Cooking making things from scratch?

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

Thank you to everyone for all the great recipes.

 

[sbell111]

I know this isn't good for you, but I love the kettle corn they sell at the fairs. Anyone have a good recipe for it? TIA!

Kettle corn is actually pretty easy. Here's a webpage that walks you through it.

 

[sbell111]

Do you have a marshmallow recipe you would be willing to share?

Good Eats did an episode on marshmallows a while back. Here's the recipe.

 

[semo233]

Any new ideas?

I found it was definately easier and not that much more expensive to buy pizza dough at Trader Joe's ($.99) than to make it myself.

I use vinegar to clean almost everything (including fruits and vegetables), make my own laundry detergent and have been using a clothes drying rack as often as possible.

What do you do from scratch?

 

[dclfun]

I have a great homemade granola recipe, but it isn't inexpensive. We could never go back to boxed granola though and it's cheaper than premade. To save $ and recycle if I can't pass along a clothing item I'll save the buttons or zipper/elastic, etc and if possible cut up the fabric to make a doll outfit or accessory. We need to start hang-drying more often not only to save on energy and utility costs but to preserve fabrics longer and prevent shrinkage of knits.---Kathy

 

[bear74]

Here's another way to make homemade ice cream, without the two cans. You can make smaller, individual servings & different flavors of ice cream for each person this way.

Ziploc Homemade ice cream - (Atkins & South Beach Diet friendly too.)

1/2 Cup Milk (doesn't matter what kind, see below*)
1 Tbs. Sugar
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla (and or other flavors added**)

(Atkin's & South Beach recipe modifications see below)

Directions:
Add ingredients to a pint (sandwich) size Ziploc freezer bag and zip shut. Shake lightly to mix ingredients. If you have cheap, thin zipper bags, use two bags.

In the gallon sized Ziploc bag or even just a plastic grocery bag (free!) add about 3 cups of ice (or fill half the bag with ice) and add 6 tablespoons of TABLE salt!!! (Do NOT skip this step.) Rock salt is not necessary but OK if you have it. Coarse salt or sea salt is also OK. The purpose of the salt is to lower the freezing temperature of the ice and not let it form into one solid glob as you are shaking. Do not use too much salt though or your ice cream will not freeze.

Place the sealed sandwich sized bag into the gallon bag and zip the gallon bag. Shake the entire contents for at least 5-10 minutes (shake longer for harder ice cream). Optional: Wear mittens or wrap bag in a towel for shaking. For even harder ice cream, you may place it in the freezer.

Once desired hardness has been achieved, remove smaller baggie and rinse thoroughly with cold water (if you miss this step, you may wind up with salty ice cream)!

Recipe makes about a 1/2 cup of ice cream. You can double this, but more than that doesn't seem to work.

Instead of the Ziploc, you can make it in coffee cans. One small, 1lb. coffee can inside a big 3 lb. coffee can with the ice & salt packed around the little can and you just have the kids roll it around on the floor to make it freeze! You can actually use any two seal-able Tupperware type containers: Individual yogurt container in a larger Tupperware container.

This technique is also great for the kids at picnics or camping. Just bring the baggies & salt & use the leftover ice in the cooler and have the kids make their own individual ice creams. You can also measure out ingredients at home in the morning, bring the baggies & salt to the office for ice cream at lunch.


* Milks:
You can also use cream or half & half.
I used 2% Milk. (South Beach Diet friendly.)
Another batch I used Lowfat Evaporated Milk and a splash of regular milk for extra creamy taste.

Someone said you can use soy milk. Add a little bit of vegetable oil to the soy milk and it'll be just as creamy. Just mix soy milk, sugar, vanilla, a little bit of oil until it tastes good (no measurements given).

** Flavors:
You can mix a larger batch of this in a blender first with some fresh or frozen fruit, then divide into the baggies.
Or you can add some chocolate or DaVinci flavored syrups or a splash of flavored soda, or Nestle's Quick (chocolate or strawberry) or unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder (& up the sugar to taste.)
Chocolate chunks, chocolate chips or mint chocolate chips, or spoonfuls of real fruit jams.
Or add a little of pudding packages instead of sugar to try different flavors.
A little Orange Jello powder makes a creamsicle flavor.
Taste before freezing to adjust flavors. It should taste like melted ice cream.

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream: Put about a tablespoon of peanut butter in a little dish & heat it in the microwave about 2 minutes (to melt it) while melting shake chocolate ice cream bags for the first 2 minutes then pour the peanut butter in with the rest of the half shaken mix & finished shaking it. It ends up having chunks of semisolid peanut butter in it.


Atkins & South Beach Dieters:
Ingredients modifications:

1/2 cup Heavy Cream (Atkins); or 1/2 cup of 2% or less Milk (South Beach)
1 tablespoon artificial sweetener or 1/2 packet Splenda or Equal
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Taste before freezing to adjust flavors. It should taste like melted ice cream. However I noticed the vanilla got more intense after freezing & the sweetener seemed less intense.

You can add 2 TB unsweetened Dutch processed (less bitter) cocoa powder and 1 TB Splenda
or some sugar-free chocolate syrup, or Nestle's Sugar-free Quick (chocolate or strawberry.)
Or the sugar-free pudding packages instead of sugar to try different flavors.
Flavored sugar-free syrups: 1 tbs. of DaVinci French Vanilla syrup & 1 packet Splenda
or 1-2 Tbs. of Caramel DaVinci syrup or other flavors.
Or old fashioned, unsweetened Kool-Aide flavors (add more artificial sweetener) or a little sugar-free Jello powder. Orange is good for a creamsicle flavor.

thank you

 

[magik]

I have used many of the recipes in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. There's a tomato and basil sauce that I love in there, so during the summers when tomatoes are abundant, my mother and I make up a batch or two to can. It's really nice to be able to use homemade tomato sauce from a jar whenever I want. The combination of homemade and convenience that comes from canning is really great. It's a lot of work when you do it, but then you've got convenient sauces (or whatever) to use later on that don't have weird preservatives in them.

We have also made jams and jellies from that book [peach, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach melba (peaches and raspberries), attempted grape jelly, but didn't have enough grapes].

It has recipes for things like ketchup and BBQ sauce to can as well as assorted salsas and many more things. There are also freezer recipes as well. We made a peach pie filling freezer recipe once. Never actually made pies from it, but it made an excellent warm ice cream topping.

 

[bear74]

Here is a way to make sidewalk paint. I havent tried it but found this on another message board and thought I would share. I think we might try it this week sometime.

Here is the recipe:
Earth friendly sidewalk paint no less! Mix 1/4 cup or cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add some food coloring........add about 4 drops, but add a whole lot if you want it to be colorful

Taco Seasoning---

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Tastes much better than the little packets!

Mary

6 c. flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c. oil
2 1/2 c warm water

Combine all, mix well. If too dry, add a little water, if too wet, add more flour. Divide into 16 balls. Roll out, using flour as necessary to desired size of circle. Cook in skillet over medium heat (I use cast iron) til bubbles appear, turn. You can cook to desired state of browness.

This is the original recipe. I don't use oil in mine. I think it does just fine without it. HTH!

Very easy!!

1 quart, litre, or bag of milk, any kind (2%, 1%, skim, homoginized)
1/4cup or more plain yogurt. I use bavarian

Scald or boil milk till small bubbles form.
Cool milk till tepid, or even cool over night in fridge

Stir in yogurt

Remove bulb from oven and replace with a 60 watt bulb.
Turn oven light on.

Pour milk/yogurt mixture in clean jars. The jars must be really clean, but I don't steralize them. You do not have to seal them either. I place my jars on a cookie sheet incase I spill them, but I haven't spilt them yet.

Put in oven, and keep the light on for 24 hours. The yougurt will be ready before this, but I like to make sure the sugar is digested.

I made this mix from a recipe on epicurious.com as Christmas presents a few years ago... turned out pretty well, although I made a lot of changes from the original to make it easier and less expensive. This is the version I used:

4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 pounds semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

In food processor fitted with metal blade, process semisweet chocolate and milk chocolate until finely ground, using 4-second pulses. (I don't have a food processor so I used a microplane grater instead -- just be careful not to melt the chocolate by blending too long or with the heat from your hands.) In a bowl, add ground chocolate and cocoa powder to sugar and whisk to blend. Store mix airtight at room temperature for up to six months.

To serve: For each serving, heat 8 ounces milk in small saucepan over medium heat until scalded (or microwave 2 1/2 minutes at full power). Whisk in 3-4 tbsp mix.

There's also a good recipe for hot chocolate on most cocoa powder boxes -- you really just need cocoa powder, sugar, a tiny pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla extract. Mix that with milk and play with the proportions to get the balance of chocolate, sweetness and creaminess that you like.

I have made Pumpkin Butter, and Cherry Butter... and some jams that I have made up some reciepts for jams that I used to get from a fancy English bath/body/garden type store.. I loved their Apricot Jam with slivered almonds and Sherry, and they had a Blueberry Jam with Chambroad, and a Cherry Preserve with Kirch... I know, lots of booze, but it burned off !
My mom used to make Peach Butter, and Tomato Butter. I was told that Ketchup, Butter, Jam, Jelly, ect. were the names that told someone how it was cooked, how much sugar and the thick/thinness of the product.
I now LOVE Pumpkin Butter, and could not find a real reciept for it so I looked at the Harry and David jar, and since we all know that ingreds are listed by how much is used I kinda faked it- that and I found an old Cherry butter rec. at the state ext. site. A lot of states have offices that have extens. for stuff like that, as do colleges/unives. Anyway basic "Butter" receipt is -
4-6 cups of cooked down fruit- but NOT cooked till it is mushy, it has some texture in it still
about 1/2 that amount in sugar.
cook till it is not sugar-ery. can it in steril jars- read the canning jar info...

I also make most of my own stock. I usually only buy boneless chicken breast, but sometimes we cook a whole chicken. I cut every little bit of fat off the boneless breasts, and save all the chicken bones that I have carved the meat off of. I keep a heavy duty ziplock bag, or seal able plastic tub in the freezer and SAVE every little scrap till I have a big, big bag of chicken "stuff" I then cover it in water and cook it down, never letting it boil. I then remove the bones/fat/stuff and cool the stock, removing all the fat. I THEN cook it down slow, till I only have about 1/5 or less of what I started with. I end up with a dark , carmel color chicken stock that I freeze about 1/2 cup in baggies, laid flat so I can break off chunks and add to soup? cooked chicken if it is over cooked- what ever. And I freez some in ice cube trays, and then some in empty maragine cups for soups. It is a long,long process. But I end up with a rich, mostly fat free product, and it tastes great! I also do this for beef/pork.. and if I can't come up with enought scraps from chicken in a month or 3, i will add all the different meat scrape together, cook, cool, de fat and then make soup stock. I also do this when I have limp celery, old onions, carrots and a turnip/leeks around, but roast them first to make a Court bullion.
Sorry this was so long, but I think some of you that have stock problems might not be reducing the stock enought, which makes it weak tasting. I also have bought big lots of chicken(5-10 lbs), and cooked it down, cut the meat in chunks when cool, froze it and keep it on hand for chicken salad, soup, and fast Mex. dinner!
Finally, in the cooler months I keep a large plastic container in the freezer and each time I have a little bit of meat and veggies left over from a meal I add it. When I have a full container, about 4-5 cups or more I cook a bag of dried beans, add all the frozen stuff, and a container or so of the stock and have a very big batch of soup... kinda like Stone Soup, only self enabled!
PS-Alton Brown ROCKS!!! wish HE was gonna be at Food&Wine...

This is my easy version resipe based off the Hershey's Baking Cocoa box with a little tweaking. I drink this at least every other day. If you are used to the powdered mixes, this will seem very rich and chocolaty. I love it! There is a family size stovetop recipe on the box that we use, too.

Single serving hot chocolate:

Warm 1.5 cups milk in a mug in microwave for about 1.5 minutes
Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla

In separate small bowl mix:
2 tablespoons Hershey's baking cocoa
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 good dash of salt

Add dry mixture to milk & stir well (it helps to put the mug of hot chocolate back in the microwave for about 15 seconds after all ingredients are mixed together and then re-stir--it seems to melt any residual baking cocoa on the bottom of the mug).

I also make my own whipped cream. Even DH cannot eat cool whip since I have been doing this, and he is your typical non-picky guy. We had some a few months ago at my ILs after not having it in a couple years, and my jaw hit the floor when he said it tasted like plastic & chemicals!

Whipped Cream

1 box heavy whipping cream (the tiny ones in the dairy section)
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar (or more if you like--taste test it)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix these in blender until cream is as stiff as you like. You will start to see soft peaks after about 2 minutes and can make it as soft or firm as you like.

You can double this for Thanksgiving or other times when you need a lot. 2 boxes makes about the equivalent of 1 of the regular size Cool Whip containers.

court bullion is stock made only with veggies. it is used to poach fish, or other meat, and to add intense flavor(when reduced down to about 1/10 of the orginal amount of stock 10cups = 1 cup, when simmered down...)
I use a much less strong stock to poach, when I bother to make it for that purpose! But if I have used the court bullion to poach fish I then make a chowder with THAT stock...
I have several veg. friends and when I would make a bean/veg soup it was always flat tasting, so I started to make court bullion, and then reduce it to about 1/2 the volume and cook the rest of the veggies/beans in it. Very, very tasty, even to my meat and potatoes DH!
To make a court bullion I usually take my largest cake pan, it is a 1/2 sheet pan, so it takes up the entire oven rack...
I wash all the veggies...
and sometimes I peel them, or not, if I get then very clean...
I use at least 4 to 6 carrots, all the inner celery, which is usually about 1/2 to 2/3 a bunch, several good size onions, sweet and reg, cut into wedges, at least 8 cups of veggies, usually a LOT more, like 10-12 cups cut up, and then a large firm turnip or more, cut into thick slices, about 4. I some times use garlic, but not a lot as it can really over come a stock, and I always make sure it is well carmalized in the oven! And if I have a green or red bell pepper I use it...sometimes.
I allways use the carrots, celery, and onions, and a turnip in season.
I put it in the pan, and bake it at 450 degree till it is well browned, but NOT charged. I usually have about 2-4 inches in this huge pan, and have to turn the mix over as it bakes- it can take as little as 1/2 hour or up to an hour. I watch it closely-ish... while cleaning out my bigest pot. When all the veggies are good an golden I put them in the pot, then I covet them with water. I also make sure that I add water to the pan from the oven I used to bake the vegs in, as there is a lot of good golden gunk on the bottom, and I scrape that into the water/veg pot. I cook it for several hours, then remove the vegs. and strain the stock. I usully have a smaller pot that I "decant" the cooked veg. into, and cook a little more. I strain all the stock from both pots into the one pot that will hold all the liquid, and then cook it down from what usually looks like it is a tan dishwater, to a strong gold/brown color that is very, very tasty... I freeze it like I do all my stock, in cubes and tubs. Marked with what it is, and when I made it.
Now if you do all this, make sure you use it! I found some that was way to old when we cleaned out the big freezer! I like to add a little to green beans when I cook them, it makes them very tasty without adding a ton of bacon.. and I add it to soup stock when I am making soup. We eat a ton of soup. And if you do save leftover veg and meat in the freezer and need liquid to make a good soup it is the best, it blends all the tastes together.

Also add it to homemade spegg. sause...
And if you have kids/husband that don't like veggies a lot you can do my trick of making Italian sause for any noodles-cook down all the veggies and then blend the hay out of them! If it is to thick add the court bullion, if you need a good tasting base to start a sause use the court bullion..and by blending all the veggies in a food processer, or using a blendind stick, you really thicken up the sause! My DH loves Italian food, HATES chunks of onions, and tomatoes! Crazy man!

hope this helped!

First off, I have red grapes and muscadines, so I blend and make my jelly from those. Any other grape you'd like to use should work as well. You can also use bottled grape juice, but the taste isn't as pure!

You'll need:

3 cups juice (typically about 5-6 lbs grapes)
1 pack pectin
4 cups sugar

Take the grapes and crush. I use a potato masher. Simmer the grapes and let the juice cool. Strain the crushed grapes for 3 cups juice.

Mix the juice and pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Remove the pot from heat and add the sugar. Stir it in quickly and smoothly. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim foam. Process 5 minutes in hot water bath with 1/4" head-space.

You can add a teaspoon of butter when you add the sugar and it will greatly reduce the foam.

oh my thanks

 

[bear74]

~Homemade Oreo Cookies~

2 pkg Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 c. oil

Icing:
1/2 c. cream cheese
2 c. icing sugar
1/8 c. margarine
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the first 3 ings. together; form into small balls. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 deg. Flatten cookies slightly with the bottom of a flat glass that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cool completely. Fill with white icing.

I cut this recipe in half.

oh yummy


does any one have an apple butter recipe?

 

[KibbyCat]

Ziploc Homemade ice cream - (Atkins & South Beach Diet friendly too.)

1/2 Cup Milk (doesn't matter what kind, see below*)

I've made lactose-free ice cream for family members who have a problem digesting lactose by replacing the regular milk with Lactaid. It came out great and tasted fine. (Lactaid is generally sweeter than regular milk, so it made the ice cream more flavorful.) Same can be done with organic milk or soy milk.

 

[toledo13]

I make lots of soups. Here's one that's excellent!!

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/recipe-for-curried-lentil-soup-with.html

My bil and sil make thier own butter and ice cream.... I haven't tried that yet...

 

[toledo13]

Can I just say that this thread is AWESOME!! Here are some 'granola' bars I haven't tried but want to!

CARLIBAR RECIPES
For each, blend in food processor until dough-like. If it's too dry, add a little water 1 tsp at a time. Press into an 8x8 pan. With a sharp knife, cut into 16 pieces. Wrap in saran wrap if desired.

Cinnamon roll
1 c. dates
1/4 c. Walnuts
1/4 c. almonds
1/8 c. cashews
7/8 tsp cinnamon
5 TBS raisins

Ginger Snap
1 c. dates
1/4 c. almonds
1/4 c. pecans
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp cloves

Chocolate Coconut
1 c. dates
1/4 c. almonds
1/4 c. walnuts
2 TBS coconut
½ TBS + ½ tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp water


All good for you stuff! No bad unknown junk!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Time to move this over to the Cooking Forum. The granola bars sound delicious! I hope that some everyone enjoys the recipes in this thread and that they add what they can to it.

 

[piratesmate]

oh yummy


does any one have an apple butter recipe?

I've never tried this one & it's not what I call apple butter, but if it's from the Wilderness Lodge it has to be good, right?

APPLE BUTTER
Wilderness Lodge

½ Red Delicious apple
½ Granny Smith apple
2 c softened unsalted butter
1/8 c applejack brandy
¼ c apple juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/16 tsp pepper
In food processor, purée whole cored apples (skin on). Add all remaining ingredients and blend until liquid is incorporated and entire batch is smooth.

= = = = = = = =
Or this one from Cooks.com for your crockpot - super easy, right?

CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER

Put 3 quarts of apples, sliced thin, in a crock pot and cook overnight on high. Next morning, add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cloves. Cook all day on low. Tastes like old-fashioned apple butter that is cooked in copper kettle.

You can use applesauce if you do not have time to prepare the apples. The crock pot makes it possible for apples to cook a long time without being stirred.

= = = = = = = = = = =
Or another one from About.com

Old-Fashioned Apple Butter
Makes about 5 cups.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 24 hours, 00 minutes

12 – 14 sweet-tart apples (like a Winesap)
2 cups apple cider or juice
sugar
ground cinnamon
ground allspice
ground cloves
freshly ground nutmeg

Lightly oil crockpot. Don’t peel, but wash, core and quarter apples. Put in crockpot. Stir in cider. Cover and cook on low for 10 – 18 hours (or high for 2 – 4 hours).

Put soft fruit in food mill to remove skins. Measure fruit back into crockpot. For each pint (2 cups) of fruit add: 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 ground cloves and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. Stir every 2 hours. Remove cover after 3 hours to allow fruit and juice to cook down. Spoon into hot canning jars and proceed according to canning jar directions. Or spoon into freezer containers. Allow apple butter to cool and then store in freezer.

 

[bear74]

I've never tried this one & it's not what I call apple butter, but if it's from the Wilderness Lodge it has to be good, right?

APPLE BUTTER
Wilderness Lodge

½ Red Delicious apple
½ Granny Smith apple
2 c softened unsalted butter
1/8 c applejack brandy
¼ c apple juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/16 tsp pepper
In food processor, purée whole cored apples (skin on). Add all remaining ingredients and blend until liquid is incorporated and entire batch is smooth.

= = = = = = = =
Or this one from Cooks.com for your crockpot - super easy, right?

CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER

Put 3 quarts of apples, sliced thin, in a crock pot and cook overnight on high. Next morning, add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cloves. Cook all day on low. Tastes like old-fashioned apple butter that is cooked in copper kettle.

You can use applesauce if you do not have time to prepare the apples. The crock pot makes it possible for apples to cook a long time without being stirred.

= = = = = = = = = = =
Or another one from About.com

Old-Fashioned Apple Butter
Makes about 5 cups.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 24 hours, 00 minutes

12 – 14 sweet-tart apples (like a Winesap)
2 cups apple cider or juice
sugar
ground cinnamon
ground allspice
ground cloves
freshly ground nutmeg

Lightly oil crockpot. Don’t peel, but wash, core and quarter apples. Put in crockpot. Stir in cider. Cover and cook on low for 10 – 18 hours (or high for 2 – 4 hours).

Put soft fruit in food mill to remove skins. Measure fruit back into crockpot. For each pint (2 cups) of fruit add: 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 ground cloves and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. Stir every 2 hours. Remove cover after 3 hours to allow fruit and juice to cook down. Spoon into hot canning jars and proceed according to canning jar directions. Or spoon into freezer containers. Allow apple butter to cool and then store in freezer.

oh thanks

 

[KT27]

Has anyone found tomato paste without HFCS?

 

[wowsmom]

Has anyone found tomato paste without HFCS?

Hunt's tomato paste doesn't have any HFCS.

 

[semo233]

BUMP

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

I'm lovin' all these recipes.
We just planted our garden and I can't wait to start canning and pickling our veggies.

 

[pampam]

Has anyone found tomato paste without HFCS?

Since this is the making things from scratch thread, have you tried making your own tomato paste? I make mine all the time and it is the easiest thing in the world to do.

Boil down a can of tomato juice.
That's it. If you use salted tomato juice, you may want to taste it first to see if it needs salt.

As the juice gets thicker, you can add a little honey, salt and pepper or spices to taste and you have ketchup, without all that sugar.

Boil it down some more and you have tomato paste. As it gets thicker keep an eye to see it doesn't burn. I do mine in the oven, so it won't burn on the bottom. A convection oven will speed things up, but is not a necessity.