No More Boring Drive Thru or Diner Biscuits and Gravy

I almost cruised through the drive thru at McDonalds this morning, but the line was a little TOO long for my liking. Then realized I had all the ingredients to make Biscuits & Gravy at home. Back in the old days I baked biscuits at Hardee's and learned the secret to good biscuit making. Although we used real buttermilk, I can make an awesome baking powder biscuit that is just as good and fluffy. Ditch those Grands biscuits, you know those flaky ones you pay out the ear for... you now have an awesome and quick recipe to make your own right here.

Take those and add some sausage gravy

And then get this lovely little concoction..

Gravy from McDs is frozen in sausage like packaging and warmed up and also their biscuits are frozen and nuked in a microwave. Do yourself a favor and make your own. No preservatives and you know exactly what is in your food. If you want that little McD's taste, add a little bit of sugar to your gravy. 

And now for your recipes:

Baking Powder Biscuits - 

2 C flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 to 1/3 C shortening (more makes the flakier biscuits)

3/4 C milk

1. Mix the dry ingredients together then add shortening. 

2. Use a pastry blender, a couple of knives, or just your clean hands to mix the shortening into the flour mixture until it is spread throughout.

3. Make a hole in the center of the bowl by moving the ingredients to the sides.

4. Add milk

5. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, but do NOT overmix it.

6. Roll out on a floured board to 1/2" in thickness and cut out the biscuits with a cutter or a drinking glass.

7. Put on an ungreased baking sheet/pan and bake at 425F for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges of the top of the biscuits

8. Remove from oven, then pan and put on a wire rack to cool. You can brush with butter on the tops if you want, but it isn't necessary.

9. Serve.

You can easily double this recipe if you have a hungry group to feed. I also use this recipe with the lesser amount of shortening to make dumplings for my chicken soup or beef stew.

Sausage Gravy

This is on you to suit your tastes, but this is the method to make this.

Brown 1/2 pound of sausage and reserve about 1/4 cup of drippings, add 1/2 to 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp sugar (optional) to the drippings and add a little more flour if needed if it doesn't 'sop' up the grease in the pan. Add 1 C milk and cook on medium heat until it begins to thicken. If it is too thick, add more milk until you get the right consistency a little at a time... maybe about 1/4 c at a time. Season to your preferences or dietary restrictions.

Just a good old comfort food that can be made for a few dollars and made up in advance to eat the next morning before work or school.

Cookie Baking Challenge - November

I'm going to make the last few days of the month into a challenge to bake as many cookie recipes I can. You all are more than welcome to join me. You may share your favorite cookie recipes or pictures of your cookies. This will be an online fun cookie recipe swap with a holiday flair. Let me know what you do with your cookies you do make. Do you participate in local cookie swaps or do you donate to a worthy cause?

My biggest challenge each year during the holidays are to keep everyone out of the cookie jar, so ideas on hiding cookies and other goodies are more than welcome.

So let's all gather up a few recipes and gather up our ingredients while the basics are on sale. Countdown to cookie baking in 10 days. If you start before I do, feel free to post a comment. :-)

Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

My first ever meringue pie was a lemon meringue that had a recipe posted on the crisco website. My feelings are that if I can do it, so can you. So basic and easy to make even with the few steps it takes to get it done. Maybe one day I'll get better at the crust, but you can cheat and use a store bought one instead if your crust shrinks too much from not putting the fork to it properly on the sides of the pan.

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

I've included the link above to the recipe. You can use any citrus you want for this recipe if you want. :-) Just give it a try and make something that will NOT last long. Do not be intimidated by the meringue making. It is actually easy to do if you follow the directions.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH APPLE PIE

This is the BEST apple pie that I enjoy to make, bake, and eat. Pretty easy and straight forward that anyone can make this and serve at the holiday table. Practice with a homemade crust so you can keep your shopping costs down. :-) 

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH APPLE PIE

7-10 apples, peeled, cored and sliced Place sliced apples in 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Mix and sprinkle over apples: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cloves Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water (or fresh lemon juice if you have it) over top. CRUMB CRUST: 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup flour 1 stick butter Mix together sugar and flour. Cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture using a fork, pastry blender or food processor.Sprinkle over top of pie. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes. If the pie begins to brown too rapidly, cover lightly with foil.

Lemon Bars Recipe Guaranteed not to Last on the plate

Lemon Bars
Crust:
2 Cups flour
1 C butter
1/2 C powdered sugar

Mix them together, pat into a 9X13 baking dish, and bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes or until slightly browned

Filling:
Sift together
2 Cups sugar
4 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder

Then add:
4 eggs beaten
6 Tbsp lemon juice
Grated lemon rind from 1 lemon

Mix together and pour onto crust. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars/squares when cooled.

Impossible Pie with an Eggnog Twist

If you love pie, this one is a good one. I've tweaked this recipe to make it into an Egg Nog Flavored pie and after several tries, I was able to get the flavors just right. This would be a great holiday pie to add to your menu and make it into a family favorite. I hope you enjoy!

Impossible Pie

3/4 C. Sugar 
1/2 C. Flour 
1 C. Coconut
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C. Butter
4 eggs
2 C. milk
2 tsp vanilla

for a more egg nog flavor add this to the base recipe:

1 tsp rum extract & 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until blended thoroughly. Pour mixture into a 9 inch greased pie plate. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until center is firm.

How it works: The flour settles for a crust, coconut rises for a topping and the center is a custard filling.

Recipe from: Family Favorites: From the Kitchen of the Brenneman Family. Pg 213

How to beat the Cake Mix Companies at their own game!

It is frustrating to buy a cake mix at the store and pay some really HIGH prices for them to only make a 1" thick cake when it is all said and done. I can't afford name brand so knowing that they also come in generic kind of helps but they are also too expensive for what they give you. So for this blog posting today I will help you get the cake back to the original box size they used to give us and your cake WILL be a little bit taller.

Boxed Cake Mix Stretcher

1 egg
2 Tbsp oil
1/3 C Water
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 C flour (all-purpose is perfectly fine)
1/2 C granulated sugar

Prepare your cake with the ingredients stated on your package. Then add the above ingredients to the recipe. Mix according to the package instructions. Baking time and temperature will be the same as what the box says.

So when you make this in a 9x13 cake pan.... it will turn out nice and thick and YUMMY!

Sorry we got into it already, but it was GOOD! Here's my funky artwork using the left over colored sugar from my cookies I baked yesterday and used the melon baller to make the swirlies. The recipe for the frosting follows!

Buttercream Wedding Cake Icing: 
2 C Powdered Sugar
3/4 C shortening
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and beat for 8-10 minutes. Recipe taken from: Family Favorites - From the Kitchen of the Brenneman Family Mennonite cookbook. Page 148

Vinegar Sugar Cookies for Easter or Spring

This is my favorite SOFT sugar cookie recipe. It might sound gross, but they are VERY tasty. You will need to follow this recipe in the steps given for them to work the best for you. I also made my own colored sugar from some dye I had hanging around in the spice cabinet.

Vinegar Sugar Cookies

1 egg
2 tsp white vinegar
2 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C butter/margarine
1/2 C shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 C granulated sugar

1. In a cereal bowl put the egg and vinegar together and mix until the egg yolk is fully mixed into the vinegar. Set this bowl aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl put flour, salt and baking soda and stir with fork. Set this bowl aside.
3. In a larger bowl add the remaining ingredients. Cream or mix them all together with the mixer on low.
4. Pour one half of the egg mixture into the sugar mixture and mix well on low.
5. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix well on low.
6. Pour rest of the egg mixture into the sugar mixture and mix well on low.
7. Pour rest of the flour mixture into the dough and mix well on low.
8. Roll the batter into small balls and dip in sugar. Then use a fork to press down the cookie on an ungreased cookie sheet.
9. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. 
10. Remove from oven and let sit for a minute or two before taking them off the cookie sheet and put them on a wire rack to cool. 

To make colored sugar you will take about 1/4 C of sugar and put in a small container that you can put a lid on to shake it with 1-3 drops of food coloring of your choice color. Half-pint sized canning jars are awesome for this task. :-)

Pizza Night!

Okay so everyone loves pizza (or you hope they do). Do you buy the pizza at the local Pizza Hut, Convenience Store, or Walmart? Or is your homemade from a chefboyardee pizza kit or pizza dough packet?

Pizza can be a really easy thing to make once you catch the hang of making your own pizza dough. My trick to a non-soggy crust is to pre-bake the crust for about 5-6 minutes before adding sauce and the toppings. This awesome little meal can be whatever you want it to be by whatever toppings you choose. Chicken, Bacon & Ranch, pepperoni, sausage, bacon cheeseburger, taco, veggie, or just cheese.

Pizza Dough Recipe

1 Tbsp dry yeast (1 pkt)
1 C warm water
3 C flour
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C salad oil

Dissolve yeast in warm water, then add sugar, salt, and oil.
Then add 1 1/2 C of the flour and beat until there are no lumps. Add the remaining flour.
Let raise in the bowl for 30 minutes and then cut in half to make two pizzas.
Put the pizza dough on a lightly greased pizza pan or cookie sheet (shape does not matter). Spread the dough to the outer edges of the pan and then poke with the fork all around the crust. Repeat with the other crust on the other pan. If your dough tears at all, just pinch it back together. It's okay, the world will not end if your pizza crust isn't perfect.
Pre-bake the crust in a 400 degree oven for 5-6 minutes. Crust will not be browned but will have the look that it isn't wet anymore. Take it out and then add your ingredients of choice and top with cheese.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and even crispy brown. It's your pizza, whatever way you like it, cook it!

Ideas for pairings of sauce and toppings:

• Taco
• sauce
• refried beans with taco seasoning added and hamburger (cook til warm)
• cheddar cheese 

Bake those together and then add:

• shredded lettuce
• diced tomatoes (ro-tel is good)
• chopped onion
• crushed tortilla chips
• taco sauce

As I said, make whatever you want and whatever you or your family likes best. Just don't go and spend a fortune going out to eat when you can make it at home and bake it later or right then. :-)

Tuesday is replenishing day!

So today is a day of replenishing the basics of items in the pantry. So today's job will be to make Chocolate Syrup, Laundry soap, and baking bread. The dish soap recipe has already been posted with the link in a previous article. As I walk through this blog, I will be posting the links to the recipes to give the author/creator of the recipes the credit they deserve. I will also try to post the good, the bad, and the ugly of testing recipes so I know not to use them again in future blog ramblings.

Chocolate Syrup recipe is from:
http://www.kitchentreaty.com/homemade-chocolate-syrup/

And makes 1 pint of syrup. You can reuse your chocolate syrup bottle, but wait until your syrup it totally cooled down before putting it in the bottle.

Bread Recipe is from:
Betty Crocker Gold Medal Classic White Bread

Lower the temp by 25 degrees and only bake 15-20 minutes for a less dark crust. No need to butter the outside. I've found that tossing a tea towel or kitchen towel over them helps keep the crust softer before packaging. You will need an electric bread knife for this one as it is as soft as store bought bread.

Laundry Soap Recipe is from:
 http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/whipped-cream-super-laundry-soap-3993.html

Feel free to jump in at anytime to make a recipe and even tweak it a little to make it your own unique recipe. We took the bread recipe to a new level by adding colored sugar and cinnamon before rolling it up and baking it. It was for our St. Patrick's Day meal.

I hope you enjoyed the blog today. Go ahead and get off the computer and try something new. Thanks for stopping by!

Diving in and going back to the basics

You never realize how you come to a point in life that you feel like you aren't getting anywhere until you reach it. Times now demand so much of our money to even feed our families or just have the basics with never a chance of frills and total fun frivolous things. We watch our neighbors swapping out cars every two years while we drive old beaters with over 200K miles on them that are paid for. We see fancy gadgets, jeans, power tools, and even kitchen appliances that we might hope to have, but will not be able to afford unless we work more hours or cut back on our spending to SAVE for it. Just recently we decided to make more items from scratch so that we aren't getting all the preservatives AND to just save money. No coupon clipping, as that was a fruitless venture of actually spending more money to buy the items that I probably WOULD NOT have bought had there not been a coupon for it in the first place.

So, while hitting this little time in my life of new recipes and adventures in baking, cooking and even making my own cleaning supplies, many times I've been asked for recipes that I've been making. So this little blog will become my journal AND my go to cookbook for anyone and everyone to follow along. I encourage all who read this to take a little time out of their day to make their own things. Quit relying on large companies to make your things for you and never know what all the ingredients are or if they are safe for you to eat. Remember just recently that a nationwide sub sandwich chain decided to take a certain ingredient out of their recipe after it was found it was also used to make yoga mats? Blech! Do you really want to eat that? What if I told you that bread is actually easy to make by hand? You don't need an expensive KitchenAid stand mixer or an expensive bread machine... all you need is a large bowl and a fork. So you say yeast packets are expensive? I agree with that, but if you buy it in the little jars and use 1 Tablespoon of yeast in the recipe for each package a recipe calls for, you can make bread for at least 1/2 the price of buying store bought.

Also, I hear people complain that it takes too long to cook a meal when their families are hitting all the after school or evening family activities and want to hit a fast food place because it takes too long to cook. Well, guess what... canning, freezing, or precooking meals on a day that you aren't running like mad will SAVE you time, money, and stress. In this blog we will look at living on a dime, learning how to cook, learning how to can, learning how to bake, how to care for chickens, gardening, and just tons more bits of info so you can survive the great recession without near as much fear. Feel free to interact and share your favorite recipes, garden plans, or whatever has helped you through the rough times. Welcome to the blog!