Easy Sourdough Pizza Crust using only Sourdough Starter

 

It's that time of year again ... time to dump out the old leaven in preparation for the new!! According to the calendar I follow, this Friday [Thursday at sundown] marks Passover day / Preparation day, and this Saturday [Friday at sundown] marks the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread [which makes this Sunday the day of First Fruits / Resurrection Day and the "first day of the week" a.k.a. the first day of the Feast of Weeks a.k.a. the start of the countdown to Pentecost]. This morning I used up most of my leaven / starter making my favorite sourdough pizza crust dough, and I took what was left (what I normally would feed and store for future use) and made pizza for lunch. This is NOT a fancy, perfect pizza crust, but it works just fine and it's a nice way to use up any leaven that needs used ... in this case, the remaining of the leaven I got started after the last Feast of Unleavened Bread last year. 

I added a splash of avocado oil and a teaspoon of Italian seasonings for flavor in the crust ... since it's straight leaven, there is no flavor, so it's nice to have a little something in it! I got the pizza stone heating in a 450* oven [if you do not have a stone to pre-heat, that's ok ... just use your favorite baking sheet], and assembled the personal-size pizza on parchment paper that was set on a wood cutting board [I actually have a pizza peel ... not sure why I didn't just use that ;) ] for easy moving. 

Spread the leaven / sourdough starter out evenly in whatever shape you desire. Spread sauce over that, toppings, and then your cheese of choice. Bake in a preheated 450* oven until done. In this case, my personal-size pizza took about 10 - 12 minutes ... I was not timing it.

That's it. Sooooo easy. 

Why not do it like this every time? You can if you want!!! But, I REALLY prefer my normal sourdough pizza crust recipe. I use this guy's recipe: Patrick Ryan's No Fuss Sourdough Pizza ... but my changes are: NO added modern yeast, sub avocado oil instead of olive oil, and instead of "strong flour" I use unbleached spelt flour. I divide the weight total amount of dough into 5 or 4, depending on how big I want the crusts, and make 5 or 4 balls. He says 200g balls, but I found that left a little dough over, so that's why I just divide evenly. 

Enjoy!!

Leftover Makeover: Grilled Steak turned Vegetable Beef Soup

Quite by accident last year I discovered that leftover grilled steak tastes really good in vegetable beef soup ... so now I have one more idea for using up leftover grilled steak. Other ideas: quesadillas, steak fried rice, steak gravy over mashed potatoes, steak tacos, steak lo mein, steak stir-fry. 

I really do not have a set recipe for veg beef soup, so I'll just tell you what I did this time. I used 1qt of flavorful beef bone broth, a few teaspoons of thyme, a good squirt of Bragg's, 4 ribs of celery (minced), and a 10oz pack of frozen mixed veg (the organic option from Aldi), buckwheat groats, and of course: leftover steak. I think the steaks started off at about 12oz before being grilled. I had marinated them in an experimental homemade "streak taco" marinade before grilling ... made for super yummy tacos AND veg beef soup!

Easy. Delicious. Satisfying. 

Freezer Meal: Beef, Cabbage, and Rice

 

Beef, Cabbage, and Rice has been a meal at the top of my family's "Favorite Meal List" for a few decades. Back when we were really broke, I would have to use lentils instead of beef, or do half and half. I'm just sharing that to say: lentils will work in place of beef if that's your thing or that's your need.

You may use purple / red, or green cabbage. For the beef: a little tip ... Aldi's grass fed, grass finished, organic ground beef is SO DELICOUS and definitely worth the extra dollar or two if you can afford it. My rice of choice in general is: Aged [white] Basmati Rice. I choose the stuff that's grown in India and an Indian brand because in my mind surely they must know how to do it properly?! I could be totally wrong though. Whatever the case, aged basmati rice is gentle on your digestion and not as hard on your blood sugar as your typical white rice.

Ingredients for freezing:
*3lbs Lean Ground Beef, cooked (I do not drain my ground beef since it's so high quality)
*Small-diced cabbage color of choice - enough to fill up a glass 8c measuring bowl to heaping (so, I'm guessing here: ~10 full cups of small-diced cabbage). I cannot say "2 heads of cabbage" because every head of cabbage is different ... some are really tight and heavy while others are really loose and light. So, I'll say: 2 tight [medium] heads of cabbage or 3 loose [medium] ones. 
*1 stick of butter (I prefer grass fed, organic, etc)

Melt the stick of butter in a small, heavy-bottom stock pot. I use my 4qt stock pot which actually holds about 5qts. Add the small-diced cabbage and about 1T salt. Mix well. Once it really gets to cooking, turn the heat down to low or medium low (just be careful not to burn it) and allow to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. You might need to add 1/4c-1/2c of water just to make sure it does not burn. I prefer my cabbage WELL COOKED ... but you are welcome to cook yours to your liking.

Once it's cooked, remove from the heat and mix in the cooked ground beef. Allow to sit until completely cooled down (you do not want to put hot food into ziploc bags). 

Since I usually only feed myself and one other person at this season in my life, I put 2 servings in each bag. For me, that's 12oz total of beef & cabbage mixture, or about 2 cups. I used to label each bag, but now I label a gallon-size bag and put the smaller bags into the gallon-size bag. In the photo above: there IS one bag that is labeled, but that's to give to someone else.

LABEL: 
Beef & Cabbage
Make 3/4c dry rice 

To serve: I like to make rice in homemade bone broth for extra nutrition. For those who do not know how to make rice, here's my  method:
White rice -1:1.5 rice to liquid
Brown rice -1:2 rice to liquid
RINSE the rice well ... I rinse it about 3 times. Melt ghee or other heat-stable fat in a heavy-bottom pan (for my 3/4c amount I use my 1qt sauce pot). If you are making rice for something else and want to add some spices, first sauté the spices in the ghee. Add the strained rice and sauté until the rice begins to "toast" (you will notice a difference and it will smell yummy). Then add the liquid. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down as low as you need to in order to achieve a gentle simmer. Do not remove the lid. Start the time once you know it's simmering properly. White rice: 20 minutes. Brown rice: 40 minutes. When the time is up, remove the sauce pan from the heat but allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Heat the beef and cabbage mixture in a pot that will fit the beef and cabbage AND the rice. To do this: I just add a little bit of water or stock to the bottom of a pan, then the beef and cabbage (thawed is much easier), a lid, and let it sit there on low while the rice is cooking.

Mix it all together. Serve with Bragg's, Tamari, or another soy sauce of choice.

THE BEST (really) Grain Free Gluten Free Brownies

(video at the bottom)
I've always liked brownies but never liked the fact that sugar was the main ingredient. I've tried many 'healthier' brownie recipes over the years, tweaked them a little, and still have not come up with anything close to the 'real deal' ... until now. In fact, I like these brownies BETTER than the 'real deal' and they are much better for you.

With almond butter or some other kind of nut or seed butter as the base and honey to sweeten, these brownies can be enjoyed instead of feared.

Grain Free Brownies
FIRST (optional but really good!)
Soak about 10 prunes for a few hours, a day or over night. Blend the prunes and 1 1/2t instant coffee granules (optional) WITH the soaking water until smooth. Add only as much water as needed to help it blend (you may need to add more water).

Preheat over to 325* and grease a bar pan (15" x 10 1/2")

Place 2 cups (512g) of nut or seed butter in a mixer bowl.
Add the prune/coffee puree and 3 eggs.
Mix well, stopping to scrape down the sides at least once.

Add 1T vanilla and sweetener. If your nut/seed butter is sweet already, only use 1/2c to 3/4c sweetener. If it is not sweet, add 1c sweetener. I prefer honey.
Mix well, stopping to scrape down the sides at least once.

In a separate bowl combine 1/2c dark cocoa/cacao powder, 1t baking soda and 1/2t salt. If you did not use the prunes, now is the time to add the 1 1/2t instant coffee granules (optional).
Stir to mix well.

Spoon the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while blending. Mix well. Scrape at least once.
Optional: Stir in 1/2c to 3/4c dark chocolate chips (I do this for any nut or seed butter except the chocolate hazelnut butter). You may melt this if you'd like to.

Pour onto the greased bar pan, spread out evenly and bake at 325* for about 30-35 minutes, or until the center is done.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut. Store in an airtight container ... on the counter for short term or in the fridge for about a week.
Enjoy!

Juicy Baked Chicken

I think we have 17 chickens left out of the 25 we butchered about 2 months ago ... and they sure taste good!! Here I'm sharing our favorite way to prepare them: Baked (some might call it roasted but it's baked). I numbered the photos above - can you see them? I hope so!
1. Begin with a rack in a roasting pan.
2. Put the raw chicken BREAST SIDE DOWN onto the rack. Even with store-bought chicken, cooking it this way makes for a juicier breast ... I guess because all of the juices go down into the breast instead of the back?
3. Rub with butter and sprinkle with seasonings. I like to use poultry seasoning, garlic granules, onion granules and celery salt. I also put a little butter, fresh chopped onion and celery inside the body cavity.
4. Bake uncovered at 350* for about 20 minutes per pound. Using a meat thermometer will ensure doneness (165* in the fleshy / thickest part of bird, which is usually the thigh) however if you do not have one just poke around deep into the flesh with a fork and see if the juices run clear. If ANY pink runs out it is not done.
5. Remove the bird into a dish; picture number 5 shows what it looks breast-side-up when done. Not as pretty as the back!
6. Cut into desired pieces. Here in #6 I have the leg quarters and the breasts in separate pieces in a casserole dish. The oven is off but still warm ... put the lid on and keep in the warm oven until ready to serve.

Pick off any remaining meat from the bones. Save the bones, the skin AND the drippings in the pan (unless you are making gravy!) for chicken stock. I'll share how I do this some other time.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Sausage and Freezer Sasauge "Egg-McMuffins"

I've been meaning to do this post for a while but you know how it goes ... busy ... no internet at home ... don't feel like it ... blah blah blah.

When we butchered chickens a few months ago we marked two for turning in to sausage. I already have my sausage recipe on here, but formerly I've always used ground turkey from the store. Using my handy, dandy, Kitchen-Aid grinder attachment, I turned those two chickens (and the organ meats from about 10 chickens) into sausage. A word about that real quick - it would have been much easier if the meat and organs were slightly frozen still. Also, as per the book's instructions, I cut the meat into thin strips and that did help a lot. I started on the courser grind and then ran it all through one more time in the finer grind. It took longer than I thought. Next time (turkeys?) I will be a lot more prepared.

Here is a photo of the meat and organs going through the grinder, a photo of the seasonings all mixed up into the ground meat, and a photo of what I did with some of the sausage (browned it and froze in meal-size portions for biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs with sausage and peppers, pizza soup, etc.).

 

The next step of course is to make the patties. This is made easy and uniform by using a 2oz ice cream scoop with a blade. Release the scoop directly onto a griddle set to medium or medium-high and flatten into a circle (quickly before it cooks too much!) with your fingers. Once finished cooking, cool on a wire rack and then freeze individually by putting a little square of waxed paper in between each patty. Of course you may just make the eggs and assemble the sandwiches now, however I sometimes have to break things up into more manageable sessions; it was a lot easier for me to make the patties, put them in the freezer, and then assemble the sandwiches some other day.

For the eggs, it is very convenient to have a 'muffin top pan' (be sure they are large enough! You should be safe with a 6-cup muffin top pan), however you may also use whatever you have on hand, such as small pyrex bowls, soufflé bowls, etc. The key is, it helps to have them well greased for easy release. Also, cooking at too high of a heat or over-cooking will cause them to bake on to the bowls and be hard to remove. Simply break one egg into each muffin top cup or other bowl, break the yolk, shake on a little salt and pepper if you like, and bake at 350* until set (10 minutes or less). Again, if you over-bake it or bake it at too high of a temperature it will be hard to remove! Slide a rubber/silicon spatula around and under the egg and allow it to cool on a wire rack before assembling your sandwiches. Repeat until you have all the eggs you need.

Now you will need the remaining ingredients. You may use store-bought or homemade English Muffins or biscuits. I prefer homemade sourdough English muffins or sourdough biscuits. You might also prefer cheese on yours. For this batch we got a great deal on (expired) organic raw cheddar so that's what we used. You might also prefer to add butter to insides of the bread. Assembling is common sense :) Once all of the sandwiches are made, wrap each one in parchment paper (so the aluminum foil is not touching your food) and then in foil. Keep all in a freezer bag or other freezer container until ready to use. If you think you are going to use several at once, store as many as you will need in a foil roasting pan. We only use a few at a time so I just keep mine all separate but together in a plastic freezer bag.

To heat: If you have them in a foil roasting pan, just pull that out of the freezer and put it right into the oven. Or put as many as you need into a covered dish of some kind. Heat at 350* until heated all the way through (25-30m or so). Obviously if you remember to take out what you need the night before it will heat up much quicker!! If you only need one or two, it's best to heat in a toaster oven. Of course you may use a microwave ... but we don't ... so I cannot counsel you on that one with confidence but I'll guess: remove the foil but not the parchment paper. Zap it for a half a second and it's done. Or something like that.

We really, really like having these things on hand! Especially with the cold months coming up, the wood cookstove will be on again (once we move it!!) and these are so handy to just throw right into the wood cookstove oven.

Chewy Butterscotch Brownies

They aren't healthy but they could be frugal!

Ok ... I'll admit it ... even I make junk food once in a while but only when I have a specific reason ;) The other day I wanted to cheer up a friend whom I know likes all things butterscotch, so I got online and gathered up a few ideas. Butterscotch Brownies caught my attention and we had the needed bag of butterscotch morsels from the discount store (purchased with said friend in mind).

The original recipe is here. I did not change it much at all the first time except to omit the nuts and reduce the sugar. Next time I will reduce the sugar even more, trying 1c. If all goes well I will reduce it more to 3/4c and see what we think ... and so on. I'll try to remember to update this blog post to share my final sugar adjustment. Adjusting the butter however is not an option to me.

The original recipe said to use a 9 x 13 baking pan, however that did not seem right to me so I used a larger bar pan and that worked quite well.

Chewy Butterscotch Brownies
2 1/2c flour
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
1c/227g butter, softened
1c packed brown sugar
1T vanilla extract
2 large or 3 small eggs
1 - 11oz package butterscotch morsels

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla.
Add the eggs to the creamed-mixture and beat until well combined.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating well after each addition.
Stir in half the butterscotch morsels.
Spread into an ungreased 15 1/2" x 10" bar pan (or a few 9 x 13 pans).
Sprinkle the remaining morsels on top and bake at 350* until done, at least 25 minutes but probably longer.

Cool or serve warm ... with ice cream ... if you want.

Taste of Home Magazine

Some time last year my elderly lady friend, Christine, gave me several older issues of Taste of Home Magazine. I really enjoyed them so I got online and found a deal ... $7 for a year of Taste of Home. I was excited to get the first issue but quickly became somewhat disappointed by the major format change of the new issues (way too busy for my liking) and also the introduction of all sorts of advertisements. Oh well. Times change right? The magazine itself is still pretty decent for the price ... it seems to have a lot more practical, every-day-type-recipes that normal home cooks would actually USE, or at least use as a springboard for ideas. It still has sections with tips and hints, however not nearly as helpful as the older issues.

Ok so what's my point? :)

The other morning we put a roast in the crockpot to slow cook all day long, but didn't know what we were going to do with it or serve with it. Towards supper time preparations we decided to chunk up the meat and make a gravy to serve over garlic toast, however we still didn't know what to have as sides. We grabbed the newest Taste of Home Magazine and Brianna and I decided to make two of the recipes. She chose "Scalloped Potatoes with Mushrooms" and I chose "Tuscan Roasted Asparagus". Here is the outcome and the recipes; for a downloadable PDF version of the recipes just click on the recipe title.

Tuscan Roasted Asparagus
From: Taste of Home Magazine

2T butter
1lb asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
2T minced onion
2T minced celery
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/2t basil
1/2t thyme
1/4t pepper
3T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 350* and melt butter in a 9x13 baking dish.
Place asparagus in bottom of dish with melted butter.
Sprinkle with onion and celery, arrange tomato slices on top.
Sprinkle with seasonings and cheese.
Roast for 30 minutes or until asparagus is fork-tender.
Makes 4 servings

My notes:

I prefer using Roma tomatoes for this recipe. I leave off the thyme and add a little garlic and salt.
I am not sure this can really be called 'roasting' … more like 'baking'.

 

Scalloped Potatoes with Mushrooms

From: Taste of Home Magazine

2lbs potatoes (about 4 medium) peeled and sliced

1T butter

½lb sliced fresh mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

¼c all-purpose flour

1c chicken broth

1t salt

½t oregano

½t pepper

1c (8oz) sour cream

1c coarsely chopped fresh spinach

2c (8oz) shredded Swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 8-12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion. Cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

3. In a bowl, whisk flour, broth and seasonings until smooth; stir into mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stire 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; stire in sour cream.

4. Arrange half of the potatoes in a greased 1 ½qt or 8in square baking dish; top with the spinach. Spread hafl of the mushroom sauce over top; sprinkel with 1c cheese. Layer with remaining potatoes, sauce and cheese.

5. Bake, uncovered, 12-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Per serving prepared according to recipe instructions above: 269cal, 14g fat (9g saturated), 49mg cholesterol, 471mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 11g protein.

My notes.

In my opinion, there was WAY TOO MUCH dairy in this recipe. We doubled the recipe to make a 9x13 dish for leftovers. In our double recipe we substituted about 2 ounces of cream cheese for the 2c/16oz of sour cream (blended with a little water to thin it out). We did not sprinkle cheese in the middle on the first layer; we only sprinkled cheese on the top and even then it was way less than what is called for one recipe. So … in our double recipe we probably sprinkled a cup or so of cheese on top, nothing in the middle, and that was plenty enough. We did not have Swiss cheese, though I think that would have been the best option for flavor. We substituted home-canned mushrooms for fresh mushrooms and did not measure out the spinach.

I've never pre-cooked the potatoes in a scalloped potato dish before so this way was new to me. I'm not sure I liked it; they seemed a bit too mushy.



Homemade Sourdough Crackers

Another sourdough product that's so easy to make: SOURDOUGH CRACKERS! [see video below!] We especially like these crackers baked 'til golden brown and crispy. You may like to add honey, herbs, or other seasonings to the recipe but this is just the basics here.

If you do not have a sourdough starter see this video to learn how to make your own:
Sourdough Starter

DIRECTIONS
Mix well 'til a stiff ball of dough is formed:
1c sourdough starter (fed within the last 12 hours
1/4c butter (or other fat)
Optional seasonings (herbs, spices, parmesan cheese, etc. These may be added later with the salt and baking soda or added now)
1c - 1 1/2c whole grain flour

Allow to sit on the counter for 8-12 hours, turn on to counter, break apart, sprinkle on 1/4t salt and 1/4t baking soda and knead 'til well combined.

Roll out thin using a rolling pin or pasta roller. Place on to greased baking sheets, sprinkle with kosher salt (or other salt) and optional seeds. An egg wash may be applied first to help the salt and seeds stick. Bake at 350 until golden brown. Check after 10 minutes and then every few minutes thereafter; the thinner ones may need to be removed sooner, the thicker ones may need to stay in longer.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container.



For other sourdough videos please see my sourdough playlist on youtube.
For more videos please visit our youtube channel: Frugal Home and Health
Or see the recipe tab above.

Apple Cake using Home-Canned Apples

In this video I demonstrate how to make a delicious, moist apple cake using home-canned apples. The video is at the end of this post; the recipe is as follows:

This recipe is an adaptation of my favorite, most versatile cake recipe. For other uses of the same recipe, see my blog post here: Altering a Basic Cake Recipe

3c whole grain or all purpose flour (or a mixture of both)
1T baking powder
1t cinnamon
1/4t salt
1/2c honey or other sweetener of your choice
2 eggs, beaten
1/2c melted butter or other fat of your choice
1 1/2t vanilla
1 quart jar of home-canned sliced apples, liquid included

Have ready: 9x13 greased and floured cake pan
Preheat oven to 350*

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet into the dry and mix well until combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with optional cinnamon and sugar (if not using frosting) - 1T sugar and 1t cinnamon.
Bake at 350* for 30 minutes, or until the center is firm to the touch.
Allow to cool before serving.

For other videos please visit my youtube channel! Frugal Home and Health

Freezer Lasagna

Freezer Lasagna is SO EASY and such a blessing to have on hand. We make freezer lasagnas in bulk, give some away and keep some for ourselves. Here is how we do it. (VIDEO DEMONSTRATION AT THE END!)

The sauce is really up to you but I'll share what I did this time ... though each time might be a little different. You may have your own favorite recipe, favorite store-bought brand or maybe you score on a deal at the discount store?

BULK SPAGHETTI SAUCE
2lbs hamburger, browned (optional ... for a vegetarian variety use about 4c of cooked lentils)
1 large onion, diced small
1 large bell pepper, diced small (I used some of my dehydrated peppers from last year's garden)
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
1 large bowl (my large bowl is 14qts) heaping full of kale (remove stems and chop small) (I used fresh kale grown from the kale seeds we saved a few years ago)
4 qt jars home canned tomatoes or 4 large cans diced tomatoes (28oz size I think?) - liquid included
4-6oz cans tomato paste
2T salt
2T basil
2T sugar
4 or more cloves of garlic, crushed (or at least a few teaspoons of garlic powder/granules)

In a larger, heavy-bottomed stock pot saute onions and peppers in the olive oil. Add the chopped kale and continue to saute till the kale has reduced.

In a blender, blend canned/jarred tomatoes and tomato paste (this is optional; some of our diners do not appreciate chunks of tomatoes so I blend them up. Also, blending them together makes it much easier to mix in the tomato paste). I find it easiest to do one jar of tomatoes and one can of paste per blender load. Pour into the stock pot. Add the optional ground beef or lentils and spices. Taste it. Maybe you need more of something? Add it.

Cover and simmer for a while, stirring occasionally; allow to cool before using. Sometimes I make the sauce one day, let it sit over night and use it the next day ... the flavors seem to combine better.

Variations to the sauce ... try adding in other vegetables like chopped spinach, shredded zucchini, sliced mushrooms and/or carrots. You may prefer other spices like oregano and/or cayenne. Sometimes we add in sliced black olives. It's really up to you.

COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING
2 - 32oz cartons of small curd cottage cheese (you may use large curd but I prefer small)
4 eggs, whisked
1/2c - 1c grated parmesan cheese
1/2c - 1c dry parsley

Mix till well combined. The parmesan cheese and parsley are really to your preference ... maybe you would like more? Maybe less? It's up to you.

Of course you will also need a few 16oz boxes of semi-cooked lasagna noodles (keep in a pan of cold water till ready to use) and grated mozzarella cheese - a lot or a little, depending on what you like. I used one single 24oz block of whole milk mozzarella but you might prefer more (most do ... I just try to be easy on the cheese).

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
This cooks easiest when it's thawed, therefore I highly suggest letting it sit out all day long before cooking. Cover and bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes OR until heated all the way through. FROZEN lasagna will need to cook much longer!! Bake covered for at least one hour. Check it. If it's a little cold then remove the cover and cook an addition 20 minutes or so. If it's still partially frozen keep it covered and bake till a little cold and proceed as instructed.

Maybe you have your own recipe? Or changes you've made to this one? If so, feel free to share!!

Cauliflower Pudding?

Yes, I was skeptical but I HAD to try it ... and I'm glad I did. When simmered till soft with vanilla, lemon zest and almond milk, cauliflower actually becomes a great base for dairy-free pudding. I found the recipe here but will put a copy of it below (the site has good photos though, so check it out). If you try it be sure to pay attention to the tips and cautions given.
Now I am going to experiment further and try to create my own flavours. Cauliflower is so good for you but it's just not something I eat an a regular basis. Maybe now I will? I have just never thought of using it as a cream sauce! I'm excited.

Ok, now for the recipe. I used honey for the sweetener and had to simmer the cauliflower about twice as long as suggested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TIPS/CAUTIONS:
Make sure you weigh your cauliflower or, if you don't have a scale, only roughly chop the florets, measure and then cook.

If you do not have a powerful blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix, opt to finely grind your cauliflower before cooking so that it is easier to puree.

 Ingredients:

• 3 cups (350 grams) of roughly chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• zest from 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (NOT the bottled stuff)

Directions:

Add cauliflower, almond milk, sugar, extract and zest to a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, uncovered. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 5-7 minutes, until cauliflower is very soft. Remove from heat.

Add in lemon juice and pour into the bowl of your food processor or blender. Blend on high for 1 minute, or until very smooth. Pour into a clean bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight, for at least 18 hours. Refrigeration helps the bold lemon flavor subside and really transforms this pudding. Do not skip this step!

Substitution notes:

• Feel free to use any type of non-dairy milk you have on hand. I like using unsweetened almond milk for my dessert recipes because it's naturally sweeter (and lower in fat and carbs) than other non-dairy milks.
• Any type of sugar would work here. White, brown, coconut sugar...

Challah!

Brianna and I had a lot of fun today making challah (pronounced [khah-luh] like you are trying to clear your throat or something ...). We each did a 4 and 7 plait loaf and also a round one. Brianna took the extras and made a 5 plait loaf. Here are the before and after photos (no 'before' picture for the 5 plait); the recipe I used will be at the end.

Now for the recipe. This makes all that you see in the last picture above, so it's a rather large recipe. I got it FROM HERE and followed it pretty close for the first time. My changes: I used honey instead of sugar and palm shortening instead of oil. Also, I added an extra egg, used 4c whole wheat, and used more flour [which is normal in a bread recipe!] ... and next time I know to use even more flour. I let it rise twice before shaping. Oh yes, and I did not follow the Jewish law of saving back a piece as a burnt offering.

Tips will be included at the end.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons active dry yeast 4 cups warm water 2 tablespoons salt 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 12 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg 3 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Stir in the salt, sugar, oil and 4 eggs until well blended. Gradually mix in the flour. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Place dough underneath the bowl to rise until double. Or, you can place the dough in the bowl, and cover with a towel.
2.	Punch down the dough, and divide into 6 or 8 even pieces depending on what shape you want. Remember to take a small piece off and make a blessing (Jewish law). Roll the pieces into ropes. Braid into two loaves, or one really big 6 piece braid - but only if your oven is large enough. Or, you can make the spiral shape challahs out of each rope. Tuck the ends under, and place on a baking sheet to rise until your finger leaves a small dent when you gently poke the bread.
3.	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Whisk together the remaining egg, water and vanilla sugar. Brush over the tops of the loaves. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top.
4.	Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bread is deep golden brown. Wrap the small piece of dough that was blessed in aluminum foil, and burn in the oven as an offering while the other loaves are baking.

And now for my own tips ...

It helps to have a bit firmer dough, however if you get it too firm the end result will be heavy bread. Our dough was on the softer side, though JUST firm enough to work with. A firmer dough will also help the finished loaf to be higher instead of flatter. Next time I know to use a bit more flour.

This recipe is said to yield 6 loaves of challah bread or, as said in step number 2, two loaves or even one large loaf. I believe the large one would be much too large ... I'm not sure my oven would even hold the pan required to fit a loaf that large! Baking two loaves seems a lot more realistic, however I decided to break them down even further than that. If you'd like to control the size of your loaves a little better it would help to use loaf pans.

I weighed out my dough to what I thought would be a good size for the chosen plaiting and I am happy with the results. Obviously weighing the dough is not a requirement, however this is just how I like to do things to keep it all decently uniform.

Because this recipe is so large it might not bake as nice or uniformly in the oven (unless maybe you have a nice convection oven). We have access to two ovens and we still found it a challenge to get it all baked to our liking. We rotated the various pans a few times each during baking ... left to right and top to bottom. The gas oven cooked the bread quicker than the electric oven.

The baking stones worked nicer than the metal 'air bake' sheets. This does not surprise me but I thought I'd share anyway.

Little Caesars Crazy Bread Recipe ... the BEST copycat recipe

This 'tasty tuesday' is the tastiest so far ... if you like Crazy Bread from Little Caesar's anyway.

I literally craved crazy bread with all of my pregnancies and I still REALLY like the stuff. But ... it's a luxury I only allow a few times a year, so I decided it was high time I made up my own crazy bread recipe. The results were FABULOUS. Everyone agreed they were much better than Little Caesar's. We even rushed a warm breadstick down the street to an old lady friend who loves them so much. She agreed ... much better than the store stuff. I hope you like it too!

This recipe is the equivalent to two 1.5lb loaves of bread so adjust accordingly to suit your needs.

Step 1 - Make the Dough
You can cheat and buy the stuff at the store, however I am not sure the results of doing such a thing. It's best (and pretty easy anyway) to make the dough from scratch.

2c warm water
1/4c olive oil
2T sugar
2t salt
4t yeast
~6c unbleached white flour

Make the dough as you normally would - I do not want to type out all the instructions, so if you are interested, please see my bread making video or my bread making tutorial. I will say that I got the yeast started by dissolving it in a pinch of sugar and some of the warm water (maybe 1/4c) and started out with 5c of flour, working my way up to a little more than 6c when the dough finally felt right. For best results, allow the dough to go through the two rising cycles before proceeding.

Preheat your oven to 375*.

Step 2 - Roll and Cut
Lightly dust your counter or other surface and the rolling pin with flour. You may need to add more flour to the counter and/or rolling pin as you work with the dough. Divide the dough in half and roll out one half till it's about 1/2" thick. You can try to roll it out 'pretty' if you want to, however it is a waste of time in my opinion ;)

Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into the length you prefer. I am not too particular so I was a little random. I forgot to take a photo of this step, but I'm sure you are smart enough to figure it out! If you do not have a pizza cutter try a sharp knife or baker scraper (left).

Step 3 - Dust and Bake
Dust your baking sheets with cornmeal. A note about baking sheets: I found that using a baking stone had better results than using my 'air-bake' metal sheet. The stone took a few minutes longer to bake but the results were more even and tender. The metal sheet did well too, but not as well as the stone :)

Arrange the strips of dough on to the sheets and bake at 375* until JUST DONE. And that is THE KEY to these bread sticks turning out so yummy!! DO NOT OVER COOK! The stone took about 10 minutes and the 'air-bake' metal sheets took about 8 minutes. You do not want them to begin browning, you only want the insides JUST DONE.

Step 4 - Prepare the Topping
While you are waiting for those to bake, get the topping ready.

Topping
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3T butter
3T olive oil
1.5t salt
Parmesan cheese

Gently heat the first four ingredients. Remove from heat. Use more or less garlic depending on your personal preference. In our opinion, this was just the right amount. Also, we prefer chunks of garlic but you may not. If this is the case for you, simply allow the garlic to steep in the warm butter and oil for several minutes and then strain out before brushing on to the bread sticks.

Step 5 - Apply the Topping
Brush the tops of the bread sticks evenly and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. I like to use a silicone basting brush simply because it's super easy to clean up.

Step 6 - Eat!
Transfer the finished sticks to a basket or bowl lined with a towel and waxed paper. The towel keeps the sticks warm while the waxed paper keeps the towel clean.

If you try this recipe you must let me know what you think. We were SO EXCITED about the results and are thankful to have these yummy bread sticks fresh and made with ingredients we can pronounce.

Savory Muffins (Gluten Free, Dairy Free) Freezer Meal

Tasty Tuesday!

I developed this recipe last week and it turned out GREAT! I made mine gluten free, however you can use whole wheat, kamut, unbleached, or any other combination of gluten-containing grains in place of the gluten-free flour mix. I use a whole grain gluten-free mix in place of the norm which is full of refined starches. I assume this is a healthier choice!

Dry Ingredients:
2c gluten free flour mix (I like Sun Flour Mills all purpose flour mix*)
1 1/2t xanthan gum (omit if you are using gluten-containing flour(s))
1T baking powder
1t salt
1/2t garlic powder (or 1 large clove with the wet ingredients)
1t dry basil
1t dry oregano

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs or equivalent egg substitute (I like Ener-G Egg Replacer*)
1T honey
1 1/2c pureed tomatoes (blend canned or fresh tomatoes till no longer chunky)
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
1c small pieces of cooked meat (I used ground beef)
1 1/2c minced vegetables (I used a mixture of approx 1/4c onions, 1/4c black olives, 1/2c red bell peppers and 1/2c zucchini)

Optional: 1/2-1c shredded cheese substitute (I do not like substitutes and I cannot have the real deal, so I just leave this out. However please feel free to add it in if you prefer!)

Topping:
2T melted dairy free margarine or real butter (obviously if you want this to remain dairy-free you will have to use a dairy free margarine! I like Earth Balance*)
1/2t garlic granules 
1/2t salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If not already done, cook the meat. Saute the vegetables (ok, some of them are technically fruits but we'll just call them vegetables!) until tender. Mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine along with the optional cheese. Grease or line your muffin cups and fill them 2/3 with the batter. Bake till golden brown and done, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the muffin pan and cool on wire racks. Combine the topping ingredients and brush the tops of each muffin till the topping is all used up.

Cool completely and freeze for future easy meals or snacks (YAY!) or serve with dipping sauce. I like homemade pizza sauce for these, however you may use spaghetti or marinara sauce ... any tomato-based sauce would be yummy. These are great for on-the-go activities.

Enjoy!

*I purchase these products from Azure Standard, however that may not be an option in your area. Some may be found on Amazon.com, VitaCost.com or other such websites. You might even find them at your local stores, however the price will more than likely be higher.

Tasty Tuesday: Healthy Rice Crispy Treats

A few weeks ago I was searching for a healthy alternative to the much loved 'rice krispy treat' to pack in lunches. After reading a few recipes I made my own ... and we all like it A LOT, so here it is.

Healthy Rice Crispy Treats
1/2c nut butter (I used almond)
1/2c honey
1t vanilla extract
1/2t salt
6c rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
1/2c chips, dried fruit, nuts &/or seeds (I used unsweetened carob chips) 

Gently melt the nut butter and honey together in a large pan (large enough to be able to stir in the remaining ingredients comfortably). Remove from heat and add the vanilla and salt. Stir well. Gently fold in the rice cereal and chips/fruit/nuts. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish and allow to cool completely before cutting into your desired shape/size.

Our almond butter was very soft to begin with, so the rice crispy bars did not stay together as well as if it were marshmallows ... but we did not care one bit!! Also, the carob chips began to melt pretty much right away, however once again we did not care. The flavor was definitely there.

This is a keeper!

How to flute a double-crust pie

A few months ago I experimented with the video camera on my phone. The video did not turn out the best, but it did well enough to get the point! Thankfully, the pies turned out GREAT. I took pictures too, so here is the whole process, from start to finish.

The filling

For a 9" pie you will need about 6 cups of thinly sliced green/tart apples (like Granny Smith). Sometimes I leave the peels on if I am in a hurry and no one in our house seems to care, however we do prefer them peeled if time allows. In a small saucepan gently melt 1/4-1/2c honey and stir in 3T flour, 1t cinnamon and 1t vanilla. Pour over the sliced apples and toss or gently stir to coat well.

The crust

pastry blender

Combine 2 1/4c flour (I like to use a mixture of whole meal and unbleached flours, however 100% unbleached flour will produce a lighter crust) and 1/2t salt. Cut in 2/3c shortening with a pastry blender or a fork till the mixture has pea-size chunks. Now it's time to add the water, and here is the crucial step! Be sure to use ICE COLD water - I just fill a cup with water and add several cubes of ice. You may simply dip the tablespoon into the cup of water, avoiding the ice. Add water, ONE tablespoon at a time, till the dough just begins to form a ball. Stir GENTLY after each water addition and be very careful not to overmix or add too much water. Depending on your flours, you should need at least 5T of water for this recipe however sometimes you could need more (I've used 8-9T before). You might be tempted to add a few tablespoons at a time to speed things up, but I'm here to tell you that haste makes waste.

When your dough has formed a ball (it is smooth, holds together and is not sticky) you should be able to see the fat 'marbleized' in the flour ... it will have swirls just like marble does. This is what makes a nice, flaky crust. If you do not see the swirls of fat, then you have probably over-mixed your dough. It will still work fine, it just will not have a light, flaky texture. Practice will help, so keep trying ... your family will not mind! It helps to allow the dough to rest and cool in the refrigerator for a half hour or so, however this is not necessary if time does not allow.

Now you are read to roll it out and put it in the pie pan. This is for two crusts, so divide your dough in half first! Here are photos for that process, however this is also what I showed on the video (after the photos, at the bottom of this post). Be sure to have flour on hand to dust the working surfaces!

1: Roll the dough evenly and big enough to fit the pan.

2: Dust with flour to prevent sticking and fold in half.

3: Dust and fold in half again.

4: Unfold the crust into the pie plan.

5: Scoop in filling. It will rise over the top but that's ok.

6: Get the top crust ready as before and unfold on to the pie.

Continue unfolding...

7: Now it's ready to seal, flute and vent - see the video!

8: Bake at 375 till done - the crust will be golden brown. ~50min or so.

You may brush the top with egg and sprinkle on sugar before baking, however this might cause the crust to brown quicker - if it seems your crust is browning too fast, simply cover loosely with foil.

For saving time, make more than one pie and freeze the excess while still raw. When needed, remove from the freezer with enough time to thaw on the counter before baking. I just take mine out in the morning and bake in the evening. On this particular day I made two pies, had one that day and one a few months later. The frozen pie was just as good as the other. I've heard you can bake it right from a frozen state, however I have not tried this yet. Obviously the cooking time will increase.

Tasty Tuesday: altering a basic cake recipe

Last week I shared a little about the evolution of my cooking skills. My main partner throughout this evolution was the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1989 edition). This is a very basic cookbook, filled with all sorts of nifty tips and helps. I learned a lot from it and still use it the most out of all my cookbooks. The recipes are basic and easy to alter, but there are some not-so-basic recipes as well, which have added a good variety to our cooking adventures.

Many of the recipes are now just used for ideas; today I am going to show you one example of how this works.

Here is a page from the 'cake' section of the book:

As you can see, it's well worn and loved! Dirty, stained (it should be near-white in color) and crispy from years of use. From this basic yellow cake recipe on the right I have made several other recipes to suit our tastes and needs. The basic recipe is:

3c flour
2c sugar
1T baking powder
1 1/2c milk
1/2c margarine or butter, softened
1 1/2t vanilla
2 eggs

Let's break it down ...

FLOUR
3c of flour is 3c of flour. I will sometimes use a mixture of flours, but it's always 3 cups. When using different flours in recipes other than all-purpose or whole wheat, you must keep in mind that different flours do different things. You can get away with substituting some of the flour with rice flour or oat flour for example, however if you use too much of the alternate flours your cake will be really heavy and will not rise properly. For this reason, I generally stay away from any flour that does not contain gluten, and if I use a lower gluten flour I will often times do half wheat, half lower gluten (like kamut, spelt, or rye). 100% kamut or spelt work just fine too, but the cake will be a bit dense. So ... if it's texture you are after, be careful not to over-do the alternative flours.

A final note on flours: if you do choose to use non-gluten flours, be sure to add xanthan gum, a binder and a thickener. 

SUGAR
No way am I going to use 2 cups of sugar in a cake!! That is way too much sugar!! Several years ago as an experiment I began cutting the sugar in every recipe I used in HALF and no one seemed to care. In fact, it seemed like the other flavors in the recipes came out stronger with less sugar. And then about 5 or 6 years ago I discovered stevia. In recent days I learned that there is some controversy around the safety of stevia use (apparently there is a concern that using stevia may cause miscarriages, among other issues). I'll leave the research up to you, however before I even learned of potentially harmful side effects of stevia use I had already drastically cut my stevia use down to probably a teaspoon or two a month for the whole family 'just in case' there is an issue. We really did not use much before, but what I started to do is use 1/4 the amount of sweetener called for in a recipe and add in 1/2-1t powdered stevia. Over the last year or so, I stopped using stevia in cake recipes; so for the recipe listed above I will use 1/2c honey.

You will have to experiment to see what works for you and your family. Keep using less and less, noting the changes each time, until you come to a point where you think "this is not enough" ... and then go one step higher. Keep in mind too that fruits (dried, pureed, whatever) can be sweeteners as well.

We use honey exclusively now. This is affordable for us because our sweets are quite low. I'll make one or two dessert type things a week - we have dessert with supper on friday night and also there is usually something to pack in the boys lunches.

LIQUID
This recipe calls for milk, however any other liquid is just fine. If you are making a chocolate cake, use coffee for the liquid. An apple cake, use apple juice. An orange or lemon cake, use orange juice or even lemonade if you want to. You can even just use water. It really does not matter and it all depends on your tastes and what kind of cake you are making. Usually I just use water since it's always on hand. Sometimes I'll use part water and part something else. Sometimes I'll use all coffee or all juice. It just depends on what I'm making and what I have on hand.

Sometimes I'll use a can of crushed pineapple or applesauce or home-canned apples - the additional liquid must then be adjusted accordingly. I guess or read my previous notes.

FAT
I prefer butter, coconut oil or olive oil for the fats. In a cake, it is just fine to substitute a liquid fat for a solid. The solid fats give a richer texture, but the liquids work well too. I usually cut the amount of fat called for in half. For this recipe, I use 1/4c instead of 1/2c. The type of fat depends on what kind of cake I am making. I prefer coconut oil (virgin ... has lots of flavor) for chocolate/carob cakes, carrot cake and spice cake. I use olive oil for the rest. We do not seem to notice the distinct flavor of olive oil in the cake, so no one cares.
As a side note, some studies show that a very low saturated fat diet is best for those with MS ... but then of course others studies show the absolute opposite. If you are of the 'no saturated fat' camp, you can play around with substituting bananas, applesauce, or even prune puree (my favorite) 1:1 for the fat. It will not be as rich, but it will still be good.

EGGS
Believe it or not, eggs can be left out of cakes altogether with no substitutions. Yes, there will be a difference in the texture, however it works just fine without them. But, we use the amount of eggs called for because we have egg producing machines in our backyard. :~)

If you would like, an egg substitute can also be used ... but once again, it works without it too. 

OTHER STUFF
Leave the leavening the same. The extracts will depend on what you are making. Vanilla is always a good option, however maple tastes really nice in carrot cake, lemon in blueberry cake, orange in cranberry cake, and so on.
For some reason this recipe does not include salt. I always add 1/2 to 1t of salt; it really helps to bring out the flavors.
Other spices and seasonings can be used as well - like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and so on.

Now for some examples!

Apple Cake
I made home-canned apple slices last fall. Turns out it works perfectly to eliminate the liquid and just put in a whole quart of sliced apples, liquid included. This makes a wonderfully moist cake! I also add 2t-1T cinnamon to the dry ingredients. The rest of the recipe is the same: 3c flour, 1T baking powder, 1/2t salt, 1/2c honey, 1/4c olive oil, 2 eggs, 1 1/2t vanilla.

Chocolate/Carob Cake
To the basic recipe listed in the apple cake above, add 1/2c carob powder. Substitute coconut oil instead of olive oil. Use brewed coffee for the liquid.  If someone does not like coffee, they will probably never know there is coffee in this cake ... the coffee flavor really makes the cocoa or carob stand out. Be careful however for those who are sensitive to caffeine.

Pineapple Coconut Cake
Add one 20oz can of crushed pineapple (do not drain), 1/2c coconut flakes, omit the liquid. You might need to add 1/2c of water or pineapple juice too. Coconut oil instead of olive oil.

Carrot Cake
Use the same recipe as the pineapple cake above except add 1c of packed shredded carrots, an additional egg and 2t cinnamon. Raisins and/or nuts may also be added. If the raisins are hard, it's good to soak them in some water for a few hours before using. The soaking liquid can then be used in the cake or in something else. This cake is best with an additional half cup of oil - so 1/2c coconut oil total.

Squash Cake
Add 2c of runny pureed squash. If it's thick, then only use 1c and add some water. I know on my photo I have a note with a few instructions for squash cake, however I no longer follow them. This is good with a combination of spices like 1 1/2t cinnamon, 1/2t each of ginger and nutmeg and a 1/4t of cloves. Coconut oil is good with this as well. The rest is the same (unless you would like to also add 1t of maple flavor).

There you have it! I do not frost my cakes, so I will not be including any frosting recipes here. Sometimes I will mix up a little cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle over the top before baking. This is a nice substitute for frosting and it uses hardly any sugar.

Tasty Tuesdays: Do it yourself!

I'm going to share a story.

I grew up on fast food, hot dogs, mac & cheese, pb&j and other similar processed junk foods. Now, don't get me wrong here and go a direction I am not even heading! I'm not saying ALL of these things are bad or that we should NEVER eat them. I'm just painting the stage: I grew up on nothing but junk ... except when I ate at grandpa and grandma's house.

When I moved out, I had no idea how to cook, unless you consider knowing how to heat up microwave dinners and prepare packaged pastas (specifically: ramen and mac & cheese) knowing how to cook. Oh yes, I also knew how to open a can. We did not have money, so I visited the food pantries as often as was allowed. It was through the food pantries that I discovered a wider variety of foods, though in reality it was still very narrow! Lots of packaged foods like Hamburger Helper and other various flavored pastas and rices. I'd also get basic pantry items like flour and sugar. I did not know how to cook, so what was I supposed to do with flour and sugar?! I got a cookbook and began experimenting.

Hamburger Helper remained my favourite - it was so easy to make and I really felt like I was serving my children a good meal. I would cook the hamburger, prepare the packaged food, heat up a can of vegetables and serve a glass of milk. All four food groups, right?! At some point I had the idea to add in carrots and canned mushrooms. I already knew I did not like canned or frozen carrots, so I was forced to buy a package of carrots, peal them and slice them. At some point my Hamburger Helper meal further evolved to also include cheddar cheese. Now that's all four food groups in one pan!

1989 edition

Somewhere during this time I was really enjoying making cakes and cookies from scratch. I loved my cookbook! I'm not sure what year it was published [I think it's the 1989 one pictured at the left], but it's still my stand-by today ... very stained, dirty and old looking. It is one of the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook." Also at some point I realized that the only thing I was lacking in making my own hamburger helper was the gravy. So I learned how to make gravy and the rest is history. That was at least 16 years ago but maybe more.

So for my 'tasty tuesday' installation, I would like to encourage everyone to ditch the boxed meals and make your own.

The basic components are:
- Grain (rice, pasta, millet, quinoa, etc.)
- Vegetable (whatever seems right with your other choices)
- Meat (left-overs work great for this!)
- Sauce (homemade gravy or a homemade "cream of _____" soup) (a basic white sauce [start with about 2T butter, 2T white flour and 1c water or milk; melt butter, add flour and mix till a paste, slowly whisk in water/milk and heat till thickened, whisking often. ] with some flavouring added in.)

Extras that add flavor, texture and color:
- Cheese
- Nuts or seeds
- Dried fruits

And of course, spices such as salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, etc.

You can even make your own dry mixes or at least some of the components to the mixes. I usually do not do this but I will make my own seasoning mixes like 'chicken bouillon' and 'onion soup mix'. 

So, what might this look like?

A beef and noodle hamburger helper would be good with beef (ground or chunks), carrot slices, mushrooms, onions, garlic, pasta, brown gravy, salt and pepper. Thyme would go well too. Beef bouillon may also be added for extra flavor. It helps to cook the pasta separate and add when the other is ready. Salting the pasta cooking water adds a little flavor to the pasta.

A lasagna hamburger helper would be good with ground beef, broken pieces of lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, basil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. You can even drop spoonfuls of cottage cheese around top before adding the other cheeses. Serve green beans and/or a salad on the side.

Chicken alfredo hamburger helper: use leftover chicken pieces, a white sauce with a little heavy cream and parmesan cheese added in, fettuccine noodles and broccoli. Season with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Chicken rice: cook all the ingredients together in one pot; used left-over chicken that's ready to go. Saute an onion first, then add the rice and some veggies (may cheat and use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables), and the cooked chicken. Top with about 3 times the amount of water or stock as rice (so, if you use 1 cup of rice, add 3 cups of water or stock). Add salt, pepper and garlic. Add chicken bouillon of stock was not used. Cook till done (white rice simmer for at least 20 minutes; brown for at least 45).

The ideas really are endless!! Be creative. Write down what you do ... that way if you like it you'll know what to do next time and if you don't like it you'll know what to change. It helps to have honest critics! Ask your family: "Do you like this?" If they do not like it, ask if there is something they would change to make it better. Don't just throw out a recipe the first time if no one likes it! It might only need a small change or two. Sometimes however there are recipes that are total flops and not worthy of putting forth effort to alter and experiment. That's ok. Just move on!

When I make up a new recipe and we all like it, I am sure to write it on a recipe card and date it. Sometimes down the road I get new ideas for the same recipe or will note on the card what sides we like to eat with that particular meal.

Also, don't ever be afraid to write in your cookbooks!! It took me about four years to discover this idea. I began altering recipes and would forget what I did. Dah! Just make a note right in the book. How simple! You should see my basic cake recipe ... there are four or five different recipes I made up using that one recipe as a springboard ... that particular page is filled with notes all along the margins. Maybe that will be my next 'tasty tuesday' instalment? We'll see.

I am so thankful for those boxed meals; without them I might never have had the idea to try to do it myself. 

Happy cooking!