Fix and Forget Friday- Guest Post

I'm really excited and honored to share my first guest post with you all over at Stacy Makes Cents! 

When looking into changing our diet to a more whole foods diet while on a budget, I found Stacy's site and what a blessing she has been.  I've learn a great deal from Stacy and my own family LOVES her recipes.  That's why I'm so excited about my guest post.  Today I get to share one of my own recipes, inspired by Stacy's love of the crock pot.

Below is a sneak peak.  Follow the links to see the whole post:

I’m a recent convert to the crockpot. Not that I didn’t use a crockpot before, but now that I’m home
with my girls, it’s become a staple in our house. I’ll be honest, it’s just easier to fix something quickly
and then spend the rest of the day chasing my girls down…and yes, they do move that quickly.

Once I became a fan of Stacy, my love of the crockpot deepened even more. I used to think crockpots
were only useful for soups and meats covered in some type of sauce. Now I make our yogurt, breakfast
casseroles, oatmeal, and even “fancier” dinner items consistently.

Today I wanted to share one of the “fancier” items I regularly cook, Cranberry Apple Stuffed Pork Loin. It’s a recipe that I like for company. A delicious meal that is easy to throw together, but will impress whomever is coming to dinner. It started as an oven roasted recipe, but I found myself crouched over the hot oven basting the pork…forever. A great taste, but inefficient and all of us mommies know that an efficient use of your time is key to a happy mom.

Read the rest at Stacy Makes Cents and find out more about Stacy at her site and on Facebook.

On the way to granola town- Tomato Sauce!!

A while ago, Mark and I embarked on a new adventure- Tomato Sauce. 

Neither of us had ever made tomato sauce, but we didn't let that stop us.  After reading 20 or more posts we came up with our own system.  Hope you enjoy!

The first thing we did was buy our tomatoes.  I know, buy...but the truth is we didn't plant tomatoes in the garden this year.  BIG OVERSIGHT. 

However, we were able to get tomatoes at a very reasonable price at the farmer's market.  What we bought were the ripest tomatoes that needed to be used ASAP.  Perfect for canning.

From there we washed our new tomatoes, cut any bad spots off, and cored them.  No, we didn't remove the skin or pulp.  I figure that there are probably some good things in both that we might lose by getting rid of them at this step, plus I saw a bunch of variance in this step.

 

We pureed our tomatoes and placed into our stock pot.

Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and let it cook. The foam will die down...but keep cooking.

In all it took around 2 hours, but I like my sauce a little more watery than others. I did reduce my liquid by half though. Once we were close to my desired consistency, I used my immersion blender to puree the sauce even more.  I LOVE IT.  Get one if you don't have one.  It's fantastic.  Though side note, if you don't have one you can use a blender.

Finally, I strained my final product.  This removed any seeds or leftover skin that didn't cook and puree.

You're left with a super healthy and fresh product!!  We simply froze ours in freezer bags, as we will use these within the year.

The final tally- .44 cents a "can" of sauce.  This is a good 30 cents cheaper per can from my local knock off brand tomato sauce from the grocery store. 

So not only are we cheaper than the grocery store, but we are using local products that are pesticide free, picked and used at freshness, and is HEALTHIER!!  No sodium, as my family has to watch that in particular.  If you don't have to, I would recommend adding some salt if you like during the cooking process, but even then you are likely to add less than the canned goods.

Now it is a little late to help many now, but that said, bookmark and get ready for next summer.  Watch out, Tomatoes!!

Next up on my road to granola- sourdough bread.

On the road to granola town- Making Yogurt

**Apparently, Blogger posted this and then when I edited it, didn't post it again.  Sorry for the repost and multiple posts today**

So I promised after my first granola post, that I would post on yogurt next...but my love of all things pumpkin over rid yogurt.

But now as promised, here is my adventure in making yogurt!


Like a good computer savvy person, I found a tutorial here for my yogurt adventure.

First I made sure I had a nice clean crockpot and then added my milk (1 half gallon).

We regularly drink non-homogenized whole milk, so that wasn't hard for us.  We switched when I decided I was tired of paying a lot of money for a product that was over processed at the grocery store.  That's when I found a local farm and we started our journeying into local fresh foods, with the least amount of processing.

Now not everyone has access to good milk, and for those of you that want to do this without non-homogenized milk you can do it!  Non-homogenized just works a little better.  The big thing is you don't want to use ultra-pasteurized milk it won't work up right.  Also if you want a lower fat content you can use lower fat milks, but from what I have read, it doesn't work up as well.

Next, I added my thermometer and turned it on low.

The next part is to wait...and wait.  You need the yogurt to get up to 180 degrees, slowly. If you scald the milk it won't work right.  But you can make that into ricotta cheese, so no waste if it happens.

Now my crock pot is pretty old, so when it got close, I added a towel over the top to insulate it.  That helped it get up to temperature a little easier.  Otherwise it takes a lot longer than necessary for me.

Under normal circumstances it will probably take around 2.5 hours.

Once it got up to 180, I made sure it sat at 180 for thirty minutes (gives you a slightly thicker product).  I did this by turning off the crock pot, but leaving my towel on.

After the thirty minutes, I took my towel off and took my insert out of the canister.  I skim the "skin" off the top too.  This is some of the fat from the milk that solidifies.  I don't like the texture it creates, so I skim it off.

I let that sit and cool down to 115 degrees.  You want to shoot for 110-120 degree before you add your yogurt starter.  That is the optimal temperature for the cultures.

Once you get to that range, take 1/2 cup of yogurt starter (just regular plain yogurt with active live cultures- I like Stoneyfield) and mix with the warm milk.  Then add that slurry to the crock pot .

Once you mix it, recover and wrap again in your towel. Place in the oven with the light on, but don't turn the oven on. You just want to maintain the temperature for 4-8 hours.  That's so your cultures can do their stuff.

I do this at night, so the next morning I awoke to this:

Yum! (the yellow color is a little extreme on the iPhone, but that is some of the fat that separated)

After refrigeration for a couple of hours, it's ready! 

Stir it with preserves, syrup, applesauce, or granola.  Great for breakfast, cheaper (I get double the amount for the price of the expensive stuff and I use great milk!), and HEALTHY!!

One side note though, while thick, real yogurt doesn't look like most of the stuff you get from the grocery store.  To make that thicker, they add gelatin.  If you prefer this you can add gelatin.  I would recommend a natural gelatin from animal, rather than synthetic...a little more healthy.  

Also this yogurt can be used to make your own cream cheese!!  So even better.

Just don't forget to save some of you product to use as your next starter, so you don't have to buy more.

On the road to granola town- Making Syrup

I used to LOVE Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte. 

But I didn't like the price tag. 

So like a good computer addict and wanna-be granola, I decided to get on the internet and find a way to make my own. (side note- non-coffee drinkers can use this too, scroll down for ideas)

I found a couple of great resources, but this one was my favorite.

However, I needed a bigger pumpkin flavor in mine. Not because their recipe isn't great, but because I'm a super fall lover and love pumpkin overload.

So I upped my pumpkin and spices.  I also made more.  Here's my ratios:

For the pumpkin spice syrup:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 Tbsp canned pumpkin

It takes longer to strain, but I think it's worth it.  One time I did do it with 3 cups water/sugar, and it turned out well.  I just added a dash or two of pumpkin pie spice to give it more kick.

Here's my steps:

 Combine water and sugar- it will appear cloudy.

 Cook sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat until the mixture is completely clear.

Whisk in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not allow mixture to come to a boil.  (you'll make candy this way)

 

Allow mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Strain syrup through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a large jar or bottle of your choice.  I wet my cheesecloth so it sticks well to my bowl. I also rotate it to allow for better draining.  It takes a lot of time, so I cover mine with a towel and leave it.  I just check back to add more.

 Store in a jar in the fridge. Note- The first day it takes like pumpkin, but the longer it sits the more robust the flavor becomes!!  It lasts a long time!

I personally drink iced coffee, so I add this to milk and strong coffee over ice.  It's fantastic!  You can also change the additions (subtract pumpkin and spices) to vanilla extract for vanilla syrup if you prefer that too.

We have used this syrup over homemade yogurt and pumpkin pancakes.  Even more yummy, so not just for coffee drinkers!

I also have tried this on a smaller scale with sugar substitute and it worked pretty well. Obviously, not the same consistency, but the taste was good considering.

That said, I must warn you.  After making your own, you'll notice the superior flavor and won't be able to drink Starbucks anymore.  Sad, but true. 

BUT your wallet will thank you!

Let's hear it for fall!

It's time.

For homemade pumpkin spice syrup that is better than Starbucks.

For cheddar bread with chili.

For pumpkin cookies with milk.

 For super cheesy Halloween decorations put up to make your kids smile.

For lots of paint, stickers, and construction paper...

all so some really spooktacular ghosts can hang on the fridge. 

Happy Fall everyone!!