Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Shelf Life of Pizza and Pasta Sauce

"I've had pizza sauce in my fridge for 5 days can I use it?" asked my son on the phone.

"I don't think so, let me check and get back to you." I reply.

The shelf life of pasta and pizza sauce varies by manufacturer. Once opened, it should be stored in a clean, air-tight container in the fridge. It should NOT be stored in the can.

I went to the website of the pizza sauce manufacturer for my son and was told it lasted in the refrigerated 2-3 days.

Whenever you have a question about a food product, I encourage everyone to go to the website and look for the answers. It's usually under the 'frequently asked questions' section and if it's not there, send them an email or call them. I've done this numerous times and always get a response.

I checked out three different pasta sauces and got three different answers:

1. Prego Pasta Sauce (a division of Campbell’s) – I phoned and was told that once opened, the sauce should not be kept for more than 14 days (2 weeks) in the refrigerator. If you purchase more than you need, they suggest you freeze the extra in plastic freezer bags. It will keep frozen for up to 6 months.

2. Ragu – on their website it says their rich and meaty sauce will last for up to 7 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in plastic bags in the freezer. However, if it’s a cheese creation sauce, than only a few days in the refrigerator and do not freeze.

3. Classico – Maximum 3 – 5 days in the refrigerator and 2-3 months in plastic storage bags in the freezer.

Remember, once you open a jar of pasta sauce, write the date somewhere on the outside of the jar. This way, you don’t have to guess how long it's been in your refrigerator!

Pizza
Homemade Pizza

Pizza is extremely easy to make yourself. Why not try making your own pizza dough? Believe me, it is easy. 

However, if yeast is intimidating, try purchasing a plain pizza shell, and make your own pizza with your choice of toppings: pizza sauce, green pepper, onions, olives, tomatoes, pineapple, meat, part-skimmed mozzarella cheese.

For those who wish to try Pizza Dough here is a recipe taken from "The Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Cookbook" written by Leslie Stowe and published by Harper Collins, 2006.

Pizza Dough

Makes enough for 2 large pizza

1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, because otherwise you kill the yeast)
1 package INSTANT active dry yeast
Pinch sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flour, oil and salt. Mix until dough forms a ball.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface area and knead for several minutes, adding additional flour if the dough is sticking to the surface. When dough is smooth and shiny, transfer to a bowl and cover with paper towel or a napkin or a clean dish cloth, and let rise until it doubles in size.....about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Punch down dough and knead once more, then roll out with a rolling pin (a wine bottle makes a great rolling pin) or use your fingers and push the dough into a circle. Place pizza on a greased baking sheet or lined with parchment paper. Top with sauce and toppings. Bake until the bottom begins to brown, 10-15 minutes (lift it with a spatula to check).

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Honey Curry Chicken and Cinnamon Biscuits

Lucy the Dog with My Son
















Okay, I’m going to come clean. My motive in writing the Recipes To The Rescue Blog is to help/motivate my son to cook. 

He’s specifically asked me not to mention this, BUT, he is in 2nd Year University and has recently moved into a basement suite. 

His cooking skills consist of making popcorn, scrambling eggs, frying eggs, making sandwiches……and……and… making the meat chili from last week's blog. Not really enough to survive on, SO, I thought if I could pass on some tips and simple cooking ideas and recipes. 

So its chicken tonight and a recipe (cinnamon biscuits) from way back when the kids used to cook in the kitchen with mom for "fun".


Shopping List

2 large boneless chicken breasts
½ pound butter
Honey
Small bottle Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon curry powder (can buy in bulk food section)
Salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (can buy in bulk food section)
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk, or orange juice, or rice dream, or soy milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar (can buy in bulk food section but I’d suggest you pick up a small bag so you can make fruit crisps in the future)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (can buy in bulk food section)
3 tablespoons icing sugar (can buy in bulk food section)


Honey Curry Chicken


2 large chicken breasts
¼ cup butter
½ cup honey
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish. In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter, stirring. When melted, add honey, mustard and curry powder and stir together. Or, you can melt the butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds on high then add the honey, mustard and curry powder. Pour sauce over chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Cook 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes basting frequently.


Serve with rice, and boiled frozen veggies.


Recipe Notes: 


If you buy boneless chicken breasts you can reduce the cooking time as follows: bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 10 minutes. Chicken with bones takes longer to cook.


To figure out how long to cook the frozen vegetables read the instructions on the package.

Cook the rice according to the package; it usually takes about 20-25 minutes. Remember not to peek when cooking rice. If rice is cooked before chicken, just leave it on the stove and turn off the burner. It will keep warm.

Cinnamon Biscuits


1 tablespoon sugar
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg
3 tablespoons milk or orange juice or soy milk or rice dream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
3 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a bowl combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and with fingers gently rub mixture until it resembles small grains. In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg and milk or orange juice. Add to flour mixture and with a fork stir until everything is just combined. Gather into a ball and knead 10 times on a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a 6” (15cm) x 10” (25cm) rectangle. In a small bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread mixture on top of dough. Roll up dough lengthwise (starting from mall end). You will have a short log. Cut log crosswise into 4 pieces. Place pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cut side up. Bake until lightly golden about 16 minutes. In another small bowl combine icing sugar and water. Stir until smooth. Drizzle icing sugar over warm buns and serve.


Recipe Notes: 

How to knead:


1. When you knead, you will use only the heels of your hands. Push down on dough with your hand heels.

2. Fold the dough in half.
3. Turn the dough about 45 degrees and knead with your hand heels again.
4. Continue to knead, fold and turn the dough for the required length of time or to the consistency suggested