Tasty Thursday - Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Who doesn't love pudding?? It's definitely on my list of favorite comfort foods. A couple of years ago I abandoned the pretty little packaged box and ventured out to make my own. It proved to be very easy and extremely tasty!

Vanilla Pudding

2 cups milk (someone try it with a non-dairy milk and tell me how it turns out)
1/2 cup sugar (can substitute 1/2 cup maple syrup for a healthier and maple flavored version)
3 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbl. butter

Combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Do not boil as it will scald the milk, a simmer is best. Chill.

Eat with a spoon, use in a trifle, top with whipped cream, the possibilities and delicious ideas are endless!

Munchy Monday - Homemade Salsa

Salsa, nothing complicated about it. Then why am I sharing a salsa recipe? Well, because my sister came over and made a HUGE bowl full and we devoured every. last. drop. You know what? Even Peter enjoyed a large amount of it! If it's good enough that my super picky 2 year old will eat it, it's worthy of the blog.

Salsa is completely relative and you can add as much or as little as you would like. Here is what we did.

Nine...yes, NINE Roma tomatoes. Why Roma? They're meatier and super tasty! Why nine? Because we're little piggies when it comes to salsa. Dice as small as you can. The smaller, the better. You want the chip to get as many little tasty pieces of veggies as it can!

One green pepper. Seed and chop just as small.

3/4 of a large red onion. A red onion makes all the difference! There's a trick to cutting these that my sister just taught me today. If you don't care about this whole salsa thing, memorize this onion cutting method. I can't believe I never thought of this!

Peel the onion and cut across, but NOT all the way through.

Cut in the opposite direction to create small, perfectly diced sections. Brilliant! Now why didn't I think of that???

You can add a jalapeno pepper as well, but we decided to keep the salsa as kid friendly as possible.

Mix in a teaspoon of dried cilantro (it's cheaper than the fresh stuff, but that would be great as well!) and 1/4 cup lemon juice. And enjoy!!

How did we eat our HUGE bowl of salsa? By the spoonful, with chips, and I even made a baked potato!

I think I'll make an omelet for breakfast with the small amount that we had left...

Tasty Thursday - Pumpkin Puree

Now that Halloween is over, what do you do with those pumpkins that have made such a wonderful decoration? Make your own pumpkin puree in preparation for all those tasty Thanksgiving treats!


I had Peter paint one of our pumpkins (we used a tempera paint that easily comes off with water) that we displayed for Halloween, but I had future plans for this multicolored creation!

After scrubbing the pumpkin clean, I only had a pumpkin puree on my mind!

Cut the pumpkin open, clean out the seeds, and cut into 8 pieces. Place the pieces skin side up in a baking dish with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. The skins will turn a beautiful red and a fork should easily go through each piece. Set aside and let cool.

Remove the skins, either with your hands or a knife.

Place in a food processor and puree.

To thicken, create a straining system with cheese cloth to remove some of the liquid.

Store in containers and freeze.

Note: I had a 5 pound pumpkin and made 2 pints of puree.

A Healthy, Raw, Cookie Dough

Who hasn't licked the beaters after making cookie dough despite being told not to eat raw eggs? It's delicious! After all, an ice cream has been made in cookie dough's honor!

I recently came across this recipe over at Chocolate-Covered Katie and had to give it a try. Who would guess that the main ingredient is chickpeas!?!

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained)
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)
• 1/4 cup milk (or any non-dairy milk)
  2/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbls oats
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Add all ingredients (except chocolate chips) into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. This is meant to be eaten raw as I doubt it would bake well.

Verdict: I'm in LOVE!!! It definitely helps with the night time munchies and it's a great way to trick help Peter to eat something healthy! Hubby thinks it's "Okay, but not great" but I'm just going to ignore that.

Additional Note: Even more amazing after leaving it in the fridge overnight!! (I may or may not have had a bite with breakfast.)

Cookie Love

Day 4 of our 40 Day Challenge.

We all have "one of those days" and mine was definitely yesterday. To cheer me up, Hubby decided to make me something. He wouldn't often go out and buy something to bring about my happiness, but since we've been so focused on making everything, he opted to make me some Peanut Butter Cookies. If cookies don't scream love, I don't know what does! Ok, maybe chocolate. Yeah, chocolate screams love. But cookies come in close behind!

Did you know that you can substitute 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg or 1/2 of a mashed banana? I do it quite often and since we had run out of eggs, Hubby used applesauce instead.

Peanut Butter Cookies
recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

1 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 cupe granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten (we were out, so he substituted 1/4 cup applesauce per egg)
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease some cookie sheets. In a mixing bowl, thorough cream the shortening, vanilla, and sugars. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir in the peanut butter. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to the peanut butter mixture, combining thoroughly. Form into tiny balls with the palm of your hands and place on the cookie sheets. Press each cookie twice with the back of a fork to make a crisscross design. Bake about 8-10 minutes or until firm.

Whoopie Pie Cake and Fruit Snacks

What does a Whoopie Pie Cake and fruit snacks have in common? The adventures of Day 2 of our 40 Day Challenge!
Several days ago I volunteered to make a cake for my grandmother's birthday (we're celebrating tomorrow). Definitely didn't think that one through before deciding to embark on this new adventure. I was going to make a fancy cake with candies on it, but alas, we can't buy them right now. So, I found a marshmallow frosting and made a chocolate cake! To make it all fancy, I'm calling it a Whoopie Pie Cake.

Then came the fruit snacks. I don't know about you, but I LOVE fruit snacks. Who doesn't enjoy reliving their childhood? I recently came across a recipe to make my own. I'm all about multitasking, so while my cake was in the oven and the kids were napping, I moved onto my blueberry fruit snacks. Boy are they delicious!! Definitely not as sweet as the processed version, but so much healthier. No sugar and nothing fake about them. The only problem? They're going to disappear far too quickly.

15 Minute Chocolate Cake

Disclaimer: There is absolutely nothing healthy about this post.

Yep, you read that correctly. In only 15 minutes you can have a chocolate cake in your hands (or your mouth)!! For years, my grandmother made this chocolate cake with the help of her microwave and I have recently become a little obsessed with making it. In the last couple months I have had to eat dairy free because of my little girlie and have been craving baked goods and chocolate. So this is for all of you dairy free mommies out there (and anyone else who loves chocolate).

Microwave Chocolate Cake
1/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup hot water, divided
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola (or vegetable) oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla

Grease a round microwave proof dish. Line with plastic wrap. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine cocoa and 1/3 cup water. Microwave on HIGH 40-50 seconds or until slightly thickened and very hot. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine well. Add 1/3 cup hot water, oil, egg, vanilla, and cocoa mix. Beat well. Pour into prepared dish.

Microwave on HIGH for 5-6 minutes until cake pulls away from sides. Moist areas may remain but will disappear upon standing. Let stand for 5-10 minutes then invert.

Top with your favorite frosting or glaze. For this cake, I sprinkled it with powdered sugar.

Italian Peasant Bread

The most economical way to feed our family has been to make everything ourselves. Of course, this isn't always a possible option, but it definitely does add up over time. As an added bonus, homemade tastes so much better!

We don't always make our own bread, but we try to as often as possible. We have made this recipe so often that I now have it memorized and even Hubby has mastered it!

Italian Peasant Bread

• 3-4 cups good, unbleached flour (I only use King Arthur Flour)
• 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) of yeast
• 1  – 1½ cups warm water (about body temperature)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cups Olive Oil plus more for oiling the bowl
• Rosemary (to taste) - optional

1.       Gently mix the 2 cups of flour, salt, yeast, and optional rosemary in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with dough hook.  Add 1 cup warm water and mix into a dough. (3-5 minutes)
2.       Slowly add more flour until at least 3½ cups are in the dough.  If dough gets too dry, more water can be added.  Dough should be heavy (not wet) and cohesive (not crumbly).  Use extra water and flour to control this.  It will be a little different every time depending on the weather.
3.       Add the oil, and let it incorporate into the dough.  Continue to knead for about 10 minutes. If too wet or extremely sticky, add more flour, adding 1-2 Tablespoons at a time.
4.       Check the dough by kneading by hand for a minute or two.  It should be smooth and elastic and well-hydrated.
5.       Move the dough to a large, well-oiled bowl, turn to coat in the oil and cover with plastic wrap.  Put the bowl in a warm place and let it rise until doubled in bulk 1½ – 2 hours.
6.       Punch the dough down, reform into a ball, turn to coat in oil, cover with plastic wrap and leave it for a second rise. (about 45 minutes  – 1 hour)
7.       Shape the dough into two free-form loaves and put them on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal. (Instead of a baking sheet and foil/parchment, I prefer to use my stoneware with cornmeal.) Cover with plastic or a damp towel and let it rise another 30 – 45 minutes.
8.       Place the bread in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake until crusty brown and cooked through, 30 -35 minutes.

My Little Helper

Spicy Kielbasa Soup

I have a bunch of kielbasa in my freezer that I've been trying to use, so I decided to make a soup with it. We ended up with Spicy Kielbasa Soup. It would probably be delicious with celery and red peppers, but I didn't have any on hand.

Hubby, who does not eat zucchini, said I could make it again. Coming from Hubby, that's success in my book.


Spicy Kielbasa Soup

1/2 pound kielbasa, sliced
1 medium-size onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth (or bouillon cubes)
1 can (15-ounces) black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed, diced, or crushed tomatoes
1 small fresh zucchini squash, sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more or less on "heat" preference)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a nonstick skillet, cook kielbasa over medium heat until lightly browned.  Add the onion and garlic; cook an additional five minutes. Add and stir chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, parsley, red pepper flakes, and pepper; cover and cook on a low simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Makes 5 (1-1/2 cup) servings

Hubby's Tasty Treat

Who doesn't love an ice cream float? After dinner tonight, Hubby decided he would get a little creative with a fun dessert. We had some leftover sparkling pomegranate and strawberry juice in the refrigerator and a carton of blueberry and pomegranate ice cream in the freezer. Who knew such a beautiful creation be created! The only thing that would have made it perfect is a big squirt of whipped cream on top. YUM!

Note: It was so delicious that I ate a bunch and it melted a bit before the photo op could begin.

Dried Beans Made Easy

In honor of Soup Season, I spent my morning preparing my dried beans. I used to use canned beans merely for their convenience. When I started to compare the prices of the canned beans to dried beans, I knew I had to make the sacrifice and extra effort to start buying dried beans. Since last soup season, I bought 25lbs of kidney beans and 25lbs of black beans. Now, I'm stuck...there's no turning back!

I always found the worst part of dried beans was not being able to use beans to create a dinner in 30 minutes. You have to soak them, cook them, it just takes forever! It was then that I decided to enlist the help of my freezer. I now soak (and drain) them ahead of time and freeze in portion sized bags. I then use them just as I would a normal can of beans.

Convenient and cost effective!

Soup Season Has Begun!

I would like to officially announce that Soup Season has begun in our house!! I know, I know, I shouldn't be this excited. I can't stand the cold and the only thing that makes it better is a big bowl of soup. MMMMmmm! In our house, we tend to eat soup atleast five times a week during the cold months (in Maine, that's pretty much the entire year).

I started Soup Season with a new recipe, Chile and Beef Soup. I got the idea from an actual recipe, but altered it quite a bit. Here's our version of Chile and Beef Soup. I tend to make HUGE pots of soup and freeze the extra in dinner size portions for fast meals.

Chile and Beef Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans or 8 ounces chopped green chiles
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced (Hubby's allergic, so we skipped this)
• 8 tablespoons flour
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes (or stewed tomatoes, whatever's in the pantry)
• 5 cups beef broth (I tend to use bouillon cubes. Not as yummy, but TONS cheaper.)
• 2 cans beans (any kind, kidney works well), drained and rinsed

Preparation:

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and ground beef; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until beef is browned. Add garlic, bell pepper, chopped green chile pepper, and flour; stir to blend. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in beans. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 8.

Tons and Tons of Applesauce!

Directions to make applesauce:

Step 1: Get super tired toddler to take a 3 hours nap. CHECK!

I recently discovered that my father-in-law has this "super cool strainer" thing that makes applesauce a million times easier, smoother, and all around better. I borrowed it, and the experiment began.

I first quartered all of the apples (I had a little less than a bushel of Macintosh, Cortland, and Gala). I didn't bother peeling, coring, or seeding. I was going to test the "super cool strainer" and see what it really could do.

I boiled the apples, about half a peck at a time, until they were soft.

I then put them through the "super cool strainer" and WOW!! This could not be any easier!! It was instant applesauce!

At this point, toddler wakes up. Turn on WeeSing in Sillyville to buy another hour of time.

I then canned, processed, and VOILA! I have 11 quarts of the most delicious applesauce!

Christmas Wish List: A "Super Cool Strainer" thing.

Homemade Cream Cheese

After making my homemade yogurt, I like to take some of it and make cream cheese.

You'll need a bowl, a strainer, and a light cloth (I use a flour sack).

Put the strainer in the bowl and place the cloth inside the strainer. Pour your yogurt into the cloth. Place it in the fridge for about 8 hours (or until it reaches the desired consistency). The whey will drip into the bowl and the cream cheese will be in the cloth.

This cream cheese is slightly tangier than what you would find in the store, but once you eat it with something, you won't notice. Don't throw out the whey. This is the most nutritious part! You can use it for baking and making ricotta! Right now, my whey is sitting in the fridge while I decide it's destiny.

Homemade Yogurt - In the Crockpot!

I love making my own yogurt. It's less expensive and you don't have any added sugars, preservatives, and weird ingredients. I have used a yogurt maker which didn't make quite enough yogurt, there were too many containers to clean, and it just wasn't worth the space in the cupboards. I came across this recipe, which uses a crockpot, about a year ago and haven't gone back!

Things you'll need:

• Half a gallon of milk (I use whole milk, but my mom has great results with skim)
• 1/4 cup of store bought yogurt (plain, not flavored). Make sure it has "Live-active cultures"

Add the half gallon of milk to your crockpot and cook on Low for 2.5 hours.
Turn off the crockpot (do not open the cover) and let sit for 3 hours.
Remove approx. 2 cups of warm milk and stir in the yogurt. Only add 1/4 a cup, anymore than that and you'll have the opposite effect: runny yogurt!
Add the milk/yogurt mixture to the crockpot.
Cover the crockpot with a bath towel (to insulate) for 8-10 hours.
VOILA!! You have yogurt!

A few notes:
- Be sure to save 1/4 cup of yogurt for your next batch. You do not need to buy yogurt every time.
- If you would like a thicker yogurt, add powered milk to the milk when you first start the crockpot. The amount depends on your preference, start with a cup and experiment with future recipes. I do not personally use any, but my mother loves it (could be the different milks that we use).
-To flavor your yogurt, add granola, fruit, maple syrup, or anything else you can think of. I add whatever comes to mind when I sit down with a bowl.


Wait until you see the homemade cream cheese that I'm currently making from my yogurt!

Healthy and Affordable

I've spent the vast majority of my time lately trying to create systems and procedures that can aid in a less chaotic lifestyle. The three major issues I have found as a housewife seem to be: "What's for dinner?" "How much money do we have?" and "How am I going to get all this cleaning done!?" After tons of charts, binders, and lists, I have finally found a way to simplify my life and accomplish all of these tasks! I may not blog often or I may find tons of inspiration during nap time, but it is here that I plan to share some of these ideas and strategies.

Tonight's dinner:

Sauteed Vegetables with Pork cooked in Applesauce
Calories: 319
Cost per Serving: $0.77

I recently purchased several pounds of pork for only $1.99lb and was determined to find a way to prepare it for dinner. After a trip to the local farmers market, a couple of dollars, and about 30 minutes, VOILA! we have dinner!

Peter's verdict: Summer squash and Zucchini are delicious!!

Pizza Photo

Last night, I made a pizza for dinner using my No-Rise Pizza Crust. As the pizza came out of the oven, Nathan insisted that I take a picture of it.It was topped with mozzarella, feta, and parmesan cheeses, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and sausage.

Nathan even lit a candle, apparently my pizza was worthy of it. It's in the sparkling cider bottle that I had at New Year's since I was pregnant and couldn't have champagne.

No Rise Pizza Crust

I love making pizza but when a crust has to rise, it takes so long! I have been doing some experimenting with different recipes, and so far, this is my favorite. It rises beautifully in the oven and tastes just like a crust that would take hours to make!

1 Tbsp yeast
1 cup very warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour

1. Combine yeast, water, and sugar. Allow to sit for the yeast to activate.
2. Add salt, olive oil, and flours. Mix well.
3. Knead on a floured surface until smooth. (I do the entire thing in my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and let it do the kneading for me).
4. Allow dough to sit for 5-10 minutes.
5. Press onto large pizza pan or stone.
6. Add sauce and toppings. (I use an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and add basil, oregano, and garlic powder instead of buying an expensive premade sauce).
7. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

I wanted to take a picture of the spinach and sun dried tomato pizza we had for dinner tonight...it disappeared before I could grab the camera.

Instant Craving Fix

Chocolate Cake in 5 Minutes

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

Spray a medium microwave-safe bowl with non-stick spray and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk; blend together. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; blend into the mixture until smooth. Pour into greased bowl.

Cover and cook in the microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched. Since all microwaves cook differently, adjust the cooking time to accommodate your machine. To serve, let the cake cool five minutes, then cover the bowl with a plate and turn both bowl and plate upside down so the cake falls onto the plate. Or skip the plate and eat right from the bowl!