tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67916201029866031192024-03-13T10:11:13.900+02:00MoM's Recipes"Hey, MoM, whats for supper?"Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-74330798024894316192012-05-09T16:37:00.001+03:002012-05-09T16:37:33.481+03:00How to make great macaroni and cheese!Beats the stuff in the blue and yellow box, hands down, in my opinion! <br />
Boil <b>8 Oz. macaroni. </b>Drain. Leave macaroni in strainer. In same pan, melt <b>1/4 cup butter</b>. Once butter is melted, stir in <b>1/4 Cup flour and 1 tsp. salt.</b> Cook and stir to a soft paste. Add: <b>1 cup milk and 1 cup cream.</b> Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Stir in <b>2 cups shredded cheese.</b> I have found the very best taste comes from using Monterrey Jack cheese, but you can use cheddar or whatever you like!. Once the cheese is all melted, add in the cooked and drained macaroni. Stir it all up, and enjoy! Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-40554010317393670812012-02-29T19:22:00.004+03:002012-02-29T21:38:37.637+03:00A couple good articles<a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/do-recipes-make-you-a-better-cook">Do recipes make you a better cook?</a> The link will take you to a very good article that covers that subject. I think he brings up a lot of interesting points. Recipes are of course both necessary and unnecessary. Just like maps, to borrow a bit from the article. I can get to Canada without a map. But if I want to go to a certain place within Canada, I need a map, or someone that can go with me and show me the way. I don't need a recipe for meatloaf. But if I want to make meatloaf <span style="font-style: italic;">just like</span> the meatloaf you made last night, I need to know what you put in it. If I want to make Hammelman's Vermont sourdough bread, I better have a sourdough starter, a recipe, and the know-how to follow it. (See picture at top of page)<br /><br />and,<br /><br />An article that discusses the best kitchen tool of all. <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-power-of-touch">Your hands.</a> He mentions watching his grandmother's hands as she worked in her kitchen. I too, remember with fondness watching the hands of my elders as they worked in the kitchen. Daddy's hands, which were used to all types of hard work with tools, as he expertly worked bread dough. Gran's hands, which had served her well in her nursing work, now filling boiled and halves egg whites with the yellow goodness for devilled eggs. Granny's hands, the hands that had started their cooking carrer at the tender age of seven, out of necessity, cutting up potatoes or okra to fry. Grandmoma and her biscuits... oh but thats another story.Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-90292978785982149532012-02-27T22:46:00.002+03:002012-02-27T23:28:09.745+03:00Lardy, Lardy, this is easy!The hardest part about making your own lard is not the making, but the getting. Of the pork fat. For myself, its a drive to Amarillo, to<a href="http://edesmeats.com/"> Edes Meats</a>. Which is ok really because there's always a few other things I like to get while I'm there. Steaks, sausages, cheese, everything is good at Edes Meats. They make THE BEST jerky.<br /><br />You will need a source of pork fat. Some people like to buy fat from certain areas of the animal to make lard for different things. I hear the fat from around the kidneys makes the best lard for pastries. But I'm not a pastry maker. So I'm not picky about what <span style="font-style: italic;">kind</span> of pork fat it is. Just good clean pork fat.<br /><br />By clean I mean free of meat. If there is meat still attached to the fat, you will want to trim it off.<br /><br />I usually use about 8 pounds of pork fat on a lard making day. From Edes, it comes frozen. You will want to thaw it partially. But if its left a little icy, its much easier to work with.<br /><br />You need room to work and a good sharp knife. An apron is a good idea. You are gonna get messy.<br /><br />There are several ways to do this. I use the slow-cooker method. Its easy-peasy.<br /><br />Seriously, if you have fried bacon, you can make lard. All you are doing it cooking the fat out. Liquifying it, just as you do when you fry bacon. Only we're letting a slow-cooker do all the work.<br /><br />Cut the fat into cubes. I cut mine into about 1/2" cubes. Put them in the slow-cooker. This does take some time. And it <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> messy. But so worth it.<br /><br />Cut, cut, cut, toss. Cut, cut, cut, toss. Until the cooker is full. You can actually heap it a bit, as long as you can get the lid on.<br /><br />Turn on to low. Stir occasionally. Slowly but surely the fat will release its liquid goodness. It is done when the fat cubes are browned and crunchy. Guess what! You made crackins! And they're good! Dip them out with a slotted spoon into a paper-towel lined bowl. Snack on them!<br /><br />Shut off the slow cooker and let the lard cool a bit, for safer handling.<br /><br />I have some screw-top zip-lock containers that I just <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span>! I use them to freeze my chicken stock in, and I use them to freeze my lard in. Fill your freezable containers to within 1/2" or so of the top, and freeze. (Keep one in the fridge, it keeps a long time) I like to write the date and LARD on a strip of masking tape on the lid.<br /><br />As the lard cools, it turns white.<br /><br />When you heat the lard to cook, as it gets hot, you will notice the characteristic lard smell. This smell only lasts a short while, is faint, and you will not taste it in the food. I cook with this stuff all the time. Your food wont taste "like lard."<br /><br />It makes the flakiest pie crusts (crisco has <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> on lard in this respect) and it is healthy for you, despite what the diet dictocrats would have you believe. Much healthier than man made stuff like crisco and vegetable oils. And because you made it yourself, its healthier than the lard you buy at the store. To extend shelf-life, ie: make it more profitable, the store bought lard has been hydrogenated. Hydrogenation creates trans-fats.<br /><br />Lard makes the best fried chicken. MMM hhhmmmmm<br /><br />Lard (and butter) make the best biscuits!<br /><br />So now you know! Making your own healthy lard is easy as pie! See your butcher about some pork fat <span style="font-style: italic;">today!</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-88671277295043665472012-02-24T18:21:00.002+03:002012-02-24T18:33:05.400+03:00Southwestern Meatloaf<span style="font-size:100%;">This is something a little different, but still very comforting, like meatloaf just is!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips</span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 cup salsa </span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 medium onion, diced</span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 clove minced garlic</span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 egg</span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 T. chili powder</span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">part of a small can of diced green chilis</span><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">dash cumin<br /><br /></span>Mix above together well, them mix in <span style="font-weight: bold;">1 1/2- 2 pounds hamburger. </span>Place in loaf pan.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>Bake in 400* oven for 1 hour, or until done. I like to take it out of the oven just as its about done and pour off the grease. At this time you can throw a little grated cheese on the top of it and pop it back in the oven until its melted.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-6190680340742187542012-02-22T18:39:00.006+03:002012-05-09T16:29:43.078+03:00great bisciits!IMPORTANT EDIT:**<br />
These biscuits are even better if you use only butter, the texture/consistency does not seem to be afftected, but the taste with using only butter is greatly enhanced! <br />
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Recently I wrote a post on my opinion of the different varieties of biscuits available.<br />
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Today, I will give you the recipe I have come to believe is about as near to perfect home-made biscuits as there is.<br />
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I'm pretty sure that if an English teacher would read that last sentence, it would have a lot of red marks all over it. Sorry.<br />
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Here's how you whoop up a batch of biscuits! You won't be needing a pastry blender. You sure don't need to get the food processor out!<br />
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Biscuits = SIMPLE!<br />
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You need a nice bowl. I use one that came from the second hand store and used to belong to an old mixer. The bowl made it to the second hand store, but the mixer did not. The <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>bowl is heavy white glass and is wider than it is tall, which I like because it lets me get my hands in there to work the fat into the flour.<br />
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Set the oven to 425*<br />
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Pour <span style="font-weight: bold;">one tablespoon less than 1 cup of milk</span> into a cup. Add <span style="font-weight: bold;">1 T. white vinegar</span>. Stir. Or, if you have it, you can just use 1 cup buttermilk, or you can use 1 cup milk or heavy cream, but I recommend the milk with vinegar, or the buttermilk. Set that aside.<br />
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Into your nice bowl, measure <span style="font-weight: bold;">2 cups all purpose flour, 1 heaping Tablespoon sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt</span>. (if using kosher salt, as I do, use a slightly heaping 1/4 tsp) Combine these ingredients with a wooden spoon, or the tablespoon you measured with, or just your hand.<br />
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Now you need about <span style="font-weight: bold;">1/4 cup COLD butter and 1/4 cup COLD LARD</span>** SEE NOTE AT START OF POST!. If your lard is not cold, its not the end of the biscuit world, but it really is best to work in if its cold. If you home render your own lard, (which I will post instructions for soon) you should keep it in the fridge anyway.<br />
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Place the 2 types of fat into the bowl with the flour mixture. I like to cut the butter up and drop it all around into the flour. The lard I scoop small amounts at a time out of the container I have measured it in. (more red marks from the English teacher) Once all of the fat is in the bowl, begin working it into the flour with your fingers. You want to work it in fairly well, but you don't want the finished product to be real consistent looking. You don't want it to resemble "course meal". It will look a little like that, but some of the fat will still be in pea to almond sized pieces. But all of it will be coated with flour. The whole process shouldn't take but maybe a minute or two at the most.<br />
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Now pour your buttermilk type stuff into the flour. +++EDIT: NOTE: ONLY POUR IN ABOUT 3/4 CUP! You might not need the entire cup. +++ You can use a wooden spoon, to combine it. Combine it just until it will sort of hold together. I use the spoon only for a few stirs around the outside edge of the bowl. As soon as there's no liquid swirling around in there, I dump the whole mess out on the counter and gently work it quickly into a mass. Knead very little, just enough to get it together. When it will hold together, stop. Remember, you are not kneading bread dough. Light and gentle is the trick here.<br />
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You will likely need a dusting of flour on your counter-top. I don't use a rolling pin. I just pat the dough until its about 3/4" to 1" thick. Cut it with a biscuit cutter. Press the cutter down through the dough, but DO NOT TWIST THE CUTTER! That seals the edges of the dough. Place them close together but not touching, in a 9X13 sized pan.<br />
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If your oven is up to temp, put them in there. If not, wait until it is. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Mmmm, I can smell them!<br />
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Just a thought, these are great with gravy made from bacon drippings!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />A couple of variations:</span><br />
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for <span style="font-weight: bold;">dumplings</span> make the dough as above, but reduce the sugar to about 1/2 tsp. Pat dough out, and cut with biscuit cutter. Drop the biscuits into gently boiling chicken stew or beef stew, whatever. Put a tight fitting lid on the pot and<span style="font-weight: bold;"> do not peek for 15 minutes.</span> You can also add a bit of parsley to your dumpling dough. Chicken and dumpling method coming soon!<br />
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for <span style="font-weight: bold;">shortcake</span>, the kind you might eat with strawberries and whipped cream: I would add another Tablespoon or so of sugar, and cut them a little bigger. These really are better than angel food cake for strawberry shortcake, IMO.Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-42430122012631661472012-02-15T16:49:00.002+03:002012-02-15T17:53:30.294+03:00Biscuit theory<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you want biscuits, you have several choices. You can have biscuit mix biscuits, whompin' (canned) biscuits, frozen biscuits, or you can make them from scratch yourself.<br /><br />Of the store bought varieties, I personally like whompin' biscuits for taste. I am not a fan of dry biscuit mixes, for making biscuits or anything else for that matter. I soured on the taste of bisquick years ago.<br /><br />Not that I consider whompin' biscuits to be really biscuits. They are <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span>, don't get me wrong, but to me they are not <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> biscuits. Although I'm not quite sure what they really <span style="font-style: italic;">are. </span>But they are good in a pinch when one wants something <span style="font-style: italic;">like</span> biscuits. They are especially good <span style="font-style: italic;">fried</span>. Peel the can, <span style="font-style: italic;">whomp</span> in on the counter, separate the biscuit-like thingies, and fry them gently in a small amount of butter. Yummy.<br /><br />I have had the frozen biscuits, and they are good, but I like to avoid some of the questionable ingredients in processed foods.<br /><br />The good news: really <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> homemade biscuits are quick and easy!<br /><br />One thing to remember when making biscuits is that you are doing the exact opposite thing as what you are doing when making bread, rolls, ect. When making bread you will be kneading the dough until its smooth as a babys bottom. You work the dough with your hands, and by the time you are done, every grain of flour in the dough is familiar with the lines on your hands.<br /><br />With biscuits, you want to handle the dough as if you have an aversion to getting your hands dirty. Now you <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span> get your hands dirty. If you're like me, you will have flour and dough from head to feet. But I'm just gifted that way. I only have to look at flour to have a fair amount of it in my hair. But its worth it.<br /><br />Anyway, picture a ball of well kneaded bread dough sitting on the counter. Its smooth and elastic, ready to become a beautiful loaf of bread. It's very proud. Now lets add a mass of biscuit dough next to the bread dough in our mental picture. The bread dough would move away, if it could, to the far corner of the counter-top. The biscuit dough is ready to become biscuits, but you wouldn't know that at first glance. Its not smooth, its a shaggy mess, barely holding together. You could work it a little more, to make it smoother, but don't. Its ready to be biscuits!<br /><br />But the bread dough need not feel so haughty. His beauty takes time and effort. The biscuit dough will be ready to go into the oven before the oven is ready to receive them!<br /><br />Get that oven set to 425*! Biscuit recipe coming soon!<br /></span></span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-41591515286716769352011-06-05T00:07:00.003+03:002011-06-05T00:22:37.062+03:00Pie Crust!I used to make pie crusts in the food processor. (hangs head in shame)<br />That is unnecessarily time consuming and messy, not to mention overkill on a dough that should be worked gently and briefly as possible.<br /><br />Pie crust is easy! Almost as easy as opening a box, cutting the plastic, and unrolling the already-made stuff.<br />Its also cheaper, and I would bet you, flakier!<br /><br />All you need is:<br />2 cups AP (thats short for all purpose flour)<br />3/4 cups lard<br />1 tsp. salt<br />3 oz. ice water<br /><br />(I fill a small glass with ice water, and leave it there until I'm ready to measure the water, then pour 3 0z. into my measuring cup)<br />(btw, 3 oz. is 6 tablespoons)<br /><br />What you do is:<br />measure your flour and salt into a bowl. Add the lard. now take your hand and work the lard into the flour. When you have worked it in enough it will resemble a very coarse meal. I just work it in until theres no great big globs of obvious lard.<br />Now, pour in your ice water with one hand and work it in with the other. It may not take all of it! But it will take almost all. You want it to come together into a ball, a workable ball, but not a gooey-sticky ball. Once its a ball, let it alone. Dont overwork it.<br /><br />At this point, you can roll it out on a floured surface, or refrigerate for a few hours then make your pie.<br /><br />Either way, this is really good pie crust.Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-49568175415155813022011-06-05T00:07:00.000+03:002011-06-05T00:08:10.926+03:00Pie Crust!Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-55631417397393276152011-03-30T17:45:00.002+03:002011-03-30T18:05:13.842+03:00When life gives you stale bread....MAKE BREAD PUDDING!!! you need bread that is stale or dried out. It can dry at room temp. just by hanging around a bit past its prime, or, you can dry it in a low oven. This is a very tasty way to use old bread. you need 6 to 8 slices. Can use white, whole wheat, or a mixture of different breads. I used homemade Oatmeal bread. Mmmmm..... Bread pudding is a very frugal, homey thing. Its not fussy. Just use what you have. Anyway, the bread needs to be "dried out". Then cut it up into cubes. Throw them in a 8" or 9" square pan that you have buttered. Throw in a handful of raisins. Or other dried fruit. Oven at 350*. In another bowl, pour 2 cups heavy cream. Or milk. Whatever. 4 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 heaping tsp. cinnamon Whip this mixture up good with a wire whip. Pour it over the bread and raisins in the pan. Pour a little melted butter over the top. Put it into the oven for around 45 minutes. Its good warm, cold, alone, or with <a href="http://www.creationsbykara.com/2011/02/buttermilk-caramel-syrup.html">this WONDERFUL caramel sauce </a>I found the recipe for the other day. That caramel sauce.... you really <em>need</em> to click on that and make some. Don't let the buttermilk scare you. I feel the same way about buttermilk. Anyway, I had some of the sauce left over from waffles Sunday morning, and it is delectable on the bread pudding. GOOD STUFF! Good eating!Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-34351558694912472112011-03-26T03:29:00.003+02:002011-03-26T03:49:47.012+02:00Meat LoafMy dear daughter Tabetha called today asking for my meatloaf recipe. This presents a bit of a problem. Which one? I use a variety of recipes, and I also use no recipe. Meatloaf is: meat, some sort of bread, eggs, seasoning, tomatoes (or not).<br /><br />With these basic ingredients you can make meatloaf. Add to it, take from it as you wish.<br />But there are several recipes that I also use. I will start with this one, your basic Mom-style meatloaf. This one comes from one of my favorite cookbooks. Farm Journal's Country Cookbook. I got it used, and the covers have since fallen off. But it has some great recipes!<br /><br />Meat loaf:<br />2 lbs. ground beef<br />1 medium onion, diced (recipe says sliced, I always dice)<br />2 eggs, unbeaten<br />1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard (you will find it in the spice aisle)<br />1 tsp. chili powder<br />1 1/2 c. stewed tomatoes (I just use the smaller can of diced tomatoes, no worries)<br />2 slices bread, broken into pieces<br />2 tsp. salt<br />1/4 tsp. pepper<br />4 strips bacon<br /><br />*combine all ingredients except bacon. Pack into a 9X5X3 loaf pan. Place bacon strips across the top.<br />*bake in preheated 350* oven 1 1/2 hours<br />Makes 8-10 servings<br />(leftovers will freeze)<br /><br />Enjoy, sweetie!Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-34640537319861426672011-02-01T20:30:00.008+02:002011-02-04T22:25:21.313+02:00A great pot of (pinto) beans doesn't have to take hours!<span style="font-size:180%;">We eat a lot of pinto beans around here, as I'm sure you can tell from my posts. They are inexpensive, versatile, delicious, and keep indefinatly in their dried state.<br /><br /><br /><br />But they take forever too cook. Used to. Not anymore.<br /><br /><br /><br />I can start a pot of beans from dry, unsoaked, and they will be done in just about an hour.<br /><br /><br /><br />Enter an old freind... the pressure cooker.<br /><br /><br />I know we have all heard horror stories of lids blown off and food permanently embedded in the ceiling. Modern pressure cookers are safe! More safety gadgets on them than a nuclear power plant.<br /><br /><br /><br />Mine however, is about 20 years old. It has 2 safety gadgets. One locks the lid when there is any pressure at all, so you can't accidently remove the lid when you shouldn't. The other is a small rubber plug that will blow before anything else if there is a problem.<br /><br /><br /><br />The best safety with mine is keeping close by and keeping a keen ear tuned to it. Once it has pressre and the regulator begins to rock, the sound (spt, spt, spt) should continue. If it stops making noise, it needs your immediate attention!<br /><br /><br /><br />Now for the beans. Note, different size cookers can safely handle different amounts of foods. In mine, with beans, you never want to fill it more than half full, beans AND water.<br /><br /><br /><br />Sort and wash your beans. Place in cooker, and cover with 2" of water. Remember, the beans and water should not fill the cooker more than half-full. Add salt and pepper, and some sort of oil. This keeps the foaming down, you do not want to omit this. I use bacon grease, about 3 tablespoons.<br /><br />Place the lid securely on the cooker and bring up to pressure. Once it reaches operating pressure, on my cooker, I reduce heat to the point where the pressure regulator on the top of the cooker is gently rocking. Once operating pressure is reached, set your timer for <strong>50 minutes</strong>.<br /><br />When the timer goes off, shut off the heat and let the pressure drop on its own. When the pressure is all gone, remove the lid to reveal your pot of beans, ready to enjoy!<br /><br />Serve with warm corn bread, or use the beans in other recipes.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-82930528871319017432010-03-17T22:56:00.005+02:002011-02-04T22:29:21.898+02:00Mexican Restuarant Beans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbt65Nq1XmlOZXccv-yr-e2fEY81HDGwp0iGmHZC07y0qx8Iy_2InOdYziEwWv5lKhRCN5yHxct5B_gIvTu0Eeb7BYMf7Ldhq1Ug5uhrFWf4bgtdg6niczQRp-baA7YJGXcdjBQcG0NQ/s1600-h/misc+022.jpg"><span style="font-size:180%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449716304987637250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbt65Nq1XmlOZXccv-yr-e2fEY81HDGwp0iGmHZC07y0qx8Iy_2InOdYziEwWv5lKhRCN5yHxct5B_gIvTu0Eeb7BYMf7Ldhq1Ug5uhrFWf4bgtdg6niczQRp-baA7YJGXcdjBQcG0NQ/s320/misc+022.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:180%;">This is NOT refried beans.<br /><br /><br />We ate at a Mexican restraunt in Amarillo some time back, and my daughter got a small bowl of beans on the side. They were too hot for her, but I fell in love with them. I have tried duplicating the recipe, but to no avail.<br /><br /><br />These are not 100% the same, but they are OH SO good, I would have to say they are every bit <em>as </em>good as the ones at the restaurant.<br /><br /><br />I just threw them together, and so right now I am going to type out what I did.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I used canned beans! (GASP!!)<br /><br /><br />It was a large can of regular pintos, which I drained. I will use dried beans most likely next time.<br /><br /><br />I diced about 1/2 of an onion and 2 jalapenos (seeded) and sauted them in a little oil.<br /><br /><br />Then I added about 2 cups of homemade chicken stock, a dash of cumin, and some black -pepper, plus some Season-all PEPPER. Then I added about 2 chipotle peppers with some of the accompanying sauce. I dumped the beans into this mixture and heated well. Salted them.<br /><br /><br />I considered adding a can of drained rotel, but after sampling the beans, I decided they did not need tomatoes in them.<br /><br /><br />A little fresh garlic added the the saute just before its done would be good, but not enough to overpower.<br /><br />I also added some cilantro to the small bowl I was sampling out of.<br /><br /><br />Yes, they are hot. But oh my gosh they are good! Of course if you make these you will have to play around with proportions as I will next time, as I will likley make bigger batches.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-12275738898600856032009-07-13T23:52:00.005+03:002011-02-04T22:29:49.191+02:00Grandma Merri's Spanish Rice Dinner<span style="font-size:180%;">Cooking was not one of my Mom's favorite things, but there were several things she made and enjoyed making. Spanish rice was certainly one of them, and I always loved it when she made it.<br />I have made it so many times myself that the little card it is typed on sits unused in my recipe file card box. Now I just make it as I do so many other things, adding this or that, changing something here or there.<br /><br />This is a main-dish, not a side dish like Mexican rice. Its one of the very few things I find any use for "minute rice" for.<br /><br />I'm reprinting the recipe exactly as it is on her recipe card. It is delicious.<br /><br />SPANISH RICE<br />1 lb. ground beef<br />1/4 c. crisco oil<br />1/2 c. chopped onion<br />1/2 c. green pepper<br />1 1/2 c. instant rice<br />Brown above until golden in color<br />Add:<br />1 c. HOT water<br />2 -8 oz. cans tomato sauce<br />1 tsp. salt<br />1 tsp. sugar<br />1 tsp. lemon juice<br />1/4 tsp. pepper<br />Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5 minutes.<br />She has a note that says: <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">(I usually add a dash or so of catsup and stir it together before removing from the heat)</span><br /><br />My own notes now:<br />Unless you buy really lean meat, you certainly don't need the vegetable oil. That stuff will kill you!<br />I haven't used sugar in it in years.<br />I often use diced tomatos in place of the tomato sauce.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-44252097067277823412009-07-02T16:12:00.003+03:002011-02-04T22:30:06.103+02:00For the 4th of July... Mom's potato salad<span style="font-size:180%;">In the spirit of </span><a href="http://www.salon.com/opinion/keillor/2009/07/01/potato_salad/index.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">this article</span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"> by Garrison Keillor, lets make some potato salad for the 4th of July!<br />I know it would never occur to you to buy potato salad.... would it? Uh... I must confess to having bought <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">macaroni</span> salad before. From Walmart. I'm sorry. There's really no excuse for that, is there? Especially when homemade is so easy and so, so much better tasting and better for you. Yeah, better for you. Read the ingredient label on store bought macaroni or potato salad. I guarantee you will find stuff on the list that you would not put in your homemade salad. If its not something your great grandmother would have recognized as food, it probably aint good for you!<br />So! Potato salad! Lets make some!<br /><br />Boil about <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">3 pounds of potatoes</span>. Drain. Now you come to a fork in the road... do you like chunky potato salad, or do you like it smooth? Up to you here, whether you chunk 'em up or mash.<br />I like to add a couple stalks of <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">celery</span>, some <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">onion</span>, sometimes a couple <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">hard boiled eggs</span>, just whatever you like in there, add it!<br />Now in a bowl, mix some <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">REAL Mayonnaise</span>, around a cup, with a tablespoon or so of <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">spicy brown mustard</span>. Mix well, and add to your potato mixture. Mix well and add more if needed. Add salt and pepper, taste, add more if needed. Chill well, its better after it sits in the fridge a while. Good stuff, and if you have used REAL mayonnaise, Great Grandma would approve of it!</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-76953557992798330712009-06-19T22:28:00.003+03:002011-02-04T22:30:31.131+02:00Homemade Flour Tortillas<span style="font-size:180%;">Warning. Trust me on this one. These will ruin any former enjoyment you ever had of store-bought flour tortillas. There is simply no comparison. They are easy to make, and the more you make, the better you will get at it. I will admit, the art of making them perfectly round, well, I don't have that part down just yet. But then I've been making my own pie crusts a lot longer, and they don't turn out all neat like the ones on TV either. But they still taste good! And they ARE getting rounder each time!<br />Necessary equipment:<br />a rolling pin: note. I have a cut piece of a garden tool handle that I find is a lot better for rolling tortillas than my regular rolling pin<br />some sort of griddle than can be heated to a high temperature. Non-stick surface is NOT ok for this. A "lid" from an old cast iron stove, or a cast iron griddle. I use one of those cast iron griddles that fits over 2 burners.<br />Ingredients:<br />If you have a scale, you need 500 grams of flour. 4 cups more or less.<br />a heaping 1/4 cup of lard. Don't go all wobbly on me here. Lard. Gotta be lard. </span><a href="http://www.semissourian.com/story/1546126.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">Do not be afraid!</span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />Back to your scale, 17 grams of kosher salt. Doesn't HAVE to be kosher salt, but I love the taste of it so that's what I use. Around a Tablespoon. Regular granulated salt has a finer grain, and you might want to use less.<br />You can use a pastry blender, 2 knives, a fork, whatever. But you have to work the lard into the flour. I prefer just to use my hands.<br />Now add between 1 and 1-1/2 cups HOT water. Mix this up with your hands. Resist the urge to add too much water. Dough should form together, but not be sticky. Turn out and knead on counter just a few times, gently. Now leave it on the counter and cover it with the bowl. Let it set 30 minutes or so.<br />After the dough is relaxed, heat your griddle. Then divide into 10-12 balls and shape into a disk and set aside. When your done pre-shaping the last one, you can start rolling the first one. Keep the rest covered with a kitchen towell. Roll them out into as close to a circle as you can.<br />The griddle is ready when water dropped onto it immediatly evaporates.<br />Use no grease, and be very careful. Plop the first one down onto the hot griddle. Let it cook a few seconds and flip it with a spatula. Continue flipping until done on both sides. They will have dark brown spots across their surface.<br />I lay mine on a towell and flip half the towell over them to keep them covered.<br />Eat while still warm or seal up in a zip-bag and refridgerate.<br />Next time I make a batch, I will add some pictures.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-79054048972153400472009-06-16T22:55:00.005+03:002011-02-04T22:31:01.371+02:00Carne Guisada<span style="font-size:180%;">My middle girl loves carne guisada. Its almost always what she orders at Mexican Food restaurants.<br />So, I set out through the deep waves, surfing the internet for a good carne guisada for her. There are as many ways to make carne guisada as there are cooks and food blogs!<br />So, I took what sounded good from several places, combined it with what I knew her likes and dislikes were, and created my own version of carne guisada.<br />Whoops. Forgot something! What IS carne guisada, anyway? I hear its not such a common dish outside of Texas.<br />Carne guisada is literally "stewed meat." We have ran across a few places that make it from pork, but usually it is beef, and that is what my daughter likes, so this one is beef. Beef cooked in a gravy with (not too hot for her) peppers, onions and a few spices.<br /><br />Here's how I made it:<br />In a heavy (well seasoned cast iron is best) dutch oven, in <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">lard</span> (yes, LARD) saute <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">1 onion, diced</span>, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">1/2 or so bell pepper, and 1 or 2 jalapenos, all diced</span>. When its about done, add a<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> couple cloves minced garlic.</span><br />Cut up about <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">4 pounds of round steak</span>, and dredge it through some<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> all-purpose flour.</span><br />Remove the onion mixture from the pot and add more <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">lard</span> if needed, then throw in the meat and brown it. Add <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">"some" cumin,</span> and <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">4 cups beef broth.</span> Now put a lid on that puppy and throw him in the oven at a real low heat, around 200*, for several hours. Get it out of there and give it a good stir once in a while and check its progress. The meat will be very tender when its done.<br /><br />Serve with homemade flour tortillas, (have I posted that recipe yet?) </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)" href="http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2008/06/with-beans-comes-rice.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">Homesick Texan's Mexican Rice </span></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-size:180%;" >and homemade refried beans</span><a style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)" href="http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2008/06/with-beans-comes-rice.html"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-size:180%;" >.</span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"></span></span><a style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)" href="http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2008/06/with-beans-comes-rice.html"><br /></a>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-57282055455074418262009-06-16T21:36:00.006+03:002011-02-04T22:31:23.453+02:00Sourdough Bread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoZKd7_WiZjoEc1Nl6y6x-LPRP4t0ZamGtGrH96nF-OajXWkeaGLCxv4f5ScjKhujiELFQaJ6VPq6sgIcxpjvCGh40x9VrAaFFbiTw9dQUBaTC9OeGdmyFy59sSgGxSBsoHFWGc0vxfs/s1600-h/bread+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348009043291912626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoZKd7_WiZjoEc1Nl6y6x-LPRP4t0ZamGtGrH96nF-OajXWkeaGLCxv4f5ScjKhujiELFQaJ6VPq6sgIcxpjvCGh40x9VrAaFFbiTw9dQUBaTC9OeGdmyFy59sSgGxSBsoHFWGc0vxfs/s320/bread+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Several months back I posted about a new book that had come out, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.' Great book, I highly recommend it.<br />That book inspired me to get back into more "hands on" bread baking, and I ran across a great site for bakers, The Fresh Loaf. Through that site, and a couple of excellent books I have gotten, </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)" href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Baking-Perspective-Daniel-DiMuzio/dp/0470138823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245178433&sr=8-1"><span style="font-size:180%;">(Dan DiMuzio's Bread Baking)</span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)"> </span>and </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)" href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes/dp/0471168572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245178527&sr=1-1"><span style="font-size:180%;">(Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread) </span></a><span style="font-size:180%;">I have learned a lot of new info on making some very tasty "artisan" bread.<br />There are many opinions as to what constitutes "artisan bread", but to me it is bread made by a slower process than what I had learned when I first started making bread 20-some years ago. Then, the idea was to make the bread rise as fast as you could. With artisan the emphasis is often on slow fermentation.... allowing the bread to slowly develop, bringing out the subtle flavors of the grains. The exact opposite of "fast food." Often the loaves are hand shaped and baked on a stone instead of in a pan, though that is not always the case. I believe to, at least for myself, there is an emphasis on natural ingredients, you won't find the dough conditioners, high fructose corn syrup, or unpronounceable stuff that you find in store bought, mass produced bread.<br />Artisan bread can practically stand alone, the center of a meal instead of something to hold a sandwich together or slather with peanut butter and jelly.<br />Several times over the years I have tried to get a sourdough starter going. Each time I failed. I tried again a couple weeks ago. Due in large part to info and advice I received from The Fresh Loaf, and the books I now have, this time my starter succeeded! Its alive and well sitting on my kitchen counter.<br />Yesterday I used it to make a loaf of sourdough bread. I used Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough and I am pleasantly surprised not only in how it looks but also in the taste. This one is a keeper for sure!</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-34336788200788338522009-05-20T23:06:00.004+03:002011-02-04T22:32:06.233+02:00Cream of Spinach Soup<span style="font-size:180%;">I really enjoy Mark Bittman's blog. He has a lot of good recipes and really good advice from time to time.<br />Last night I made Cream of Spinach Soup, which I got from his blog. It was absolutely delicious, and I will bet that the 1/4 cup or so thats left over will be on daughter # 3's mind as soon as we get home today.<br /><br />1 # spinach (I used frozen. I would not recommend canned at all)<br />onions (he calls for spring onions or scallions, I had regular "spanish onions, and diced them up fine)<br />3 cups </span><a href="http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/11/thanksgiving-th.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">homemade chicken stock </span></a><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Bring to a boil, reduce heat to barely a simmer, cook about 10 minutes.<br />Add a pinch of nutmeg<br />Kosher salt<br />Blend the soup. (I used a hand blender, worked great)<br />Add a cup or so of cream, or as in my case, half-n-half<br /><br />Slurp!</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-23256922261774692882009-05-18T22:19:00.003+03:002011-02-04T22:33:54.774+02:00Chicken Stock<span style="font-size:180%;">I made 5 1/2 qts of chicken stock saturday. I used a "recipe" (if it can be called a recipe, maybe its more of a method) from a guy named Michael Ruhlman, who is a food writer, and who has written a book called "Ratio" which I will be mentioning here on my blog in the following weeks.<br />Anyway, he suggests using a turkey carcass. I didn't have one, but I did have quite a few chicken backs.<br />When I make chicken, I frequently do not use the backs. Not much meat, WAY too many bones. I save them in a bag in the freezer, and when there's enough (backs and time) I make stock.<br />This time I used </span><a href="http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/11/thanksgiving-th.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">Mr. Ruhlman's method </span></a><span style="font-size:180%;">and I really like it! Isuggest you try it too!<br /><br />I have been on a "soup kick" for the last week or two, making vegetable soups, just adding some of this and some of that until it looks good. I will try to get a "recipe" written up for one or two of them so you can try them out.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-28940251659895385162009-05-05T20:48:00.006+03:002011-02-04T22:34:38.395+02:00Pineapple Upside Down Cake<span style="font-size:180%;">This is so easy and delicious!<br /><br />You need a 9X13 pan. Set your oven on 350*. Take a stick of BUTTER and melt it in the pan. Now put brown sugar over the butter. "Some." I really don't measure it, just eyeball it. Enough to soak up most of the butter. Now, open a can of pineapple and drain it into a measing cup.<br />Your going to use a cake mix. Yellow cake. I like the "butter recipe" one. See how much water the recipe calls for, and use the juice from the can in place of the water. If there's not enough juice, add enough water to make up the amount.<br />If your using chunk pieapple, just distribute it evenly. If using rings, you may need 2 cans to make it look right. I like to add a marachino cherry to the centers of the rings when I have them.<br />Now mix up the cake as the directions say, spread on top of the pineapples, bake as directed, and when done, let cool about 5 minutes and turn out onto a cookie sheet.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-87290233302907716232009-04-15T21:47:00.004+03:002011-02-04T22:34:59.281+02:00Leftovers: Mashed Potato Soup<span style="font-size:180%;">This is so good, you would not guess its made from leftovers. Leftover mashed potato soup!<br /><br />I made </span><a href="http://momsrecipesfromhome.blogspot.com/2009/02/mashed-potatoes.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">mashed potatoes </span></a><span style="font-size:180%;">the day before. Next day, I sauted some onion in butter, added the leftover mashed potatoes, a bit of ham cubed (leftover ham, as well) and added milk. A little less milk that potatoes. A little salt and pepper, and a shake or 2 of celery salt.<br /><br />Delicious!</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-76570136440569252752009-03-15T00:02:00.005+02:002011-02-04T22:36:47.188+02:00Exploding Enchiladas- A word of warning<span style="font-size:180%;">We had gone to Oklahoma to see my Dad and step-mom in the nursing home. One thing I really wanted to do while we were there was cook up a batch of enchiladas for my brother and sister in law who also live in Oklahoma. I mixed up the dry ingredients for the sauce at home, and purchased the rest of what I needed at the local Walmart.<br /><br />I made 2 pans, one of cheese enchiladas, one of beef ones. I buttered 2 pyrex baking dishes, placed the enchiladas in them, and placed them in my sister in laws brand new oven at 400*.<br /><br />About 15 minutes later, and nearly time for them to come out of the oven, I heard a loud POP in the oven. I opened the door to see a terrible mess. The dish that the cheese enchiladas were in had exploded, and shards of glass and melting cheese were everywhere inside the oven, including in the other dish of enchiladas. There were some big peices of glass and there were tiny shards. It was all over the oven, including some that fell down below the "floor" of the oven, so that the oven had to be partly disassembled to clean it. What a mess!<br /><br />Our dinner was ruined, and her brand new oven would require extensive cleaning. It was a horrible feeling.<br /><br />When I retured home, I wondered if anyone had ever had a similar experiance with Pyrex or other glass type baking dishes. After a google search, I have learned that many people have had similar experiances, but quite a few of them have resulted in injuries due to broken glass embedded in them, burns, and cuts.<br /><br />Many of the cases I read were simlar to mine, the pan exploding for no apparent reason while in the oven. Others explode when the door is open to check the cooking, others explode when set out to cool. Some even claim to have had them explode after having cooled. Some are new dishes, others are a number of years old.<br /><br />Bad as the mess was in the oven, at least it was contained by the oven. I feel fortunate that no one was hurt.<br /><br />If mine had been the only such experiance, I would chalk it up to bad luck, a flaw in the pan, ect. But I really believe Pyrex has got a big problem on their hands, and from what I have read, they are in a bit of denial about it. I just hope someone isn't seriously hurt or blinded before they do something.<br /><br />I will not be using Pyrex or Fire-King glass baking dishes anymore. One pan of exploding enchiladas is enough for me.<br /><br />You can </span><a href="http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/pyrex.html"><span style="font-size:180%;">click here</span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"> for many personal stories similar to mine. Unfortunatly, some of these folks got hurt.</span>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-39676690226082805402009-03-08T23:17:00.006+02:002009-03-08T23:29:18.718+02:00Left-overs: Too much spaghetti or too much sauceI never can seem to get it right. I either make too much sauce for my spaghetti noodles, or too much noodles for the amount of sauce I make. Either way, you have to figure out what to do with the excess.<br /><br />So, here are two great suggestions for either scenario!<br /><br />Too much sauce: Cut up a chicken, put in crock pot, and pour your leftover spaghetti sauce over it. Cook on low until done. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese if you want. Very tasty!<br /><br />Too much spaghetti: My family loves this one. Saute the noodles in a little oil. You can add a bit of diced onion if you want. You want the noodles to brown, but only slightly. Add vegetables, whatever you have on hand and want to use up. Then add a shake or two of soy sauce. Season with whatever you like. I am fond (as I have mentioned) of Peppered Season-all. Serve and enjoy! Good stuff!Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-33740003376074886842009-02-16T22:47:00.004+02:002009-02-16T23:18:17.848+02:00Homemade Laundry Soap<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYP65xiaCzFrAWsufuyfsS8MYb6cAUFfgRD8bjCBm2hJT9ytLcdrVUPH5_v-NvrBIUdfVCGiwA-quqnfnsQwzVLJRMCeF6vtH_qz0LDARIkxQDdOSv4zSeB_ggq7lPFWL1ghEKjHCO0m0/s1600-h/laundry.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303506797592212690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYP65xiaCzFrAWsufuyfsS8MYb6cAUFfgRD8bjCBm2hJT9ytLcdrVUPH5_v-NvrBIUdfVCGiwA-quqnfnsQwzVLJRMCeF6vtH_qz0LDARIkxQDdOSv4zSeB_ggq7lPFWL1ghEKjHCO0m0/s320/laundry.jpg" border="0" /></a> A bit of a change here. This is not food, but a way to save money! I made a batch of this over the weekend, and was very pleased with the results on my husbands' work clothes as well as on all our clothes. The soap takes all of about 5 minutes to mix up.<br /><div></div><br /><div>There are many and varied recipes online for making your own laundry soap. Some are for dry powder type, some for liquid. I prefer the dry powder, so that is what I made.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Supposedly, about any bar soap will work. I bought 2 bars of ZOTE, but I think next time I will use Ivory, simply because its carried at the store I regularly shop at, and ZOTE is not. Most people recommended zote, fels-naptha, Kirks Castile, or Ivory, but several people said they save up their left-over soap bits and use them, using whatever type soap they had on hand.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I used a food processor to quickly grate a bar of ZOTE, then used the knife blade to further pulverize the soap. The whole process too under 5 minutes. </div><br /><div></div>So here's thye recipe!<br /><div>to 1 cup of the pulverized soap, add:</div><br /><div>1/2 cup washing soda {note, all the recipes called for washing soda, however washing soda was not to be found in my town, so I bought a big box of baking soda instead}</div><br /><div>and</div><br /><div>1/2 cup borax {I bought 20 mules team borax, it is in the laundry aisle.}</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Use about 2 tablespoons per regular wash load.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>All together these 3 ingredients cost maybe $5.00, and there is enough soda and borax left over to make many, many more batches of soap. </div><br /><div>This is incredibly less expensive that the Tide I have been using, and so far I am very happy with the results.</div><br /><div></div>Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6791620102986603119.post-41946354339607068802009-02-16T22:10:00.002+02:002009-02-16T22:19:42.282+02:00Mashed PotatoesPut an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese into your potatoes as you mash them, and you will be suprised at the results. You will not <em>taste </em>the cream cheese, but will just notice that the potatoes are creamier and richer than usual.<br />To about 5 pounds, more or less, of potatoes, use 1- 8 oz package cream cheese.<br />Then of course use a stick or so of real butter and then add milk or heavy cream, salt, pepper. Fresh chives would be excellent in these, too.Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530865308560285688noreply@blogger.com0