Month: January 2025

Posted in Kitchen Tips

Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Cottage cheese is a soft, fresh cheese known for its high protein and calcium content. It is also a versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed as a snack and an ingredient for a variety of savory and sweet dishes.

 Cottage cheese has a shelf life of one week in the fridge when opened and two weeks if unopened. Since it is a perishable product, you might wonder whether it is worthwhile to stock up on it at grocery store sales and what to do with the leftovers when you have too much.

Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?  

You’ve probably have heard mixed messages aboutfreezing cottage cheese. While USDA guidelines don’t recommend freezing cottage cheese, some home cooks and culinary chefs disagree.

Generally speaking, cottage cheese comes in two main types: dry-curd options and varieties with milk or cream. Dry-curd cottage cheese is basically the curds without lactose, which are removed using a higher-heat cooking process. (Note: It’s similar to but not the same thing as farmers cheese.) Because dry-curd products are, well, dry, they freeze better than cottage cheese swimming in milk or cream—which is the most common variety sold in tubs at grocery stores.

Cottage cheese with milk or cream is a high-water-content dairy product regardless of how much fat it has (for example, full-fat versus low-fat products). If frozen, the liquid turns into ice crystals. And when the cottage cheese is thawed, the ice crystals transform into liquid, causing the curds to become a grainy texture. However, full-fat cottage cheese tends to freeze better than the fat-free variety due to its higher fat content, retaining a creamier texture when thawed. 

So if you don’t mind the grainy texture of thawed cottage cheese, then it is perfectly fine to freeze it to enjoy later. Defrosted cottage cheese is best used for cooked dishes such as lasagna, casserole, and breads.

Allrecipes

Posted in #Recipes

Texas Chili

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

This Texas chili is rich and hearty with just the right amount of heat. The beef is wonderfully tender and perfectly absorbs the smoky, savory seasoning of the pepper paste and spices.

Allrecipes

Posted in Kitchen Tips

How to Keep Your Brown Sugar Fresh (and Soft)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

One thing that can derail your baking plans is discovering that the brown sugar your cookie recipe calls for is as hard as a rock. Luckily, we’ve got a super simple tip for keeping brown sugar soft and fresh from the start, preventing lumps—or the need to chip away at that solid block of golden goodness (we’ve all been there). 

Brown sugar can be one of the more temperamental baking ingredients in your pantry arsenal. From the get-go, it’s best to store brown sugar in a cool, dry space, and in an airtight and moisture-proof container such as a secure resealable bag, or a glass or plastic canister with an airtight lid. Once you’ve got that covered, adding a moisture source is a wildly effective extra measure for maintaining the softness and freshness of your brown sugar. Read on to discover my go-to trick that works like a charm every single time. 

Allrecipes

Posted in #Recipes

34 Easy Snacks to Make on a Snow Day

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

These easy snacks are the perfect way to treat the kids (or yourself!) on a snow day.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

13 Recipes That Taste Better the Next Day

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

From curries to banana bread, you’ll be grateful for these leftovers

Dishes That Shine as Leftovers

Let’s be honest: Eating leftovers can sometimes feel like a chore. A once-crisp salad will wilt, juicy chicken breast will dry out and fluffy rice will lose its soft texture. Meal prep can be a practical solution to our busy schedules, but it doesn’t always leave us with food we’re excited to eat. That’s where these recipes come in. We’ve rounded up dishes don’t merely keep well — they actually improve with time. Curries are a whole category of dishes that tend to taste better with time. The more time the spices have to mingle, the more the flavors will come together. There are many versions of chana masala, and this one features a thick sauce that goes perfectly over rice. You’ll find that the flavors come through even more boldly in the leftovers, and as a bonus, this dish freezes very well.

Food Network

Posted in #Recipes

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

My cabbage roll casserole has all the ingredients of stuffed cabbage rolls but is a lot easier to make! This basic recipe will appeal to everyone but if you prefer more flavor, consider adding crushed garlic, paprika, thyme, or cayenne pepper.

Cabbage roll casserole is the saucy, satisfying 9×13 dish that will take your weeknight dinners from boring to bold. Enjoy a casserole dish that combines seasoned ground beef, chopped cabbage, and fluffy white rice with tomato sauce and beef broth for a wonderfully cozy bite.

Learn how to make cabbage roll casserole, plus get tips on how to make it your own and what side dishes to pair it with for a fabulous meal.

How to Make Cabbage Roll Casserole 

Tender chopped cabbage with rich, meaty flavor is just a few steps away. You’ll find the full recipe below with step-by-step instructions, but here’s what you can expect when you make this top-rated recipe:

  1. Brown the beef and drain the grease.
  2. Add the cabbage, sauce, onion, rice, and salt. Pour broth over the top.
  3. Bake for one hour, stir, and continue baking until the cabbage is tender.

Allrecipes

Posted in #Recipes

63 Chicken Thigh Recipes You’ll Make All the Time

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Chicken thighs are the unsung heroes of the protein realm. Whether you bake, braise, glaze or grill them, they always cook up juicy and delicious.

Our Best Ideas for Chicken Thighs

We love chicken thighs because they stand up to (and thrive) under almost any circumstances. They stay juicy when they’re grilled or baked in the oven, develop a nice crisp when broiled or air-fried and end up fall-off-the-bone tender when slow-cooked or braised. Add to that the fact that they play nicely with a myriad of spices and marinades and it’s easy to see why they’re our go-to option when we need an easy chicken dinner. Plus, they’re usually less expensive than chicken breasts—win! So, how do you know which kind to choose? Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a good low-maintenance pick but we prefer the bone-in, skin-on ones because the bones add tons of flavor and, when seared, the skin cooks up to crunchy perfection. Just take this recipe for example. A dry brine combined with slow roasting keeps the meat juicy while a quick flash under the broiler at the end of the cooking process renders the skin crisp and golden.

Food Network

Posted in #Recipes

73 Cheap Dinner Ideas for Weeknight Meals

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Easy weeknight meals on a budget are possible. We’ve rounded up our favorite cheap dinner ideas that will easily feed a family of four without breaking the bank.

Taste of Home

Posted in Equipment Reviews

9 Best Food Storage Containers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Tested by Lambeth Hochwald

If you’ve ever opened up a cabinet or drawer and watched as every single piece of plastic came tumbling out, you know how frustrating it can be to have a food-storage-container collection consisting of missing lids, stained containers or odd-shaped items that don’t match. Whether you’re trying to incorporate more produce into your diet and are looking for ways to keep your fruit fresh or just want to ensure your pantry staples reach their maximum shelf life, the proper storage is necessary (and available). That’s why we decided to do some container research for you. Here, your shopping list of nine food storage containers to consider buying for everything from meal prep and storing leftovers to bulk food storage.

This article has been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. We stand by our list of topfood storage container picks.

Food Network

Posted in #Recipes

110 Healthy Dinners That Are Ready in 40 Minutes or Less

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Healthy food fast? Yes, it’s possible! These quick and easy meals are on the table in no time.

Quick and Healthy Dinner Ideas

Healthy eating can mean a lot of different things. For some of us it means incorporating more low-carb or Whole30-friendly meals into our weekly routine. For others it’s all about following a Mediterranean diet or committing to meal prep and eating more protein or plant-based foods. However you define it and put it into practice, we can all agree on two things: healthy eating nourishes us and fills our plates with plenty of wholesome ingredients. That’s the idea behind these quick and easy any-night dinner recipes, including this fun take on enchiladas. It has the same great smoky spicy, sweet flavor you’d find in the classic version—but this one will fill up on squash, broccoli and black beans (instead of cheese and tortillas). Serve with a garnish of cilantro, fresh lime juice, diced avocado and a bit of shredded cheese for maximum enchilada feels.

Food Network