Every Penny Counts part 3

Homemade is Better.

One of the things that helps me out is making my own spice, cream of soup and coating mixes. I don't have to purchase the name brand products and I control the ingredients.

I have a tendency to forget what goes in stuff, so I keep
the 'recipe' taped to the inside of my spice cupboard.

Cream-Of Soup Mix

2 cups dry milk powder (non-instant is preferred) Dairy Free? Use rice milk powder.
¾ cup organic cornstarch
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Store in an airtight container.

To make into soup:
Combine 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 ¼ cups water in a small saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
On medium heat, bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until thick. Cool.

This amount = 1 can condensed cream-of soup.

For Cream-of Chicken Soup: use 1 ¼ cups chicken broth instead of water.

For Cream-of Mushroom Soup: use water; add ¼ cup diced, cooked mushrooms to soup after it thickens

For Cream-of Celery Soup: use water, add ¼ cup diced, cooked celery to the soup after it thickens or add a dash of celery seed to the mixture while it’s cooking.

Coating Mix (Shake & Bake)

1 c. very fine bread crumbs

1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder

Mix ingredients together and store in airtight jar. 

Eleven Secret Herbs (close enough to KFC)

6 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons onion salt
3 teaspoons celery salt
3 teaspoons rubbed sage
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons ground allspice
3 teaspoons ground oregano
3 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons basil leaves, crushed
3 teaspoons marjoram leaves, crushed finely

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Mix together 4 teaspoons mixture, 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar and 1 teaspoons salt (optional). Place in a doubled plastic food bag and add chicken to coat. Fry, drain on paper towels, serve!

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon salt (optional)

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Use to taste.

Taco Seasoning Mix

1/4 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup Cumin Powder
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Onion powder
1 teaspoon Oregano leaf (or oregano leaf powder)
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 cup Himalayan salt or Sea salt (optional)
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix together and store in an airtight container. 3 tablespoons equals one packet of commercial product.

Sausage Seasoning - Hot

8 tablespoons Sea Salt

1 cup + 2 tablespoons ground Black Pepper

8 tablespoons Nutmeg

4 tablespoons  Sage

Mix ingredients and keep in an airtight container. Use 1 tablespoon per 1 lb of browned ground meat.

(I've mixed this in raw meat and placed it in the freezer for use another day.) It is very hot.

Every Penny Counts part two

Don't you hate it when you open a package of whatever (baking powder, granola, noodles) and don't use them all right away? I know I do. For instance, baking powder and baking soda, I don't use them daily, weekly or even monthly. So they sit in the cupboard and well...age out. I also hate having to throw them away. One way to extend the life of these dry goods is to vacuum seal them.

Many moons ago I purchased a Food Saver® vacuum sealing system. I only use the rolls, only because not everything I seal up is the same size, but if you like you can purchase bags. I use this to vacuum seal bulk meats mostly, but I've used it for soups, vegetables from my garden and important documents (i.e.birth certificates). I also use it to extend the life of those things I don't use very often, such as baking powder.

Opened and not used up.
Instructions for cooking the Quinoa taped on back of jar.

Food Saver® brand vacuum sealing system

Food Saver® is but one brand, there are others out there, this is just what I happen to have. Items that you will need are jars (1/2 pint, pint, quart or half gallon), lids to fit the jars and a sealing system. If you are going to seal powdery items (soda, confectioners sugar, flour) be sure that you wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel and always leave 1" headspace. 

When I did my confectioners sugar, there was sugar EVERYWHERE!

Sometimes it does not seal the first try or the second or the third. It usually means something is wrong. I tried several times on one jar and then checked the rim, yep, there was a chip, silly me. Once there was extra rubber on the lid, not an issue if you are heat canning, but it is when vacuum canning. Another time, powder had seeped into the sealer and a vacuum couldn't be formed. With a little patience and a bit of observation, almost all jars will seal...except fancy jelly jars. Nope, they don't seal. I tried, I really did, but no, it was not gonna happen.

Vacuum sealing is not a replacement for heat canning. 

It should be used for dry goods or freezer only. 

See those bread crumbs, opened but not used up. Now I can use them later.

As to those spiffy labels, I found them online at Canning Homemade. Wonderful to work with, but a hint here as well. These are shrink sleeves, you dip the jar into a pot of boiling hot water, the trick is turn the burner off first and don't touch the jar to the bottom of the pot. I did and my kitchen smelled great all day, the bottom of the jar of my sausage seasoning broke right off.

Most times though, I just write the contents on a piece of paper or cut from the package and tape it (packing tape) to the outside of the jar (see the quinoa in the top picture) along with any cooking directions. It's less expensive that way, especially if it's a temporary jar.

Every Penny Counts

Yes, I know it's been a while, but life happens and well there you have it. So, just because I haven't posted in a while doesn't mean I haven't been busy doing those things that help save every penny I can. So without further ado, let me share what I've been up to.

Kidney, Black, Pinto, White Beans in tomato sauce

Canning Beans

Remember I posted a while back a dry bean to canned bean conversion chart? Well I did... Dried to canned beans conversion
One of those things that I hate is trying to remember to soak beans for tomorrow's meal, subsequently I end up buying canned beans because I forgot. I did a bit of looking around on the internet to locate simple canning instructions for beans. Most tell you to soak your beans overnight, LOL. So, I made my big plans for canning beans to use in meals and finally got it done. The results were mostly good, but I learned a few things.
1. Black beans do not need to be soaked. Measure 1/2 cup of dried beans into pint jar. Add 1/2 tsp salt (optional) per pint jar. Fill with boiling water, leaving 1" head space. Process in pressure canner* for 75 minutes.
2. Pinto, kidney, white beans should all be soaked. They did not work as well starting from dry.
Instructions for canning all other beans (you can do black beans this way too.)

• Remove any foreign objects from beans
• Place in large bowl and cover with water (remember, the beans will swell so leave plenty of room)
• Soak overnight
• Drain and rinse beans
• Place in large pot
• Cover with 2 inches of fresh water
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and watching to prevent boiling over
• Ladle beans into hot jars (no need to sterilize as long as they're clean and hot), leaving 1" headspace
• Fill with cooking liquid, again, leaving 1" headspace
• Put lids and rings on jars
• Place jars in pressure canner and process at 10 pounds pressure (You will need to adjust your pressure depending on your altitude.):
• Pints for 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Quarts for 1 hour, 30 minutes
• Remove from canner and let cool, checking all lids for proper seals before storing

Notes:
* Beans MUST be processed in a PRESSURE CANNER, a water bath does not reach the correct temperature to kill all the bacteria.

3. Home canned beans tend to soak up water and the beans at the top of the jar are not usually covered by water and may change color (there is nothing wrong with them). What I really discovered is that store bought beans are covered by liquid, so I'm buying more liquid than beans.
4. Ingredients of home canned beans: Beans, water, salt. Ingredients of commercially canned beans: Water, beans, calcium chloride, calcium disodium edta (added to promote color retention). Note that water is the first on the ingredients list, yep, that's what you are buying. Additionally, I looked up the other ingredients; Calcium chloride, CaCl2, is a salt of calcium and chlorine, Calcium disodium EDTA is mainly synthesised from ethylenediamine, formaldehyde, and sodium cyanide. The FDA has approved these items for human consumption and they are used in the medical field for such things as radiation poisoning and treating lead poisoning, however I don't think it should be in my food.

Okay, so that is my rant for the day. Not only am I saving money by canning my own beans, I have beans ready for a meal and I don't have to remember to soak them overnight, also I am keeping some stuff out of my diet that I didn't ask for.

Chocolate Substitution Chart

So I was cruising the net looking for really fun recipes and lo and behold I found Dulce de Leche Brownies. I read through the recipe and my mouth began to water. I looked through the ingredient list and arrrrggghhhh, I don't have one of the most important ingredients...unsweetened chocolate squares. My heart fell, but wait, it's the internet and I searched for a substitute and someone was thoughtful enough to post a Chocolate Substitution Chart. So I will share both the chart and the recipe.

Chocolate Substitution Chart - How To Substitute Chocolate In Your Cooking

Need a quick substitution for chocolate? Here are some chocolate substitutions, but remember not always do they work as well as the original recipe ingredient:

Chocolate, Bittersweet:

(1-ounce) square semi-sweet baking chocolate for 1 (1-ounce) square bittersweet baking chocolate.
Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate may be used interchangeably in recipes, but there may be slight differences in flavor and texture.

Chocolate, Semi-Sweet:

3 tablespoons chocolate chips for every 1-ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate.
1-ounce bittersweet baking chocolate for every 1-ounce semi-sweet bittersweet baking chocolate.
1-ounce unsweetened baking chocolate and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for every 1-ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate.
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening for every 1 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate. 

Chocolate Chips, Semi-Sweet:

1 ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate for every 1 ounce of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
1-ounce sweet baking chocolate for every 1-ounce chocolate chips.
1-ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoons sugar for every 1-ounce chocolate chips

Chocolate, Sweet Baking (German's):

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 4 teaspoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon butter, shortening or vegetable oil for every 1-ounce German's sweet baking chocolate.
1 ounce dark sweet chocolate for every 1 ounce German's sweet baking chocolate.

Chocolate, Unsweetened:

3 level tablespoons unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening for every 1-ounce unsweetened baking chocolate.
3 level tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa plus 1 tablespoon shortening, butter, or oil for every 1-ounce unsweetened baking chocolate.
1/2 cup (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate chips or morsels - plus cut sugar by 1/4 cup and shortening by 1 tablespoon in your recipe.

Chocolate, White:

Substitute 1-ounce milk chocolate or white chocolate chips for every 1-ounce white chocolate. (Color and flavor will vary.) 

Cocoa, Unsweetened:

Substitute equal amounts of Dutch-processed cocoa for unsweetened cocoa. Leave out any baking soda called for in the recipe.
3 tablespoon carob powder plus 2 tablespoons water for every 1-ounce unsweetened cocoa.
Do not substitute instant cocoa mix for unsweetened cocoa in any recipe.

Dutch-Process Cocoa:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus a pinch (1/8 teaspoon) baking soda for every 1-ounce Dutch-Process Cocoa.
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (reduce fat in recipe by 1 tablespoon).
3 tablespoons carob powder for every 1-ounce Dutch Process Cocoa.

Mexican Chocolate:

1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon for every 1-ounce Mexican Chocolate.
In mole sauces, substitute 1 tablespoon cocoa powder for every ounce of Mexican chocolate called for in the recipe.

Milk Chocolate:

Substitute equal amounts of sweet chocolate OR semi-sweet chocolate for milk chocolate.

Do not substitute chocolate syrup for melted chocolate in any recipe. 

http://whatscookingamerica.net/ChocolateSubstitutionChart.htm

And now the Dulce de Leche Brownie Recipe.

This is from a new cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond. The book is available on Amazon for the Kindle and as a Hard copy. Pioneer Woman Cooks ebook @ Amazon

Dulce De Leche Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies      Prep Time: 20 minutes     Cook Time: 50 minutes     Total Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:

5 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate     1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar                                     4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour                                Half a 14 oz can dulce de leche

Ice cream and additional dulce de leche, for serving, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray an 8-inch square baking pan or an 8 x 10-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.

2. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in about 45-second intervals, stirring each time, until it's completely melted. Set it aside to cool for 20 minutes or so.

3. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate. Mix until combined.

6. Add the flour and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.

7. Spread the batter into the greased pan.

8. Place the dulce de leche in a glass bowl. Warm it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Drop large dollops of dulce de leche on the surface of the brownie batter. Use a knife to slowly swirl it through the brownie batter. Don't drag the knife sideways through the batter, hold it so the thin side of the knife leads the way.

9. Bake brownies for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is almost totally set.

10. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully turn them out of the pan and let them cool completely.

11. Cut the brownies into squares and serve. Top with ice cream and extra dulce de leche, if desired.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/dulce-de-leche-brownies/

Dried to Canned Beans Conversion

DRIED TO CANNED BEANS CONVERSION

1 - 15-ounce can of beans equals

• 1/2 cup dry beans, before cooking
• 1 1/2 cups beans, after cooking

1 pound dry beans equals

• 2 cups dry beans, before cooking
• 6 cups beans, after cooking
• 4 15-ounce cans of beans

1 part dry beans equals
3 parts cooked beans

http://be-it-ever-so-humble.blogspot.com/2008/11/dried-to-canned-beans-conversion.html

Homemade Seasoning Mixes

Make your own Ranch, Dry Onion Soup Mix and Taco Seasoning and store in small mason jars....This is soooo much HEALTHIER than those you buy at the store!! They contain a TON of stuff that is not good for you!!

Taco Seasoning:
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon sea salt
Put ingredients into a jar and shake.Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of taco seasoning. Store in a cool, dry place.

Dry Onion Soup Mix:
2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake. I’d recommend shaking the jar to mix the ingredients well before each use.
Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix. Store in a cool, dry place.

Ranch:
5 tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix together and store in an air tight container.
For dressing: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.
For dip: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or Greek Yogurt.
Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend.