Make Your Own!

[Jestgar]

I just made butter after a previous poster (sorry, can't find the thread) mentioned how easy it was in a food processor (way cool!!!). I also saw Peter posted about taco seasoning - and it's so easy to make your own. I thought I'd put in a few links to making your own ingredients. Others?

Taco seasoning:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

butter:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

yogurt:

Open Original Shared Link

-this is way more trouble than I go to. I heat the milk up in a big metal pot, let it cool, mix some warm milk with pre-existing yogurt and stir it into my pot. I then drape a towel over the top, and put the lid on to hold the towel. Put the pot in the oven that you've warmed up for a few minutes, and leave the light on to keep it warm.

Bisquik:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[kareng]

Here's the one about making the butter. Its Emily about 10 posts down. It was a sad thread but the OP didn't come back to let us know how she is doing. Emily got the Whipping cream at Aldi really cheap. I thought it would be fun to add herbs, garlic or honey.

[Jestgar]

Here's the one about making the butter. Its Emily about 10 posts down. It was a sad thread but the OP didn't come back to let us know how she is doing. Emily got the Whipping cream at Aldi really cheap. I thought it would be fun to add herbs, garlic or honey.

Thanks. I didn't go backwards far enough. I found quarts of cream marked down to 70 cents. It's like the universe was calling me to make buttuh!

[kareng]

Thanks. I didn't go backwards far enough. I found quarts of cream marked down to 70 cents. It's like the universe was calling me to make buttuh!

I had copied the link to my iPad " notes" section so I wouldn't lose it! May not make any until Thanskgiving, but can't wait to say " why yes! I made everything! Even the butter!"

[Jestgar]

I did it in the food processor and it took about ten minutes.

[aeraen]

Home made Hot Brown Rice Cereal and Cinnabun on a Spoon

I hope its ok to post my "make it yourself" recipe here, since I don't really have it posted anywhere else to link it to, but I've always wanted to share it. It's for hot, brown rice cereal with the look and texture of oatmeal. For those who miss hot oatmeal on a cold morning, this will make you forget all about the old Quaker guy.

I often make several pounds of this at one time, as I have to clean out my coffee grinder to do it, and since that's a pain, I don't like to have to do it too often. I use a Kitchen Aid Coffee grinder that I've seen on sale for about $50 or so. It must be a burr grinder, the blade grinders will just pop your rice grains around like popcorn. I know $50 is pretty pricey for some, but when you compare the cost of commercial rice cereal with a lifetime of making your own, the savings are tremendous. They charge a lot for those small boxes of rice cereal, and they all have a bit of a chemically taste to me, anyway.

Buy your favorite brand of brown rice. Stay away from anything precooked or "enriched". You just want plain old, raw brown rice.

Spread it, one grain deep, on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 F until it toasts up nicely. About 7 to 10 minutes in the oven. You will get a nice nutty, grassy smell when it is ready. (Don't worry, the cereal tastes nothing like grass )

Once toasted, cool the rice in a bowl. I do this process multiple times until I have about four pounds of rice, but you can make as much or as little as you like.

Once cooled, place rice in a clean, burr-style coffee grinder. Set your grinder to a very coarse setting. I use the coarsest setting on my Kitchenaid. Then grind your rice into rice cereal.

That's it. Put your cereal in a airtight container, and it will last for months.

Now, to cook it. I found that one part rice cereal to 5 parts water makes the texture I like best. So, for me, one quarter cup of ground rice cereal to 1 and 1/4 cup of water. I first made it in my microwave, for 12 minutes at half power. This kept the cereal from boiling up out of my bowl and forcing a microwave clean-up. However, I didn't like the energy waste of using the nuker for 12 minutes every morning (I'm a tree hugger, too!) So, I hauled out my small 30-year old rice maker. If you don't have one, you can buy one for about $10 to $15 on sale at any Target, Walmart, Kmart, etc.

Same proportions, one part cereal to five parts water. Takes about the same amount of time, ok, maybe a couple of minutes more, in the rice maker than it does in the microwave. But, you don't have to watch it and can be showering and getting dressed while it is cooking.

After that, you can put it together the same way you make oatmeal. Sometimes I throw some raisins in while it is cooking, and it makes nice, plump raisins in my cereal.

But, my favorite way to eat it is what I call "Cinnabun on a Spoon." Once cooked, put your cereal in a bowl and add dark brown sugar to taste, a generous amount of cinnamon (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon), generous amount of vanilla (again, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp) and a pat of butter. Let stand for a moment while the butter melts, then stir it all up. Add a drop or two of milk if you like. Then, close your eyes and imagine biting into your favorite cinnamon bun. It is THAT good!

I know the instructions seem long, but its really pretty easy. I often to it on a cold weekend morning when I am cleaning my kitchen. And it is definitely worth the trouble. Especially if you are trying to find a way to save money while eating gluten free and healthy.

[love2travel]

I make my own nearly everything - ketchups, mustards, salsas, jams, jellies, sauces, preserves, seasoning blends, pesto (many kinds), vinegars, marinades, vinaigrettes, rubs, baked beans, ladyfingers, tortillas, tacos, vanilla extract, nutella. Pretty much all except soy sauce, Worcestershire and sriracha. I make my own ricotta and creme fraiche. If you want something, you can make it.

So if anyone is interested just ask for a recipe - chances are about very good I have one. I am dog/housesitting for two weeks so am away from my hundreds of books but I have my laptop with me where thousands of recipes are happily stored.

[Jestgar]

I make my own nearly everything - ketchups, mustards, salsas, jams, jellies, sauces, preserves, seasoning blends, pesto (many kinds), vinegars, marinades, vinaigrettes, rubs, baked beans, ladyfingers, tortillas, tacos, vanilla extract, nutella. Pretty much all except soy sauce, Worcestershire and sriracha. I make my own ricotta and creme fraiche. If you want something, you can make it.

POST!!!!!!!

Not the big recipes, but the condiments, rubs, etc.

[ciamarie]

Well, I make my own mayonaise, using a recipe from Julia Child's blender mayonaise which uses a whole egg instead of just the yolk. I use my 5cup kitchen aid food processor (it's the smaller model), and tried it once using a magic bullet and that didn't work at all. But if you have a blender, it should work ok too.

1 whole egg

1 1/2 t salt

1 t sugar

1 t dry mustard (optional)

1 t cider or other distilled (gluten-free) vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup extra light olive oil

You're supposed to have the egg at room temp., so I take it out of the fridge about 1/2 hr before I make it, if I think of it.

I measure out the olive oil, rinse off the outside of the egg then crack the egg into the processor bowl, put the lid on and remove the piece from the feed tube, turn on the processor and let it mix the egg until it's a nice lemony yellow, and while it's mixing I gather the rest of the ingredients.

Then add the vinegar and the lemon juice, then the salt and sugar into the feed tube while it's still going. Give it a couple seconds for that stuff to mix in, then start to slowly, very slowly drizzle / drip the oil in through the feed tube while it's still running. It might start to spatter a little bit so I hold my hand over most of the feed tube opening for a few moments while pouring in the oil. After approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup or so of the oil has gone in, you can tell by how it sounds when the emulsion has 'taken', and it won't be spattering any more, at that point you can start to pour the oil more quickly until it's all been incorporated. I then let it run a couple seconds or so more so it's all mixed in. Then stop the processor and remove the mayo. into a jar or other container! I just made some a few days ago, it's good stuff!

I've found that it seems to form an emulsion quicker if you're using organic eggs, in case that's helpful.

[squirmingitch]

ciamarie, how long does the mayo keep?

[ciamarie]

ciamarie, how long does the mayo keep?

All of the recipes I found online said it should be used within a couple 2-3 days or so. For me that only happens when I'm making a potato salad or something. I've made some that was fine after a couple weeks, maybe even 3 weeks. Sometimes I'll go a couple weeks without having any around until I have an actual use for it, so it's not sitting around not being used. It doesn't keep as long as the store-bought stuff, but in my experience about 2 weeks should be fine.

[lucia]

I make my own stock now, when I used to buy it. I can't believe I did that! - it's so easy to make, so much cheaper, and uses up leftovers. I suspect it's healthier as well, but I can't confirm that. Oh, and it tastes so much better.

For veggie stock, since I use up leftovers, I never make the same stock twice. I save peelings from root vegetables, the stems from less bitter greens (controversial, I know, but I like the added vitamins and minerals), and vegetables that are old or going bad (often celery, carrots, potatoes - I'll buy extra knowing they can go into the stock). I often add a head or cloves of garlic and a whole or pieces of onion. I always add black pepper corns, s$#&aki mushrooms and a piece of kombu seaweed. And lots of water, of course. The stock takes 1-2 hours of simmering. I think making stock is very individual though. As long as you avoid vegetables with a bitter flavor, you'll be fine.

I rarely make chicken stock (since my husband is vegetarian), but it's possible too. It takes longer though - about 4 hours. Still worth doing, I think. The flavor is wonderful.

[squirmingitch]

All of the recipes I found online said it should be used within a couple 2-3 days or so. For me that only happens when I'm making a potato salad or something. I've made some that was fine after a couple weeks, maybe even 3 weeks. Sometimes I'll go a couple weeks without having any around until I have an actual use for it, so it's not sitting around not being used. It doesn't keep as long as the store-bought stuff, but in my experience about 2 weeks should be fine.

Thanks cia! I LOVE mayo.

[eatmeat4good]

This isn't a real recipe, but it IS a way to save money and "make your own".

I loved the chocolate covered pretzels by Glutino but, my god, they are $6 for a tiny bag!

Sooo one day I made my own.

Here is the Recipe.

Glutino Plain Pretzels (one large bag is $7)

Dove Milk Chocolates

Dove Dark Chocolates

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water and stir together.

Dip the pretzels and lay on a cookie sheet.

Let them set or harden.

I only dip half the pretzel in chocolate but you can dip the whole thing if you want it authentic.

WaLa! Yummy chocolate covered pretzels for way less than they sell them for!

PS I also noticed you get the same effect by popping a pretzel and a chocolate into your mouth at the same time..this is just a lil hint for those who are not into baking and cooking.

[eatmeat4good]

Does anybody have a way of making

Fig Newtons?

Or some version of them??

I so loved them.

[IrishHeart]

Does anybody have a way of making

Fig Newtons?

Or some version of them??

I so loved them.

Not sure how good they are Sweetie, as I have not made them myself, but here is a version based on Bette Hagman's recipe.

Open Original Shared Link

[squirmingitch]

Aaaaaaarrrrgh. I hadn't thought about fig newtons. Was one of my favorites too. I would go nuts on them about once a year & eat about 4 pkgs. in 2 weeks.