Honey-Lemon Salad DressingMake your own salad dressing! It's tastier, healthier and so much cheaper. It is also quick and easy to make.
Easy Clarified ButterThere is clarified butter, and then there is ghe or ghee. They are not the same. Clarified butter, or 'drawn butter', as it was called in times past, is the simpler to prepare of the two. It can be used many ways. Essentially, it is regular butter with the milk solids and water removed.
Measuring from a Small ContainerMaybe I'm the only one that has done this, but when measuring a cup of flour from this small bag, I have been doing it in the bag and it was hard. I finally figured out a better way to do it.
Make Your Own Sausage PattiesMy husband is both diabetic and has heart problems. He has always eaten sausage for breakfast and the sausage we would buy in the grocery store always had additives and more fat in them then he could handle.
Cooking Beans from ScratchMy husband is diabetic and eats a lot of beans. We buy about 12 different types of beans (we can get some local types here also), and he takes my big water bath canner and cooks up a whole pot of beans.
Make Your Own Almond MilkTo make almond milk, you need only about a cup of raw almonds. Make sure not to buy or use roasted almonds. You soak these overnight in pure water, drain, and put in a blender along with 3 cups of pure filtered or spring water and blend about 2 1/2 minutes.
Clearing Cloudy Soup StockIf you make your own consomme out of meat stock, boil egg shells in the finished stock for half an hour, and then strain. The shells clear the cloudiness wonderfully leaving you with beautiful, translucent liquid consomme.
Making SoymilkWe make our own soy milk with a Soyquick machine I purchased at the Salvation Army. Soybeans can be purchased cheaply in the bulk goods section of Chamberlain's Natural Foods.
Make Your Own Condensed SoupI make my own condensed creamed soups for recipes. I take 1-1/4 cup milk, 3 -4 tbs. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water (or broth). Then I add about 1/2 cup chicken stock or pureed celery or mushrooms, dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Make Your Own Pasta SauceNever buy prepared pasta sauce! They are expensive, very loaded with unhealthy items, and very bland. You always have to add extras to make it taste like "your own". So why pay $3-5 for a jar of tomato product?
Make Your Own Pasta at HomePasta is an easy, fun and simple thing to make. If you are looking for something to do with the children you can look up pasta making and spend the day making pasta with your children. It will save money, make a great meal and would be something the children will talk about for years!
Cooking from Scratch for a Large FamilyCooking from scratch can save you a lot of money. Here are some tips to help you learn to cook from scratch. Post your ideas.
Cooking Up Chickens for Meat and BrothCooking Up Chickens for Meat and Broth. I get whole chickens on sale and bake them in the oven, usually three. Then, I separate the meat into freezer bags. The bones and browned skin go into a stock pot with water, onion, carrot and celery. . .
Have Spices and Seasoning When Cooking From ScratchOne of the keys to cooking from scratch is having a good supply of quality spices. There can be sticker shock when shopping for spices but a little goes a long way.
Stocking Staples and Cooking From ScratchThe key to cooking from scratch is making sure that you have staples on hand. Potatoes are one of the best and most versatile staples. Potatoes are cheap, can be stored for a long time, and can be used in a variety of dishes. Other staples to keep on hand are rice, beans, cooking oil, and flour.
Saving Chicken Breast Bones for SoupWhen I fix chicken breasts and I do fix them often, I cut the meat off to use in boneless recipes. I leave a small amount of meat on the bones and freeze 6 or so of the boned out breasts in a freezer bag.
Easy Chicken BrothWhen de-boning and skinning chicken breasts, put an extra pot on the stove with the scraps (including bones, skin, fat scraps, etc.), adding water to cover, some onion, a carrot and celery tops plus a whole peppercorn or two.
Start from Scratch!My mother-in-law gave me this tip when my husband and I first got married and moved into our first home. I tried it and it's true, and it's also healthier and earth friendly.
Chili and Tortillas From Scratch, For Stretching A Food BudgetWe have always been on a food budget and 2 of our 5 kids were boys who had hollow legs, especially when they started playing football. I always buy dry beans to soak for chili, burritos, soup or whatever. I get twice as much for more than half the price. I also to find farmers who sell them at bulk amounts. Then I can store them for quite awhile. I put them in seal a meal type bags and vacuum seal them.
Cleaning Pinto BeansMy mom used to clean the debris from pinto beans by picking through them one handful at a time. Here is what I do, pour a layer of beans onto a plate, pick out debris, then pour into the pot. Much quicker.
Quicker Cooking Dried BeansCut the cooking time way down on dried beans by soaking overnight, then freezing them in usable quantities. Then cook them by boiling them until soft. The freezing breaks down some of the cell fibers allowing them to cook more quickly.
Make Biscuits From ScratchDon't buy the expensive biscuits in the tube from the cooler at the grocery store. Make your own from scratch! Saves money and tastes much better too.
I Try To Cut Costs Wherever I CanSince my grocery budget is small I try to cut costs wherever I can. We try to eat salad at lunch and dinner so I always put my veggies into the plastic bags provided by the grocery store. I always try to buy bulk meat when I can.
Cooking and Baking from ScratchIt is really not that hard or inconvenient. Once you do it for a while, it will seem like you've done it forever.
