Thursday, November 6, 2014: SOME MONEY SAVING RECIPES

Who doesn’t need to save a few pennies here and there?  Today’s post is all about saving money in your kitchen with these amazing homemade versions of some staples that you keep in your pantry. 

HOMEMADE BROWN SUGAR

Have you ever wanted to bake some cookies, only to find that you are completely out of one key ingredient?   Where’s the brown sugar! Here’s a simple but great recipe when you just can’t get out to the store.  Brown sugar is just granulated sugar with molasses added; the darker the sugar, the more molasses and the stronger the flavor.

1 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons of molasses

Mix together using a fork. This usually takes 5-10 minutes . You can use different amounts and types of molasses to achieve flavor variation.

For 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar:  Combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1-1/2 tablespoons molasses

For 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar:  Combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup molasses

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

This Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix is so simple and cheap, you will never buy the packaged variety again.  You will never have to run out to the store to buy a taco seasoning packet again because this will taste fresher and more flavorful than the store packets.   You can tweak it to suit your own tastes. Maybe you like more chili powder or don’t like oregano in it.  You can double or triple this recipe being it will last for a while in a tightly covered glass jar.

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons corn starch

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

1 + 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt or 1/2 teaspoon fine/table salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, optional

Combine all the seasonings together in a jar and shake until well mixed.

Use 2 tablespoons (I use 2 rounded) seasoning mix for every pound of ground beef plus 1/2 - 2/3 cup water.

HOMEMADE OLD BAY SEASONING MIX

Arrgh, ye scurvy seadog! Get ye down to the Old Bay to make this Old Bay Seasoning Recipe. Old Bay Seasoning is great on seafood recipes of all sorts, and now you can make your own!  Especially great in crab cakes!

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Celery salt

1 Tbsp. Grnd mustard

1 Tbsp. Paprika

1/2 Tbsp. Mace

1/4 tsp Grnd cloves

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Red pepper or possibly to taste

1/2 tsp Black pepper or possibly to taste

1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper or possibly to taste

Directions:    Mix.   That’s it!

LAWRY’S SEASONED SALT

If you love Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, I’ve got a simple 6 ingredient substitution I think you’ll use again and again.  This is a WINNER!  Triple the recipe so you’ll have it on hand.  You can store it in an old Lawry’s shaker. 

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1/4  tsp. garlic powder

1/4  tsp. granulated onion

1/4  tsp. granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.  Can be stored in air-tight container or shaker for up to 6 months.

Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix

I’m a ranch mix junkie!  So having a homemade ranch seasoning mix is handy and money-saving .  It makes great dips and you can bake things like chicken using it. 

This easy seasoning mix recipe can be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 months.

1/2  cup Dry Buttermilk

1 tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes

1 tsp Dried Minced Onions

1 tsp Dill Weed

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2  tsp Salt

1/2  tsp Sugar

1/2  tsp Pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Pulse until well mixed.  Store in air tight container.  When recipe calls for 1 packet of mix, replace with 2 tbsp of this.

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

This recipe is a really good one because just about everybody makes something that calls for it. It takes no time at all to make a big batch of the mix and it keeps for quite a few months on the shelf or longer if stored in the freezer.

 

Ingredients for the mix (1 serving):

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of mix. Add 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk, 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use canola oil). Mix well. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 mins.

Directions for the mix:

Step 1: Measure and mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.

Step 2: Dump into a plastic or glass jar. You can also use quart size freezer or storage bags.

To Bake:

For each single batch of muffins, add: 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk, 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Mix well, pour into muffin tin and bake at 400° for 15-20 mins. Makes 6-12 muffins depending upon what size you make.

PAPA JOHN’S GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE

And WHO doesn’t love this stuff???

1/4  Cup Margarine ( stick or other)

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Pinch of Salt ( very small)

Melt Margarine in the microwave.  Add salt and powder.  Mix and Enjoy!

LIPTON ONION SOUP MIX

Here’s another of those store-bought mixes that you can make at home for a fraction of the cost.  Lipton Onion Dry Soup Mix is another staple in our home. We spread it on roasts and love roasting chopped potatoes in it for a perfect side dish.  But Lipton Onion Soup Mix is not cheap at about $1.60 a box.  You can easily put together your own onion dry soup mix using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.  You won’t be able to tell the difference from the “real” Lipton Onion Dry Soup Mix.

2/3 cup dried, minced onion

3 teaspoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in an airtight container, then give it a good shake.
Use 4 Tablespoons Onion Soup Mix in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix.   Store this in a dry, cool place.
Great sprinkled on roasts in the slow cooker.  For a great chip & veggie dip,  mix it with sour cream.  Or mix it with ground beef to grill up flavorful hamburgers.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Mix

Steve loves chocolate pudding, so having this mix around is really quick and easy.  You can have it for your family in about 10 minutes.  


1 pound box of corn starch
5 cups sugar
3 cups cocoa

Measure the ingredients into the bowl of your mixer.  Start with a very slow speed and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and a uniform light cocoa color. Then transfer the mix to a storage container.  Keep a one cup measuring scooper in the jar for easy use.

To make pudding-

For a large family batch, measure approximately 2-1/3 cups of mix into a large pot. Stir in eight cups of whole milk and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until pudding begins to boil and is thickened - about 8 minutes or so. Stir in a tablespoon of vanilla.  Pour into serving bowls.

For a smaller batch, use about one cup of mix to three cups of milk.

HOMEMADE NESTQUICK

Nesquik has been around forever. I remember drinking it as a kid and how much I loved the basset hound who sang “N*E*S*T*L*E*S Nestles makes the very best CHOC-LATE”.  OH I MISS THE 50s!!!!!


2/3 C Sugar
1/3 C Cocoa
Pinch of salt

Combine the three ingredients and store in a sealed container. That’s it!   ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  That’s CRAZY-EASY!!!  Triple the recipe because this one will go quick if you have chocolate milk lovers in your house! 
Add about two tablespoons to for a pint-sized serving.  A GREAT TIP for getting it to dissolve all the way in the cold milk is to put a little bit of hot water (from the tap) in the bottom of a cup, dding the powder and swirling it or stirring it for a few seconds…and THEN adding the cold milk.

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Montreal steak seasoning combines the British love of beefsteaks with the French flair for seasoning. It’s excellent on steaks and potatoes.

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons crushed black pepper

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon granulated onion

1 tablespoon crushed coriander

1 tablespoon dill

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine 2 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons crushed

black pepper, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon granulated onion, 1 tablespoon crushed coriander, 1 tablespoon dill, and 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, and mix well.