Upside Down Pizza

Because I finally remembered to take a picture!

Upside Down Pizza

1 lb ground beef

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 tablespoons spaghetti sauce mix

1 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 refrigerated crescent roll

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

Brown hamburger. Add tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce mix. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and milk. Pour over shredded cheese and meat mixture. Top with unrolled crescent rolls. Spread melted butter over crescent rolls and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes prior to cutting. 

Starting point and inspiration came from my grandma's recipe in our family recipe book.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Well, I can say I have given tomato sauce made from garden fresh tomatoes a fair chance! This has been done a couple times over the course of this summer ... I have tried a couple different processes, but after cooking up about 1/3 of the tomatoes Momma Bear brought me I made only 3 quarts of sauce {NO WAY, really?!? all that work for 3 jars, hmmph!!}.

I know, I know, part of the reason for the minimal amount of sauce compared to the amount of tomatoes used was because the majority of tomatoes were beefsteak tomatoes which have a high water content compared to a roma in addition to having a preference for a thicker sauce, but still! Please, any die hard homemade tomato sauce makers out there, feel free to convince me my time is worth this result. :)


On a positive note, I made lasagna earlier this week with store bought sauce followed by some Upside Down Pizza this evening and the Mr. was a big fan of tonight's tomato sauce flavor.

In order to simplify things I knew I wanted to make a straight tomato sauce in which I could then flavor up to my liking depending on what was cooking, but what would be the best way to make a smooth and thicker sauce? With this only being my 3rd time making sauce from fresh tomatoes, I knew I would need a LOT more practice before this would be share worthy, but for the purpose of making note of what I have tried ... here goes!

A friend shared with me a recipe from Foodist Approved and I had come across this article/recipe by Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats, both sharing some great tips and recipes! I would also like to add a big THANKS to my SIL that accompanied me in the kitchen and provide some great help in the process along with having a grand time chit-chatting!

Homemade Tomato Sauce 

15 lb garden fresh tomatoes, washed and halved

olive oil

sea salt

rosemary 

thyme
food mill

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Place tomatoes cut side up in any kind of baking dish you can get your hands on. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and herbs sparingly. Bake for 1 hour or until their skin begins to crispy but not burnt {however, there were a few that got slightly more done than the others for me and it wasn't a problem since the skins were removed through the mill}. Discard excess water from pans. Transfer to food mill for no seeds and skins OR a blender/food processor (multiple batches may be needed depending on your quantity).  If the sauce is still too watery for your preference, then pour pureed sauce back into pans and continue to bake until desired consistency is reached {sorry no pic for this part ... totally forgot to snag one}. Check every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure to not over bake and burn your precious sauce!

Once, the sauce is ready to be canned,  can be transferred to clean prepared jars, topped with lids and rings, and water bathed for 10 minutes.

Cost Comparison:
It cost me nothing other than my time to can these 3 jars (about 100 ounces total) of tomato sauce but I probably used about $1 worth of ingredients and lids. To compare this to the $3 - 105 ounce can of tomato sauce I usually buy at Sams Club, it's definitely a savings in money ... time not so much ... flavor, BIG step up ... but was it all worth it? I am still debating that! ;)

Butter’em Up

Homemade butter has been popping up on my Pinterest feed lately and then when my soon-to-be-sister-in-law was sharing about her own butter making experience at our family Easter gathering, I knew exactly what I was going to try out this week!

This was so simple to do in my KitchenAid stand mixer, but of course my brain started overflowing with all the possibilities for some super fun science experiments. I came across an article from Scientific American that outlines a great activity that the kids would love to try sometime! To all you teacher friends out there this could be a great interdisciplinary activity … science {molecules}, history {how we used to make butter}, math {measuring}, writing {write your own story or poem about butter}, and I’m sure you could find a good book for any level that could be related!

Enough with the lesson planning J

Homemade Butter

1 pint of heavy cream

½ teaspoon of salt (optional)

Stand mixer

Pour cream into mixing bowl with flat beater attachment. Cover stand mixer with towel {unless of course you thoroughly enjoy cleaning up cream that has splattered EVERYWHERE}. Beat on high for 15 minutes checking periodically. Once the butter and buttermilk has separated, drain off the buttermilk and reserve {this would work great in some homemade ranch dressing}. Knead and wash butter in a bowl of water to remove any remaining buttermilk, replacing water periodically until the water remains clear {this step is optional but will prolong the shelf life of your butter}. Press clean butter into a bowl with lid. Refrigeration not required. Makes about 1 cup.

Cost Comparison: Homemade butter about $3.65 for 1 lb vs. store bought about $3

Although it’s not a money saver, there is something about seeing the cute little bowl of butter sitting out on the counter that is quite satisfy. And then there is the pure deliciousness of this freshly made butter melting on a piece of warm bread … yum!

And of course I cannot go without wondering how this would all work if I had my own cow? I’m considering trying to butter up the Mr. J!

on this idea … hehee

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

the biscuits, melt in your mouth inside with a little crunch on the out

Hoping I've shared this early enough in the week for any of you out there that would like to give this a try come Saturday (or Sunday) morning this weekend! It’s not as quick as a bowl of cereal BUT it is much more time efficient than let’s say, oh … homemade cinnamon rolls … which I always have great intentions the night before, but when it comes down to it, my sleep is much more enjoyable! One of these days, I will find a recipe and process that works for us AND when I do, I won’t forget to share because everybody needs to enjoy a piping hot fresh homemade cinnamon roll every once in while! But until that post, these biscuits and gravy will definitely satisfy those taste buds :)

... and the finished gravy

A Saturday morning favorite around here for sure … even #3, this generation’s “Kara you need to stop talking and eat” girl (just a little inside fun from growing up at ‘the farm’ with a dear friend), loves gobbling this deliciousness up and almost always asks for seconds!

The first recipe feeds a family of 6 generously with seconds and leftovers … which is how I usually cook on Saturday mornings so it covers breakfast plans for Sunday morning also! If you don’t need this large of a recipe, check out the half recipe version at the bottom of the post (I know you all could do your own math, but I also know myself well enough that if there’s an additional step I would need to do in order to try something, its very slow to making it to the top of my priority list … and these biscuits and gravy just might make it to the top of that list once you have tried them!)

From start to finish, the kids can be eating these in about a half hour. To speed the process up, I always make my homemade buttermilk first and start preheating a large skillet for the sausage. The biscuit recipe is one from Foodie Friend on Food.com and the gravy recipe is a from a family recipe book “Breads of a Feather Cook Together”. I’ve shared about this great recipe book before that was inspired by my great-grandparents.

what it looks like before kneading

Homemade Biscuits 

4 cups flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ salt

2 tablespoon sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 ½ cup buttermilk

Make sure you have already started your buttermilk if you are using my homemade version. Shred butter (yes, with a cheese grater J, SO much easier than cutting it into small cubes!) into a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar to the bowl with the shredded butter. Using your hands, lightly toss the butter and dry ingredients together until the butter pieces are well coated. Pour the buttermilk over the coated butter. Using a wooden spoon (I like to use this because it makes me feel pioneery ... any spoon will do), stir for about a minute… it may not be completely combined. Pour dough out onto flour counter and knead for about 6-8 times until you have the dough forms a sloppy ball. Move the dough to a cookie sheet (one with edges is preferred). Work the dough to form a 1 ½ inch thick rectangle that is approximately 9”x15”. Cut dough into 2” squares (like you would bars) and do not separate. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

before the baking

While the biscuits are baking, it’s onto the gravy. 

Gravy

the roux and milk ... love a good-ole cast-iron pot!

1 pound breakfast sausage

½ cup butter (1 stick)

½ cup flour

4 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

In large preheated skillet, brown sausage until fully cooked and the delish crusties form on the bottom of the skillet. While the sausage is cooking, melt butter in a separate saucepan. Whisk flour into melted butter. Cook butter and flour (also known as a roux) for about 1 minute. Add milk to roux and whisk occasionally until sausage is ready. Once sausage is cooked and drained, add the milk mixture to the large skillet. Continue to cook gravy to desired thickness, being sure to scrap the bottom of the pan to incorporate the deliciousness left on the bottom of the pan from the sausage.

the finished product ... we love a little maple syrup to top things off :) 

½ Biscuits Recipe

2 cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ salt

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup butter (1 stick)

¾ cup buttermilk

½ Gravy Recipe

½ pound breakfast sausage

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Cost for the meal: under $7 for full recipe. I'd love to hear from you if you give these a try!

What's in Store

As we are recovering from life comatose from this last week and a half of holiday fun and family time and dwelling in the moment of New Year's Resolutions (which I truly enjoy the opportunity each year to make a change, but I don't limit myself to only make a change at the start of a new year), it's relaxing to think back over the past year and get excited about what is to come.

Life is the perfect balance of learning from the past, living in the moment, and being open to opportunities of the future ALL at the same time. I try not to dwell on the past, but I do appreciate that each new day we are given is a great opportunity to make it better than than the day before. I realize I need to slow down sometimes to enjoy the moment we are currently in. AND I need not to worry about tomorrow but I do need to listen to God's whispers because His plans for my tomorrow starts with how I obey Him today.

2015 holds things that actually happened and 2016 will bring dates of specific happenings we can plan for but there will also be so many unknowns along the way. As I reflect and ponder at the start of this new year, I can only get excited about what's in store.

Highlights of 2015 - started a blog + started a new job + #4 began pre-school + welcome another niece AND nephew into this world + everything in between

Looking forward to in 2016 - turning 35 ... it's just another number in my mind, but some may see this as a milestone :) + #3 will start kindergarten + hopes to finish my Homemade Day by Day challenge + LOVING GOD + loving people + keeping life simple

For the Blog: To Do - Make - Replace - Share

mascara

mozzarella

ciabatta bread

butter

blush

almond extract

more freezer meals

Young Living distributor
italian seasoning

pumpkin pie spice

chai latte

cream cheese

bearawicka (a family favorite of the Mr.'s dad's side ... have a recipe ... need to try this out)

cough drops

concealer

blush

sunscreen

bug spray

donate hair

dryer balls

velveeta

lipstick

eye shadow

Bar Keepers Friend (kitchen sink cleaner)

bar soap

shampoo (not no-poo)

conditioner

bacon

taco sauce

apple butter

enchilada sauce

queso

ice cream
make and take classes

liquid hand soap

dish soap

chicken bouillon

cheese (any variety)

fruit snacks

crockpot meals

coconut milk

granola

granola bars

sourdough bread

wine

sauerkraut (I love this stuff, but never buy it since I'm the only one that'll eat it!)

marshmallows

hard candy

biscuits

gravy

farm fresh eggs
uses for shea butter
uses for beeswax
uses for aloe vera gel
uses for coconut oil
uses for activated charcoal

... and the list goes on but I need to make myself stop :) 

What's something you would add to the list?

Fresh Baked Apples

'tis the season to use up those apples ...

There's something about the smell of apples baking in the oven as I glance outside to see the fall colored leaves gently blowing around that just brings peace to my soul. Everybody has something different that in a simple moment can completely melt all the anxiousness, worry, and doubt (or any other bothersome life 'stuff') right off of your heart and for me this is one of them along with listening to Christmas music, snuggling up in the biggest, warmest blanket I can find, and soaking up sun-rays that are pouring through a window ... to name just a few. I strongly encourage discovering the little things that calm your heart!

Today's recipe is from one of my grandmas and it's super simple and easy. I still had about a 1/2 a bushel of apples the Mr. brought home and I wanted to get them used up before they all went to waste, which would be a terrible shame! So last night I wiped up 4 batches (and still have enough for 4 MORE) from start to finish in about an hour and a half, ate one pan last night, another pan today, and sent two home with Momma Bear to serve the residents for lunch at the senior living center.

Fresh Baked Apples

Apples - 

8 to 12 apples (enough to fill a 9 x 13 baking dish)

3/4 cup sugar

2 rounded tablespoons flour

1 1/3 cup water

4 tablespoons butter 

Peel, halve, and core apples. Place core side up in baking dish. Mix sugar, flour, and water together. Pour mixture over apples. Top each apple half with a dab (about a teaspoon, just couldn't bring myself to leave out the word dab) of butter. 

Topping(s) - optional 

cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons flower

To crumble or not to crumble. You could just top with a sprinkle of cinnamon OR you could mix the brown sugar, butter, and flour together for a crumb topping OR my preference ... BOTH!

Bake at 360 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until tender. 

For the next big batch I make (hopefully tomorrow night), I am going try freezing the baked apples individually in muffin tins and see how they do for the kids' lunches. I will keep you posted how that turns out.

Homemade Applesauce

Homemade Applesauce

look at these beauties!

I've never been much of one to be too sentimental, I haven't been the mom that cries on the first day of kindergarten for her child (we have two more to go through so this could change!)
or gets weepy when she comes to the end of a motherhood-milestone. I will admit there are definitely days I wish I were this type of mom, but I have come to accept it's just not my nature. More often than not I find myself looking at the bigger picture rushing through each day with a mile-long to-do list instead of slowing down to soak in all the emotions of these smaller (yet not less important) moments that make up our life as a whole. Some of these "smaller" moments are HUGE like the first day of school, the first loose tooth, riding a bike without training wheels, or getting straight A's on a report card; but some of these other "smaller"moments can tend to be forgotten. The moments that become so routine we can often forget about their importance in our life ...the moments that truly make up who we are.

As the Mr. and I continue to get busier as the kiddos get older, I've come to realize how much of a sentiment I have on some of these "forgotten" moments of my own childhood. There are memories from when I  was little that didn't seem anything out of the ordinary but as I get older I find myself wanting to sharing all these with our children. And making applesauce has been one of the those!

some amazing peanut butter marshmallow dip made by a kind resident

My grandma and grandpa had a farm so the annual tasks of making applesauce, canning peaches, pears, and bing cherries, running to the barn for fresh milk or the chicken coop for fresh eggs, and then eventually butchering the chickens (sorry to those poor chickens ... but you may be happy not know, this probably will not be something I do myself) are just a few I grew up helping with. The chicken thing is definitely on my radar ... it's now just down to figuring out how to get the Mr. fully on board, how to make it happen, AND work for our dog whose really good at going after all of the many creatures that dare venture into our yard! The chicken topic will be another post for another day :).

As for the applesauce, Momma Bear does this every fall using Cortland apples from a local grocery that you can order them by the bushel (Cortland apples make a beautiful pink colored sauce) . The past few years the kids and I have been blessed to be apart of the process, and so now is gradually becoming a tradition the kiddos look forward to.

I had fully intended on doing a small batch of sauce myself about a month ago using some free apples the Mr. received from a co-worker, but of course since moms are the best my Momma Bear cooked up 'them apples' one of the afternoons she gets to spend at our place watching a few of her grands each week (which has been one of the many blessings of going back to work full-time ... GramE gets to come twice a week!). We returned the favor to GramE and spent a day, two weeks ago, helping her cook up 3 bushels worth of applesauce. I am a little annoyed with myself since it's been that long and I still haven't posted about it and in the past I would have just skipped sharing about it because the timing was no longer 'right', BUT grace is something I've been trying to show myself more of and my timing is something I'm learning to let go of also!

So, that brings us to making up our 3 bushels of GramE's pink applesauce. As a disclaimer, there are so many different tips and tricks to making applesauce, so if it is something your mom or grandmother used to do regularly, I would start with them and see what they have to say. We ended our day enjoying the company of some fun-loving and seasoned family friends and I enjoyed every part of listening to the insight and stories of how they used to make applesauce! Another disclaimer, the measurements used in this recipe are old fashion in the sense there really are no measurements, it's what looks and tastes good is what works.

the peeling station

de-stemming, de-seeding, and slicing

absolutely LOVE the old denim rugs used to catch the drips

Homemade Cortland Applesauce

stockpot(s)

9x13 glass dish(es)

3 or more large bowls 

food strainer (or mill or press)

apples (36lb is approximately 1 bushel) 

sugar (the amount needed depends on your apples) 

salt

water

pairing knife(s)

peeler(s)

Set up food strainer with 9x13 dish to catch the fresh applesauce. Fill a two large bowl with cool water and add a couple tablespoons of salt (a couple shakes straight from the salt carton  to be exact) to each bowl. Mix. The salt water will be used to keep the apples from turning brown. Peel one segment of skin from each apple. Peel enough apples to fill one bowl of salt water. Quarter each of the partially peeled apples. De-stem and de-seed quarters. Cut each quarter in half and place apple slices in second bowl of salt water (the larger the slices to longer the cooking time). Fill stockpot with apple slices. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan (about 1 cup). Cover and cook apples over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally (about every 5 minutes). Cook until tender. Add cooked apples to food strainer until full (one stockpot may be two strainer fulls). Crank and push until all the cooked apples are through. One stockpot will be more than one 9x13 dish so be sure to have a second one ready, I learned my lesson the hard way on this! Put the grounds back through the food strainer 2-3 more times to make sure all the good stuff is out of them. Transfer fresh applesauce to third large bowl. Add about 3/4 cup of sugar to each stockpot worth of applesauce. Mix until dissolved. Allow for the applesauce to cool (if overnight cover with an thin towel). Once cooled, bag or box the applesauce into your desired serving amounts. 1 bushel makes approximately 20 quart-sized containers. 

apples first going onto the stove ...

halfway cooked ...

almost done ...

ready to go through the food stainer

Some additional side notes. Depending on the season of apples, the type of apples, and how long the apples have set to 'sweeten-up' after being picked or purchased, you may need more or less sugar than we used. Also, the peels are the same, more or less peel depending on the apple you are using and your preference.

the setup, a bucket on the floor to dumb all the leftover grounds

more of the food strainer station

adding the sugar

Pappy helping bag it up :)

Cost Comparison: About $70 for apples ($22.99/bushel) and $2 for sugar which made approximately 70 - 25 oz. bags. Thsi comes out to be about $0.04/oz. for homemade applesauce vs. about $0.04/oz. for store bought applesauce. 

the final product, ready to go into the freezer!

Not much of a cost saving homemade item  BUT no unnecessary ingredients and 100x better tasting!!!

Freezer Meals Round 1

FINALLY ....

The freezer meal plan from last Sunday is up on the blog. Freezer meals aren't extra-ordinary and I have done a few here and there, but what I took on last Saturday was definitely a first for me! It's not necessarily in the "Homemade Day by Day" category but one of the purposes of this blog was to eliminate the unnecessary ingredients, cut costs, AND push me to try new things. I'd have to say even-though freezer meals aren't as "risky" as some of my health and beauty items, they for sure fit every other reason why I started this blog!

The plan in a nut shell - 5 families, 10 meals each = $80 for a family of 4

Italian Beef
Meatballs and Marinara
Sloppy Joe's
Grilled Meatloaf
Upside Down Pizza
Chili
Chicken Fajitas
Honey Mustard Chicken
Chicken and Sausage Kabobs
Loaded Potato Soup
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pizza Dough - still coming :)

Here's the link for the PDF version of the plans, it includes all the meals, recipes, and directions.

The plan will be to add an update and post each time we enjoy one of these meals from the freezer!

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

How to Make Your Own Teriyaki Sauce

Boy, I really need to get back into doing a post a day! I'm usually always trying something new but just haven't taken the time to sit down and get a post published. I whipped up a back of this teriyaki sauce last week to use on some chicken thighs that were on sale for $0.88/lb! Legs and thighs aren't the Mr.'s or the kids' favorite pick, but I grew up eating these all the time especially straight out of the 'FryDaddy' followed by some homemade curly fries!! Definitely not the picture of a healthy meal but SO GOOD! So when I find these on a deal too good to pass up, we I get to enjoy them every once in a while. :)

I am borrowing The Daring Gourmet's recipe with a few tweaks based off what I had on hand. A grocery store trip avoided once again! ;-)

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

1/2  cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic (more or less for you preference)

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (I find this flavor to be very overpowering, so used less than the recipe had called for)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (double the cornstarch to use as a dipping sauce)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool. Use immediately or store in air-tight container in refrigerator for up to one week.

I was very pleased with the flavor and consistency of this recipe and will definitely be making it again! I used this recipe as a marinade over our chicken thighs and they are currently in the freezer to be used as a grill-meal sometime. I will update when we do to let you know how it turns out! As for next time, I will double the cornstarch like the original recipe stated and use in as a dipping sauce or wing topping. 

Maybe I'm really hungry as lunch is approaching, but just thinking of this teriyaki sauce makes my mouth water for some good chicken chow mein!

Homemade Pizza Sauce Mix

Making Your Own Pizza Sauce Mix

We've been all about the homemade thick crust pizza this last week, but I'm getting really tired of getting all the ingredients out to add to the tomato sauce. My solution to this nuisance, a mix! I've used this recipe the last few times and really like the combination and the amount of flavors, but the best part of it ... no cooking. Now, I am sure if I simmered this sauce it would be even better but when we are in a time crunch who has time to simmer?!?!

I adapted Taste of Home's pizza sauce recipe by leaving out the crushed fennel seeds. I did not have these on hand and I'm not sure I could even tell you what they are or taste like.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Mix

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning

2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Store in air-tight container. Shake before use. Use 1 tablespoon of mix per 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. For best results, refrigerate over night. 

This just simplifies one more step in making our pizza even easier! 

Homemade Coleslaw

How to Make Your Own Coleslaw

My recipe was inspired by the 'Sweet Restaurant Slaw' recipe from Sandi Gregory Johnson on allrecipes.com. I wanted to share our love for this coleslaw recipe since it is a must with our ranch burgers and thousand island dressing.

sweet homemade coleslaw

Homemade Coleslaw

1 head of cabbage, sliced thin or shredded

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

1 1/3 mayonnaise

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Place shredded cabbage and carrot in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add remaining ingredients and whisk well. Pour over cabbage and carrot mixture. Toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate. Allow one hour to set. Serves 16. 

We always make a full head of lettuce because we really don't mind eating up the leftover coleslaw on it's own. Also, if you like a crunch to your coleslaw I'd recommend slicing it thin using a mandolin or simple slicer instead of a shredder. 

Homemade Grilled Meatloaf

I'm at kind of a standstill in the bathroom while I am using up what I have already made and waiting on more ingredients. I have also branched out into the household area but am not thrilled with some of what I have tried, so I have decided on these "off" days I might as well be sharing some of our favorites around here that I am usually making anyway!

How to Grill Your Meatloaf

Another summertime, well actually anytime, favorite as long as we can fire up the grill. This is another one of those restaurant inspired meals that we have recreated at home and it is SO GOOD! Weber Grill is an absolute must if we are near one, there's three in Chicago and it's surrounding areas and one in Indianapolis ... and I am just now seeing one is coming to the St. Louis area. 

The recipe I have tweaked is by Jamie Purviance from Weber's Way to Grill. The primary reason for tweaking is due to the fact ground pork is something we generally don't have on hand, so I just have always double the ground beef it calls for in his recipe. Still great, but I would love to try making it with the pork sometime. 

Grilled Meatloaf

Meatloaf

2 pounds of ground beef (yesterday's ground steak is even better!)

2 cups bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Sauce

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Gently combine all the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. (I prefer to use my hands, but have used my kitchen-aid mixer also.) Divide the meat mixture in half and form two loaves. Place on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with edges. Set aside. Whisk sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Use about 1/4 cup or less of sauce to cover each loaf. Reserve the rest to baste while grilling (be careful not to double-dip after touching the raw meat). Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or internal temperature is 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (This would be a great stopping point for a make ahead recipe. Freeze or refrigerate until ready.) Preheat grill. Cut meatloaf into 1/2 thick slices. Place meatloaf slices on grill and baste with reserved sauce. Flip and baste. And repeat. And repeat until sauce is gone or you have reached your desired sauciness. 

The grilling process really doesn't take long, about the time you have them all basted it's time to go back to the beginning and start flipping. I have made this the day (or a few days) ahead as well as sliced it and then wrapped it up, zip-locked it, and thrown it in the freeze! If you do freezer meals, this would be a great addition. I have made the sauce ahead and froze it, but it is so simple I would rather make it fresh and then freeze any leftovers if need be. 

Homemade Mac & Cheese

How to Make Your Mac & Cheese from Scratch

I've been tweaking my homemade mac & cheese for a while now and there always seems to be something missing ... until last night that is! I love restaurant mac & cheese so my standard for my homemade version is set pretty high. 

Homemade Mac & Cheese

16 ounces noodles of your choice (elbow, bow-tie, shells, penne)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 ounce block cream cheese
2-3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Cook noodles according to box directions. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk flour into melted butter until smooth and bubbly. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Cook until milk is almost boiling stirring frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom of the pan. [At any point after the milk has been added tend to the noodles as needed, strain and rinse with cool water when ready.] Reduce heat to medium and add cream cheese. Stir frequently until cream cheese is melted. Once noodles are cooked, strained, and rinsed add the sauce and shredded cheese to the noodles. Stir until noodles are well coated. DEVOUR!

I have in the past, tossed this into a casserole dish and baked it, but last night there really wasn't any need to ... it was delish right off the stove! If you haven't been pleased with the homemade mac & cheese recipes you have tried, take a test run with this one and let me know what you think.

Homemade Refried Beans

How to Make Your Own Refried Beans

I was so graciously given this recipe from a friend when I shared about using dry beans and I have to say, SO easy AND very impressed!

Refried beans are one of those items that never look appetizing, but are OH SO GOOD!

Refried Beans - Original Recipe

1 onion, peeled & cut to your liking (diced, halved, whatever)

3 cups dried pinto beans

2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

2-3 jalapenos, diced

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8-9 cups water (could substitute vegetable or chicken stock)

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on high for 8 hours, stir occasionally. Strain, reserve liquid. Mash beans with potato masher, add reserved water as need for desired consistency.

This next recipe is what I did based on what I had as well as my crocks are 2.5 quarts which are slightly smaller than your standard crock-pot. I split my recipe into two - 2.5 quart crocks. I'm adding my tweaks so I can remember what I did for next time. :)

Refried Beans - My Tweak

1 onion, chopped finely

4 cups dried pinto beans

1 teaspoon garlic powder

6 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1/8 teaspoon cumin

3 jalapenos, chopped finely (will add fewer next time)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

11 cups of water

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on high for 8 hours, stir occasionally. Strain, reserve liquid. Mash beans with pastry cutter (I don't have a potato masher), add reserved water as need for desired consistency. Made about 4 cans worth. 

This ended up being a little spicier than I typically make things only for the kids sake. With that being said, they all gobbled up the tostadas I made using these without much complaint; and the Mr. gave a good review as well!

Homemade Flour Tortilla Shells

How to Make Your Own Flour Tortilla Shells

From start to finish, my time invested in these 16 flour tortilla shells was approximately an hour and a half. In the sense of time, was this worth the maybe $2 I saved on not purchasing them at the store ... ah, no! Will I make them again ... ah, yes! Definitely not an every time thing, but I can see myself tweaking these to make some great burritos like Pancheros. I get my inspiration from restaurants and then come home and keep working on recreating them, this is a big way we save money around here! There really is no reason you can't eat great food on a budget.

As for ingredients, these are way better for you! I used the recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine. 

Homemade Flour Tortilla Shells

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup warm water

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Using dough hook mix well. Add the oil and water. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute, scraping sides throughout. Mix for another minute or until dough forms a ball. Reduce speed to low and mix for one more minute. The dough will be smooth but fairly wet still. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface. Coat with flour. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Use the palm of your hands to form into balls and flatten slightly. Cover dough balls with towel and let them rest for 15 minutes. After rest time (this is for everybody, heehee), use a well floured rolling pin a roll dough into 6-7 inch tortilla shells. About half way through start preheating your dry, ungreased skillet to medium heat. Once all the shells are formed and your skillet is hot, cook one shell at a time. Cook for about 1 minute or until the shell begins to bubble. Flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds. You will end of with a soft shell with golden brown spots. WARNING: please do not let yourself be distracted while a shell in on the stove! ;-p Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate or freeze. Makes 16. 

Notice the bubbles ... it's time to flip

perfectly browned!

And no, they weren't all pretty! ;-p

This is an example of what happens when you get distracted! 

Cost Comparison - approximately $0.40 for 16 homemade shells VS. approximately $1 for 10 store bought shells

Homemade Evaporated Milk

Well the day finally arrived that I didn't get a post or an update in, such a sad day {tears and sniffling}. No worries the sadness was short lived because that's life ... there comes a time when you have to be willing to let go (even if it's something you are working really hard to do) because other things surface and need your focus or because there is just no time. Letting go can be very liberating, if you have never tried it, I strongly encourage you to do so! It's that moment when you say, "Okay God, I trust you and leave it at that!" No what ifs, no whys, no how comes, no if onlys, no buts, just I trust you. :)

Many times I find if I didn't get something done one day, it hangs over my head like a dark cloud until I get it taken care of ... so discouraging and gloomy, ugh. This time I chose to let it go and decide I would just do two posts one of these next couple of days when I get a chance and that would be that. Everything will get done when it has to, but not everything has to get done today! Such a dramatic difference in emotions, much more relaxing and peaceful; I really need to take this route more often. I also love moments throughout the day (that could have been stressful because I started behind before I ever even woke up ... I am sure you all know that feeling) when I sense God elbowing me saying ... "See, I have better things in store for you!" Just one of these moments today was when I stopped to grab a few things at the grocery store and my total was $7.77, I had to smile and thank God for the reminder that He is always around and knows what He is doing.

How to Make Your Own Evaporated Milk

There are a couple ways to make evaporated milk and I have decided on trying these two. One uses dry powdered milk and water, the other heats your milk to evaporate the necessary about of water out to be the consistency that is needed.

Evaporated Milk with Dry Milk

2/3 dry milk

3/4 cup of water

Mix ingredients together until the powdered milk is dissolved. Store in air tight container in the refrigerator. 

I found this recipe from the Urban Baker. I would prefer not to use this method: one because there is a more natural way than using dry milk and two because if I didn't need dry milk to make bread in my bread machine, I would have had to go out and buy this! But since I already have dry milk on hand this would be a good alternative. 

Evaporated Milk using Heat

2 1/4 cups of whole milk

Start with 1 cup of milk in a saucepan. Measure the depth of the milk using a toothpick and making a indention. Add the remaining milk and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir continually with rubber spatula. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Stir every 5 minutes, removing any skin each time. Continue this until the milk level reaches the depth marked on your toothpick. Strain evaporate milk into a container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 8 ounces (1 cup) of evaporated milk.

This process was from Made Man and I can see myself using this more often. 

We don't use recipes for evaporated milk primarily because it's one more ingredient that would need to be added to the grocery list, so we just nix most recipes that call for it. :)

Today's Question: When do you use evaporated milk?

Homemade Wine Vinegar

Do sure exactly what I am doing here but I am following what I discovered from Jen's Natural Kitchen. I just ran out of my red wine vinegar AND had a leftover bottle of red wine in the fridge from Christmas. I am sure you are wondering why in the world do you EVER have leftover wine?!?!?! That my friend is a very good question ;)

I had some leftover white wine also (I know, double downer!) so since this is a longer process I figured I better get started on that one too! Now we just wait. On a little side note be sure to cover the jars with cloth and then remember it is just cloth, cloth does not hold liquid very well ... OOPS!

Updated 9/12/15 - So this one was a flop. :( Not because it wouldn't work but because I didn't do a great job following up and take the additional steps! The red wine molded and I am a little embarrassed to say the white wine is still in my cupboard. I couldn't even tell you the condition that it is in right now, YIKES! It might be a great science experiment I could use this the kids at this point! :)

This is one of those things I would like to do successfully at some point since we use both very regularly, but until then I will suffer the guilt every time I purchase it knowing fully well I could make it AND for a fraction of the cost! ;-p

Homemade Pizza Dough

How to Make Your Own Pizza Dough

Sorry so late and so short and sorry it's not mayo ... we've had an very eventful day of baseball games and raising awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. A college baseball teammate of the Mr.'s was diagnosed with ALS five years ago at the young age of 29, you can see his story here. A very touching story and makes you stop and realize every moment is a blessing!

Mayo had to be pushed to the side and I decided to use what was for dinner as today's post. My sister has been using this recipe for years and as tweaked it to make most of her doughy items ... including cinnamon rolls that don't take four plus hours! I will share the source once I find out what it is, my recipe is coming straight from a picture I received via text coming from halfway around the world from my sister (oh the wonders of technology!).

Homemade Pizza Dough

.

I will add more tomorrow.

:) 

Updated 8/16/2015:

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

cornmeal 

Combine 1 1/4 cup flour, the yeast, and salt. Add warm water and oil. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Scrap down sides. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in 1 1/4 more cups of flour. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup flour on a clean counter top. Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 6-8 minutes or until smooth. Let rest for at least 15 minutes. Sprinkle pizza pan with cornmeal. Shape crust and place it on prepared pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes one 16" thick crust or 2 thin crust. 

We usually will bake it for 10 minutes on the pan and then slide it off and bake it directly on the oven rack for the last ten minutes, we like our crust crispy! We also almost always double this recipe so we for sure have some leftovers! 

To make our pizza making dinners even simpler, I created a pizza sauce mix that has come in very handy!

Updated 9/17/16:

A Pizza Bar makes for a great and fun dinner option! 

. pepperoni . italian sausage . kielbasa sausage . green peppers . jalapenos .

. pineapple . tomatoes . black olives . mushrooms . mozzarella . pepperjack . 

All together this makes for everyone getting a pizza to themselves exactly how they like it and to make it even better it's a great way to use up those small amounts of fresh ingredients that might be hanging out in your fridge. Win - Win. 

Homemade Chicken Broth

How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth

I was recently asked if I had ever cooked a whole chicken and up until just a few days ago the answer to that was nope! Even though I grew up on chicken wings and thighs, we have typically been a boneless, skinless, chicken breast kind of family and this is about to change! The recently posed question got me thinking about why I had never attempted this and then when I saw our local grocery store (which always has a great selection of meat) I was sold!

This may get lengthy but I wanted all of this information in one place for next time! I bought a whole fryer chicken for $6.48 (really wish I remembered exactly how many pounds this was ... if I had to guess I'd say about 4).  We are lucky enough to have a smoker, but you could very easily cook your chicken on the grill or in the oven. Using a brine isn't a must but you will not be disappointment if you take the time to do this, SO MOIST & JUICY!

Brine for Whole Chicken - borrowed from Extraordinary BBQ

1 gallon baggie
2 quarts water 

1/4 cup salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

Rinse whole chicken and place in baggie. Pour remaining ingredients into back. Give it a swoosh and refrigerate over night.

Whole Chicken in the Smoker

1 - 3 to 5 pound whole chicken, brined, drained. and ready

6 tablespoons of butter, softened

1 teaspoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of thyme

1 fresh lemon, quartered

4 to 5 red potatoes

Preheat smoker on low (cooking temp should be about 250 degrees). Cut up potatoes in 1 inch cubes, place in a bowl. Add quartered lemon, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon thyme, toss until blended. Put potato and lemon mixture into chest cavity. In a separate bowl, combine remaining butter, rosemary, and thyme to make a herb butter. Separate the skin of the chicken from the meat and spread the herb butter between them. Place in preheated smoker directly on rack with a drip pan below it.  Smoke for 4.5 to 5.5 hours or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from smoker and cover with foil.  Allow 10 to 15 minutes to rest before cutting. Enjoy!

I am still learning how to properly cut a whole chicken, so my dinner presentation wasn't the greatest, but we did enjoy this for dinner along with leftovers for lunch the next day! I stored the leftover bones and meat in a container in the fridge until I was ready to make the broth. I used Taste of Home's recipe but there are plenty to pick from and I am sure I will be tweaking this as I go.

Homemade Chicken Broth

Leftover bones and meat (about 2 pounds worth)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1 red onion, quartered

2 bay leaves (optional, or add more thyme)

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1/2 teaspoon of rosemary

8 peppercorns, whole

2 quarts of water

Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Allow to cool and then remove bones and strain the remaining broth using cheese cloth or a colander lined with paper towel. Chill overnight. Discard bones, vegetables and seasonings. Once chilled, skim fat from top and store in the refrigerator. 

I am looking forward to using this to make some homemade chicken and noodles! Be on the look out tomorrow for the noodles. :)

Additional Cost: $0.79 for onion, we are not be fresh onion eaters so never have these on hand ... I flavor with onion powder mostly.  All the other ingredients we already had on hand.
Cost Comparison: Will let you know once I see how much this makes!

Today's Question: Do you eat soup year round or does it depend on the outside temperature?

Upated 5/5/15 - Used this with my homemade noodles today, YUM!