Easy Peasy Vegetable Broth

FRUGAL FRIDAY…For years I have been freezing broth from leftover vegetables to use in soup. This summer, I took it a step further. I have been saving vegetable scraps such as onion skins, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, and peppers. I put them in a bag in the freezer, and when it gets full, I use them to make broth. I place them in a pan full of water, add salt and pepper to taste, bring it to a boil for a few minutes, and then allow it to simmer a few hours. It’s the best vegetable broth I’ve ever had and cost me next to nothing. I have been freezing it, but to save freezer space, I am going to can the next batch.

 

Easy Peasy Hummingbird Nectar

Hummingbirds are beautiful creatures and fun to watch but I don’t like having to boil the nectar. From what I have read it is important to cook it so that any bacteria that might be present in the water is killed.  I know you can buy it already made but the frugal person in me won’t allow that.  Fortunately, I came up with an easier way to make it.  All you need is water, sugar, and a handy dandy coffee maker.

A common ratio of water to sugar is 4:1.  For my feeders I pour 2 cups water into the coffee maker and place 1/2 cup sugar in the glass carafe.  Turn on the coffee maker and it will do the rest.  Once the water has dripped into the carafe simply stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Let it cool and pour it into a clean feeder.  That’s it.  Easy Peasy.

Now I know the coffee pot does not boil the water but it does heat it to steaming.  I have had hummers at the feeders all summer so not boiling the water doesn’t seem to be an issue.

As a side note…Do not add red food coloring to the water. There is some evidence that it can cause birth defects in the babies.

 

 

Almost Free Basil Plants

I plant basil every summer. Not just for culinary uses but for its medicinal value.  A little research on the internet about basil will reveal that it has properties that help draw venom out of bites and stings but that a blog is for another day.

Since I usually don’t get around to planting basil seeds in the spring I end up buying a   plant at the local home and garden store.  This year there happened to be three plants in the planter instead of one.  So being the frugal person I am I gently divided the roots of the three plants and replanted them into separate planters.  And presto I now have three basils plants for the price of one.

Once the plants reached full size I took several cuttings and put them in water for a week or two to root.  Once each plant had a fair amount of roots I transferred them to planters to give away.  At this point I have lost track of how many plants I got from the one that I bought.  I have shared with friends and at the end of the summer plan to take one of the smaller ones I rooted and bring it indoors for the winter.  If all goes according to plan I won’t have to buy one next spring.

Thanks for reading. Have a frugal day.

Foraging for Dinner

I love being able to go outside and “pick supper”.  Selection varies from night to night and season to season but it sure beats going to the  grocery store.  You can’t get much fresher than “just picked”.  Last night we had fresh picked asparagus sautéed in butter with mushrooms and carrots along with a salad filled with freshly picked lettuce.  No pictures of that though we ate it all up before I thought about it.

Tonight we had crappie caught by my Dad out of our pond, wild onions which were great in the hushpuppies and an infusion of peppermint tea. All organic, chemical free and loaded with nutrients.  Wild onions are full of minerals and peppermint has many known health benefits including improving digestion.

I spent the afternoon digging up garlic and onion chives as well as peppermint to plant in containers so that I can have fresh herbs indoors next winter.  The chives are fabulous  in salads and on baked potatoes.  The peppermint tea is useful for helping fight off  winter colds.  My tomatoes, bell cayenne, jalopeno, and habanero peppers are ready to plant as soon as the weather cooperates.  I couldn’t resist planting a few cucumber seeds but I brought them inside to germinate.  A few days head start will allow me to have fresh cucumbers just a little bit earlier.

Hopefully I have inspired you to start growing your own food if you aren’t already doing so.  Let me know how it goes.

 

 

Sugar free Chocolate Kefir Smoothie

I usually just use fruit in my milk kefir smoothies but on the weekend it is nice to do something out of the ordinary and have a special treat.  A while back I adapted a chocolate smoothie recipe and made it with milk kefir.  It was okay but nothing special.  Today a friend was asking for smoothie recipes that her kids would be more willing to drink so I drug out the recipe and tweaked it.  So here is the new and improved recipe and it is pretty tasty if I do say so myself.  This recipe is for two servings.

• 1 C milk kefir
• 1 banana
• 2 t vanilla
• 2 t cocoa

Place all ingredients in a glass jar and blend with a stick blender and blend until smooth.  Serve in your favorite glass and enjoy.  It can also be blended in a food processer, Magic Bullet, Ninja, etc.  For a Mexican twist add 1/4 t cinnamon.  I like to add almond slivers and eat it with a spoon.

 

 

Easy Peasy Ranchero Soup

Ranchero Soup is a cross between chili and vegetable soup and one of my favorite soups. It is a great choice for the frugally minded.   You can add a lot of left overs that will otherwise end up being thrown out.  When I made this one I used left over corn, home canned chili beans, lentils and left over broth in addition to the ground beef and a bag of mixed vegetables.  The end result was it cost next to nothing and tasted great.

Now about that left over broth. Whenever I cook vegetables I freeze the left over broth.  I also add that handful of vegetables that is too small to do anything else with.   I keep quart containers in the freezer and just keep adding left over broth and vegetables until it is full.  No need to worry about what type of vegetable broth it is. Just mix them all together.    I do the same with left over beef and chicken broth, however, I do keep them separate from each other.

This is the basic recipe but anyone that knows me knows that for me recipes are guidelines and I tend to deviate from the basic recipe a little every time I fix something.

Ranchero Soup

Brown 1 # ground beef, season with cumin, onion powder and chili powder Sautee ½ C diced onions with meat after browning is complete.

Add meat and onions to

• 2 cans Ranch Style or Chili Beans
• 1 package frozen mixed vegetables
• 6 C chicken or beef broth
• ¼ c chopped celery
• 1 to 1 ½ t cumin
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 ½ t chili powder 

Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes

 

Easy Peasy Healthier Biscuits

If you read my last post you know that I love pancakes.  Biscuits are another favorite of mine.  My Mom used to make what she called “yam cakes” which was basically a biscuit that had yams or sweet potatoes in it.  A few years back I got a hankering for those yam cakes and called Mom to ask for the recipe.  Long story short, she hadn’t made them in years and didn’t know where the recipe was.  Sooooo, I started experimenting until I came up with a recipe that worked and don’t tell Mom but it is better than the one she made.

If you try to eat healthy you will be pleased to know these biscuits have less fat, less flour, and milk than the typical biscuit recipe and the sweet potatoes add fiber.  If you love fall foods you will love this one. It is loaded with cinnamon, all spice, and pumpkin pie spice.  These biscuits are  good with jelly or honey.   My favorite topping on them is homemade  cinnamon spiced pear honey.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Mix

• 1 1/4 C flour
• 1 T baking powder
• ½ t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• ½ t allspice
• ½ t pumpkin pie spice

Cut in 3 T butter until mixture is crumbly. Then cut in 1 ¼ C mashed sweet potatoes.  You can use canned or home grown.

Add ¼ c milk all at once and stir until mixture comes together. Place on lightly floured board and knead 10 times. Roll out or just pat it flat on floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter or the opening of a pint sized jar and place on cookie sheet. (I like to stack 2 together for a thicker biscuit) Bake @ 450 for 12 minutes or until golden and puffed.

 

Easy Peasy Healthier Pancakes and Syrup

I love pancakes.  Actually, I love pancakes with my syrup.  As much as I love pancakes, I used to avoid making them because I use so much syrup.  Then being the experimenter that I am, I came up with a solution to make the syrup and pancakes healthier but still tasty.

Easy Peasy Healthier Pancakes

• 1/2  C white flour (or 1/4 C white flour and 1/4 C whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 C quick oats
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 T baking powder
• 1 C milk
• ¼ t salt
•  2 T oil
• For a special Fall treat add 1/2 t cinnamon and 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl mix egg, milk, and oil. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour dough onto hot, oiled griddle. Turn when bubbles appear and batter is set. Makes 4-5 8” pancakes.

Easy Peasy Healthier Syrup  (Don’t worry. Your kids will love it)

In a small sauce pan mix 1/2 C syrup with 1/2 C juice and warm it up. That’s all there is too it.  You can use just about any juice (except orange and grapefruit)  but personally I like grape, apple, blackberry, and strawberry.

Easy Peasy Sports Drink Alternative Recipe

 

It is hot outside and it doesn’t take long to get dehydrated.  Instead of reaching for that commercial sports drink try this homemade frugal alternative.

SPORTS DRINK  RECIPE

•          1 Package lemon lime Kool-ade drink mix
•          1 C sugar
•           1/8 t salt
•           1/4 C lime or lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a 2 qt container. Serve cold. This recipe has less potassium than traditional sports drinks. To increase the potassium add an additional ¾ C of lemon or lime juice.

Easy Peasy Healthy Okra Recipe

I was looking for something to do with all the fresh okra from the garden besides frying it. While I do love fried okra, it isn’t exactly good for the waistline.  So I experimented a little and came up with this yummy sautéed okra recipe.

Sautéed Okra,

2 C sliced okra

1 C chopped carrots

4 diced jalapeno peppers

2 chopped bell peppers

2-3 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add okra, carrots, and peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sautee on medium high heat stirring frequently  until okra is no longer slimy. Can be eaten as is or add a little soy sauce and serve over rice.