Make your own Baking Powder

Using simple ingredients



The advantages to making your own baking power is that it’s always fresh because the ingredients you use last indefinitely. Store bought baking powder has a shelf life of about 6 months, cost twice the price, and usually is made with aluminum (sodium aluminum sulfate). Most important your biscuits will taste so much better!

If you want to make it as you need it you can just use 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar. Mix and measure the amount your recipe called for baking powder.
Example:
Homemade Baking Powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Mix together measure for the amount of baking powder your recipe calls for.

Here are several other versions you can try:

Do It Yourself – Aluminum and Corn-Free Baking Powder

Makes 1 cup
1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cream of tartar
1/4 cup arrowroot (if you are not avoiding corn, cornstarch may be substituted)

Blend all ingredients with a whisk to mix well. Use as you would regular baking powder
from whole new mom

another version

Homemade Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon corn starch (optional)
Preparation:
Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar together until well combined. Use immediately.
Yield: One tablespoon of baking powder.
To store baking powder: Add a teaspoon of corn starch to the mixture, and stir. This will absorb any moisture from the air, and prevent the baking powder from reacting before you need it. Store in an air-tight container. from about.com

Another site with several versions and ideas.
BAKING POWDER – There are three ways you can substitute for baking powder, depending on the recipe:
1 teaspoon baking powder equals 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; or, 1 teaspoon baking powder equals 1/2 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt: and 1 teaspoon baking powder also equals 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/3 cup molasses. When using the substitutions that include liquid, reduce other liquid in recipe accordingly. From That’s My Home. This site has a list of food substitutions.

Another site with a downloadable Substitution Chart AmericKim

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Cute baking powder containers found at the farm chicks blog. Such a cute idea. Have your friends save their baking powder containers and make these for gifts with homemade baking powder!

Cold Pack Canning Made Simple

Canner with Jar Rack






Cold Pack Canning Made Simple

Cold Vegetable Pasta Primavera

 A perfect potluck dish!
Cold Vegetable Pasta Primavera - Dr. Weil's Healthy Kitchen

The best Pasta Dough ever!

The best Pasta Dough ever! <---click here to see video
This dough can be used for any type of filled pasta such as Ravioli, Tortellini, etc etc as well as fresh pasta such as pappardelle, linguine etc etc.
It's worth buying scales to get the correct amount of ingredients for baking and pasta.
320 grams of double 00 flour
160 grams of semolina
6 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
Drop of Olive oil
Pinch of salt

It's Strawberry Season!!!!!

Strawberry Cake

My favorite cake for my birthday is mama's strawberry cake with strawberry icing. Like Bubba with shrimp there's all kinds of ways to fix strawberries. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry cake, strawberry ice cream, strawberry jam, strawberry smoothie, etc. etc.!

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast | The Girl Who Ate Everything

Strawberry Delight

Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies

Easy Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Sauce

Strawberry Pops

Chunky Strawberry Sauce

Shoney’s Strawberry Pie
another Shoney’s Strawberry Pie

Bag of Strawberries for table or seat number

Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

Strawberry-Sugar Biscuit Trifle

4 Reasons to Eat Quinoa

High in magnesium - magnesium helps relax blood vessels, which may result in fewer headaches for migraine sufferers and decreased risk of hypertension and stroke. A good source of manganese, iron, copper, phosphorous, vitamin B2 and other essential minerals. The richest source of protein of any grain. It is especially high in lysine, an amino acid that is typically low in other grains. Quinoa's protein is complete, containing all nine essential amino acids - a rarity in the plant kingdom. Gluten-free and easy to digest.-Dr. Andrew Weil

Mango Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Pudding Recipe

♥Quick & Easy Chocolate Pudding♥

dollop of whipped cream

chocolate shavings

added cinnamon



EASY CHOCOLATE PUDDING

1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. cocoa
1/8-1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
Mix sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt in saucepan. Slowly stir in milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Stir and cook 3 minutes longer; stir in vanilla and butter. Chill. Makes 6

dress ups:
a dollop or squirt of whipped cream before serving.
add a cherry and mint leaf on top of the whipped cream
chocolate shavings from a cold candy bar or
crushed chocolate cookies
sliced bananas
add a few shakes of cinnamon to the sauce pan for a Mexican chocolate pudding flavor

Chili Beans and some helpful tips

Fall is almost here so Chili Beans are on the menu for tonight’s supper. We call dinner supper in the South. :)
When we have Chili Beans dh always insist we have cornbread and slaw. I just made the slaw and that reminded me of the times I’ve accidentally added too much vinegar or lemon juice, mayonnaise or sugar. To salvage my slaw I’ve poured half or all of my slaw into a strainer and rinsed it briefly with water. I let it drain and start over.
For the cornbread I’m just making it from Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. Dh and the boys like it better than homemade (I like homemade) but I’m out of buttermilk and I don’t like to substitute it by mixing vinegar or lemon juice in milk. If you’ve read any of my recipes you’ll notice that I improvise a lot! I had about 2 tablespoons of sour cream in the fridge so I just added that to my cornbread mix along with the milk and eggs. No sense in wasting it. When I’m making cornbread from a mix I double it and pour it in a baking sheet that I sprayed with oil or Pam. It bakes faster and everyone likes that they get more crunchy bites. I cut my cornbread into serving pieces and store it in my cake keeper. I take the crumbs that are left and pour that into my pot of Chili Beans. Why waste it? It helps to thicken the Chili Beans too.
For the meat I use ground chuck. But sometimes I’ll use ground Sirloin. Food Lion has a sale several times a year on Sirloin Tips. When they’re on sale it’s much cheaper than ground beef or ground chuck. Most people don’t realize that your butcher will grind it for you. They will cut it into roast, cube steak, grind, or cut it into stew beef. Most of the time I have him cut half for a roast and grind the rest. If they have any roast on sale sometimes it’s cheaper than the ground beef and I’ll have that ground. I’ve also cut up roast into beef stew because it was cheaper. Substitute half or all of the meat with TVP (textured vegetable protein) for a healthier and cheaper meal.
For the Chili Beans I have no certain recipe. I usually soak 2 pounds of pinto beans with about a teaspoon of baking soda for about 8 hours. I always check the beans for dirt or any foreign objects then I rinse several times before I soak. I pour off the water I soaked them in and rinse again and pour fresh water back into my pot of beans. I bring my beans to a boil and turn down the burner to about medium. Depending on the age of the beans but it takes several hours. I brown the ground chuck with fresh diced or dried minced onions and drain. I pour that into my beans along with 2 cans of tomato sauce. Today I used a pack of tomato sauce from the freezer that I made last month. I’ve used chopped tomatoes in place of the sauce before. Canned or fresh will work. For the spices I use Chili Powder, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper, Curry powder, Clove powder, salt, and black pepper. But I have a secret ingredient. It’s chocolate! Well I think now days most of you have heard of that. Use just a few small pieces of any chocolate, dark, Hershey’s kisses, or even cocoa powder. It really enhances the flavor. This is one meal that everybody in the house loves. Another tip! LOL Mama adds a big scoop of peanut butter to her pinto beans. I would say about 1/3 cup. You can add about ¼ cup or more in your Chili Beans for another level of flavor. And no it doesn't make it taste like peanut butter!
Fall is my favorite time of the year. Right now it’s cool out and softly raining. I was able to cook a meal for my family today and get a little cleaning done. I am blessed.

How to Sweat Vegetables

Photograph by Rachel Sanders

How to Sweat Vegetables

Sweating vegetables is often a preliminary step in recipes calling for a longer cooking method. For vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, garlic and shallots, sweating helps to soften cell walls and draw out moisture, which in turn builds the flavors that can enhance a dish. The process is simple: Dice or chop the larger produce - onions, carrots, celery - and mince garlic and shallots; aim for uniformly shaped pieces. Heat a pan to low-medium and add a tablespoon or so of oil. Let oil heat for a few seconds, then add the larger vegetables and a pinch of salt (which helps draw water out of the vegetables). Keep the heat low enough so you hear a gentle sizzle - you do not want the vegetables to brown - and stir frequently, for about five minutes. About 30 seconds before the larger vegetables are soft and translucent, add the garlic and shallots, and continue stirring. Once sweating is complete, the flavors should be intensified and you can continue with the recipe. from Dr. Andrew Weil's newsletter
more on Sweating vegetables here

Apple Slices Cookies

via

I found another cute idea for sweet treats that's easy to do. It's not apple flavored. All you need is sugar cookie dough, red decorator sugar, a few chocolate chips and string licorice . This is from Pillsbury but you could use any sugar cookie dough homemade or from the store. After all you'll put it together so it will be "homemade"!
Apple Slices Cookies

Prep Time: 35 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 5 Min
Makes: 32 cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons red decorator sugar
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Black string licorice, cut into 1-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 350°F. Cut 17x12-inch piece of plastic wrap; place on work surface. Sprinkle red sugar evenly over plastic wrap. Roll cookie dough in sugar to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap; freeze 30 minutes. 2 Remove half of dough from wrapper; freeze remaining dough until needed. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. On ungreased cookie sheets, place slices 2 inches apart. Place 3 chocolate chips in center of each slice to resemble seeds. To form slice shape, make 2 indentations on 2 opposite sides with fingers. Repeat with remaining half of dough. 3 Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until unsugared edges are light golden brown. Insert 1 licorice piece on top of each cookie to resemble stem. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
Note: If you make your sugar dough from scratch you could add apple spice, clove, or cinnamon spice along with your vanilla flavoring.

Starbucks Birthday Cake Mini Doughnut

Birthday Cake Mini Doughnut | Starbucks Coffee Company
I just love pink! Idea: You could make or buy mini doughnuts and ice them in pink and sprinkle with white non-pareils.

via Country Living
Heavenly Pink Doughnuts with Pink Strawberry Glaze Don't forget the sprinkles! Some sparkles would be sweet too!

It's Back! StarBucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Latte | Starbucks Coffee Company
It's back! That tells me that fall is around the corner. My favorite season!
Make your own version of a Pumpkin Spiced Latte or make a batch of Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Good to have when you're craving one out of season. :)

Creamy Salad Dressing - Dr. Weil's Healthy Kitchen

photo and recipe courtesy of Dr. Weil
Creamy Salad Dressing

Ingredients

6 ounces silken tofu (or soft tofu, drained)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon expeller-pressed canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Blend until well mixed.
Note: a food processor will work as well. You can use olive oil in place of canola oil.

Mix & Match Salad

photo courtesy of Oprah.com

I was going to post my list of mix & match salad ideas, But when I googled it, pages and pages popped up including one from Oprah here.
One of my favorite salads is Logan's Roadhouse Anything & Everything Salad with
Romaine lettuce, hard-boiled egg, bacon, bleu cheese, tomatoes, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, & mesquite wood-grilled chicken. Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette. I always ask for sharp shredded cheddar cheese in place of the bleu cheese. Several years ago they changed it up to chicken pieces instead of strips, toasted walnuts in place of glazed walnuts. Less dried cranberries. Less and cheaper made but still a price increase. Before they changed it I could eat half now and save half for later. I still eat part of it there and save some for later. For my next days lunch I just add more greens and whatever I have on hand.

My son Josh brought home a salad from Outback last week. It was wonderful! Everything was fresh. You can taste the difference when a salad is freshly made or premixed.. The croutons had been tossed in fresh garlic. I never thought of doing that before instead of adding garlic or garlic powder before you bake them. I'll be experimenting with garlic on my next batch of croutons! :) The Thousand Island dressing must be made there also. It was the best I've tasted ever!

It's so disappointing when a restaurant uses short cuts. I can't be the only one that notices it. I'm not a picky eater. Really! I know they have to compete but I'd rather pay a little more than have them use inferior ingredients and prepackaged products.

I'll be posting later other ideas I have. Many times I'll come up with a great recipe or a good combination for a salad and forget to write it down. Well it's usually lost forever then. Always write it down when you find a good combination of ingredients for a recipe! Including a salad. Keep a file on your computer of recipes and make categories. I have one file named Mama's Cookbook. I put all of our favorite recipes in it. After you make the recipe always add a note at the end with the date you made it. Add anything you changed and if it improved it or was a bust.

Back to salads.Sorry I tend to wonder in my live conversations too! Print out Oprah's mix & match salad and laminate it to keep on hand. Or make up your own in chart form. You could glue a magnet strip on the back and post it on your refrigerator. I post a few of my "go to" recipes on the side of my refrigerator along with a chart for ingredient substitutes and measurement converter.

Bacon Cheeseburger Roll Up

This is an easy recipe that I make for the boys. It goes pretty fast and everyone likes it. The only thing different I do is start browning the beef with the onions and after a few minutes I add real bacon bits instead of the bacon slices. It has a pleasant bacon flavor and not as overwhelming as adding the raw bacon while browning the beef.
Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Up

What You Need
1 lb. lean ground beef
4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
Make It

HEAT oven to 400°F.

BROWN ground beef with bacon and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA; cook 5 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 min.

UNROLL dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle; top with meat mixture. Roll up, starting at one long side. Rearrange if necessary so roll is seam-side down.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown. 6 servings

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Serving Suggestion
Balance this indulgent "cheeseburger" with a mixed green salad and fresh fruit.
Special Extra
Serve with your favorite condiments, such as CLAUSSEN Dill Burger Slices, mustard, ketchup, sliced tomatoes and/or TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa.
Variation
Prepare using 2% Milk VELVEETA and substituting 1 can (7 oz.) chopped mushrooms, drained, for the bacon.
More Kraft Recipes

Orange Jello, Pineapple, and Carrot Salad

Gelatin Molds

Being diabetic I'm trying to eat healthier. Problem is I have a sweet tooth! This is a easy to make dessert. It satisfies my sweet tooth and crunch cravings.

I have the small molds shown above. The lids are hard to get on. Make sure the bottom lids are on tight before you pour your gelatin salad into them.

Orange Jello, Pineapple, and Carrot Salad

1 small box sugar-free orange Jello
1 eight ounce can crushed pineapple drained (save the juice)
3/4 to 1 cup (about 3 large) grated carrots
1 cup boiling
1 cup reserved juice plus water to equal 1 cup

Dissolve the Jello in one cup of boiling water. whisk about 2 minutes.
Drain pineapple, save juice
Add enough cold water to the juice to make one cup and stir into jello mixture
Refrigerate until soft set. About 1 hour-1 1/2 hours.
Grate your carrots. I used my food processor since I'm having a flair up with my arthritis right now. Much easier to do! My Aunt Becky uses pineapple tidbits sometimes too.
Once the Jello is soft set stir in the pineapple and grated carrots.
Pour into a mold or individual serving dishes. Refrigerate until set.

Mama's Brownies

I found this recipe over 30 years ago. I've made it so many times that the page became worn and smudged with cocoa, butter, etc that it became hard to read! :) This is my spin on the original recipe so now we call it Mama's Brownies.
It's an inexpensive basic recipe with ingredients that most folks keep in their pantry. I've used melted butter, melted margarine, corn oil, or canola oil. Whatever I had on hand. Although, I think it taste best using butter. If you like a chewy fudge taste then this one is for you. Now I've used other Brownie recipes and some have been better but required ingredients that I don't usually keep on hand. So if you need a quick sugery chocolate fix without having to make a trip to the grocery store then this is it!

Mama’s Brownies

6 Tablespoons melted butter, margarine, or oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
7 Tablespoons cocoa
mix by hand and add
2 eggs
then add:
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla or more if you like
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional )

spread in 8x8 greased pan (use shortening, butter, or spray on Pam)
bake 350° for about 30 minutes. Let it cool a few minutes before you cut into squares.
Makes about 4-8 according to how big you want them! LOL

Substitutes:
for a self-rising flour substitute use: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour + 3/4 teaspoon baking
powder+1/4 teaspoon salt.

For all or half of the fat (butter,margarine, or oil) use applesauce

substitute all or half of the sugar with Splenda

use a bigger pan if you like thinner brownies. This takes less time to bake so check
in about 15 minutes.

Optionals:
stir in 1/2 cup or more of your favorite chocolate chips
stir in or sprinkle on top 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts.

Note: If I'm giving brownies as a gift I line my pan with a greased or sprayed with Pam foil or parchment paper. After letting the brownies cool for about 10 minutes I carefully pull it out of them pan by the edges of the foil or paper. I let them cool about 30 minutes. I take a clean ruler and lay on top and measure to get even cuts. Then I shake on powdered sugar using a fine mesh sifter. It makes a nicer presentation. Another cute idea is to bake them in a disposable pan and lay a stencil that fits nicely on top of the brownies then then sprinkle on powdered sugar and carefully lift the stencil. Wrap with cling wrap and tie on a bow and label.

I’d like to try these:
http://therecipegirl.blogspot.com/2008/02/chocolate-mascarpone-brownies.html

My soup pot runneth over!

I'm making beef vegetable stew tonight. I can never make a regular pot of soup. By the time I add all my ingredients I have a stock pot plus full of soup!

I don't have a recipe for my stew but I always start with my basic ingredients.
I start with tomato base:
Usually that is tomato juice. But I have also used V-8 Juice, several cans of tomato sauce or my favorite is tomatoes. I wash, core,and quarter (leave the skin on) a bunch of tomatoes. Put them in my soup pot and bring to a boil (stir to prevent scorching). Boil for about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and take your stick blender/wand and puree. It blends into a perfect tomato sauce skins and all!
I add several cans of beef broth or about a quart of water and several teaspoons of beef bouillon granules.
For the meat: I flour and brown beef stew or just browned ground chuck. I've also used leftover roast, beef stew. I've even added leftover Spaghetti sauce with meat! It all works.
For the vegetables:
medium or large finely chopped onion, a few finely chopped celery, 3 or more sliced carrots, 4 or 5 medium cubed potatoes, 2 cans of green beans, 2 cups of frozen or fresh corn. any leftover vegetables I have on hand
Seasoning Ideas:
pepper, onion powder, few shakes of nutmeg, about 1 teaspoon of Maggi Seasoning

I cook the beef,onions, and celery in my tomato and broth for several hours on medium heat. Then I add the carrots and cook about 20 minutes. Next I add the potatoes. When the potatoes are almost done I add the rest of my vegetables. I taste the stew every so often and add more water, salt, onion powder, Maggi, or pepper as needed. When your vegetables are tender it's done!
I've also added a handful of pasta toward the end of cooking. You can add spaghetti sticks broken into small pieces, alphabet pasta, or anything you have.
So there you go my no recipe stew! But that's the beauty of it. Kinda like Forest said, Mama always said life is like a box of chocolate...LOL You never know what your gonna get! :D