Cold summer day? Hot and hearty Chili!

Posted by admin in Beans, Beef, Comfort Food, frugal, keeping warm

Okay so I don’t have an exact recipe for this… I was winging it.

First I fried up a whole red onion, 4 stalks celery and a few cloves garlic in some melted shortening. Then I tossed in about a pound of stew meat and let it get browned on the outsides. (mostly cause I’m told that this makes for good flavoring. o far I can’t argue.) The I mixed in one of those wee cans of tomato paste and let it cook a bit. Then I added a tea kettle full of water its like 8 cups I think. about 2 cups pinto beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a bit of garlic salt, about 1 tsp or so browning season ( this is found on your season or gravy isle, its a brown bottle wit a yellow label) a few dashes Tabasco, 1-2 tbsp Mrs dash extra spicy, a diced jalapeno, and some Mrs dash original. If you need more water, you’ll add it as you go. This should (does) thicken as it cooks. Cover and cook on medium low all day. I started it about 10 am-ish and it was done at dinner time 6-7 pm-ish. just check it every hour to see if it needs water and stir to keep from sticking. You could also cook it in a crackpot but I’m not too sure it will thicken as easily without a thickening agent…

Fry Bread and Beans A family Tradition

Posted by admin in Beans, Breads, Family Recipes, frugal, keeping warm

I remember being super excited when my Father in law was willing to tell me how to make this recipe. Though I can’t honestly say that mine tastes as good as his, I do strive to get it as close as humanly possible. My husband’s father was Native American and the recipe is from his childhood. Its a favorite at our family gatherings.

2lb red beans

1/2 lb bacon

12-16 cups water

If you don’t know how to cook beans the easiest way to go about it is to pick through the beans to make sure they are not broken, old, or have rocks in them. (You’d be amazed how many times I’ve found rocks, particularly in black beans) Next you want to soak the beans over night in lots of water. I usually just set them on the counter. My parents always put them in the fridge. I personally find that unnecessary and that it takes up valuable space. I buy allot of things like eggs, cheese, fruit, veg, and what not in bulk. Mostly because of all the baking I do. Beans just don’t take priority when there are 7 dozen eggs vying for space. And, I’m off my little tangent.

The next morning you’ll want to drain the water. I do this cause I don’t rinse the beans before putting them in there and you want want to be eating dirt, grit or dust. (There’s a mental image for you, lol) Then you’ll want to put them into the LARGE pot you have on hand. Stock pots work great!! Next throw in the bacon. No need to chop it. My FIL never chopped his so I don’t chop mine. See how that works?

Easy peasy right? Next, water.

Aren’t those beans pretty? Now cover and add heat!

Low temp don’t worry it will most definitely get hot enough. I find the the cover makes so that the water does evaporate so quickly. Let it be and cook 4-6 hours.

To be perfectly honest, the crockpot is even better cause there’s no work, watching, chances of scorching if you get busy and forget about it… that is low for 6-8 hours high for 4-6.

For those of us lucky enough to have a fabulous electric pressure cooker I usually halve the recipe, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes with natural release.

Eventually you will have this…

Now, I don’t salt these. I put a shaker on the table because everyone is different in their tastes and sodium in takes.

Now fry bread is exactly how it sounds!

Take your favorite bread dough recipe which I will post mine later. (My data base seems to be down at the moment.) You will want to use a “white flour, yeast” bread dough. Please don’t use a biscuit dough. That is not fry bread. That is a hoe cake! Now I’m not “hating” on hoe cakes. They are quite delicious and if you want one of the most melt in your mouth recipes you want to head over to Southern Plate for Christy Jordan’s recipe, but hoe cakes and fry bread are not the same.

Another thing, wheat flour recipes don’t fry and taste right. I’ve tried. Trust me. Before I forget, you might want to start heating around 2 inches of oil in your frying pan. The temp takes… adjusting. You want the oil hot, but not too hot. If the dough cooks too quick it is left raw in the middle (not good eating) and if it doesn’t cook quickly enough the dough gets saturated in the oil. (again not good eating) I usually take itsy bitsy pieces and drop them in the oil, in seconds it should start to bubble around the dough, then it will float up. If it sinks and stays there your oil isn’t hot enough.

Now, your bread dough. You want to pull off a decent handful.

About like that. Next you want to roll it flat.

And cut it into strips

And then carefully place them in the hot oil. They should bubble at the edges, float and puff up.

It should take a couple minutes. They will turn a golden brown and then you want to flip them. I use a pair of tongs.

I usually take a cookie sheet, place paper towels on it and then a cooling rack on top of that. They don’t usually get to cool. The family usually takes to them as soon as they come out of the pan. ~_^

Festive Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Posted by admin in Breakfast, Comfort Food, Desserts, keeping warm

So my BFF made a wonderful dish. It looks delicious. I hope you like it too!!

~Amanda

Festive Blueberry French Toast Casserole

1 1/2 hours / 20 min prep

3 slices of bread cut up into quarters
2 slices of bread (whole)
4 oz of cream cheese (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 can of blueberry pie filling
2 eggs
1 cup eggnog
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

optional

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon of wheat germ
a dollop of  homemade whipped cream

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray or butter baking dish.

Arrange all the quarter pieces of bread in dish and top with blueberry filling add cubes of cream cheese on top.

Using cookie a cutter cut out some fun shapes with the 2 reaming slices of bread. Arrange cut out bread on top of blueberry / cream cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, eggnog, vanilla and spices. Pour mixture over bread, blueberries and cream cheese in dish.

Optional sprinkle wheat germ over casserole.

Cook at 350 degrees covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for another 25 to 30 min until center is firmed and lightly brown

Serve with warm with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy

Chelle

Who wants cocoa???

Posted by admin in Beverages, Comfort Food, keeping warm, mixes

Baby, it’s cold outside!!!

Deano had it right, and I don’t know about you but when our weather report says its going to drop to 29 degrees and it feels that way just from looking out the window, there’s no remedy like home made hot cocoa. And if you are like me and a little more aware of how much you are spending verses how much you are trying to save you may have notice that Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa runs (at the cheapest I found) $2 a box. A box having a maximum of 4 envelopes. (ouch! I know!) So I decided to take a family favorite recipe and adapt it to make “Momma’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Mix” Oh yeah!

Now before posting the recipe I want to mention a few things. The original recipe my family fell in love with 3 years ago can be found at a wonderful site called “The HillBilly HouseWife” This lady know how to tighten a budget and still keep you on that path from your man’s stomach to his heart!! I’m not sure who this quote is by, but they really are words to live buy. “Face powder may catch a man, but baking powder will keep him” ~_^

Anywho I’ve side tracked, know that you know where to find the original recipe, I want to mention a few other things about powdered milks. My youngest is lactose intolerant, I buy her Whey milk powder, because its high in protein and low in lactose. My friends daughter is allergic to milk protein (this would be the whey mentioned before) there for we make her mix with Soy milk powder, now my friend’s son is allergic to milk and soy so for this kind of allergy you’d want to use Rice milk powder, and those of you watching your waist lines you could also sub my fattening milk powder (which you can find in the ethnic section in your grocery, its called Nido and made by Nestle) with non-fat instant dried milk powder. (notice I provided links to these products so I don’t look like I made it up.)

And finally if you or someone you will be serving this beverage has allergies, please remember to leave out the pudding mix (its really just there for thickening).

Momma’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Mix (printable version)

• 2 Cups powdered whole milk
• ½ Cup Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder
• ½ Cup powdered non-dairy creamer
• ½ Cup Sugar
• ¹⁄₈ Teaspoon salt
• 1 Package (serves 4) instant Vanilla pudding mix

You’ll want to mix all of these ingredients together and store in an air tight container. I would HIGHLY suggest sifting the cocoa powder to prevent clumps in your cup, or even just dumping all the ingredients in your food processor and giving a few pulses.

The Printable version of this recipe has all of the powdered milk information (minus the links of coarse) for reminders.

And the Marshmallows are for fun but if you really want to treat yourself, whip up some cream with a tad bit of vanilla..