Quick tips: Breads

Freeze ahead breads for Christmas gifts!

Yeast breads, coffee cakes, muffins and quick breads. Cool completely; do not frost or decorate. Place coffee cakes on foil-wrapped cardboard before freezing. Store in freezer up to 3 months. Unwrap slightly and thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Serve at room temperature or reheat, wrapped in foil, at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Quick tips: Cakes

Frosted or unfrosted, (Butter cream frosting freezes best; egg white frosting and custard fillings do not freeze well.) Special tip: Cool cakes completely; place frosted cakes in the freezer to harden the frosting before covering. Place layer cakes in a cake container to prevent crushing. Store in freezer unfrosted up to 6 months, frosted up to 3 months. Thaw covered at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Thaw loosely covered overnight in the refrigerator.

Quick tips: Cheesecake

Freeze ahead cheesecake

If baked, cool completely before wrapping. Store in freezer up to 5 months. Thaw wrapped in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Tips: Bake ahead Christmas cookies!

Bake ahead those Christmas cookies now! Package cookies in containers with tight-fitting lids. If cookies have been frosted before freezing, freeze them on a cookie sheet, then package the frozen cookies between layers of wax paper in a container. Storage time: (Unfrosted) up to 12 months, (frosted) up to 2 months. Thawing hints- Thaw in the container at room temperature. If cookies should be crisp when thawed, remove them from the container before thawing.

Quick Tip: Pies

Pies - Baked pumpkin or pecan pies and either baked or unbaked fruit pies.

Freezing tips - Cover pies with an inverted plate (foil or paper) and then wrap. Store in freezer (baked) up to 4 months. Unbaked: up to 3. Thawing hints - Baked: unwrap and heat at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until warm or room temperature. Unbaked: Unwrap, cut slits in the top pastry and bake at 425 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until the center is bubbly.

Quick and easy appetizer

Spread thin ham slices with Philadelphia Brand cream cheese. Roll up and secure with toothpicks and then chill for an hour. Cut into 1 1/4 pieces. You can sprinkle with Mrs. Dash seasoning on the top of the rolls to add a little extra flavor.

Laugh a little!

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.