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Summer Days Are Happy Days

by: ARA

(ARA) - Summer -- the farmers� markets are bursting with fresh fruits, heavenly herbs and vividly colored veg., all ripe and ready to drop into recipes. But the easiest summer food is food you don�t have to cook. Instead of turning on the oven, reach inside your fridge for the best fruits and veg. of the summer.

I keep mine in sight -- easy to do with my Amana Easy Reach Plus refrigerator, where the fresh food section is on top. No need to dig in the bottom drawers to find my figs; with my Amana refrigerator, everything is right where I need it. Here are two of my favorite easy recipes. Enjoy.

Ice Pops

It�s nice to have something cold and fruity in your hand when it�s a scorcher outside, and nothing beats ice pops. When I was a kid, my lovely Nan and granddad ran a village pub in Essex, England. Every year at the start of summer, they used to send me a huge box of about 200 ice pops. We�d store the pops in a big chest freezer outside the storage shed. This made me quite popular with the local kids -- so much so, in fact, that my supplies would dwindle quickly, so I started to make my own ice pops.

Here�s all you need to make some of your own: Buy a couple of those cheap plastic ice pop sets -- you can find them in most kitchen shops. Reach into your fridge, pull out the freshest fruits you have, and squeeze the juice out of them.

Easier yet, dip into the ready-made apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice or lemonade (I find cocktail combinations also work nicely for the adults -- hard cider makes really tasty ice pops!). You can even raid the kid�s juice boxes if you want; just use the fruitiest stuff you can find. Now, fill up the pop sets with your chosen juice and put the sticks in before freezing. But you don�t have to run out to the storage shed to get them -- just keep the pops handy in your fridge�s freezer section.

That�s it! You�ll be the most popular kid on the block, bar none. For a little variety, throw some fresh strawberries or bananas into your pops before freezing. Or, if you�re having a party and want a delicious and attractive treat for your guests, add a few edible flowers such as violets or nasturtiums before freezing. It�s a fantastic way to get creative with your pops and impress your mates.

The Easiest, Sexiest Salad in the World

Apart from being a great combination, this recipe is a constant success due to the common-sense marriage of salty Parma ham, milky buffalo mozzarella and sweet figs, which need to be of superb quality. The best figs to use are Italian, and the best time to buy them is from June to August, when they�re in season. Greek figs are also good; they�re in season from September to November. Or, if figs aren�t your forte, you can use fresh peaches instead.

Choose figs that look like they�re about to split their skins. Use green or black -- it doesn�t matter. But do keep them fresh. I store figs and greens in my Amana humidity-controlled Garden Fresh crisper drawer. It�s easy for me to see how many figs and greens I have left with the crisper drawers right at eye level.

I use a knife to crisscross the figs, but not quite to the bottom -- one fig per person is always a good start. Then, using your thumbs and forefingers, squeeze the base of the fig to expose the inside. This will allow your dressing to get right into the middle of the fig.

Simply place the figs in a dish, wave around one slice of Parma ham or prosciutto per fig, throw in some slices of buffalo mozzarella, rip over some leaves of green or purple basil and drizzle everything with a heavenly dressing. I use a honey and lemon dressing concoction -- just mix six tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, three tablespoons lemon juice, and a tablespoon of honey with a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve with some spare bread on the table to mop up the juices.

There you have it -- easy, simple, fresh and seasonal. Always a treat, especially if you top it off with ice pops for dessert.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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14 Easy Cooking Tips for Meat and Poultry Slow Cooker Recipes
by: Anjali Dawson

The first Christmas we spent with my in-laws in their new country home, my mother-in-law wisely gave me a slow cooker. Her thoughtful gift helped Dan and I enjoy the most convenient of all cooking methods, even with our long work days and commute.

I'll always treasure the memories of delicious aromas wafting through the front door as we stepped into the house after a long day at work and a nerve-jangling commute in heavy traffic.

Most of the slow cooker recipes I used were based on meats and poultry. Here are 14 easy tips to make your slow cooker recipes tasty and safe:

Tip # 1 - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacteria in food are killed at a temperature of 165�F. Meats cooked in the slow cooker reach an internal temperature of 170� in beef and as high as 190�F in poultry. It is important to follow the recommended cooking times and to keep the cover on your slow cooker during the cooking process.

Tip # 2 - It is best not use the slow cooker for large pieces like a roast or whole chicken because the food will cook so slowly it could remain in the bacterial "danger zone" too long.

Tip # 3 - Always defrost meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker.

Tip # 4 - Meats generally cook faster than most vegetables in a slow cooker.

Tip # 5 - Trim all fat from meat and poultry. Fat can increase the temperature of the liquid in the slow cooker and decrease the cooking time. This will cause the food t be overcooked. Fats will also melt with long cooking times, and will add an unpleasant texture to the finished dish.

Tip # 6 - Cooking at higher temperatures will generally give you a tougher piece of meat. for all day cooking or for less-tender cuts of meat, you may want to use the low setting.

Tip # 7 - The slow cooker recipes are best used with the tougher cuts of meats.

Tip # 8 - For the best color and texture, ground beef is best browned before using, except in meatloaf or other similar dishes.

Tip # 9 - It is not necessary to brown meat before slow cooking, but it gives more depth of flavor in the food and removes some of the fat, especially in pork, lamb and sausages. If the meat is lean, well trimmed and not highly marbled, it doesn't need to be browned.

Tip # 10 - For roasts and stews, pour liquid over meat. Use no more liquid than specified in the slow cooker recipes. More juices in meats and vegetables are retained in slow cooking than in conventional cooking.

Tip # 11 - Dark meat takes longer to cook, so if a whole cut up chicken is used, put the thighs and legs on the bottom.

Tip # 12 - The slightly coarser texture of corn-fed, organic or free-range poultry is ideal for slow cooker recipes.

Tip # 13 - Most meats require 8 hours of cooking on LOW. Use cheaper cuts of meat - not only do you save money, but these meats work better for slow cooker recipes. Cheaper cuts of meat have less fat, which makes them more suited to crockpot cooking. Moist, long cooking times result in very tender meats.

Tip # 14 - Farberware FSC600 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker oval design accommodates oversize roasts, whole chickens, hams, and/or ribs. It features a large, 6-quart capacity stoneware liner, which nests inside a chrome slow cooker base and the auto setting switches to a lower 'keep warm' setting after cooking food.

For those who are not concerned about cooking in aluminum the West Bend Versatility 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker will work well to cook meats. It has a removable aluminum insert that can be used on the stovetop to brown meats and caramelize onions before slow cooking. The bottom unit can also be used on its own as a small griddle. Its dishwasher-safe insert has a nonstick interior and an included roasting rack.

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