It is super easy and cheap to make your own homemade syrup; and better yet, it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or weird unprounceable ingredients.
I make my syrup by simmering equal parts sugar and water with a dash of salt sprinkled in. It's *that* easy! Bring it to a boil (a typical family would probably use like a cup of sugar, a cup of water, and maybe an eighth teaspoon of salt), and then turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes until thick. Whisk it every now and again to keep it from burning or sticking.
When it has thickened, pour in a teaspoon or two of whatever extract you like ~ maple, vanilla, orange, etc. Sometimes I also plop some butter right into the syrup to melt together. It's good, easy, and cheap!
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Awesome Pancakes
I've gotten to be a pretty lazy breakfast cook, now that I regularly have five little starving kidlets biting at my ankles as soon as I walk out of my bedroom in the mornings. We usually stick to the basics like steel cut oats, grits, and bagels with cream cheese. However, this past Saturday I decided to be a little more adventurous and stir up a batch of pancakes; and they were YUMMO! It does take me forever to make pancakes for this clan, and I always make extras to have leftover the next day; so I make them huge enough to feed two kidlets with one flapjack while the others not-so-patiently wait their turn.
These are buttery and delicious, so try them soon!
Mix the following in a 'very large' mixing bowl: 6 1/4 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of baking powder, and 1/4 cup of sugar.
In a separate bowl stir together 1 quart of milk (I used powdered reconstituted milk in the picture above -- it works fine), 4 beaten eggs, and 2 tablespoons (yes, TABLESPOONS) of vanilla.
In the meantime, melt a stick of butter in the microwave.
Carefully stir the 'wet stuff' in the smaller bowl into the 'dry stuff' in the big bowl. Slowly combine it with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula without overstirring. Then slowly drizzle the melted butter in as you continue to carefully combine.
Heat your griddle/skillet to medium low (I put mine on '4' out of 10) and butter/grease it. Spoon the batter on (it is super thick) and spread it a bit with your spoon or ladle. When the top side does its bubbly thing, indicating that it's ready... flip it over and cook the other side! Serve with whatever you like to spread/pour/drizzle on pancakes.
These are buttery and delicious, so try them soon!
Mix the following in a 'very large' mixing bowl: 6 1/4 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of baking powder, and 1/4 cup of sugar.
In a separate bowl stir together 1 quart of milk (I used powdered reconstituted milk in the picture above -- it works fine), 4 beaten eggs, and 2 tablespoons (yes, TABLESPOONS) of vanilla.
In the meantime, melt a stick of butter in the microwave.
Carefully stir the 'wet stuff' in the smaller bowl into the 'dry stuff' in the big bowl. Slowly combine it with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula without overstirring. Then slowly drizzle the melted butter in as you continue to carefully combine.
Heat your griddle/skillet to medium low (I put mine on '4' out of 10) and butter/grease it. Spoon the batter on (it is super thick) and spread it a bit with your spoon or ladle. When the top side does its bubbly thing, indicating that it's ready... flip it over and cook the other side! Serve with whatever you like to spread/pour/drizzle on pancakes.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Homemade Pizza
One of my "favoritest" really-quick-thrown-together-meals-because-I-didn't-plan-ahead-what-to-cook-for-supper is homemade pizza. It is super easy and super yummo, and I promise promise PROMISE I can make one completely from scratch before you can get the Domino's guy to show up on your doorstep!
The pizza on the left is barbeque chicken, and the one on the right is taco. I'll give you the crust recipe in just a moment; but let me just say that, as far as toppings go... anything goes!
Recently 3-lb bags of boneless skinless chicken tenders were on sale for $3.99, and I bought like six bags. At least. At one time. I toss one whole bag of the things on a pan, sprinkle on some salt & pepper, and drizzle a little Sweet Baby Ray's over them. I let that bake while I mix up some pizza dough and grate the cheese. One bag of chicken can make several pizzas.
So basically, our favorite bbq chicken "recipe" consists of Sweet Baby Ray's (have you tried that stuff? ~ It's seriously YUMMO), cooked shredded chicken (as in method above, or leftovers, or store-bought rotisserie ~ whatever), chopped or sliced onions, and cheddar or some blend of cheese. Tweak it to your liking; but let me say that, as much as I love mushrooms, they are just not a big hit on bbq chicken pizza.
The "taco" pizza pictured above doesn't have any meat on it, though I've been known to use leftover taco meat or ground beef. I just mashed up some leftover pinto beans and smeared them all over the nekkid crust dough. Then I sprinkled on some chili powder and cumin and cheese, baked, and topped with shredded lettuce and homemade salsa or pico de gallo or chopped tomato, either fresh or canned. If I have a serious bounty of cheese (like I do right now because I bought 20 bags of Kraft for $1.00 each because they were going out of date), I sprinkle more cheese over the lettuce. Yum...MO!
The crust recipe is really easy and can honest-to-goodness be made in five minutes. I always make *at least* a double batch to make two pizzas or freeze crusts for later. Actually, I got this recipe from Money Saving Mom, so I'll just send you over there for the instructions!
The pizza on the left is barbeque chicken, and the one on the right is taco. I'll give you the crust recipe in just a moment; but let me just say that, as far as toppings go... anything goes!
Recently 3-lb bags of boneless skinless chicken tenders were on sale for $3.99, and I bought like six bags. At least. At one time. I toss one whole bag of the things on a pan, sprinkle on some salt & pepper, and drizzle a little Sweet Baby Ray's over them. I let that bake while I mix up some pizza dough and grate the cheese. One bag of chicken can make several pizzas.
So basically, our favorite bbq chicken "recipe" consists of Sweet Baby Ray's (have you tried that stuff? ~ It's seriously YUMMO), cooked shredded chicken (as in method above, or leftovers, or store-bought rotisserie ~ whatever), chopped or sliced onions, and cheddar or some blend of cheese. Tweak it to your liking; but let me say that, as much as I love mushrooms, they are just not a big hit on bbq chicken pizza.
The "taco" pizza pictured above doesn't have any meat on it, though I've been known to use leftover taco meat or ground beef. I just mashed up some leftover pinto beans and smeared them all over the nekkid crust dough. Then I sprinkled on some chili powder and cumin and cheese, baked, and topped with shredded lettuce and homemade salsa or pico de gallo or chopped tomato, either fresh or canned. If I have a serious bounty of cheese (like I do right now because I bought 20 bags of Kraft for $1.00 each because they were going out of date), I sprinkle more cheese over the lettuce. Yum...MO!
The crust recipe is really easy and can honest-to-goodness be made in five minutes. I always make *at least* a double batch to make two pizzas or freeze crusts for later. Actually, I got this recipe from Money Saving Mom, so I'll just send you over there for the instructions!
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Big Pot of Beans
I have shared with you our dream of one day moving onto our own plot of acreage and trying our hand at a small-scale farm. My boys are fascinated with the whole "Little House on the Prairie" lifestyle; and my Beloved and I just love fresh air, country living, outside work, and providing our family's own (healthy) food and medicine, as much as we are able to.
To give you a little background about us, we moved to my husband's hometown in Missouri 4 1/2 years ago from Georgia with about $20,000 in debt from a business-gone-under and our moving expenses (including my Beloved's inability to find a full-time job for 3 months after arriving).
Since we've lived here in Missouri, we've "met" Dave Ramsey via his books and radio program. My hubby has also enjoyed listening to "Money Matters" by Crown Financial Ministries while he drives around on his Sears delivery job.
We decided that we did not want to live our life in bondage to debt, feeling that we were living paycheck to paycheck and never making ends meet. We could never afford to do anything "fun" without charging on a little piece of plastic which had become our master, so... we started babystepping our way to financial peace.
We now keep money in savings, have plenty set back for our various quarterly and annual insurance payments, homeschooling curriculum, and other sporadic (and big!) expenses. We have managed to pay cash for all of our seven births (actually, we still owe $800 on this one, due in August ~ no problem) before the babies arrived. And best of all, this has all been possible on just one very modest income while I have had the privilege of staying home with our kidlets.
For those who are interested in this type of lifestyle, I will gradually share little tidbits about what has made this possible and how we live, budget, save, and plan. Let me start with this good old basic standby:
A pot of beans! YUM!
I feel kind of hypocritical, after posting a shrimp scampi recipe, to be singing the praises of pinto beans! Shrimp is truly a splurge for us that doesn't happen often, and last week's recipe came from a 2-pound $7.98 bag that I bought on sale after not buying shrimp in probably a year. However, today's treat is more in line with the common fare of our household.
Beans are super easy, tasty, and nutritional. For some strange reason, people get overwhelmed with them and think they are difficult to cook; but they are really easy and just take a little planning ahead of time.
I always throw my beans in a pot to soak the night before. Some people use the "quick soak method," which involves bringing the beans to a boil and then turning it off and allowing them to sit there for an hour or two before fully cooking. My mom doesn't soak them at all. Some folks cook them in a pressure cooker, which takes no longer to cook than any other meal.
But since this is my blog... I'll stick with my "soak them overnight" method. ☺
I always put 2 pounds of pinto beans (or whatever kind I want to cook) in a kettle the night before and cover them with water. The next day they have grown, the water has shrunk, and the pan is very full.
I drain and rinse them in a colander, picking out any little debris (pebbles?) that might be hiding in there. I return them to their kettle and once again cover with fresh water.
Bring them to a boil on the stove and then reduce the heat to medium low, tilting the lid on the pot. You can leave them alone for a couple of hours, until they begin to get tender. (Warning: Do not add salt or tomatoes to beans before they are tender. The salt and acid will toughen them. I like to add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies to my kidney beans for "red beans & rice," and I always dump that in last.)
When they are just getting tender, but not quite ready to eat, I like to dice in an onion; and sometimes I stick some leftover meat or a ham bone or hock in there (actually, if I'm using a hock or raw meat, I put that in at the beginning with the raw beans). The pictured pot of beans contained the previous night's pork roast remains. They are certainly good meatless, too, though.
When they are thoroughly tender, I finally season them. Salt and pepper are fine for a pot of beans. Make sure that the beans stay plenty moist through the whole process. You don't want them to dry out, and you can add more water throughout the cooking time whenever needed. You want plenty of "pot likker" to dunk your cornbread or garlic bread in!
I try to cook a pot of beans at least once a week. We typically have them on Monday nights with plenty leftover for bean burritos, nachos, or quesadillas. Or, well, leftover beans. They also freeze well ~ just spoon them into a quart-size freezer bag. They are great accompanied with cornbread, garlic bread, or corn pudding.
To give you a little background about us, we moved to my husband's hometown in Missouri 4 1/2 years ago from Georgia with about $20,000 in debt from a business-gone-under and our moving expenses (including my Beloved's inability to find a full-time job for 3 months after arriving).
Since we've lived here in Missouri, we've "met" Dave Ramsey via his books and radio program. My hubby has also enjoyed listening to "Money Matters" by Crown Financial Ministries while he drives around on his Sears delivery job.
We decided that we did not want to live our life in bondage to debt, feeling that we were living paycheck to paycheck and never making ends meet. We could never afford to do anything "fun" without charging on a little piece of plastic which had become our master, so... we started babystepping our way to financial peace.
We now keep money in savings, have plenty set back for our various quarterly and annual insurance payments, homeschooling curriculum, and other sporadic (and big!) expenses. We have managed to pay cash for all of our seven births (actually, we still owe $800 on this one, due in August ~ no problem) before the babies arrived. And best of all, this has all been possible on just one very modest income while I have had the privilege of staying home with our kidlets.
For those who are interested in this type of lifestyle, I will gradually share little tidbits about what has made this possible and how we live, budget, save, and plan. Let me start with this good old basic standby:
A pot of beans! YUM!
I feel kind of hypocritical, after posting a shrimp scampi recipe, to be singing the praises of pinto beans! Shrimp is truly a splurge for us that doesn't happen often, and last week's recipe came from a 2-pound $7.98 bag that I bought on sale after not buying shrimp in probably a year. However, today's treat is more in line with the common fare of our household.
Beans are super easy, tasty, and nutritional. For some strange reason, people get overwhelmed with them and think they are difficult to cook; but they are really easy and just take a little planning ahead of time.
I always throw my beans in a pot to soak the night before. Some people use the "quick soak method," which involves bringing the beans to a boil and then turning it off and allowing them to sit there for an hour or two before fully cooking. My mom doesn't soak them at all. Some folks cook them in a pressure cooker, which takes no longer to cook than any other meal.
But since this is my blog... I'll stick with my "soak them overnight" method. ☺
I always put 2 pounds of pinto beans (or whatever kind I want to cook) in a kettle the night before and cover them with water. The next day they have grown, the water has shrunk, and the pan is very full.
I drain and rinse them in a colander, picking out any little debris (pebbles?) that might be hiding in there. I return them to their kettle and once again cover with fresh water.
Bring them to a boil on the stove and then reduce the heat to medium low, tilting the lid on the pot. You can leave them alone for a couple of hours, until they begin to get tender. (Warning: Do not add salt or tomatoes to beans before they are tender. The salt and acid will toughen them. I like to add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies to my kidney beans for "red beans & rice," and I always dump that in last.)
When they are just getting tender, but not quite ready to eat, I like to dice in an onion; and sometimes I stick some leftover meat or a ham bone or hock in there (actually, if I'm using a hock or raw meat, I put that in at the beginning with the raw beans). The pictured pot of beans contained the previous night's pork roast remains. They are certainly good meatless, too, though.
When they are thoroughly tender, I finally season them. Salt and pepper are fine for a pot of beans. Make sure that the beans stay plenty moist through the whole process. You don't want them to dry out, and you can add more water throughout the cooking time whenever needed. You want plenty of "pot likker" to dunk your cornbread or garlic bread in!
I try to cook a pot of beans at least once a week. We typically have them on Monday nights with plenty leftover for bean burritos, nachos, or quesadillas. Or, well, leftover beans. They also freeze well ~ just spoon them into a quart-size freezer bag. They are great accompanied with cornbread, garlic bread, or corn pudding.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Shrimp Scampi & Sauteed Broccoli
My hubby showed up unexpectedly for lunch yesterday, so I had to quickly whip him up something to eat. I had peeled some shrimp the day before, so I threw together my version of shrimp scampi:
I threw a stick of butter into a big 12 inch skillet. Then I minced in two cloves of garlic with my beloved garlic press (and while I was dirtying the thing up, I minced a couple of extra cloves to mix with honey and apple cider vinegar to try to attack this nasty sinus infection that is plaguing me).
When the butter was completely melted and garlic a bit sauteed, I splashed in some lemon juice and worcestershire sauce.
Then I spread my shrimp (about a pound, maybe a little more) out in the butter and sprinkled some Tony's Creole Seasoning all over it. You can use salt & pepper, if you're a wimp. ☺
My beloved showed up at that point and tried to stir it, but I bit his head off and admonished him not to touch the beauties until they had fully cooked on one side. This does not take long at ALL, and I can't stand overcooked shrimp. I left them on that side for 2 minutes tops, then flipped them and minced some fresh parsley all over them with my beloved Cutco kitchen shears. My interfering husband added more Tony's.
I put the shrimp into some cute little dishes and threw some frozen broccoli florets into the buttery goodness:
I threw a stick of butter into a big 12 inch skillet. Then I minced in two cloves of garlic with my beloved garlic press (and while I was dirtying the thing up, I minced a couple of extra cloves to mix with honey and apple cider vinegar to try to attack this nasty sinus infection that is plaguing me).
When the butter was completely melted and garlic a bit sauteed, I splashed in some lemon juice and worcestershire sauce.
Then I spread my shrimp (about a pound, maybe a little more) out in the butter and sprinkled some Tony's Creole Seasoning all over it. You can use salt & pepper, if you're a wimp. ☺
My beloved showed up at that point and tried to stir it, but I bit his head off and admonished him not to touch the beauties until they had fully cooked on one side. This does not take long at ALL, and I can't stand overcooked shrimp. I left them on that side for 2 minutes tops, then flipped them and minced some fresh parsley all over them with my beloved Cutco kitchen shears. My interfering husband added more Tony's.
I put the shrimp into some cute little dishes and threw some frozen broccoli florets into the buttery goodness:
I wish I'd had more broccoli, but everyone agreed that this was super yummo. Even my picky kids who don't usually touch broccoli liked it (after I pulled the "Close your eyes, open your mouth, and I'll give you one more piece of shrimp" trick). My kidlets were already feasting on peanut butter & jelly when The Beloved arrived, but you can bet they were nipping at our ankles the whole time we were feasting on those prawns.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
