Friday five for January 10

Friday again, and what do I have to show for it?  It seems as if this has been somewhat of a "blah" week, and yet I have many blessings to be thankful for:

1.  Though far from perfect (cluttered background), the photo at top makes my heart sing every time I look at it.  It represents so many delights: a sweet table runner I carved out time to sew a few years back using Christmas fabrics from my stash; an ironstone pitcher from the family heirloom set I am blessed to own; and sprigs of pine from our own acreage and winterberries gathered on a walk.  The berries are drying out and getting wrinkled, but this arrangement is still on the table.  (It will be leaving soon, though.)  Below is a photo of the runner back when I first finished it.

2.  A nice afternoon and evening last Saturday.  Our dear friends Sam and Jenn came for supper and a Bible study in the evening.  During the afternoon, we took a quick trip to the neighboring town so that our son-in-law Jim could cut Mr. T's hair.  (He's handy like that.)  We took a bit of extra time to play a game with the grandkids.  The photo below is NOT of that game; it's from Thanksgiving and is a different game altogether.

3.  A wonderful New Year's message from Pastor Anglea, our pulpit supply on Sunday; titled "Unto the End", it really encouraged us to keep on keeping on.  In other New Year news, I was able to complete a Shutterfly calendar the other day to take advantage of a free offer.  Below is a screenshot of July's page.  I put this calendar together in quite a hurry, but it still came out quite well.

4.  Several nice days this week so we were able to get out and walk.  The time of day had to vary a bit due to other commitments, but the weather was doable each time.  Even on Monday when we were walking in snow flurries!  Photo below is from 2018 but looks much the same right now.

5.  A bit of creativity in the kitchen this morning.  I've had a container of this Bran Muffin Batter in the fridge ever since we made my mother-in-law's muffins on Christmas morning.  I wanted to bake the muffins before the batter went bad (it's supposed to keep 6 weeks, but it usually doesn't last more than a month) but I wanted to bake a variety of muffins.  I put a teaspoon of strawberry jam in each muffin cup for the first dozen.  For the second dozen, I added some dried cranberries and some chopped toasted walnuts to the batter.  Had just a bit too much batter, so baked some in a small loaf pan.

And that is this week's Friday five!  What blessings can you thank God for today?

Homemade Italian sausage for recipes

Here's something I recently tried and really liked.  I've mentioned before that my hubby and I could pretty much eat soup all fall and winter long.  I have a huge collection of soup recipes and we could cheerfully eat soup for supper every night.  It's nice too that when we have our young friends over for Bible study and a meal, they also love soup and are always thrilled to see a pot of soup on the stove.

Some of our favorite soups call for bulk Italian sausage -- usually fairly easy to find, but in recent years I prefer chicken sausage or turkey sausage to pork or beef.  Poultry sausages can often be found in links -- delicious though expensive -- but it can be a challenge to find them in the bulk variety.

For awhile now I've been wanting to look for a seasoning recipe to make my own Italian bulk sausage using ground chicken or turkey.  If I had had any idea it was so easy, I would have done it years ago!

I adapted this recipe from one that I found at Tastes of Lizzy T.  Here's what I used to turn 1 pound of ground turkey into 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage:

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SEASONING MIX
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon instant minced onion
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic OR garlic powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Place the salt, fennel seed and red pepper flakes in a custard cup.  Use a wooden spoon or similar implement to partially crush the fennel seed and the red pepper flakes into the salt.  They don't have to be completely crushed, just partially so, and you will get a nice aroma of fennel as you do.  Now add all of the remaining seasonings to the custard cup and stir to mix very well. 

Sprinkle all of the mixture over 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken in a bowl of appropriate size.  Mix the seasonings into the meat very well, using your hands.  Then crumble and brown the sausage as directed in your recipe.  (You will want to wash your hands very well following the mixing and crumbling steps.)

 Here are links to a couple of the soup recipes I mentioned.  Both are from Taste of Home,  and both have been recent hits with supper guests.

Pasta Sausage Soup is the soup pictured at the top of the post.

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup is pictured below.

 Of course, you could also multiply the seasoning ingredients to make a large batch of sausage seasoning to store in a jar for future use.  (If I figured right, you would then need 5 1/2 teaspoons of mix for every pound of sausage.)  A jar of this mix would also make a nice kitchen gift or a nifty addition to a gift basket for someone who enjoys cooking.

Hope this idea is helpful to someone in this busy season!

Enchilada sauce mix

In my November randomness post, I alluded to using an enchilada sauce mix, and some readers were interested in the recipe.  Alas, I find that that recipe is not on my computer anywhere.  I have it scribbled down on the recipe for the Tortilla Enchilada Soup, but cannot find it elsewhere.  I don't even know where I found it to begin with.  Hence this post.

ENCHILADA SAUCE MIX (for equivalent to 1 can red enchilada sauce)

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Combine with 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes to approximate 1 can of enchilada sauce.

Or, and this is what I do: quadruple the recipe, measuring the spices into a small bowl, and mix them well.  Transfer to a small jar and label.  When ready to use, combine 2 Tablespoons of the spice mixture with the 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes.

This has worked very well in every recipe I've tried it in.  As I mentioned to Vee, I really don't know how authentic it tastes, but it's great in recipes and the price is right!

Homemade vacuum cleaner bag sachets

 (Photo above is from Pixabay.)
The other day I mentioned that I was making up some of these handy little helpers.  These little sachets are to be placed into the vacuum cleaner bag when you replace one in your vacuum cleaner.  Then there is a pleasant, clean fragrance when vacuuming.  Mary asked if I would share how to make them, so here goes.  I believe I originally found the instructions on Tipnut, but I'm not sure.  So I'll just share what I do.

You will need:
 
1/2 cup cedar shavings

1/4 cup dried lavender

1/4 cup dried rosemary

1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon baking soda

5 to 7 drops of essential oil (your choice)
Coffee filters
String

And here is what you do:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a glass container with a sealable cover. 
 Let stand for 1 week.
Stir up the mixture and place 3 tablespoons of it into the center of each coffee filter.
Gather up the edges of the filter so that if forms a little bag.
Use a piece of string to tie the bag securely closed.
Store the sachets in the same sealed glass jar until needed.

Instructions For Use:
 Pop a sachet into the new vacuum bag each time you change it. When you vacuum, the fragrance from the pouch will fill the room.
If you prefer not to go to the trouble of making the actual sachets, you can simply add a few tablespoons of the mix into the new vacuum cleaner bag when changing it.

A few helpful thoughts: I found the cedar shavings in the pet aisle at Walmart.  The smallest package will last a long time.
Our local natural foods store carries herbs and spices in bulk.  That's where I got the lavender.
I used lavender essential oil, but you could use any blend that you like, and use more of it if you prefer a stronger fragrance.

Happy crafting and vacuuming!
  

December 23 -- an easy kitchen gift: Mulled Cider Mix

It's fun and easy to make little packets of mulling spices for gifts. They produce some very yummy cider and make wonderful small gifts. I often include them in gift baskets for our neighbors or in care packages to faraway family and friends. Here's what you'll need to make these:

* Cinnamon sticks

* Whole cloves

* Allspice berries

* Coffee filters

* Plain white string

Break the cinnamon sticks in 1-inch pieces. For each packet of spices, place 1 tsp. of cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp. of whole cloves and 1 tsp. of allspice berries in the center of a coffee filter. Gather the filter up into a little bundle and tie securely with string.

  To package these, I use an idea I found in a Gooseberry Patch book -- Place each bundle of spices in a small brown paper bag. Fold the top of the bag down securely. Make a tag on card stock or half of a file card with these instructions: "Mulled Cider Mix. Place spice bag in large saucepan with 1 quart to 1 gallon of cider. Heat through and enjoy." 

 

Then position the tag at the top of the bag and use your sewing machine, threaded with red thread, to sew the tag to the bag, sewing the bag closed in the process. These look so cute and festive!

Carol's Apple Spice Mix

Every year when the apples are ready in our local orchards, this fun recipe comes to mind.  Right now, according to one nearby orchard, the following are available in their store: Paula Red, Ginger Gold, Gala, McIntosh, Cortland, Honey Crisp.  Only McIntosh are currently available as pick-your-own.

One autumn when our friends Carol and Larry visited us, they brought a jar of this delicious spice mixture, and Carol wrote out the recipe for me.  This mix is delicious (no pun intended) with fresh apple slices as a snack.  Carol says she has also sprinkled this on baked apples or on apple salad.

Spice Mix for Apples

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix and enjoy!  Amounts can be varied according to taste.

(I would think this could also be buzzed in a blender to make the seeds less obvious and maybe spread their flavor throughout the mix a little more.)

Now go get yourselves some nice crisp apples to go with this mix!  My favorite is Honey Crisp, but those Ginger Golds are delicious also.

Glorious gourds

Photo from Pixabay

Okay, first the definition of a gourd:

This came from the New Oxford American Dictionary as available on my computer.

My original intent was to write a post of just pumpkin or just squash recipes, although I've shared some of both already this fall.  In thinking it through,  however, I've decided to feature both members of the Family Cucurbitaceae.  I've linked to a few of these already this month, but just in case you missed them ...

Pumpkin Coffeecake

Photo from Taste of Home

Gluten Free Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

From Faithfully Gluten Free

 Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

Photo from Taste of Home

Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones

Candied Pumpkin Spice Pecans

Photo from Taste of Home

You will find some great pie recipes using pumpkin here:
Favorite Thanksgiving Pie Recipes.

And last but not least, my recipe for

 PUMPKIN PIE SPICE

1/2 cup cinnamon
1/4 cup ground ginger
2 Tblsp. nutmeg
2 Tblsp. ground cloves

Blend ingredients. Store in a tightly covered container; again, I use an old International Coffee® tin. Use as your recipe directs; in pumpkin pie, use 3 1/4 tsp. per can of pumpkin. Again, many other recipes for cookies or desserts may call for pumpkin pie spice, so it’s a useful spice to keep on hand.


And now for a few squash recipes. 

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

Photo from Taste of Home

Stuffed Squash for Two

Roasted Squash Medley

Photo from Taste of Home

 Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Photo from Kelly's Ambitious Kitchen

Hope you'll find some recipes here that you'll want to try this fall!   These are all recipes I have tried and that have been enjoyed, but I'm always trying more.

Slow cooker strategies

Photo from Six Sisters' Stuff

I've been using my slow cooker a whole lot this summer, mostly as a tool to get supper to cook itself while I do other things.  I'm going to share some main dishes and a side dish that I've found really useful.

First up, the side dish -- the Slow Cooker Roasted Vegetables pictured above.  We get lots of produce from friends, and this is an awesome way to use it.  The picture above actually does not do this recipe justice.  It is much more colorful than this.  I don't usually add the cheese on top.  This would be a great side with pizza or calzone, or with a quiche or even scrambled eggs.  Of course it would also be a wonderful side with any grilled item.  I like the fact that this recipe includes potatoes.  I cube the potatoes because they take longer to cook, but cut veggies like zucchini and peppers in much larger chunks.

Oh -- this recipe calls for a salad dressing mix.  I always make my own.  Here's the recipe:

ZESTY  ITALIAN  DRESSING  MIX

1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each:  pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, sweet red pepper flakes
Pinch of paprika

    In a custard cup or small bowl, mix all together.  Whirl briefly in a blender if you like a finer texture (I skip this step).  Makes the equivalent of 1 packet Italian dressing mix.  May double or triple the recipe if you need more than one packet of mix in whatever you’re making.

(I was a little disappointed in the lack of flavor the first time I made the veggie recipe, so recently I’ve been tripling this dressing mix recipe to use in it and it is much improved.)

This Tex-Mex Quinoa Casserole is a very flavorful meatless recipe.

Photo from Chelsea's Messy Apron

We have enjoyed it a lot.  Just pay attention to the cooking time and temperature.  It needs to cook at High for only 3-4 hours.  Otherwise it will get mushy.  When it does, the taste is still wonderful but the mixture looks regrettably like dog food.

Lastly, one more recipe which I do not have a photo for.  This is adapted from the Fix-and-Forget-It Lightly cookbook.  It's a fantastic way to use up large amounts of zucchini.

VEGETABLE RICE CASSEROLE

1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used 1 cup of quick-cooking brown rice)
1 lb. zucchini, cubed
1 lb. yellow summer squash, cubed (or just use 2 lb. zucchini)
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 medium sized sweet pepper, any color, sliced in strips
4 celery ribs with leaves, sliced (optional)
2 large tomatoes, sliced (or, use 1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tblsp. olive oil, divided use
Shredded cheese, optional

1.  Spray slow cooker insert with cooking spray.  Spread rice in the bottom of the insert.
2.  Layer in the zucchini, summer squash, onion, and sprinkle with basil. 
3.  Combine the brown sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle half of this over the basil.  Drizzle 1 Tblsp. of olive oil over.
4.  Top with sliced peppers, celery (if using) and tomatoes.  Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over this layer.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over this layer.
5.  Cover.  Cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or until vegetables reach desired degree of doneness. 

Stir casserole before serving and top with shredded cheese if you like.  I serve this as a main dish so I like to add some shredded Mexican blend cheese to give it more protein.  Pepperjack would probably be good, too.

Makes 6 servings. 

Slow cooker meals will be great for those beautiful fall days, too, when you just want to work or play outside and come home to a nice supper all ready.  Enjoy these!

Simply random mid-March thoughts

Just a few random thoughts and happenings from the week ..

  Snow is probably the big story here.  Big storm on Wednesday, lots of snow, cold, ice, and wind.  Sometimes it seems as if this winter is going on forever.  (And there *was* once a time in our state's history, sometime in the 1800s, when there was a frost every month of the year, so I guess it's not impossible.)  On the other hand, as my husband says, if it all melts at once, we are in for a lot of flooding. 

I do enjoy watching the snow fall, as long as I don't have to drive in it.  And it is pretty to see a clean layer of white, looking like meringue or 7-minute icing, covering everything once again.

It's also nice to see the longer daylight, even though daylight saving time in mid-March still seems a bit odd.  And the higher, brighter winter sun feels good, although I'd rather not see all of the cobwebs, dust and crumbs it tends to reveal indoors.

Does anyone else have those strange little spiders that look like miniature daddy long-legs and leave drifts of webs everywhere?  The webs look sort of like cotton batting to me.  They are dense and white.  I've seen a few of these at church, so I can't blame it on the wood in our cellar which might be the natural guess as to why we have them.  They seem able to spin these webs very quickly and it's impossible to stay ahead of them. 

This is Zone 3 week in FlyLady's system ... the bathrooms.  Yesterday I scrubbed the tub and shower using my favorite homemade Tub and Shower Magic.  It works great on bathroom sinks and countertops, too.  If you've never tried this, you might like to give it a try.  I find that by using this once a month, and maintaining by use of Tilex Fresh Shower every day, the tub and shower stay looking fairly decent in spite of our hard water. 

I've been working at trying to reduce our grocery bill, and this week I actually succeeded.  It's still not low, but we spent about $15 less than the previous week.  I've made a number of meatless meals from some of my favorite basic cookbooks -- More-With-Less Cookbook; Jane Brody's Good Food Book
(Lentil Soup; Rice, Corn and Cheese Casserole); and Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet (from which I plan to make Lentils Ole this week, to serve over baked potatoes with taco toppings.  Any of these books will give you some good ideas for inexpensive, nutritious meals that taste good.
Another thing I do to save money is to make a lot of my own spice blends, onion soup mix, taco seasoning mix and so on.  Many of these recipes I've found in More Make Your Own Groceries by Daphne Metaxas Hartwig, and its predecessor, Make Your Own Groceries, which is hard to find at a reasonable price.  Check in local used bookstores, thrift shops, etc. and I hope you will find one!  More great recipes for this type of thing can be found here: 100-plus Recipes for Homemade Mixes and Seasoning Blends.

If you are interested in more homemade ideas, check out the "homemade life" label in the label cloud to the right.  There are quite a few of them there, from bagels to swiffer refills!




Today I have corned beef in the slow cooker, along with carrots and potatoes, to serve with homemade baked beans for supper tonight.  This is my go-to recipe for making corned beef in the crock pot: Glazed Corned Beef Dinner.  At the end of the cooking time, one transfers the meat and veggies to a baking dish and adds the glaze, cooking it in the oven for the last half hour.   I recommend it!

I probably had much more to say, but this is our day to clean the church and so I had better have lunch and get ready to go, since Mr. T is now home from work.  Enjoy the randomness!
** This post contains affiliate links.**

Round Steak Italiano

(Photo by Taste of Home)

The other day while grocery shopping I found several packages of round steak with $1 off coupons attached to them.  So that afternoon I prepared this tried and true recipe, which I adapted from one I found in Simple & Delicious.  (I do have the recipe elsewhere here on my blog, but it's in the 2007 archives and honestly, I hate to have anyone miss this.)  This is true comfort food and just wonderful for a busy winter day.  All you will need to add to round out your meal is a salad and/or a vegetable.  (I used frozen mixed vegetables to make supper really easy!)   You will be amazed at how perfectly the potatoes bake in the slow cooker.

ROUND STEAK ITALIANO

1 to 2 pounds boneless top round steak
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 Tblsp. onion soup mix*
1 Tblsp. olive or canola oil
2 Tblsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
Garlic powder to taste
6 to 8 medium potatoes
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 Tblsp. cold water

Cut steak into serving-size pieces; place in a 5-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl or a 2-cup measure, combine the tomato sauce, soup mix, oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic powder and pepper; pour over meat.

Scrub and pierce potatoes; place on top of meat. Cover; cook on Low for 7 to 8 hours or until meat and potatoes are tender.

Remove meat & potatoes to a serving platter and keep warm. Pour cooking juices into a small saucepan; skim off any fat. Combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and gradually stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

* Here’s my recipe for:
ONION SOUP MIX

3/4 cup dried minced onion
1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. celery seed, optional -- I usually omit this

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1 year. When a recipe calls for onion soup mix, use 5 Tablespoons mix for each envelope of onion soup called for. So many recipes seem to call for a package of onion soup mix, and this is far more economical.

Recipes from Easter breakfast, part 1

I thought I would share the two main-dish sort of recipes which I made to take to church for our Easter breakfast following the outdoor sunrise service.  One is tried and true; the other is new for me this year but a definite keeper.  I signed up to bring an egg casserole and hash browns.  Baked goods too, but I'll post about those tomorrow.

(Photo by Taste of Home)

For hash browns, I brought my usual recipe:  Hash Brown Casserole.  Instead of cream of chicken soup, I use my own cream soup substitute*.  Since I'm not eating wheat now, I substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour for the flour in this recipe and it works perfectly.

(Photo by Skip to My Lou.)

For the egg dish, I tried the gorgeous egg casserole pictured above.  Here is the link:  California Egg Casserole.  I needed to find a recipe without bread, crackers, croutons, etc. in it (so that I could eat it myself), but I didn't even have to hunt for this one.  It came right into my email inbox in an email from Skip to My Lou.  I really had no idea how the avocados would behave as I was planning to prepare the casserole (without baking it) the night before, refrigerate it,  and bake it in the morning so it was ready just as we went out the door.  I was somewhat concerned that the avocados might discolor, but I pushed them down into the egg mixture as much as I could, covered the top of the casserole with bacon bits (just in case) and hoped for the best.  I was so pleasantly surprised.  The avocados stayed nice and green.  I plunked the casserole on a warming tray when we got to church and so it was just right when we were ready to eat.  As I said, this is going to be a keeper recipe for me.  Simply wonderful!

(I should add here that I did not use all of the cheese this recipe calls for. I used a total of perhaps 1-1/2 cups, and I used cheddar.  For cream cheese, I used the lower fat Neufchatel.)

Now I want to quickly share the recipe for the cream soup substitute.  It's here in the archives, but just in case anyone would like it and can't take time to search, here it is again:

* CREAM SOUP SUBSTITUTES

Do you hate buying canned soups for use in recipes? This recipe makes a perfect substitute for 1 can of soup.

3 Tblsp. margarine
3 Tblsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk or other liquid (as specified in variations)

Melt the margarine in heavy saucepan; blend in flour and salt and cook until bubbly. Remove from heat and gradually stir or whisk in liquid. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened.

VARIATIONS:
Cream of chicken: Use 1/2 c. milk and 1/2 c. chicken broth as the liquid. Add 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage.
Cream of celery: Saute´ 1/2 c. chopped celery and 1 T. finely chopped onion in the margarine before adding flour. Use milk for liquid.
Cream of mushroom: Saute´1/4 c. finely chopped mushrooms and 1 T. finely chopped onion in margarine before adding flour. Use milk for liquid.
Tomato: Use tomato juice as liquid. Add a dash each of garlic salt, onion salt, basil, and oregano.
Cream of shrimp: Drain the liquid from a small can of tiny shrimp into a measuring cup. Fill cup with milk to measure 1 cup of liquid. Add a dash of pepper, onion salt, curry powder, and paprika to the finished sauce, and stir in the shrimp.

This recipe came from the More-With-Less Cookbook.  The shrimp variation is mine.

Delights of December Day 23 ~ Mulled Cider Mixes

Mulled Cider Mix

It's fun and easy to make little packets of mulling spices for gifts. They produce some very yummy cider and make wonderful small gifts. I often include them in gift baskets for our neighbors or in care packages to faraway family and friends. Here's what you'll need to make these:

* Cinnamon sticks

* Whole cloves

* Allspice berries

* Coffee filters

* Plain white string

Break the cinnamon sticks in 1-inch pieces. For each packet of spices, place 1 tsp. of cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp. of whole cloves and 1 tsp. of allspice berries in the center of a coffee filter. Gather the filter up into a little bundle and tie securely with string.

To package these, I use an idea I found in a Gooseberry Patch book -- Place each bundle of spices in a small brown paper bag. Fold the top of the bag down securely. Make a tag on card stock or half of a file card with these instructions: "Mulled Cider Mix. Place spice bag in large saucepan with 1 quart to 1 gallon of cider. Heat through and enjoy." Then position the tag at the top of the bag and use your sewing machine, threaded with red thread, to sew the tag to the bag, sewing the bag closed in the process. These look so cute and festive!

Delights of December Day 22 ~ Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Homemade hot chocolate mix was something my grandmother would always stir up for Christmas gifts for her children, grandkids, and their families. I have also found that it makes a wonderful gift. Here's a gift idea for that hard-to-buy for older person : A jar of hot chocolate mix, a container of refrigerator muffin batter, and a box of clementines. We've done this for the past few years for my mother-in-law (the first year we also included a six-cup silicone muffin pan) and she looks forward to it. We have the agreement that I will refill the muffin batter and the hot chocolate as many times as she wants me to.

My hot chocolate mix is one I developed myself by combining my grandmother's recipe with another one and adding in some ideas of my own. I really like the touch of malted milk flavor in this. Here's the recipe:

HOT CHOCOLATE MIX
5 cups instant nonfat dry milk
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups instant chocolate drink powder (like Quik)
1 cup malted milk powder, chocolate flavor
1 cup malted milk powder, malt flavor
1 cup non-dairy powdered creamer
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Include these directions with mix:
* Place 1/3 cup of mix in a large mug. Fill mug with hot water and stir to dissolve. *

Simple fall crafting ... and a celebration

Today I would like to share (literally) some of my recent fall crafting. 

This first one is not recent.  I made this fall-themed tote bag years ago with the idea of selling some.  Never did it.  Still love the bag.  Made two of them and gave one away.

2 fabric trimmed bistro towels -- black fabric is vintage!

Fall fabric trimming microfiber towel

Made this cute pumpkin patch table topper from a panel.  The reverse side is a print of brown leaves, and it is reversible.

Made some other goodies too; pie spices, cider mix, and some recipe cards with my favorite fall pie recipes on them

 What's the occasion?  My 1200th blog post!  To celebrate, I decided to do two giveaways.

Giveaway #1 -- the tote bag, autumn tea wallet, one autumn tea towel and a fall note pad.

Giveaway #2 -- the two bistro towels, recipe cards, table topper, hot cider mulling spices, and pumpkin and apple pie spices.

The time period to enter for the giveaway will be from now until 10 pm eastern daylight time on Thursday, October 27.  To enter, you need to be  a reader in the U.S. and you need  to leave a comment telling me what you enjoy most about Across my Kitchen Table, or an idea for a post.  If you don't have a blog, be sure to leave me an address where I can contact you via email. 

Looking forward to the celebration!

A few minutes in the kitchen

Sometimes life seems so busy! I'm finding, though, that even a few minutes in the kitchen can pay big dividends. I tend to think I need to have a whole morning or afternoon in order to accomplish much in the kitchen. But that's really not so. I took about 15 minutes or so in the kitchen this morning, and made a large batch of homemade instant oatmeal, plus loaded the bread machine with the ingredients for a loaf of chocolate bread.

(Note: the above is just a generic picture; it is not the chocolate bread I made.)

So now, we have oatmeal for several weeks to come, plus a wonderful-smelling kitchen from the baking bread, and a real treat for snacks. Just now I spent about 10 minutes picking lettuce in the garden

and then another 5 minutes in the kitchen getting the lettuce into cold water. We'll have a fresh crisp salad with supper tonight due to those few minutes!

If you would like to try making your own instant oatmeal to keep on hand for quick breakfasts, the recipe can be found here: Homemade Instant Oatmeal.

Someone may be interested in the chocolate bread recipe, so here it is:

CHOCOLATE BREAD
1 cup plus 1 Tblsp. water
1 1/2 Tblsp. butter
1 egg
2 Tblsp. dry milk
1 1/2 Tblsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1 3/4 tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine pan. Use the Sweet setting -- and I prefer using the Light crust setting.

During one of our visits out West, I copied this recipe from my daughter's bread machine cookbook. She has an older (bought at a yard sale, I believe) machine, but it turns out some great bread, and the recipes are wonderful.

This time, I added perhaps a half cup of raisins to the mix, and I think toasted chopped walnuts would be wonderful, too. It seems to me that a small amount of vanilla -- say, a half teaspoon -- would give this an even nicer flavor.

What can you accomplish during a few minutes in the kitchen?

A fun kitchen gift to make

Here is a fun gift idea for a friend or relative who likes to bake. I had purchased a lovely spatterware pie plate as a birthday gift for my daughter, but wanted to dress it up in some way.

I decided to add bags of homemade pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice. I stirred up these spice mixtures, then packaged them in sandwich size zip-top plastic bags. Then I made a fabric bag for each one and designed a tag on the computer. I strung the tags on jute and tied them around the bag tops which were first secured with rubber bands.

The gift still needed something more, so I made up a little cookbook of favorite pie recipes.

I got the idea from a Gooseberry Patch book -- Holiday Open House. It was intended to be a little booklet of cookie recipes to share at a cookie swap. I thought it would adapt well to a cookbook for any category of recipes. I found some very cute recipe cards online to print out and use for it. I was able to type the recipes right onto the cards before printing them out.

This was a real lifesaver because I just didn't have time to design my own right then. You can find the cards I used at Graphics Garden.

I put everything into the pie plate and set it all into a pretty snowflake print plastic "cookie plate bag" from the dollar store. The gift even smelled nice because of the spice mixes! My daughter was thrilled with her birthday gift!

This idea could be adapted for almost any category of recipes -- a colander with Italian spices and a book of pasta recipes, for example, or a cookie sheet with cookie spices and cookie recipes. Have fun with this idea!

A Homemade Life

Recently I came across a recipe for a skillet meal that called for fajita seasoning mix. Every now and then I do see a recipe that calls for a packet of this mix, and I knew there had to be a homemade substitute out there. I did a little looking and found this one. I always like it when a taco seasoning mix calls for some cornstarch, because it does thicken somewhat as the store-bought taco seasoning does. So, when I saw this recipe, I knew it was the one I wanted to try. I was very, very pleased with the result in my pork skillet meal with southwestern flavors.

FAJITA SEASONING MIX

3 Tblsp. cornstarch
2 Tblsp. chili powder
1 Tblsp. sugar
1 Tblsp. paprika
1 Tblsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly to be sure all cornstarch lumps are blended in. Transfer to a small jar or tin and use as needed in recipes which call for fajita seasoning. 2 Tablespoons mix approximates to one store-bought package of fajita seasoning mix.

If you would like to see other homemade ideas, be sure and check out Life on a Back Road. You will find lots of inspiration there!

A Homemade Life ~ June 6

Here are a couple of homemade items I keep on hand all the time. When we run out, I always make more so we will have these things on hand.

Homemade Italian Dressing

1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. sweet pepper flakes

Combine all in a 2-cup measure or in a small bowl. Use a funnel to transfer to a salad dressing bottle or cruet. (I use a cool-looking recycled Star vinegar bottle.) Shake well before using. Makes just over 1 cup.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

6 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup dried apples, snipped in small pieces with scissors (or use about 1 cup raisins)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tblsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

In a large bowl, combine all and stir well. Transfer to an airtight container -- I use a recycled 3-lb. potato salad container. Store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. Makes 8 cups -- 16 (1/2 cup) servings.

To use, combine 1/2 cup mix and 3/4 cup water in a deep, 2-cup capacity microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 1 minute on High. Stir, and microwave 45-60 more seconds on High. Let stand 30 seconds or so, then serve.

If you would like to see other homemade ideas, be sure and check out Life on a Back Road. You will find lots of inspiration there!

A Homemade Life, March 14

For A Homemade Life this week, I want to share a homemade substitute for canned pie filling. I must hasten to add that I would not try to fill a pie with these fillings. They are just to use when a recipe calls for a can of raspberry, blueberry, or apple pie filling... for topping a cheesecake, say, or used as a fruity layer in a dessert. I am sorry that I don't have a homemade substitute for cherry pie filling, but there's probably one out there on the internet if you look.

Last Sunday I made a dessert that called for a can of raspberry pie filling. That is one of the most pricey kinds of canned pie filling, so I set out to devise a substitute. I tweaked a recipe I found in Make Your Own Groceries, and it worked perfectly in my dessert recipe. Here it is:

RASPBERRY PIE FILLING

3 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/3 cup plus 3 Tblsp. sugar
4 1/2 Tblsp. cornstarch
3 Tblsp. lemon juice (bottled is fine)

In a heavy saucepan of appropriate size, combine all ingredients. Stirring constantly, bring to the simmering point. Continue to simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar and to thicken. It will take about 10 minutes. Let cool before using.

For BLUEBERRY PIE FILLING

Use the exact same recipe, but substitute 3 cups frozen blueberries for the raspberries. In either case, if you have the fresh berries, those may be used instead of frozen. But obviously the frozen berries are cheaper this time of year.

For APPLE PIE FILLING:

4 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 Tblsp. butter
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 dashes nutmeg
Dash of salt

Combine the ingredients in a heavy saucepan of appropriate size. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 or 6 minutes or until very thick. Let cool before using. When cool, if you like, you may add 3/4 cup raisins.


To see more homemade ideas shared by others, go to Life on a Back Road. You will find lots of inspiration there!