Tenderizing Chicken

As I have hopefully said before, tenderizing chicken before cooking can make a very juicy meal. Buttermilk is a wonderful commodity for your kitchen. In a previous post I showed how to culture your own for an endless supply of it. Soaking chicken in buttermilk first is a wonderful way to enhance your eating delight. It is not confined to just chicken but try it with other meats and poultry for sure. Wonder what my Thanksgiving turkey would be like? Hmmmm. You will be pleasantly surprised at the taste of your meal after trying this trick. I have personally tried it on port with great results. If you should try it with other meats please let me know and share your experience with all. I added hot sauce to the buttermilk and some other spices, don't be afraid. Add what you want. Another trick is those marinade packets at the store. Add one of those to the mix if you want.

Here I am soaking chicken legs that I got on sale cheap. I did cut off the lower let and de-boned and skinned the thighs first. They will sit there for about an hour or more till I am ready to cook all or some of it. It was a big package so I may cook the legs today and the thighs tomorrow. DO NOT TOSS YOUR LEFT OVER BONES IN THE GARBAGE! Oh my goodness! Get a medium pot and fill will water and as you cut and de-bone them babies crack the bones with the back of your knife and pop them into the water with a bay leaf, perhaps a few leaves of sage (shake is fine) and simmer skimming the gunk off the top.

You can make a spot of soup adding some onion, carrot, celery and your fav pasta or any recipe that calls for chicken stock! Or just cook your rice in it instead of water for a very flavorful rice dish. Out of what you would normally toss in the garbage you would have to pay good money in the store for. I don't know about you but saving money is a priority these days with me. I be dang if I will spend my hard earned money on something I can make while cooking my meal! On another note for all you crabbers out there....save them bones for crab bait! I never buy crab bait and catch lots of crabs with it in my traps. During the winter I make stock, during the spring through fall I use it for bait....maximize your dollar!

 

   Any questions please feel free to ask. I so welcome any comments below.

 

 

Enjoy!

Steph

 

www.webdees.com



Guess what kind of Pie!

I just had to post this today. Being that we are snowed in I decided to make a pie. Of course I used the pie crust I have posted on my blog so go look for it. I got a little creative with the crust as you will see. It would be a great idea for a party setting if you make more than one but I guess once you cut into it the favor of pie would avail itself! I have a set of mini cutters and the rest I cut by hand with a knife. Let me know what you think!

Can you guess what kind? LOL

 

I used a basic can filling with a little tapioca to keep it nice and thick when cut....

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Steph

www.webdees.com

www.etsy.com/shop/deesshoppe

Sausage and Baby Bellas with Pasta

Keeping with using what you have I made a quick dinner. I didn't want to spend a lot of time so I took out some of my homemade sausage which I froze on a cookie sheet then placed in a freezer bag so I could take out what I wanted without having to package them up in separate packets. I had also bought a big package of Baby Bellas which are little portabella mushrooms. Yummy. I didn't have any peppers or else this would have been a sausage scaloppini so I used what I had.

 

1/2 small onion chopped

6-7 mushrooms

1 pound of sausage (any kind will do)

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (I use Tuttorosso crushed with basil green label)

2 large cloves garlic or more to taste chopped

parsley

basil

black pepper

olive oil

grated cheese

Pasta of choice 1/2 pound

Aren't they lovely? Add  a little olive oil to fry pan and fry up your sausage. When just about finished add chopped garlic and onion and fry till slightly brown. Transfer to a pot, add tomatoes.

Shake in some basil, parsley and pepper. Simmer for about 15 min. Get your mushrooms ready. Wipe the mushrooms down with a dry cloth. Do not rinse them. It adds water to them. Slice them up and add to the pot.

 

Add about 1/2 handful of grated cheese. I used my own that I made.

Anyone want to know how to make this cheese? It's a great substitute to buying it in the store. Anyway, simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook up your pasta (I used Penne) till al dente and drain. Mix the sausage mixture with the pasta and there you have it! Dish it up and add a little more cheese on top. If you use this type of pasta instead of spaghetti it doesn't soak up a lot of the sauce. But the choice is yours.

Simple enough! Add a salad and maybe some garlic bread and you have yourself a quick meal! Makes enough for 4.

Enjoy!

Steph
www.webdees.com
www.etsy.com/shop/deesshoppe

My Library Demonstration Synopisis

Well, last Wednesday I did a demo at the local library. We covered homemade laundry soap, dishwasher detergent, Canadian bacon, corn chips and mango salsa with a twist.  The weather that day prevented many from coming even though the roads were clear as a bell. We even got a surprise addition of my older son and a friend of his! And him being a vegan! He always loved my salsa! (He doesn't live at home anymore.) The +Cecil County Public Library  graciously hosted the event and they were wonderful!

 

So I re-iterate, we are so convenientized to what you buy in the store! I demonstrated in about an hour how to make many things that can save you money. I made over four things. Come on now. Get with the program. Everyone says they don't have time but if you expand your time to include some prep work as you are doing your usual regime then you can save yourself tons of money and bring your family back to what things are suppose to be like! Not what the manufacturers say they are now.

 

Like what I said last Wednesday at the library, they probably substituted real sugar for corn syrup which isn't a bad thing in itself but the tastes are different. Like I have said about Bread and Butter pickles! Never like them till I made my own! Enough Said!

 

We have slowly been conditioned to accept what the foods we take for granted are what they should taste like. Not so! As in the words of Simon and Garfunkel....slow down, you move too fast........There is truth to be told about slowing down and smelling the roses so to speak!

 

Anyway, I so want to thank the library for allowing me to have the demo and for all the peeps (people) that came. I hope you will keep up with all what the library has to offer. What a wealth of information that is mostly un-tapped by most of us!

 

Enjoy!

 

Steph

www.webdees.com

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Dishwasher and Laundry Detergent

These are very popular and work well. I so love saving lots and lots of money. Try them out and see for yourself!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

 

1 cup Super Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer)

1 cup Borax 20 Mule Team

½ cup Kosher Salt

½ cup Citric Acid (or unsweetened lemonade)

 

Put in jar and shake. Use 1 tablespoon per load. I make a little packet of rice tied in some tulle and place with the powder to prevent caking.  +eBay has some great prices for the Citric Acid.

 

Homemade Laundry Soap

 

2 oz. Grated Fels Naptha soap

3 pints water

½ cup Washing Soda

½ cup Borax 20 Mule Team

1 quart hot water

 

Grate soap and cook with 3 pints of water until soap is melted. Stir in Borax and washing soda till thickened. Pour hot water into 2 gallon bucket add soap mixture. Top with more water to make 2 gallons. Cool 24 hours then mix well and turn into two old laundry soap containers or what you may have on hand. Shake before using. Works great in HE machines. This laundry soap works great in cold water. If you have a well without a water softener I add ¼ cup of kosher salt. For an extra boost I add some dollar store booster. 1/2 cup usually does it. Use as usual.

 

Enjoy!
Steph
www.webdees.com
www.etsy.com/shop/deesshoppe

The Best Rice Pudding and Very Easy!

By far this is the easiest rice pudding recipe ever. I have been making it forever. Done on the stove top and thickens as it cools so don't be disappointed if it is runny at first. It will just get better if allowed to chill in the fridge overnight. You can force chill in the freezer if you like but have patience. The recipe makes a lot but you can cut it in half using three eggs of the five it calls for. Let's begin!

 

Part "A"

1 gallon of milk

2 cups of water

1//2 stick of butter

2 cups of uncooked CAROLINA rice. (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!)

Mix together and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

 

Part "B"

5 large eggs

2 cups of sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla

Beat together

Add to "A" just after it starts to bubble. Simmer exactly 28 min. Remove from heat. Cool to thicken.

 

Optional 1/2 stick of cinnamon

Optional 1 cup + of raisins soaked in very hot water to plump

 

I always add the stick of cinnamon but you can always sprinkle ground cinnamon on the pudding afterwards. While it is simmering you can add your raisins if you want. Remember, it will thicken as it cools. It will get better the next day. If you have any questions let me know.

 

Enjoy!

 

Steph

www.webdees.com

www.etsy.com/shop/deesshoppe

Pickles, Pickles and more Pickles

I was in Aldi's the other day and they had the most gorgeous cucumbers for 23 cents a piece. So I thought wow! Pickles! I bought 10 of them and was really pleased with myself knowing I had Ball pickling spices at home and some big jars. I knew I was just about out of the Bread and Butter pickles I had made last fall from my own grown cucumbers. You may be able to get store bought ones on sale for like two for $5.00 but believe me they are not as good as making your own. I never liked the store's bread and butter pickles so I thought they were all that way. Well I was wrong. When I made my own I couldn't stop eating them! I didn't realize how different homemade was!

 

So in getting home I prepared my work space and washed the jars in hot soapy water and washed my cucumbers up nice. I decided to make dill and some bread and butter both. I had a gallon jar and a half gallon jar. I cut the dill ones with a ripple and the bread and butter with a straight knife. I like cold pack over processing them. Being winter I have them in the cold garage. I also add a teaspoon or more of citric acid to the mix to preserve the flavor. I followed the directions on the mix.

Aren't these cucumbers great looking? I decided to slice the dill ones instead of making spears. But no matter I like them any which way.

So for about $2.30 I got a gallon and half of pickles I made myself. I just have to wait about two weeks till they are done :(

Enjoy!

Steph
www.webdees.com
www.etsy.com/shop/deesshoppe