An "Extreme Couponer" Sharing Our Recipes

Tammilee from Tammilee Tips has been featuring some of The Lonely Baker's recipes on her blog for her new "Make it Monday" posts. Tammilee posts a budget friendly recipe every Monday. She has been featured on the TLC show Extreme Couponing. Her episode was one of my favorites, because she shopped for "normal" everyday items. I had the opportunity to take one of her coupon classes. The class was awesome and it was filled with a lot of useful information.
I personally use coupons when I shop for my family and have found her site very helpful. You will find a lot of tips on her blog to help save you money! It is definitely possible to cook great meals for your family, on a budget. Go over and check it out! Pin It

Freezing Meals

Since some of the meals I post are meals that can be made and frozen for later use, I thought I'd explain how to do just that. One of the recipes I made to freeze ahead was the Tex-Mex Lasagna. I made one for that night, to eat, and 2 to freeze. To freeze a meal, I line an 8X8 pan(cheap aluminum one from the dollar store) with a long piece of foil. I spray the foil with cooking spray. Then I assemble the meal( in this case the lasagna) as directed(this recipe does not get cooked before freezing it). Next I lay a piece of cling wrap on the top of the lasagna, then fold over the long ends of the foil and pinch the open ends closed. I then put the pans in the freezer and let them firm up for at least a few hours. Once frozen you can remove the lasagna while in the foil, from the pan, and put it into a ziploc bag. I remove them from the pans so that I can use the pans again to make additional meals. Once you're ready to cook the meal. Put it back in the pan(while still in the foil), remove the cling wrap and bake. You will need to add more time to the baking time if you do not thaw the meal first.

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Freezing Cookies

 I love homemade cookies, but they start to lose their appeal quickly as they sit in a cookie jar, dry out, and crumble. The solution...freeze your cookies. Whenever I make cookies, I let them cool, put them into quart size freezer bags, and stack them in the freezer . When we're ready for another bag of cookies, I just take a bag out of the freezer and let the cookies thaw out on the counter. Pin It

One Strong Mixer

I really wish there was a way to lock my mixer so that I wouldn't accidentally turn it on! Here's what happened when I hit the switch, which caused the beater to catch my wire fruit basket in its blade, then proceed to throw fruit across the kitchen...Now I'm left with this mangled attachment. Maybe I should just be thankful that I didn't get an apple to the head.

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Just an Idea...

We pretty much have some sort of bread with every dinner. Garlic bread, biscuits, rolls, something. So tonight, while I was trying to figure out what to make(no refrigerated biscuits on hand)I decided to make biscuits using Bisquick. I usually use Bisquick to make those yummy garlic cheese drop biscuits, but I wanted something different this time. I decided to make just regular rolled and cut biscuits(recipe on the back of the box). They were really easy to make and after remembering that I no longer had my biscuit cutters, I opted for my new Christmas cookie cutters. I used the star(pictured) and a train, which my son loved! Easy to do and fun for the kids.

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Is It a Yam or a Sweet Potato?

What are you making to go with your turkey this Thanksgiving? Whipped sweet potatoes covered in toasted marshmallows? How about some candied yams? What's the difference between the two? I've heard it said that the way you tell the difference between a yam and a sweet potato is the color. Go down the canned good aisle of your grocery store during the holidays and you'll see some cans labeled "yams" and some labeled "sweet potatoes". What is a girl to do? Is it all part of some greater conspiracy? Well....I doubt that, but here are some facts to clear it all up for you.

Yams
Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999). There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier. 

Sweet Potatoes
The many varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea. The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either ‘firm’ or ‘soft’. When cooked, those in the ‘firm’ category remain firm, while ‘soft’ varieties become soft and moist. It is the ‘soft’ varieties that are often labeled as yams in the United States.

Why the confusion?
In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties.
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!

Facts courtesy of The Library of Congress



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How to Make That Perfect Pie Crust

If you read my earlier post, you already know that I love pies!  A good crust is just as important as a delicious filling. Have you ever had a pie with a soggy crust, or how about a burnt crust? Okay, so you know what I'm talking about then. While the taste of the crust is definitely more important than the look of the crust, who doesn't enjoy treating people to a great looking finished product. Here are some tips, courtesy of Betty Crocker,  to help you make that perfect pie crust.

• Use a pastry blender to cut shortening into the flour and salt, blending until particles are pea-sized. You can also use two knives, cutting them side by side (in parallel but opposite directions). A fork or wire whisk works, too.
• Make sure to use icy cold water for blending—it chills the shortening and forms a manageable dough.
• Go easy on mixing—if you over-mix crust ingredients once water is added, pastry will be tough.
• Make pastry ahead of time for easier rolling. After shaping dough into a flattened round, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (or even overnight). This break allows shortening to solidify, the flour's gluten to relax, and moisture to be evenly absorbed.
• Use a pastry rolling pin covered with stockinette on a pastry cloth-covered board—dough doesn’t stick to the pin and rolls out evenly. A lightly floured board is a plus when rolling the dough.
• Choose a pie plate that is glass or aluminum with an anodized (dull) finish. Shiny pans can cause crusts to become soggy because they reflect too much heat.
• Fold crust in half and then in half again when ready to place on pie plate. Lower the point to the center of the pie plate and gently unfold. Overlap pan edges with pie dough and trim below the edge, leaving enough dough for fluting, rolling, or edging with a fork.
• Pastry scraps make great treats! Shape into small tarts for extra mini-pie snacks, or cut in strips, brush with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake.

Shaping & Finishing Pie Crust

Want to make a truly eye-catching pie? Try these ideas for beautiful edges and top crusts:

• A fluted pie crust edge give pie extra pizzazz
• Shiny crust: Brush crust lightly with milk before baking
• Sugary crust: Moisten crust lightly with water or beaten egg white, and then sprinkle with sugar before baking.
• Glazed crust: Brush crust lightly with beaten egg yolk mixed with a little water.
• Glaze for baked pie crust: Drizzle a mixture of ½ cup of powdered sugar blended with 2-3 teaspoons of milk, orange juice, or lemon juice over warm baked pie.
  

Baking Pie Crust

Try these nifty tricks for well-behaved pie crusts:

• Bake pies between 375°F and 425°Fso that the pastry becomes flaky and golden brown and filling cooks all the way through.
• Keep crusts from over-browning by shielding them with aluminum foil strips. Remove foil strips 15 minutes before baking is complete so that edges can brown.
• Before baking an unfilled pie crust, prick the bottom thoroughly with a fork. Steam created during baking escapes through the holes so the crust won't puff up.
• Don't prick the crust of pies that you fill before baking (such as pumpkin and pecan pies). Otherwise, filling seeps under the crust during baking and the crust becomes soggy.

Tips courtesy Betty Crocker

Want to make your pie crust edges look beautiful? Here are some creative ideas from Bon Appetit.

Photo courtesy of www.bonappetit.com Pin It

How should I cook that meat again?

I know that beef is one of those proteins that people either love or hate (or love to hate). In my case, I enjoy a beautiful piece of steak, seasoned with just a little salt and pepper, cooked just this side of mooing. But growing up we really didn't eat that much red meat, instead we were enticed nightly to the table by a dried piece of overcooked chicken, no skin*, with just a little salt and pepper (enough salt to dry it out just slightly more than the 1 hour in the oven could). It was so sad, but then again we ate out of a fully functioning garden and milked goats for our daily dose of Vitamin D and Calcium, so the dry chicken with at least something that was purchased at the store where, what I thought at the time, normal people bought food. In my mom's defense (and so I don't sound like an ungrateful spoiled child) she fed us very well, she cared about our health before it was the "in" thing to do and I think we all benefited from it. I know that I had the healthiest heart in my 10th grade class.

What were we talking about??

Oh, so I was at the store today where I purchase my veggies, fruit, and milk and I got the greatest little thing I thought I should share with those who love their beef as I do. When steak goes on sale I always have to call my sister-in-law to find out if the steak special will need to be marinaded for a week before I can eat it or if I can just buy it and throw it on the grill. Well today I got a guild that tells me just that.

The following are cuts of beef and the best way to cook them.

Grilling

Ribeye Steak bone-in or boneless

NY Strip Steak bone in or boneless

Ball Tip Steak/Petite Sirloin Steak

Tri-Tip Steak

Porterhouse Steak

T-Bone Steak

Top Sirloin

Tenderloin Steak

Pan Cooking

Chuck Eye Steak

Shoulder Petite Tender Medallions

Flank steak (marinade first for best results)

Sirloin Roast

Cube Steak

Beef Cubes

Skirt Steak

Bottom Round Steak

Eye of Round Steak

Round Steak

Round Tip Steak

Sirloin Tip Steak

Top Round Steak

Chuck Shoulder Blade Steak

Flat Iron Steak

Sandwich Steak (what is this?)

Oven Roasting

Boneless Ribeye Roast

Bone-in Rib Roast

Bottom Round Roast

Boneless Rump Roast

Eye of Round Roast

Tip Roast

Sirloin Tip Roast

Top Round Roast

Tenderloin Butt Roast

Ball Tip Roast/Petite Sirloin Roast

Tenderloin Roast

Top Loin Roast

Boneless Top Sirloin Roast

Tri-Tip Roast

Slow Cooking

Brisket

7 Bone Pot Roast

Chuck Arm Roast

Chuck Cross Rib Roast

Chuck Pot Roast

Chuck Eye Roast

Chuck Shoulder Blade Steak

Chuck Mock Tender Roast

Chuck Top Blade Roast

Beef Shank

Stew Beef

Bottom Round Roast

Round Sirloin Tip Steak

Boneless Round Sirloin Tip Roast

Boneless Rump Roast

Beef Round Sirloin Tip Roast

Chuck Shoulder Roast

Short Ribs

* Ok, sometimes we got the skin.

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How To Store Your Freshly Baked Pie

I'm always wondering the proper way to store baked goods. How long is too long to keep them on the counter, etc... I found this information on the Betty Crocker Website.


Storage Tips 

• Be sure to refrigerate pies containing eggs (pumpkin, custard and cream pies). Be aware that custard and cream pies do not freeze successfully.
• Fruit pies keep at room temperature for two days; you can store them, loosely covered, in the refrigerator for up to two days longer. (In warm climates, always store fruit pies in the refrigerator.)
• You can freeze both baked and unbaked pie crusts. An unbaked crust will keep for 2 months in the freezer; a baked crust will keep for 4 months.
• To thaw a baked pie crust, unwrap and let stand at room temperature, or heat in the oven at 350°F for about 6 minutes.
• Don't thaw unbaked crusts; bake them right out of the freezer.
• Freeze a baked fruit pie for later! For best results, first bake the pie and then place it uncovered in the freezer. When completely frozen, wrap the pie tightly or place in a plastic freezer bag and place back in the freezer. Frozen, baked fruit pies will keep up to 4 months.
• To freeze an unbaked pie, wrap pie tightly or place in a plastic freezer bag (as you would a baked pie). Don't cut slits in the top crust. Unbaked fruit pies will keep in the freezer up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, unwrap and carefully cut slits in the still-frozen top crust. Do not thaw. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake 30 to 45 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits.
• To serve a frozen double-crust pie, unwrap and thaw at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat pie at 375°F on the lowest oven rack for 35 to 40 minutes or until warm.

Betty Crocker/Storing Pies Pin It

Apples

I have a love/hate relationship with apples. Sometimes I cannot get enough of them, especially when they are dipped in carmel or are in the form of any of those great concoctions that The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory comes up with. And then somedays they are too soft, a little too ripe, too warm, a little too brown. I do understand and have seen first hand the amazing power of the apple. My sister-in-law was very ill, the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her and she was losing weight at an alarming rate because she couldn't keep anything down. Her skin and the whites of her eyes were yellow, not light pretty yellow, but that yellow that just screams organ failure. Her doctor told her to eat an apple (seriously). She ate the apple (only half because she was sick after all) and you wouldn't believe it but the yellow drained from her eyes and skin (for about an hour). I couldn't believe it but I saw that day the importance of apples. That old saying might just be true, an apple a day just might keep the doctor away (for a short time anyway). I learned to eat apples, I even learned to like apples and somedays, I dare say, when the apple is perfectly crisp, sweet/tart and cool, I love apples. I especially want my apples covered in the crumble from this weeks recipe challenge. So remember, have your apple today. Pin It

Salted Butter or Unsalted Butter for Baking?

This question came up today in reference to this week's recipe of the week, apple pie. The recipe calls for unsalted butter. Someone wanted to know why that was. The truth was, I wasn't sure. I always use salted butter for baking because that is what I always have on hand. Now curious, I set out to do some online research. Every site I came across states to ALWAYS use unsalted butter in baking unless otherwise stated. A couple reasons given....first you have more control over the salt in your recipe. Also, the unsalted butter is better for the texture of your baked good.

As I stated, I always have used salted butter and think my baked goods turn out yummy, never too salty. That being said, I think I will now start baking with unsalted butter. Apparently it's the thing to do.;)

One of many links I found Pin It