Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Good Morning, and welcome to Tightwad Tuesdays with Canadagirl!  If you are one of my new bloggy friends that I met at the Talk-A-Latte Seminar this past weekend, welcome!  I hope you enjoy my tightwad tip for today (considering one of you asked for it, *grin*).  If you find yourself wanting to participate, simply go visit my dear friend Mary to sign up and get more information.

About three years ago our home went 'green.'  We tossed out all the chemicals in our cleaners and began purchasing only ecologically friendly products.  As some of you know who may have tried this, it is not inexpensive, nor are they commonly found in your neighborhood grocery store.  So, I began looking for homemade cleaners.  I began acquiring books, scoured websites (pun intended - hey, I had this whole post written up last night and my computer ate it, so I'm re-doing it this morning without my caffeine jolt yet), and started experimenting.  And what I found astonished me.  With little effort, minimum cost, and maximum benefits, cleaning your home doesn't have to kill you.  Literally.

See, the thing that triggered my consideration of green cleaners was a fact I had initially read somewhere that stated that some allergies and asthma-related problems are chemical in nature.  Considering that Piper has suffered with severe allergies since toddler years and I have asthma-related issues, I was on a mission to 'cure' him (me too, but mostly him) the natural way.  (As an aside, if you want to frustrate your medically-trained parents, don't take your child to an allergist - have the faith that this is something you can figure out and begin experimenting on him or her.  Then, when your test results are conclusive, attempt to reason with them when you present your findings as medical fact.  Fun times, fun times, LOL.)

So, my research led me to a staggering statistic:  women who work at home are 54% more likely to develop cancer than women who work outside the home.  See, our homes retain the chemicals in the air we breathe.  The facts on endometriosis alone are shocking.  In 1934, only 21 cases of endometriosis were documented.  Today we have over 5 million.  While I understand that chemicals are not the sole blame for the severe increase in medical maladies, I can not in good conscience ignore that they are there and obviously contributing.  Think about this:  the average home has 62 chemicals in it, which is more than a chemistry lab had at the turn of the 20th century.  To read the same report I did, go here.  Scroll down the page until you find the ABC's report by Dr. Joyce Woods.

Obviously, we needed to go green.  Not simply for the environment, but for our quality of life and our very lives, period.  I have had great success with the following cleaners (all of these are in spray bottles that I picked up for around $1 each):

Toilet Bowl cleaner:  pure, undiluted white vinegar

All-Purpose cleaner:  50% water, 50% white vinegar, and 10-15 drops of essential oil of your choice - orange or lavendar are my favorites for this (essential oil is optional in this mix-if you want to use it as glass cleaner as well, omit the oil)

Fabric freshener (along the same lines as febreze):  100% water, 15 drops lavendar essential oil, 15 drops tea tree (Melaleuca [Alternifolia])essential oil

To clean the bathroom sink, I take baking soda and liberally sprinkle it all around.  I then drop 8-12 drops of lavendar or tea tree essential oil on the baking soda, and clean as usual. 

To recycle your black-and-white newspapers before you throw them in the recycling bin, wad them up and use them to clean your glass/mirrors.  They blacken your hands, but your glass will be streak-free.  We have no paper towels in this house, so newspaper is routinely used.

These are the main cleaners I use - if you need a specific one, let me know and I can send it to you.  If you can only afford two essential oils right now (they run, on average, $8/bottle, but last a year each, give or take), I would purchase lavendar and tea tree.  They are both extremely versatile, being disinfectants as well as homeopathic.  If you get a cut or burn, just dab the tea tree oil on it and be amazed at the speed of healing.  Some people do have a sensitivity to tea tree oil (Jigger), so you may want to consider combining it with a carrier oil to reduce it's effect on said people.  Essential oils are found at any local health food store, but if you have difficulty finding them, you can order them online from Mountain Rose Herbs.  I have not personally ordered from them yet, but several reputable companies I have gone through for other homeopathic things do recommed them, highly.

For those of you who have actually followed this post and made it this far and are curious how Piper came out, his allergies were drastically cut when we went green.  They go away completely (except for nature-induced allergies like ragweed) now if he just avoids dairy products.  Oh yes, that one was fun to figure out.

To learn more about essential oils, you can use this report as a reference.  To begin your home library, I highly recommend Herbal Homekeeping by Sandy Maine as an excellent starting (and actually, complete) point.

Once you begin to research homemade cleaners and the properties of some of these essential oils, you may be encouraged to delve into minor homeopathic treatments.  If so, your pantry will become more and more a true pantry as you find room for your oils and books amidst your food stores, much as our foremothers did.  Soon, you will have quite a bit of space taken up in your pantry, as I do.

When this happens, you will feel pride in yourself, for not only are you helping your family to save money, but you are also helping the environment and taking back baby steps of independence for your family.  Our utter reliance and dependence on the medical industry for even the most minor thing is crippling our ERs and unnecessarily overburdening our insurance companies.  Not to mention the whole brainwashing aspect of it, but that's a post for another day.  *grin*

Thanks for sticking with me through this monster of a post, and I look forward to visiting you all to glean ideas from your successes.  Have a tightwaddy day!

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Welcome back to Tightwad Tuesday with our very own Canadagirl.  If you have a tightwaddy tip you would like to share, we would love to know it, so please go visit Mary for information on how to join in on the fun!

Today I'm going to share with you what we do with our chicken (dead, not live - I can't advise you on what to do with a live chicken, as we don't have any.  Well, I could advise you, but considering I have limited practical experience, that would just be silly.) when we have one.  Are you using every last bit of chicken in your kitchen?  There are a surprising number of things you can do with your chicken, and a surprising number of meals in one carcass.  Using every bit of your chicken can help you save money, and teaches your children not to waste.  Win-win!  Plus, I purchase multiple chickens when they are on sale (saving money) and stick them in the freezer, so we always have a great week's worth of meals in the house if we have a lean grocery week. 

First, I cook it.  *grin*  For those of you who seem to be searching for new ways to cook chicken, or those of you who are just learning to cook for your families, here is a simple way to make a delicious chicken.  After you thaw your chicken, rinse it thoroughly.  Slice up an apple and stuff the cavity of the bird with it.  Place the chicken in a crockpot, breast side up.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, thyme, and onion powder.  Pop two chicken bullion cubes into the crockpot, and add about half a cup of water.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Delicious, easy, and quick.  Serve it with sides of your choice.

Now, when you are cleaning up after dinner, place the chicken carcass in one container,

and the drippings in another.

Throw it in the fridge, and you can deal with the leftovers the next day.

Okay, it's the next day.  *grin*

First thing to do is to get your dinner for tonight going.  Tonight we're going to have Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Homemade Wheat Bread, and Salad.  (we actually are - what are you having for dinner?).  If you don't have your bread made, get it going; once you have it rising, come back to the chicken.

To begin your dinner for tonight, place the drippings from last night in a dutch oven.  Add enough water to make a good amount of broth (I usually fill it up to about 3/4 of the pan - this allows for the steam that will dissipate).  Add about 4-5 chicken bullion cubes, salt and pepper to taste, dried minced onions, and parsley.  Let simmer for most of the day, or at least as long as you're working in the kitchen.  You can add some diced chicken from the carcass if you like, but I don't usually, as I have other plans for that leftover chicken.

Okay.  So, your bread is rising, and your chicken broth is simmering.  All told, once you're used to this, only about 40 minutes should have elapsed at this point, maybe less.  Now, pick off the chicken from the carcass and set aside.  With this chicken, depending on how much is left, I will either make chicken salad for sandwiches (this stretches the chicken much farther than if you just made plain chicken sandwiches), or a homemade chicken pot pie (recipe forthcoming) for dinner a night.  Doing that, you have made three filling, inexpensive dinners out of one on-sale-at-the-time-of-purchase chicken.  You're amazing!  *grin*

Now, you have a meatless carcass.  Time to throw it away?  No!  Time to make broth.  Toss that chicken in a dutch oven (I have two, and highly recommend having at least that many), and fill the pan almost completely with cold water.  Add 7-8 chicken bullion cubes, salt and pepper to taste, dried minced onion (several tablespoons worth), and parsley (at least 2 tablespoons worth).  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Now, I like to have things cooking on the stove, so I'll let it simmer for a few hours.  Meanwhile, check your bread; it may be ready for its second rising.

Once you have both pans going (we're at about 45 minutes now) and your dough on its second rising (50 minutes), make a batch of Homemade Noodles for your soup tonight.  This will take about 20-30 minutes to get them to their rolled out and drying stage.

Now, at this point, check your bread.  When you have a lot of heat generating in the kitchen from cooking/baking, your bread tends to rise more quickly.  If it needs to go in the oven, then preheat the oven and finish your bread.

In your soup broth for tonight (first broth), add sliced carrots and celery, and let simmer for a little longer.  We like our veggies al dente, so I don't usually simmer them for longer than 20-30 minutes.  If it's close to dinner time, then I'll keep it on the stove; if not, I just pop the pan in the fridge on a hot pad and dinner is pretty much ready.

Now let's take care of your second batch of chicken broth.  Pick out as much of the carcass as you can, and then I pour the broth into a large glass bowl, making sure the broth goes through my mesh strainer as I do so.  This will ensure that no bones are left in.  Place your broth in freezer storage containers, making sure to measure as you pour.  Label each container with contents and amount, and place in the freezer.

I like to have one bowl of about 6-8 cups worth, and the rest I break down into 2 cups per container (the amount of a can of chicken broth).  The 6-8 cup container is usually used as a cheap and cheat lunch.  Boil some ready-made pasta, add some carrots and celery, and voila - lunch is served.  If you need more broth than that, just add some more water and a couple more bullion cubes.

If you have placed your soup broth for tonight in the fridge because dinner's still a-ways off, cook up your noodles, rinse, and place in a ziploc baggie in the fridge.  At dinner time, heat broth, then add noodles to warm through only about 5-7 minutes before you put on the table.  Slice up your bread, add some butter, and make your salads.  Dinner is now served!  Enjoy!

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Good day to you, and welcome back to Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl.  If you would like to join us in encouraging each other with our tightwadry, please do go visit Mary for more information.

As usual, my tip today involves food.   The recipes we share with each other not only perk up our own dinner menus, but also serve to create more personal relationship bonds with the women who take them as their own.  There's something to be said for knowing that you've helped another family, even in so minor a way as to add a new dish to their dinner table.  Other recipes, while humble, suddenly take their place in others' holiday traditions.  To know that you've shared that joy of food, or of a specific dish, with another family is a very warm feeling.

Today's recipe is a brand new one in my home.  I just made it this past Sunday, and it was a complete and utter rave.  It was requested that this go in our regular lineup of meals, but we're trying a new meal almost every night in October, so what's regular anymore?  I hope your family enjoys this as well!

Crock Mushroom Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 pound sliced mushrooms
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil and butter until onion is transluscent.  Add mushrooms, and cook until well-browned, about 10 minutes.

Place mushroom mixture in crockpot, add chicken broth, and cook on low 5-7 hours.  Add the half-and-half and salt and pepper in the last hour of cooking.

Notes:

I added maybe another tablespoon or butter during the cooking process, as the mushrooms seemed to be drier than they should have been at that point.  I don't know how much this affected the taste.

Price per bowl:

Mushrooms:  2 cartons @ $1.89 each
Onion:  $0.33
Butter and Olive Oil:  $0.40 (estimated)
Garlic:  $0.05
Half-and-half:  $0.75
Chicken Broth:  Free (pulled homemade out of freezer)
Salt and Pepper:  negligible

Total cost of soup:  $5.31
Cost of soup per bowl (4 of us):  $1.33

We paired this with a loaf of crusty bread (that I bought at the store because I didn't have any in the freezer and didn't want to bake on Sunday) that cost $1.39, and salads all around.  I'm going to estimate each salad (veggies, salad dressing) at $1 apiece.  This brings this entire healthy and filling meal to $10.70, or $2.68 per person.  This was a meal worthy of a sit-down restaurant, and hubby and I agree the soup alone would probably sell anywhere in the neighborhood of $6 a bowl it was THAT good.  Estimations bring us to believe that had we gone out for this meal, it would have cost us approximately $38.  At that price, I can feed my family three complete dinners!  Think about that the next time you go out to eat.

All in all, this meal was a delicious, filling, satisfying, and nutritious one.  The absolute icing on the cake was that the soup only took about 15 minutes to make, and the salads 20.  Perfect time allotment, in my humble opinion.  Bon Apetit!

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

In a bid to become more financially conscious, it is time again for Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl.  If you have a frugal tip you would like to bless us with, please do participate by going to see our lovely hostess, Mary.

To follow up from last week's Tightwad Tuesday tip, Homemade Noodles, I thought that I would share with you my Homemade Beef Noodle Soup recipe.  It's a cinch to make, and so delicious!  It's perfect for those chilly autumn days with Homemade Wheat Bread.  Homemade soups are such a comfort food, and so easy to make.  They are also healthier and more economical.  Win-win!

Homemade Beef Noodle Soup doesn't require specific ingredients in typical recipe-fashion; it's more a process.  So, we'll go through the process together, shall we?

I find that I have the *best* results when I use this as a leftover meal from a beef roast.  I got a sirloin roast on sale at our local farmer's market, so I snatched it up for a meal.  I threw it in the freezer until I was ready to use it.  I decided to make it one Sunday for dinner, so I got up early and plopped it in the crock pot with two packets of Beefy Onion Soup mix and covered it with water.  I put it on low, and let it cook all day.  No, I didn't defrost it, I just put it in the crock pot.  I put this in before I got ready for church, so I would guess that I put it on at about 6.30 - 7 in the morning.  When it was done,  I pulled the roast out for dinner and froze the broth (we don't have gravy around here; I know, heresy).  That broth is my soup base.  The rest of the instructions are for the soup itself.

Take the frozen soup broth out of its container and put in to a Dutch oven.  Add one can of tomato sauce, and then put in a few cans of water to make the amount of broth you need.  Add 3-4 beef bullion cubes, salt and pepper to taste, a teaspoon or two of onion powder, and 2-3 tablespoons of parsley.  If you have leftover roast beef, dice it up and add it; if not, no biggie.

Bring the soup to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer to let the flavors mingle together.  I let it simmer anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours; it really just depends on my time schedule and life in general.  Make up the Homemade Noodles, drain them, and then add them to the soup.

Voila!  Dinner is served.

It's important to note that you do not want to add the noodles to the broth too far in advance of eating, as the noodles will continue to cook, blow up, and get soggy.  For this same reason you will not want to microwave any leftovers, but heat up slowly on the stovetop.

Now, should you want to make this without the beef stock, here's what you do:  Empty your can of tomato sauce in the Dutch oven, and fill with water to your desired amount of broth.  Add 6-8 beef bullion cubes,  3-4 tablespoons minced dried onion, 2-3 tablespoons parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer.

Happy Eating!!

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Hello, and welcome to another installment of Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl!  If you are a new guest and find yourself wanting to participate, please do go visit our favorite hostess, Mary.

If you are a faithful, or even occasional, reader of my blog, you will know that I have a penchant for all things homemade.  I won't go into how much healthier and economical it is to make your own items, but I will say that it's so simple.  Not only are these items easy to make, but the ingredients all overlap, so you're not wasting storage space in your pantry with one box that only makes one thing.  Once you start making friends with your kitchen and refuse to let 'starting' intimidate you, you will become the reigning Queen of Your Kitchen.  You will amaze your husband and children, cut down on eating-out costs (a whole 'nother post), and you will gain such confidence and overall joy, for you have mastered (or just kicked around) your kitchen (instead of it kicking you around).  You will cease to be intimidated by certain complicated-sounding recipes (which aren't complicated at all), and will eagerly dive into any recipe, knowing that you don't have to be perfect, you just have to begin.  Soon, you'll be making things like homemade noodles - which happen to be my tightwaddy tip for today.  Ü

Homemade Noodles are a wonderful, simple, cheap, and non-time-consuming thing to make.  I make them to add to soups and other things, and my family *loves* them.  In fact, I made a batch up last week and my husband almost cried when he saw them because it had been so long since I've made them (not being cruel, ladies - helllllooooo - it's been in upper 110's here for months!).  So, without further ado, here is my recipe, complete with pictures for a nifty tutorial, for Homemade Noodles, and next week for TT I will post a recipe I use them in (gotta keep ya coming back, and posts lined up for me, now don't I? lol).

Homemade Noodles

2 1/3 cups flour (I use unbleached)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the salt.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  In a bowl combine eggs, water, and oil.

Add to flour mixture and mix well.

Sprinkle kneading surface with the remaining flour, and turn dough out onto the floured surface.

Knead till dough is smooth and elastic.  Now, some say 8-10 minutes is usual, but I find for me that it could be as short as 5 minutes and as long as 10.  It just depends on, well, the dough that day, I suppose.  The temperature of the water affects your recipes, the amount of flour involved, the humidity, your patience level; all these things and more contribute to your recipes.  Take it easy and enjoy the process, then you'll know that it'll turn out well.  And remember, even if it's not 'perfect' looking, it will still be delicious.

When dough is kneaded, cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Divide dough into fourths.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each fourth out with about a 1/16" thickness.  Yes, this is really thin.  I mean, really, really thin. 

Let it rest for 20 minutes before we start cutting it up.  Now, here you have a couple of options.  Your first option is to run it through a pasta machine that cuts it for you.  What fun if you have one!  If you have one, you don't have to roll the dough out; you can just process it through.  I don't, however, and so I take my pizza cutter and roll it back and forth, across and back.  Noodle size.  Actually, a little smaller than I want the actual noodles, because they *poof* when you cook them (like that fancy cooking lingo? *grin*).

Bring a pot of water with a dash of salt to boil, and cook your pasta for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.

Place in a colander, and cook your next batch.  I find that it cooks better if I just process one fourth at a time.

You have now made homemade noodles that your family is sure to 'ooh' and 'aah' over.  Enjoy them, and if you, like me, have an Italian friend or two that cook wonderfully, ignore the fact that they probably do it much better, and just get in there and do it!  Ü

If you're not going to eat them right away and would like to make them ahead, here are proper storage instructions:  After cutting the pasta, spread on a rack and completely dry (could take overnight).  When it is dry, store it in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to three days.  Or, if you need it to last longer than three days, dry for one hour and then seal it into a freezer bag/container and freeze for up to 8 months.

As a Tightwad-Tuesday-related-subject, I attended Cindy Rushton's debt elimination conference over the past weekend, and she has really given me quite a few things to think about.  As these ideas form solid action, or even a more complete understandable thought, I will be sharing them here with you.  So stay tuned!

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Hello my Tightwaddy Friends, and welcome back to Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl.  If you have a frugal idea or tip you would like to share with us, please do go visit our hostess with the most-est, Mary.

Anyone who's visited me for Tightwad Tuesday knows that I'm obsessed with making things homemade.  Actually, it doesn't feel like an obsession for me, but I've been told I am, so I'm just relaying an impartial opinion. 

Anyway, today I'm going to go on about the delight and deliciousness that awaits you when you make your own granola.  Making your own granola is an incredibly easy thing to do, and like most truly economical items it is an extremely versatile.  Eat it as cereal (with blueberries on top is my children's absolute favorite way to have it), add it to your yogurt (one of my hubby's faves), top your ice cream with it, or add a handful to a batch of homemade bread sometime for a little something different.

The recipe I use was given to me by Marmee Dear, and I have tweaked it to accomodate both my taste and what I had on hand at the time.  Here is my personal favorite:

Marmee's Modified Granola

Stir together in a large mixing bowl:

10 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup ground flax seed

 Place in a saucepan and heat just until warmed and combined:

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cup canola oil (or safflower, or...)
½ cup pure maple syrup (no imitations here)
¾ cup honey
½ teaspoon almond flavoring
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
¼ cup water

Pour liquid mixture over grains and mix with a heavy spoon until combined.  Place granola mixture onto large baking sheets or into a roaster pan.  Layer 1 inch thick and bake at 325° for 25 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and place immediately into a large container (not plastic - it will melt).  Repeat baking granola until all the granola has been baked and transferred into a container.  Leave container open to cool completely.  Keeps in the pantry for 4-6 weeks, but I have yet to have a batch last longer than a week.  Evidence of this:

Also, if you're looking for inspiration to help you with your grocery budget and menu planning, go visit my friend Tina's and check out her Month of Frugality.  She is going to avoid the grocery store (except for milk/produce) for the next month and live off what's in their pantry and freezer.  Check out her progress, and tell her I sent you.

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Welcome back to Tightwad Tuesdays with Canadagirl!  If this is your first time here and you would like more information on how to join us in our tightwaddy-ness, please do go visit our lovely hostess, Mary, for more information.

Being frugal is, for me, centrally located in the kitchen area.  I have long held that making your own mixes, cooking from scratch, and buying only basics are not only healthier for you, but inexpensive as well.  This does not mean that you can't experiment or make treats for your family, either.  Everyone loves something special, and for my family, I've found that muffins in the morning are a little way that I say "I love you."  They feel that I went out of my way (which I haven't), and I love to see their faces when they realize I got up and made these specially for them.  I have already shared with you my Homemade Blueberry Muffins recipe, and today I will share with you a recipe I have picked up along the way called Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins.  They are so delicious!  I have made these up before a trip, frozen them, and they thaw wonderfully for a snack when you're on the road.  In fact, I threw a batch in the freezer when we went camping last week and pulled them out the night before to thaw.  The next morning, we had a wonderful breakfast!  So, without further ado, here you are:

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

½ cup buttermilk or sour milk*
½ cup masked banana (I use one large banana, or two small)
½ cup honey
1 egg
2 cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour**, and 1 cup unbleached flour)
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chocolate chips

In a medium blow, mix together buttermilk, honey, mashed banana, and egg until well mixed.  In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon until all ingredients are well combined.  Mix liquid ingredients with flour mixture.  Stir until just mixed, fold in chocolate chips, and then spoon batter into greased muffin tins until almost full.  Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes.  Makes one dozen muffins.

*a 'cheat' to making buttermilk is to place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a measuring cup and then add milk up to one cup mark

**whole wheat pastry flour is also known as 'soft white wheat;' using pastry flour for quick breads will make them rise better and have a lighter texture than if you were using whole wheat bread flour

This recipe was found in Issue #7 of Making It Home magazine (now out of print), and was submitted by Crystal Miller

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Hello, Readers, and welcome back to Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl.  If you would like to join us with a tightwaddy tip, please do go visit our lovely hostess Mary to sign up.

My Tightwad Tip for today is a recipe (gasp!) that is sure to taste far superior to anything you could purchase pre-made, be much healthier for you, is extremely easy on your pocketbook, and is very therapeutic and relaxing to make.  Sounds like an ad for Mister-Uncle-Joe-Bob's-Magical-Elixir, now doesn't it?  Nope, nothing so fancy.  What we're going to be making today is homemade wheat bread.  Yum-yummmm!!

Homemade Bread is a true homemaking art form that shows a level of patience on the part of the homemaker, as well as perseverance to get it right, and love for her family.  Homemade bread is not something you just 'do,' it takes a little time to get comfortable with the process and acquire the knowledge of a few tips that work better than others.  The one consistent thing I've found from breadmaker to breadmaker is that there is no 'right' way, and there is no 'same' way of making bread.  I make it differently from my mother (a master breadmaker), who makes it differently from Robyn, who makes it differently from her mother, and so on and so forth.  I have been attempting to master the art of the basic loaf for quite some time now, and so you can imagine my complete shock and awe when my mom called me asking for the recipe of the bread that I had made and sent with my boys for sandwiches when they went with her one day.  She said she'd never seen wheat bread so moist and risen before, so asked Jigger for a piece to try it.  She loved it, and wanted to come over so that I could show her how to make it.  I have arrived as a breadmaker.  Ladies, it doesn't get any better than that.

So, in light of this wonderful bread recipe, I thought I would share my recipe with you.  I call it mine, even though I found the original recipe over at Alyssa's place sometime last year.  It was originally titled 'Wisteria's Everyday Bread,' but since I've tweaked it, we'll just call it Everyday Wheat Bread.  If you've never baked bread before, I have tried to walk you through this completely.  If you have, use your own method and have fun! 

Everyday Wheat Bread

3 teaspoons of yeast

2 cups warm water

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

4 heaping teaspoons Vital Wheat Gluten

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 ½ - 3 ½ cups unbleached flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

Assemble your ingredients:

First, we're going to 'proof' our yeast.  (Disclaimer:  there are other terms for some of the things I'll be going over, but this is simply my vernacular based upon what I've been taught.)  Proofing the yeast is simply a test to see if your yeast is good or bad.  I use my KitchenAid mixer for the initial mixing of my bread, but I have done it by hand before.  There is really no difference in the output, it just depends on your preference. 

No matter, into whichever bowl you're using to mix your bread place your hottest tapwater.  This is going to pre-heat your bowl.  I find I get better results when I do this.  Let it sit for a couple of minutes (I do this before I assemble my ingredients, so while it's pre-heating I get everything out I need to, melt the butter, etc.).  After a couple of minutes, dump that water and replace it with the two cups of warm water.  Now, for those of you who have never made bread before, the water needs to be warm enough to activate the yeast, but not so warm as to kill it.  This means that the water should be a little uncomfortable to the touch.  Add your yeast to your two cups, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  I find in the summer that the whole process is sped up, so when I give you my time estimates, it's a safe bet the the shorter times are for summer and the longer for winter (at least in *my* experience).

Okay, how you know the proofing is working and the yeast is active is that after a few minutes your yeast will begin 'exploding' to the surface, thereby gathering up together and looking something like this:

Now you add the honey, gluten, salt, butter, 1½ cups whole wheat flour, ½ cup of the unbleached flour, and mix on low using the dough hook for 30 seconds, scraping constantly.  (It's important to note that flour should be scooped up by a common teaspoon and placed in the measuring cup, otherwise your flour is compacted and affects the outcome of any recipe.)  Turn the mixer up to medium-high for two full minutes, scraping occasionally.  Now your dough looks like this:

Add two cups of unbleached flour and stir by hand.

It will begin to pull away at the sides and become stiffer; this is all good.  It will look something like this:

Now you're going to turn it out onto your kneading surface.  I use a marble pastry board my dear mother gave me for my birthday this year.  Put ½ cup of flour on your board, and turn your dough out onto it.

Sprinkle some flour onto the top, rub some flour over your hands, and begin kneading your dough.

For you beginners, kneading is done by pushing/pulling the dough , and folding it in on itself repeatedly.  Don't be wimpy about it, put some muscle into it.  Ü  Consider this your workout for the morning.  While I'm kneading, I pray and have a nice chat with God; here's your therapy part.  It's so relaxing.

This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes (not a seasonal time; it just takes what it takes).  You will find yourself lightly sprinkling your kneading surface and dough often with more flour; don't add too much, though.  Just use what is needed, and no more.

Your kneading will be done when your dough is smooth and elastic.

To rise, set it in a prepared bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in it.  Rub the olive oil up the sides of the bowl, effectively coating the entire bowl.  Place your dough 'top' side down to coat with olive oil, and then flip it over.

Cover with a towel, and let rise. 

Here, at practically sea level, it takes anywhere from ½ an hour (summer) to an hour and a half (winter).  It is risen when it is at least double in size.  Your altitude does indeed affect everything, so pay attention to what works for you so that you can better improve and/or duplicate your results the next time.

As an aside here, I place a plate under my bowl because when my oven is not in use I let my dough rise on the back burner of my stove top.  I learned the hard way that sometimes your dough forces the oil out of the bowl and onto the burner, thereby creating a lovely smoke-and-smell mess when you use that burner for the first time.

Okay.  Now you are going to punch your dough down.

You will do this a few times.

Turn your dough out onto your clean kneading surface (because your dough is oiled, it is not necessary to sprinkle more flour on said surface).

Cut your dough in half.

Roll each half into a loaf shape, making sure to seal the seams you acquire, and place each half into a pre-greased pan.  I don't personally use a rolling pin for this step; I simply use my hands.  Cover with a towel and set to rise for the second and final time.

This will take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half.  When your dough has at least doubled in size, preheat your oven to 365 degrees.

Let bake for 30 minutes, then take your beautiful loaves out of the oven.

Remove them from their pans, set them on a rack (the one pictured here was made for me by my dad), and rub some butter straight from the fridge on top of them. 

You have now made homemade wheat bread, and if your clan can wait for the bread to cool a bit to make the slicing easier, go for it!  Mine sometimes can't, because my boys are all addicted to hot bread with butter fresh from the oven.  Enjoy your delicious bread, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  I will find you an answer if I don't know, even if I have to call my mom.  Ü

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Hello, and welcome back to Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl!  If you have a frugal idea you would like to share, we would love to read it!  Please do go visit our wonderful hostess Mary to get started.

Because I am a firm believer in saving money, and because I also firmly believe that the biggest place you can save money is in the category of grocery shopping, AND because I was recently told that you can *not* eat healthy foods inexpensively (this means you, Linda), today's tip is about healthy grocery shopping - *inexpensively.*

We have a family of four (but Piper really should count as three people, because that's how much food he eats), and we eat three meals a day (plus snacks), seven days a week out of our home.  If we are out of the home for the day (Mondays) for lessons or whatever, we pack a cooler and take our meals with us.  (I have had to really crack down on the eating out [I am terrible about it if I let myself be], as it's quite easy to rack up a tab of over $100 a week just in dining out!  So, if you are on a strict budget, eating out should absolutely be the very first thing you cut.)  Our family of four's grocery budget is $125 a week, with lean weeks getting cut to $100.  I should clarify here that our grocery budget includes laundry detergent, toothpaste, toilet tissue, soaps, and all the additional personal items that are necessary in the running of a well-stocked home.  So, actual food purchases range between $80-$110 each week.  And we eat a healthy, varied menu each week.  Let me show you how.

First, the most important thing to understand is that eating healthy while inexpensively is not a passive pastime.  There are no prepared and/or processed foods in my pantry.  I cook from scratch, and while that sounds intimidating to those of you inexperienced in the kitchen, it's really not.

Secondly, the most important thing to know and follow through with after you understand and accept the first thing, is that cooking from scratch is not possible unless you have a well-stocked pantry.  A well-stocked pantry is the difference between flowing effortlessly through your cooking, and running out to the store several times for an item or two at a time (waste of fuel and time).  One way is enjoyable and the other so miserable you throw up your hands in defeat and come back to tell me that you gave it a good try, but it doesn't work for you.  Nonsense.  It works for anyone and everyone who wants it to work and makes it work for them.

Everyone's pantry should have most of the same basics, but once you begin cooking you will discover some things that are essential to you, thereby making our pantries unique little windows into our homes.  For instance, Robyn always keeps evaporated canned milk in her pantry, while I can't tell you the last time I had a can in mine.  It's been a life-saver for her, but for me simply means holiday baking.  Meanwhile, in my pantry you will always find a couple of odd-ball spices that Robyn says she never has, because they are essential to my cooking success.  Pantries are as individual as the cook who stocks them, and can be a great way to get an insight into their owners (if you're allowed to peak, that is Ü).  Here are a couple of photos of my pantry with my basics-I-can't-do-without:

It was important to me to have all of my dry goods and bulk items in glass jars (not to mention aesthetically pleasing), so I began purchasing them one or two at a time each grocery trip.  Before I knew it, I was set.  I also wanted to have all of my spices in glass jars, so I used half-pint canning jars to accomplish this, as you can see in the next picture:

It is my humble opinion that where we live must be pretty as well as functional, or else we will not use or maintain it.  I have made my pantry accessible as well as pleasing to the eye, because I spend so much of my time in my kitchen. 

A timesaver and moneysaver tip is to always, always, always buy in bulk those items you find are staples for your pantry.  This does not mean running right out to Sam's or Costco.  No, this actually means grabbing those local grocery store fliers that you receive weekly and poring through each of them to see if anything you want is at an exceptional sale price that week.  Here are a few examples of 'cheap' foods I have purchased within the past few weeks:  Kellogg's cereals, 10 for $10 (I refuse to pay more than $1 for any box of cereal, so this deal combined with coupons was great for stocking up, however, we don't usually have cereal in the house the rest of the year - only summer, because it's too hot to cook every morning); Brown and Serve sausages (these are necessary as I always make hubby a hot breakfast to go, every morning) 10 for $10; organic milk from a local provider, 40% off (I buy at least four and freeze them - always lasts us until the next sale); canned petite diced tomatoes (staple), 20 for $10.  I am getting too low on canned beans, and am anxiously scouring the weekly ads looking for a good sale.  These were deals that I could purchase in spite of the healthy chunk it took out of my grocery budget because my pantry was so well stocked from previous weeks' deals that I didn't need any of my staples.  Buy in bulk on sale at your local grocery store, and you will be set.  Also, in case of an emergency or illness, if you had to skip a week at the grocery store, chances are the only thing you'd miss would be the fresh produce, which can be purchased in one 20 minute trip.

If you are a struggling homemaker and would like help in figuring out what your pantry should include, please feel free to ask me or any woman how to figure out what should be your basic staples.  I've not yet met a woman who didn't like talking about how she runs her home.  Just be sure you're asking women who actually run their homes and cook, (grin).

So, my Tightwad Tuesday tip of the day is to have a fully stocked, essential-to-you pantry ready to go, filled with items you only purchase on sale, so that you can cook from scratch and eat healthier.  Let me take a rabbit trail here to emphasize that here eating healthier does *not* mean tofu, bizarre drinks, or $15/ounce 'essential-to-the-recipe' ingredients.  Oh no.  Here eating healthy means cutting out the processed, prepared foods, incorporating homemade foods made with fresh, quality ingredients, and making sure you're loading up on your requirement of fresh fruits and vegetables each day.  As time passes, I'll be writing more about this subject, so if you're still uncertain, please do ask or stay tuned.  Now, go inventory your pantry and be on the lookout for those great deals!

Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays

Welcome back to Tightwad Tuesday with Canadagirl!  If you have a frugal tip to share with us, please do go visit Mary for more information on how to participate.  We'd love to have you!

If you are a frequent visitor to my blog on Tightwad Tuesdays, then you know that I'm a bit obsessed with making food staples that you would ordinarily purchase pre-packaged and processed from the store.  Since I haven't run through all my recipes and tips yet, get ready for another one:  Homemade Red Sauce.  Homemade Red Sauce is a delicious, economical, and versatile item to have in your freezer or to make up fresh in about 30 minutes.  You can use it as pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, in your soup bases, or as a dip for your Italian/bread dishes.  This recipe makes enough for me to freeze in two portions, and each portion provides either one pasta meal for 4-6 people, or enough sauce for two homemade pizzas (one cookie-sheet size, and the other a round stone size).   I *love* having this is the freezer, and hope you enjoy it as well!

Homemade Red Sauce

one medium to large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tablespoons olive oil

3-14 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1-6 ounce can tomato paste

3 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons dried oregano

3 bay leaves

salt and pepper

In a dutch-oven size pan, sauté the onion and garlic gently in olive oil for 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has become quite thick.  Remove the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning to taste.

This goes wonderfully on top of French Bread Pizza.  Try it sometime!  Ü