Cream of ______ Mix

I LOVE this mix SOOOOO Much. It is so nice to just whip up a batch to use with whatever recipe I'm making that I'd normally use a can of something for. (Also, if you're opposed to Corn products, you can use flour instead, it may just clump a little.)

Cream of...MIX

2 cups powdered milk
1 cup cornstarch
3 tbsp chicken bullion powder
2 tbbs dried minced onion
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix Together and Store in a Mason Jar in the Pantry.

When you want your cream of..., just add:


1/3 cup of mix
1 1/4 cup water or milk
1 Cup _____ (Celery, Mushrooms, Potato, Cooked Chicken...whatever you want your Cream of... to be!)

Bring to a boil on the stove and stir until thick. This is equivalent to a can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of ______ soup.

Another tip: I don't always have milk on hand at our house, so I started buying Rice Milk for our food storage, because it keeps on the shelf. With this recipe, there is no recognizable difference when using rice milk.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

When Janey shared this post on Google Reader, I wanted to give this recipe a try. I've made it twice now and we've really enjoyed it.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
by Cooking a la Mode:

With a mixer, beat until fluffy:

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar

Add, the following, and blend until smooth:

1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk

Gently fold in:

1 container cool whip

Serve with various fruits.

Homemade Yogurt

I hope this make sense. I tried to add in what I do. Good luck and enjoy. I am not an expert but If you have any questions let me know and I will try and answer them.

* 1/2 gallon whole milk (can use whole, 2%, 1% or skim milk- the higher fat the creamier and thicker the yogurt)
* 1/2 cup room temperature plain yogurt with "live cultures" (I recommend Dannon Plain Yogurt, because it is made with milk and cultures, other brands have other fillers in them and I don't want that.)

Directions

1. Bring milk to just a boil and then set aside to cool. While you are heating the milk remember to stir almost constantly so it doesn't burn on the bottom. (I have forgotten to stir frequently and it burned, but I still able to use it. If this happens just don't scrape the bottom or your yogurt will have cottage cheese like curds in it.)
2. Cool just enough not to bite the finger to touch, (about 120°F). (I don't have a thermometer so the trick is to let the milk cool until you can keep your finger in it to the count of ten. It takes about 45 minutes to get to this temperature.) Sometimes a skin will form while the milk is cooling. I like to remove it because it feels like plastic in your mouth when eaten. But it doesn't have to be removed.
3. Pour warm milk in a glass or Pyrex bowl and add the plain yogurt with"live culture".
4. Mix well by stirring the starter in, and cover.
5. Completely cover the bowl with towels top and bottom to maintain an even temperature. I put mine into a cooler and surround it with towels to keep the temperature warm.
6. Keep covered at room temperature until the cultures have set, about 6-8 hours. The longer it sits the tangier it gets.
7. Carefully pour off the whey (liquid) that forms on the top.
8. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
9. To store, keep in refrigerator.
10. If you like, you can add a spoonful or two of fruit preserves/jam and a bit of vanilla before serving.

This will make a runnier yogurt. If you would like to make it thicker follow these instructions:

Follow instructions above until #7 then do this:

1. Line a medium-large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth or a clean white dish towel.
2. Dump a the yogurt into the center of the cloth.
3. Bring the four corners of the cloth together and lift the yogurt.
4. Place the cloth containing the yogurt in a strainer or colander, and place the strainer or colander in a bowl where it doesn't touch the bottom (so that the liquid can continue to drain).
5. Place the bowl containing the strainer/colander in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 2-3 hours. I dump the whey out of the bowl every hour. Strain until you get the consistency you like.
6. After straining using a spatula, put the yogurt in a bowl for use.
7. Return yogurt to the fridge another hour or two.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

This recipe is so easy to make and so good. I ended up heating it in a pan on the stove over medium-low heat until everything was heated through.

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can 5 oz. evaporated milk

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 can 4 oz. chopped green chilies

1 envelope taco seasoning

Tortilla chips

In a 2-qt. microwave-safe dish, combine the first eight ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4-5 minutes; stir. Microwave, uncovered, 3-4 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 3 cups.

Festive Potpourri

Mary gave me this idea for a festive potpourri. I hadn't thought of using cranberries before. I generally forget that I can put yummy smelling stuff on the stove, but today that was a needful thing.

Here are the ideas of things to add to the pot with water:
~apples
~cranberries
~lemons
~limes
~oranges
~grapefruit
~cinnamon sticks

Now - I wouldn't suggest adding all of the above at the same time, but wouldn't grapefruit & orange be a yummy one on occasion.

For today I added cranberries, lime, lemon, and cinnamon. I think I overloaded the pot a bit. Oops! One tip is to just make sure the water doesn't boil away... so be watchful.

Thanks for sharing the idea Mary! Comment if you have other yummy stovetop potpourri recipes.

Pina Colada . . . a party in your hand

There's just something about a slushy drink with an umbrella in it that screams "vacation" . . . even if you're just sitting on your patio. Here is my new favorite drink of summer . . . a pina colada.

It's so easy. Mix pineapple sherbet with Dole's newest flavor: Pina Colada juice (found in a rectangle container in the chilled juice section of the store). Mix like a milkshake. Sometimes I make it real thick . . . other times more like a slush. It's a party in your hand . . . .

Butterfinger "Eyeballs"

Jolene sent me this recipe last year. I hope she won't mind if I post this, she's got a lot going on. Thanks Jo. These look so fun and yummy.

Ingredients:
Wax paper

1 cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 cups powdered sugar

1 NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER Candy

2 cups NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Premier White Morsels

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 pkg. NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER BB'S Candies

1 small tube red decorator icing

Wooden pick or skewer for dipping

Directions:

Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper.Beat peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in powdered sugar until mixture holds together and is moistened. Stir in chopped Butterfinger. Shape into 1-inch "eyeballs." Place on prepared baking sheets. Freeze for 1 hour.Melt morsels and shortening in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute 30 seconds; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until melted.

Remove one baking sheet of frozen "eyeballs" from freezer (keep other sheet in freezer until ready to use).Dip one "eyeball" into melted morsel mixture using a wooden pick or skewer. Shake off excess and return to baking sheet. Gently press 1 Butterfinger BB on top of "eyeball" to make a "pupil." Repeat procedure with remaining "eyeballs" on baking sheet. Refrigerate until coating is set. Repeat with remaining sheet of "eyeballs" and coating. You may find it necessary to reheat morsel mixture before dipping second batch. Before serving, pipe decorator icing around eyeballs to create bloodshot markings. Store in covered container in refrigerator. Best served cold.

Homemade Nut Roll

My sister-in-law and I came up with this recipe after some experimentation. It's the wonderful taste of a Pearson's Salted Nut Roll using the finest, freshest "homemade" ingredients. This recipe only makes one serving (literally one serving), so you may want to triple or quadruple it . . . for each person.

Ingredients:
1 Kraft caramel
2 salted roasted peanuts (4 if they are broken in half)
3 candy corn

Directions:
Pop all ingredients into your mouth at the same time and enjoy all of that delicious salty nougat chewy goodness!

You may think I'm joking, but I'm really not. We tried it. Tested it. Perfected it. And shared it with you!

Cilantro Lime Herb Butter

An herbed butter is a great way to dress up corn-on-the-cob, veggies of all kinds, chicken, fish, prawns, pork, steak, you name it. Here's an herb butter recipe, Southwestern style, with cilantro and lime.

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (slightly softened)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro, packed
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together butter, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl. Serve as is or save for later.

If you save the butter for later, wrap it up in plastic wrap in the shape of a log and refrigerate until stiff. To use, just unwrap and slice from the butter log.

Serve on Corn on the Cob, Steak, Grilled Salmon, or your favorite fill-in-the-blank!
Mmmm, doesn't this sound amazing?

Buttermilk

I have a 1/2 gallon of buttermilk which I used in the scrumptious Pioneer cake. What in the world do you use buttermilk for besides chocolate cake and pancakes? Any ideas?

Some Favs

I kept saying I would post some of my favorite recipes on my blog for friends who may not have the family cookbook, so here is a word document with some favs. I know I missed a bunch, but this is a start.

Glad to see that Mary started the CHOCOLATE label. I'm sure eventually that will be the biggest section. Yummmmm!