Cocoa Powder Brownies/Recipe for Pantry Brownie Mix

 I've been pretty good about keeping my sweet tooth (uhm, that would be teeth, certainly plural) in check but sometimes chocolate, in the form of brownies, is ...well....healing therapy!

This recipe makes a 9x13 or 12 muffin-sized brownies.

You can also premix all of the dry ingredients and store in jars or bags in your pantry for your own, frugal brownie mix!

Great convenience food! 

(Isn't anytime a convenient time to eat brownies?.. Is it a little too late to try to convince you that I really made these for the kids?)

1 cup of all purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

1 t vanilla

*opt: 1/2 cup walnuts + 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

(the more chocolate the merrier!)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the center for wet ingredients and gradually blend into the flour mixture. (If using the nuts and choc chips, add them to the dry ingredients first.)

Spread in sprayed 9x13 or muffin tins. 

Bake at 350 for 22 to 25 minutes.

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Psa 119:103  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

What does 100lbs of ground beef look like?

(I posted this on Facebook but thought some of you may not see it!)

What does 100 pounds of hamburger meat look like? Well- I didn't get a picture of the whole lot but below is about 40lbs.

Yes- I confess- I did something REALLY crazy this month and bought 100lbs of ground beef!

Why did I do this?

Well, I'm concerned that this may be my last 'big' shopping trip for a while for one.

Second- our local store that grinds their own beef- not regrinds what they're sent that's full of water (Leo's Market) ran this meat on sale for $2.49. ....I know- this is high compared ...BUT... Here was my thinking....roll with me.....;-)

The only cheaper meat was chicken thighs and legs at 1.19 (Kroger's) and in a few days .99 (Food Lion). It takes several pounds of those meats to feed my family, with the kids getting one piece of chicken and dh getting....well...you know how many our fellas can eat!

The cost per meal with chicken pieces is several bucks for meat. I have many recipes that I use with only 1 pound of ground beef and that price would be better than the chicken pieces.

So- here's the break down on the beef:
I brought it in, patted out about 225 patties, sectioned the rest up per meal, and all total, have approx. 70 meals divided out. That's about an average of $3.55 per meal...which will include hamburgers several times!

To sum it up, my youngest was looking at all of it and asked; "Mom, how long would all that meat last us?" I told him that if we ate one meal from it a day, it would last about 2 1/2 months!

Not bad methinks!

eFoods Direct-

As many of you know, I make it a habit to keep my pantry and freezer(s) fairly well stocked. I live quite a ways out from 'town' and have half a dozen young'ens in tow (yes, literally), and I made it a routine some years ago to shop once-a-month because of time, gas, and even something as simple as germs in the winter months when my children were all small (and touched everything :). I felt "prepared". And really I sort of took it for granted that I felt somewhat "prepared" for just about anything.

But- I wasn't.

Regular readers may remember a tornado hit my area about 3 months ago.

I'm still shocked to say, that even just after a few hours of no electricity, we were in a food panic!

Why? Because I cook everything from scratch.

After experiencing that, I readily agreed to bring a company to your attention when asked. 

They are eFoods Direct. You may have heard of them?

In remembrance of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that stuck in Japan last year, they've created a special offer for us bloggers :-)

(Blogging does have its benefits!)

6 free meals- for just a shipping and processing fee!

Click here to go to their site. The codes you need to take advantage of their special offer are located in the top paragraph at the top of their page.

What's in this for me? Well, in exchange for telling you about their special offer, they've agreed to send me a little sample. So be sure to check back for my official review of their products!

Thanks ladies!

Macaroni Salad

This salad is pantry-garden friendly and can be adjusted to use just about anything that you have on hand.

It's also great for picnics, summer parties, church dinners, and more!

You can also switch out colored veggies to give extra color.

2 1/4 cup macaroni

3 boiled eggs 

2/3 cup mayo

1 t celery seed

1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles

3/4 cup chopped bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped onions

salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Tip- boil your eggs with them!

Drain the noodles. Peel the eggs and chop them with a fork.

Mix all ingredients.

Add more mayo if the salad is too dry.

Chill well.

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There are MANY variations to this delicious side dish.

-add several tablespoons of mustard

-use other seasonings such as parsley, basil, or oregano

-add a splash of vinegar

-use finely chopped carrots or other veggies

-toss in bacon bits and use Ranch dressing instead of mayo or Ranch seasonings w/the mayo

-add chopped ham

-use dill pickles

Endless possibilities!

Homemade Brownies

Mix:
1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)
1 ounce melted dark chocolate or baking square
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t vanilla
Beat in:
3 eggs
Stir in:
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa
2/3 cup plain flour

Spread in sprayed 9X13 and top with walnuts if desired. Bake at 350 for approx 38 minutes.

Buttermilk Biscuits

I've been asked several times about homemade biscuits and do I make them with wheat. I must confess, that biscuits are one place where I can't find room for my wheat :-)

I have made them- but there's nothing like a fluffy Southern - white- biscuit!

Here's how I make them:

2 cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup lard or butter*

approx. 3/4 cup of buttermilk**

Preheat oven to 550. Cut your fat into the flour until you get a nice 'crumb', a little more coarse than cornmeal. Slowly blend in your buttermilk being careful not to add too much or too little. 

Once you have your dough barely moistened, dump out onto lightly floured counter.

Knead just until dough holds together- no more than about 10 times.

Pat out dough to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into circles. Place on light-colored baking pan. 

Allow your biscuits to rest and rise for about 5 minutes or more before baking.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Butter the tops as soon as you remove them from the oven.

*You may use other fats. Some folks use oil.  I prefer lard and/or butter. I think they taste better ;-) 

Flash freeze tip: As soon as you cut these, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze. To cook, place on cookie sheet, heat oven to 425 and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes.

Tips:
Brandy made these using: **In place of buttermilk: 1 cup milk minus 1 Tbsp; replace with 1 Tbsp vinegar
(and using reconstituted powdered milk)

Don't knead biscuit dough roughly as you would a yeast dough.

Don't over knead or your dough will be touch. 

To get layers, fold dough over and over rather than knead.

If at first you don't succeed, do it again! Make them several days in a row and you will get a feel and eye for the right consistency of the dough. Then- it will 'come back to you' every time you make them!

Out with the old and In with the new...

 Welcome to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

I have a shopping/food storage/pantry building tip this week:

This month will be "clearing the shelves" month for lots of stores.

It's almost time for all the seasonal baking supplies to be brought out so be looking for sales on items such as; canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, spices, flours etc.

(I'm personally holding my breath hoping the price of nuts will come down soon. They're $9 a pound here!-With the exception of almonds.)

Then again in November, close to Thanksgiving, you will see them drop again. Happy frugal shopping!

Once-a-month-shopping: FRUIT

I wanted to share what I did this month for our 'fruits' with you and how I'm going to stretch them out over the month. This first week or so we'll have- berries, bananas, and grapes. Those were the best priced. They will be eaten with breakfast, alongside scrambled eggs or on top of pancakes or oatmeal. They will be served in small portions (old yogurt cups) after meals as well. When they begin to get old, they'll be tossed in smoothies for breakfast (freezing leftovers for 'pops'). If there are leftover bananas, they'll be frozen and used later for banana bread or dropped in smoothies- they add yummy natural sugar!

For the rest of the month I bought a bag of frozen strawberries and I have a little frozen blueberries and blackberries leftover. I also have two and a half quarts of frozen blackberries from our bushes this year. And I hope I have about 3 bags of frozen apples from the orchard last year.

I also bought some dried fruit. I did a little searching to find out which fruits had the highest nutrition when they were dried. (I love this site! Be sure to scroll down the page once you've entered your food of choice.) But after some digging, I elected raisins and prunes.They are both very sweet which will satisfy the sweet tooth of my children and they are packed with lots of goodies that I never knew they had!

Prunes- 12 grams of fiber per serving! But not only that- Do you know how much vitamin k they have???? They also supply a nice amount of several other vitamins and minerals. The trick will be hiding them here and there and making them appetizing. Chopped in muffins, on cooked cereal is where I LOVE them, and maybe some sauces.

Raisins- 6 grams of fiber is pretty good for starters, but did you know they have 17% of your required daily iron? They also have 35% of your daily potassium. Not so bad, huh?

But you know what's really great about these two foods?
Uh huh- they're both quite frugal too!

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This post is linked to Homemaking Link-up Wednesday's.

Dusted Cocoa Cookies

4 T melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk (or regular)
1 egg
3 t baking powder (alum. free)
1/4 t salt
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa

Blend ingredients in order. Roll out 1/4 inch thick on floured counter.
Cut into desired shapes. Pat the flour off. Place on ungreased baking
sheet. Bake approx. 9 minutes in 375 oven. Cool several minutes be-
fore dusting w/powdered sugar. They taste like chocolate pop-tarts! 

Food Storage in Places with Humidity

Welcome to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

I must say up front that at present, I've only stored food for 3 to 6 months, with the exception of canned (both home-canned and store-bought)and frozen items. Canned and frozen items are usually very little trouble. Its the other foods that can cause the most trouble.

But---I'm learning and studying and I've found many ideas on how to make this work in places with yucky humidity.

Here's some ideas to help you have success:

-Consider a  FoodSaver V2244 Advanced Design Vacuum Sealer.
You can seal food airtight. No air = no humidity. This would be of benefit with pastas, cereals, grains, etc.

-Make sure to use air-tight containers! Some say they are air-tight and some really are so it helps to do your research. Emergency Essentials has food storage buckets, metalized liners to help with light and moisture, and they sell oxygen absorbers. Remember: no air = no humidity. those absorbers can probably be used in just about any container to assist in preserving your food longer.

-While you may store store-bought canned food just about anywhere, never store flours, sugars, grains, pastas, etc near concrete floors or outside walls, especially in your basement. That's where humidity lives! I would also be very careful about home-canned items. While they do need to be in a dark place, humidity can cause rusting. I've never had this cause a real problem, other than ruining my bands. Bands that are rusty won't screw on tight and can cause leaking in the canner!

-Consider the heating and cooling of the room that you use to store foods in. Keeping the room cool during the hot and humid season will also keep humidity at a low.

-If you must store your food in a basement area that is not heated/cooled, consider dehumidifiers. I don't think they can eliminate all humidity, but they can help.

-Keep check on your food storage. If any items look 'weird', get them away from the other foods. Mold and mildew spread.

-Front your items, keep them rotated, making sure to use your oldest items first.

Below is a link to EE, where you can find everything you need to help you with your food storage!
(Full Disclosure: it is an affiliate link)

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Be sure to enter the giveaway for the complete My Memories Suite!

Cranberry-Almond Chicken Salad...

This was a side with soup the other day, but it's great on sandwiches!

 12.5oz can of chicken, drained

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup sliced almonds

2 heaping tablespoons of mayo

Mix well, chill if desired.

Homemade Toothpaste...

Easy toothpaste, from kitchen ingredients. I've dressed it up some, but you can use what you have on hand and certainly keep it more frugal!

2 T coconut oil

3 T baking soda

1/4 t (or to taste) peppermint extract or essential oil

Opt*1 to 2 drops tea tree oil (taste is a factor with this)

2 pks of stevia, xylitol, or other non-sugar sweetener

1t glycerin *opt (for texture)

Blend well.

Store in baby food jar or other lidded container.

Clam Chowder...

3 T bacon grease
1 lg onion, chopped
1 small celery stick, chopped
1medium shredded carrot
1 cup water
1/2 t thyme
1/4 t fresh cracked pepper
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4 c milk
1/4 c pl flour
1 cup or 1 can, drained sweet kernel corn
1 t salt
2 cans drained clams (packed in water, not oil etc)

Saute onion, celery, and carrots in bacon grease for approx. 5 minutes.
Add water, thyme, cracked pepper, and potatoes. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Whisk the flour into the milk, breaking all lumps. Add milk, salt, and corn. Heat 5 minutes.
Add the drained clams last. You want to heat them, but not 'cook' them or they will toughen.

Serve with crackers or fresh bread! Top with parsley or crumbled bacon.

Pastillas de Leche....

*Welcome to Frugal Fridays, hosted by Life As Mom.*
Pastillas de leche means 'milk pellet' or 'pellet of milk'.

It is a Filipino candy that's super easy to make and you can store them in a  candy dish at room temp for several days or refrigerate even longer.

The ingredients are basic pantry items;

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 cups of powdered milk (sift for a smoother texture)

and half a cup of sugar or powdered sugar

(I used powdered sugar, but most use regular white sugar.)

You simply blend the milk powder and condensed milk by hand, allow to sit for about five minutes.

Sprinkle the sugar on a piece of wax paper.

Knead slightly and roll out into a rope, cut into 'pellets' or pinch off and shape into balls or pellets.

Coat them with sugar.

Allow pieces to sit for a couple of minutes until they stiffen up.

Then wrap each piece in a small strip of waxed paper, twisting the ends.

There are several varieties of this, including one with fresh milk like this.

You can also flavor them with cocoa, vanilla, etc.

They aren't too sweet and have a great chewy texture.

These are a nice alternative to store-bought candy!

Brandy Has Another Great New Article Up!

It's called:

EAT FOR LESS AND BUILD YOUR PANTRY AT THE SAME TIME

Don't miss the nice job she did with the pictures too!

This pic will take you to her main page:

Dandelion Jelly...

I have to say this jelly ROCKS!

I also made some Dandelion Syrup. Some people make and/or call it "Dandelion Honey" and I see why!
It really tastes like honey, both the jelly and the syrup!   If you Google it, you can see that people do all kinds of neat things with the dandelions to make things that are honey-like, including 'syrup' sweetened with honey and flavored with butter. ...That HAS to be good!

Here's the simple way to make the jelly:

Collect about 4 to 5 cups open dandelion flowers. Snip the green ends off where you just have the yellow petals. (Don't worry about a few green sprigs, but no stems!)

Pour 4 cups boiling hot water over yellow petals, cover, and allow to steep overnight.

Strain off 3 cups of 'juice' into large pot.

Add 2 T lemon juice.

Mix in one box of Sure-jell.

Bring to a rolling boil, boil one minute.

Stir in 5 cups sugar, return to boil.

Boil one more minute, ladle into jelly jars.

*can add yellow food coloring

To make the syrup- I used almost the same ingredients, but in different order!

For the syrup:

3 cups of steeped dandelion 'juice'  (Plus another 1/4 cup later.)

Bring juice to a rapid boil, add 5 cups sugars and 2 T lemon juice,

and 1 T butter.

Return to a boil, boil one minute.

Mix one box of Sure Jell with 1/4 cup  dandelion 'juice' (or water.).

Add to the boiling mixture.

Boil rapidly for 1 minute.

Ladle into jelly jars and process as you would jelly.

The syrup looks identical to honey!
Great for pancakes, biscuits, or on sandwiches with peanut butter!
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How are dandelions good for you?
It is supposed to be a 'blood builder'.
Also rich in vitamins and minerals, especially calcium.
Helps open urinary tract.
Great for the liver.
And more...see the Bulk Herb Store!

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This post is linked to:

Tuesdays at the Table

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Homemade Orange Sherbet:

A favorite treat at our house:

This is super easy! And made from only 3 ingredients!

*1 can evaporated milk

 *1 can frozen orange juice

 *1/2 cup sugar

Chill one can of evaporated milk in bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes.

You want it really cold, but not frozen. *Just until ice starts to form in the bowl.
(The colder it is, the quicker it whips up!)

Thaw one can frozen orange juice.

Whip milk until soft peaks form.

Blend in orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar.

Place in the freezer for approx. 2 hours.

Tip:

-Freeze leftovers in serving size cups for easy-serve.

-Try other flavors with frozen juices, chilled nectar may even work but I haven't tried it yet.

-You may need less sugar with other flavors!

-Also- if the OJ is too strong for your liking, you can add about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla for a 'creamsicle' taste! 

-Even if you freeze overnight, this doesn't get hard, like ice, it stays soft.

 This picture is made like the orange except I subbed the O.J. for a can of apple-strawberry-kiwi juice with no HFCS. Very good- very sweet...it doesn't need but about 1/2 the sugar amount!

Moist Rice and Salmon Loaf...

This makes for a great pantry recipe and is also a frugal way to get some fish into your diet and its light!

2 cans of salmon, undrained (leave in the bones, just crush them with your hands so little ones don't see them-extra calcium)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk)
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 T dried minced onion
1 T lemon juice (opt)
1 1/2 t dried parsley
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Bake at 375. (I used a 9 3/4 x 9 3/4 glass baking dish.)
Bake for 30 minutes until lightly golden.
*Recipe can be halved, this made more than my family could eat in one setting.
*This dish could be made lower in fat by using egg whites,etc and skim milk.
*Served here with black strap sweet potatoes and green salad.

Easy Italian Pasta with Roasted Peppers...

1 box spiral pasta (I used a kind that is made from whole grain and flax.)
Cook according to box directions, to the lesser time.

Chop 1/4 cup of cherry, pear, or other tomatoes (yellow pears used here) or even drained, canned

1/3 or to taste of your favorite Italian Dressing (homemade or bottled) I use a homemade with flax oil

1 T chopped chives

1/4 cup chopped roasted peppers (bottled or roast your own)

Toss, chill, serve. This makes enough for a side for several meals at our house.

You can also add more veggies; shredded carrots, diced green peppers, chopped green onions, peas, diced zukes, summer squash, chopped cukes, etc. Can also be topped with Parmesan cheese.

A great frugal side when you're in a pinch or need a big side dish for guests or church picnics!

Chocolate Covered Creme-filled Donuts...

I know- I know- but- they begged me! And they wanted NO healthy stuff in them! And when a couple of them suggested that I could not do it- well- hmmp! I showed them! ;-)

So- all healthy stuff- out! Plain flour, sugar, and bad oil, here I come!

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This recipe is based on my reworkings of several that I found online. This makes a dough, almost like that of a canned biscuit. As you can see below, they look like that too.

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Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup milk

4 t yeast

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 t salt

6 1/2 to 7 cups plain flour

oil for frying (I used half peanut oil and half cheap vegetable oil.)

Directions:

Heat milk until just slightly above lukewarm, add yeast.

Mix in sugar, oil, salt, eggs, blend well.

Add flour one cup at a time, being careful with the last cup not to add too much.

You want a soft dough, not stiff.

Knead well, about 10 to 15 minutes by hand on lightly floured counter.

Cover and allow to rest on counter for 45 minutes.

Roll dough until it is about 1/2 an inch thick and cut with circle cutter or wide glass.

Place dough on lightly sprayed baking sheets to rise.

Allow to rise 30 to 40 minutes.

Heat oil, testing with a bread cube. Its hot enough to fry when a 1inch cube of bread cooks in about a minute. But be careful not to get the oil too hot or your doughnuts will brown too quickly and be doughy in the middle.

Drop doughnuts in the oil cooking for approx. 45 seconds to 1 minute per side.

Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then place on baking rack to cool.

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Creme Filling:

2 sticks of butter

1 cup of regular sugar (for the texture if you like, if not, omit)

1/3 cup milk

2 t vanilla

approx. 5 to 6 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter and vanilla then add half the sugar, then milk, then remaining sugar until a fluffy filling is made.

You will need a tipped pastry bag or something like I have below to fill the doughnuts.

Chocolate Frosting for the top can made exactly as above, adding 1/2 cup cocoa powder and a little more milk.

This is a Wilton Dessert Decorator Plus
sold on Amazon and at Walmart for under $15 usually.

This has came in handy for me this last year, since I have a knack for destroying pastry bags!

Here's the finished product- or rather what's left- they nearly ate themselves sick!

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Be sure to check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesday

Chef In Training
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Scavenger Hunt: Here is your second special My Memories Link!