Chewy Oatmeal

How to make chewy oatmeal with texture rather than mushy oatmeal. My husband likes it this way a lot better.

Basically Boil the water first, then add the oatmeal. I also use a little more oatmeal than the typical 2-1 ratio of water to oats.

- Bring 5 cups of water with a dash of salt to a rolling boil
- Add 3 cups of rolled oats (not quick oats)
- Boil for 1-2 min until most of the water is absorbed

All my kids eat this! Some with honey and some with brown sugar, but they all like it.

Toffee - A Holiday Favorite

My family has a few special desserts that we make during the Holidays. I love baking these festive treats. It brings back memories and makes new ones with my own family.

We never used a candy thermometer so cook time is based on color =)

- prepare a foil covered baking sheet
- sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
- in a medium sauce pan, combine 1 c sugar, 3/4 c butter (1.5 sticks), 1/2 tsp vanilla and a dash of salt.
- stir over medium heat continually until boiling.
- keep stirring until mix is the color of peanut butter (this is the final stage just before it burns)
- pour onto the baking sheet
- top with 1+ cups of chocolate chips
- the chips will soon melt and you can easily spread the chocolate over the entire surface of the candy with a spoon or spatula

TIP, when using a regular pan (not non-stick) be sure to not scrape the bottom and sides while stirring. This will keep the crystallized sugar from mixing with the smooth melted sugar in the middle. After pouring out the mix, don't scrape what has stuck to the sides onto the same pan.

TIP, I usually put a jar of peanut butter on the stove while I stir to see when to stop cooking.

You can view more images on this site. Her recipe is a little different, but the images are consistent with how we make our English Toffee. This site also says the Toffee should be cooked to 300 degrees. http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/01/08/national-english-toffee-day

Most Amazing Banana Bread I have ever Tasted!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0e8ojL0vcc
here is the link to a video of a chef making the best banana bread in the world, well, maybe, but it is easy to make and I LOVE IT! :)

Egg White Substitute

Many of you may already know this, but this is new to me. I just learned it.

2tsp. Meringue + 2 Tbsp. Water = 1Egg White

I use Meringue all time in making my icing but didn’t even know that you could substitute it for an egg white. You can get Meringue at Hobby Lobby in the Cake Baking section. I’m sure they have it a Wal-Mart, I’ve just never looked. It’s a dry powder so would be a good thing to have in food storage.

Freezing Tips

When I bake bread I usually make a ton. This way I don’t have to go through the mess and hard work for a while. I’ll freeze the bread. I usually store them for the short term. I’ve never frozen the bread I make for more than a year. If it is wrapped up and packaged good it should last a year. I wrap my loafs of bread in Alumina foil and then put them in a Zip Lock bag for extra freshness.

To thaw out, I pull them out of the freezer the night before. If it is a gift I will wrap it with Plastic Rap after it is thawed out and put some curly ribbon on it. I’ve done a last min. thing where I took the loaf of bread out of the freezer and raped it up in a hand towel and just defrosted it in the microwave. Most microwaves have just a defrost button.

I’ve done this with store bought bread as well.

Hope this is helpful.

One-Hour Dinner Rolls Italiano

Andy had these rolls growing up, so I got the recipe from my mother-in-law and made them tonight. They were wonderful! And so fast!

3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 pkgs dry yeast
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

In large mixer bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and seasoning; mix well. Heat water, milk, and butter until warm (120-130 degrees, butter does not need to melt); add to flour mixture. Add egg. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 min at medium speed. By hand, gradually stir in 1/2 cup cheese and enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. Knead on well-floured surface until smooth (3-5 min). Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm oven (turn oven on lowest setting for 1 minute, turn off) for 15 min.

Punch down dough and divide into 16 pieces. Form into balls. Dip tops into melted butter and 1/4 cup cheese. Place in well-greased 13x9 pan or two 8-inch rounds. Cover and let rise in warm oven about 10 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

*I didn't have Italian seasoning, so I made up my own (1/4 tsp each of basil, oregano, and rosemary because that's what I had). If anyone has any good recipes for homemade Italian seasoning, I would love to see them!

Protein Food Storage Brownies

I have it on very good authority that these are gooey chewy delicious, and her family loved them!

You can make brownies healthier, and with only ingredients from your food storage! All you need is:
1 can black beans
1 box brownie mix

Open can of beans and drain water, then fill can back up with water from the sink. Empty contents into blender and mushify into slush. Add slush to brownie mix. Bake as directed on box.

Super easy crowd pleaser with left over rice

Easy Cheesy Chicken Broccoli bake

1 can of chicken (drain juice into blender)
2 chicken boullion cubes (drop into blender)
2 cups (aprox) frozen broccoli (put into blender)
enough water to process it without having a broccoli shake (1-2 cups)

In a separate bowl dump
1-2 cans crm of chicken soup
1-2 cups cheese
1 cup sour cream
blender contents
The chicken chunks (from the canned chicken)
Left over broccoli chunks (or add into the blender if your family prefers it smooth)
3 to 6 cups of left over rice (or cook ahead)

You can add more salt or cheese to taste.

Throw it into a greased casserole dish or roasting pan and bake uncovered until hot and bubbly clear through. About 30 min at aprox 375 degrees.

It is not my hubby's favorite, but a big winner with the rest of us. And, everyone will eat it! Yeah.

Old Bananas

In my family nobody likes old, browning bananas.
I absolutely hate to waste food. But, sometimes I don't have time to peel, slice, and store in the freezer left over bananas. That does work well and you can choose to make smoothies or whatever.

If I don't have time to deal with them "properly" I just throw them in the freezer right in the peel. Then, when I have two or three and want to make banana bread, I set them out in a bowl to partially thaw.

Just cut off the end and the insides slide right out (like a push up pop only easier). They taste just as well blended for banana bread, etc.

Good Whole Wheat Bread

1. In large mixing bowl
combine, stir and let stand........1 cup hot water
1 cup dark brown sugar, or 1/2 cup molasses and
1/2 cup sugar
2. In small bowl
sprinkle..........................2 tablespoons or 2 pkgs. dry yeast
over..............................1 cup warm water and
2 tablespoons honey or sugar
3. Add to first mixture
and beat well.....................3 cups warm water
4 teaspoons salt
6 cups white flour
yeast mixture
4. Stir in, then knead
on floured board..................6 cups whole wheat flour, approx.
1 cup cracked wheat (optional)
5. Cover. Let rise in a
warm place until double
in size. Punch down. Shape
into loaves, place in greased
bread pans, let rise until double.

6. Bake at 400 for 45 min.
yield: 6 loaves

with my oven, it takes about 20 minutes or so at this temperature to cook the bread, so I would keep an eye on it. I love this because it isn't very hard and makes so much at one time! I usually make lots of rolls as well as three loaves of bread.

Measuring Marshmallows

- 1 Regular Marshmallow = 10-13 Miniature Marshmallows

- 1 cup Mini Marshmallows = 10 Regular Marshmallows

- 8 Regular Marshmallows = 1 cup

- 16 oz bag Miniature = 8 cups

- 10.5 oz bag Miniature = 5-1/2 cups

- 50 Miniature Marshmallows = 1/2 cup Miniature Marshmallows

- 5 Regular Marshmallows = 1/2 cup

- 64 Regular Marshmallows = 16 oz bag

- 1 cup marshmallow cream = 16 large or 160 miniature marshmallows + 2 tsp corn syrup melted in the top of a double boiler.

- 2 cups of Marshmallow Fluff = a 7.5 oz container

(some of this is from Kraftfoods.com)

Need a Cooking Wine Substitute?

Here is a substitute you can use for Cooking Wine:

- Red Cooking Wine = Grape Juice or Cranberry Juice

- White Cooking Wine = Apple Juice or White Grape Juice

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

This is a wonderful 'comfort food' recipe that uses the shredded chicken from my previous post.

1 package stuffing mix for chicken
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream

Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions and set aside. Lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish; place the chicken in the prepared dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the soup and the sour cream. Combine well. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken in the baking dish. Spoon the stuffing evenly over all. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Shredded Chicken

I love this method for making shredded chicken. It drastically cuts down my prep time and mess when I make chicken dishes.

Put 6-8 chicken breasts in a crock pot and cover with water. Add 4 chicken bouillon cubes and salt and pepper. Cook on low over night and you will have tender chicken breasts that will practically shred themselves. Freeze in 2-cup quantities. You can also freeze the chicken broth; I usually do that in 2-cup quantities as well. You can defrost the chicken in the fridge, or it works well in the microwave as well.

Crock Pot Bean Recipes

From Mom:

If you can, soak any dried beans over night covered in water.
They cooks lots faster the next day if you do.

With small white beans: (1 lb - about 2+ cups)

Cover the soaked beans with water - generously
add 1 small chopped onion
add 3/4 c molasses
Cook in crock pot until tender - about 5 hours
Ad salt & pepper to taste - then cook a little longer -
if too much water, take off lid, or add a little water if too thick
Good with home made rolls


With red beans

Cover soaked beans generously with water
add 1 small chopped onion - or 1-2 TB dried onion
cut up & fry 1/3 lb bacon - drain grease
Put bacon in with beans and onion
Cook in crock pot on high until tender - about 5 hours
Add salt & pepper to taste - then cook a little longer
VERY good with corn bread

Grandma's Red Bean Soup

Red Beans
Grandma Smith makes an AWESOME soup using:

1 can red beans,
1 can diced tomatoes,
1 can corn,
1 can chili.

You heat that all up together, then put Frito's and some cheese on top. YUM!!

3 Bean Salad

From Mom:

my favorite recipe with garbonzo beans is 3 bean salad

1 can garbonzo beans, drained
2 cans green beans, drained
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1/2 red onion chopped
dressing - 1/4 c. oil, 2 TB vinegar, 1/2 c. sugar - mix and pour over veggies,
- better if sits over night in fridge
- stir several times

Fresh Salsa

(Renstrom Family, this is what I bring to the family parties sometimes that everyone loves so much)

From Mom:

My favorite recipe for canned black beans is the fresh salsa.

1 can black bean beans - rinsed and drained
1 can corn - drained
1 large tomato, or 2 small ones, diced
1/2 small onion - diced
1/2 bunch cilantro - rinsed and cut up small
1/4 c. pinenuts - they are expensive, you can make this without them
dressing - 1/4 c. oil, 2 TB red wine (or apple cider-cheaper) vinegar, 1/2 c. sugar - mix well and pour over veggies.
Eat with corn chips - YUM

Need Brown Sugar?

Have you ever started a recipe that calls for brown sugar and then realized you were out (or it is too hard to use because you didn't plan ahead - me)?

Here is a safe substitution you can use.

- 1 cup of Brown Sugar = 3/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup molasses

Need Unsweetened Chocolate?

Do any of your holiday recipes call for squares of unsweetened chocolate?

This is not something I typically keep in the cupboard so here is a safe substitution you can use if you don't either.

- 1 sq. unsweetened chocolate = 3-4 Tbs cocoa + 1/2-1 Tbs shortening or butter

Super Easy Yummy Ideas #3 Potatoes

From Mom:

3. Baked potatoes -
bake some ahead to have for these easy things.
> a. add chili beans and cheese - yum
> b. dice up and fry with some bacon and onion - yum
> c. cut up and add milk, cheese, onion, ham - yum

Most of these things can be spooned into a flour tortilla to be eaten "on the run"

Super Easy Yummy Ideas #2 Pasta

From Mom:

2. Pasta
You can boil pasta pretty quick - Here's some ideas what to do
with it:

> a. macaroni - brown hamburger and stir it in with the cooked
pasta, add canned tomatoes & cheese - Yum
> b. macaroni - add tuna to cold left over cooked macaroni with
some frozen peas, chopped onion, miracle whip - Yum
> c. noodles - add canned tuna and cream of mushroom soup - yum
> d. noodles - add canned chicken, chicken broth or boullion,
chopped onion and carrot - homemade chicken noodle soup - yum.
> e. spaghetti - add spaghetti sauce, or cheese, or fry it with some
butter salt&pepper - yum

Super Easy Yummy Ideas #1 Rice

From Mom:

1. Rice
Cook up rice ahead of time and keep it in a zip lock in the
fridge, then you can add any of these for a quick dinner:

> a. cheese - just melt some cheese on it in the microwave - yum
> b. canned diced tomatoes and cheese - yum
> c. caned tuna and cheese - yum
> d. some chili beans and cheese - yum
> e. mix it with some canned chicken and cream of mushroom or
> chicken soup - Yum
> f. sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on it and eat it cold with some
> milk - yum
> g. fry up some sausage and drain it, add it to the rice with
some cream of mushroom - yum

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Cut the top off of a bulb so that each clove is exposed and place on a piece of aluminum foil.
~Drizzle with olive oil and wrap foil around bulb.
~Cook for 30 minutes or until garlic is soft.
*To make several cloves at a time, use a muffin sheet and place the individual bulbs in the muffin holders.

Add to your recipe of mashed potatoes, slices of french bread or just eat it plain! Just remember to brush your teeth. :-)

Freezer Burn

Everyone hates freezer burn.
When freezer burn arrives we have two choices:
1) Throw it out
2) Cook it anyway and taste the burn

Well, I have found a method that helps.
Next time you pull that food out of the freezer that is covered in ice crystals...

- rinse it

If you melt off the crystals before you cook it, most of the bad taste is gone too.
Try it out.

Old Bananas? EASY Banana Bread

I (Jerusha's Mom) save my "old" bananas to make banana bread. Problem is, sometimes it just seems too hard and I'm so short on time I wait until they are ROTTEN, and then throw them out. I thought if I could find an EASY banana bread recipe, that I could even memorize, I might do it more often. I did, and I do. Here it is.

EASY Banana Nut Bread

1/2 c oil
1 c sugar
2 beaten eggs
2-3 ripe bananas
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 TB milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c nuts opt.
Beat olil and sugar, add eggs and bananas; mix well. Mix together dry ingredients, then add to wet mix. Stir in mil and vanilla. Add nuts if desired. Pour into greased floured loaf pan.
Bake 350 ' <1 hr. Let cool and wrap in saran wrap or foil.
Taste even better the next day.
Note - you can substitite 6 oz. chocolate chips for nuts - kids love it.

Rainbow Cupcakes

1- White Cake Mix

Gel food coloring (I used 4 colors...I have seen it done with 6)

Make cake mix normally and then divide into 4 bowls. Pick out the colors you want and then add to each small bowl. I used a small cookie scooper and put less then half a scoop of colored batter in each cupcake container. Then you just cook them like normal. My kids do not like frosting so I refrained...but have seen it done with white frosting and colorful sprinkles! ENJOY!!!

Old Apples? Applesauce!

I discovered an easy way to make applesauce when the apples turn too soft and ripe to enjoy eating them plain. This goes really fast! It doesn't make as much as you'd expect (about 5 apples for 1 serving), but it's a delicious way to make use of apples that won't get eaten otherwise!

1) Get a pot of water boiling, size and amount depending on how many apples (just like you're going to boil potatoes).
2) Cut and core the apples (an apple slicer works great, or you can just quarter them and cut out the middle).
3) Boil them for about 10-15 minutes, basically til they're soft like a boiled potato.
4) Peel. The peeling comes off easily by scraping out the inside of the slices with a fork, but you can also pre-peel them if you want to take the time while they're raw (feel free to add any suggestions if you find a better way to peel them!).
5) Blend with a hand beater til you reach the desired consistency (Clay really liked it when I kept it kind of chunky).
6) Add a little sugar and/or cinnamon to taste.

Eat it fresh and warm or save in the fridge for later!

Bonnie Spencer

Soft Brown Sugar

This is a method I have used a few times and it works like magic, although I need to think of it a day ahead.
If your brown sugar has hardened:

- Put a slice of bread in the container or bag with it for a day

The next day the bread will be hard and the sugar will be soft and good as new!

If anyone knows of a faster method, please share.

Rejuvinate Stale Chips

Mike won't touch a stale chip so I was excited to find this tip today.

To Rescue a Stale or Soggy Chip:
- lay out chips on a baking sheet
- Bake at 300 degrees for 5 min
- Allow to cool then store in a Ziploc bag or sealed container

Fresh Celery

To keep celery fresh for weeks:

- wrap the celery in aluminum foil before refrigerating

Lemon Juice

To get the most out of your lemon:

- microwave it for 15 seconds before juicing to get twice the juice

Slicing Cheese

If you don't have a cheese slicer, like me, and find it hard to cut uniform cheese slices with a knife:

I have found that a peeler is a quick and easy way to get thin uniform slices.
Turn the cheese to the narrow side and hold the other end while you peel the slices off the cheese block.

Tip for measuring shortening.

From Mom:

If you have eggs in the recipe also (like for a cake or cookies etc), crack the eggs into a measuring cup and them pour them into the batter.
THEN measure the shortening in the measuring cup where the eggs were. It slides right out! No mess!

I have also seen Martha Stewart spray the measuring cup with Pam before filling with shortening.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

This can be way quick and easy with frozen and canned veggies, or you can cut up fresh vegetables...

2 cans cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk (more or less depending on how thick or thin you like it. not too thin though)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cheese
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 cup of each: corn, peas, carrots (fresh or frozen)
4 potatoes cut into bite sized pieces and cooked half way (or 2 cans diced potatoes)
frozen piecrust or bisquick for the top

* preheat oven to 375. mix soup, milk, sourcream, and 1 cup cheese. add veggies and poatoes. salt and pepper. pour in 9x13 pan. top with remaining cheese and cover with pie crust, bisquick, or pillsbury biscuits in the can. cook until heated through and crust is golden brown (30-45 mins). i have made it before where the crust is done, but it's still cold in the middle. so i started heating up the soup mixture before i add the crust. then i put it in the oven and it will for sure get done.

Sprouted Wheat and Manna Bread

Have you heard about sprouted wheat? My friend Deeann just told me about it today. We know that whole wheat in and of itself is great for you, but did you know it gets even healthier once you sprout it? It starts to grow and forms all sorts of vitamins and proteins, basically converting it from being a starch into a vegetable/protein food! In the Bible they talk about bread in Ezekiel 4:9 "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it..." I never paid much attention to these health food stores that sold Ezekiel bread, but now they might be on to something. I researched it a little and found this simple sounding recipe that includes instructions on how to sprout the wheat as well as how to bake it into what she calls "Manna Bread." Let me know if you try it and like it!

Steamed Whole Wheat

An easy way to cook whole wheat
From Mom:
- Put 1/2 cup wheat in a thermos.
- Pour 1 c. boiling water over the top of the wheat.
- Put the lid on. Shake it a little.
- Let it sit over night.
Yummy steamed wheat for breakfast in the morning!!

Need Buttermilk?

Not many people keep this item on hand but it can make those pancakes or biscuits more flavorful. Here is a substitute I learned about that I always have available.

1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar

- Then, microwave it for 30 seconds. (Geneve's Tip)

Mixing Frozen Juice

I remember spending forever as a kid stirring and stabbing the frozen juice with a spoon trying to get it all mixed with the water. I have three methods that I like to get it mixed fast.

1 - Plan ahead. Put the frozen juice in the fridge over night to thaw first.

2 - The blender method. Put the frozen juice into a blender with 1/3 the water. Blend together then mix in the rest of the water. This is fast but it makes the juice very foamy and you have a blender to clean after.

3 - Use a potato masher to mash the frozen juice and mix with the water. It is very effective and the method that I use the most.

Peeling Eggs

My sister told me this simple step to make peeling boiled eggs easy.

- make sure you have a rolling boil before you put the eggs in the water.

If you do this, the shells come right off. If not, the shells stick to the egg and take forever to peel.

"Homemade" Chicken Noodle Soup

This sounds hard and it tastes like it took all day but it is super easy.

- Boil 8-10 cups of water with about 8 chicken bouillon cubes
- Boil egg noodles in the broth until tender (put in as many as you want)
- Then add one can of chicken drained (I love the Kirkland brand at Costco) and heat until chicken is warm and your done!

It makes great left overs as well. If the noodles have soaked up most of the broth from sitting in the fridge, just add a can of chicken broth and reheat.
This is a big hit at our house and takes little effort.

Easy Way to Peel Potatoes

Do you remember Marianne from Gilligan's Island? Well, now she's teaching people an amazingly easy way to peel and boil potatoes in basically one step! Check it out!

Pork Roast

The is the easiest and best tasting roast!
Great for a Sunday afternoon meal.

- Put frozen (or fresh)pork roast in a crock pot.
- Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of water on top and 1pkg of dry Lipton onion soup mix
- Cook on high for about six or more hours
- An hour or two before you are ready to serve, cut the meat into smaller pieces and allow it to soak in the juice.

Serve this with potatoes or rice and it makes a wonderful meal.

No Stress Bacon

My family loves bacon! I had no idea there was an easy way to cook bacon until my sister-in-law shared this secret with me.

- Foil wrap a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) and lay out your bacon.
- Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 20 min and your done.

No clean up
No splatter
No burns
No time at the stove

I tried it and love it!
Who knew?