Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Make It, Use What You Have and Save

 Happy Tuesday all.  It is primary election day here in my city.  It looks to be a weather day for sure.  There are a couple rounds of nastiness that will be coming through.  Hope all those west of me are safe - the nasty weather is on the move.  
                                                    Picture from "Little House Living" site

Today I am going to list a few recipes that may save you a few dollars, taste fresh and better, and keeps you from running out to the stores if you run out of something.  REMEMBER to click on the recipes or pictures to enlarge for easier reading.  ENJOY!

RANCH SEASONING FOR DRESSING/DIP
Dry mix

DRESSINGS FOR PASTA SALADS
YUMMY HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE
Super good with chicken strips - I like on fries as well!!!

DIFFERENT CHICKEN SAUCE
There are different types of sauces in the store and different types you can make at home!

This is a version of LONG JOHN SILVER'S FISH batter
Looks complicated - but it isn't.  I love the flavor of Long John's Fish batter - but hate all the grease and the aftertaste.  Yes, this uses oil - but you can use your favorite type and you control the ingredients.
You could use this on chicken strips as well.
Shoot you could use on about anything!!!

HOMEMADE BUTTER (using powdered milk)
Yep, you can use powdered milk to make butter.  Super easy, and it may save you a trip away from the grocery.  Make it, spread it, eat it.


The more we can stay out of the stores today, the better.  Things are getting pricey and if there is a way to save - do it!!!! 
You can use what you have and make a version of your favorite store brands.  Often it is tastier and healthier and cheaper.  How is that not a win????
Remember - no recipe is etched in stone!!  You can tweak a recipe and make it to your specific liking.

I hope to do more posts in the near future about making homemade version of popular items.  It helps us all out.
I love knowing 'most' of the ingredients in my food.  It isn't always possible - but we can try.
I hope these help someone out.
ENJOY!!


25 comments:

  1. Oh fun. Yesterday I made 10 quarts of chili from the pantry much of which is garden fodder preserved in 2023.
    3 bricks of smoked chili ratatouille.
    3 vac sealed pacs of fava beans from our CSA last fall.
    1 vac sealed pac of green bell peppers from garden.
    3c mixed red/pinto beans from the pantry
    Add cumin, chili powder and salt for flavor to grow.

    We believe chili is not at it's best until it has cooled and rested. So it will be dinner tonight. Hub is the taster and he says it is FAB!

    In the freezer is plenty of ratatouille, smoked peppers and jalapenos to get us to August harvest. 3 vac pac of sauted kale or chard is all that remains of 2023 CSA and garden. Our spring CSA starts Thursday! Wohoo, freshies from the garden in 60 hours!!!!

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    1. You go girl!!!!! That is fantastic. You have been busy and using up what you already have. Many future meals of yumminess!
      The CSA has to be great. None close by me, or I would do that as well. I love that there are those kinds of things available. Yay for all the fresh goodies!!!!!!!

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  2. Thank you for the ‘butter’ recipe. I love the ability to ‘make do’ with what we have on hand. Sunday afternoon I was gathering the ingredients for a fave quiche I’d promised to bring to a gathering Monday morning. Oh, No…..I had no cottage cheese! We live twenty minutes from a grocery store and there was NO WAY we were going out. I mixed cream cheese with a bit of plain yogurt and, Voila!, substitution made! The quiche was delicious and well received (and there was a lesson for all who enjoyed it!)
    Thank you for your always interesting posts! Conni

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    1. Hi Conni. You are very welcome. I bet the quiche was wonderful. I tend to be the queen of improvise on so many levels. I have never been a big follower of recipes. I like just winging it and using up things on hand. I have made some of my best recipes that way. I bet you have too.
      Love the creativeness!!!
      Thank you!

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  3. Love this post, and am going to grab my Little House Living book off the shelf! Mary

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    1. There is so much in her books that is so useful. I have her site on FB.
      Thanks.

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  4. Pinned some of your recipes! Knowing good recipes for substitutions sure saves a trip to the store. There are web sites that allow you to list what you have and recipes to make from those ingredients.

    Rained a bit this morning so we didn't do much outside. Before breakfast I picked strawberries, cut some spinach, pulled radishes and green onions. The strawberries are just now coming on pretty good. The yellow peony has bloomed. Very pretty with a different fragrance.

    You are so right...we need to know the ingredients in our food.

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    1. It sure can save $$. Homemade just tastes better too.
      It has rained off and on most of the morning here. Strawberries - you lucky dog! My peonies have started blooming as well. Just love the smell.
      that is what I like about gardens and farm markets and such - pretty sure we know what is in our food!

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  5. We had bad storms over night with crazy lightning and thunder. I hope all is well there. Thanks for the butter recipe! We opened a can of whole milk powder from our food storage and that will help use it up.

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    1. I am glad to hear you are OK. Some really scary stuff has been going on. We had rain earlier - and maybe some storms later this evening. Nothing bad here so far.
      Hey that is great. Good timing!!!!!

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  6. Cheryl, this is such a great topic. Thank you for the recipes. A great cake to make from pantry ingredients is Wacky Cake. It can be made in many flavors, made gluten free and is egg and dairy free. I never buy confectioners or brown sugar, making it myself as needed by adding molasses to granulated sugar until the desired flavor and putting granulated sugar into the blender and running it on high until the sugar becomes powdered. We make corn chips by taking corn tortillas brushing each side with olive oil and sprinkling with salt,cutting each tortillas into six pieces and baking in the oven at 350 or air-drying at 350.

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    1. Thanks. I love making stuff from the pantry. I like making powdered sugar and brown sugar too. I have a lot of corn tortillas - I need to make some chips soon. They are so easy.
      Great ideas. Thanks.

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  7. I’m thinking of using your butter recipe to make make some garlic and onion butter to use up the last of the free onions. Last night I fried some but they didn’t come out that great.They weren’t very crispy. I seem to be having a lot of kitchen failures lately.
    Thanks for these ideas, I really appreciate them. Louise

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    1. Oh onion/garlic butter sounds yummy. If onions aren't crispy I just throw them on sandwiches. Mmmmm
      Just figure out something else for those 'failures'. I bet they are fine in some recipe.
      You are most welcome.

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  8. Thanks for sharing those recipes with all of us. Making sauces and dressings from scratch is definitely a money saver.

    God bless.

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    1. You are welcome. I think so too - and you can make smaller batches and not waste things or get tired of them.

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  9. These are great! Amazing that you can make butter from powdered milk! Thanks for sharing! I just got an air fryer and haven’t used it yet! Got any good recipes to share?
    Laura C.(aka Nana C)

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    1. Thanks. It is amazing and something good to know - especially with rising prices.
      Air friers are fun. I have mainly used mine for chicken and fish and fries & onion rings. I did do egg rolls in it and that was great. I hope someone will help you out and give some recipes.

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  10. Thanks for sharing! Always looking for dressings and sauces that can be made at home. No sense buying a bottle that will sit in the refrig for months on end when I can make my own and halve the recipe. Storms went through here mid-day yesterday and wreaked havoc -- 60 mph winds, hail enough to cover my lawn and deck (nickle- to quarter-sized) and rain -- enough to cause a river down the roads behine and in front of my place. Lots of clean-up needed in our area, but nothing like across the Lake in Michigan, where I have family. Prayers for all who are suffering from this crazy weather.

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    1. Glad you are safe and hope you didn't have damage. Spring storms are just awful. It is so sad that so many people are getting so much damage.
      I like making dressings at home too - I get tired of things easily and hate to waste!

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  11. Thank you, Cheryl! I especially want to try the ranch dressing.

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  12. This is the second time I'm hearing about using club soda and I'm excited to give it a go with my own stuff, only in the air fryer. Should be fun. Tonight we had parsely pesto with cashews and it was sooooooo good. Served over angle hair protein pasta. The one Barilla makes. I think it's them. Got the boxes on mega sale. Hot dog. Life is yummy.

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    1. There are so many great uses for things that we just never think about!
      Mmmmm that sounds tasty. Love those mega stock-up sales.

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