MENUS WEEK #3 VISITING WITH OLD FRIENDS, COOKBOOKS

February 1, 2012

Last night I went with a friend to a free herb growing seminar. The evening was pleasant and I learned a few new things. When she brought me home we sat and talked awhile about menu planning and Master Mixes. I drug out my stack of make it from scratch cookbooks that I start many of my recipes from. I of course tweak all the recipes to meet my family needs and personal tastes.

That is the great thing about making all your own mixes. It allows you to adjust for allergies and intolerances, special medical needs, taste preferences and much more.

Going through the cookbooks as we talked I saw many delicious and useful recipes I had forgotten all about due to being in a rut of cooking the same few meals over and over.

That is one of the great things about long term menu planning. You can climb out of the rut because with long term planning you can see very quickly what rut you are falling into.

Take cookies, those of us who bake cookies tend to make the same one or two over and over. Chocolate chip, sugar, Snickerdoodles, repeat. But my family loves all sorts of wonderful cookies. It’s just so easy to stick with the same three or so and repeat making them. But with menu planning and striving to stay out of the rut each week is different. In fact I’m trying to see how long I can go without repeating too much. Already in the first weeks Coconut Macaroons have reappeared. My husband dearly loves macaroons, but I very seldom make them. They aren’t hard, it’s just they aren’t part of my basic rut. In the weeks to come expect to see gingersnaps, refrigerator nut cookies and many, many more.

While I do tend repeat the sides of meals often I’m even going to try and switch those up. Instead of plain corn watch for corn relish, corn fritters, Mexicorn, corn on the cob, fried corn, corn nuggets, corn chowder and much more. I will also be working at breaking from the norm on what sides go with what meals.

My mother in law once went on a trip to Walt Disney World with us, during the trip I made meatloaf. She became upset because the vegetable of the night was green beans instead of peas. She said she could not eat the meat loaf without peas. I didn’t have a single can of peas in the camper so she had to muddle through. It’s not that she was being difficult it was she was so set in her rut that meatloaf required peas that she simply couldn’t be satisfied with the meal. I refuse to be in that rut. That’s where long term menu planning can be a tremendous help to get out of the rut and stay out of it.

So here’s the menu plan and recipes for week #3.

WEEK #3: BREAKFAST OPPORTUNITES

Waffles: leftover from the double batch cooking on Sunday

Serve with syrup, molasses, honey, butter etc.

Spread with peanut butter, chop a banana and add cinnamon sugar

Spread with other nut butters

Top with fruit in simple syrup

Hot Cereal:

Rice, reheat leftover rice from the previous dinner menus

Farina

Multigrain packets

Cold Cereal:

Corn Pops (store brand, but a guilty pleasure of mine)

Corn flakes

Fruit:

Kiwi

Dried fruits, bulk purchased or home dried—great in the cereals

Beverages:

Apple juice, from frozen concentrate

Milk

Hot tea

Hot cocoa, from homemade mix

LUNCH OPPORTUNITIES: WEEK #3

Sandwiches:

Egg salad, made from our farm fresh eggs

Toasted raisin bread with cream cheese

Deli ham

Salad ingredients:

Spring salad mix: bulk purchased

Feta cheese

Bacon bits, homemade or freeze dried

Shredded carrots

Red onion

Salad dressing:

Pecan vinegrette, homemade

French, homemade

Soups:

Navy bean, from making the Navy bean master mix

Gumbo

Pasta Fagoli

Fruits:

Kiwi

Assorted dried fruits

WEEK 3 DINNER MENUS—GROUND BEEF WEEK

Monday 1/23/2012

Bacon Cheeseburgers—on homemade buns

French fries , frozen—bought on sale

Sweet Potato Fries, frozen—bought on sale

Chocolate Pudding—made from Master Mix recipe

Pepsi—bought on sale

Tuesday 1/24/2012

Pioneer Woman Chili—use leftovers later in the week

Tortilla chips or Crackers—either homemade crackers, or on sale chips

Cheddar cheese—grate from the bulk purchase block

Onions—from the root cellar

Lime wedges—from the root cellar (bulk purchase)

Milk—bought at Sam’s to save $.50 per gallon

Coconut macaroons--homemade

Wednesday 1/25/2012

Hot dogs—wieners bulk purchased on sale and frozen, homemade buns

Baked beans—homemade from dried beans

Corn on the cob—frozen bought with coupon on sale

Pepsi—bought on sale

Leftover desserts

Thursday 1/26/2012

Sausage Rolls with Marinara—homemade, bulk purchase sausage and homemade marinara

Garlic noodles—homemade noodles from bulk cooking last week.

Green beans—home canned

Iced tea

Apple Crisp—homemade from food storage

Friday 1/27/2012

Indian tacos—use Pioneer Woman leftover chili and sopapilla Master Mix to make shells

Mexicorn—bought on sale

Green Beans--leftover

Flan—food storage from the gift given us by a friend

Tea

Saturday 1/28/2012

Italian Sausage Pizza—more bulk purchase sausage from previous menus, homemade crust and sauce, grated mozzarella from bulk purchase

Jarred Salad—vacuum sealed homemade salad mix to preserve freshness, and homemade dressing

Cheese bread sticks—made with some of the pizza crust dough and bulk purchase cheeses.

Pepsi

Leftover desserts

Sunday 1/29/2012

Pasta Fagioli Soup

French bread, homemade

Snickerdoodles

tea

SNACKING OPPORTUNITIES: WEEK #3

Salty:

Popcorn

Soft baked pretzels

Sweet:

Chocolate pudding

Coconut Macaroons after Tuesday

Apple Crisp after Thursday

Fruit:

Kiwis

Dried fruits

Veggies:

Celery with peanut butter or other nut butters

Carrot sticks

So now the menus are up let’s see what recipes I can share today. The hamburger/hot dog bun recipe can be viewed elsewhere in my blog at:

http://cjpattersonontheranch.blogspot.com/2011/05/playing-catch-up-on-garden-and-house.html

I use the same dough, for the sausage rolls, cheese bread sticks and pizza crust as well. It’s truly a versatile Master Mix.

When I speak of the Pioneer Woman Recipes these are recipes from Ree Drummond’s tv show or website. The chili recipe and those in the future can be viewed on her website at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-pioneer-woman/index.html

Last week and this both I used the Sopapilla Master Mix. Recipe can be viewed at:

http://cjpattersonontheranch.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-12-years-later.html

So on to the Navy Bean Soup for lunches, Molasses Baked Beans and Pasta Fagoili Soup. All are made using the

Navy Bean Soup Master Mix.

Yield: 12 cups

2 pounds dried navy beans, or other small white beans

10 cups water

1 large onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter, optional

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Wash and sort beans. Place in a large pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.



2. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.



3. Drain and discard water. Rinse beans and return pot. Add 10 c water and remaining ingredients.



4. Bring to a boil.



5. Simmer for 2 hours.



6. Freeze or can leftovers in 3 to 4 cup containers label and store appropriately.

Once the beans are tender you can eat this as Navy Bean Soup.

Molasses Baked Beans

Servings: 8

1/2 pound bacon, diced

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

4 cups Navy Bean Mix

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 F.



2. In large skillet fry bacon until almost crips. Drain and discard all but 1 tbl of drippings. Put bacon in a lidded 2 qt cassrole dish



3. Saute onions and celery in bacon drippings Add to casserole dish.



4. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.



5. Bake for 2 hours until all moisture is absorbed.

Pasta Fagoili Soup

Servings: 8

1 large onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, Minced OR 1 tsp garlic powder

73 ounces chicken broth

3 cups Navy Bean Soup Mix

14 ounces tomatoes, canned, dieced and peeled, undrained

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 teaspoon oregano leaves, dried

1 teaspoon basil leaves, dried

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 whole bay leaves

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1 cup shell pasta

salt, to taste

Parmesan cheese, fresh, optional

1. Spray large pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook about 4 or 5 minutes until partially tender, stirring occasionally.



2. Add Broth, Mix, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, pepper, bay leaves, parsley flakes and salt. Bring to a boil.



3. Add macaroni. Reduce to medium heat and cook 15 minutes until macaroni and vegetables are tender.



4. Remove bay leaves. Sprinkle with cheese.

Food Storage add ons for this week is the remainder of the 10#’s was used to brown with celery, onion, garlic and seasonings for future casseroles and soup add ins. Then canned.

The additional Navy Bean Master Mix can either be canned or frozen for future meals.

On a side note: You can make all your Hot Roll mix items up at once and then after the first rise freeze the doughs to use later in the week. I have in the past also held it in the refrigerator for a few days. It did develop a slight sourdough taste, which is not a bad thing.

Jan who is all about doing bulk cooking to save time and money in OK

MOVING ON TO WEEK #2 OF THE YEAR

January 27, 2012

Some have asked about the recipe program I use. I am currently using Master Cook v9. I truthfully do not know all the ins and outs of it. I would love to do all the planning and such in that program rather than in all the various programs I am currently using. I’m thinking of upgrading to v11 so I can get some support and learn how to do it all in one program. Until I have saved enough blow money to do that I’ll keep on the way I am doing it in Word, Excel and Master Cook, which is of course causing some redundancy.

So if you ask for an export of a recipe directly from MC I need to let you know this is one of the features that I can’t get to seem to work right, but I will work my way around that for you.

Anyway, on to the menus for week 2:

BREAKFAST OPPORTUNITIES: WEEK 2

Biscuits (leftover from week #1 Sunday’s dinner) with:

Leftover gravy (see dinner menu)

Sausage patties from the freezer or canned

Bacon, pre-cooked from fridge or canned

Eggs, fried or scrambled, from our chickens

Jelly/Jam/Honey/Molasses

Hot Cereals:

Rice, leftover from dinner’s week #1

Oatmeal packets, homemade

Farina, from food storage

Multigrain packets, homemade

Cold Cereal:

Raisin Bran, purchased with coupon

Rice Chex, store brand

Fruit:

Grapefruit, from bulk purchase

Mango, dried from food storage

Beverages:

Orange Juice, from frozen concentrate

Hot tea

Milk

Hot cocoa, from Master Mix

WEEK 2: LUNCH OPPORTUNITIES

Sandwiches:

Roast beef, from leftover smoked roast of week #1 dinners

PB&J

Toasted Cheese

BBQ Beef, from leftover bbq beef dinner in week #1

Salad ingredients:

Jarred spring mix

Tuna, from food storage

Roast Beef, from smoked beef from week #1

Pickled eggs, from food storage

Carrots

Onion

Salad dressings available:

Ranch, homemade

Italian, homemade

French, homemade

Soups:

Potato, after Tuesday

Chicken Noodle, after Thursday

Gumbo, after Saturday

Fruit:

Grapefruit

Banana

Fruit cups, bulk purchase

WEEK 2: DINNER MENU

Monday 1/16/2012

Chicken Pot Pie, homemade

Tea

Multi-grain dinner rolls, homemade

Gingerbread with whipped cream, made from Master Mix

Tuesday 1/17/2012

Potato soup, homemade

Crackers, bulk purchase

Milk

Gingerbread with whipped cream, leftover

Wednesday 1/18/2012

Sweet ‘n sour Pork, made from home canned pork loin or Master Mix

Egg Rolls, frozen, leftovers from previous week’s purchase

Chicken Fried Rice, use leftover rice and chicken from Monday’s meal

Steamed Rice, cook a jumbo batch

Tea

Peach Crumble, from food storage items

Thursday 1/19/2012

Chicken Noodle Soup-homemade

Peach Crumble, leftover

Tea

Crackers

Friday 1/20/2012

Roast beef Hash, from leftover roast that had been previously canned

Dinner Rolls, homemade

Tea

Brownies, from Master Mix

Corn, bulk purchased can

Saturday 1/21/2012

Gumbo, Zatarain’s Mix bought on sale, and frozen smoked sausage from food storage

Crackers, food storage, bulk purchase

Leftover desserts

Milk

Sunday 1/22/2012

Waffles, plain and fruited, from Master Mix

Milk

WEEK 2: SNACKS AVAILABLE

Salty:

Southern Trail Mix, leftover from the holidays

Chips leftover from week #1

Cheezits leftover from week #1

Sweet:

Gingerbread, after Monday

Peach Crumble, after Tuesday

Brownies, after Friday

Fruit:

Assorted dried fruits, home dried and bulk purchased

Grapefruit

Banana

Vegetables:

Carrot sticks

This week’s addition to food storage was the canning of the excess meat from the 10# of chicken leg quarters that I got for $.69 per pound. I canned the deboned meat as cooked, rather than raw pack. Again following the USDA guidelines. I then made chicken broth by boiling the bones with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, poultry seasoning and parsley. This in turn was canned for future meals.

I’m often asked for the Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix recipe so I will include that one today.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKE AND WAFFLE MASTER MIX

Yield: 10 1/2 cups

2 cups buttermilk, dried

8 cups flour, all-purpose

1/2 cup sugar

8 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt.

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl.



2. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.



BUTTERMILK WAFFLES

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Start to finish: 30 minutes



Notes: Make a double or more batch and cool on a rack. Layer them in a refrigerator container with wax paper, or cereal bags in the container. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Heat as needed.



Serving Ideas: Serve with butter, a variety of syrups, bacon, ham or sausage.



Categories: Breakfast Foods

1. Preheat waffle baker.



2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except egg whites until just blended.



3. In medium bowl beat egg whites until stiff.





4. fold into mixture. Bake per baker instructions.



6. Variations:

Nut or Berry Waffles



7. Add 1/2 c chopped nuts, or dried chopped fruit to batter.



8. Meat add ins



9. add 1/2 c diced ham, bacon, sausage etc to batter.



BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Servings: 10

1 whole egg, beaten

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Master Mix

1. In medium bowl whisk egg and oil together and then whisk in water.



2. Stir in mix. Add fruit, nuts, cooked meats if desired. Add extra water if thinner batter if desired.



3. Let set for 5 minutes.



4. Preheat a griddle , that is lightly oiled.



5. Pour 1/3 c batter on the griddle and cook each side until browned on each side, (the edges will be slightly dry and bubbles will form) Use a spatula to turn them over.



6. Repeat with remaining batter.



7. VARIATIONS:



8. Stir in 1/4-1/2 c chopped fruit, nuts, or browned breakfast meats.



So there is week 2 for your viewing pleasure.



Jan who knows doing the Master Mixes at first take a lot of ingredients, but the payoff in the long term is great in OK

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

January 27, 2012

So are you ready for the challenge of planning your menus for one year? As promised I will try and post my weekly menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks along with some recipes.

Because there are so many recipes that will be involved each week and my time and space are limited I won’t be posting all the recipes for each week. Once a recipe is posted when I use that recipe again later in the year I’ll post the link where it was previously listed. I’ll also go back and add a comment to a previous post if I should add the recipe at a later date.

At all times you can use the search feature at the left (hidden between the photos) and search my blog to see if I forgot to add a link. Hey, I’m human you know.

If you should ever see a meal/snack item mentioned you’d like the recipe for, that isn’t already on the blog, please feel free to contact me.

So on to week one. You will notice that breakfast, lunch and snacks are opportunities, not a set meal. This is because of our varied schedules and tastes in the household. Only dinner is at a set time, 5:30 pm, in this house and has a set menu for certain days (with some flexibility added in)

WEEK 1: BREAKFAST OPPORTUNITIES

French Toast, made from leftover Texas Toast bread from the week before. Used up the remainder of the loaf and cooked it all at once, then refrigerated/froze for a quick grab up meal.

Serve with butter, syrup, jelly, molasses, fruit or other favorite toppings

Hot Cereals available:

Oatmeal, various flavors from homemade packets

Farina

Multi-grain, from homemade packets

Cold Cereals available:

Raisin Bran

Store brand Grape-nuts

Fruit available:

Dried cherries, bulk pack from Sam’s

Grapefruit, fresh bulk purchase

Strawberries, frozen after Wednesday

Beverages:

Grape juice from frozen concentrate

Milk

Water

Hot Tea

Cocoa, master mix

WEEK 1- LUNCH OPPORTUNITIES

SANDWICH MATERIALS AVAILABLE:

PB&J

Toasted cheese

Bologna

SALAD MATERIALS AVAILABLE:

Jarred Spring Mix—vacuumed sealed to keep it fresher

Pickled eggs—homemade

Cheddar cheese—bulk purchase from Sam’s Club

Carrots

Onion

Celery, dried –reconstituted

Frankfurters

SALAD DRESSINGS AVAILABLE:

Ranch, homemade

Italian, homemade

SOUPS AVAILABE:

Tomato—bulk purchase

Beef—homemade and canned

Pinto bean and ham soup after Sunday

FRUIT:

Fruit cups, bulk purchase from Sam’s

Grapefruit

Strawberries—after Wednesday

DINNER MENUS 1/7-1/15/2012

Saturday 1/7/2012

Master Mix meatballs, recipe below

Mashed potatoes, make a double batch to use leftovers later in the week.

Bread machine bread, make a large loaf to use leftover later in the week

Black eyed peas, home canned from dried

Carrot cake, from a mix purchased on sale with a coupon

Tea

Sunday 1/8/2012

Pinto beans and ham, from dried beans and canned Christmas ham

Jalapeno cornbread, uses 1 of the few packages of frozen ground beef

Carrot cake, leftover

Milk

Monday 1/9/2012

Ghengis Grill for Jan’s birthday—a special meal for me! Although my birthday was the 6th ds couldn’t join us until Monday due to his work schedule.

Tuesday 1/10/2012

Smoked roast, leftover from the week before

Corn on the cob, frozen

French Fries, frozen

Black eyed peas, leftover

Garlic bread, made with Sunday’s leftover bread

Carrot Cake, leftover

tea

Wednesday 1/11/2012

Sweet and Sour meatballs, recipe below

Egg rolls, frozen purchased on sale

Fried rice, ham, made with leftover rice from the previous week and Christmas ham that has been canned.

Steamed rice, make a big batch for use in future meals

Tea

Almond cookies with strawberries, homemade cookies and frozen or freeze dried strawberries

Thursday 1/12/2012

BBQ smoked sausage, made with homemade bbq sauce (from last summer) and smoked sausage purchased in bulk and frozen 2 weeks ago. Recipe: http://cjpattersonontheranch.blogspot.com/2009/08/home-again-home-again-jiggity-jig.html

Cole slaw, make double batch for later in the week

Macaroni and cheese, purchased on sale

Pepsi

Lemon Bars, from Master Mixes

Friday, 1/13/2012

Bean burritos, refried beans made from pinto beans earlier in the week.

Mexican rice, use leftover rice from earlier in the week

Guacamole, homemade

Sopapillas, master mix

Tea

Saturday 1/14/2012

BBQ beef sandwiches , use leftover smoked roast and homemade bbq sauce recipe link listed above

Cole slaw, leftover from earlier in the week

Potato salad, made with leftover mashed potatoes

Chocolate chip cookies, from homemade slice and bake cookies

Pepsi

Sunday 1/15/2012

Biscuits, master mix

Gravy, master mix

Fruit cups-bulk purchase

Milk

Juice

SNACKS AVAILABLE FOR WEEK 1

Please limit your snacking

SALTY:

Chips, limited-bulk purchase

Cheezits-bulk purchase

Southern Trail Mix-bulk purchase, leftover from holidays

SWEET:

Carrot Cake

Almond Shortbread cookies after Wednesday

Lemon Bars after Thursday

Chocolate chip cookies after Saturday

FRUIT:

Grapefruit—bulk purchase

Fruit Cups—bulk purchase

Strawberries, frozen after Wednesday

VEGETABLES:

Carrots

So now that you can see what our family basically ate on week #1 of the year of menu planning now how about a recipe or two? The main dinner menu item is the Many Way Meatballs. This is one of our favorite meat Master Mixes. The meatballs can be used so many ways for a variety of meals. They freeze and can wonderfully. Making them a handy “convenience food” for those nights you simply can’t stick to a menu or you need something FAST!

Many Way Meatballs

Servings: 80

4 pounds ground beef

2 whole eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup bread crumbs, dried

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

1/4 cup parsley flakes



1. Mix all together well. Form into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. I use a small ice cream/cookie scoop for this. I recommend spraying the scoop with cooking spray before scooping.





2. Place on foil lined and sprayed cookie sheet with sides.



3. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes or until done.



4. Cool and package in one quart containers for freezing or canning. Don’t forget to label and date.



On the night I make these my family likes the meatballs just plain, hot from the oven. In fact I have to watch the guys close or they just might eat far more than they should.

They make their second appearance later in the week as Sweet ‘n Sour Meatballs

Sweet ‘n Sour Meatballs

Servings: 6



Notes: You can vary the veggies to your family's likes. Consider things like snow peas, water chestnuts and other vegetables.



Serving Ideas: Serve over steamed rice and with all the usual sides for an Asian meal.



Categories: Ground Beef

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

10 ounces Pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons vinegar

6 tablespoons water

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 container Many Way Meatball Mix, about 20 meatballs

1 large green bell pepper

1 whole carrot, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced



1. In a large skillet, combine oil and reserved pineapple juice that has had water added to it to equal 1 cup liquid.



2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and brown sugar. Then stir in soy sauce, vinegar and water. Stir this into the pineapple juice mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly, Approximately 5-7 minutesl



2. Add pineapple chunks and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Simmer 20 minutes or until heated through. Stir frequently and add a small amount of water or pineapple juice if needed.



Leftovers from this weeks worth of meal that would then go to food storage would be the remaining meatballs either frozen or canned (add water to the canning jar and then process pints at 15# pressure for 75 minutes or quarts for 90 minutes—please follow all USDA guidelines while canning).



The leftover steamed rice can be dried to make your own “minute rice.” Or refrigerated or frozen to be used in the future for a variety stir fried rice dishes, Mexican Rice, or to be reheated for breakfast and eaten with sugar, milk and butter.



So there you have it week #1 for 2012, and for 2013 because as I have mentioned previously. I am keeping the files I have created for these menus to use in the future. Complete with the full grocery list, so this time next year it will be a matter of point and click.



Jan who hopes this is helpful to someone in OK

More Muffin add ins

January 2, 2011

Back in October of 2009 I posted te Muffin Master Mix and add ins recipe I use.  This recipe can be viewed at: http://cjpattersonontheranch.blogspot.com/2009/10/productively-distracted.html.  Since then I have found other variations at other locations, plus dreamed up a few more myself.  So here are some suggestions to stretch your muffin variety even further:

Surprise centers. A great way to use up that little bit of jelly or jam that is leftover in the bottom  of the jar is to fill your muffin cup 1/2 way with batter, add a teaspoon of the jelly or jam and then finish filling the muffin tin with batter.

 Or add a bit of leftover cooked bacon and egg, scrambled sausage and egg or any other leftovers for a surprise.

OR add a bit of canned pie filling, nutella, or other similar foods.  The variety for surprise fillings is endless.
Carrot with currants or raisins.  Shred 1 cup of carrots and them along with 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins after you add the egg.  Want to go 1 step further for even more carrot flavor and value?  Substitute half the milk in the recipe for carrot juice.  Want more of a carrot cake recipe?  Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and perhaps throw in some chopped pecans.  Warning the more ingredients you add the more muffin tins you will need.
Seasame Muffins: Add 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds with the dry ingredients.   Use oil when making and replace approximately 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil with sesame oil. 
Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Muffins: Toast 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut. Grind 1/2 cup of the coconut in a food processor until the consistency of flour. Reduce flour to 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons. Fold both the shredded and ground coconut into the flour mixture. Add 1/8 teaspoon almond extract when adding vanilla. Fold in 1-cup mini chocolate chips at the end. before baking.

Vegan Apple-Walnut Muffins: Combine 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water and whip until well combined and gelatinous. Use this mix to replace the egg. Use walnut oil instead of melted butter. Fold one peeled and grated Granny Smith apple (about 8 ounces) into the wet mix. Fold 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts into the dry mix and bake.

Varieties for the Apple-Walnut Muffins substitute just about just about any fresh fruit and nut combo that suits your fancy for the apples and nuts.  adjust your oil accordingly too.

Chocolate-Cherry Chunk Muffins: Soak 1 cup dried cherries in milk until tender; drain reserving milk. Fold cherries, 3/4 cup chopped chocolate and 1/2 cup chopped cashews into mix at end.

change up the Chocolate-Cherry Chunk Muffins by using any dried fruit, nut and "chocolate" combo.  By "chocolate" I mean, white chocolate, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips again the variety you can achieve here is endless.

Peanut Butter Muffins: Replace butter with 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter and 2 tablespoons peanut oil, whisking to combine. Increase sugar to 1/2 cup. Fold 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped lightly salted peanuts into the batter at the end.

Triple Berry Muffins: Prepare batter and fold in 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 3/4 cup each fresh raspberries and blueberries. Sprinkle tops with granulated sugar before baking.

Farmer's breakfast on the go: Add 3/4-1 c of any combo of breakfast meats and cheese you like to the dry batter.  If the meat is a little greasy cut your oil/butter slightly.  You can also saute onions, bell pepper or any other veggie to fold in as well. Remember to cut the oil/butter if you are using oil/butter when you sautee.

Leftover hot cereals?  Add that cold oatmeal or mush with the dry ingredients and cut the liquid just slightly.

Spicy cheese muffins: fold in a cup of shredded cheddar or jack cheese and your favorite chili powder/chipotle to taste (usually about 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 tsp) with the dry ingredients.

As you can see the way you use the muffin mix is entirely up to you!

Jan who is off to make a big batch of muffin mix in OK

WORKING ON THE FOOD BUDGET

December 22, 2010

I’ve previously posted about how I am on the Dave_Ramsey_Debt_Beaters@yahoogroups.com email list. Recently a discussion was brought up by Ashley that she would like to try working her food budget and meals for the year, while laying in a year’s supply of non-perishables based entirely on loss leaders.

I asked if she would like a partner in this challenge. She thought it a great idea not only because things go better if you have a partner, but because we live on the opposite sides of the US and each has a family of 3 to feed. While living in two different areas with different stores to deal with and different economic basis to work with in our areas.

We have agreed to write about our journey through 2011 in building our one year’s worth of food storage by purchasing loss leaders as they become available, while maintaining a very, very strict budget.

Ashley posted her first blog entry this morning, with her challenges to herself at: http://dateam365.blogspot.com/

This, of course, is my first entry on this challenge. With the cost of groceries going up the $1 a day may be a mite stringent for us, but I am definitely going to do all I can to try and meet her challenge.

The first thing to do, as Ashley pointed out, is to educate yourself. I too am reading various blogs by people who have done this. I’m also checking online information for all types of good basic information to aid me in the challenge.

My first stop on the information train was: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/bargainshopping/tp/Best_Time_To_Buy_Everything.htm

This website lists month by month what items are normally on sale, not just food, but various things. Of course for the task at hand the food items are what I am most interested in. Knowing ahead of time what “loss leaders” will be coming can be a real help in planning the menu.

Meeting the challenge at $1 a day with two meat and potato men in my household is going to be a HUGE challenge. I can get them to eat meatless occasionally, but not all the time. My husband, is NOT a huge fan of vegetables.

Doing so healthily is another challenge, especially when you include my son’s allergies to deal with and our true love of food.

So the first menu planning basic step for me was figuring out the entrées and dealing with them while also maintaining my busy schedule as a merchandiser and mystery shopper. All too often it is too tempting to eat out.

This means not only do I need to plan my meals on the $1 a day budget, but I need to plan on refilling my freezer with homemade “convenience” meals. Knowing we have foods in the freezer we could quickly thaw and eat will eliminate the temptation to stop and grab a calorie laden fast food item or six.

So following Ashley’s theme here is what I want to accomplish this next year:

1. Bring our food budget down to as low as it can possibly go.

2. Lay in one year’s supply of non-perishable food

3. Make up ALL of my Master Mixes, this in itself is a HUGE challenge.

4. Fill the freezer with homemade “convenience” foods

5. Raise a large organic garden and go to year round gardening.

Going back to the entrées listings. I started out trying to figure out an exact order of what types of entrees I’d serve and in what order for a month alternating meatless meals and leftovers in as often as I thought I could get away with it. That became hugely complicated and failed miserably.

So then I tried to do it for every two weeks, same results, I wasn’t getting the rotation I wanted. Plus when you do a very set in stone menu plan it does not allow for spontaneity and this family doesn’t do well with that. We want the foods we want when we want them.

So I finally decided on the following seven categories:

1. Beef

2. Chicken

3. Pork

4. Variety meats (hot dogs, smoked sausage etc)

5. Meatless

6. Leftovers

7. Fish

Gee look at that seven days worth of entrées with one meatless and one leftovers day built in simple, simple.

So I now can plan a week’s worth of meals with those items as the main ingredients, prepare what I can ahead of time and we can eat them in the order we want each week. One week must be completed BEFORE we start the rotation for the next week. That way if we score a free meal out with the mystery shopping (read free meals—great for the budget) then I still have a meal in the roatation to eat before moving on to the next rotation.

So then I started making a list of the various family favorites for each of those seven. An example of this is below.

Meatless:

1. Biscuits and gravy

2. Vegetable soups (I have a bunch of recipes for these)

3. Pancake suppers

4. Salad suppers

5. Macaroni and cheese

6. Cheese and/or veggie pizzas

7. Bean meals

My list included a lot more than this, but you get the idea. I did this for each of the seven categories. Guess what I came up with a year’s worth of meals without duplication quite simply.

Using the same example of the meatless meals I can also prepare a lot of this ahead of time.

1. Biscuits and gravy

a. Make up biscuit Master Mix (recipe is listed in my search engine on the left) while flour is on sale this month. Then for a quick dinner I only need to add oil and water and bake.

b. Make up gravy butter balls ahead of time and freeze. I’ll post this recipe when I do this.

2. If we do well in the garden the fresh produce will be used for this as it grows and the dried produce will be used when it is out of season.

3. Pancake suppers

a. Pancake Master Mix (recipe is listed in the search engine at the left as well), add oil, our home grown eggs and water as needed.

4. Salad suppers can be the green leafy type, or made with homemade pasta, or a combination of the two.

a. Make up pastas ahead of time

b. Homemade salad dressing Master Mixes (which will be added to the blog as time goes on)

5. Macaroni and Cheese

a. Homemade pasta

b. Freezer cheese sauce mix, recipe will be added at a later date

6. Cheese and/or veggie pizzas

a. Pizza dough Master Mix (recipe to be added later)

b. In season veggies from the garden, frozen or dried veggies from the garden off season

c. Loss leader cheese (April purchase according to link listed above) purchased and frozen.

7. Bean Meals

a. I have a bean cookbook, and there are numerous recipes for beans of all sorts on the web. Beans freeze tremendously well. So this is an item that will be cooked in bulk and frozen for quick meals as time goes on.

Add to these entrées loss leader fruits and vegetables, and keeping portions at a reasonable size should enable us to eat cheaply and healthy. Homemade breads will also add to the meals.

I’m now in the process of listing those various meal ideas on color coded 3X5 cards. Ie: pink for beef, white for chicken, green for meatless etc. This will allow me to mix and match menus each week without having to figure it out each week.

The 3 x 5 cards will also list the ingredients for that entrée so I can watch closely for the loss leaders for it. As I lay in a supply of the loss leaders I will then mark each one as I have it in inventory.

Having the menus all figured out in this manner will also let me see how much of what I need to lay in a supply of.

Can I do it on $1 a day like Ashley, in truth it seems pretty hard, but I’m going to do it as closely as I possibly can. Even if I spend slightly over that, I am definitely going to come out the financial winner on the grocery budget.

So will you join us to eat our way to a better state of health both physically and financially?

Jan who thinks the plan will work in OK

PART 3--MASTER MIX RECIPES AND BULK COOKING

As I have mentioned on more than one occasion I LOVE, absolutely LOVE having meals prepared in advanced, especially when we are busy on the road. So while home I once again hit the kitchen hard. I roasted a turkey, made a roast and all the general things of that nature. When I wasn’t cooking Gary was, have I mentioned before both he and Sean are excellent cooks? If not, let me put it on the record right now that they both are. It’s a good thing too because if they weren’t often we’d go hungry due to my lack of organization on certain days.

Gary made up the Moo Gurgle recipe, which after all was originally his, and Sean made up individual meals while we were home. We alternate cooking and cleaning and the system works well for us.

On my cooking days I also made up some Master Mixes both to take along in the camper and to leave at home for Sean to use. This round I made Cream Cheese Crust Mix, Lemon Pie Filling and Shortcake Master Mix.

I made lemon tarts one night with the first two and strawberry shortcake with the third another night.

So here are the recipes to share:

Cream Cheese Crust Mix

2 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese (I used 1 lowfat and 1 regular to help cut calories)

5 sticks butter

6 cups flour

Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature so they soften. Then blend the two well together. Add the flour and cut in until well mixed. Divide it into 9-10 balls. Individually wrap, label and freeze. This will keep about 6 months easily in the freezer. Each ball equals one pie crust.

To make it into a crust you thaw the dough then row it out as you normally would for a pie crust. If it’s a little dry you can add a small amount of water, but it generally is not needed.

USES:

Tarts of all types

To make individual tarts of any type I mash the dough into muffin tins and then fill and bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes or until light brown.

Pie Crusts both single and double layer

Layered cookie bases, just add your favorite topping to a layer of this crust for bar cookies and bake.



LEMON PIE FILLING:

2 ½ C presweetened with sugar lemonade mix,

1 C cornstarch

1 ¼ C sugar, more or less for sweeter/tarter flavor

1 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together well and store in a labeled airtight container in a cool dark place. Shelf life is about 6 months.

VARIATIONS:

Use any presweetened drink mix, limeade, koolade, whatever for unusual tarts, pies and sauces.



USES:

Lemon Pie or tarts

1 ¼ c pie filling

2 ½ c water

3 egg yolks (or 2 whole eggs if you don’t mind the strings from the whites in your pie)

2 tbl butter

In a large saucepan combine the pie filling mix, ½ c water and the eggs. Mix until smooth and the slowly stir in the remaining water as you cook the mixture over a medium heat. Stir constantly for about 4-5 minutes or until it is thickens and is bubbling.

Pour into prepared and baked pie crust or several baked tart shells. Top with whipped cream or meringue if desired.

HOT LEMON OR OTHER SAUCES

1 c water

¼ c pie filling mix

2 tbl butter

In a small saucepan stir the water into the pie filling mix as you heat it to boiling. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until the butter is melted.

This sauce is good over a variety of desserts it and variations there of can be used for a sweet/sour sauce on just about anything you can think of.

Now on to the Shortcake Master Mix recipe…



I adapted this recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook (circa 1969 publication) for a single recipe of shortcake to be a master mix that calls for just adding water. It’s great to take along in the camper for quick desserts, especially when we find great produce at road side stands as we go. I like it as a master mix because I can make just the amount we need when we need it by adjusting the pan size. I’ve even done it in muffin tins to make individual ones.

Shortcake Master Mix

Makes 48 servings—with recipe for 6-8 serving usage to follow

12 c flour

¾ c sugar

6 tbl baking powder

2 tbl salt

2 c powdered milk

2 c shortening.



Mix all the dry ingredients together in a 20 c capacity bowl (pan, roaster whatever—I use a big metal popcorn bowl).

Cut the shortening in well, until it looks almost like cornmeal.

Store in a labeled and dated airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 6 months, longer if you want to store it in the refrigerator or freezer.



TO USE: makes 6-8 servings

Mix roughly 2 ½ cups of the mix with approximately 1 c of water, using more or less of either to achieve the consistency of a sticky drop biscuit dough. Spray one or two 8 inch layer pans with cooking spray. Use one pan for a thick less crusty shortcake, use two for more crust the choice is yours. We prefer the lightness of the thicker one. Dot with butter.



Bake in a preheated oven at 450 for 12-15 minutes for the thinner layers approximately 20 for the thick one. You want a golden brown crust (like biscuits).



Serve warm topped with sweetened fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.



To use it for cobblers simply drop the dough on top of the hot fruit filling and cook as you normally would. I sometimes will add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, or other fruit type spices to the dry ingredients before adding the water for a bit of variety.



Jan who has a goal to simplify her cooking life by having all her master mixes made up at once and doesn’t see it happening for a long, long time in OK

PUTTING THE BREAD MACHINE THROUGH ITS PACES

Includes recipes for bagels and Almond Poppy Seed Bread

January 7, 2010

I confess, I’m a lazy bread maker. My family loves the goodness of homemade breads, but I’m simply too lazy to knead it out by hand. So I tend to make recipes from the “Artisan Bread in Less Than Five Minutes a Day” cookbook or use my two bread machines. Yep two, one of them is part of my toaster oven, but I often have both of them going at once. This last few days I’ve been using them one at a time, but I’ve still been using that one pretty regularly.

On the fifth I made Almond Poppy Seed Bread, and boy was it good. We ate some of it hot with butter immediately, but it toasted up yummy for breakfast the next day too. The recipe will of course follow. I am also including how I create my own Master Mixes.

I didn’t bake on the sixth because it was my 60th birthday and I had mystery shops to do. Of course Murphy came to wish me a Happy Birthday and killed both of the batteries on our dually truck as a gift. There went the profits from those few shops. OH WELL, this too shall pass.

Today I had a new experience for me. I decided to make bagels. I had always shied away from doing this because they are time eaters to make. While I worked at them for a while the results were well worth the effort and now I’m anxious to come up with variations on them. The recipe for those follow as well.

I’ve got shops to do tomorrow, so there will be no baking tomorrow, but I’m thinking I may try my hand at pita bread during this next week.

Jan who is keeping this post short but sweet in OK

ALMOND POPPY SEED BREAD

(JP NOTE) The recipe I used had it broke down for various size machines in flour equivalents, meaning that if you normally use X cups of flour in your bread machine to make a normal loaf of bread this is what you would use to make the proper size loaf. The 3 sizes it used as a comparison are 2, 2 ½ and 3 cups. For this recipe I will list the ingredient and then in that order (smallest to largest) list the amount for the corresponding size. Pick the column that is right for your machine..



Buttermilk-- ¾ C, 7/8 C, 1, 1/8 C

Butter—3 TBL, 3 ½ TBL, 4 TBL

Almond Extract—1 TBL, 1 1/3 TBL, 1 ½ TBL (JP NOTE—we felt the recipe actually needs a little more of this ingredient, but adjust to your tastes)

Brown Sugar-- 1 1/3 TBL, 1 ½ TBL, 2 TBL

Salt—1/4 tsp, 1/3 tsp. ½ tsp

Poppy Seeds—1 TBL, 1 1/3 TBL, 1 ½ TBL

Baking Soda—1/4 tsp, 1/3 tsp, ½ tsp

Bread Flour—2 C, 2 ½ C, 3 C

Yeast—1 tsp, 1 ½ tsp, 2 tsp

Chopped Almonds—1/3 C, ½ C, 2/3 C

Put your ingredients in the order your manufacturer recommends. Bake on the white/sweet bread light to medium setting.



IF I were to make this into a Master Mix what I would do would pick the size bread I would be making. Then from that list of ingredients I would decide on how much mix would fit in my biggest mixing bowl (13 cups of mix for the white and green one, 16 cups for my big red one). Since my bread machine is the largest size I would then use the big red bowl and multiply all the dry ingredients (except the yeast) by 4 (which allows for stirring neatly with the wire whisk in that particular bowl). In those dry ingredients I would include using dry buttermilk. Then the proper amount of water for the recipe would be added with the almond extract, butter and yeast on the baking day.

So the ingredient list would then look like:

ALMOND POPPY SEED BREAD MACHINE MASTER MIX

1 C dry buttermilk (JP NOTE: from the package 4 TBL of the mix to make 1 cup of buttermilk 4 TBL = ¼ cup so 4 x ¼ c= 1 cup)

½ C brown sugar, packed

2 tsp. salt

6 TBL poppy seeds

2 tsp baking soda

12 C. Bread Flour

Mix all the ingredients together well. I recommend using a wire whisk to do this. Store in an airtight container, date and label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months.

To make Almond Poppy Seed bread

Use:

2 Cups Mix

1 C warm water

4 TBL butter

1 ½ TBL Almond extract

2 tsp yeast

2/3 C chopped almonds

Place in the machine via the manufacturer’s recommendation, bake on the sweet bread setting.

Now for the bagel recipe.

BAGELS

Again this had 2 sizes 1 ½ pound (9 bagels) and 2 pound (12 bagels), I’ll put the two pound ingredient amount in ().

1 C (1 1/3 C) milk

2 tsp (1 TBL) water

3 C (4 C) bread flour

1 TBL (4 tsp) sugar

¾ tsp (1 tsp) salt

1 tsp (1 ¼ tsp) yeast

1 (1) egg white, slightly beaten

1 (1) TBL water

Poppy Seeds, or Sesame Seeds, optional

Add first 6 ingredients to bread machine per the manufacturer’s recommendation. Use the dough cycle. At the end of the dough cycle remove dough from bread machine and punch down the dough. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. (If your machine has a bagel cycle use that and you don’t need to punch down and rest because the machine will do this for you).

Working quickly divide the dough into 9 (12) equal parts. Shape each into a smooth ball. Punch a hole in the middle of each ball and pull it gently to enlarge the hole to about 2”. Place on a greased large baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes (timing from the forming of the first bagel).

Broil, 5 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes (DO NOT ALLOW TO BROWN—WATCH CLOSELY)

While they are broiling bring 4 C water and 1 TBL sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and add bagels 4 or 5 at a time. Simmer for 7 minutes (turning over once). Drain on toweling. The bagels might fall slightly when doing this, but will rise again during the baking process. Place on a well greased large baking sheet. Mix egg white with water and brush on the top of the bagels. IF desired sprinkle with either poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove from baking sheet, cool on racks.

CELEBRATING A NON-CASH BIRTHDAY AND HOLIDAY SEASON

Includes recipe for Corn Dog and Wacky Cake Master Mixes, Uses and Variations

December 6, 2009

In an effort to be as frugal as possible  we, as adults, decided to go non-cash for birthdays and Christmas this year. It’s a bit of a challenge, but we are celebrating with gifts of love instead of cash. We are also on the Dave Ramsey “Beans and Rice, Rice and Beans meal plan.” Meaning we are purchasing as little as possible in the grocery department and living off our food storage. Some times it’s a bit of a challenge.

Generally for Sean’s birthday we go to a restaurant of his choice, where he picks anything he wants from the menu and then to a movie of his choice. Then home to store purchased gifts.

This year to celebrate Sean’s 35th birthday, yesterday, he slept as late as he wanted instead of getting up to do morning chores with us. He got up around lunch time asking if we had any corn dogs or master mix made up. Nope, but that was no problem. It took only minutes to make up the mix—recipe at end of the post, and then the dogs.

Gary took over making his son’s requested lunch. He fixed the Corn Dogs, Corn Treats and Butterfly potatoes for a wonderful hot fried meal. We know all that fried foods aren’t good for us, but this was to be a special treat day.

A note here. Butterfly Potatoes are like those you see at the fair. The spiral cut super thin potatoes. I am blessed enough that I have a homemade version of the slicer they use to make the cutter for them. We use it often for potatoes (both white and sweet), other root vegetables and onions to make homemade chips and haystack fried onions. I keep telling dh, Gary, he needs to draw up a pattern for one for friends, but so far he’s not done it. If he ever should we will post it. It’s similar to an apple corer/slicer, but cuts  much thinner.

You could use a mandolin slicer set on super thin to do similar flat not spiral chips and onions haystacks, we like the flair of the spiral though.

Once the lunch was finished we all climbed the stairs to Sean’s area to work on his big birthday present. We started this last weekend and worked on it on and off during the week between chores and mystery shops.

For a very long time he’s been wanting to rearrange his room and cull as much as possible from it. He also wanted to remove the old carpeting at his outside door to remove the some of the allergy causing/aggravating dust from his area of the house. It sounds like a simple task until you realize this area is a VERY large room that contains 100’s of books, cds and dvds. Our gift to him was to help him get the room exactly the way he wanted it.

At one point last weekend Gary asked if we could go back to giving him a toy train like we did when he was little. We were very tired at that point. Man that young man has a LOT of books! Four large bookcases worth. Each book is being thoroughly vacuumed for dust as we go. They, along with the cd and dvds will be put back in a precise order per ds’ instructions.

Dh and I had a lot of stuff stored in his walk-in closet as well that we are culling and preparing to sell so it’s been very slow going. We are finally to the put back stage and it is now shaping up quickly. Everything is being organized completely, as ds has requested.

Dinner last night was a homemade version of three way chili using the Master Mix for Moo Gurgle and the Master Mix for Spaghetti Meatballs served on top of either spaghetti noodles or macaroni.  We used macaroni last night because we are out of spaghetti and I didn't want to take time to make some at that point.  I was TIRED. He wanted a Wacky Cake for dessert. Wacky Cake is an eggless chocolate cake that is frosted when hot.

For his birthday movie he actually choose two. One we had not seen, one we had from his vast dvd collection. Sweeny Todd and Monsters vs Aliens—weird combo I know, but we do have a variety of tastes.

I must confess I fell asleep during the Monsters vs Aliens, I’d seen it before, so no matter. The guys woke me up to send me to bed, something about my snoring drowning out the movie. LOL! So three of the cats and I went to bed.

The guys then played X-box until 4:30 am.

Sean said it was a very satisfying birthday, when he crawled out of bed late this afternoon.

Jan who is hoping for a similar day of “gifting” on her birthday January 6th in OK


Now for the recipes:

CORN DOG MASTER MIX

4 C instant powdered milk

¾ C sugar

2 Tbl salt

4 Tbl baking powder

8 C cornmeal

4 C flour

Mix all ingredients together well, place in an airtight container, label and date. Store in a cool dark place.


USES:

Corn Dogs—makes 12-14 Corn dogs

1 C water

2 medium eggs, slightly beaten

¼ C. oil

2 to 2 ¼ cups master mix

1 to 1 ½ pounds frankfurters

Flour for dusting, roughly ½ c

Popscycle sticks

Oil for deep frying.

Preheat your oil to 375. I prefer using a deep fat fryer for this, but they can be done in a deep pan, just be VERY careful you do not boil the oil over on to the stove. Use a DEEP pan. No fires allowed!

Mix the water and eggs together well then slowly stir in the dry mix, blend well. The mixture should be slightly thick, add more water or mix to adjust to the desired thickness as needed.

Dry the franks well. Dust with flour. These are two important steps if you do not dry the franks and then dust them the batter will not stick to them.

Skewer the franks with the popscycle sticks in one end. Set aside, prepare all the franks at once.

Fill a glass that is taller than the franks are long with the batter. Dip the franks in the glass one at a time until well coated. Do this slowly so as to not overflow your batter out of the glass. Once the frank is well coated slowly pull it out of the glass and let the excess drip off back into the glass. Add more batter as needed to the glass.

Quickly, but in a safe manner, place the frank into the smoking hot oil. Cook until golden brown. If your pan is big enough you can cook a few at a time, but you do not want to over crowd them because that will cool your oil too much. Hot oil is essential in a well cooked corn dog.

Remove from oil when golden brown and place on paper towels to drain. Repeat until either the desired number of corn dogs are made OR until you run out of batter. We cook until the batter is all used up then drain and cool the excess corn dogs well. Then they are put in individual freezer bags, labeled and dated for quick meals on the go.

TO REHEAT:

From a frozen state heat in a preheated oven at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until heated through.



VARIATIONS:--most can be frozen and re-heated as above.

Corn Pups—can be done in a fondue pot if desired

Cut the franks in small sections and simply roll in a bowl of the mix instead of using the dip method (or you can use tooth picks and dip them).



Cocktail Pups—can be done in a fondue pot if desired

Use cocktail wieners instead of frank sections



Sausage dogs—Can be done in a fondue pot if desired

Use segments of any sausage you like, Polish, Kielbsa, Links, etc.



Meatball dogs—can be done in a fondue pot if desired.

Use pre-cooked meatballs—see Meatball Master Mix



Cheddar bites—Use 1 inch squares of your favorite cheese



Veggie Fritters—can be done in a fondue pot as well
Cut up veggies into bite sized pieces, then dip in batter that has been mixed up as for corn dogs. Deep fry until golden brown. Serve with favorite dressing such as Buttermilk Ranch or Chiptole Ranch dressing.


Jalapeno/pepper Poppers

Take any fresh pepper of the hotness desired Jalapeno, Pablano, Bell, Chiptole etc. Slice open and scrape out seeds. I recommend wearing gloves while doing this. Insert a small cube of your favorite cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Cream etc) Fold pepper back over cheese, dip in the batter and fry as you would the corndogs.

Fish/Seafood Nuggets

Dip bite size nuggets into the batter then deep fry until golden brown and fish flakes.



OTHER USES FOR THE MIX:

Johnny or Hoe Cakes

Make the mix as above, only add more water, thin to pancake batter consistency and cook like pancakes on a hot griddle.



Corn treats—great way to use up excess batter.

Deep fry drops of the batter as mixed for corndogs until golden brown, salt or season as desired when you first take them out of the oil.—You could do it like a funnel cake too, but not too thick.


Cornbreads:

Use slightly more water in the mix and bake in a greased pan at 350 for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown—pan size depends on thickness desired.



VARIATIONS on cornbread:

Corny Cornbread

Add a can of Cream Style corn when adding the egg and water.



Jalapeno Cornbread

Add 1-2 diced jalapeno (or more if desired)

¼-1/2 cup grated mild cheddar cheese to mix.



Hamburger Casserole Cornbread

Make the Jalapeno Cornbread as above but add ½ pound cooked ground beef for an 8 X 8 pan or a 1 pound to a 9 X 13 pan and 1 can of cream style corn. Cook at 350 until golden brown.—This is excellent served with a pot of brown beans.



WACKY CAKE MASTER MIX

9 C flour

1 T salt

6 C sugar

¾ C Cocoa

Mix together well. I use a whisk for this task. Place in an airtight container. Label and date. Store in a cool dry place.

To use:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Place 2 ½ cups of the mix directly into the 9 x 13 baking pan you will bake this in.

Add:

6 T. cooking oil

1 T. Vinegar (either white or apple cider will work—I’ve even used rice vinegar in a pinch)

1 tsp vanilla

1 C water

Stir ingredients together well.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until done. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While the cake is baking mix together:

2 C powdered sugar

2 T. cocoa

Then mix in until smooth

½ c. butter

2-3 tsp cream

When the cake comes out of the oven pierce it several times with a fork. Then frost immediately with the topping.

VARIATIONS:

Add to the dry mix before adding liquids baking chips such as mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped fine candy bars—you know those that you purchased on sale after a holiday, and/or nuts.

A bit of mint extract can be added for a minty version as well.

Serve it a la mode with your favorite ice cream if desired

MAKING THE HOLIDAY MEALS EASIER

November 15, 2009

A frequent question during the is time of year is HOW can I make the holiday meal easier so the host/hostess can enjoy the day more.  This is a post I did on one of the  yahoo lists when the annual question came up. I've added some more ideas to the regular post  I hope it helps someone.  I've also included a couple of recipes that you can do most if not all the work on ahead of time.

When we do the big family meal thing it can mean in excess of 30 people. Here’s a few things I do to prepare and make before, during and after easier.

Jan who is having a small group this year and is trying to push Murphy out of the door so the utility room and dining room will be finished in time in OK

1. Plan the menu TODAY, break it down into categories

a. Meats/meat substitutes

b. Vegetables

c. Desserts (remember to include sugar free/diabetic friendly ones

d. Beverages

e. Breads

f. Pre-dinner snacks for those early arrivers

g. Soup if desired

h. Salads/relishes

i. Paper/plastic products if using them.

2. Take that list and call each and every one that is coming and ask them which category they would most like to add a dish to. You might just be surprised. All my sil’s crew (6 of them) work for the same casino and they get FIVE turkeys at Thanksgiving and FIVE hams at Christmas for their holiday bonuses. So she supplies the turkey/ham at the big gatherings. You could cook a ham or roast for those non-turkey eaters like my dh. Don’t take “I dunno”, for an answer if someone can’t make up their mind tell them you’ll see what’s left on the menu and assign that to them. Then do it---you come you supply something! Breads, paper products and beverages should be reserved for those that travel a long distance and could stop and pick it up just before they arrive.

3. Take a look at what you are going to serve yourself and look hard at it. What could you do ahead of time and freeze?

a. Sweet potato pudding/casserole—I have a pecan topped one that freezes wonderfully.
b. If you are doing homemade dinner rolls make the dough up as far as the “roll into balls” step and then freeze the individual balls on a cookie sheet. When frozen solid bag bag them in up in a plastic freezer bag or container.  Then on THE day all you have to do is put them in  your baking pan early in the day and let them thaw and rise.

c.  If you are doing homemade bread either make it the day before or if using a bread machine. Mix up all the dry ingredients now and store until the day of and use your timed feature the bread machine if doing a recipe from one of my newest favorite cookbooks "Artisan  Breads in less than Five Minutes a Day" make up the sponge earlier in the week.

d. Make up your stuffing except for the wet ingredients (broth and eggs) and freeze.

e. Do the same thing for anything you can think of and spread the work out over the time you have left between now and the holiday.
f. Early in the week on Thanksgiving/Christmas week boil and peel your eggs for deviled eggs. Seal in a plastic bag with the air pushed out, or an airtight container.        
      
4. Once the menu is made and your part is decided make a detailed grocery list. Check your cupboards don’t just look in and see you have sage, check the bottle to see if you have ENOUGH sage. Check right down to the salt and pepper. Set these ingredients aside and mark them DO NOT USE so you don't accidentally use something up before the big day.

5. Fill the salt and pepper shakers you will use, fill the sugar bowls, a creamer bowl etc. days ahead of time and them set them aside so they don’t get emptied before the event. Be sure and do a set for each table you will be using.

6. If you use silver, get it out and polish it 1-2 weeks early then wrap it in Saran wrap in an airtight way. While you are at it wash the dust off the good crystal and china if you are going to use it.

7. Big group? Go with sturdy paper plates—spring for the big ones it is THANKSGIVING/CHRISTMAS you know, the better plastic silverware, cups etc. Don’t forget hot cups, napkins and table cloths. Do you have enough trash bags and containers you can line with them to encourage everyone to clear their own place?

8. Plan your cooking and serving dishes and utensils now. If you are doing individual tables instead of a buffet you will need a serving set up for each table. Do you have enough gravy boats? Should sister Sue bring hers? How about trivets/hot mats?

9. If you are doing all of the oven cooking or have a lot of “will bring but need to heat it in the oven when I get there” foods do you have enough oven space so everything will hit the table hot? Could it be done in another room other than the kitchen, kitchen space is a valuable commodity with a big group. Here’s a few things I do to help with this: JP NOTE: If heating things in small appliances in other rooms remember these appliances put heat out and take precautions that they are not where small children cannot pull them over, pets get into them or will harm the finish of the item they are setting on.  Also check that all these will not be on the same circuit and blow a breaker or fuse when in use at once--do a quick test run ahead of time.

 a. Use the toaster oven to cook/warm whatever will fit in it. That’s where my sweet potato casserole goes.

b. Make the mashed potatoes early in the day and hold them in the crockpot in another room out of the kitchen.

c. Borrow my sister in laws turkey roaster and set it up in another room to cook the turkey.

d. Veggies in crockpots of all sizes in another room.

e. Bread machine in another room

 f. Throw a sheet over the washer and dryer and all spare things like the lid off of sister Sue’s cake pan, foil to reuse, spare paper products etc. go in there to be stored.

g. If you have a woodburning stove take advantage of that spot too. Just remember to stir often.  Our Ashley has a firebox I can simmer things directly on or put the cool touch top on it to hold big pots of coffee, mulled drinks, and other things that need to be kept warm   but not boiled.

10. Plan your tables and seating out now. Buffet style we have them come in one door of the room and out another to the seating area, it avoids confusion and accidental spills.  We often will use two sturdy saw horses and a piece of plywood for a buffet style serving table. A flat king size sheet will work as a table cloth. Dh rounds the corners with a saw to avoid boo-boos. No saw? Pad the corners with something like a folded wash cloth taped to the board. Either use a ¾ inch piece of plywood or put some middle supports (more saw horses) under an 8 foot piece. You don’t want the turkey sagging to the middle of the board. When looking at seating, consider seating AND eating. Buffet style works great for large groups for serving, but remember how hard it is to balance a full plate and a cup in your lap. Granny will have an especially hard time doing it. Bring in the picnic table from the yard if you need to, borrow tv trays, clean off end tables, set up bridge tables, we once used a ping pong table.  Everyone needs a sturdy surface to hold their plate that can be set up and taken down out of the way quickly.  Good weather?  Covered porch and a space heater, even if you have to hang tarps down the sides of the covered porch, provide everyone plenty of elbow room.

11. Plan it for a mid afternoon. Seriously noon is too early supper is too late. We do 2:00 pm around here. That lets me do all the last minute stuff without being up all night or up at the crack of dawn and gives others plenty of time to do their morning chores and travel while little ones sleep in the car (read no cranky babies).

12. Plan a thought provoking theme for people to do while waiting for the meal. One suggestion I read said to make simple leaves out of colored paper (kids can help cut these out for you). On a large piece of poster board draw a tree, it doesn’t have to be fancy, again let the kids do it. When the guests arrive you ask each one to fill out leaves with what they are most Thankful for this year. They can do more than one leaf if they like. Then they tape the leaves on the tree. It has great eye appeal when everyone sees how much you all have to be thankful for.—We did a verbal version of this at my son’s ground breaking party for his house and it was fun that turned hilarious. With every "thankful" ds had to turn a shovel full of dirt.  He got to say his thankful last--He was thankful all that digging was over--it was a big group.

13. Give kids age appropriate things to do to help. Let them know ahead of time if possible their job. Little guys can set the table, fill candy and nut dishes, fold napkins etc. Put some of the older ones in charge of “entertainment” games, a puppet show or play to perform for the adults, story time for the littler guys etc. Trust me things go a lot smoother if little kids aren’t bored. Plan both indoor and outdoor activities because Mother Nature is unpredictable.

14. Work out ahead of time where all those coats are going to go and where sister Sue can easily change nephew Johnny’s diaper, or nurse him in peace and quiet. If you have a lot of nap time kiddos coming, plan for a safe quiet nap spot for them too.

15. Start your cleaning now. Wash up the table cloths and napkins then place on a hanger and hang out of the way. Clean as you work. Scour the bathrooms a week before, they won't need more than a quick swipe on the day of then. 

16. Plan out a REALISTIC schedule for the day of, keep that day as simple and carefree as possible. You WILL be interrupted.

17. Pamper yourself the night before, schedule some serious ME time for that day. Go to bed early.

18. Dress comfortably for as long as you can on Thanksgiving. Donna Reed might have been able to cook all day in heels and looked perfectly comfortable but I certainly can’t.

19. Think about each individual that is coming. Is there something they will need? Do you have enough ashtrays for smokers and where can they smoke I don’t allow it in my home but several of the family do smoke. So we put up a covered area outside for them to be comfortable in while they smoke. Table, chairs and a heater provided. Can Grandma get up the front steps or would the back ones be better? Does Uncle Charlie need a ramp for his wheel chair and can it get into the rooms it needs to? Do you have a  safe play area for the youngsters?

20. Plan out the adult entertainment too. I know football is on, but not all of us like football—most of our group does not. So we put on videos of all the family when growing up on the tv (ask everyone to bring their videos of the entire family) , and soft music in the background. Do you have a box of old photos with no names on them? This is a great time to get those out and have everyone go through them to see if they know who the person is. The stories will flow. Much more fun than football (put a tv in the corner for Uncle Joe who MUST see the game). Tape or video record those stories if at all possible, these people may not be with you next year.

21. Set your table the day before and cover with a table cloth or sheet.

22. Plan ahead for sending leftovers home.  I lay in a supply of the heavy duty Chinet PLATTERS and then hand them out as guests are leaving telling them to fill up with what they want.  These will fit most microwaves and when covered with plastic wrap can go right in. They will also fit safely in a Wal-Mart sack long wise (we use two bags, one from each end) to carry them home in.

23. Do NOT turn down help with clean-up.  Even if it means having people fill their take home platters early. even if it's just gathering up paper plates and taking out the trash for you it's helpful.

I could go on, but others have some great (probably better) ideas too.

Now for the make ahead recipes I mentioned:

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE/PUDDING

3 C. Mashed cooked sweet potatoes 1/2 C. milk

1 C. sugar 1 t.vanilla

1/2 t. salt 2 eggs

1/2 stick margarine


TOPPING:
1 C. brown sugar 1/3 C. flour

1 C. chopped pecans 1/2 stick butter


Mix ingredients together and pour into a buttered baking dish. Mix

topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top. Bake in 350* oven

for 35 min. May be frozen and baked later.  Place in the refrigerator the day before to thaw. 



Hot Roll Mix
5# or 20 C all purpose flour OR 9 C whole wheat/rye/other specialty grains + 8 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 c sugar ( you can substitute some honey if desired on baking day)OR 1 c packed brown sugar
4 tsp salt
1 cup powdered milk (or approx 1/2 c dry non milk substitute-rice, soy potato etc)

Mix all ingredients well together well, I use a wire whisk.  Store in an airtight container, label and date. Best if used in 6-8 months.  Makes 20-22 c mix. 

I have a large group of recipes that include breads, English Muffins, sweet rolls, herb or squash rolls and more I use this master mix for that I will post as time goes on.  For the dinner rolls for the holidays I make it one of two ways.
Clover leaf or Pan Rolls
1 tbl, active dry yeast OR 1 (1/4 oz) pkg.
1 1/2 c warm water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c vegetable oil OR olive oil, OR melted butter
5-6 cups Hot Roll Mix

In a large bowl disolve the yeast in the warm water.  Blend in eggs and oil/butter. Add roughly 5 cups of the mix.  Blend well.  If dough is sticky add more mix. Knead for about 5 minutes.  Place in a buttered or oiled bowl, turn the ball of dough over once so all sides are coated.  Cover bowl with a warm damp cloth and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Now make the dough into small balls, about walnut sized.

TO FREEZE: if you are going to freeze the dough this is when you do it.  Once the dough is in balls place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet spaced to where they are not touching.  Freeze until hard then transfer to a freezer bag, vacuum bag or freezer container.  These will vacuum seal and keep a long time.

To use the same day as making: Either place them in a greased 9 x 3 baking pan or three small balls in greased/sprayed muffin tins.for clover leaf rolls. Cover with a warm damp towl again and let rise until doubled roughly 45-60 minutes again.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

IF USING FROZEN DOUGH BALLS: place in the choosen baking pan/tin early enough in the day in a warm spot (roughly 4-6 hours) or overnight in a cooler area to do the final rise)


CRESCENT ROLLS
Same ingredients as above PLUS 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Follow the recipe above up to and including the 10 minute rest period. 

Here's the difference. 

On  a lightly floured surface row 1/2 of the dough out into a 12 inch circle.  Brush the circle with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. 

Cut circle into 16 pieces.  Now roll the created wedges up wide end to narrow point.  Placing with the pointed side down on a greased cookie sheet curve the roll to a crescent shape as you do so.  Repeat with second half of the dough. 

From here on follow the instructions as above

BREAD MACHINE MASTER MIX

13 c  bread flour OR 8 C bread flour and 5 C whole wheat/rye flour
2 Tbl salt
1/2 C sugar (if honey is preferred add on baking day)
1/2 c powdered milk OR 1/4 c dried milk substitute (rice/soy/potato)

Mix ingredients well store in a labled airtight container in a cool dark place.

for a small loaf

1/2 tsp yeast
2 1/4 c master mix
1 tbl butter or oil
3/4 C warm water

for a large loaf
2 tsp yeast
3 1/3 mix
1 1/2 tbl butter or oil
1 1/4 warm water

Place in the order bread machine recommends and bake on a medium or white bread setting.

JP NOTE: I have other variations I post at another time to use this master mix up.

Grandma Zell's Stuffing
Sorry, no true measurements here, this is the way I got it from dh's grandmother.

1 recipe cornbread ( I use roughly 1/2 of an 8x8 pan of it) crumbled fine
1 recipe biscuits (I use roughly 8 or so large biscuits, I've substituted other breads as well)crumbled fine
2 stalks celery diced
1/2-1 onion diced
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp each thyme and sage

Mix well--this is where I freeze it in a large ziploc or ziploc bowl.
When ready to bake add:
2 large eggs beaten
enough chicken or turkey broth to make the mixture "soupy" when added to the dry ingredients

Place in a greased/sprayed 9 X 13 pan and bake at 350 F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until set firm and starting to brown around the edges.

JP NOTE:  I often make up a BIG batch of the dry part and store it in the freezer in airtight containers for quick to grab Homemade Stovetop Stuffing mix and use it not only for stuffing but to use as a coating mix for chicken, pork chops, fish, sliced/cubed veggies etc in. Simply dip the choosen meat or veggie in first a beaten egg and milk mixture OR spread with mayonnaise or Miracle Whip and then into the crumbled mixture.  Bake as you would shake and bake.


DEVILED EGGS

Warning, I do not use measurements for Deviled eggs, but here’s what I use.


Two eggs for each person (that makes four ½’s each)

Boil the eggs to the hard stage.

Drain the boiling water and put cold water on them immediately (this helps make them peel easier). Peel (you can hold them at this point for a couple of days in a ziploc you have squeezed all the air out of—I do this at the holidays to help cut down the last minute rush for the big meal)


Cut in half long ways and plop the yolks out. The whites go on a plate the yolks go in a bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork.

Now add the following to taste and creaminess preference:

Miracle whip or mayonnaise (your preference—I use MW)

A tiny amount of prepared mustard (dh is not big on mustard)

A small amount of garlic salt

A couple of dashes (more or less) of Worchestershire sauce

Mix well. Spoon or pipe into the whites and sprinkle with paprika—unless you are my son who likes spicy and uses a small amount of cayenne pepper to top.



Jan who has planned reunions with over 400 family members in the past and still has a lot to learn in OK