Do you have a quick-and-easy punch to serve at a holiday party?

When I am needing a mix-and-serve punch, I chill a 46-ounce bottle of unsweetened pineapple juice and one 2-liter bottle of cherry 7UP.

Just before serving, I pour the two of them together over an ice ring in my punch bowl and serve. It makes 14 8-ounce servings. Note: If desired, you can use diet cherry 7UP.

Also, if you would like the punch to be a deeper red in color, just add a few drops of red food coloring.

How do you prevent fruit from floating in an ice ring?

Colorful garnishes designed in an ice ring can make a punch bowl festive, plus they can add flavor and aroma. To make decorative ice molds, follow these tips:

• To prevent the ice ring from becoming cloudy, set aside, in a bowl, the amount of water to be frozen. Stir it well four or five times during a 15-minute period. This will break up and expel the air bubbles in the water. Add food coloring, if desired. You can use part of the punch to make the ring.
• Select a variety of decorative ingredients, such as sliced or curled strips of fruit, fresh or maraschino cherries, unstemmed strawberries, clusters of seedless grapes, sprigs of mint, lemon thyme, sweet asperula, or fresh grape or bay leaves.
• Choose a one-quart metal ring mold and fill it with 1/2 inch of water or punch. Freeze until slushy. Arrange attractive fruit sections in the water. Cover the decoration carefully with a second layer of very cold water or punch. Return the mold to the freezer. Freeze until set. Remove and fill to the brim with water or punch and freeze overnight.
• To unmold, dip in warm water or wrap a hot wet towel around the metal until the ice disengages.

Q: I am interested in canning homemade chocolate sauce to give as Christmas gifts. How do you recommend doing it?

A: There are many recipes on the Internet and in cookbooks describing how to can homemade chocolate sauce using a boiling water canner. However, in studies conducted by the University of Georgia on chocolate sauce, they determined that these sauces are low-acid foods. Therefore, using a boiling water bath processing method will make them unsafe and at risk to develop botulism. What’s more, there are no approved recommendations to preserve them by pressure canning.

Therefore, the best option for long-term storage is freezing. If giving this as a gift, be sure to include instructions for frozen storage. The sauce will remain soft enough to spoon out portions while frozen. Here’s a recipe you may want to try:

Freezer Chocolate Fudge Sauce

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1/2 cup margarine or butter

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

12-ounce can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt margarine in the top of a double boiler. Add chocolate and melt, while constantly stirring. Add sugar gradually, 1/4 cup at a time, while stirring. Then add salt. Next, stir milk in gradually and finally add the vanilla. Cook until desired thickness — approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Pour sauce into a clean, warm, wide-mouth quart jar or similar freezer-safe container(s). Allow the sauce to cool at room temperature from 1 to 2 hours. Seal and freeze.

Q: I’ve always heard that alcohol evaporates when it is cooked? Is that true?

A: When alcohol is cooked, the general assumption is that the alcohol evaporates.

Researchers at Washington State University put this assumption to the test to see if the final product was free of alcohol.

For the study, six recipes were prepared using various types of alcohol and a variety of preparation methods. The alcohols used included red wine, dry sherry, brandy, crÃme de cacao, and Grand Marnier. Preparation methods included an unbaked pie refrigerated overnight; simmering for 30 minutes; simmering for 2-1/2 hours; oven baking; flambeing; and adding alcohol to a hot sauce.

Results indicated a variety of factors affected the rate of evaporation of the alcohol. These factors included heat intensity, cooking time, and surface area of the cooking pan. The bigger the pan, the more evaporation occurred. The food that simmered for 2 1/2 hours had the greatest evaporation rate. Other factors included exposure to air, types of ingredients used, and when the alcohol was added.

Therefore, when cooking with alcohol, some amount will always remain in the food.

Q: We deep-fat fried a turkey for Thanksgiving. Can I save the frying oil?

A: Yes. The National Turkey Federation recommends the following:

• Let the oil cool (obviously, you have already done this step but you may need to reheat it to proceed to the next step.)
• Using a fine strainer, remove any large pieces of debris
• Using cheesecloth, filter again to remove fine particles of debris
• Pour into a covered container and refrigerate to prevent rancidity
• Frying oil can be reused three to four times before discarding.