Cream of Soup Substitute

I borrowed this from afrugalsimplelife.wordpress.com.

Cream-of-Whatever Soup Substitute

September 7, 2011 

Basic White Sauce (thick):

• 3 Tablespoons butter or oil
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper
• 1-1/4 cup liquid, milk or stock

Melt butter or oil in saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add liquid slowly, stirring with wire whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thick. Makes 1 cup or 1 can of condensed soup.

Tomato Soup: Use tomato juice for the liquid. Add dashes of garlic, onion powder, basil and oregano.

Chicken Soup: Use chicken broth for half the liquid. Add 1/4 t. poultry seasoning or sage.

Mushroom/celery/chive soup: Saute 1/4 C chopped mushrooms, celery or chives and 1 T minced onion in butter before adding flour.

Allergy Suggestion:  If you use a gluten-free flour (rice, tapioca, etc.), you can make the soup gluten-free.  And if you use a stock rather than milk, you can make it milk-free, too.

Old Apples Note 2

The crock pot applesauce recipe I wrote in before works best with Granny Smith apples. 

For red delicious or other, already sweet apples, it works out just as well with a half cup of lemon juice added in to tarten it up a bit. 

Low-Fat Ground Beef

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. 
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 

BYU Brownies--And More!

The most commonly requested recipe at BYU among its alumni is for its mint brownies. BYU Alumni is providing it, along with three other university favorites.

Bon Appetit!

Note: Many ingredients are listed in ounces. A cup contains eight ounces.

BYU Brownies
1 cup butter or margarine
½ cup cocoa
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions: Melt butter.  Add cocoa and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour batter into a greased 9X13 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Let cool then ice with mint icing.  Place into freezer for 5-10 minutes to stiffen the icing.
Remove from freezer and carefully smooth on a layer of chocolate icing.

Mint Icing
12 oz. powdered sugar
2 ½ oz. Crisco shortening
Dash of salt
2 oz. cold water
½ tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

Directions:  Combine all ingredients except shortening.  Mix until smooth.  Add shortening and mix 10 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Chocolate Icing
12 oz. powdered sugar
1.5 oz. hot water
1.5 oz butter or margarine
1.5 oz. melted chocolate chips
1 tablespoon corn syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Mix the hot water, margarine, and powdered sugar until smooth and margarine is fully melted.  Add the fudge base, corn syrup, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

 Chocolate Road Bars
11 oz. butter
3.5 oz. cocoa paste
3 ½  cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 cups chopped walnuts
5 oz. miniature marshmallows

Directions:  melt butter and stir in the cocoa paste.  Whip eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until very light and fluffy and fold in the cocoa past mixture.  Fold in the flour by hand until texture is smooth and consistent.  Pour into greased half sheet pan.  Sprinkle walnut pieces, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips over the batter evenly.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, they turn up the heat to 350 degrees for another 20 to 25 minutes.

Cherry Chews
1.5 lbs. granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
12 oz. egg whites
½ teaspoon vanilla
14 oz. cake flour
8 oz. shortening
4 oz. butter or margarine
1 ¼ cups chopped walnuts
6 oz. red glazed cherries (can substitute drained maraschino cherries patted dry)

Directions:  Melt the shortening and margarine; set aside for later.  Beat sugar, salt, egg whites, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add the shortening and margarine and mix until smooth.  Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.  Add the cherries and nuts to the mix, mixing just until combined.  Pour into greased half sheet pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  

Pumpkin Crumble 
2.5 lbs. white cake mix
12 oz butter or margarine
2 cups chopped walnuts
3 lbs canned pumpkin
5 eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
15 oz. evaporated milk

Directions:  mix the cake mix and the margarine until crumbly.  Be very careful not to over mix.
Divide the crumb mixture in half.  Press one half into the bottom of a greased 2 inch buffet pan.
Add the chopped walnuts to the remaining half and set it aside for later.  Mix the pumpkin with the eggs, sugar, spice, and evaporated milk.  Pour the pumpkin mixture over the flattened crumb mixture in the pan.  Sprinkle the remaining crumb/ nut mixture over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the pumpkin mixture is firm.

Keep Bananas Fresh Longer

If you take your bananas apart when you get them home, they'll ripen slower.  I just don't know how you keep them from bruising if they aren't hanging from a bunch.  Also, don't put them in a bag, or they will ripen faster.