Vinegar Update

So far the vinegars aren't doing much. One jar of apple peelings is more advanced than the others, but I don't know why. One jar of grape vinegar is really gross and the other one is barely doing anything. Am pretty sure my biggest problem is that my house is too cool. So I have started to keep a rice heating pad inbetween the jars. I'll give it another couple of weeks and let you know.

Potatoes

Well, the price of potatoes finally fell, it had hit a high of $6.99 for 10 pounds! Thankfully, they were on sale this week, $1.98 for 10 pounds. So, of course, I bought 20 pounds. Now to fit them into a bunch of meals! Am thinking of:

Mashed Potatoes

Fried Potatoes

Hash Browns

Potato Yeast Rolls

Perogies filled with Mashed Potatoes (new one for me to try)

Baked Potatoes with Toppings

Cubed Potatoes in Foil (on the grill)

Potato Soup or Chowder

Potato Salad

Scalloped Potatoes

French Fries with Chili and Cheese

Latkes (another new recipe to try)

Current prices of what I consider necessary carbs for us work out to be:

potatoes 20 cents a pound

ramen noodles 18 cents each

brown rice 64 cents a pound

pasta $1 a pound

wild rice $3.54 a pound

Ok, wild rice is not necessary, but I was appalled by the price. And most of us here do not like ramen noodles, but I was surprised that they went up 6 cents since I last bought them.

Since potatoes are the cheapest this month, that's what we're eating. (I am relieved, because I have not beena fan of pasta lately.)

Am open to any cheap potato recipes if you have them!

Semi-Whole Wheat Bread-ABM Style

Promised you my Bread recipe a while back, so here it is. It's funny how just a little whole wheat flour makes this such a different bread than the french bread I made earlier.

1 1/4 cups water, slightly warmer than room temperature
1 TBS. butter
1 egg
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. yeast

Proof the yeast with the water and sugar for about 5 minutes. Then add everything to your breadmaker. Set on Dough cycle. After the dough cycle is complete, divide the dough in half and put each half in a greased loaf pan. Cover with clean towel and let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes.) Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Bagels

Thought I'd try to make bagels again, since the kids go through, like, 50 bagels a month. (No joke.)

Used the breadmaker to mix/rise the dough. The first batch I hand shaped the bagels, really poorly, the next batch I cut them out like a biscuit and then poked a hole in them and shaped just a bit.

I think they taste really nice, we like ours toasted with butter, sorry, cheap margarine, or toasted with a sausage patty in the middle. The first batch I put onion powder in the mix, but I need to add more next time, it wasn't very onion-y tasting. Same with the second batch, which I flavored with garlic salt. But I am happy with the results and most importantly, the kids gave them (and me) their approval, so I will be making these again. Yes! another cheap recipe conquered!

silly me! I forgot to post the recipe. I got it straight from Food.com

http://www.food.com/recipe/bagels-364034

$107 a Month?

Budget got cut again, our food money for the month is now $107 a month for the 6 of us. We will be heading to the food bank for sure this month! I am very grateful three of the kids are able to eat breakfast and lunch for free at school, so maybe this is do-able. As you can see, I am trying to talk myself into this. We have plenty of the following, (although I am not sure how to coordinate all of it into something edible for a whole month)

• 31 jars of spaghetti sauce


• 21 jars of peanut butter



• grape jelly

• 25 cans of refried beans



• apple butter, apple slices (frozen)



• flour and baking items like yeast, baking soda and baking powder



• eggs



• white rice (don't judge, it was really on sale)



• a variety of mushroom soup and chicken broth

There is a variety of other canned things I have, but mainly just odds and ends really. I priced out a bunch of things at Wally's World and then at our local store, so I am up to date on the current prices of most things we need, but just don't know what to buy. Other than meat, of course, which would probably just take up the whole $107 right there. Not much else to say about this.

About Them Apples. . . .last part I promise!

I promise, this will be the last you hear about apples. Well, at least until next year!

Ended up with:

12 quart bags of frozen apple slices

apple butter

apple cake

baked apple delight

apple butter pumpkin pie

apple butter bread

apple pectin

and apple cider vinegar.

There was also alot of pieces of apples I gave the rabbits and the dog (yes, we have a weird dog, he loves fruits and vegetables more than milkbones)

And the chickens got the few rotten ones. So I am very grateful that my neighbors planted that apple tree~thank you T&E!

Semi-Homemade Wax Paper

Now this really isn't made from scratch, but with all the cereal the kids eat, I just use the plastic liners the cereal comes in for wax paper.

As you can see, I let the boxes pile up a bit too much.

Just take the liners out, shake out the last bits and crumbs (save for the chickens if you have them!) Then cut the bottom off of the bag, and then cut a straight line up the side seam.

Voila' !

Instant wax paper for no-bake cookies or what ever you use wax paper for.

Note: make sure you don't just stuff the un-cut bags somewhere, thinking you'll get to them someday. You won't have it when you need it and . . . it will only draw pantry moths. Don't ask how I know.

Cheap Bread

Used to have a day old bread store fairly close to me, but I guess it caught on fire one night and so it is no more. Found this really cheap and easy bread recipe, it takes no oil or eggs and still makes a nice sandwich bread that the kids will eat. No, make that devour. I made one recipe (which is two loaves) the other night for supper to go along with spaghetti and they had both loaves gone by bedtime. So here is the recipe:

French Bread Using a Bread Machine
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
4 cups bread flour
1 1/3 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon clover honey (or any type you prefer)
1 1/2 cups water

Add ingredients in the order listed to your bread machine, set the machine on dough cycle.

After the machine does all the work, take the dough out and divide in half. Take one half and DO NOT KNEAD. Resist the urge! Just tuck under one long end, like you were going to roll a long pumpkin roll. Set it in a loaf pan and let it rise for about 45 minutes. (I heat up a small coffee cup of hot water in the microwave and create a nice warm place for the loaves to rise right in the microwave. That way, no matter how many times the kids open and shut the kitchen door letting in the cold air, my bread will rise.)

After rising for about 45 minutes, Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 18 minutes.

Cool until you can cut it, if you can wait that long.

Of course, you could just leave it all in the bread maker, but I find it easier to cut in smaller loaves. Just set the breadmaker on light or regular loaf.

Enjoy!

oops! I messed up. these pictures aren't my French Bread, they are from my Semi-Whole Wheat Bread. I'll post that recipe soon, I promise!

About Them Apples. . . .part III

Ok, enough with the apples! just joking, I am very grateful for them. My next project is to make cider vinegar. I have tried this before, but let it set for too long and it just turned into a big mess.

First, I took a large jar and sterilized it with hot water.

Next, the apple peelings and cores were set, not pressed, into the jar, leaving room for air pockets.

I then added a very, very tiny pinch of bread yeast.

I let it set on the counter for a day, uncovered.

(Note here: there will be fruit flies. think of them as tiny bees, bringing their own kind of pollen (yeast found naturally in the air). Sounds gross, but just think of how sourdough bread needs wild yeast from the air.)

After a day of setting out, I gave it a jiggle to let the fruit flies fly away. Gave it a good stir, getting as much air in it as possible.

Covered with piece of t-shirt tied on with a rubberband.

Set it next to the grape vinegar experiment on the counter where it's a bit dark, but still warm from the breadmaker that's next to them.

Now I let it sit.
Will let you know how it turns out!

About Them Apples. . .part II

Planned on just throwing the apple scraps to the chickens, but just couldn't do it. So after freezing about a dozen quart bags of apple slices for apple pie or such later, I focused my attention on making pectin. Not the white granulated kind, but the liquid kind. Hopefully I can get enough pectin to use for the grape jelly.

I took a boatload of apple peelings and cores and cooked them on low for the WHOLE day. I added water occasionally, just enough to keep it from burning. I stirred it often and by the end of the day I had very little to work with. After cooling, I strained it thru an old t-shirt. It turned out to leave me 3.75 cups of pectin. Since I wasn't ready to use it right now, I froze it and I will have to boil it down for about 8 minutes when I need it.

All the directions I can find say to use about 1 cup boiled down pectin per 1 quart of berries/fruit. I will update you on if this works. So far I am not convinced this is worth the effort, due to the fact I didn't get a whole lot of pectin, but I am glad I at least know how to do this, you know, in case that strange granulated stuff ever goes missing from the store.

About Them Apples. . . .

I was talking to my neighbor last week and he said I could have all the apples on his tree. Cool! I spent a couple of days picking them, trying to process them as I picked, but I was soon overloaded with apples. I don't know what kind they are, but they seemed a bit tart, like a Granny Smith. I am so excited! Now I am off to the kitchen, see you in a couple of days!

About Those Grapes. . .

I was talking with my neighbor the other day and he said he would be picking his grapes soon. He has a nice arbor and wanted to make grape juice out of them. But. . . .the very next day his wife came over and told me I could have them all. Cool! So the not-so-little one and I picked a box full of them and I spent the day/night cooking them down to make juice. I will probably freeze the juice until I have time to make jelly later.

I was going to throw the scraps out to the chickens, but. . . well you know me, couldn't I use them for something?

Smack on the head! What was I thinking!

Vinegar!

Well, I haven't actually tried this before, but, hey, it couldn't hurt to try. Not much on the internet as far as directions go, but I figure it can't be much different than apple cider vinegar.

So, I filled the jars almost full with grape peels, seeds, leftover pulp.

Added sterilized lukewarm water, just to the top of the peels.

Added a tiny, tiny pinch of bread yeast.

Let it sit uncovered for a day, stirring a couple of times to incorporate air.

Covered it with a piece of old t-shirt tied on with a rubberband.

Put it on the counter where I have a warm, dark place.

Now I wait. I think about 8 weeks should be enough time. I might stir it a couple of times, but other than that, I just hope not to forget out it! Update in 8 weeks.

side note: I guess I could have picked out all the grape seeds and then pressed them to make grape seed oil, but. . . . . I found grape seed oil at Wally's World, 24 oz. for $3.69, so I didn't think that picking out all the seeds would have been a good use of my time, would you?

Yellow Mayo

I made mayonnaise this morning with some of the little eggs the new ladies laid this week.I have been letting them graze in the yard as much as possible the past couple of weeks and let me tell you what, those egg yolks are SOOOO orange! So orange, in fact, that the mayonnaise turned yellow. That's no yolk, I mean joke! Maybe I can convince you to try making some, just think of all the preservatives you won't be eating!

Please ignore my messy counter.
I did add some paprika, like I usually do, but. . . .

A store bought, white hamburger bun. . . .

Hamburger bun with homemade mayo. Not convinced?

Store mayo on the right, homemade on the left. Enough said, here is the recipe.

1 whole egg (pastured egg of course!)

1/2 ts. dry mustard

pinch of sea salt

2 TBS white vinegar or lemon juice

dash paprika

1 cup vegetable oil ( or 1/4 cup olive oil and 3/4 cup canola oil)

Add egg, mustard, salt, vinegar, paprika and 1/4 cup oil in blender and blend on medium for 2 minutes.

Scrap down the inside of blender.

Slowly (the slower the better) add/blend the rest of the oil.

That's it.

I usually use lemon juice and no olive oil.

I am impatient and cheat when adding the oil. I use a funnel lined with a coffee filter that I put a very, very tiny pin hole in. I then pour all of the oil in the funnel, set the funnel in the blender lid hole, and let it drip thru the filter while I walk away.

Enjoy!

Day 143: Tortilla Shells

Still trying to use up the soft tortilla shells that I bought for a penny a piece about 6 months ago. They have been taking up alot of space in the freezer, but I think we are down to about 20 packages. Seriously, I don't have time to count them, but I think that's what's left. We have used them in:

soft taco shells/burritos

egg and sausage wraps

cheese quesadillas

taco pizzas

Rachael Ray's banana and peanut butter sushi bites (peanut butter spread on the torilla and wrapped around a banana and then sliced, BIG hit with the little one)

chips (seasoned with garlic and sea salt, cut into triangles, and toasted)

If we still have any left once the garden starts producing and I need the space in the freezer, I might start using them as edible frisbees for the dog. Thinking outside the box, that would be a cheap dog treat.

Hamburger

Ended up at the local grocery on a Monday

Found 70/30 percent hamburger marked down to $1 a pound.

Three things were odd about this.

1. Meat is only marked down on Tuesday morning.

2. Meat hasn't been $1 a pound in a long time.

3. I actually had money.

Sooooo. . . . .

I picked up 45 pounds.

And walked around the store in shock.

While people stared at me and even said to me, "Wow, that's. . . a lot of meat."

I forgot the Manwich mix.

( I know, not frugal, but we haven't found a homemade version we like. Yet.)

So, when I backtracked to the 2nd aisle, I went past the meat section again.

The butcher was putting out more markdown hamburger.

This time it was 93/7 percent.

No.Way.

So I traded in the higher fat version I had in my cart for the lower fat hamburger.

And walked around the store some more.

Cool.

Thank you Lord.

Coloring Eggs, Natural Style

Got inspired to make some naturally colored eggs this year. I didn't think I could color brown eggs, but I guess the trick is to let them soak in the color overnight.

Here is the red/purple cabbage trials:

1 small cabbage with enough water to cover, simmered for about 15 minutes.

purple dye already!




I layered the boiled eggs and the cooled cabbage in a large jar.

Jake the Dog drinking Diet Pepsi while we wait.

A very dark blue egg.

Unique prints from the cabbage that layed touching the egg. I guess if you want a solid egg, then don't add the cabbage pieces, just the juice. We think the imprinting is pretty cool. I'll try to get a better pic later.

You Freeze THAT?!!!

March is Frozen Foods Month. So in honor of all frozen things, I thought I'd explain my freezer usage. You name it, I have tried to freeze it. With a great success rate also, I might add. My theory is if the big food companies can freeze it, I can also. Waffles, cookie dough, bread, applesauce. Veggies, milk, sour cream (but only for cooking, not glopping on tacos) and of course any meat, cooked, seasoned or raw. I have a Food Saver machine to shrink wrap the meat, but the bags are sooooo expensive for it, I have a hard time justifying the cost vs. double wrapping the meat in plain Saran Wrap. We eat the meat so fast, it usually doesn't get a chance to freezer burn.

Now some things are just easier to make than to take up space in my freezer. Pancakes for instance, I never freeze.

Most herbs you can dry, but some are not meant for drying. Dried chives for instance, turns into tasting like dried hay. But if you freeze them, bingo! they are great.

Did you know you can freeze eggs? Take a dozen eggs, whisk lightly, and pour into an ice cube tray. One large egg will fill an ordinary ice cube square. (This doesn't work when your hens insist laying jumbo sized eggs, like mine do) Use them for baking, although we have made scrambled eggs from these with moderate results.

The weirdest things I've successfully frozen?

• Shredded slaw mix(used it in egg rolls)


• Chocolate Easter Bunnies found on clearance and saved a WHOLE year for the next Easter(what's most amazing about this, is that Chocolate Boy didn't find them for a whole year.)


• yogurt, especially plain, individually frozen in ice cube trays for "starters" for homemade yogurt


• fishing grubs, oddly the fish don't seem to mind (believe me, the grubs in the freezer was NOT my idea, Fishing Boy likes to "try" new things.)


• paintbrushes full of paint. I'll explain: When I have to stop painting in the middle of a job, I don't rinse the brush out, I just put the brush into a plastic grocery bag, press most of the air out, and then freeze. The next day (or week) when I am ready to paint, I take the bagged brush out, let thaw out, and I'm ready to paint. Also works with paint rollers. Saves tons of water/cleaner fluid. I have also heard that you can use the frig instead of the freezer, which makes sense.

Things that don't really work well frozen:

• mayo


• lettuce


• canned goods, unless you partially open them first


• forgotten cans of pop (soda) unless you crave cleaning out your freezer afterwards

Our freezer is an upright. I know chest freezers are supposed to be more energy efficient, but I feel that all the time I spend rummaging thru a chest freezer negates the efficiency, so I chose an upright that I can organize easier. In case of power outtage/freezer defrosting, I organize the freezer in this order:

• top shelf: breads, frozen french fries


• middle shelf: veggies


• bottom shelf: meat store wrapped (rolls of hamburger, turkey burger, bologna)


• bottom drawer: meat in saran wrap, freezer paper


• door shelves: bagels, flax seed, boxes of rice, flour, graham cracker crumbs(mostly short term storage, just to kill off any bugs that might be packaged in the grains)

I say "in case of freezer defrosting" because if we do have a melt down, at least the meat juices won't leak onto anything and contaminate the bread or veggies, which could still be used if thawed out. This also helps me to be able to send the kids down to the freezer for something, if I try to keep the items in the same spot all the time.

Now, I'm off to enjoy the last frozen month before spring!

2 Lbs. of Burger and a Box of Noodles

On Tuesday we had the start of a huge storm hit us. I was worried about the power going out, so I started cooking early in the morning, just in case we lost power, so we would have cooked food, although maybe not piping hot. I took the last 2 pounds of hamburger and 1 pound of elbow noodles and made a small pot of chili, some taco filling, 1 large serving of goulash, a pasta salad, and some macaroni and cheese. Along with the four loaves of bread I made on Monday, we were set for the storm of the century. All we got was some ice and a little snow. And it mainly melted by Wednesday.

Local Grocery

Got some really good deals this week at the grocery store. In fact, AWESOME deals.

• boneless, skinless chicken tenders, 99 cents a pound, reg. $2.99 a pound


• hot polish sausage, 99 cents for 20 ounces, reg. $5.49 a package


• polish sausage, 99 cents a pound, reg. $1.99 a pound


• 2 1/2 pound packages of fancy Rosotto and Basmati rice for 50 cents a bag. I found the same thing on Amazon, but a slightly higher price of $5.23! I bought 6 bags for a total of $3. Whoo-hoo!


• 20 pounds of pototoes for $2

I had been boo-hoo-ing to myself about how I couldn't get to all the good deals at Rite Aid, CVS, etc., down in the city (40 miles away), but this week made up for it.