Golden Potato Bake

At the recommendation of one of our submitters, I purchased the More-with-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. Boy, was that ever a good investment! I am constantly amazed at how I can make simple, but hearty food that's also healthy for our bodies and our budget. Today, I wanted to share a very easy, very inexpensive recipe from that cookbook:

Golden Potato Bake

Ingredients:
2 lbs. potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled
2 cups sliced carrots
1/3 cup dry milk powder
1 Tbsp. butter or Earth's Balance
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese, optional

Cook the potatoes and carrots together in salted water until tender and preheat oven to 350. Drain the veggies, saving some of the liquid, and mash using a beater or hand masher. Add the dry milk, butter, and salt and pepper. Beat together, adding the vegetable liquid a little at a time, until fluffy and creamy. Turn into a 2-quart, greased casserole dish. If using cheese, stir it in just before baking. Bake 25 minutes.

The cookbook suggests making potato cakes with any leftovers. This, I plan to do later in the week (assuming we even have leftovers!).

Recipe from the More-with-Less Cookbook.

Submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Wheat- and Gluten-free Pancakes

Ingredients:

2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup white bean flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup fresh buttermilk
1 Tbsp. honey
3 egg whites beaten stiff (this is optional)
2 Tbsp. canola oil (this is optional)

Mix all ingredients except the egg whites for 30 seconds with a whisk or if using electric use low speed. Fold in egg whites gently. Drop by tablespoon onto a lightly oiled griddle. I use a cooking spray, and only re-spray if really necessary. Cook until golden brown over medium to low heat, turn once. This recipe will serve 4 people. If you are using oil in the recipe, then use only 1 egg white.

Submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Make Your Own Hamburger Buns

This recipe is from Heather's friend Cherie. Heather says, "I shape the buns by hand. Just pinch off a golf ball-size to racquetball-size and stretch and pull it until it looks like a flat bun. You can also use this recipe for hot dog buns."

Ingredients:

4-5 cups flour (white, wheat, or a combo of both)
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt

Mix 2 cups flour with yeast. Heat milk, water, oil, honey and salt on the stove until very warm. Pour liquid mixture into the flour and beat well. Start adding the rest of the flour until dough is soft. Knead briefly, then let set for 10 minutes.

Next, roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick and cut out buns (or use Heather's method above). You can use the mouth of a large drinking glass or a biscuit cutter too. Let the buns rise for half an hour on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Submitted by Heather @ Penny-wise and Cherie

Apple-Cheese Muffins

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt, if desired
3/4 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup sharp cheese, grated
1/4 cup milk
1 cup apple pie filling, chopped apple, or applesauce,
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Grease or line muffin tins.

In a large bow,l cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. In another bowl sift the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, apple, cheese and nuts, and mix well. Add the
milk last and mix in well. Spoon the batter into prepared pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Makes approximately18 muffins.

Submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

G-free, Granny-style Cornbread

Our friend Gem has sent us yet another gluten-free recipe. 

She apologizes in advance for the "haphazardness" of this recipe. "That is how they get after you have made them a million times," she writes.

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal (Gem prefers stoneground cornmeal.)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

scant 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

(Note: I usually crack an egg into my measuring cup, then add milk to make 1 cup--1 cup dry to 1 cup wet ingredients)

1/4 cup hot melted butter or oil

Now, I have a certain enameled cast iron skillet that I use to make cornbread; I think it is a 9" skillet. This quantity fits well in that skillet. You could use an 8x8 square pan, I am sure. You can also double the recipe for a larger skillet-maybe not quite double the salt, though (3/4 tsp. perhaps).

I mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix the egg/milk in the measuring cup. I heat the butter in the skillet till very hot and foamy. Add the wet to the dry and stir just to combine, then add the hot butter (you can swirl it around in the skillet first to grease the pan). Stir in the hot butter, then pour the batter into the hot skillet. This is what forms the crust on the bottom of good southern cornbread.  

Bake in a hot oven, around 425 degrees, for about 15-20 mins. If you like sweet cornbread, add a bit of sugar.

Submitted by Gem

Applesauce Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup All Bran cereal

1/4 cup milk

1 cup applesauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour two 12-cup muffin tins or line with paper liners.

Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Next, combine bran cereal, applesauce, oil and egg; mix well. Add the bran mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Fold in nuts and raisins, if desired. 

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes a great addition to breakfast or a wonderful any-time snack!

Submitted by Heather @ Penny-wise

Eat Out...At Home

One of my favorite places to eat is Olive Garden. I know, I know ... the carbs, the fat, the (cough, cough) price tag. In my defense of the price tag, I usually order the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks. Have you ever had the Zuppa Toscana? Oh.my.goodness.


Considering the prices of everything else on the menu, this is an economical choice. 


Or is it?


Well, it's not if you know how to make Zuppa Toscana. Which I do, and am happy to share with you!

So, it's like this:

Brown some Italian sausage in a skillet. Make sure it's Italian. Not breakfast sausage. Much, much different flavor. You'll thank me later.

And, if you can do two things at once, go ahead and saute some finely chopped yellow onion with a bit of butter in a large pot.

Once your onions are looking translucent (translation: soft. I'm not a fan of crunchy onions.), add in 3 cloves of minced garlic, some thinly sliced potatoes, and chicken broth.

And about a quart of water. Remember, 4 cups = 1 quart. I always, always forget this mathematical fact.

Then you just want it to boil until the taters are soft. 30 minutes, more or less.

While all this was going on, my sausage was looking something like this:

Once the sausage is totally browned, let it de-grease on a paper towel-lined plate.

Now you're ready to get the rest of the goodness. You'll need kale. I used one whole bunch with the stems removed.

And bacon bits. I thought I had a package of bacon bits in my fridge. I was mistaken. Thankfully, I keep a pretty good supply of bacon on-hand anyway, so I just fried up 4 slices. And my delightful sous chef, David (a.k.a. the hubby), made it into bits for me.

Voila. Instant bacon bits.

At this point I was still waiting on those spuds to get soft. It seemed to be taking for.e.ver. I used my time wisely and grated an entire wedge of Pecorino Romano cheese. Every good soup has great toppings.

Finally, the potatoes were soft enough for me to add about half a bottle of heavy cream. Say that with me. "Heavy. Cream." Don't you go substituting milk or half-and-half to cut fat and calories. It wouldn't be right to the Olive Garden people.

And this is what it looks like post-cream:

Add in the bacon and sausage too. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring all that to a boil, then add the chopped kale.

Stir and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so. You want the kale just slightly soft, not the consistency of canned spinach.

Hello, Gorgeous.

Serve it up, top it with generous amounts of that grated Romano cheese, and rest easy knowing you saved yourself $8.95 x (the number of people in your family).

Ok, here's the shortened version:

Ingredients:
1 lb. Italian sausage, browned and drained
2-3 large Russet potatoes, sliced in half, then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil or butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (or 3 cups) chicken broth
1 quart water
1/3 cup bacon bits (make your own or use store-bought)
1 cup heavy cream
1 bunch kale, stems removed
salt and pepper to taste

Saute potatoes, onion, and garlic in olive oil or butter for 5-7 minutes in a large pot. Meanwhile, brown sausage and drain. Add broth and water to the potatoes, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Add cream and kale. Let sit five minutes before serving. We love to grate fresh Pecorino Romano cheese.

You're going to love this soup!

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Becky's Chocolate Sauce

I first had this sauce several years ago, when my husband's mother made it to top a hot, yellow cake. I was immediately in love! Ever since, this chocolate sauce, served warm over a simple, yellow cake, has been one of my favorite desserts.

Ingredients:

1 stick salted butter
2 cups sugar
5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the first five ingredients in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Boil two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla and serve. Refrigerate to store. Reheat on the stove, stirring constantly. Keeps well for 3-5 days.

Consider using this sauce to top white cake and angel food cake, as well as a moist yellow cake. It could also be used for a chocolate fondue. Set it out in a bowl alongside a tray of fresh strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, and pretzels. Use toothpicks or small bamboo skewers, and let your guests go at it! You're sure to love this easy chocolate sauce!

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts with Coconut Vanilla Glaze

Adapted from the Ladies’ Home Journal Cookbook, published in 1960.   Makes approximately 12 – 18 doughnuts.   Everyone deserves a treat, so enjoy.

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts: Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. unrefined sea salt
• ½ cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 packages dried yeast (2 Tbsp. of yeast)
• 4 cups sprouted flour 
• Coconut oil, peanut oil, pastured tallow or pastured lard for frying (I used peanut oil)
• 1 ecipe Coconut Vanilla Glaze (below) or glaze of choice

Sprouted Grain Doughnuts: Instructions

1. Warm milk, honey, salt and butter together.
2. Add yeast and wait five minutes for it to proof.
3. Mix liquid mixture with 1 beaten egg.
4. Add sprouted flour and knead thoroughly; add extra flour as needed to get right consistency.
5. Form into a ball and allow to rise until double in bulk. I prefer to allow mine to rise in my Excalibur dehydrator at 110 degrees for about 30-45 min.
6. Once the dough is doubled in bulk, roll it out with a rolling pin until ½-inch thick.
7. Cut with a doughnut cutter or other tool. You can use an inverted mason jar for the doughnut and an apple corer for the center. Be creative; use what you have on hand.
8. Heat a ½-inch to ¾-inch coconut oil or pastured lard in a cast iron skillet over a medium-high flame.
9. Fry doughnuts 3 – 4 at a time in the oil. They’ll puff up nearly immediately.
10. Turn when golden brown – a few seconds – and fry the other side.
11. Remove doughnuts, cool and drain.
12. Top with coconut vanilla glaze.

Coconut Vanilla Glaze: Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Coconut Vanilla Glaze: Instructions

1. Whip melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla together.
2. Keep warm and viscous, but not hot.
3. Pour over doughnuts

ENJOY!!


Written and submitted by Rachel

Do-It-Yourself Frozen Waffles

Tired of paying grocery store prices for my usual brand of organic, whole wheat waffles, I decided it was time to try something new. I wanted the convenience of frozen waffles (without the hefty price tag), and I wanted the wholesomeness of homemade waffles. I owned a waffle iron. I knew how to make waffles from scratch. Why not put two and two together and save a few extra dollars? I searched the Internet high and low for a waffle recipe that I would be proud to serve my family--one without too much oil and sugar, one that would be a good source of whole grains and fiber, one that I wouldn't feel guilty about. That's why I started buying the box of six organic, whole wheat waffles to begin with, wasn't it?

Well, turns out I couldn't find the *magic* recipe. I've never been a follow-a-recipe-to-the-letter kind of girl anyway. I finally bit the bullet and came up with my own recipe, and we LOVE it! I am happy to share it with you. I will list the exact ingredients I used, but you can feel free to substitute what you already have on-hand:

Ingredients:

3 cups Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill flax seed meal (can substitute wheat germ)
1/2 cup Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. organic sugar
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine:

2 sticks butter, melted
4 cups organic, fat free milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. local honey
2 tsp. real vanilla

Pre-heat waffle iron. Slowly whisk wet ingredients in to dry ingredients until a batter forms. Don't over-whisk, but make sure most of the lumps are out of the batter. Add batter to your waffle iron, making sure not to overfill. Cook until golden brown. Remove to cool on wax paper.

To freeze, make sure waffles have cooled completely, otherwise they will stick together. They can be wrapped in foil or put in a gallon-size or larger freezer bag and frozen. When you're ready to cook, simply take out the waffles, pop them in the toaster, and serve with the topping of your choice. You may find these waffles have enough flavor (not necessarily sweetness) to serve with just a little butter.

Other toppings we like:
Peanut butter and raisins
Strawberry fruit spread
Pure maple syrup
Local honey

This recipe made 28 waffles on a Krups Belgian waffle maker. The number and size will vary, depending on the brand of your waffle maker.

Calculated savings from what I was buying before: $17.68

I don't ever want to go back to buying boxed waffles again!

I hope you and your family enjoy these waffles!

Written and submitted by Lindsey @ Penny-wise

Big Whole Wheat Biscuits

Hope writes, "As we have moved to eating only whole grains, I tried many recipes for whole wheat biscuits and finally tweaked some until I came up with one we love. This makes about 12, big, fluffy biscuits."

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (Hope uses hard white wheat.)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar or honey

1/3 cup butter or coconut oil (or a combo of the two)

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter or oil until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Written and submitted by Hope.

This Holiday's Leftover Turkey

If you're having turkey (or chicken) for Christmas dinner this year, chances are good that you'll have lots of leftovers. You know we all get tired of leftover turkey for days and days after Christmas, so why not re-purpose all that meat and bones?


Done correctly, you can have broth and meat for several meals just by treating your leftover turkey with some TLC.

First, remove all the meat you can find from the carcass. All that should remain are skin, bones, and fat. If there's enough, dice up the meat and freeze it in 1-2 cup portions. If not, use what's left to make a turkey noodle soup or turkey pot pie. That meat can be used later for casseroles, salads, and soups.

Then, jam all those bones, fat, and skin into a large stock pot. At this point you can break it up if needed.

Take two or three onions and peel them, then cut into four to eight chunks. Add them to the pot.

Scrub several large carrots (no need to peel) and cut them into two or three pieces each. Add them to the pot with the turkey and the onions.

Next grab four or five stalks of celery and wash them up. Cut into two or three large pieces (leave the leaves on) and add to the pot.

Now, fill the pot with enough water to cover everything if possible.  If your turkey is still sticking out over the top, fill it to within 6 inches of the top.

Add a few tablespoons vinegar to help draw out the calcium and a few tablespoons of salt.  We like sea salt. You can also add a couple of bay leaves, some ground sage and thyme, a little black pepper, and some garlic powder, if you like. 

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and  let it simmer for several hours. If your turkey fits into the pot, cover with a lid while simmering. If not, it will slowly get soft and cook down and after a while you should be able to get the lid on. You may need to add a little water as it simmers to keep everything covered.

I typically start this the morning after Christmas (or Thanksgiving) and let it cook all day. If we want, we can have turkey noodle soup for dinner. 

Pour everything through a large strainer (or colander) into a massive bowl or pot. Pick through the bones to find any remaining meat, and add that meat to what you stored before boiling.  

After the broth is cool, package it in one cup to 1 ½ cup portions in Ziploc bags (or glass pint jars). Most recipes call for “a can of broth” which is about 1 ½ cups; but others say “a cup”, so I package them both ways. Freeze the freezer bags flat, like CDs, and when I need them I pull them out the night before or run it under hot water for a few seconds before adding it to a recipe. 

Submitted by Heather @ Penny-wise

Addendum: I (Lindsey) did this exact process just last week with some chicken breasts.  I had four, uncooked, bone-in-skin-on chicken breasts. I boiled them, adding the onions, celery, carrots and spices. After straining that initial batch of broth and de-boning the chicken, I put the bones and skins back in the pot, added more veggies, spices, and water and did it all over again. From those four chicken breasts, I yielded 7 cups of meat and 15 cups of homemade broth. It really is worth it to take the time to go through this process!

White Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

This recipe was submitted by our friend Hope. She makes balls of dough and freezes them in individual bags. Before use, she defrosts the dough in the fridge overnight and proceeds with the baking instructions.

Ingredients:


4 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil

1 3/4 cups water, ice cold

a few tablespoons chopped herbs (optional)

Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. By hand stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Add the herbs. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add a touch of water or flour to reach the desired effect. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky.  You can also use the “dough” setting on your breadmaker to mix this together.  Or just knead the heck out of it with your hands!

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Rub each ball with olive oil and slip into plastic sandwich bags. Refrigerate overnight.  These can also be frozen.  When ready to use, set them in the refrigerator overnight and they’ll be thawed out by dinnertime.

When you are ready to make pizza (anytime in the next few days), remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before making the pizza. Keep them covered or they will dry out.

At the same time place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you do not have a baking stone, you can use a baking/cookie sheet, but will not need to preheat the pan.

Generously dust your pan/stone with cornmeal. Uncover or unwrap the dough balls and dust them with flour. Gently press a dough round into a disk wide enough that you can bring it up onto your knuckles to thin out - you should be able to pull each round out to 12-inches or so. If the dough is being fussy and keeps springing back, let it rest for another 15-20 minutes. Place the pulled-out dough on the prepared sheet pan, and jerk the pan to make sure the dough will move around on the cornmeal ball-bearings (you don't want it to stick to the pan).

Add your toppings and slide the topped pizza onto the baking stone. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored. Remove from the oven.

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts. That means they’re pretty small. You probably want to double this and still use it for 6 good-sized pizzas.

Submitted by Hope

Yummy Oatmeal Pancakes

These pancakes are very filling and sweet enough that you really don't need much syrup.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups buttermilk*

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The oatmeal will want to hang out at the bottom, so make sure you make it join the party. Cook on a hot griddle, at about 300 degrees. 

*To make buttermilk with regular milk, add 2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup then add enough milk to make 2 cups.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes before using it in your recipe.

Submitted by Heather at Penny-wise Women

More With Less Cookbook Review

We received this review from our friend Jen. We think it'll make you want to own the More With Less Cookbook just as much as we do! Enjoy!

When I got married and moved overseas to do mission work in a third world country, I was in for a bit of a shock. You see up until then, my idea of cooking involved cold cereal and toast for breakfast, sandwiches and chips for lunch, and a piece of meat for every person at the dinner table. Many of these and other convenience products I had always taken for granted were unavailable in our new home, and even if they were, they were often prohibitively expensive. If I was going to learn to survive and thrive in this new place, I was going to have to learn to cook from scratch.

It was during this learning time that I stumbled across the More With Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. Originally published in the 1970’s, it is not a book about cutting back, but rather “about living joyfully, richly, and creatively” (from the introduction, p. 12). Far more than just a cookbook, the book also contains a lengthy introduction about reducing our reliance on processed foods and sugar, seeking out alternate sources of protein (complete with comparison charts of various protein sources), and encouraging a sense of joy and creativity about how we look at food. The recipes are divided up into chapters on breads; cereals; beans and lentils; main dishes and casseroles; eggs, milk, and cheese; meats and fish; soups; vegetables; salads; desserts, cakes, and cookies; gardening and preserving; and snacks and miscellaneous.  

In addition to recipes, each chapter includes valuable information about each topic: the bean chapter talks about how to prepare dried beans, and the bread chapter talks about the basic process of making bread, the milk chapter even talks about how to make your own yogurt and cottage cheese! It was really just what I needed to ‘hold my hand’ as I was starting out on our scratch-cooking journey. It also changed my idea of what constituted a meal: beans and rice could be just as nutritious and tasty as the chicken dinners I grew up on, but much easier on the pocketbook. A hearty soup with warm bread could make a wonderful meal as well–but stretched out our meat much, much farther. Once I got more comfortable with this kind of thinking about food, it opened up a whole lot of new, creative options for me. In the past six years, I have gone from not knowing how to cook without a packaged mix of some sort to finding great joy in what interesting things I can do with the fresh, local foods that are available to us here.

You may not live overseas, and you may still have that Walmart right down the road from you. But if you are looking for ways to cut down on your grocery bill by cooking from scratch rather than relying on processed foods, I can heartily recommend this book as a great starting place. It is a simple, non-threatening way to begin a whole new way of looking at food. I wish you great joy on your journey!

written by Jen