Pan Fried Pork Steak with Rustic Mashed Potatoes

We are undergoing a lot of major changes what with the house up for sale and at the same time knowing a half of beef will be ready shortly. We've arranged to have the beef stored until after our move if all goes according to plan. I have one primary goal in mind - reduce our freezer stock to as low as possible. That goal is followed with eating what we can from the pantry because moving empty jars is a lot easier than full jars of food. I've been trying to use one item from the freezer and one or more items from the pantry for each evening meal. So far that strategy has been working so we are starting to see a good reduction in the freezers.

Pan Fried Pork Steak

My husband is currently working fairly long days which is normal for this time of year. What I've been doing is making a dinner style meal for his lunch then a lighter meal for the actual dinner hour so he doesn't have a full tummy when heading to bed early. A couple of nights ago I pulled the last 2 pork steaks from the freezer and decided to pan fry them.

I pan fried until caramelized on both sides, seasoned with garlic pepper then poured in a half jar (250 ml/1 c) turkey stock and added a few onion pieces and added a lid. I let this simmer to form a nice sauce. While the meat was simmering I put potato cubes on to steam for rustic mashed potatoes.

Rustic mashed potatoes method: Steam about 10 washed unpeeled potatoes cut into cubes. Remove from steamer and place in stand mixer bowl. Pour in 250 ml/1 cup turkey stock, 1 tsp roasted garlic, 4 oz cream cheese, 1 tbsp butter. Beat until blended but still a bit chunky.

Hubby's Lunch

I have several reusable divided plates that I use for making lunches. A few of them can be used in the freezer as well for homemade tv style dinners. Pictured is my husband's pan fried pork steak with rustic mashed potatoes for tomorrow's lunch. It's a simple meal yet substantial one.

Divided plates with covers are great for lunch bags so they see a fair amount of use here. They come in so many styles and shapes now. Most of them are leak proof so can be used for a variety of meals and can be used in the microwave to reheat easily.

Potato Bread Using Instant Potatoes

There seems to be a fear of deviating from the recipe when it comes to baking breads. Yet yeast breads can be tweaked a fair amount while still resulting in a great loaf of bread. Essentially all you need to make a good loaf of bread is yeast or starter, flour, and salt. Practically all other ingredients can be substituted or altered somewhat. I routinely substitute liquids because why use water if I can add flavour and I like substituting sweeteners. But some of my best loaves of bread have come about from blatant mistakes. Two examples of this are my favourite white bread and herbed tomato bread.

Potato Bread

Potato bread is a great way to use up left over potatoes but I came across a recipe using potato flakes. I didn't have potato flakes so I looked around to see how I could make this bread using what I had on hand. From there I used the original recipe as a guide but modified a fair amount so this became a test loaf of bread. The resulting loaf was very moist, flavourful and nicely textured. It made an ideal sandwich bread but was also nice for toasting.

Potato Bread Using Instant Potatoes
recipe by: Garden Gnome

1 c buttermilk
⅓ c water
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp organic sugar
1½ tsp sea salt
⅓ c instant mashed potatoes, complete mix
2½ c unbleached flour
1½ tsp instant yeast

Combine buttermilk, water and butter in large measuring cup. Warm slightly in microwave to just under room temperature. Place remaining ingredients in bowl of stand mixer. Mix on speed setting 1 to blend well. With mixer still on setting one slowly start pouring in liquids. Mix until dough cleans sides of bowl. Adjust with necessary with a little extra water if too dry or flour if too wet. Knead on setting 3 until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove dough ball from bowl. Wipe bowl with vegetable oil. Return dough ball to bowl. Cover with damp towel. Place in warm area and leave until dough is doubled. Punch down the down then form into a loaf and place in prepared baking pan. Let rise to double. Bake at 200ºC/400ºF until golden brown or loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

New York Style Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my husband's favourite desserts. Not being a huge dessert fan he doesn't get homemade cheesecake very often. Occasionally he gets my quick no bake cheesecake that while quite good it definitely is not New York Style cheesecake like The Cheesecake Factory sells. I've been on a quest to get that rich, creamy flavour of New York Style cheesecake.

Crust Prep

Traditionally baked cheesecake is made in a spring pan. Well the problem is I have 2 large spring pans but not a small one so I improvised using a 2-piece flan pan (top right). It was wider in diameter but shallower. The prepared crumbs were poured into the pan (top left) then formed using the bottom of a stainless steel measuring cup (bottom right) resulting in the prepared crust (bottom left).

New York Style Cheesecake

1¼c graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp butter

19 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp pure vanilla
3 eggs

Mix graham cracker crumbs with 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Melt butter then stir well into the graham cracker crumb mixture. Pour into baking paan and form into crust. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF. Beat cream cheese until uniform using stand mixer. Slowly add in sugar while continuing to beat. Beat until fluffy then add one egg at a time beating until smooth. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest. Pour into prepared crust. Bake for 1 hr or until centre is set. Remove from oven. Cool then refrigerate 3 hours before cutting.

New York Style Cheesecake

New York style cheesecake surprisingly does not have a high sugar content. It is rich and creamy but not all that sweet. A lot of the sweetness comes from what you top the cheesecake with. I topped the cheesecake slices with low sugar chocolate raspberry sauce that added a deep depth to the overall richness. Next time I will warm the sauce then do that really neat swizzle effect over the cheesecake slices but for this one, the taste test was most important. I'm still tweaking cheesecake recipes so the recipe is a combination of a few recipes with my own ideas tossed in. The texture is right up there so that's encouraging. The end result was a nicely flavoured and textured cheesecake.

Scandinavian Rosette Cookies

It's that time of year where I'm looking for a few new things to add to my gift baskets for gifts from the kitchen. As promised here is one of the cookie recipes I tried out. Now I do have to point out these are one of the most frugal cookies I have come across. They are made from 5 low cost ingredients and despite this they look quite fancy. I really like foods that look like they took a lot of time to prepare when they really didn't!

Getting Ready

These cookies are not baked in the oven but rather fried in oil. Don't let that turn you off though as the are light and fluffy. They are also very versatile as to what topping you want to use and depending which orientation you want the cookies. Bottoms up and the cookies can be filled. Tops up and the cookies are nice simply topped.

Materials needed: deep fryer, rosette mold set, wooden skewer, paper towel lined cake cooling rack.

Scandinavian Rosette Cookies

1 c unbleached flour
1 c skim milk
½ tsp sea salt
3 tsp organic sugar
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients and mix in KitchenAid® stand mixer bowl. In a separate measuring cup combine the egg with the milk. Slowly mix into the dried ingredients then using the whisk attachment whisk until you have a smooth mixture. Heat the mold then dip into the batter into hot oil. Fry just to the point you can pop the cookie off the mold with a skewer. Fry until golden brown then turn to cook on the other side. Using your skewer, remove the cookie onto a paper towel lined cooling rack.

The Steps

When I first looked at all the steps to making these cookies I thought they were just too complicated but really they aren't once you get into a rhythm. First the mold is attached to the handle then the mold is heated for 15 seconds (1). Once the mold is heated it is dipped into the batter (2). I noticed there is always a sizzle sound when the properly heated mold hits the batter. The batter cannot come above the lip of the mold but a little jiggle helps coat the mold well. The coated mold is then placed into the hot oil (3). New molds will need a bit of encouragement to get the cookie to pop off but I really didn't find this to be a huge problem. After using the mold (4) for three or four times the cookie dropped off into the hot oil allowing a reload so I was able to get 3 to 4 cookies cooking at one time. The hot cookies went from the fryer to a paper towel lined cooling rack.

Cooling

There were 3 molds included with the kit I bought - a flower, a butterfly and poker oriented. I had to try all three. The flower one mold worked like a charm once I got the hang of it! The butterfly mold worked just as good but I simply could not get the poker mold to work. The mold was different in that there was more mold if that make sense. It was designed to create small cups shaped in spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds. Now this is really the one I wanted to work because it would fit in so well with our larger get togethers. Apparently I still have to practice!

Despite essentially frying one cookie at a time it took little time to get a nice plateful of rosette cookies. In the end with a little co-ordination I was able to get a nice rhythm going so there were 4 rosettes at a time in the fryer. I thought they looked rather pretty

Scandinavian Rosettes

When making Scandinavian rosette cookies you are supposed to give up a prayer to the Norse Gods dedicating the first batch to them. I tend to be on the frugal side so any mess-ups would get eaten anyway. At any rate and despite being my first attempt at making Scandinavian rosettes the Norse Gods would have got very little.

What is really a neat feature about the Scandinavian rosettes is you can really use them two ways. Turn them over and sprinkle with icing sugar and a chocolate/sugar/cinnamon mix (pictured) and well you just can't get much better! The shells are rich and crispy. However, reducing the amount of sugar added to the batter turns it into nice shells that could be paired with meat or savoury fillings. The shells when turned upside down hold a lot more so work nicely for dips as well.

The rosette cookies will keep at least 2 months frozen. Simply thaw then top or fill as desired. When it comes to gift baskets these cookies look amazing yet cost you very little to make.

She Said - Coconut Milk

If you have been following this blog you will know my husband and I hold special cooking contests called He Said/She Said. This month's contest (announced here) was for each of us to find one ingredient we had not cooked with then use that ingredient to make 2 dishes/recipes. That sounds simple doesn't it, but trust me it is a bit more challenging than it first appears.

I decided to follow my husband's approach of KISS (keep it simple silly). What I did was modify a tried and true recipe to create a new flavour for a lovely dessert to take to a friend's. Now here is where I cheated just a little as I didn't make two stand alone dishes but the cake could be finished using another method and the icing I created could also be used as a topping for other desserts. So technically I used the coconut milk in two ways for this contest.

White Cake

The beauty of my favourite basic white cake recipe is it can easily be modified. What I wanted to create was a cake that wasn't overly sweet yet moist and flavourful. I wanted it to be a little bit different. The recipe calls for ¾ cup of milk so I decided to substitute coconut milk instead. Coconut milk is not the thin watery liquid found inside a coconut but rather it is a sweet, milky white cooking base that is derived from the meat of mature coconuts. Canned coconut milk can be found in most larger grocery stores. If you cannot find coconut milk you can make it yourself by soaking grated coconut in hot water or milk to extract the oil and aromatic compounds then straining. Coconut milk has a fat content of approximately 17%. It should not be left at room temperature as coconut milk spoils quickly so always refrigerate.

Using coconut milk as a substitute in the white cake mixture resulted in a richer flavour and moister testure than the plain white cake. This comes from the higher fat content of the coconut milk. While the cake was baking and cooling I set about looking for an icing thinking something lightly flavoured with pineapple would be nice but then looking at the half can of left over coconut milk I came up with another idea that would give me the not too sweet result I was after.

Coconut White Cake

While I was searching for a topping that would use the rest of the coconut milk I came across a site that said coconut milk could be whipped to use as a replacement for whipping cream for those who can't or don't eat dairy. I decided to test this out and see what I could come up with. I placed the cold coconut milk in the bowl of the KitchenAid® stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment I beat on setting 10 for 3 minutes. The coconut milk did thicken somewhat but not to the same degree that heavy whipping cream does. In comparing the stiffness of the peaks after whipping, meringue is stiffer than heavy whipping cream which is stiffer than coconut cream. The problem was I wanted a topping with a bit more body. The first two additions that came to mind was gelatin and xanthum gum. Xanthun gum is a polysaccharide food additive used as a thickener. It is produced by fermenting glucose or sucrose by the Xanthomaonas campestris bacterium. , gluten free . Xanthan gum is gluten free so is a popular thickener for those on gluten free diets. It is also the ideal thickener for salad dressings. I thought xanthan gum would be quicker and easier so I used that. The main trick when using xanthan gum is using a blender or whisking at high speed while incorporating it into the mixture. I used about one eighth tsp of xanthan gum adding while whisking on speed 10. This gave the whipped coconut milk a nicer body. Then I spread the frosting over the cake and garnished with sweetened flaked coconut. I think it came out quite nice and it did get 2 thumbs up from our friends.

Note: This cake needs to be refrigerated because of the topping.

She Said (4) - Mixed Berry Shortcake

If you recall my husband and I are having a bit of a contest with each of us using a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens® New Grilling Book to create a meal. In total there will be 12 recipes, 6 of his choosing and 6 of mine. The contest ends August 31 so the first week of September I will post a poll where you can vote for the meal you liked best. The rules are all the ingredients must be used but the amounts can be altered.

Pickerel Dinner

We eat a fair amount of pickerel simply because we have a lot of it between what I catch and what friends give us. My preferred method of cooking pickerel is pan frying. The thin filets fry up quickly so even with serving with steamed vegetables the meal takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. The pickerel was lightly seasoned with garlic pepper served with steamed new potatoes and steamed string beans.

Method for Steaming Vegetables: Place one inch of water in a sauce pan. Place the prepared vegetables in the steamer basket and put it into the saucepan. The basket should not touch the water. Place lid on saucepan. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to just maintain the steam. Steam vegetables until just al dente with the exception of root vegetables that should be steamed until just tender. Remove from heat and serve.

Shortcake

We do not eat a lot of desserts so I thought it would be interesting to choose a dessert recipe Better Homes and Gardens® New Grilling Book as one of my contest recipes. Pictured is the shortcake portion of the Mixed Berry Shortcake I decided to make. Ontario berries are in season which influenced my choice. I used organic sugar and unbleached flour in this recipe.

Mixed Berry Shortcake
source: Meredith Corporation, Better Homes and Garden New Grilling Book, 2005. Pp. 430

6 c sliced fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and/or blueberries
½ c sugar
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ c butter
1 beaten egg
⅔ c milk
1 c whipping cream, whipped

Grease a 8x1½-inch round baking pan. Mix the berries and ¼ c of the sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the remaining sugar, flour and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg and milk. Stir into flour mixture just enough to moisten. Spread the dough into prepared pan. Bake at 450ºF for 15 to 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cook in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. [Split into two layers and spoon half of berries and half of whip cream over the bottom. Place top layer and top with remaining whipped cream and berries. Cut into wedges. Serve immediately.] Modified to: Spoon berries over the shortcake. Top with berries. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Whipped Cream [my method]: Place cold whipping cream in chilled bowl of stand mixer. Whip until the cream forms soft peaks. Mix is ½ tsp vanilla and 2 tsp organic sugar. Serve.

Mixed Berry Shortcake

The shortcake portion of this dessert is very heavy and dense yet surprisingly quite tasty. It paired nicely with the lighness of the berries and whipped cream. The shortcake could easily be baked on the grill rather than in the oven as well.

Pictured is the entire desert before cutting into wedges. This is a dessert I would make again with one modification. Once the dessert is assembled any left-overs will not keep easily. To remedy thisI would spread the shortcake mixture into the bottoms of large muffin tins to make 6 individual serving sized portions. An alternative solution is to make the shortcake in the round pan and cut it into wedges then just top the desired number of wedges rather than the entire shortcake.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Meat Grinder

Years ago if you wanted ground meat, you ground it yourself, went to a butcher shop or an abattoir. Now the vast majority of people buy their ground meat at their local grocery stores. With the advent of large meat processing plants, the meat is often ground several days before you purchase it. The actual ground meat is usually a combination of meats from several sources mixed together so the package of ground beef you put in your cart could contain a combination of ground meats from several farmers! Quite often the ground beef is sold in opaque tubes in a pre-measured amount so you can't see the meat that were packaged off site. All of these practices are meant to keep the price per kilogram low for ground beef. In recent years ground chicken, ground turkey and ground pork have become more popular however in smaller communities finding these ground meats is hit or miss at best. If you buy beef or pork on the hoof you pay a flat price per kilogram whether the meat is ground or not. If you have wild game you either have to grind it yourself or whoever packages it for you will likely grind if you ask.

So, how can a meat grinder save you money? First off ground meat spoils very quickly because of the large surface area. If there is a pathogen on the surface of a steak it will be destroyed by cooking but with ground meat there is a lot more surface area that aids in the multiplication of bacteria. Whenever someone else grinds your meat you are relying on them to use safe preparation methods but we all know that doesn't always happen. Grinding your own meats just before using them gives you the freshest ground meat possible. Even if there was surface bacteria on the meat chunk you ground, it would not be in levels enough to cause spoilage or illness. The mains ways you can use a meat grinder to save you money are:

• cutting out the middle man - Grinding your own meats eliminates the person(s) who do the grinding. That is reflected in the cost of grinding that is built into the ground meat product.
• avoid spoilage - If you have used ground meat then you will know it is very discouraging to open a package only for it to have that off smell. Some will go ahead and use the ground beef while others such as myself will not. If you use the ground beef then end up sick or worse. If you don't use it which I highly recommend you waste the price of the meat. Grinding your meat just before using reduces the spoilage problem.
  
• meats on sale - Grinding your own meats allows you to take advantage of meats on sale. For example chicken with backs attached go on sale for 79¢/lb. If you remove the skin and bone then grind you get ground chicken for that price instead of the much higher price of about $2.49/lb for pre-ground. Watch for in store specials or just those really great meat deals then grind your own. A local grocery store had an in store special on pork loin shoulder at $1/lb. I bought several to can as barbeque shredded pork but also used a couple to make fresh ground pork.
  
• grind novelty meats - A meat grinder allows you to grind meats you can't readily get at your grocery store. These include pork, turkey, chicken and game meats that can be store bought, raised by yourself or from a successful hunt camp. A meat grinder is a must for making homemade sausages!
  
• use to grind other foods - Use your meat grinder to: prepare cucumbers for relish, grinding cooked meats for dips and spreads, grinding cheeses and making bread crumbs.
  

There are three basic styles of meat grinders: manual, electric or attachment for another electric appliance. A manual model clamps to your countertop. It will cost about $80 new but will last a lifetime however finding used manual meat grinders at yard or estate sales is rather easy. Expect to pay anywhere from 50¢ to a few dollars. The nice thing about a manual meat grinder is just that. You can grind meat and other foods anywhere! If you have a lot of food to grind or do a lot of canning and bulk food cooking consider and electric meat grinder. These start at the $120 range and go higher. If you have a stand mixer check for an affordable food grinder attachment. I bought the food grinder attachment (FGA) for my KitchenAid® for $35 in their discount section which was a $30 savings.

Regardless of the style of meat grinder you use, cut the meat into thin strips then feed them into the hopper. I find cold or partially frozen meat works best as does twice grinding. Run a slice of bread through the hopper when you are finished grinding the meat to make clean-up easy. Unfortunately you should not put these bread crumbs into the compost or out for the birds as they will have small bits of meat in them. If you do not want to waste a slice of bread simply do as I do. Disassemble and hand wash in hot, soapy water.

Sourdough French Bread (Oven Baked)

Sourdough breads are always a delight. What sets sourdough breads apart from other breads is the slight tangy flavour derived from the sourdough starter. The starter gets it's flavour and leavening properties from wild yeast. Traditionally sourdough breads were a staple in pioneering days. Starters were protected to ensure being able to make future loaves of leavened breads. The started was passed from family member to family member as well as often being dried to keep the starter safe while traveling. I have previously written about plain sourdough bread, sourdough French bread (ABM), and sourdough muffins. Last Saturday I made two loaves of sourdough French bread baked in the oven.

Drying Sourdough Starter

When you have an established starter with just the right flavour you will want to save some of it for future use. To dry sourdough starter thinly spread the starter on a sheet of parchment paper. Allow it to dry naturally out of direct sunlight. Peel off the dried starter and break it into small pieces. It will be quite brittle. Place the dried starter pieces in a mason jar. Vacuum seal and store in a dark cool location.

Sourdough French Bread Loaves Cut

This is essentially the same recipe as the sourdough French bread (ABM) however the results are quite different due to the cooking method. This is considerably closer to a traditional sourdough French bread. The addition of yeast ensures a lower rise time however, if you want to make this bread traditional omit the yeast and give it an extended rise time. This may take longer but the results are very good. Trust me on this one, the method is a bit more involved but the bread is oh so good you will want to make it quite often!

Sourdough French Bread

1½ c sourdough starter
½ c water
1½ tsp organic sugar
1½ tsp sea salt
3½ c unbleached flour
3 tsp instant yeast


Measure the dry ingredients in into the bowl of a KitchenAid® stand mixer or similar. Mix on setting 1 and mix thoroughly. With the mixer still on setting 1 mix in starter and water. If necessary add just enough water for the dough to clean the sides of the bowl. Set the mixer to setting 2 and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Remove the dough hook. Cover with a warm, moistened tea towel until dough is doubled in size. Punch down the dough. Divide in half and form into two elongated loaves. Sprinkle ¼ c cornmeal on a Silpat® lined baking sheet. Place the loves on the cornmeal. Cover with a warm, moistened tea towel and let rise until double.

Cut 4 deep, diagonal slices across the tops of the loaves. Combine 1 tsp cornstarch and ½ c water in a sauce pan. Heat to just boiling without boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place a large baking pan with ¼-inch boiling water in the oven. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Brush the loaves with the cornstarch mixture. Place the dough in the oven above the water. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Sourdough French Bread (oven baked)

Sourdough French bread baked in the oven is absolutely wonderful! It is rich and tangy with a beautiful golden, chewy crust due to the baking method. Adding humidity during the baking process is what gives the chewy crust texture.

Pictured is the the beautiful golden crust and lovely inside. The inside is denser than a regular loaf of bread but that adds to it's character. It's very good, piping hot from the over with just a little butter. When cooled cream cheese goes nicely with it or cut on a diagonal for making sandwiches. Two of my favourite ways to use sourdough French bread when entertaining is to use the bread as a base for garlic bread with cheese or lightly grill slices then top with bruschetta in a jar toppings.

T-bone Steak and Mocha Bliss

It has been a long, cold winter and while we grilled a few times outdoors over the winter it was warmer and easier to grill indoors. Last weekend we grilled steaks outdoors enjoying the beautiful, balmy and rare 16ºC (60ºF) day. The following day it dipped below freezing again but we still had the memories of those great steaks. Nothing beats the taste of outdoor grilled foods!

T-bone Steak

We are now into freezer clean-out mode in preparation for our bulk beef purchase that will be ready the first week of April. I thawed the last two T-bone steaks in our freezer. A T-bone steak is cut from the short loin and tenderloin of the hind quarter of the beef. The steak gets its name from the T shaped bone. The cut involves two cuts of meat with the the larger portion being the short loin and the smaller portion being the tenderloin. T-bone steaks are considered one of the highest cuts of steak just below a Porterhouse that has a larger portion of tenderloin on the bone. This was the perfect steak for outdoor grilling!

I'm of the school that you don't need a lot of flavours to have a good steak so it is very seldom that you will see either of us use barbeque sauce or rubs when grilling steaks. The primary goal for us is to have the taste of the beef shine. We often but not always pair grilled steak with sautéed mushrooms or caramelized onions. Both accent the flavour of the beef without overpowering it. A steaks sauce is nice on the side for some steaks but not T-bone!

Mocha Bliss

Several years ago a variety of no bake desserts based on using CoolWhip® as an ingredient appeared on home style buffets and at home gatherings. For whatever reason these desserts quickly became favourites likely because they were easy to make and didn't cost a lot but the real reason was people liked them! I occasionally make one of these desserts usually because someone asked for that particular dessert or because I know this will be a dessert that will go over well with that particular group.

My husband was going to an event last weekend and as always knew I would send something homemade. It had been a very busy Saturday so I relied on something quick and easy. This recipe uses chocolate pudding but I wanted a bit more of a grown-up taste so I made mocha instead. Mocha refers to the combination of chocolate with coffee. You can substitute the half & half with 2% milk and use low fat CoolWhip® for a lower fat version. It won't be quite as creamy but will still be good.

Mocha Bliss

1 pk chocolate instant pudding
2 c half & half cream
2 tbsp instant coffee
2 c CoolWhip®
1½ c dark chocolate cookie crumbs
2 tbsp melted butter

Pour the cream into the bowl of a KitcheAid® stand mixer or similar. Turn to speed 2 and slowly pour in the instant coffee. Mix until well blended. Continue mixing an pour in the pudding mix. Mix until well blended. Remove the bowl and set in refrigerator until the pudding is set. Spread the cookie crumbs on the bottom of an 8.8 X 11 X 2 - inch glass baking dish. Drizzle the melted butter on top. Mix butter and cookie crumbs well them press firmly on the bottom. Refrigerate. Attach the bowl to the mixer again. Add the CoolWhip® and slowly mix. Mix but leave the mixture marbled instead of uniform. Spread the mixture over the cookie crumbs. Lightly swirl to accent the marbling. Garnish with grated chocolate.

English Muffins

If you have been reading this blog you will know that I strongly encourage making your own bread products. Surprisingly the main reason for do so is not economic although most homemade bread products are considerably less expensive than store bought. The main reason is a freshly made product that you control the ingredients. You don't need to worry about ingredients like artificial colourants or flavours, high fructose corn syrup or excess salt, fats and sugar. Using a few simple, inexpensive ingredients you can make a wide variety of delicious homemade breads.

Many folks are intimidated by making bread products like bagels, doughnuts, dinner rolls and English muffins. Monday I made a batch of English muffins for the coming week. Homemade English muffins will keep about 5 days and they can be frozen to use throughout the week as needed. There's no need to be intimidated. Remember the only thing that really sets an English muffin apart from other yeast breads is how it is cooked. The underlying principles of making yeast breads remain the same. Once you see how easy it is to make English muffins and how tasty they are you won't go back to store bought!

English muffins have their origins in Victorian England. They were made by the family baker from left over scraps of bread and biscuit doughs then fried on a hot griddle. The resulting light, crusty muffin was served the downstairs staff of Victorian England but they soon were requested by the upstairs family as well. English muffin factories soon appeared in England with the muffin man selling their wares. The peak of popularity for these muffins in England was the years before World War I however, they have gained popularity in North America.

There are several recipes for English muffins and I will post others as I make them. This recipe uses eggs so the muffins are rich and flavourful. The dough is kneaded until smooth and elastic (1). I remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a damp T-towel (2) to allow the dough to double. The dough is then rolled out and cut with a wide mouth mason jar ring that I find is the perfect size. The rounds are placed on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal (3). Then the tops are wet and sprinkled with cornmeal and the rounds are covered to rise for 30 minutes.

English Muffins

The traditional way to cook English muffins is on an ungreased griddle. If you do not have a griddle you can use a cast iron fry pan which is what the original bakers would have used. English muffins can also be cooked on an indoor or outdoor grill. The cooking time is considerably shorter than the bake time for a loaf of bread. My husband loves these English muffins. They aren't just for breakfast either. Cut them in half and use as a base for quick individual pizzas or place a nice slice of your favourite cheese over a half then bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

English Muffins

1 c milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 tsp sea salt
3 c unbleached flour*
2 tsp instant yeast

Warm milk to just warm. Beat eggs. Stir eggs and butter into the milk. Place dry ingredients in KitchenAid® or similar stand mixer bowl. Attach dough hook to mixer. Mix dry ingredients on speed 1 until well combined. With the mixer still on setting 1 slowly pour in the wet ingredients while continuing to mix. *Add small amounts of extra flour as needed until the dough cleans the side of the bowl. Knead on setting 1 until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove dough hook and cover with damp towel. Allow to proof until doubled. Roll out to ¼ - inch thick. Cut into 3 inch rounds. Place on a cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet. Brush the tops with water. Sprinkle cornmeal on the tops. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat ungreased griddle or grill to 175ºC (350ºF). Cook on each side 6 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Yield: 20 muffins

Breakfast

I could not leave you without a picture of these wonderful English muffins. The eggs add a lovely richness to these muffins. Did you know that the best way to enjoy English muffins is to toast them? It's true! Toasting brings out the chewy and crunchy all at the same time with tantalizing your olfactory senses with their wonderful aroma.

Pictured is the homemade English muffin I enjoyed for breakfast. I lightly toasted it then spread on a little butter. Can you see those nice nooks and crannies? When cutting an English muffin turn it on its side then use a fork to poke holes around the perimeter. Break it apart and voila!

Superbowl Sunday

[My apologies for not posting this in advance. This blog entry is being created as food is served so is a bit delayed for the photo shoots.]

Well it is that time of year again. This year we are hosting a superbowl party of 20 to 30, mainly guys but some of the wives are coming out as well. They started arriving just before lunchtime. They are playing poker watching one game and waiting for the big game to start. The party will continue into the wee hours of the morning. The menu is rather a mish mash of finger food trying to keep things easy but interesting.

Appetizers: vegetable tray, bacon wrapped cocktail wieners, cocktail wieners with various dips
Dinner: homemade chili with nacho chips, rolls or crackers
Deserts: date squares, chocolate chip cookies
Snacks: stovetop popped pop corn, nachos with cheese & salsa, pretzels dipped in chocolate, pretzels with mustard

I made the chili Saturday , a huge pot so will fill the largest crockpot (about 1/4 of the chili) with enough to heat for about 5ish. After dinner I'll set it up again for a later evening snack. Everything else will be out except for the hot appetizers that I pass around on trays. Quite a few attending also bring snacky type foods even though I always say no so I'll have to work those into the day as well. For these types of events snacks are constantly out for those who want to nibble. I aim to serve a hot appetizer or snack about every 2 hours with dinner served about 5:30 PM. The last hot snack is served about 10:30 PM with finger foods left out for snacking after that.

Chocolate Pretzels

I came across the idea of chocolate dipped pretzels from a gift basket we received but apparently this is not a new idea. Something sweet, specifically chocolate nicely accents the saltiness of of the pretzels. The crunch is just a nice snack effect.

Sam's Club sells a 55 oz barrel of large pretzel sticks for $5.57. These pretzels are the perfect size for dipping in chocolate or other sauces. Chocolate wafers for candy making can be found anywhere they sell candy making supplies. Bulk Barn in Ontario sells them as does Goulda's KitchenI had about a half pound of white chocolate mint wafer's left over from Christmas candy making that I decided to use for dipping the pretzels in. I was a bit unsure of the mint but one taste of the combination told me it was fine. The guys loved the chocolate dipped pretzel sticks so this will be a snack I will be making again for these types of events.

Method: Bring water to boil in a double broiler or use a large sauce pan for the water and a smaller one for the chocolate. Place the chocolate wafers in the smaller pan letting the hot water from the larger pan melt the chocolate. Dip each pretzel about 2 inches into the chocolate. Swirl a little then place on a sheet of wax paper to cool. When the chocolate has hardened place the pretzels on a serving platter for serving.

Date Squares

The superbowl party much like the monthly card parties means finger foods even for desserts. Bars, squares and cookies are an ideal choice. Date squares are great because they go over well and left overs make great breakfast bars.

Date Squares

3 c chopped dates
¼ c organic sugar
1½ c water
¾ c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1¾ c unbleached flour
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
1½ c quick-cooking oats

Mix the first three ingredients together in a saucepan. Cook over low heat while stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Allow the date mixture to cool. Place the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid® stand mixer or similar. Mix well. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Pour half of the flour mixture into the pan. Press it evenly in the bottom of the pan. Spoon the date mixture over this and spread evenly. Top with the remaining flour mix and press lightly. Bake at 400ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cut into 1 x 3 inch bars while still warm.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

I am always trying new appetizers so when I came across a recipe at Allrecipes for using smokies as an appetizer that was different from using a sauce so I just had to try it. I read through the recipe then decided it really was more of a method with no hard set amounts. So I went with that. These appetizers were a huge winner!

I bought a 3.5 lb package of Hillshire Farm's Lit'l Smokies for $7.73 (US) and a 500 g package of President's Choice bacon for $3.49 (CDN). I used about ⅓ of the package of smokies and almost all of the bacon.

Method: Cut across the bacon strips to form three sections. Wrap each smokie in a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place the wrapped smokies onto a Silpat® lined baking sheet. If you do not have a Silpat® use parchment paper. Sprinkle brown sugar over the wrapped smokies. Bake at 325ºF for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place on platter for serving.

I hope everyone enjoyed their superbowl Sunday :)

Homemade Shake & Bake Chicken

Anytime we have a traditional or family favourite especially those from the days of being a young bride, I look for ways to improve it while still keeping the favour and feeling of the dish. Our fancy Sunday dinner when I was a young bride was Shake & Bake® chicken, mashed potatoes and niblet corn. I've talked about this before on this blog. This meal is still considered comfort food even though I have made a few changes. Quite often I serve this meal with baked potatoes because the oven is already on so making baked potatoes saves energy. The biggest change made was making my own coating mix for a fraction of the cost of store bought!

The Mix & Storing

Shake & Bake® is a simple, ready to use coating mix that comes with two packets of the mix and 2 plastic bags. When it first came out in the original flavour for chicken it immediately became quite popular. The concept was very simple - pour the mix into one of the bags, add the chicken pieces then shake to coat and bake the coated chicken.

The last time I looked and it has been quite some time ago Shake & Bake® was $2.49 for about 2 cups of mix or $1.25 per cup. The Bulk Barn sells a chicken coating for $1.49 per lb or 37¢ per cup. But if you make your own using homemade bread crumbs the cost per cup is 7¢ per cup. Not only is homemade chicken coating cheaper you can easily adjust the sodium and do a bit of tweaking to get exactly what you what. You are also eliminating any artificial flavourants, colourants and preservatives. The best part is whipping up a batch of this coating mix takes less than 10 minutes on a slow day! This coating mix is every bit as good if not better than store bought!

I use my KitchenAid® stand mixer to mix the ingredients thoroughly (1). This recipe makes 9 cups but for most uses only 1 - 1½ of the coating mix is needed so I vacuum seal in a 1.5 L mason jar (2) using my FoodSaver. This will keep the coating mix fresh until needed. The rest is put into a 1 L (quart) mason jar (3) for immediate use. About 1/3 of this jar was used for dinner but that could have been cut back just a little. I don't measure just pour a bit into a Ziploc® container then add as much chicken that will comfortably fit. Then I shake to coat well and remove the coated chicken to a waiting Silpat® lined baking sheet (4). I repeat this if needed adding a bit more coating mix if necessary.

Homemade Shake & Bake Chicken Coating
source:  Garden Gnome

4 c dry bread crumbs
4 c unbleached flour
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp organic cane sugar*
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried parsley
3 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp pepper
¼ c vegetable oil

Place all the ingredients except the oil into the bowl of a KitchenAid® stand mixer. Set to setting 1. Stir 1 minute. With the mixer still on setting 1 drizzle the oil into the mixture. Allow to mix well. Pour into jars for storing and vacuum seal.

Yield: 9 cups

*I have not tried this recipe using a sugar substitute but it should work fine although the substitute may not cause the same degree of caramelization.

Chicken Dinner

I use the coating mix just as you would store bought coating mix except I use a re-usable container to coat the coating in place of a disposable plastic bag. Anytime you an eliminate something disposable in the kitchen you save money and you lower your carbon footprint. Once the chicken is coated, I bake at 375ºF for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.
This mix is ideal for chicken (bone in or boneless) or you can use it for chicken fried steak.

Pictured is our updated shake & bake chicken using the homemade coating mix and served with baked potatoes instead of mashed for Wednesday's dinner. Occasionally I still serve this dish with mashed potatoes for old time sake. One thing that hasn't changed is the niblet corn although that is no longer store bought either. My husband gave the meal another thumbs up while enjoying this family favourite from our early married days.

Entertaining Leftovers

We hosted a large dinner party on the 19^th but the horrid weather conditions saw a lower attendance than expected. Several appetizers (crabmeat dip*, jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce, vegetable tray with homemade garlic & onion dip, venison balls) and drinks were served for the social hours before dinner. The menu included tossed salad, roasted turkey, spiral ham, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, gravy, home canned whole cranberry sauce, pickle tray and three kinds of homemade dinner rolls. Desserts included Victorian lavender cookies, shortbread cookies, chocolate dessert shells and banana cake. [Clicking the links will take you to the recipes for these dishes.] I was faced with the problem of a fair amount of left-overs, very limited freezer space and knowing that we were going to be away over the holidays.

Saturday we hosted a smaller get together so some of the turkey and dinner rolls were used for that as well as most of the cookies. I sent some of the left-overs home with the kids who were visiting for the weekend. Sunday morning we deboned the turkey and I set about making stock with the carcass. There was a fair amount of the ham left so I cut it from the bone and divided into two large vacuum seal bags, vacuum sealed then froze. I did the same with the ham bone to make soup with later. There were about 2 dozen of the whole wheat dinner rolls left so I decided to make bread crumbs.

Defatting Stock

Fat is a necessary part of making stocks because it adds a lot of flavour. It adds an element of depth and richness to the stock that cannot be achieved without the fat. Using the fat when making stock allows to to utilize all the flavour in the little bits of meat and skin that come along with the fat. Even though the fat is needed for good stock, the stock should be defatted for a healthier product.

Once the stock has been made it should be cooled completely either before or after straining the bones and vegetables out. The fat will harden as a layer on top of the stock. As pictured the fat layer can easily be removed using a large spoon. You can melt down the fat and strain for use in cooking if desired. The remaining stock is then strained again then canned or frozen for later use. You can also boil down the stock to make a concentrate and freeze it for later use.

Bread Crumbs

Homemade yeast breads do not keep well for extended periods of time. I find it best to make a loaf of bread or dinner rolls every second or third day rather than making a lot at one time. Homemade bread or dinner rolls that is starting to go stale is not tossed to the birds or discarded here as that would be wasteful on a few levels. What I do is turn it into bread crumbs. Making your own bread crumbs even if using store bought bread makes good frugal sense as you are using up something that would otherwise go to waste and you are eliminating one more commercial product you have to buy. Any yeast bread can be used for this purpose although I find dark rye and pumpernickel bread crumbs a little tricker to use in

Making bread crumbs using a food processor is as simple as breaking the bread into chunks and process a few at a time using the grind setting on pulse. The bread does not have to be totally dried to make bread crumbs when using the food processor resulting in a softer crumb suitable for quiche and quick stuffing. If you don't have a food processor and blender on grind and pulse will work as well. A KitchenAid® stand mixer or similar with a food grinder attachment is the preferable appliance to use for drier bread crumbs suitable for making meat loafs. I used a food processor for this batch of bread crumbs.

Stock & Crumbs

The yield from the turkey carcass was 7 L (quarts) of canned and 1 L frozen turkey stock. This is about the normal yield for turkey stock which allows the canner to run at full capacity. The remaining stock is usually used in a soup or stew for dinner that night if we are home or frozen for later use. I like using plastic freezer containers with screw on lids when freezing anything that is not going to be vacuum sealed.

The left over dinner rolls made enough bread crumbs for two 1 L freezer containers. These were frozen for later use. To use thaw although there is no need to thaw prior to using frozen bread crumbs as they tend to break apart quite easily. Any clumps can be broken apart using the prongs of a fork.

Quick Turkey Noodle Soup

Using a few simple pantry ingredients you can quickly put a nice meal on the table with very little effort. When we deboned the turkey, I cut the meat into cubes instead of slices. Dinner Sunday night was a simple soup using turkey that took under 15 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

2 284 (10 oz) cans condensed mushroom soup**
1 can turkey stock
½ can whole milk
2 generous handfulls broad egg noodles
2 cup turkey

Cook the noodles until al dente in salted water. Drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat through. Serve with home made dinner rolls or bread.

* I used homemade cocktail sauce in place of the ketchup and horseradish mix. The result was even tastier!
** Substitute the equilivant home made cream of mushroom soup to equal 3½ cans of reconstituted soup total.

Frugal Kitchens 101: Breads (2) Equipment

In the last Frugal Kitchens 101 article I gave you some of the ways that making your own breads can save you money. Today I'm going to focus on how to save on the equipment needed for breadmaking. Even if you make bread by hand you will need good baking sheets, loaf pans, muffins tins and a few other items that will make baking breads easy. If you are using mechanical means you will need a breadmachine, KitchenAid® stand mixer or similar or larger capacity food processor.

The first thing to consider is how you are going to make your flat bread, yeast dough or quick bread batters. In general for making all breads types at home you will need: large stainless steel mixing bowl, dry measuring cups, wet measuring cups, heavy duty mixing spoon (suggested Paderno or similar), baking sheet (2, suggested Wilton, preferred restaurant grade), cast iron pan, coated loaf pans (2, suggested Wilton), silicone loaf pan (2), silicone muffin tin, rolling pin and cooling racks. Optional but not essential are silicone baking cups and Silpat non-stick baking sheets. Both of these will reduce using paper products such as parchment paper and paper cupcake liners something every frugal kitchen should strive for. They will also reduce the cost of food prep by not using disposable prep equipment. Chances are good you already have most of this equipment so you likely won't have to buy a lot since most of the aforementioned equipment has other culinary uses. Silicone bakeware is now quite inexpensive and often goes on sale so if you don't have the mentioned bakeware, wait for it to go on sale. I do not recommend buying a full set of silicone bakeware as you will likely end up with pieces you will seldom use but the sets also go on sale quite often so it's one thing to keep in mind.

Breadmachines - These small appliances have been on the market for over a decade so have come down greatly in price. They tend to be either and I love it or an I hate it appliance for a few reasons. The primary reason people love it is because you can dump the ingredients in the baking pan then simply press a button so the machine does the rest including the baking. It eliminates extra prep equipment and clean-up. The primary complaint with this very convenient appliance is the bread itself. People often complain about the quality of the bread crust and the hole the paddle leaves. The work around many use is to make and proof the dough in the breadmachine then shape and proof as desired. Bake in the oven, convection oven or grill. The second complaint is the amount of room these single use appliances take on the counter. Many kitchens simply do not have the room to have a breadmachine sitting on the counter all the time. The work around is to store the breadmachine off the counter or set it up on a cart to use as needed. If you do not have a breadmachine, new ones are relatively inexpensive at under $50 especially this time of year. However, good used breadmachines can often be found for less than $10 at resale stores, yard sales and estate sales. You may be able to find one on your local Freecycle or check Craig's List.

KitchenAid® stand mixers and similar - The first thing to look for in a stand mixer is the wattage. The higher the wattage the more load that machine can handle. You should also look for additional attachments to extend the versatility of your machine. I have the KitchenAid® stand mixer Professional Series HD (475 W) that I recommend. They are multi-functional so will earn their keep even in kitchens with limited counter space. Stand mixers make quick work of mixing and kneading dough. You can easily add additional ingredients and adjust the knead time as desired. Another benefit of using a stand mixer is the ability to make enough dough for two or more loaves of bread so you can make larger batches of dough to use that day or refrigerate or freeze for later use. Expect to pay in the $250 or better price range for a new stand mixer but considering it is multi-function and can replace a few single-use appliances it may be the best choice for you just in this aspect. Again check the sources indicated for finding breadmachines at a lower cost. Another good source for stand mixers especially used is eBay.

I cannot stress this enough, if you buy a breadmachine or stand mixer take the time to read the manual! Doing so will save you a lot of frustration and give you tips for troubleshooting. Very few bread recipes cannot be converted to using a stand mixer and virtually all breadmachine recipes can be converted however, converting conventional bread recipes requires a bit more. You must first reduce the total amount of flour to be less than the recommended amount of total flour for your breadmachine as recommended by your manufacturer. You must add the ingredients to the breadmachine in the order that your manufacturer recommends. If you buy a used breadmachine that doesn't not have a manual check online for a manual you can either order for a charge or print out. Not all manuals are available this easily so ask on forums and blogs if necessary.

As you can see the equipment necessary for successfully making bread at home is not extensive and need not be expensive. Keep in mind that each loaf of bread you make at home goes towards paying for your equipment investment as well as saving you money on your grocery bill.

Cooking with Dave - Corn Bread

The theme for Frugal Kitchens 101 this month has been bread. I've heard so many people say they use a mix for making cornbread. If you look at the ingredients there is under 50¢ total in the mix yet you are paying $2 or more! So each time you make cornbread you could be saving at least $1.50. If you want the convenience of a mix, mix all the dry ingredients together and store in a mason jar. Then when you want to make cornbread use your homemade mix and add the wet ingredients. I'm not planning on making cornbread in the next few days so found this video to show you how easy it is to make. I wrote out Dave's cornbread recipe for you. Following his recipe is the recipe I use.

Dave's Cornbread

1 c self rising flour
¼ c sugar
1 c cornmeal
⅓ vegetable oil
1 c milk

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly butter cast iron corn bread baking pans. Heat the pans before filling with batter to prevent sticking. Combine the ingredients. Pour into heated baking pans. Bake at 400ºF for 25 minutes.

Corn Bread
source: Betty Crocker's Cookbook (old copy date missing). Pp. 49 with modifications by me (Garden Gnome)

1 c yellow cornmeal
1 c unbleached flour
2 tbsp organic sugar
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
1 c milk
¼ c shortening
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 425ºF. Grease 8x8x2 baking pan. Place ingredients in KitchenAid® stand mixer bowl. Mix well. Increase speed to 3 for 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Bangers and Mash

This time of year everyone is so busy scurrying around with holiday planning, shopping and social gatherings it is very, very easy to be tempted to pick-up take-out or order in. Both of those temptations will cut into your holiday budget. One easy way to prevent this is to have quick, easy meals sitting in your freezer. Simply thaw the individual components or entrée or casserole, heat and add salad or rolls for quick, easy and an inexpensive meal.

Bangers & Mash

Bangers and mash is an English sausage and potato dish served in pub. It's easy and inexpensive to make yet is the perfect example of comfort food. It is traditionally served with a brown onion gravy and often includes a side of mushy peas. Bangers and mash is a very filling meal! Our banger and mash dinner consisted of honey garlic sausages that had been grilled then froze, mashed potatoes and browned beef gravy.

Note: I put this meal under the label of 30 minutes but you really could have it put together in about half that time.

Method:

sausages - I grilled up about 30 large honey garlic pork sausages back in September. Some were enjoyed with sauerkraut and onions on toasted buns and the rest were divided into meal size portions then vacuum sealed and froze. To re-heat I opened the package and placed in a glass baking dish with about ¼ c of water then covered and microwaved on high for about 3 minutes. Microwave ovens vary in power so adjust your timing to get the sausages on the hot side of warm based on your microwave.

potatoes - I cut about 6 medium, unpeeled, washed potatoes into chunks then steamed them until tender. I then put the potatoes into the KitchenAid® stand mixer bowl with about 1 tbsp of butter, 3 oz cream cheese, ¼ c sour cream and just enough milk to smooth the potatoes. Using the mixing paddle I mixed just until smoothing but with smaller chunks due to the peels.

gravy - I used a beef gravy that I had froze earlier but wanted it a bit smoother and glossier not that the way it was would not have been fine. To make the gravy for the bangers and mash I strained the gravy through a fine strainer into a saucepan. Then I added about a ½ tsp of Grace Browning* caramel and brought the gravy to a low boil. I wanted the gravy just a bit thicker so stirred in about 2 tbsp of corn starch** slurry.

* Grace Browning adds a deep brown colour as well as flavour. It is best to add a little at a time to get the effect you want.

** Corn starch as a thickener adds a gloss to gravies.

Frugal Kitchens 101: Breads (1)

The holiday season is upon us meaning more people are baking so I debated which Frugal Kitchens 101 article to post first. As one reader guess from the poll the topic of breadmaking would be featured at some point. Who can resist the urge to cut a thick slice of piping hot bread just out of the oven? Of the 65 who participated 35% did not make any bread at home and the majority 49% made 1 to 3 loaves of bread weekly. Bread in some form is a fundamental part of many meals and snacks. It is the first choice for lunches eaten at home, taken to work or school and when eating out. One of the most popular ways breads are used is in the form of buns for the American favourite hamburger. The reason bread has been such a staple throughout history and continues to be a staple is because bread is inexpensive to make with a few simple ingredients making breads one of the best budget stretching foods possible.

Despite this making bread at home has for the most part fallen out of favour although breadmachines has brought some of that back over the past decade. It's just too easy to stop at the grocery store and buy a loaf of over priced bread conveniently sliced and stuffed into a plastic bag. If you really want that homemade aroma you can buy the over priced refrigerator rolls or dough in the freezer section or over priced bread machine mix. More discriminate buyers will opt for the often over priced specialty breads. The common theme here is over priced. You are really paying for that convenience while buying products in most cases heavily laden with preservatives.

Breads fall into three categories:

1. unleavened breads - These are simple breads that do not rise. Examples: flat breads - naan, pita, tortilla, pocket breads
   
2. yeast breads - These breads use yeast as a leavening agent. Examples (click links for recipes): sweet breads (cinnamon rolls), pumpernickel, twelve grain, 100% whole wheat, bagels as well as several others in the archives for this blog
3. quick breads - These are breads that use baking powder or baking soda/buttermilk as leavening agents. Examples: soda breads, pancakes, muffins, zucchini loaf, banana bread, corn bread

Why is making your own bread a good budget stretching strategy? The most expensive ingredient in most breads is flours. All other ingredient (salt, sugar, yeast, oil) costs are so low that they barely more than a couple of cents to the overall cost of the bread. Time to do some math. If we do a cost comparison of my French bread that makes 2 large loaves or 3 large baguettes the store bought equivalent at our prices would cost me $4.47. The cost to make the loaves myself including the electricity for baking 32¢ for the flour, < href="http://momskitchencooking.blogspot.com/2006/11/party-sandwich-canned-carrots.html">basic white bread is more expensive to make because it has an egg (10¢) and milk (5¢) as ingredients that at my costs add an additional 15¢ to the overall cost of that loaf. However, this loaf of bread is far superior to the cheap, sandwich bread in the stores. It is more in line with the more expensive packaged breads or bakery type breads that cost anywhere from $2.49 to $3.29 per loaf so even though this breads cost me under 73¢ to make I am still saving a considerable amount of money. Similar saving can be shown for quick breads and flat breads. In short, there are very few breads that you can buy that cannot be made cheaper at home. If you substitute just one loaf of store bought bread for homemade per week you will be saving money.

People often use the excuse that making bread at home is too difficult or time consuming. For quick breads there is nothing more involved than measuring and mixing the ingredients then baking. Quick, easy and budget stretching! Yeast breads involve a little more prep work but need not be difficult or time consuming. Once the dough has been kneaded, the only time involved is waiting for proofing and baking of which you can be doing something else while you wait. First, the dough can be made:

1. by hand - This involves manually mixing and kneading the dough. It is the most time time consuming but is cheaper because it eliminates any special equipment or additional electricity.
2. breadmachine - These little workhorses take the guess work out of breadmaking. Simply dump the ingredients into the baking pan, hit the desired setting and the machine does the rest. However, I highly recommend you watch the dough to ensure it is not too dry or too stick after the knead and adjust the flour or liquid if needed. Many people are using breadmachines on dough setting only then baking in the oven because they don't like the bread baked in the machine.
   
3. KitchenAid® stand mixer or similar - A stand mixer gives you the greatest degree of control without the time involved by hand. It allows you to increase or decrease the knead time as desired. It also allows you to make the dough for more than one loaf of bread at a time.

I've discussed the monetary savings so now will give some tips on ways you can save time to make breadmaking an enjoyable experience. Did you know that you can make yeast bread doughs then refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze for later use? Well you can and that can be one of your biggest time savers. Make a batch of yeast bread dough for two to four loaves. Bake one or two then put the rest in the fridge or freezer to use as needed. Do the same thing with pizza dough or any other sweet dough. Allow to come to room temperature then shape as desired then proof and bake. You can even make muffin (one recipe here) and pancake batter ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator to use later. Now here is the beauty of keeping these kinds of doughs in your refrigerator or freezer. For a fraction of the cost of store bought and with in most cases under 10 minutes prep time you have created a convenient way for you to enjoy homemade bread throughout the week.

*this is a general estimate for basic low cost ingredients (salt, sugar, yeast, oil)

Cinnamon Rolls

What's that phrase? Nothing says loving like something from the oven! Refrigerator rolls have made it easy to pop dinner and dessert rolls in the oven with very little effort but what if you could do the exact same thing except cheaper? Well you can! Consider what ingredients are in refrigerator cinnamon rolls. There is flour as the main ingredient, a bit of butter or most likely butter flavouring, milk solids, yeast, water, sugar, salt and cinnamon, all very cheap ingredients to begin with. The icing consists of icing sugar, milk and vanilla. What you don't notice in the refrigerator rolls in general is the preservatives and artificial flavours that can easily be avoided by making your own.

I decided to make cinnamon rolls today. This post is going to be a more graphic intensive but I really want to show you how easy it is do make these at home for a fraction of the cost of those pop open and bake refrigerator rolls. Total ingredient costs for 24 to 30 sweet rolls is approximately 50¢ at today's cost plus about 5¢ for electricity but you would use the fuel costs for baking anyway so the cost comparison is without electricity. Refrigerator rolls will cost you 3 to 4 times that amount as well as being packaged in environmentally unfriendly packaging. The longest amount of time require for this recipe is the rising times other than that prep time would total likely less than 15 minutes.

The basic method for any yeast bread when using a stand mixer or any other method is to mix the dry ingredients well then add the wet ingredients adding more flour as needed to get a smooth, elastic ball (1). Now here is the beauty of the following Traditional Sweet Roll Dough recipe that follows. Make the full recipe then divide in half. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board then form and cut in half (2). Refrigerate one half for use within 3 - 4 days or you could freeze for later use. Place the remaining dough into the stand mixer bowl, cover with a damp towel and allow to stand in a warm place until doubled in size. Once the dough has finished the first proof, punch it down and roll it out. I don't roll but rather use my fingers to form a rectangle (3). The rectangle is then brushed with melted butter. The original recipe said to use softened butter but I find I can reduce the amount of butter used and get better results using melted butter and a silicone brush.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon mixture together then spread evenly over the buttered dough (5). This will make a little mess but that is easily cleaned up. Try to get close to all the edges. Starting at the long end (6) begin rolling the dough and filling. Do not press hard because this dough is a bit softer than other yeast dough so use a light touch. When you are finished rolling you will end up with a log (7). Carefully turn the log so the seam is on the bottom. This makes it easier to cut the log. Use a serrated knife (8) and slowly cut through the log to form 1- inch thick slices. The original recipe* that has been quite modified by me said to cut into 15 equal pieces. I found that 12 - 15 pieces give a better result with leaning more towards 12 pieces. When you cut each piece leave it standing upwards then slide your knife under and carefully transfer to the pan to minimize the sugar filling from spilling out.

Place each cut piece onto a Silpat or silicone baking sheet lined baking sheet (9). Cover the pieces with a damp towel and set in a warm spot until doubled (10). Bake at 375ºF for 25 minutes or until golden brown (11). Remove from oven and drizzle with icing (12).

The original recipe and instructions came from an old version of Betty Crocker but both the ingredients and method have been modified quite a bit so the following recipe no longer resembles the original. This recipe is a family staple, easily made without even looking at the recipe. This is a recipe you will want to print out and save! This sweet roll dough recipe can be used as the basis for many sweet rolls and coffee cakes.


Traditional Sweet Roll Dough

4½ - 5 c unbleached flour
½ c organic sugar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp instant yeast
1 c lukewarm milk
2 eggs
½ c softened butter

Place 4 c of the flour and the other the dry ingredients in a KitchenAid® stand mixer bowl, reserving the remaining flour. Mix on speed 1 until well mixed. Hand beat the eggs. Stir into the milk and butter. With the mixer on setting 1 slowly add the wet ingredients slowly while continuing to mix. Add in the extra flour 1 tbsp at a time while still on setting one. When the dough cleans the bowl sides knead on setting 2 until the dough is smooth and elastic. Proceed as desired.

Cinnamon Rolls

½ recipe Traditional Sweet Roll Dough
1 tbsp butter melted
¼ c organic sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
icing (recipe follows)

Melt the butter then brush the dough with the butter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together then sprinkle evenly over the dough. Roll the dough as above. Cut into 1 - inch pieces across the log. Place onto Silpat or silicone lined baking pan. Bake at 375ºF until golden brown. Remove from oven. Spread icing on the rolls while still hot.

Icing

1½ cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
½ tsp pure vanilla

Mix together. It the icing is too stiff add just a little extra milk ¼ tsp at a time. The icing should be somewhat stiff but not too stiff.