Roasted Marrow Bones

I can't think of any other form of a meat or beef cut that would trump marrow bones. They are my favorite!

I was just whining saying to someone the day before I stumbled on these, how hard they are to find.
These are quite popular overseas, but sadly not-so-much here.

Don't you just wanna sink your teeth into that meat around the outside? ..Sorry- my carnivorous side is acting up.

I was scouting for turkey prices when I glanced at the area where they keep all the 'weird things' in the meat department- and it was like the windows of heaven opened!

I confess- I bought every pack they had.

Yeah- they're THAT good!
(Well- to me they are- my kids think I'm sick.- 's okay- more for me!)

What do they taste like?

When you roast them, they have a buttery-beefy flavor but also like that of grilled beef.

The meat on the outer part of the bone is similar to that of ribs.
"Amazing" really sums it up!

They are lower in protein than meat cuts but very high in those bone-building minerals.

Yummmmm!

They're also very quick and easy to fix and you can boil the bones for broth when you're done.

Roasted Marrow Bones

-marrow bones

-salt

-pepper

-parlsey

Place bones in baking dish or lipped baking pan. 

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley.

Roast at 450 for 22 minutes.

Psa 63:5-6  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:  When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

More Freezer and Storage Foods:

Today has been a bizzzzzzzzeeeeeeeee day so I didn't get all of my plans in but I did manage to still work on my freezer/storage stuff a little, while doing my other cooking.

I didn't freeze all of those white beans yesterday and decided to try some fermented bean paste:

I made a batch of The Prudent Homemaker's Spaghetti Sauce for supper and froze over half of it:

I made 4 loaves of French Bread to go with supper. We ate 2 loaves and the other two I split, placed open face on cookie sheets, spread with melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley. To the freezer they will go to 'flash' then be foiled up to be tossed in the oven later for a nice loaf of Garlic Bread! Yum! 

While supper was cooking, I prepared Breakfast Bread (whole wheat bread to be toasted). I baked 2 loaves, cooled them, then sliced them, and placed in Ziploc bags in the fridge. I can pop them in the toaster every morning!

See?

Even in the midst of a busy day and all of your other cooking- you can store a little something up for another even busier day!

Today's Freezer/Storage Work:

Today I started off with cooking about 6 pounds of white beans. It will be a big side for supper and portioned out for several sides for the freezer.

Beans are way cheaper to cook up from dry and make a great main dish or side, especially if you're running low on veggies.

I also made a double batch of these Peanut Butter and Granola Bites (using what I had on hand) for the freezer. (They are more salty than sweet, especially if you use natural peanut butters.)
I flash froze them on this tray, then placed in Ziplocs.  They are to be served chilled so I figure they will be good to eat in minutes from the freezer.

I made more Nourishing Ginger Ale too- mmmm!

Tonight I made 2 dozen Vanilla Kefir Muffins and froze 2/3 of them.

During everyone's TV time, I made Giant Breakfast Cookies.
I made a few small ones for snack and froze the giant ones for those "grab and go" kinda days (times 3).

Snacks and 'quick fixes' are one of the hardest things for us moms. I'm loving this freezer challenge and trying to hit this area the hardest!

Freezer and Pantry Stocking- fermented foods

Freezer Cooking w/ MSM...and some fermented projects for the spare fridge!

(Fermented foods can last MONTHS in cool storage and they're SO good for you!)

Cookie Dough to Thaw and Bake

Also working on: Kraut 
and Ginger Ale (kinda like this but with whey rather than kefir)

Kombucha: *without a scoby!

and Beet Kvass:
*cooked the tops for supper

Also bought a case of boneless, skinless chicken this week at Sam's and divided it up into 14 meals for the freezer. (Strips, fillets, diced.) **Approx. $55 per case divided by 14 meals = about $3.92 per meal. (Not bad for a big family! ;-)

Atole- Masa Porridge

This is another frugal breakfast 'cereal' that is super quick to make. 

(Also, masa is already pre-soaked in lime water.)

The cost will blow your mind: about 12 cents for a total of 5 servings like you see here.
Totally cool, huh?!?!

If you don't mind a few lumps, here's the fast way:

Brind 4 cups of water to a boil.

Whisk in 1 cup of masa harina and a pinch of salt.

Remove from heat and whisk until smooth. 

(Less lumps and a little more time:

Whisk 1 cup of masa harina, pinch of salt, and 4 cups of water until smooth.

Bring to a simmer and cook until thick.)

Tip:You may use milk instead of water.

I topped with butter and honey here. 

        What's masa harina?

It's cheaper locally. About 2.39 per 5lbs.

                                                                      

Works for Me Wednesday!

Fried Masa Cakes

These are so easy and tasty. Masa flour has such a great flavor. It is perfect to use with any Mexican dish but it's also good alongside your favorite beans!

2 cups masa flour

2 cups very warm water

1 t salt

Stir all 3 ingredients together with a fork for several minutes. Allow to stand for several minutes (or more).

Pat out walnut sized pieces with wet hands until they are about 3 to 4 inches around. Fry them on a hot buttered griddle until golden brown.

This Month's Shopping, Jabbering and So Much More...Like Masa Flour

I mostly worked on fruits and veggies this month (canned and frozen), as everything was GONE from my pantry and freezer. Last month I restocked flours, baking soda and powder, salt, beans, rice, etc.

This is some of what I bought this month and some explanations.

-50lbs potatoes
-40lbs apples
-several bags of onions
-.69 squash (several pounds)
-about 40 lbs of frozen veggies
(my garden gave me some for fresh through the summer, but not enough for freezing much)
-several 5lb bags of frozen fruits
-25lbs of sugar
-2 jars of honey
-1 container of molasses
-10lbs carrots
-4lbs cabbage
-12 dozen eggs (this will last for about 2 weeks)
-5 lbs oatmeal
-5 lbs bananas
-canned items
(chili beans, pineapple, evap milk, beets, etc)

The purchases to jabber about-

masa flour

This is worthy of conversation!

Not only is it pre-soaked in lime (as Nourishing Traditions speaks of) but it also has some goodies in it!

Per 100g , which is about 3/4 cup, you have;

-6.7 grams of fiber (fiber is a good way to tell if flour and meal are whole grain)
-6.9 grams of protein (this is great, and (from what I've read) when combined with a legume, it's a complete protein
-10% of your daily calcium
-10% of your daily iron

Regular corn meal cannot compare to this, as most of its nutritional content is what has been 'added'.

Read the ingredients on their bags to see what I mean ;-)

Masa flour is easy to use and its not textured like "meal"- it is "flour".

(Here are 3 recipes (scroll down)that I've posted with it before. This makes good tortillas too, but it will work so many other ways.)

I think masa is better stored in the freezer too, since it is the whole grain, whereas regular cornmeal is stripped to prolong its shelf life.

Another interesting purchase I made, I can hardly believe myself. You see, it's not something that I've ever cooked before. My kids however saw one at the Butcher's once and I promised them that I would try one sometime in the future.

Several have also recently read Lord of the Rings. Do you remember a dish they prepared in that story? (No, not Smeagol's fish.) Come on- think, think, think. With thyme, sage, and bay leaves? (For some of us- Hasenpfeffer might ring a bell.) 'Coney' ring a bell? Yes, a rabbit for Rabbit Stew. 

I think Bugs Bunny's Hasenpfeffer sounds like a great way to cook it!

Dh said he wouldn't eat it and I almost backed out because I didn't want to waste- but- sigh, I did make a promise to them and my word was more important - I plan to fix a pot of beans and cornbread to have on stand-by!

(And I can ALWAYS smuggle it into something ;-)

Anyone else use masa or cook rabbits?

Care to share recipes?

Frugal Kefir....

There are several ways to make homemade kefir but the way I've been doing it is a little more frugal and a lot less talked about.

You can buy kefir grains which will cost you up front and you'll have to pay shipping ($15 to $25) unless you have a GREAT friend who will give you some. (I have one of those and I'm very grateful for her!) Making it this way produces a very strong flavor and you have to take good care of your grains- or you'll lose them!

The 2nd way is to buy the kefir powder from your local health food store. This will be around $10 to $15 and you'll get enough to make 6 quarts. You can re-culture with it a few times but it fizzles out and you do have to heat your milk and all of that, like you do with yogurt. 


Now, this 3rd way that I've come to love because of its ease and frugality, is culturing like you would buttermilk. Do you remember when all of those coupons were floating around for Lifeway kefir? Well, way back then I bought a bottle of it and I've kept a culture going from it since, just as I would buttermilk. I pour about 1/4 cup in a mason jar and top it off with milk. I allow it set at room temp and/or on the warm stove for 12 to 24 hours and it cultures up very nicely. Curdy. And it has a very pleasant, almost sweet taste. Mmm.

I don't yet know exactly how long this can go, but so far, it's lasted months now. My buttermilk usually doesn't do this well as it will get very very thick after about 2 months of using.

Roasted Bone Marrow

This is one of my favorite treats in the world!
Yes, I know it's weird and wacky, but it is truly yummy. I prefer these grilled, this one was boiled because it was frozen to an ankle bone that came with our cow.
Below is a video of an excellent way to cook them too. He roasts them in the oven
at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes and spreads over toast. I like it straight up ;-)

What Does Half a Cow Look Like?

The day I've been saving for, finally arrived! Half a grass-fed angus is now in my freezers!

"Little Joey", above, is approx. 14 cubic foot and packed out.
(You do remember that my extra appliances are named?;)

This is the top of "Lucy", the old basement refrigerator. (The beef is from the angus, the rest you see was what I had dwindled down to before the beef arrived. Cutting it close!...but I wanted things emptied and cleaned out...great excuse to do that, huh?)

And this is "Dempsey", the free freezer that I got in the deal!
As if the beef wasn't great enough- what a blessing!

Job 36:31  For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.

Fermented Cherry Syrup

Finally! A ferment that I can get the kids to eat!

Who could turn down cherries?!?!

The recipe for these, is in Nourishing Traditions.

Very easy, slightly sweet but tart too.

I put them on top of their yogurt smoothies - next to try a little with crepes or pancakes!

Yummy!

More About Calcium Egg Shell Broth...

My other post about this gives the exact instructions for this, as per the Bulk Herb Store, but I wanted to show you something else you can do with these.(Shoshanna does a video and uses them like this.)

You can freeze them in pop molds or ice trays.

Use them in smoothies, slushies, soups, or even to chill your drinks!

Lard and Cracklin'....

 We love lard- real lard.

Here's a post about how I rendered some last year.

I get a big kick out of this process, especially if good pork is available.

Pork that's been naturally raised is said to have the wonderful Vitamin D!

And then- there's the cracklings! I let everyone have a few, then I freeze them up for cornbread. No waste!

A Great NATURAL Alternative for Acidity Troubles...

My dh has been plagued for years with stomach issues. He's had medicines and scopes and the whole 9 yards but battling with this myself during pregnancies and off and on the last year or so, I read up a little on the medicines, prescribed and over-the-counter, and I didn't like what I found.

I bought this product and asked him in my nice, sweet, caring wifely way if he would try it. It works!

I tried it myself last week and it worked for me too!

But not just for that problem- for LOTS of other tummy troubles too! (We won't get graphic ;-)
But you can follow the link here to Amazon and read the maker's claims:



We love it! Its all natural and all safe! Woo hoo!

Crepes with Homemade Buttermilk Cheese...

Out of cream cheese?
Why not make your own?

I always keep homemade buttermilk and homemade yogurt around.
It's just cheaper to make it! I can buy milk for $2.49 a gallon at Aldi - love Aldi!

Time? -well, the buttermilk takes less than a minute to mix up and the yogurt I've learned to do in about 10-15 minutes or less. I always do 2 or 3 quarts at a time so I only have to do this once or twice a week. (Pretty frugal trade off!)

Buttermilk or yogurt cheese, are both easy! Here's a post about that. (Basically, line a strainer with coffee filters, napkins, or cheesecloth. Place strainer suspended above a bowl, pour in yogurt or buttermilk, strain overnight. The whey will drain off, leaving you with a nice, thick cheese in the filters!)

Once you have your "cheese", blend with a dash of vanilla (or other flavor, even cinnamon, or no flavors),  and sugar to taste.

Make your crepes, spread about 2 tablespoons on each, roll up, dust with sugar, and serve with fresh fruit if you like. Easy peasy!    Great for breakfast, snacks, or dessert after a light meal!

CREPES:

2 eggs

pinch salt

1 cup flour (unbleached here)

1 1/3 cup milk

2 T melted butter

Beat eggs well. Add salt and flour and about half the milk.

Beat well until the lumps are out, beat in the butter.

Add remaining milk, beating well to break up any flour lumps.

Cook in very lightly butter pan on low-medium heat. Pour about 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter in the center of the pan and hold the pan up off the eye, and swirl to form circle (while you're pouring). Cook until set, use spatula and fingers to flip. Cook just until light. Store between waxed paper. Can be frozen or refrigerated.

(Have you figured out that my family has gone bonkers for crepes lately? They beg 4 them!)
**Tips- don't throw out the whey!
Its good for you to just drink, blend in a smoothie, to acidify broths or soak grains, or to ferment foods (see my tab that says Nourishing Traditions or Google!)

Need more REAL calcium? Me too!

Bone density-- - - - big issue these days.
If problems run in your family, you can prepare and begin to fight back against genetics.
If you already have issues- you're already in the battle so saddle up!

I don't know about you, but it bugs me a little to pop a calcium pill that I fret may have come from chalk.
(Makes for lovely brittle bones- ewww yeah, just what I need  -not.)

Some of the other sources are just CRAZY expensive so- what's a frugal, bone-density-fighting gal to do?

Look for frugal natural sources, of course!

I love bone broths but that's not always easy as it is a process and I'm having a difficult time getting beef bones (Oh how I love beef bone broth- especially if there's marrow! Oh!) and chicken broth can get o-l-d!  And there's only so much milk a gal can drink- lest I become a cow myself! Hmmp!

So when I saw a recipe in the Bulk Herb flier for this- I got excited!!!  And its super easy.

I used more shells than she did though. She says use 4to5. I used about 10 or 12. Well? Perhaps I'll get a little more with a little less effort! (You can get too much calcium- so be aware of that- some of us just need more so we can take in a little more than others can.)

You crush them some, pour 2 cups of boiling hot water over them, a teaspoon of real lemon juice or vinegar in and allow them to soak, covered until they cool. Strain. Easy peasy!

She says to: Take a sip of the liquid one or two times a  day. Just because it works does not mean you should take more than you need. So, slowly up your doses until pain is gone, but after that, do not keep upping it. some of us need more calcium than others, but remember our bodies cannot handle too much calcium.

See how milky?

**************************

Remember- I'm not a medical professional.

It is wise to do your own research and start any home remedy slowly and perhaps even consult with your physician in some instances.

(French)Onion Soup...

'French' Onion Soup is made by caramelizing the onions. I didn't caramelize them here, therefore it is just Onion Soup.(French Onion Soup would also be topped with a sliced of bread with cheese that has been broiled or toasted.)As it is in the picture, the onions are almost like noodles. Kids like them like that! (They weren't even sure if they were onions.)

1T butter
1/4 cup fat (I use rendered beef fat. Could use lard, butter, etc)
5 onions, sliced
2 pinches of cane sugar (*if caramelizing the onions)
2 1/2 quarts of beef broth (I used homemade. I cook bones in an acid broth for about 48 hours.)
1/2 c white cooking wine (or water)
2 bay leaves
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1 T salt or to taste

Slice onions and cook in fat for about 30 minutes. If caramelizing, it will take about 45. *Add pinches of cane sugar if caramelizing.

Add broth, cooking wine, bay leaves, pepper, and salt and cook for 30 minutes, covered.

Served here topped with chives and sliced, toasted French Bread with butter, Parmesan, and parsley.

*Here's a link to caramelized onions if you'd like to see.