It's been a LONG time. I thought to erase this blog, but I guess I'll keep it around for a while longer.
The next time you make something with bones in it, save the bones to make soup stock. Here's an example.
Make a whole chicken (we usually cook chickens in the crock pot). Save the skin, fat and bones. Put them all in the crock pot along with whatever juices are left in the pot after cooking it (and making gravy if that's what you like to do with the drippings!). Throw in a few carrots, onions and celery. There's no need to peel anything, just chop it into large chunks. Season if you wish (I will put in a little salt, pepper, garlic, and maybe some herbs). Cover with water - almost to the top of the pot. Put the lid on and let it simmer all night on low. In the morning, turn it off. If you are not in a hurry, let it sit there till it cools before straining into a bowl. If you are in a hurry, strain out the liquid into a bowl; throw the rest of the stuff away. Let it sit in the bowl till it has cooled enough to put in the fridge. Whether you strain right away or not, leave the bowl in the fridge over night - a layer of fat will rise to the top. The next morning, scoop this layer of fat off and pour the rest of the stock into freezer containers. (if you store in mason jars, leave about 1" head space and DO NOT put the lids on till it's frozen)
*some people leave the fat - if that is what you'd like to do, then you do not need to let it sit in the fridge over night ... just put into freezer containers after it cools down.
Now you have a yummy, cheap, home-made stock to use in your next soup. You could also use it for gravy, mashed potatoes, or whatever else you would need to us stock for.
Enjoy!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Stuffed peppers & guacamole
Sorry it's been so quiet around here! Other things are more important right now. I'm considering just adding this blog to my old one (that I post on more often) and somehow make labels to keep it separate? We'll see. For now though, here's what we ate for dinner the other day ... stuffed peppers and chips with guacamole ... yum!
It all started when I was dicing green peppers from the garden to go in the freezer. I had quite a few and thought, "Hmmm, I think I'll try to make stuffed peppers for dinner." Sounded like a good idea, however I have only made them ONE other time in my life. So, I grabbed a cookbook to give me a general idea. The recipes I found all had meat and other things I was not interested in using. So I did what I do best in the kitchen ... improvised and 'guesstimated'. I had left-over sorghum grain (cooked) and raw cheese in the fridge, fresh tomatoes on the counter, and of course an abundance of seasonings. I steamed the peppers (tops off, guts out) in a little water, covered, for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I mixed about 2c of sorghum, a few medium chopped tomatoes, a little bit of raw cheese (1/4c shredded?), salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried onion flakes, basil, oregano, and about 8 crushed saltine crackers. Scooped it all into the waiting peppers. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes. That was it.
This did not make enough for us to be full, so we also had guacamole and chips. I know, what an odd combination! It was good though. For guacamole, I just mash up 2 avocados and add the following: 2 romas diced small, juice of half a lemon, 1t salt and ~1t onion flakes. That's it. Simple and tasty.
It all started when I was dicing green peppers from the garden to go in the freezer. I had quite a few and thought, "Hmmm, I think I'll try to make stuffed peppers for dinner." Sounded like a good idea, however I have only made them ONE other time in my life. So, I grabbed a cookbook to give me a general idea. The recipes I found all had meat and other things I was not interested in using. So I did what I do best in the kitchen ... improvised and 'guesstimated'. I had left-over sorghum grain (cooked) and raw cheese in the fridge, fresh tomatoes on the counter, and of course an abundance of seasonings. I steamed the peppers (tops off, guts out) in a little water, covered, for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I mixed about 2c of sorghum, a few medium chopped tomatoes, a little bit of raw cheese (1/4c shredded?), salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried onion flakes, basil, oregano, and about 8 crushed saltine crackers. Scooped it all into the waiting peppers. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes. That was it.
This did not make enough for us to be full, so we also had guacamole and chips. I know, what an odd combination! It was good though. For guacamole, I just mash up 2 avocados and add the following: 2 romas diced small, juice of half a lemon, 1t salt and ~1t onion flakes. That's it. Simple and tasty.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Tomatoes
Our garden is doing fairly well so far. See a few new pictures of it HERE.
Processing tomatoes for the freezer (or canning) is really easy. First, start a large pot of water to boil, and gather up all your ripe tomatoes; wash the dirt off them. Fill your sink with cold water. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute (some tomatoes may take longer, you'll get the hang of it through trial and error). To get mine into the water, I lower them down [carefully] in a small colander:
Scoop the tomatoes out of the water and plunge into the waiting cold water. If your kitchen is like mine, the stove is opposite the sink! I hold the colander in one hand and the pan lid under it with the other hand to catch the drips. Allow them to cool. The water will get warm as time goes by; at some point you may need to drain and re-fill if your tomatoes are not cooling off fast enough to handle.
Now remove the tops (I use a nifty thing I got from pampered chef, however a paring knife will work too) and slide the skin off. If the skin does not slide off, you probably need to blanch it a bit longer. If the skin is still totally stuck, your tomato might not be ripe enough.
I mix all my tomatoes for variety. Once you have a big bowl, you can freeze or can them as they are, or dice up and then freeze or can. I like to dice and freeze them - I use a large cutting board with a gutter to catch the juice. I have to drain it often; I dump the juice in with the tomatoes. I then give the diced bunch to my children who scoop it out by cupfuls into quart sized freezer bags.
I prefer Roma tomatoes over all - they seem the easiest to process ... their skins come of quickly and they are more dry than other tomatoes, thus making them easier to dice and handle. Also, I think they are 'pretty' and they taste really good! All tomatoes are good though and we try to grow a variety each year.
We have 26 quarts in the freezer so far ... I pray we get a lot more! Really, I would like to have one bag for every day of the year; we like to use these tomatoes for soups, spaghetti sauce, and stews.
In Christ,
Joanne
Processing tomatoes for the freezer (or canning) is really easy. First, start a large pot of water to boil, and gather up all your ripe tomatoes; wash the dirt off them. Fill your sink with cold water. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute (some tomatoes may take longer, you'll get the hang of it through trial and error). To get mine into the water, I lower them down [carefully] in a small colander:
Scoop the tomatoes out of the water and plunge into the waiting cold water. If your kitchen is like mine, the stove is opposite the sink! I hold the colander in one hand and the pan lid under it with the other hand to catch the drips. Allow them to cool. The water will get warm as time goes by; at some point you may need to drain and re-fill if your tomatoes are not cooling off fast enough to handle.
Now remove the tops (I use a nifty thing I got from pampered chef, however a paring knife will work too) and slide the skin off. If the skin does not slide off, you probably need to blanch it a bit longer. If the skin is still totally stuck, your tomato might not be ripe enough.
I mix all my tomatoes for variety. Once you have a big bowl, you can freeze or can them as they are, or dice up and then freeze or can. I like to dice and freeze them - I use a large cutting board with a gutter to catch the juice. I have to drain it often; I dump the juice in with the tomatoes. I then give the diced bunch to my children who scoop it out by cupfuls into quart sized freezer bags.
I prefer Roma tomatoes over all - they seem the easiest to process ... their skins come of quickly and they are more dry than other tomatoes, thus making them easier to dice and handle. Also, I think they are 'pretty' and they taste really good! All tomatoes are good though and we try to grow a variety each year.We have 26 quarts in the freezer so far ... I pray we get a lot more! Really, I would like to have one bag for every day of the year; we like to use these tomatoes for soups, spaghetti sauce, and stews.
In Christ,
Joanne
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Pictures of my last post
Here are a few pictures to go along with my last post - veggie pizza and focaccia bread .. YUM!
First, the pizza. I just made a basic wheat crust with dried onion and italian seasonings thrown in, a quick pizza sauce (tomato paste, water, salt, sweetener, oregano, garlic), and topped it with veggies I had on hand (carrots, zucchini, lightly steamed broccoli, green peppers and black olives). We put a little parmesan cheese on top when it was done.
Mmmm. Good for growing boys :)
The focaccia bread ... I basically made wheat bread but added olive oil and italian seasonings to the dough.
First, the pizza. I just made a basic wheat crust with dried onion and italian seasonings thrown in, a quick pizza sauce (tomato paste, water, salt, sweetener, oregano, garlic), and topped it with veggies I had on hand (carrots, zucchini, lightly steamed broccoli, green peppers and black olives). We put a little parmesan cheese on top when it was done.
Mmmm. Good for growing boys :)
The focaccia bread ... I basically made wheat bread but added olive oil and italian seasonings to the dough. Roll out the dough onto a baking sheet and let it rise for a bit. When it's done, poke it with your fingers all around the top to make dents. Drizzle olive oil on top.
Get your topping ingredients ready. I like fresh roma tomatoes (sliced) and fresh basil (chopped). Not pictured here is kalamata olives (chopped). I also like sauteed, sliced onions and garlic.
I like to saute the onions in olive oil. When it's almost done, I add pressed garlic and some salt.
Top your bread ... and bake till done.
We enjoyed our focaccia bread with a sprout salad - YUMMY!
Get your topping ingredients ready. I like fresh roma tomatoes (sliced) and fresh basil (chopped). Not pictured here is kalamata olives (chopped). I also like sauteed, sliced onions and garlic.I like to saute the onions in olive oil. When it's almost done, I add pressed garlic and some salt.
Top your bread ... and bake till done.
We enjoyed our focaccia bread with a sprout salad - YUMMY!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Rice biscuits and pizza variations
A commenter asked for my rice biscuits recipe. Really, there is not secret. I just use a basic biscuit recipe that could appear in any cookbook but use rice flour instead of wheat. It helps to use butter or shortening (we use palm shortening from Spectrum) instead of a liquid fat. They turn out a little crumbly, which does not bother us, however to alleviate some of the crumbly-ness, you can add a teaspoon of xanthan gum or even an egg white (which I've yet to try, but maybe I will some time?!)
Here's what I use:
2c brown rice flour
1T baking powder
~1/2t salt
1/4-1/2c fat (depending on how I feel that day!)
liquid (start with 3/4c; use water, 'milk', juice, stock - depending on what you are serving with the biscuits)
Sometimes I'll add other seasons to suit the meal. For example:
- garlic, dehydrated onions bits and parmesan cheese to make 'garlic cheese biscuits'.
- italian seasons and olive oil for the fat
- cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and stevia for a sweet biscuit (put on top of fruit in crock pot like 'dumplings' or put fruit over the biscuit like a 'cake')
We top our biscuits will all sorts of stuff ..
- veggies
- gravy
- fruit
Or just eat them plain!
The same commenter asked what we put on our veggie pizza. Simple! Whatever veggies we have on hand :) Sometimes I use a biscuit recipe for the crust ... this makes a real 'dough-y' crust, but we like it and it's quick. Other times I'll just make a batch of pizza dough (let the bread machine mix it for me). Pizza sauce is a can of tomato paste with pizza-sauce-type seasonings (oregano, salt, garlic, onion and a bit of sweetener ... and of course water to thin it out). We top it with whatever is on hand ... broccoli, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, pine nuts, etc.
Since we try our best to avoid dairy, I leave off the mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I'll sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over it. Other times I might make a creamy white sauce and drizzle that in a pretty pattern. Usually though ... we just leave it as it is.
A variation ... use garbanzo flour and make 'garbanzo pancakes'. Basically just flour, pizza-type seasons and water. Cook like pancakes in olive oil; they will be FLAT. Dip in pizza sauce. YUM! Sometimes I'll top one side with chopped tomatoes and black olives right after I put them on the pan; they get baked into the 'pancake'.
Another variation ... 'focaccia bread'. MMMM. I don't know if what we do is authentic or not, but who cares! I make a recipe or two of wheat bread dough, roll it out into desired shape, top with sauteed onions, fresh tomatoes, black olives and salt. Drizzle a little olive oil over all and bake till the bread is done. Maybe I'll make this today and put pictures on here ... it sounds really good.
That's all the time I have for now. Have a wonderful day.
In Christ,
Joanne
Here's what I use:
2c brown rice flour
1T baking powder
~1/2t salt
1/4-1/2c fat (depending on how I feel that day!)
liquid (start with 3/4c; use water, 'milk', juice, stock - depending on what you are serving with the biscuits)
Sometimes I'll add other seasons to suit the meal. For example:
- garlic, dehydrated onions bits and parmesan cheese to make 'garlic cheese biscuits'.
- italian seasons and olive oil for the fat
- cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and stevia for a sweet biscuit (put on top of fruit in crock pot like 'dumplings' or put fruit over the biscuit like a 'cake')
We top our biscuits will all sorts of stuff ..
- veggies
- gravy
- fruit
Or just eat them plain!
The same commenter asked what we put on our veggie pizza. Simple! Whatever veggies we have on hand :) Sometimes I use a biscuit recipe for the crust ... this makes a real 'dough-y' crust, but we like it and it's quick. Other times I'll just make a batch of pizza dough (let the bread machine mix it for me). Pizza sauce is a can of tomato paste with pizza-sauce-type seasonings (oregano, salt, garlic, onion and a bit of sweetener ... and of course water to thin it out). We top it with whatever is on hand ... broccoli, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, pine nuts, etc.
Since we try our best to avoid dairy, I leave off the mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I'll sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over it. Other times I might make a creamy white sauce and drizzle that in a pretty pattern. Usually though ... we just leave it as it is.
A variation ... use garbanzo flour and make 'garbanzo pancakes'. Basically just flour, pizza-type seasons and water. Cook like pancakes in olive oil; they will be FLAT. Dip in pizza sauce. YUM! Sometimes I'll top one side with chopped tomatoes and black olives right after I put them on the pan; they get baked into the 'pancake'.
Another variation ... 'focaccia bread'. MMMM. I don't know if what we do is authentic or not, but who cares! I make a recipe or two of wheat bread dough, roll it out into desired shape, top with sauteed onions, fresh tomatoes, black olives and salt. Drizzle a little olive oil over all and bake till the bread is done. Maybe I'll make this today and put pictures on here ... it sounds really good.
That's all the time I have for now. Have a wonderful day.
In Christ,
Joanne
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Save money ... shop at thrift stores and garage sales!
Today is wednesday ... which means HALF OFF DAY at the Salvation Army (all in NE and IA anyway; I'm not sure about other states)! YAY! Guess what day you can find me at the Salvation Army? Yeap, wednesday :)
My son Tylor is tall and getting taller every month. At one point a few months ago I prayed and told God He needed to provide Tylor with some pants, otherwise I was going to have to learn how to make them. We had been going to the thrift store at least once a month and could not find pants that fit Tylor (I forgot to mention that he's really skinny too). He was down to one pant. After praying the night before and the day of, we made the trip to the thrift store and I found EIGHT pants! I had to put some back. He has now grown out of all but 2. We went today and he found one that fit just right ... almost anyway. The waist is still a little big, but he can wear a belt (27x34). The jeans look new.
Tylor also needed some shoes. Usually I cannot find decent ones at the thrift store, however this time we found a black and brown pair for him :) He is wearing a size 12 right now. At least he has big enough feet to carry around that tall body!
Tylor also needed some shoes. Usually I cannot find decent ones at the thrift store, however this time we found a black and brown pair for him :) He is wearing a size 12 right now. At least he has big enough feet to carry around that tall body!
Brianna and I found a few shirts. She had her mind set before we got there and knew she needed a yellow and a blue one. She found a nice yellow one and a blue one that will do till she finds one she likes better. (at only a dollar, it's ok to do that!) I have been wanting simple brown shoes for a while and I found what looks like an almost new pair.
Now for the big story! I have been wanting a good dish set for YEARS (7 or more years?). I kept looking and looking ... nothing was at the right price with a simple pattern and quality material. Today I found a 6 piece service for 12! (is that how you would say it?) There's 12 each of large, medium and small plates, regular and small bowls, cups and s&p shakers. It's Corelle and there's NO PATTERN! Even better, it's a creamy off-white color! And better still, I got it all for $15! My years of perseverance paid off. 
Don't buy new! Usually garage sales are cheaper than thrift stores, however the selection at thrift stores can be better and you only have to go to one place ... save on gas!
One more thing ... when you find that one thing you've been praying about, make sure to praise the Lord!
Happy shopping!
In Christ,
Joanne
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Weekly meals and frugal tips
Jennifer at 'double nickel farm' had the great idea of sharing meals for the week. I thought I'd give it a try as well; feel free to share what your family does!
As we all know, or should know, family meal time can make or break a budget! We try to plan our meals a week at a time, based on what's on hand and what's on sale at the stores. First, I write a grocery list, next I clean the refrigerator, then go shopping ... and finally, I come home and write a meal plan for the week.
Something we are starting now is daily crock-pot meals. Don't get me wrong, we use the crock-pot often!!! However I am now using it every day for lunch. I found that lunch time was when I often slacked and didn't get things started when I should ... thus making the meal late and supper late as well. The crock-pot idea has solved our lunch dilemma! YAY! We are all liking it so far.
Here's our meal plan for the week; I write it all on one sheet with room for notes and a store list. I save the sheets for future meal ideas:
Breakfast is always a green smoothie, fruit &/or oatmeal. If for some reason we are out of smoothie ingredients, the children have oatmeal and I eat raw fruit (I just cannot eat cooked food in the morning!).
Lunch - I make notes on my meal chart to remind me of what I need to prep ahead of time. For example, my note for today (tuesday) said "cut up veg for wed" and "start beans in crock-pot before bed". This makes it to where I can simply get up in the morning, throw the stuff in the crock-pot, add liquid and turn it on :) How easy is that? Now lunch is always ready at noon. Since fresh veggies are abundant right now, I often will serve a cucumber salad or other raw item with the soup. Also, there's usually left over soup; I leave the crock-pot on warm and we'll have it as a snack later when we are hungry.
Monday - Minestrone soup
Tuesday - Veg & rice soup
Wednesday - Black bean soup
Thursday - Potato soup
Friday - Sun seed butter and jam sandwich with carrot sticks (thought we might want a change for that day!)
Saturday - Don't know yet!!
Sunday - Hamburger stew
Supper
Monday - Nachos with fresh salsa and corn
Tuesday - Fish, green beans and rice (we had plenty of left over veg & rice soup from lunch, so we used that instead)
Wednesday - we will be with our friends eating at their house; I am bringing a salad and fresh bread
Thursday - Beef, cabbage and rice
Friday - Veggies over rice biscuits, cuc salad
Saturday - Spaghetti & broccoli
Sunday - homemade veggie pizza (no cheese!), salad
You may have noticed we eat a few meals with beef this week ... once in a while I will buy a little bit of ground beef and cook it all at once. I then portion it out into baggies and freeze them; there is 1c of cooked ground beef per baggie. This 1c is just enough to flavor the meal and make it seem like there's a lot there, however it's not much at all. Also, we really do not like eating meat that much ... so this is a great way to save money too.
Sometimes I will buy a whole chicken, cook it, pick it apart, portion the meat into baggies (1c) and freeze. Then I take the left-overs, throw them in a stock pot with a few misc. veggies and seasons, bring to a boil, then simmer a few hours. Let it cool, strain out the chunks, and what's left is fatty chicken stock. I keep that in a bowl in the refrigerator over night. Pull it out in the morning, scoop off and throw away the fat that has settled at the top, pour into mason jars, and freeze.
In general, we hardly eat meat of any kind (don't like the smell of it, nor the taste in most cases, nor the way it makes us feel) ... we'll go for months at a time without preparing meat at home.
After we steam veggies, I dump the water into a 'community mason jar' in the refrigerator. This collects till full, then gets dumped into a crock-pot soup as a veggie stock.
Something I used to do but stopped ... and plan to do it again ...
When we get home from grocery shopping, I used to prepare a lot of the vegetables, rice, pasta, etc. in one day and then store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. I would peel and chop vegetables and store in a container with water in the refrigerator. I would pre-cook all the meat for the month and freeze it. I would cook a lot of rice, beans, etc., portion them out and freeze. There were several other things I did, but you get the idea I'm sure! This makes meal prep time so much shorter the day of.
I try to cook extras so I can freeze at least one meal for later use. This does not work with everything, but a great majority of items freeze well. Recently I made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce - I ended up freezing about 10 quart jars full. I poured the sauce into the jars, then topped with the lid ONLY (no band!). Once it was frozen, I put the band on. This allows for expansion and no cracking.
We try to make crackers, pasta and tortilla shells, however it usually does not happen :( This is on my top priority list. Thursday I plan to make either pasta or tortilla shells ... I'll blog that. Also, I used to make batches of granola and healthy cookies for easy snacks. I plan to start that again as well.
All of this takes time but is fun and such a great way to spend time as a family. It's amazing to me how much time I waste - to my shame - when I could and should be doing more important things. This has been one of my biggest prayers (for myself) to the Lord ... that He would show me the way to get all the important stuff done and reveal to me the time wasters in my life ... we have recently gotten back on track and I give God all the praise for that. I continue to pray for strength and encouragement to keep it up. We are also trying to be more structured with our homeschooling ... I plan to post on my other blog about that soon.
Well, that's all the TIME I have for now :)
Matthew 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
As we all know, or should know, family meal time can make or break a budget! We try to plan our meals a week at a time, based on what's on hand and what's on sale at the stores. First, I write a grocery list, next I clean the refrigerator, then go shopping ... and finally, I come home and write a meal plan for the week.
Something we are starting now is daily crock-pot meals. Don't get me wrong, we use the crock-pot often!!! However I am now using it every day for lunch. I found that lunch time was when I often slacked and didn't get things started when I should ... thus making the meal late and supper late as well. The crock-pot idea has solved our lunch dilemma! YAY! We are all liking it so far.
Here's our meal plan for the week; I write it all on one sheet with room for notes and a store list. I save the sheets for future meal ideas:
Breakfast is always a green smoothie, fruit &/or oatmeal. If for some reason we are out of smoothie ingredients, the children have oatmeal and I eat raw fruit (I just cannot eat cooked food in the morning!).
Lunch - I make notes on my meal chart to remind me of what I need to prep ahead of time. For example, my note for today (tuesday) said "cut up veg for wed" and "start beans in crock-pot before bed". This makes it to where I can simply get up in the morning, throw the stuff in the crock-pot, add liquid and turn it on :) How easy is that? Now lunch is always ready at noon. Since fresh veggies are abundant right now, I often will serve a cucumber salad or other raw item with the soup. Also, there's usually left over soup; I leave the crock-pot on warm and we'll have it as a snack later when we are hungry.
Monday - Minestrone soup
Tuesday - Veg & rice soup
Wednesday - Black bean soup
Thursday - Potato soup
Friday - Sun seed butter and jam sandwich with carrot sticks (thought we might want a change for that day!)
Saturday - Don't know yet!!
Sunday - Hamburger stew
Supper
Monday - Nachos with fresh salsa and corn
Tuesday - Fish, green beans and rice (we had plenty of left over veg & rice soup from lunch, so we used that instead)
Wednesday - we will be with our friends eating at their house; I am bringing a salad and fresh bread
Thursday - Beef, cabbage and rice
Friday - Veggies over rice biscuits, cuc salad
Saturday - Spaghetti & broccoli
Sunday - homemade veggie pizza (no cheese!), salad
You may have noticed we eat a few meals with beef this week ... once in a while I will buy a little bit of ground beef and cook it all at once. I then portion it out into baggies and freeze them; there is 1c of cooked ground beef per baggie. This 1c is just enough to flavor the meal and make it seem like there's a lot there, however it's not much at all. Also, we really do not like eating meat that much ... so this is a great way to save money too.
Sometimes I will buy a whole chicken, cook it, pick it apart, portion the meat into baggies (1c) and freeze. Then I take the left-overs, throw them in a stock pot with a few misc. veggies and seasons, bring to a boil, then simmer a few hours. Let it cool, strain out the chunks, and what's left is fatty chicken stock. I keep that in a bowl in the refrigerator over night. Pull it out in the morning, scoop off and throw away the fat that has settled at the top, pour into mason jars, and freeze.
In general, we hardly eat meat of any kind (don't like the smell of it, nor the taste in most cases, nor the way it makes us feel) ... we'll go for months at a time without preparing meat at home.
After we steam veggies, I dump the water into a 'community mason jar' in the refrigerator. This collects till full, then gets dumped into a crock-pot soup as a veggie stock.
Something I used to do but stopped ... and plan to do it again ...
When we get home from grocery shopping, I used to prepare a lot of the vegetables, rice, pasta, etc. in one day and then store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. I would peel and chop vegetables and store in a container with water in the refrigerator. I would pre-cook all the meat for the month and freeze it. I would cook a lot of rice, beans, etc., portion them out and freeze. There were several other things I did, but you get the idea I'm sure! This makes meal prep time so much shorter the day of.
I try to cook extras so I can freeze at least one meal for later use. This does not work with everything, but a great majority of items freeze well. Recently I made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce - I ended up freezing about 10 quart jars full. I poured the sauce into the jars, then topped with the lid ONLY (no band!). Once it was frozen, I put the band on. This allows for expansion and no cracking.
We try to make crackers, pasta and tortilla shells, however it usually does not happen :( This is on my top priority list. Thursday I plan to make either pasta or tortilla shells ... I'll blog that. Also, I used to make batches of granola and healthy cookies for easy snacks. I plan to start that again as well.
All of this takes time but is fun and such a great way to spend time as a family. It's amazing to me how much time I waste - to my shame - when I could and should be doing more important things. This has been one of my biggest prayers (for myself) to the Lord ... that He would show me the way to get all the important stuff done and reveal to me the time wasters in my life ... we have recently gotten back on track and I give God all the praise for that. I continue to pray for strength and encouragement to keep it up. We are also trying to be more structured with our homeschooling ... I plan to post on my other blog about that soon.
Well, that's all the TIME I have for now :)
Matthew 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Jam
When making jam, it's nice to have the right equipment.
-A big pot with a basket helps, however you can use a big pot and a dish towel at the bottom in place of the rack (the rack keeps the jars off the bottom of the hot pan; the towel will do the same thing). A flat lid a little smaller than your pot could work too (that's what I did with my pickles the other day).
-A jar funnel is a mess and time saver.
-Jar tongs help lift hot jars into and out of the boiling water (especially helpful if you do not have a basket).
-A lid grabber, with a magnet at the end, quickly gets hot lids out of the pan and on to the jars. -A cooling rack is nice too ... lets the air circulate more freely around the hot jars.
A dishwasher helps keep the jars HOT and clean. You can also use a large pot: put the clean jars into the pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer till ready to use.
A clippy magnet holds the instructions above the stove top quite well ... keeps them from getting lost or ruined.
Finally you are ready! Make sure you have the right amount of mashed fruit and lemon (see instructions) BEFORE you begin. I use Pomona's Universal Pectin - this allows me to use a much smaller amount of sweetener than regular pectins (I get mine from the bulk food order [Azure] but can also get it at the local health food stores). Make sure you have your desired sweetener(s) ready. I use 1/2c honey and 1t stevita per batch (you'll find Stevita at the same places as Pomona's).
Follow the instructions listed in your pectin box. Soon you will be ready to fill the [HOT] jars:
Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth, top with lids and bands. Put the jars into the basket; put the basket into the boiling pot (or use the tongs to lower them down into the pot one by one). 
Bring water back to a boil and boil for the stated amount of time. When done, allow to cool on a wire rack. I let mine sit where they are for about 24 hours. Check the seals, take off the bands, and store in a cool place.
Wait a few days before you open one ... if you can wait that long! If I am out of jam, I will often open up a jar after it cools (like I did today - YUM!).
FYI, today I made strawberry/blueberry/peach jam (was going to be just strawberries but didn't have enough to make 2 batches, so I added the other fruit). I also made spiced peach - the 'spiced' part is cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. More cinnamon than anything else, however no more than 1t total spices in 1 1/2 batches. The spice adds a hint of flavor but does not take away from the peach taste. Yum!
-A big pot with a basket helps, however you can use a big pot and a dish towel at the bottom in place of the rack (the rack keeps the jars off the bottom of the hot pan; the towel will do the same thing). A flat lid a little smaller than your pot could work too (that's what I did with my pickles the other day).
-A jar funnel is a mess and time saver.
-Jar tongs help lift hot jars into and out of the boiling water (especially helpful if you do not have a basket).
-A lid grabber, with a magnet at the end, quickly gets hot lids out of the pan and on to the jars. -A cooling rack is nice too ... lets the air circulate more freely around the hot jars.
A dishwasher helps keep the jars HOT and clean. You can also use a large pot: put the clean jars into the pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer till ready to use.
A clippy magnet holds the instructions above the stove top quite well ... keeps them from getting lost or ruined.
Finally you are ready! Make sure you have the right amount of mashed fruit and lemon (see instructions) BEFORE you begin. I use Pomona's Universal Pectin - this allows me to use a much smaller amount of sweetener than regular pectins (I get mine from the bulk food order [Azure] but can also get it at the local health food stores). Make sure you have your desired sweetener(s) ready. I use 1/2c honey and 1t stevita per batch (you'll find Stevita at the same places as Pomona's).
Follow the instructions listed in your pectin box. Soon you will be ready to fill the [HOT] jars:
Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth, top with lids and bands. Put the jars into the basket; put the basket into the boiling pot (or use the tongs to lower them down into the pot one by one). 
Bring water back to a boil and boil for the stated amount of time. When done, allow to cool on a wire rack. I let mine sit where they are for about 24 hours. Check the seals, take off the bands, and store in a cool place.
Wait a few days before you open one ... if you can wait that long! If I am out of jam, I will often open up a jar after it cools (like I did today - YUM!).FYI, today I made strawberry/blueberry/peach jam (was going to be just strawberries but didn't have enough to make 2 batches, so I added the other fruit). I also made spiced peach - the 'spiced' part is cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. More cinnamon than anything else, however no more than 1t total spices in 1 1/2 batches. The spice adds a hint of flavor but does not take away from the peach taste. Yum!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pickles
Who doesn't like home made pickles? Well .. I'm sure not everyone does, but we do! No dies or funny ingredients ... fresh from the garden ... yum!
Our garden has done very well so far and I FINALLY got around to making pickles. I remembered to take pictures too! You'll have to go to my other blog to see garden pictures.
Assemble your ingredients ... vinegar, fresh dill sprigs, fresh garlic, fresh onions, turmeric (optional), salt (not optional!!), and of course ... cucumbers! Also have ready your hot, sterile jars. I keep mine hot in the dishwasher ... what a great help that is. I always have more jars ready than I think I'll need.
Make your brine - I use about 15c water, 4c vinegar and 1c salt. Place in large pan, set to boil, then turn to low.
Slice your cucumbers into desired shapes. Get your pans, lids and bands ready:
Have your daughter make dinner (or get it in the crockpot before you begin) ... you probably will not feel like making a meal during or after canning! Brianna made basmati rice (rice cooker to the back left in the picture), and vegetables (fresh zucchini and summer squash from my uncle's garden, mushrooms and carrots). She sauteed the veggies in water, then added a little butter, olive oil, salt and italian seasonings just before serving.
Put into each quart jar: 1/8t-1/4t turmeric, a few slices of onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 sprigs of fresh dill:
Pack in your cucumbers, fill about 1"-3/4" to top with brine, lid and band the jars and put into boiling water:
Sometimes jars break :( thankfully this was the last batch!
Bring to a boil and then take out ... if you leave in too long, your pickles will loose color and crispness. Here's a picture of the finished pickles; I used 1/4t turmeric, however next time I am going to use 1/8t:
I made 1 1/2 batches of 'brine' and got 12qt jars full ... 11 after the broken one (we ate the cucumbers). A quart of brine was left; that got stored in the refrigerator for next time. Let jars sit over night to cool. Check seals, take off bands and store in cool dry place. I let the pickles sit for at least 2 weeks before opening.
Clean up and enjoy your dinner!
Our garden has done very well so far and I FINALLY got around to making pickles. I remembered to take pictures too! You'll have to go to my other blog to see garden pictures.
Assemble your ingredients ... vinegar, fresh dill sprigs, fresh garlic, fresh onions, turmeric (optional), salt (not optional!!), and of course ... cucumbers! Also have ready your hot, sterile jars. I keep mine hot in the dishwasher ... what a great help that is. I always have more jars ready than I think I'll need.
Make your brine - I use about 15c water, 4c vinegar and 1c salt. Place in large pan, set to boil, then turn to low.
Slice your cucumbers into desired shapes. Get your pans, lids and bands ready:
Have your daughter make dinner (or get it in the crockpot before you begin) ... you probably will not feel like making a meal during or after canning! Brianna made basmati rice (rice cooker to the back left in the picture), and vegetables (fresh zucchini and summer squash from my uncle's garden, mushrooms and carrots). She sauteed the veggies in water, then added a little butter, olive oil, salt and italian seasonings just before serving.
Put into each quart jar: 1/8t-1/4t turmeric, a few slices of onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 sprigs of fresh dill:
Pack in your cucumbers, fill about 1"-3/4" to top with brine, lid and band the jars and put into boiling water:
Sometimes jars break :( thankfully this was the last batch!
Bring to a boil and then take out ... if you leave in too long, your pickles will loose color and crispness. Here's a picture of the finished pickles; I used 1/4t turmeric, however next time I am going to use 1/8t:
I made 1 1/2 batches of 'brine' and got 12qt jars full ... 11 after the broken one (we ate the cucumbers). A quart of brine was left; that got stored in the refrigerator for next time. Let jars sit over night to cool. Check seals, take off bands and store in cool dry place. I let the pickles sit for at least 2 weeks before opening.
Clean up and enjoy your dinner!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Read it and weep
My usual wednesday morning routine includes going over the local grocery store sale ads, writing a list of what's on sale, and thinking about meals I can make with that list along with what's on hand.
One of the stores had a 5 day dinner plan in their ad with the title: "Budget Friendly Meals". That caught my attention right away! Then underneath the title it read: "Complete meal for a family of 4 for about $3 per serving." Yes, $3 PER SERVING was considered a 'budget meal'. That's $12 for a family of 4 for ONE MEAL. That's $360 for 30 meals (dinner each night for a month ... not including breakfast, lunch and snacks!). That's almost TWO TIMES the amount of my WHOLE FOOD BILL (3 meals a day plus snacks) FOR ONE MONTH! Yikes!
We spend about $45-$50 a week on food for the 4 of us. Here are a few frugal bean recipes; ok, a disclaimer first ... I usually do not follow recipes, even the ones I make up and write down. I just throw things together; whatever sounds good, is cheap, on hand, etc. I normally do not use measuring devices either ... my point ... if I have measurements here, it's only an estimate. Figure out what you like and write it down so you don't have to remember next time!
Pot Pie
*Combine cooked beans, pieces of cooked vegetables, slightly cooked & cubed potatoes, chopped onions (saute in water first), and whatever else you like.
*Make gravy of your choice ... I usually brown some flour in a pan, then add water till it seems like enough. Next come the spices, braggs, or whatever. Then more flour/water or both till it's just right. Sometimes I'll add mushrooms.
*Put into a baking pan. Top with biscuit mix (2c flour, 1T baking powder, 1/2t salt, seasons if you wish, cut in fat ... 1/4c-1/2c ... lightly stir in liquid ... 3/4c-1c water, milk, stock, whatever.)
*Variation ... of course you can pour your filling into a traditional pie crust and top it with another crust, or top it with biscuits, however I like to just do the biscuits to save time.
*Bake at 350 till done.
This is a great way to use up left over vegetables from previous meals.
Bean burgers
2 1/2c beans (kidney is our favorite for this recipe)
1/2c oats
2T braggs
Spices to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, onion, etc.)
Mash, form into ~6 burgers, fry till brown (grease the cooking surface)
Serve with normal burger toppings, baked 'french fries' and something green.
Rice Pilaf
Water saute - onion, garlic, vegetables (celery, green pepper, mushrooms, sprouts, etc.)
Add - 1-2T braggs or soy sauce, salt, pepper, and other seasons of your choice, 3-4c cooked brown rice (or other cooked grain), 2-3c cooked beans, 1/4-1/2c seeds or nuts, raisins, olives, etc.
Heat & eat! This is another great recipe for leftovers ... and you only need one pan :) YUM!
Black Bean soup
Saute carrots, onion and celery till tender (we use a lot of carrots & celery, not much onion)
Add garlic, 1 1/2t each dry basil & oregano, salt & pepper to taste, 4c or more of water, 3c or more black beans, 1-6oz can tomato paste, 2T braggs or soy sauce.
Simmer till done. Top with parsley before serving. Great with salad and fresh bread.
Variations ... adjust the amount of vegetables to your liking; can also add other veggies.
OK ... that's it for right now. Have a great day!
In Christ,
Joanne
One of the stores had a 5 day dinner plan in their ad with the title: "Budget Friendly Meals". That caught my attention right away! Then underneath the title it read: "Complete meal for a family of 4 for about $3 per serving." Yes, $3 PER SERVING was considered a 'budget meal'. That's $12 for a family of 4 for ONE MEAL. That's $360 for 30 meals (dinner each night for a month ... not including breakfast, lunch and snacks!). That's almost TWO TIMES the amount of my WHOLE FOOD BILL (3 meals a day plus snacks) FOR ONE MONTH! Yikes!
We spend about $45-$50 a week on food for the 4 of us. Here are a few frugal bean recipes; ok, a disclaimer first ... I usually do not follow recipes, even the ones I make up and write down. I just throw things together; whatever sounds good, is cheap, on hand, etc. I normally do not use measuring devices either ... my point ... if I have measurements here, it's only an estimate. Figure out what you like and write it down so you don't have to remember next time!
Pot Pie
*Combine cooked beans, pieces of cooked vegetables, slightly cooked & cubed potatoes, chopped onions (saute in water first), and whatever else you like.
*Make gravy of your choice ... I usually brown some flour in a pan, then add water till it seems like enough. Next come the spices, braggs, or whatever. Then more flour/water or both till it's just right. Sometimes I'll add mushrooms.
*Put into a baking pan. Top with biscuit mix (2c flour, 1T baking powder, 1/2t salt, seasons if you wish, cut in fat ... 1/4c-1/2c ... lightly stir in liquid ... 3/4c-1c water, milk, stock, whatever.)
*Variation ... of course you can pour your filling into a traditional pie crust and top it with another crust, or top it with biscuits, however I like to just do the biscuits to save time.
*Bake at 350 till done.
This is a great way to use up left over vegetables from previous meals.
Bean burgers
2 1/2c beans (kidney is our favorite for this recipe)
1/2c oats
2T braggs
Spices to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, onion, etc.)
Mash, form into ~6 burgers, fry till brown (grease the cooking surface)
Serve with normal burger toppings, baked 'french fries' and something green.
Rice Pilaf
Water saute - onion, garlic, vegetables (celery, green pepper, mushrooms, sprouts, etc.)
Add - 1-2T braggs or soy sauce, salt, pepper, and other seasons of your choice, 3-4c cooked brown rice (or other cooked grain), 2-3c cooked beans, 1/4-1/2c seeds or nuts, raisins, olives, etc.
Heat & eat! This is another great recipe for leftovers ... and you only need one pan :) YUM!
Black Bean soup
Saute carrots, onion and celery till tender (we use a lot of carrots & celery, not much onion)
Add garlic, 1 1/2t each dry basil & oregano, salt & pepper to taste, 4c or more of water, 3c or more black beans, 1-6oz can tomato paste, 2T braggs or soy sauce.
Simmer till done. Top with parsley before serving. Great with salad and fresh bread.
Variations ... adjust the amount of vegetables to your liking; can also add other veggies.
OK ... that's it for right now. Have a great day!
In Christ,
Joanne
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Crock Pot Beans
Beans are cheap ... we buy them in 25lb bags through Azure Standard. Before I go to bed, I (or Corban) will fill the crockpot about 1/3 full with dry beans. I will wash them, then fill it up to about an inch from the top with water. I set the dial on 'warm', cover it, and go to bed. In the morning, I will set it to 'high' and cook till soft. Then I scoop the beans out with a small strainer and dump into a large strainer to rinse with cold water. The children divide up the beans into quart size freezer bags for meal-sized portions.
We use beans for a variety of things, however my favorites are black bean soup, minestrone soup, bean burgers, and in green salads.
They are good for you and cheap! In their dry state, they last a long time ... as long as mice do not get to them. Also, in their dry state, you can sprout them :)
A good book on using beans is "Country Beans" - I got this book about 7 years ago when I decided to be a vegetarian again (we are no long strict vegetarians, however we hardly eat animal products). I never knew beans could be used in so many ways till I got this book!!!
I'll share a few bean recipes in my next post. Have a great day!
In Christ,
Joanne
We use beans for a variety of things, however my favorites are black bean soup, minestrone soup, bean burgers, and in green salads.
They are good for you and cheap! In their dry state, they last a long time ... as long as mice do not get to them. Also, in their dry state, you can sprout them :)
A good book on using beans is "Country Beans" - I got this book about 7 years ago when I decided to be a vegetarian again (we are no long strict vegetarians, however we hardly eat animal products). I never knew beans could be used in so many ways till I got this book!!!
I'll share a few bean recipes in my next post. Have a great day!
In Christ,
Joanne
Friday, July 4, 2008
Sprouting
Here's the much awaited post on sprouts ... I actually almost FORGOT to post it today!! Ooops. It's been a really long day (as was yesterday).
Why do I like sprouting? I am able to grow fresh, organic, nutritious, CHEAP and delicious vegetables in my own home, with little effort, in about 3 days!!! WOW!
The sprouts on this post have come from mung beans, green lentils and alfalfa seeds. Pictured below, the mung beans are on the top left, lentils on the top right and alfalfa at the bottom. I used a penny to show the size of the seeds. Mung bean sprouts are what's commonly used in Chinese food. Alfalfa sprouts are popular for using in salads and sandwiches.
Why do I like sprouting? I am able to grow fresh, organic, nutritious, CHEAP and delicious vegetables in my own home, with little effort, in about 3 days!!! WOW!
Basics for sprouting ...
You can sprout pretty much anything that is in (whole, original) seed form - wheat, quinoa, rice, legumes, flax, and so on. Just as each grain, seed or legume has its unique flavor and texture, so do the sprouts. Alfalfa for example is kind of sweet and crisp. Lentils are also crisp, but have almost a bit of spice to them. Wheat berries are sweet and chewy. Garbanzo beans are a little nutty and crunchy. And so on. Some things are not as easy to sprout as others ... I sprouted flax seed once and did not like it because it was slimy ... but flax is like that anyway so I should have known better! Oh well, live and learn, right?! I like quinoa sprouts, however they have a tendency to get stuck in my teeth, and that kind of bugs me!! But they are tasty nonetheless.
Ideal conditions for sprouting - a somewhat warm and dark place. However I sprout in the winter just fine (we keep our heat as low as possible to save money); it just takes a little longer to grow.
You will need a bowl or mason jar and some sort of cover for it. I use wide-mouth quart mason jars and plastic sprouting lids I got at the health food store. The lids have a built-in screen to make rinsing and draining easy. If you do not have that option, I suggest using cut up old (clean) pantie hose or some sort of thin cloth. Just cut a big enough square to cover the top and screw the jar ring on. This will allow you to rinse and drain just as easy as the nifty plastic lid, however you will probably have to replace the fabric and ring every so often. I have never sprouted in a bowl, so you are on your own there! Here's what my lid looks like:
You will need a bowl or mason jar and some sort of cover for it. I use wide-mouth quart mason jars and plastic sprouting lids I got at the health food store. The lids have a built-in screen to make rinsing and draining easy. If you do not have that option, I suggest using cut up old (clean) pantie hose or some sort of thin cloth. Just cut a big enough square to cover the top and screw the jar ring on. This will allow you to rinse and drain just as easy as the nifty plastic lid, however you will probably have to replace the fabric and ring every so often. I have never sprouted in a bowl, so you are on your own there! Here's what my lid looks like:
The sprouts on this post have come from mung beans, green lentils and alfalfa seeds. Pictured below, the mung beans are on the top left, lentils on the top right and alfalfa at the bottom. I used a penny to show the size of the seeds. Mung bean sprouts are what's commonly used in Chinese food. Alfalfa sprouts are popular for using in salads and sandwiches.
First you need to soak the seeds over night. I use about 1/2c of seeds per quart jar ... however I might start using less because by the third full day they are pretty squished in there! I will try 1/4c next time. Not all seeds will take up the same amount of room ... for example, when I sprout alfalfa seeds, I use 1/8c per pint jar and that fills it up real good.
Here's a picture of the mung beans soaking:
I store my sprouts in one of the kitchen cupboards and try my best to remember they are there! So, put them where you will remember them!
Like I said, soak them overnight in water. Drain in the morning (you can save the water for soup stock or to water your plants), rinse, drain and leave drained. Tilt the jar up-side-down at about a 45 degree angle so the water is allowed to drain out better. I prop my jars up in a medium sized pyrex mixing bowl. Set back in the same dark place (still propped up) and leave till the evening time. Before bed, drain, rinse and prop up again ... back into the dark place! After about 24 hours, your sprouts should have little 'tails' (sprouts!) - well, I guess it's been about 36 hours at this point, including the soaking time (lentils on the left, mung on the right):
OK ... rinse, drain and prop up in the dark again, morning and evening. Here's what 24 more hours looks like:
You can stop here if you'd like, however I like mine to be a little longer. So, after yet another 24 hours (still rinsing and draining twice a day), here are the final results:
I then rinse and drain one final time, pull them out of the jars and place them in bowls. I put the bowls in the window to get a few hours of sun ... this greens them and, as a result, adds more minerals. I forgot to take a picture of the greener sprouts, but here's how they look in the bowl anyway! The lentils are first, then the mung:
Here are a few pictures of alfalfa sprouts - in the window to get green, and the end results:
That's it!!!
Simple ... so what if you have problems? Maybe your seeds were too old or cracked? (they wont sprout like that!) Maybe you did not drain it properly? (they will form mold) Maybe the room temp was too hot? (they will ferment).
Store your finished sprouts in a covered bowl or plastic bag for about a week.
Now then ... what do you do with all those fresh, homemade vegetables? Of course finding a way to eat them raw is the best - it would be a shame to kill them after all that work you put into them! We usually eat our sprouts as a salad ... using the sprouts in place of the lettuce. Add all the 'normal' salad ingredients like tomatoes, carrots, olives, etc. Another way we will use them is by adding them to sandwiches, tacos, burritos and so on. YUM! My favorite is alfalfa by far, however I know variety is good for you, so I try to mix it up a little. Besides, alfalfa seeds can get a little pricey. One more way we will use them raw is by making tuna salad sandwiches - tuna, sprouts, pickles, and whatever else you like in your tuna salad ... mix it all up with mayo and spread it on some bread or crackers.
When using them cooked, I will add to a stir-fry. I like to add it at the end so they are still mostly raw and not totally dead. Sometimes I make too many sprouts and we don't eat them fast enough ... then I will throw them into my crock-pot soup. That's about it!
Please share if you have a way you like to eat your sprouts. I'm always up for trying something new.
Have a great day!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Mayonnaise
Well, I felt bad about not posting anything yet!! The sprouts will be ready tomorrow or the next day, but instead of waiting for them, I decided to do a quick post on making mayonnaise.
We do not eat mayonnaise very often and I just cannot bring myself to buy the store brands. The 'health food store brands' are high quality ... with a price to match! While I do not go so far as to using grapeseed oil, I am at least content to know it is as fresh as possible with real ingredients that are usually on hand.
Total time is about 10 minutes from start to finish, including clean up. You will only need FIVE things: 1c oil of your choice (of course the different oils may change the flavor of the end product), 1 egg, 1 1/2T vinegar (or lemon juice if you prefer), 1/2t salt, & 1/2t mustard powder. I use a blender, however an electric mixer will work too.
Place everything EXCEPT the oil into the blender. Blend on low speed till mixed (a few seconds). Add the oil while the blender is on low (if you have a Vitamix, I set mine on variable speed 4) - the oil should be a slow, steady stream like this:
Here's a look from the inside just starting:
Below is a shot after about 20 seconds - the mixture will start to look more and more like mayo (mine looks more yellow here than it actually is .. the lighting was bad!). If you add the oil too fast, it will not blend properly ... so make sure to go slow! Soon it will get very thick; you may need to stop the blender to scrape down the sides.
Once all of your oil is gone, it should be done. Does it look like mayo? Does it taste like mayo? I've found that I like a little extra salt and vinegar in mine, however start with what I posted above, and adjust from there. Take notes and put your final adjusted recipe into your recipe box, book, or whatever.
This will make a little more than one cup of mayo; store in the refrigerator for up to about 2 weeks.
We do not eat mayonnaise very often and I just cannot bring myself to buy the store brands. The 'health food store brands' are high quality ... with a price to match! While I do not go so far as to using grapeseed oil, I am at least content to know it is as fresh as possible with real ingredients that are usually on hand.
Total time is about 10 minutes from start to finish, including clean up. You will only need FIVE things: 1c oil of your choice (of course the different oils may change the flavor of the end product), 1 egg, 1 1/2T vinegar (or lemon juice if you prefer), 1/2t salt, & 1/2t mustard powder. I use a blender, however an electric mixer will work too.
Place everything EXCEPT the oil into the blender. Blend on low speed till mixed (a few seconds). Add the oil while the blender is on low (if you have a Vitamix, I set mine on variable speed 4) - the oil should be a slow, steady stream like this:
Here's a look from the inside just starting:
Below is a shot after about 20 seconds - the mixture will start to look more and more like mayo (mine looks more yellow here than it actually is .. the lighting was bad!). If you add the oil too fast, it will not blend properly ... so make sure to go slow! Soon it will get very thick; you may need to stop the blender to scrape down the sides.
Once all of your oil is gone, it should be done. Does it look like mayo? Does it taste like mayo? I've found that I like a little extra salt and vinegar in mine, however start with what I posted above, and adjust from there. Take notes and put your final adjusted recipe into your recipe box, book, or whatever.This will make a little more than one cup of mayo; store in the refrigerator for up to about 2 weeks.
If you make it, let me know how it goes!
I am going to try to make an egg-free kind soon. I'll post that if and when it turns out.
In Christ,
Joanne
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Bulk buying and scratch cooking
Are you interested in saving money while eating healthier? Or how about just saving money around the house in general? If you are not, you should be! The way prices keep going up at the grocery and department stores, I am sure soon many will ‘wish’ they had paid attention in Home Economics class … or listened more to their seemingly ‘crazy health nut friends’ (uuh-hum ..). I thought it would be fun and worthwhile to begin a blog specifically for saving money and eating better.
I’m sure a lot of you know we enjoy eating healthy foods. I believe (and the Bible says) my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I do my best to make wise food choices, but at the same time am not a ‘slave to my diet’. We do not always eat healthy because often circumstances will not allow it. However we do our best while at home and leave the rest in the Lord’s hands. Besides that, I firmly believe the Lord wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us. Making wise choices with your food dollars (and learning to stretch them as far as they will go) is just one way to be a good steward of the Lord’s provisions.
The most obvious way to save money and eat better is to cook from scratch. If you are used to using packaged, convenience items, it will take time to learn how to switch over to ‘from scratch’ food. However once you learn, I’m sure you will be glad you did! It is very easy to make food from scratch … yes, even items like ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, gravy, sauces, crackers, cereal, bread, and so on.
Buying certain items in bulk will stretch your food dollars even more. One way of buying in bulk is to simply stock up when you know a store is having an amazing sale. For instance, one time (about 6 years ago already), one local grocery store had real butter on sale for 50 cents a pound! Of course that’s a really good price; I bought 40 pounds and stored the excess in my freezer (and the clerk looked at me like I was nuts for buying 40 packages of butter!).
Another way to buy in bulk is to purchase large boxes, containers or sacks of items such as grains, beans, oil, nuts, and so on. There are a lot of choices for buying bulk food in such a way … warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s offer plenty of food items in bulk. Even normal grocery stores have a few things in large packages (beans, rice and flour for example). Believe it or not, the expensive health food stores often sell organic bulk foods cheaper than conventional packaged foods at regular stores. Spices and herbs for tea or other home remedies, for instance, are much fresher and cheaper when purchased in bulk at a health food store. Plus, you choose how much you need (who needs a whole bottle of cardamom when all you will use is a pinch once in a while?!). A farmer’s market is another place where you can buy things in bulk; mainly, fresh produce. If you go towards the end of the day, you may even get a good discount. Some will probably wonder what would be the point of buying a lot of fresh produce at one time … bulk cooking! For example, if you get a good deal on fresh tomatoes, onions and green peppers (better yet, if your garden produces abundantly these items), why not make up a huge pot of spaghetti sauce or chili and freeze it in single family meal sized portions? This saves time, energy and money. The last option for bulk buying is a food club – Azure Standard is whom we order from (you have to be a member to get the member prices, however there are no 'membership fees'). We order once a month and the truck comes to someone’s house that has volunteered to be a drop point. There are a few drop points in Omaha and surrounding areas. There’s one more food buying club for our area but I forgot the name – it used to be Blooming Prairie but they changed it a while ago … no matter anyway because they were more expensive than Azure. I buy spices, grains, beans, and other items from Azure and save a lot of money. Azure is based in Oregon, but they deliver all the way to the Midwest. For those who live further east, ask around for food buying clubs in your area.
Besides saving money, buying in bulk also offers a store of food for times of need. What would you do if your husband got laid off (or fired!) from his job and no money came in for several months while he looked for another job? There are plenty of other scenarios, but whatever the case, a full pantry offers choice in the midst of hard times. There are so many ways to use that 200 pounds of wheat in the basement … more obvious ways such as bread, crackers and tortillas; to less obvious ways like sprouts, grain pilaf, and hot cereal.
In the next blog post, I will demonstrate how to make sprouts. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future posts, feel free to email me or leave a comment by clicking the ‘comments’ button below.
In Christ,
Joanne
I’m sure a lot of you know we enjoy eating healthy foods. I believe (and the Bible says) my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I do my best to make wise food choices, but at the same time am not a ‘slave to my diet’. We do not always eat healthy because often circumstances will not allow it. However we do our best while at home and leave the rest in the Lord’s hands. Besides that, I firmly believe the Lord wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us. Making wise choices with your food dollars (and learning to stretch them as far as they will go) is just one way to be a good steward of the Lord’s provisions.
The most obvious way to save money and eat better is to cook from scratch. If you are used to using packaged, convenience items, it will take time to learn how to switch over to ‘from scratch’ food. However once you learn, I’m sure you will be glad you did! It is very easy to make food from scratch … yes, even items like ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, gravy, sauces, crackers, cereal, bread, and so on.
Buying certain items in bulk will stretch your food dollars even more. One way of buying in bulk is to simply stock up when you know a store is having an amazing sale. For instance, one time (about 6 years ago already), one local grocery store had real butter on sale for 50 cents a pound! Of course that’s a really good price; I bought 40 pounds and stored the excess in my freezer (and the clerk looked at me like I was nuts for buying 40 packages of butter!).
Another way to buy in bulk is to purchase large boxes, containers or sacks of items such as grains, beans, oil, nuts, and so on. There are a lot of choices for buying bulk food in such a way … warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s offer plenty of food items in bulk. Even normal grocery stores have a few things in large packages (beans, rice and flour for example). Believe it or not, the expensive health food stores often sell organic bulk foods cheaper than conventional packaged foods at regular stores. Spices and herbs for tea or other home remedies, for instance, are much fresher and cheaper when purchased in bulk at a health food store. Plus, you choose how much you need (who needs a whole bottle of cardamom when all you will use is a pinch once in a while?!). A farmer’s market is another place where you can buy things in bulk; mainly, fresh produce. If you go towards the end of the day, you may even get a good discount. Some will probably wonder what would be the point of buying a lot of fresh produce at one time … bulk cooking! For example, if you get a good deal on fresh tomatoes, onions and green peppers (better yet, if your garden produces abundantly these items), why not make up a huge pot of spaghetti sauce or chili and freeze it in single family meal sized portions? This saves time, energy and money. The last option for bulk buying is a food club – Azure Standard is whom we order from (you have to be a member to get the member prices, however there are no 'membership fees'). We order once a month and the truck comes to someone’s house that has volunteered to be a drop point. There are a few drop points in Omaha and surrounding areas. There’s one more food buying club for our area but I forgot the name – it used to be Blooming Prairie but they changed it a while ago … no matter anyway because they were more expensive than Azure. I buy spices, grains, beans, and other items from Azure and save a lot of money. Azure is based in Oregon, but they deliver all the way to the Midwest. For those who live further east, ask around for food buying clubs in your area.
Besides saving money, buying in bulk also offers a store of food for times of need. What would you do if your husband got laid off (or fired!) from his job and no money came in for several months while he looked for another job? There are plenty of other scenarios, but whatever the case, a full pantry offers choice in the midst of hard times. There are so many ways to use that 200 pounds of wheat in the basement … more obvious ways such as bread, crackers and tortillas; to less obvious ways like sprouts, grain pilaf, and hot cereal.
In the next blog post, I will demonstrate how to make sprouts. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future posts, feel free to email me or leave a comment by clicking the ‘comments’ button below.
In Christ,
Joanne