Homemade stuff!

"Homemade" is another word for "better"

Here are a few things you usually buy at the store, but can make at home. It's usually cheaper and healthier :)

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

(click above for the reicpe)

It's tough to find a good Alfredo recipe... but here it is :)

Homemade Creamer - No Chemicals

There's a lot of flavor variations using Vanilla extract, Cinnamon, etc... click above

Homemade Brownie Mix - Click here for recipe

Keep in a container, it keeps forever :)

Homemade Cheeze-its - Click here for recipe

You can even do the different flavors - however you like :)

Homemade Potato Chips - Click here for recipe

Just throw em' in the microwave

Homemade Mozzarella Sticks - Click here for recipe

 Two Ingredients....guess what one of them is :)

Homemade Pretzels - Click here for recipe

Takes a few minutes...but remember the "better" thing :)

Homemade Catsup...Ketchup? - Click here for recipe

Not sure of the difference...but you'd be surprised the different spices you can use :)

Homemade Mayo - Click here for recipe

You can get creative with this stuff too :)

Homemade English Muffins - Click here for recipe

These are a lot easier to make than you think.

Homemade Bacon Vodka - Click here for recipe

Needs no explanation :)

Homemade Wheat Thins - Click here for recipe


No High Fructose Corn Syrup :)

Kitchens Secret Weapon! :)

There are a lot of useful tools in the kitchen... Blenders, Processors, etc... - but one that sails under the radar is the Waffle Maker! It's simple to use and easy to clean - here are a few things you can do... other than make Waffles ;)

Tater Tot.... Waffle! - click here for details :)

Leftover Stuffing Waffles!

  <---------Biscuits









Hash Browns!  Brownies!

Cinnamon Rolls!

Bacon in the Waffle Maker! - Advantages:

Done Quickly
No Grease Splatters
Presses Flat

Bacon Tips - Beginning to End

Here are some more tid bits about Bacon.... or "Bacon Bits" :)

Roll the bacon package into a cylinder to help separate - or you can just take the butter knife and wiggle them apart









To help with the curling/shrinkage - Start the bacon in a cold pan.

Or (if you've already heated the pan) run the raw bacon under cold water before you throw it in the pan.

Sprinkle some flour (or salt) in the pan to keep the splatter down.

You can also throw a balled up paper towel in the pan to absorb all of the extra grease and keep the splatter down.







Easy way to dispose of the Grease - Did you know you're not supposed to pour grease down the sink? Some of us learn that "plumbers are expensive" the hard way :P

That's a bowl covered in foil btw ;)




Couple Extras:

Bake your Bacon: 20 min at 400 or so
- Stays Flat
- All cook at the same time
- Easy Clean Up

___________________________


Weave the Bacon - It'll never fall off your sandwich again :)




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Bacon Cups - Flip over the Muffin Pan

A "Peeling" tips! - Fun Puns ;)

Peeling stuff (as it turns out) is a big and tedious part of cooking... here's a few tricks to help "shave" some time :)

The other egg one (below) worked too... but this one was definitely easier :)

Peel an Orange and blow everyone's mind at the same time!

- Cut off the top and the bottom
- Slice down one side (make it like a "Pac Man")
- Unroll.... you can say "Ta Daa!" if you want :)

Garlic

Throw the Garlic in the microwave for 10 seconds and they'll slip right out :)

P.S. - If you have a lot to peel, put them between two stainless bowls and shake vigorously ;)

Tomatoes!

See above tip ;) - Pretty much the same thing

Pop them in for 30 seconds (let rest for two minutes) and the tomato skin will slip off easily

EGGS!


Add 1/2 tsp. baking soda to the water when boiling eggs and the shell will come right off :)

Peel Bananas from the other end - just pinch it, something Monkeys figured out immediately...took me a while lol






Potatoes :)

After boiling them, place them in a bowl of ice water for a few seconds. Then, just grab it with both hands, twist, and pull apart. The skin should slide right off.

Couple Tips you should know about Eggs :)

Eggs are one of the most commonly used ingredients in the kitchen - Here are a few tips passed from person to person to save time and quality :)

Crush your eggshells and put them in the bottom of planting holes in the garden - Two really cool reasons:
1) A lot of veggies (tomatoes, peppers, etc...) need calcium to achieve full flavor potential and a lot of soil (in america especially) is lacking in calcium... this is a GREAT way to supplement

2) They deter Slugs and Snails from eating your seedlings at the root.  They have soft undersides and can't slither across anything sharp.

P.S. - If you have a couple "big" shells around.  You can plant the seeds IN the empty egg shell then plant the whole thing in the ground... kinda like the tip from a couple days ago with the citrus fruits :)

First let's find out if your eggs are fresh :)

If you aren’t sure how fresh your eggs are, place them in about four inches of water. 
-Eggs that stay on the bottom are fresh.
-If only one end tips up, the egg is less fresh and should be used soon.
-If it floats, it’s past the fresh stage.




Hard Boiled Tips:

Hard Cooked Eggs - Rubbery. Chalky, and Green Yolks?

Here’s the fix: To keep the temperature of the egg white and yolk close, heat the eggs GRADUALLY.
- Use a saucepan, cover them by an inch or two with cold water
- Set the pan over high heat

- When the water reaches a full boil, remove from heat
- Cover the pan, and let the eggs stand for 10 minutes.

This cooks them gently and keeps the whites from toughening :)

You can make hard-boiled eggs is in the OVEN! Place the eggs in a muffin tray so they do not move around, turn the oven to 325 degrees, pop em' in for about 25-30 minutes.

Advantages - Easy Clean up, Easier to Peel, and (depending on the size of your oven) You can cook a lot more of them at once :)



Add 1/2 tsp. baking soda to the

water when boiling eggs and 

the shell will come right off :)

Happy Valentines Day :)

Fun Stuff!

Eggs in a ________ :)

Eggs seem to be a fairly popular ingredient - You can stuff them into anything!  The mason jar lid (below) is the popular method - but here's a few more fun ways to wrap your favorite ingredient :)  Most of these types of recipes are self explanatory... you can also scramble the eggs before you pour them in :)

 <-------------------Classic :)

Eggs in an Onion - Click here for Recipe


You can go sunny side up, or scramble and put on a muffin :)

Egg in an Avocado - Click here for the recipe

Great way to start the day!

Eggs IN Toast - Click here for recipe

Makes the Flip a little easier :)

Eggs IN bacon - Click here for recipe

"Bacon AROUND Eggs" is just not as catchy ;)







Egg in a Pepper - Click here for recipe

You may get some spillage, but the concept works ;)

Eggs in a Tater - Click for Recipe

It's like a breakfast bomb!

Different Pizzas :)

Pizza has always been a favorite of....well... everyone, but now days - pizza has evolved into much more than the Pepperoni and Sausage everyone is used to, even though the "Sauce and Toppings on Crust" formula is still a winner :)  Couple fun Pizzas here :)

 

 

 Dessert Pizza! - Recipe

Sauce - Icing or Cream Cheese
Crust - Brownie
Toppings - Fruit




Pizza Bites - Upside Down Pizza Recipe

Sauce - Red
Crust - Your average Dough
Toppings - Standard

Zucchini Pizza Bites - Recipe

Sauce - Red
Crust - Zucchini
Toppings - Cheese and Spice






Muffin Pizza - Recipe

Sauce - Red
Crust - English Muffin
Toppings - Your Choice



Microwave Mexican Pizza - Recipe

Sauce - Salsa
Crust - Tortillas
Toppings - More salsa :)





College Pizza - Recipe

Sauce - Ketchup
Crust - Ritz
Toppings - Cheese and Pepperoni