dump it down my sink drain I will be in deep trouble some day.

Help!

~Greasemonkey
Heather says:

What a great question. Your instincts have you on the right track. Do not pour grease down your sink. Small bits may build up in your pipes eventually clogging them.

If you have a compost heap it’s OK to occasionally add vegetable oils to it. These oils will break down. Animal fats may invite unwanted guests so it’s a good idea to handle them different.  Thankfully animal fats are solid at room temperature.  Use a widemouthed jar with a tight fitting lid and store it out of sight, because eew that’s just nasty looking. When the jar is full, use a spatula and scrape it into the trash just before it is taken out. A good spatula should get almost all of the grease, then the jar can be added to the next dishwasher load.

Submit your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Back to Basics: Freezing Bell Peppers

Dear Home Ec 101,

My neighbor is a gardening whiz and brought over a ton of sweet bell peppers. I don’t want any to go to waste, but there is no way we can eat them all. Can you freeze bell peppers?

Signed,

~Peter Piper

Heather says:

Not only can you freeze bell peppers, but it takes very little effort. Frozen bell peppers are great additions to eggs, soups, stews, chili, stir fries, and of course we can’t forget sausage, peppers, and onions. I use this not only for when I mooch off of my gardening friends, but whenever I see peppers on the clearance shelf in the produce section.  

Get ready, because this won’t take long.

Slice or dice the bell peppers.
Scatter the peppers on the cookie sheet. Make sure there are no clumps or they will be hard to separate later.
Freeze.
Scoop into a freezer bag.
Remove as much air as possible and return to the freezer.
That’s it!

This method is often referred to as flash freezing. By freezing the peppers as separate pieces it is easy to take only what you need for a recipe in the future. You will be able to bring a little of summer’s bounty to your winter table.

Your bell peppers will retain their quality for eight months if they are stored at 0°F or below.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

Frugal Teen School Shopping

Ivy says:

I remember reading Amy Dacyzyn’s book The Tightwad Gazette many years ago. Amy herself had said people were tee heeing at her about what would happen when her kids turned into teenagers and started wanting name brand clothing and such. I tee heed myself, since my mom was never one to care much about name brand clothing, and I turned out to be a major clothes horse.

Finally, my mom sent one of her best dressed friends out shopping with me, and she taught me the joy of thrift stores and clearance shopping. Finally I was able to wear the name brand clothing that I so desired. By the time I was 16, I had gotten a job and spent all my money on clothes- I didn’t wear the same outfit twice my junior year of high school. Then we moved and I had to move all that clothing, and I realized more is not necessarily better.

Fast forward to now. I have a 14 year old son who also adores clothing. “I’ll only wear Abercrombie, Hollister, or American Eagle,” he says. Yikes. But I understand that, having been there myself as a teenager. What’s a frugal mom to do?

I gave him a set budget of what I could afford to spend on school clothing for him. He looked at me, appalled. That money wouldn’t go very far at his favorite stores. Then I suggested we go to Plato’s Closet first. Plato’s Closet is a high end consignment shop mainly aimed at the teen and early twenties set. What’s really cool about it is that you can sell the stuff you already have that no longer fits, you hate wearing, or otherwise don’t want anymore. And then you can buy more name brand, fabulous stuff.

My son was pretty happy with this arrangement. He’s funny about “used clothes,” as he calls them. But finding Abercrombie shirts for $7 quickly changed his mind about “used clothes.” He spent much of his budget there and then hit American Eagle and Hollister for the remainder.

What was cool about this was being able to teach him how to budget and get the most for his money. If he had bought full price clothing at his chosen stores and had never gone to the consignment store, he would have been able to buy very little, indeed. He saw that and made his own choices- good choices.

Having a teenager is expensive, there’s no getting around that. But you can stay within what you can afford, if you just teach your kid to live within their means.

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