Flavored Sunflower Seeds

How to Flavor Your Own Sunflower Seeds

This was a request from the Mr. since baseball season is in full swing and we are getting our fill of sunflower seeds! As I started looking into this I originally was going to get some raw seeds and start from total scratch. Then I started looking at the ingredients for all the different kind of seed flavors and notice the original seeds ingredients are just sunflower seeds and salt! The next time I try this I will start with raw sunflower seeds (preferably the ones I or a friend have grown), but for now I decided to start with a a bag of salted and roasted seeds. I didn't get too creative with my flavor choices, just went with some of our favorites and what seemed to be the easiest.

bacon             salt & vinegar         barbecue

Homemade BBQ Sunflower Seeds

1 cup of salted and roasted sunflower seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons of water

1 1/2 tablespoons of barbecue seasoning (I used a McCormick Grill Mates Barbecue that I sifted with my mesh colander to removed the larger seasoning pieces)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place seeds in a small bowl. Pour water over and moisten all the seeds. Drain. Sprinkle and coat the seeds with the barbecue seasoning. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes or until seeds are dry. Let cool and store in an airtight container or enjoy immediately.

Homemade Salt & Vinegar Sunflower Seeds

1 cup of salted and roasted sunflower seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place seeds in a small bowl. Pour vinegar over and moisten all the seeds. Soak for 5 minutes and then drain. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until seeds are dry. Let cool and store in an airtight container or enjoy immediately.

I wish these turned out more vinegary ... will have to tweak this one!

Homemade Bacon Sunflower Seeds

1 cup of salted and roasted sunflower seeds

4 strips of crispy cooked bacon 

1 1/2 tablespoons of water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Crush bacon in a food processor until fine. Mix crushed bacon and salt and set aside. Place seeds in a small bowl. Pour water over and moisten all the seeds. Drain. Sprinkle and coat with bacon salt mix. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until seeds are dry. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge or enjoy immediately.

The finer the bacon the better it will stick, if you have bacon salt on hand this could be substituted for the real bacon, but if you are trying to cut out unnecessary ingredients check the ingredient list first.

We will be enjoying these at tomorrow's game ... can't wait to get the kiddos feedback (they don't sugar coat anything)!

Cost comparison: Due the fact I used the store bought salted and roasted which are the same as all the other flavors I didn't save any money today, so I guess I can just be pleased with feeding my kids a healthier version of these! When it comes to growing my own and roasting them myself, that's where we will see the savings. 

Today's Question: What's your favorite sunflower seed flavor?

Using Dry Beans

How to Replace Canned Beans with Dry Beans

Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat the more ... well you know. ;-p (sorry couldn't resist!) Black, pinto, northern, kidney, if it is a dry bean this would work, today just happens to be great northern beans. I started last night by following the directions on the bag and did an overnight soak. I am sure glad I notice I had a 2 pound bag and the directions were for 1 pound of beans (Be sure to read those directions!) 

great northern beans after overnight soak

This morning I drained the water and covered the bowl with plastic wrap until I could get back to it this afternoon, I am sure it wouldn't have hurt to soak them longer but I have noticed soaking for too long can sometimes cause the beans to split.  On to cooking them, I found that 1 pound of soaked beans fits just right in a 2.5 qt crock-pot, so you unless you have more than one or a 5 qt you may one to stick with just 1 pound of beans. I have one of those 3 x 2.5 qt crock-pot gizmos which came in very handy today. I guess now I can laugh about having to put a new crock-pot on my Christmas list, thanks to our #2 who decided to be an electrician like is papa and cut some wire one day when he saw the wire cutter and my crock-pot that got left out! Aaaahhh! Let's just say, after the anger subsided, I became very fond of my Dutch oven that was still in its original box from our wedding ... almost 15 years later! Thanks to the individual that gifted that because I LOVE IT; wish I hadn't missed out on so many years of cooking with it. I really would use that for everything but I don't think leaving our oven on all day unattended would be looked upon very highly (hehe) so we have to use the crock-pot every once in a while.

OK, getting back on track. When I got home today, I put my soaked beans in my crock-pot, added the recommended amount of hot water to them, and turned in on low. The directions say to simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours which is what I usually do, but felt the need to figure out the crock-pot way of during this. I would be so up for doing this more regularly if I could throw it in the crock-pot and forget about it! SO, today is the test day ... how long do the beans need to cook in the crock-pot? We are at almost one and half hours right now and after a taste test, we have a WAYS to go! I will keep you posted.

Cost Comparison - 

Dry Bean Cost: 2 pounds of beans will get you about 18 cups of cooked beans, so approximately $0.30 to $0.40 per 2 cups (16 oz) of cooked beans depending on the type of beans

Canned Bean Cost: approximately $0.60 to $1 per 15 oz can depending on type and brand

The nice thing about dry beans, you can buy bulk and keep in the freezer which means it could maybe be even cheaper!

I can see this branching out into ... homemade chili beans, homemade re-fried beans, oh the bean stories we could come up with!

Be sure to check back for updates! Something to remember is cooking times will vary depending on the size of the beans.

Today's Question - What's your go to bean for recipes?

Update 9:15pm - So I cooked them on low for 7 and half hours. One of my crocks was slightly over done, maybe by about 30 minutes and the other one was perfect! I don't usually use these containers to freeze things but decided since I had an abundance of them (and they would be easily accessible for all of you to store up and use as well) I'd give it a shot. The plastic wrap wouldn't be a necessity but I felt it would help keep them sealed better. I am always leery about freezing these types of containers ever since the issue about dioxins came up dealing with reusing and freezing water bottles, but since I have read the dioxin issue was a myth and the bigger issue is the bacteria when reusing so just make sure they are clean. In the past I have used the good old fashion square freezer containers my grandma used. 

great northern beans dated and ready to go in the freezer

Homemade Raspberry Jam

How to Make Homemade Raspberry Jam without Fruit Pectin

Those $1 raspberries were irresistible yesterday, so I am at it again ... Round 2 on jam without fruit pectin. 

I really just tweaked my blackberry jam and am winging it! 100% trial and error. I wasn't pleased with the consistency of the blackberry jam and decided I should cook it for less time. So here's what I tried.

Homemade Raspberry Jam 

6 oz. fresh raspberry, washed and crushed

1/8 cup of water (optional, used to rise seeds when straining)

1/2 cup of sugar

removing the seeds, this is what I had left

Crush raspberries using pastry cutter (or fork).  Place at least half (this amount depends on your seed preference)  in a wire mesh colander (small enough to catch the seeds) over your sauce pan and use a spoon to mash through the colander until no more juice is coming through. Use the water to drizzle and mash, drizzle and mash. We are just wanting to remove as much of the fruit flesh as possible. Add sugar to the sauce pan and heat over high heat. Stir continually watching for it boil. Boil for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Pour into clean jar and refrigerate.

the consistency after a few minutes of cooling

This very well could be an addiction! I will be searching the produce aisle for jam suspects! The thing I love most about this besides eliminating the unnecessary ingredients ... these raspberries will last much longer in our house in jam form. I would have to by at least five of these small containers of raspberries to feed my kiddos!

Seed Starters for the Garden

How to Start Your Garden with Seeds

seed starters using toilet paper rolls ... let's talk about brownie points for recycling also!

Do you know that moment when you have to chuckle at God because you once again realize he knows way more about how to bless you than you could ever even begin to ask for? Welp, I had one of those moments today when I placed my newly planted seeds in my greenhouse! We have lived in our home for almost three years and this greenhouse was here when we moved in. I never in a million years would have thought to even ask for a greenhouse and here I sit dreaming about how this simple greenhouse is going to abundantly bless our family with some fresh produce (and save on groceries) for many years.  I have been looking at this greenhouse (which isn't the prettiest thing in the world) for the past two summers saying, "One of these summers I really need to take advantage of that thing and grow something!" Sure wish it didn't take me as long as it did to make that happen.

I have realized I sometimes over research something to make sure I waste minimal amount of time on mistakes or things I could have done better had I just known. Also, I have realized this thinking has stopped me from following through with a plan because the daunting task is going to require too much effort to get it right the first time! HELLO, this is where you learn from your mistakes silly! ;) Gardening has been one of those, I want those beautiful plants and an abundant amount of produce the first time, how greedy of me!   

SO, I am entering Gardening 101 here and am completely in training mode ... please follow with caution and lots of advice!

We started a couple varieties of tomatoes (some for fresh and most for sauce), cucumbers, zucchini, LOTS of jalapenos, yellow (yes, YELLOW, it is SO GOOD) watermelon, and cantaloupe. Thanks to my oldest who labeled our plants so well! Once the ground warms just a bit more, I will put radishes and a couple strawberry plants in. 

I am absolutely giddy to think about what we will be eating straight from our own backyard!

Today's Question: Who's up for some produce swapping this summer?

Updated 5/11/15: We are making progress ... my mouth is starting to water just thinking about the produce!

Homemade Bread

We've had a busy day between helping get my sister and her family one step closer to getting settled into their home before the baby comes and cleaning up garage sale stuff (it's crazy how you can sell so much but still go home with a car full!).

fresh bread sliced and ready for use

My homemade item today is bread ... lately I have been letting the bread machine (which is a loaner, thanks mom) do all the work! I absolutely love homemade bread and doing it all by hand tastes even better than the bread machine, but the bread machine is a very close second. I learned how to make bread with my sister a good ten years ago when a wonderful lady from her church spent an entire Saturday teaching us the ins-and-outs of bread making AND sent us home with her stash of bread recipes! SO GOOD!

Now bread is one of those things that takes time and I usually don't have it, but I wish I could do it 100% of the time because is tastes so much better and costs WAY less. It takes at most 5 minutes to get the bread machine started and it's done in 2 and a half hours. When I am doing good, I will throw the ingredients in while I am fixing dinner and then it will be finished before bed. For us, each loaf lasts about 3 to 4 days between breakfast and lunches, so a couple days a week is all I have to commit to getting the bread machine going!

Cost Comparison: approximately $0.40 per 32 oz. bread machine loaf VS. $0.85 per 20 oz. Aldi loaf

It comes out to about the same amount of slices since homemade bread is more dense than store bought which makes is more than a 50% discount. When you eat as much bread as we do, this adds up fast! I love the fact if I am not due for a store run, I can throw my ingredients into the bread machine and avoid a trip just for bread. Also, I haven't experiment with the bread machine too much yet, but there is a recipe for bagels, pretzels, and so many other things.



I just started a fresh loaf and will upload a pic later when it's complete!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Mix

Home to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Mix

I have one recipe that specifically calls for spaghetti sauce seasoning mix which is my grandma'a Upside-down Pizza. YUM! I'll have to share the recipe in an update when I get a chance, so easy and good! I have forgotten the spaghetti sauce mix packet so many times when picking up items for this recipe and finally got smart and decided to just start making my own. (see update below for recipe)

I'm hoping to use this in the homemade tomato sauce I will be making from the fresh tomatoes soon to be rolling out of my garden! The plan is to can basic sauce and then I can tweak the seasonings however I fancy!

I adapted this recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures because the herb and spice combination sounded really good. 

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Mix

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons sugar 
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or container. Use 2 tablespoons per 8 oz of sauce. Heat and simmer for a minimum of 5 minutes. Thin with water as needed. You could use a 6 oz can of tomato paste and add 1 can (6 oz or less) of water instead of 8 oz can of sauce. 

It's been garage sale weekend so  it's been a push to get these in, but I am bound and determined to make a post each day!!

Updated 4/25/15:
Grammy Lou Lou's and Grandpa Kaeb's Upside-Down Pizza

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)

1/2 envelope spaghetti sauce mix (1 tablespoon homemade mix)

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I have used cheddar, co-jack, and mozzarella, depending what is in the fridge)

1/2 cup sour cream

8 oz. package crescent rolls

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain grease. Add spaghetti sauce mix and tomato sauce, heat together until hot. Pour into 9x13" pan. Combine shredded cheese and sour cream and spread over meat mixture. Unroll crescent rolls and lay over mixture. Combine butter and Parmesan cheese and brush onto rolls. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 25 minutes.

Tweaks: 

- Do not combine sour cream and cheese, I found this hard to spread evenly over the warm meat. Sprinkle cheese over meat. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream (or milk) to sour cream and pour over shredded cheese. Then top with rolls and continue to the same.

- Doubling the meat makes it more substantial. Now we just have to make two pans because one doesn't cut it for our family of 6! Two pans does allow for leftovers to send with the Mister for lunch which is a must when dinner planning. :)

Source - Birds of a Feather Cook Together: Urban Steidinger family cookbook, pg. 62

Yes, my grandma's family has their own cookbook! It was dedicated to my late-great-grandparents and is filled with 600+ recipes from all their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren's favorite recipes!

Homemade Sour Cream

Home to Make Homemade Sour Cream

There is a difference between cultured sour cream and sour(ed) cream and today am making sour(ed) cream since I am using buttermilk instead of active milk cultures.

I found a recipe at "Mother Earth News" and followed it using my homemade buttermilk.

Homemade Sour Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup buttermilk (1/4 tablespoon of vinegar topped off with milk and let set for five minutes)

Mix ingredients in desired container, tighten lid, and shake to mix. Loosen the lid. Let sit on the counter for 24 hours or until thick. Refrigerate once thick. Good for one week.

Once I attempt homemade yogurt using active cultures I will probably try cultured sour cream.

Cost Comparison: $1.68 for 10oz. of homemade sour cream VS. $1.29 for 16 oz. Aldi sour cream

Definitely not a cost saver and there really isn't ingredients that I feel like I would need to be cut out from store bought sour cream, but I will try almost anything once (sometimes twice). We will see tomorrow how this will be, be sure to check back for an update!

Updated 4/25/15: It has been 48+ hours since my sour cream has been sitting out and I am sad to admit ... it didn't work. I feel this was most likely my error before putting the recipe I borrowed out-to-pasture and will try again using either 1/4 cup of sour cream or straight vinegar. I think I will try my hand at homemade yogurt first though, especially since I have my sister home now who has been doing yogurt for a while! She also mention homemade ricotta is very easy ... I need to add that to my list.

Updated 4/27/15: So I'm a little embarrassed to say I forgot all about my sour cream that has been sitting on my stove for the last 4 days! And yes I have used my stove everyday!?!? Not sure how I missed it sitting right under my nose for that long, it must have been because I had written it off as a failure. Surprisingly enough the consistency has thickened quite nicely and the visual texture (I have not dared try tasting it yet!) looks perfect. It does have a smell I'm not sure about and I don't know if I will ever get the courage to try it (*gagging*), but it is currently chilling (and maybe growing something) in my fridge. If anything I am getting a good laugh at the fact I have just might be crazy enough to try this heavy whipping cream that has been sitting not refrigerated for four days! What?!?!? 

Updated 4/28/15: I TRIED IT (it was a very small amount and I wouldn't let anybody else try it)! Wasn't terrible and actually tasted very much like the real deal BUT I cannot get over the smell, I'm not sure how to describe it! I will try making this again tweaking my recipe with the other half of my heavy whipping cream and this batch (sad to say) will be going out the door!

Updated 5/17/2015: This past Wednesday when my sister was over to help make yogurt, we started talking about my sour cream. Although it is somewhat embarrassing to admit, I will inform you I still have it ... the smell is gone! I need to do a little research if there is a fermentation or something that takes place which was the cause of the odd smell. We both tried it (you can curl up your nose in disgust if you want) and were pleasantly surprised. I also tried some on my nachos the next day and have had not signs of food poisoning (hehe) and on a side-note, no children were used in the taste testing of this 'soured' cream. I did try my hand at making some more sour cream in the Yogotherm using store bought sour cream instead of the yogurt and it is currently straining in the fridge to make it thicker. At the first taste it doesn't seem as soured but we will see how it tastes on our potatoes and nachos.  

Homemade Cream of 'Something'

How to Make Your Own Cream of 'Something' Soup

I am really excited about this post! The Mister doesn't like mushrooms or celery so I have never attempted to use either one of those in my meals and eventually just phased out all cream of something soups altogether. Since starting my blog, cream of something soup has been mentioned on more than one occasion as something that needed to be replaced. SO I decided obviously I'm in the dark about all this cream of something soup talk and I am missing out on something HUGE!

I was going to post about this yesterday and upon researching some recipes I realized I could totally make this using a method I have been using for years. This turned into the need for some kitchen research ... create and compare, which meant I needed more time than what was available yesterday. (Sure wish you could buy that from a store; oh, don't we all!)

The base of my cream of something soup is just a roux with milk added. Sounds fancy and French (which it is, French - not fancy!) and I use this method in so many things: sausage gravy for biscuits, loaded potato soup, any potato soup for that matter, cheese sauce, think of any thick rich sauce and I start with this! If you need something thicker after you have already started, you can make your roux, add a little of whatever needs to be thicker to it, and then pour it back in your pot ... this doesn't work as well but it is better than starting over. :)

my version with butter and flour

Homemade Cream of 'Something' Soup 

2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of flour

1 1/4 cup of milk

1/2 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules or 1 1/2 cubes crushed (could substitute any flavor) 

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon onion powdered

pinch of thyme 

pinch of basil

pinch of pepper

Combine all dry ingredients except for flour in a small bowl. Have your milk measured and ready. Melt butter on high until it is bubbly. Add flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute. Add milk and continue to whisk until mixed. Add dry ingredients and mix. Bring back to a boil and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until the bubbles subside.

Of course from this stage you could add some sauteed mushrooms or cooked broccoli or celery and you'd be set! If you would want to use this just as a soup, add an additional cup of milk and cook for a few more minutes.

other version with dry milk and cornstarch

My inspiration for the seasonings came from "Taste of Home's" version that involved dry milk and cornstarch. I have nothing against dry milk in my recipes but if I can make something similar without it that would be my first choice. Additionally, I am trying to eliminate items from my grocery list so if dry milk is not a regularly used item I wouldn't want to buy it just for this! In order to have the best comparison, I made one batch of their version and one batch of my version. Both are exactly the same consistency and took the same about of time (bonus!), but since I am a butter lover (It's out, you have heard it straight from the source here!) I found my version much more flavorful. I am really excited to branch out with this recipe and see what I can make with it! The possibilities are truly endless!

I would love to hear your suggestions and feedback!

Today's Questions: Are you a sour cream lover?

Homemade Blackberry Jam

How to Make Jam without Fruit Pectin

For starters I am no scientist and am sharing this information out of my own logical thinking and experience! If you have a more scientific explanation or information to set my thought process straight, please share ... it will not hurt my feelings, trust me (may I remind you I am a mother of 4 and taught middle school math for over 10 years).

I have been creating my own fruit topping for waffles which started off as a vague memory of what I thought my grandma did. Grandma, now cooking up a storm in heaven, was an amazing woman and cook. Her motto in life was "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"; or anybody for that matter. So true, if we are hungry ... watch out! Onto the fruit topping, I would throw whatever frozen berries I had on hand in a sauce pan, cover with a thin layer of sugar, and simmer until it thickened. It was just recently my mom told me what grandma really did and I wasn't too far off. She would start the same way but add a little bit of cornstarch and some water (don't submerge the berries) and cut back on the sugar. They both turn out very similar and taste great on our waffles so I will use either one depending on my mood.

When I was researching recipes for making jam without fruit pectin I realized ... it's just a combination of jam and sugar cooked to the right consistency. How simple is that and way better than having to go find fruit pectin at the store. My first thought was I am never buying store bought jam again and instead will be purchasing whatever in-season-good-jam-making-fruit is on sale and making small batches at a time! No need for pectin or canning!

So, this is exactly what I did! When I was at Aldi (yes, if you haven't notice I am an Aldi shopper through and through ... SO glad my sister trained me well here!) last, I notice blackberries were $0.99 and immediately thought, JAM! We never have blackberry jam on hand, raspberry jam is a special treat for us, only because I don't like spending the extra money for something other than strawberry or grape (I know I can be extremely frugal is some areas and not in others ... it's called selective spending. I compare it to selective memory and all those other selective choices! hehehe!)

My recipe - 

Homemade Blackberry Jam 

6 ounces of. blackberries

1/2 cup of sugar

Crush blackberries using a pastry cutter (a fork or potato masher would work just fine). Combine crushed blackberries and sugar in a sauce pan and stir until combine and sugar is mostly dissolved (about 1 minute). Pour out of sauce pan into a wire mesh colander (small enough to catch the seeds) and use a spoon to mash through the colander until no more juice is coming through. Return to pan at high heat and boil for about 2 minutes. Watch carefully, it will go from perfect to too thick very fast. Good thing is, if your consistency is too thick after it starts to cool, add a little bit of boiling water while it is still warm and stir well.

I am sure there will be some tweaking here as I experiment with different fruits and I will be sure to update you when this happens!

Today's Question: What is your favorite meal you use cream of something soup in? 

Updated 4/25/15 - Used some of our homemade blackberry jam in plain yogurt, LOVED IT! This just gave a whole new meaning to jam and flavored yogurt!  

Updated 4/27/15 - I tweeked the above recipe, shortened the time and sugar amount. See my homemade raspberry jam for additional tips.

Shredded Cheese

How to Replace Shredded Cheese

Almost five years ago I attended a Pampered Chef kick off party when a dear friend of mine decided to become a consultant. It was at this time I never looked at shredded cheese the same again! The next time you get the chance to look at the ingredients for shredded cheese, I strongly encourage you to do so. One of the ingredients will be powdered cellulose which is refined wood pulp {GROSS} and "is generally regarded as safe when used in normal quantities" {seems fishy to me}! Let's just say ever since then I have phased out almost all shredded cheese and replaced it with block cheese.  

Some pros about doing this has been: cost (block cheese is always less); quantity (I have always noticed once shredded a block is more than 2 cups of cheese); fresh is always better; and obviously less "junk". The cons: it does take more time to shred your cheese and more man-power (your arm can get a mini-workout shredding an entire block of cheese), which is why I have figured out ways around this.

If you have ever read Cheaper by the Dozen (one of the few books I actually did read in 8th grade ;-p), I remind myself a lot of the father ... always finding the quickest and most efficient way of doing something! So here are some options:

- shred only what is needed and do it more frequently (we use A LOT of cheese, so not my pick usually)

- shred multiple blocks of cheese at a time {and feel the burn}, then store it in container in the fridge.

OR 

- If you have access to a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer or food processor, let the machine do all the work while you stock up on shredded cheese. Kitchen-Aid has a slicer/shredder attachment and most food processors come with a shredded attachment as well.

left is grated and right is shredded

Today I transitioned the last shredded cheese item in my refrigerator, Parmesan.  I was completely out after using it last night in our chicken Alfredo and have meatball subs coming up so figured now would be the best time. I used both my box grater and Kitchen-Aid slicer/shredder attachment to see which texture I liked better and I decided since this shredded cheese is so much fresher either texture will melt much smoother than the store bought grated or shredded Parmesan cheese. However, I was a little concerned how it would be once sitting in the fridge but once I gave it a quick shake after it had time to chill, it loosened right up. I usually do this with all of my shredded cheese when I run across it while going through the fridge. As for how long it keeps, we use cheese very regularly and though it may seem drier after a few days it still works great on salads and melts just the same when cooking with it.

Cost Comparison: $3.99 for 8oz. block Parmesan from Aldi VS. ~$3 for 8oz. store bought 

Even though the weights are the same, once all shredded there was not much to store back in my store bough Parmesan cheese container, so I'd say this is WIN!

Today's Question: Do you add bagged soil to your garden each year? If so, what do you use? If not, what do you do instead?

Homemade Maple Syrup

How to Make Homemade Maple Syrup

So I made an attempt this morning and it turned out somewhat of a failure only because I thought it was too runny and I boiled my syrup for too long.  When it finally came to room temperature it had crystallized and was completely solid ... lesson learned! However, the nice thing about a sugar and water mixture is a little heat (and a little additional water), we were back to the smooth delicious maple syrup we started with and this time it did not solidify! I have heard if you don't get the cooking process to a "T", you may notice crystals forming as it cools or as it sits between uses. The sugar crystals do not mean it has gone bad and again just a little heat will remelt the crystals ... just minimize any additional boiling. 

Since this was only my second time making maple syrup and I have no idea what recipe I followed the first time, I used this recipe as a starting point. I can definitely see myself entirely replacing syrup with a few tweaks from now on ... until I find my own maple tree to tap, which very easily will happen at some point! {You can laugh and think I am crazy, I do it often!}

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup of granulated (white) sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of maple flavoring or extract

Combine sugars and water in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil. Add maple flavoring or extract. Reduce heat to medium and boil for exactly 3 minutes.  Transfer to a glass bottle. Store in refrigerator or pantry out of direct heat and light. Makes about 2 cups.

Pure maple syrup straight from a place like Funk's Grove, which is a very neat educational experience I would encourage anybody in the area to check out, says to refrigerate. After doing a little research, I notice others don't find that is necessary. I am not an expert on this but my guess would be if you have pure maple syrup refrigeration is a good idea. On the other hand, maple syrup made from your typical-easy-to-find flavoring which most likely has preservatives probably would be fine in the pantry. I have mine in the fridge now and will have to update later as for the consistency after it has been in there for a while. The only complaint about refrigeration is waiting for the syrup to come to room temperature for easy pouring and use.

Update 4/20/15: The consistency has remained impeccable and only a few crystals on the bottom of the jar after being in the fridge for two days. I am sure I will notice more crystals as time passes, but am extremely please with the outcome!

Update 4/22/15: Used my maple syrup on waffles today. SO GOOD! It reminded me of Mrs. Butterworth's which is what I would only use before I started shopping at Aldi. I took a moment to compare my Aldi branch syrup with my homemade maple syrup, alternating tastes of each ... there was really nothing to compare, homemade was better, hands down!

Additional Cost: maple flavoring ~$5 (also available on amazon and at a few local locations)

Cost Comparison: ~$1.50 for 16 oz. homemade syrup VS. ~$2 for 24 oz. store bought depending on brand

Based on cost alone there isn't much savings, but we did eliminate a few unnecessary ingredients. As for the maple flavoring I had on hand, it did use a few ingredients I would rather not have in my syrup and will be trying out the "All-Natural Frontier Maple Flavor" I linked above when I need more maple flavoring.

I have come to realize through most of this process, cost has been a sticking point for me. If I can make a better product for less, I am all over it! However, I am less motivated to continue making a product if the cost is more for homemade. This is an area I am working on changing because as we all know we are what we eat!

Today's Question: Do you know anyone that has their own sugar maple tree?

The Garden

A picture says a thousand words right?!?!  Can I get away with just that for today ;)

Just kidding! Here's my garden which last fall was an overgrown mess of shrubbery and bushes.  We pulled the mess out last fall and today was the day to get it looking like a garden. We brought in the big guns and I (yes, I) tilled the ground. All I have to say ... Never let the fear of failing or the unknown stop you from trying something you have never done!

Sorry for those that have been anxiously awaiting the maple syrup post, that will have to be tomorrow posts

Today's Question: What is a must have in your garden?

Updated 9/12/15: We've been LOVING the fresh garden produce and everything we can make with it! Steamed zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini in the freezer! Fresh cucumbers to homemade dill pickles! Jalapenos straight off the plant (until they turned FLAMING HOT after those few weeks with very little rain), on our burgers, in our Italian beef, jalapeno poppers (the oh so good jalapeno pepper, filled with cream cheese then wrapped in bacon!), and hopefully soon some jalapeno jelly! Cantaloupe we've enjoyed a couple, but sad to say we missed a few more because we weren't watching the garden close enough and they got too ripe on us! One very seedy, yellow (yes, it was suppose to be yellow), watermelon with another one almost ready. Two pumpkins that will be divine as fall decorations on our front porch! And tomatoes coming out of our ears that are just now turning ... I am hoping the frost holds off for a few more weeks so I can take full advantage of all the green tomatoes still left on our plants. Now the question will be can I make the time to turn all of those tomatoes into sauce to can for this fall and winter!!!!

Homemade Brown Sugar

How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar

Today's post has turned into a dedication to my sister and her beautiful family that will soon be expecting their fourth AND just arrived back home from their mission field yesterday in preparation for their new arrival in a couple months! Making me an aunt for the 11th time ...

YIPPEE!!!!!   

My sister transitioned me from store bought brown sugar to homemade and my brother-in-law has been making their own maple syrup for years. Since I needed brown sugar to make my homemade maple syrup and I am completely out, I decided to share about what I have been doing with my brown sugar first.

Homemade Brown Sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon molasses (use more or less depending on how light or dark you want it)

Put sugar in your mixing bowl. Add molasses. Mix until well incorporated.

This is one of the MANY reasons why I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer (I will someday upgrade to this one when my 5-quart meets its doom). With my mixer, I throw everything together and walk away and let it run.  The sugar doesn't take more than about 5 minutes, but it really is about as fun as watching paint dry, so I would find something else to multitask with while you wait :)

As you return from your multitasking you will find this perfectly blended brown sugar that stores almost better than store bought.  I store mine in an airtight Rubbermaid container and it is always fresh and moist no matter how long it has been since I used it last.

Today's Question: What is your favorite use for brown sugar?

Homemade Half & Half

How to Make Homemade Half & Half

I was a tea drinker and then went to the dark side almost three years ago when we were blessed with #4. At this time I was able to stay at home with the kids and be a full-time mom for a year! So basically, I survived as a middle school teacher for almost ten years and had no need for coffee, then I stayed at home with our three youngest kiddos and I needed coffee. Hmmm? Love my kiddos abundantly and have found this quite humorous, but I still haven't quite figured out the logic behind that one yet. Needless to say I have become quite attached to my morning cup of coffee!

I'm pretty simple in my coffee requests, about 3/4 coffee and 1/4 milk.  I love the flavors but I have been too lazy and frugal to buy it.  I will treat myself to some homemade whipped cream on Saturday mornings when I make waffles. As I was doing some research, I was noticing how easy it would be to add a little extra of something to the cup and make every morning a treat!

Most recipes you will find on the Internet include, sweetened condensed milk (which I will be replacing during my baking series) and then some version of milk, half & half, or cream.

I always have milk on hand, most times have heavy whipping cream, but never have half & half. I saw version of 1 part milk to 1 part heavy cream as well as 4 parts milk to1 part heavy cream.

Homemade Half & Half

1 cup milk

1/4 to 1 cup heavy cream 

Start with milk and 1/4 cup of heavy cream and continue to add heavy cream until you reach you desired thickness. Mix ingredients. Store in refrigerator.

Cost Comparison using prices from today:

Meijer 16 oz. Half & Half 16 oz - $1.29

Aldi Milk - $1.69 ($0.11/cup)

Aldi Heavy Whipping Cream 16 oz. - $1.89 ($0.27/ quarter of a cup)

Homemade Half & Half - $0.38 to  $1.05

Today's Questions: Do you use syrup? If so are you picky about your brand? 

Homemade Breadcrumbs

How to Make Homemade Breadcrumbs

Today was a stretch only because of time, I feel as if my to-do list doubled in size while I slept last night ... or maybe there was the moment last night when the kids were finally in bed and the house was quiet I had the urge to enjoy the sounds of nothing, ignore the mess, relax, and do nothing! Please reassure me I am not alone here ;)

A couple days ago on my homemade croutons post, I asked what you did with the heel of your bread loaves; and  I absolutely loved reading all of your suggestions and ideas on my Facebook page! I am much like my mom who "depending on my mood" will use them or not.  However, if i don't use them immediately, in the freezer they go.  I borrowed this idea from Sandra Lee years ago. I will throw pretty much any kind of leftover bread in a freezer bag and when I am in need of breadcrumbs all I have to do is send these leftovers for a little spin in the food processor (or blender, I have done this but prefer the food processor) and viola!

A few of my favorite things besides raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, just a little shout out to a classic there, are you can spice these up or leave them as is in so many recipes: meatballs, meatloaf, hamburger patties, breaded anything, and the list could go on and on.

Additional Cost: NOTHING
Total Savings: $1 - $3 depending on brand and quantity

Today's Questions: Are you a black or creamer kinda coffee drinker? Or maybe even a tea bag sinker?  

Ok, sorry about the corniness but I couldn't resist! Maybe I need to lay off the coffee a little ;)

Homemade Strawberry Jam

How to Make Homemade Strawberry Jam

We needed some jam to go with our homemade peanut butter and I refrained from purchasing any when I was at the store this last time. All I have to say is this blog as brought a WHOLE new meaning to grocery shopping for me! As I wandered up and down the aisles of Aldi, I'd toss something in my cart, snatch it back out, look over the ingredients, and then convince myself I could probably make it myself.  Needless to say this trip took longer than necessary; BUT, I did spend almost half of what I typically do!

Now onto the jam, a heaping pile of strawberries and fresh strawberry jam fill my soul with so many memories from spending Summers in the strawberry fields of Oregon with cousins to Grandma Em's fresh jam ... there's nothing quite like it!

There is nothing special about my recipe today since I simply followed the recipe that came with my fruit pectin, which one of my upcoming posts is going to have to be making jams and jellies without pectin.  Today I used "Sure-Jell: Premium Fruit Pectin" only because I had a box still in my pantry from the last time I had the notion to make jam, which obviously didn't happen. When I get further along into this process I'll share again with some recipes that do not include fruit pectin. If you have ever done this, please share!

I did can these myself using my large stock pot and diy rack using canning rings, so these are pressure sealed and good in the pantry for about a year. The exciting sound of "ping, ping, ping" as the jars cooled after being removed from the boiling water was the sound guaranteeing a good seal!

Duration: Start to finish about 1 hour
Additional Cost: $2.99 for 2 lbs of fresh strawberries (fruit pectin is about $2-$3, but I had on hand)

Cost Comparison: $1.79 for 16 oz Aldi strawberry preserves VS. $1.60 for 16 oz homemade jam

Not a huge savings when you look at the comparison, but I was pretty please with getting 5 jars of jam after only spending $3! 

Today's Question: What is your favorite jam or jelly flavor?

Homemade Croutons

How to Make Homemade Croutons

As dinner prep was wrapping up last night I decided to throw together a small salad; and then I sadly realized we had no croutons.  Croutons aren't a must have around here but we sure do like what they add to our salads! I didn't take the time to make croutons right then and there, but it did give me a simple post for today.

I have made croutons before, so with a quick skim through some Internet searches to refresh my memory, I quickly whipped up a batch.

Parmesan Garlic Croutons

10 slices of bread (I used some leftover bread I made using the bread machine, double points for this!)
4 tablespoons of butter (oil would work also)

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of parsley

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cut bread into cubes.  Melt butter and stir in garlic.  Drizzle melted garlic butter over the cubed bread and toss until coated. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over coated bread. Spread out in a single layer on a jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet). Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on your desired crunch factor. Makes about 5-6 cups.

This is another one of those items you can make your own very easily!  Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper. Garlic & Onion.  Almost any flavor combo you can think of would work and you can add as much or as little of the herbs and spices.  As for storing, I decided that I would store these in an air-tight container in the freezer to make them last longer. 

Today's Question: Do you use the heel of your bread loaves or throw them away?

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

"A little bit of this and a little bit of that" has been my approach with homemade taco seasoning.  I feel taco seasoning is one of the kitchen staple items that one recipe is not going to cut it for everyone.  We all have our flavor preferences so keep this in mind as you look at these options.  The last batch I made came from Bill Echols on Allrecipes which was good but did have more of a kick than my kids preferred, so we continue to have a work in progress.

I loved what some of you shared after yesterday's post.  The Shopper's Apprentice has a recipe that was shared by a friend, she hasn't tested it out yet, but it did compare well with another recipe I have also come across.  I also like the idea of just adding different things when you start running low ... this would be right up my alley, I will make due with what I have before making a trip to the store!

Here's is what I have come up with so far.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 tablespoon of flour (optional)

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of onion powder

1/4 teaspoon of oregano

1/4 teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of sugar (optional)

pinch of cayenne (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a reusable container.  My pantry and fridge is going to look just darling after everything is replaced with homemade products in mason jars.  And no I didn't go out an purchase mason jars just for this, all those mason jars your moms and grandmas used to put to good use every summer may just be sitting around begging to be filled with deliciousness! 

When you are ready to use, brown and drain 1 pound of meat.  Add 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of mix to cooked meat.  Add 1/4 cup of water.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  This recipe makes about two batches.

Here are a few thoughts to consider when creating your own blend of taco seasoning:

I really like adding about 1 tablespoon of flour or 1/2 of a tablespoon of cornstarch to the mix, I have found this adds a thickening agent which speeds up the simmering process and brings it all together. Heat is another factor, I usually cut back on the chili powder just a bit, allow for about half of the paprika the recipe calls for, and depending on my mood may eliminate the cayenne or give it just a pinch or a smidge,  If you like more heat, crushed red pepper flakes would be a great option.  One last thought is the cumin, this is a powerful flavor, a little goes a long way, so if you love cumin go for it but if not you might want to cut back. 

Let your taste buds dictate your preference, you truly cannot go wrong with this!

Today's Question: Do you add anything different ingredients in your taco seasoning?

Dishing Up Some Inspiration

Today's post is very spontaneous! My post was going to be on homemade taco seasoning but our travels took us by the quaint location of Clayville Historic Site just 15 minutes West of Springfield, IL on route 126. For a girl who grew up wanting to be a pioneer when she grew up, I had to post about it ... let's just say I was a kid in a candy store! As we passed by a sign for free tours and with time to kill between games, we were like ... ABSOLUTELY!

If you are into all things rustic and old fashion, this is a great place to checkout. The help was wonderful and the educational experience phenomenal. Our kids left saying "That was the best stop ever!" and we didn't even see everything!

They have a Spring Festival coming up May 16 and 17 and offer a Cowboy Whip Camp along with so many more activities for the kids!

Posting from my phone this evening so I will upload pics later.  All I have to say was I needed this side of inspiration for my blog today, a simple reminder of way back when and what I'm doing pays tribute to that.

2 pence, 4 pence, 6 pence, a dollar ... silver dollar coins 

 Today's Question: Do you make your own taco seasoning? Would you share your recipe? :) 

Homemade Peanut Butter

How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter

I have to be quick today, it's game day! Today's item does involve the need for extra equipment so this may or may not be doable for you. I have a very gracious sister who let me take care of her food processor while she was away. She is also my inspiration for today and has been making this for years. All I have to say is "Why have I NOT been doing this?!?!"  No joke, start to finish 10 minutes max!  As for the final product, the texture will be more like the all natural peanut butter rather than the creamy traditional peanut butter, but the taste is pretty amazing!

Homemade Peanut Butter

16 oz jar of dry roasted unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 teaspoon of salt


Place peanuts in food processor. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until it has almost formed a ball. Slowly drizzle your oil (peanut, olive, or canola) as you continue to blend. Blend for about 1 minute.  Add honey. Blend again.  Add salt. Blend again. Transfer to jar and refrigerate. 

If you don't have a food processor, I would give it a whirl, literally ;), in your blender or even a Vitamix maybe?  I have never done peanut butter in the blender so I would  be careful not to overheat it, maybe just start by pulsing and don't let it run consistently for the minute or two.  If you are local and don't have the proper equipment, get in touch with me and we can make arrangements to get you some homemade peanut butter!

Additional cost: $2.19 for peanuts ... do look at the ingredients some have more than just peanuts 

Cost Comparison: $1.69 for 18oz store bought not natural vs. about $2.50 for 16oz homemade

I don't buy the all natural peanut butter so I don't have any prices to compare personally, but thinking the extra $0.80 is worth going all natural.  Also have a feeling $2.50 is much cheaper than most all natural store bought peanut butter.  

Update: 4/19/15 - Our homemade peanut butter has been gone for a few days already, the kids loved it! The consistency was amazing even coming straight out of the fridge, no waiting to reach room temperature and no smashed bread. These are my memories of trying store bought all-natural peanut butter which is why I went back to the creamy stuff. Now I am on a hunt to find a great deal on bulk dry roasted peanuts so I can store them in the freezer and pull them out to make fresh peanut in less than a few minutes whenever we run out. As I shared on my "Maple Syrup" post from today, making homemade that costs more than store bought is really challenging my thinking and priorities!

Today's Question: Do you buy traditional peanut butter, all-natural peanut butter, or already make your own?

Homemade Ranch Dressing

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing

Today's homemade item is one I have been doing since the Christmas holidays when I needed ranch dressing and didn't feel like running to the store for the umpteenth time that week ... which led me to grab my phone and start searching.  My favorite go to place is allrecipes.com where I have options and ratings to help me make a quick decision.  There are times I will combine a couple different recipes based on what is available and this is where I get myself into trouble!  If it is a success and I didn't take the time to write exactly what I did down, its success usually is short-lived and remains only a "one hit wonder" ;-p!

The homemade ranch dressing recipe I use was adapted from Ranch Dressing II by Dawnia.

My desired outcome was like a restaurant house ranch that is thinner and so much more delicious than any bottled ranch dressing.  After following the recipe, I decided it could be thinned down just a bit, so I added about 1 cup of my homemade buttermilk to the mix.

Homemade Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing 

1 cup mayonnaise ... holding out a bit on the homemade mayo, the raw egg thing gets me!
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried chives ... I like it a little more chivey :)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk depending on preferred consistency

Mix all ingredients except for buttermilk together.  Add buttermilk until you reach your desired consistency, it will thicken slightly in the fridge.  Store in an airtight container.  Can be used immediately, but it's best after a few days of chillin'.

I have started mixing my ingredients together right in my pint size jar, stir, top off with my buttermilk, stir, close, and refrigerate.  When is time to serve, give it a quick last minute shake and you are ready to go.  You can always add additional buttermilk if you like.

Additional Cost: dill weed (~$1.50 for 0.2 oz) & dried chives (~$4 for 0.1 oz) - 15 to 20 batches worth
Total Cost: approximately $0.70 per 16 oz bottle
Savings: anywhere from $0.30 (if on sale) to $3 or more
Environmentally Friendly: eliminating those plastic bottles

Today's question: What's your thought about homemade mayonnaise?

Homemade Buttermilk

How to Make Homemade Buttermilk

Today will be short in preparation for tomorrow's post ... ranch dressing.  I use homemade buttermilk in my ranch dressing so I decided I might as well share this step first.  I do not recall if I have ever purchased buttermilk but I have ended up using my homemade buttermilk quite often for a Saturday morning favorite around here, biscuits and gravy, and homemade ranch dressing.

If you would do a simple Internet search for homemade buttermilk, you would find some variation of this buttermilk recipe over and over again.

Homemade Buttermilk

1 tablespoon of lemon juice (my preference) or vinegar 

1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of milk

Start with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or vinegar, we just need the acidity) in a measuring cup.  I find it easiest to use my 2 cup (pint) measuring cup.  Then add your milk to make a total of 1 cup. Let sit for about 5 minutes and you will notice the milk has started to curdle. Give it a quick stir and your done.

Please make note - if you are going to use this in a recipe, start by making your homemade buttermilk first and don't wait until you get to the step in the recipe where you need to add the buttermilk ... those 5 minutes waiting for your milk to curdle can be an extreme nuisance when you have 5 hungry-hungry-hippos waiting for breakfast!

As for the lemon juice, I keep a bottle of lemon juice on hand at all times ... it's cheaper and more convenient for me.  If you'd want to take this a step further, use fresh lemons OR grow your own lemon tree even!  The most common conversion is 1 lemon equals 3 tablespoons of juice.

Additional Cost: minimal to none ... remember it's all about using what you have on hand
Savings: approximately $2-$4 depending on quantity and brand
Environmentally Friendly: always saves on packaging waste when you eliminate a grocery list item

Today's question: How often do you use ranch dressing?