Homemade Ketchup (Merrick)

As you know, this we're posting about homemade condiments, and this is the one that I chose to make from Everyday Cheapskate.

Clone of Heinz Ketchup

1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth. When mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove pan from heat and cover until cool. Chill and store in a covered container in refrigerator. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

I have to admit that I never buy name brand ketchup. Too expensive, and not really worth it for something that we so rarely use. So I can't see myself making this too often (unless of course my baby grows up to LOVE ketchup), especially because when I looked at the ingredients for my Kroger brand ketchup, they were almost identical to this recipe. No weird chemically ingredients.

But despite all that, the recipe was actually pretty close to the real deal. Mine was a tad bit sweeter than store-bought ketchup, but that may have something to do with my lack of accurate measuring. If you're a big Ketchup fan, definitely give this a try because it will save you money and get you pretty close to that taste you're used to!

Homemade Ranch Dressing (Janssen)

Vegetable oil, egg yolk, sugar, salt, buttermilk, spices, garlic, onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, MSG, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.

Appetizing list, yes? I do love some disodium guanylate with my dinner. That's what's in your standard bottle of Ranch Dressing (this list is from Hidden Valley Ranch, although let me tell you, it is NOT easy to find the ingredient list ANYWHERE on their site).

In my ongoing attempts to limit the amount of processed foods we eat, I've started making my own ranch dressing. I have a glass bottle that something else came in that I washed and saved (do I sound like I lived through the Great Depression?), so that it's easy to keep in the fridge and also pour from. The recipe is super easy and I think it's delicious:

Homemade Ranch 
(adapted from Annie Eats)

¾ cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
¾ cup sour cream (light is fine)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley or cilantro (frankly, I like cilantro better)
1 green onion (green part only) or chives
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
2 TB -1/2 cup buttermilk

Put all ingredients except buttermilk in the blender and process until smooth; add buttermilk until desired consistency is reached. Store in fridge for up to two weeks.

As a side note, I tend to like my ranch somewhat thinner than the kind from the grocery store. I feel like it coats my salad better, instead of being a few large clumps. My husband, on the other hand, likes his more the consistency of a dip, rather than a dressing. The amount of buttermilk you put in is what's going to make the difference - if you like it thick, go really light on the buttermilk. If you like it a little more runny, put in a little bit more.

Homemade Mayonnaise (Carole)

Like you, I read lots of blogs.  One that I check out on a regular basis is Everyday Cheapskate by Debt Proof Living.  

This past week they posted 3 recipes for basic pantry items.  The girls and I decided that we would each take one of these recipes and make it this week and let you know how we liked it.  Since my jar of mayonnaise was down to the scraping stage, I got that one.

I remember making homemade mayonnaise years ago when I first bought my Cuisinart food processor.  It was not a huge success, messy to make and oily to eat.  So, this time around I was still a bit skeptical, but willing to try it out for the sake of you, our readers!

Here's the recipe:

Clone of Best Foods (Hellman’s) Mayonnaise

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice (bottled ok)

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash white pepper

1 cup vegetable oil, at room temperature

Break egg into a 1-quart glass canning jar. Add lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, white pepper and vegetable oil. Place handheld emulsion blender (turned off) all the way to the bottom of the jar, pressing down over the egg. Turn it on high speed. Hold in place for about 5 seconds until you see mayonnaise begin to form. Slowly lift the blender upward until it reaches the top of the jar, about 5 more seconds. Cover and leave on counter for about 8 hours, to give the vinegar and lemon juice sufficient time to kill any bacteria that may be present in the egg (or use pasteurized egg). Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 cup.

I got all the ingredients out, dug out my immersion blender and found a quart jar.  I dumped everything in the jar, put in the immersion blender for the required 10 seconds (that's right, 10 seconds!).  Instantly I had real-life mayonnaise!  I tentatively tasted it and it was SO CREAMY and luscious!  I must say it is beautiful.  Can mayonnaise be beautiful??  

Right now it's sitting on the counter working its way through the 8 hours that hopefully (I'll let you know. . . ) kills any bacteria in the egg and then it will go in the fridge for the night and onto our sandwiches in the morning.  

Happily, this recipe doesn't contain the "Concentrated Natural Flavors," and Calcium Disodium EDTA (whatever they are?) -- that are in my bottle of store bought mayonnaise.  Anytime I can avoid a mass-produced, processed food, I'm happy!

Holiday Baking (Carole)

Two weeks ago, when we asked you for your best gift ideas for the holidays, many of you mentioned baking.  That is music to a frugal wife's ears!  All you have to do is find a good recipe, buy your supplies in bulk and heat up the oven.  It's just about that easy.  And think of all the money you'll save on scented candles during the holidays, since your house will already smell like a pumpkin pie is in the oven -- because it is!

Here is one of my favorite holiday recipes that only costs a couple of dollars to make.  From October until New Year's, I make a batch 2 -3 times per week.  These really are that good.  It's adapted from the pumpkin bread recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Muffin cookbook.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins   

1 1/2  cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chocolate chips

I just mix everything together, fill 12 pre-greased (or sprayed) muffin tins and bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes.

I've heard that it's been another bad year for the pumpkin crop, so if you are planning to buy canned pumpkin, you probably ought to pick them up soon.  Just to be on the safe side.

Cooking With a Crock Pot (Merrick)

I ran across an article on Brokelyn.com last week. It was about cooking cheaply with a crock pot -- you can find the full article here.

Basically the article just talks about this guy that started using his crock pot to make one big meal that would last him a week. His crock pot creations started out pretty bad, but he soon discovered quite a few great recipes that he could make very inexpensively and that would last all week. His food savings were huge because he was only making one meal a week, but also his time savings were pretty big. And as we all know, time is money.

This got me thinking about cooking using the crock pot. I love the idea of spending $15 a week on food -- we certainly spend more than that -- but I don't love the idea of eating the same thing every day for lunch and dinner for seven days straight. So I'd like to think of this in the sense that time is money, so we're saving money by saving time. If you've ever cooked with a crock pot, you know how easy it is. It's my favorite Sunday meal because I can throw everything in before we leave for church, and then come home to a delicious smelling house and have dinner on the table in less than ten minutes. But really this is pretty much the extent of my crock pot use.

Then, a few months ago, I ran across a recipe that was for dessert made in the crock pot, and this opened up an entire new world of adventurous cooking. I realized I could use this great tool to make more than just a Sunday dinner roast. I could make soup, pasta dishes, rice dishes, fondue, caramel dip, cake, and a million other categories of food. Oh, the things I've been missing out on, like all these amazing sounding desserts! Who knew you could use a crock pot to make all of those? Think of all the time you could save by making a four course meal all in the crock pot (that is, if you had four crock pots...).

So, are you crock pot users? Are you adventurous and make a wide variety of food in the crock pot? Or, like me, do you mostly just use it for roasts? Do tell...and share your recipes if you're so inclined.

Substitutes (Merrick)

I think I would consider myself an adventurous cook. I'm not one of those people that tries a new recipe every night, but I do like to experiment every once in a while. Many times, these recipes call for ingredients that I don't typically use, and then, unfortunately, don't use again. For example, I tried some new recipe recently that called for cake flour. I bought a small-ish box, use a cup or two for the recipe, and since that time that box has sat in my pantry, untouched. Bad news.

Well if I'd been smart, I would have searched online for cake flour substitutes, because I would have found out that I could use all-purpose flour and cornstarch instead.

Although I don't spend a lot of money on ingredients that I'll never use again, I do spend some occasionally and looking back I feel like it's wasted money. Especially if there is a perfectly good substitute.

I have several cookbooks that have a page or two in the back dedicated to ingredient substitutions. I'm sure you do too. So next time you have a recipe that calls for some unusual recipe, don't waste your money; use a substitute.

Eating On a Dollar A Day (Carole & Janssen)

I'm out in Boston with Janssen and her sweet new baby.  Plus her little family is days away from a move across the country.  We're a bit busy, to say the least!  So, rather than writing a post today, we're sharing a very interesting Time Magazine article, and the accompanying  blog, about 2 people who are feeding themselves on $1 per day.  Maybe a bit extreme, but it will get you thinking about your own food budget in a whole new way!

You'll quickly notice that they eat vegan.  

Time Magazine Article
http://www.dollaradaybook.com/blog 


Hope you're having a happy, happy day!!

Baked Corn (Carole)

I haven't posted a recipe for quite awhile, and with the 4th of July right around the corner I thought this might be a good one to pass on.  The end result looks a lot like corn bread, but let me assure you, it is so much better than that!  For a vegetarian (or someone just looking to have a hearty dish without meat) it is an absolute winner as a main dish.  I often use it as a really tasty side-dish with ribs or ham.  It would make a great dish to take to a picnic with fire-works -- travels well and is a real crowd pleaser.  Guaranteed you'll come home with an empty dish!  I got this recipe from my friend Traci about 10 years ago and she told me, "This will instantly become your husband's favorite dish!"  And she was absolutely right, there are always shouts of joy when I bring this to the table!  (No kidding).  So, here it is:

Baked Corn

1 can whole kernel corn (.73)
1 can creamed corn (.73)
1 cup sour cream (.50)
1 box Jiffy Corn Mix (.44)
1 egg beaten (.10)
1 stick butter or  margarine melted (.69)

Mix them all together and pour into a 9x9 buttered dish.  Bake at 350 for 45 - 50 minutes until the top if lightly browned.  SO Yummy!

Total cost:  $3.19

Recipe Wednesday: Lettuce Wraps (Merrick)

One of my family's favorite restaurants is P.F. Changs. Whenever we go, at least one of us gets the lettuce wraps because they're just too good not to get. I never considered trying to make them at home until Real Simple sent me a recipe for lettuce wraps in their daily recipe email. Their recipe looked pretty good, so I decided to give it a whirl.

After dinner, Philip and I both declared that they were far better than P.F. Changs. Then I passed the recipe onto my little sister, and she reported the same thing. Try it out and judge for yourself which ones are better..

Chicken and Cashews in Lettuce Cups

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce ($.20)
3 tablespoons honey ($.10)
2 tablespoons canola oil ($.10)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces ($3.00)
pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped ($.10)
1 tablespoon ginger ($.05)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced ($.60)
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained (I left these out, so I don't know how much they cost)
1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews ($1.00)
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated ($1.00)

1. Combine the soy sauce and honey in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
3. Lower heat to medium and stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the scallions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the water chestnuts and half the soy sauce mixture and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cashews.
4. Divide the lettuce leaves among individual plates and spoon the chicken over the top. Serve with the remaining soy sauce mixture for drizzling.

(Serves 4)

Total Cost: $6.15

If you determine that these are better than P.F. Chang's, make these when you're in need of a Chinese food fix. You'll save money since P.F. Changs are $7.50 (plus tip!), and you'll save yourself the trouble of driving over there!

Recipe Wednesday (Janssen)

In Texas, where I lived for the last three years, there was a little Indian grocery store that my husband and I absolutely loved, not because we bought a lot of Indian food, but because there was a tiny little restaurant counter in the back that had some of the best (and cheapest) curry and naan we'd ever had. The low-cost of living, the great weather, and our good friends aside, that place might be the thing we miss most about Texas.

We could purchase a serving of chicken tikka masala with rice (enough to feed us both a full meal) for the whopping price of $8.99. Not bad.

I've been leary of making Indian food at home because it's never anywhere as good as that from a restaurant, but I've made this recipe now TWICE and when I made it this weekend, my husband told me it was the best Indian food he'd ever had outside a restaurant. We both had the leftovers for lunch the next day and enjoyed them even more.

It's still probably not QUITE as good as what you'd get if you went out, but it's definitely fairly close, and it's far cheaper. Also, it's unbelievably easy.

Coconut Chicken Curry
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
(serves 6)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks ($3.50)
1 teaspoon salt ($0.01)
1/2 teaspoon pepper ($0.01)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil ($0.05)
2 tablespoons curry powder ($0.75)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (substitute cayenne pepper if you like it more spicy) ($0.02)
1/2 onion, diced ($0.20)
2 cloves garlic, crushed ($0.05)
4 potatoes, cut into chunks (if I use red potatoes, I leave the skins on, if not, I peel them) ($1.00)
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk ($0.99)
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes ($1.00)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce ($0.50)
3 tablespoons sugar ($0.04)

Basmati rice (cooked) ($1.50)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant, stirring to keep from burning. Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook ten minutes more or until onions are very clear. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked on the outside (it will cook all the way through later). Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Total cost - $9.62 for six servings (even at our dirt-cheap Indian place in Texas, this would have cost us  $26.97).

Recipe Wednesday: Flavorful Italian Soup (Merrick)

Well folks, I'm back on the blogging bandwagon. Thank you for all your sweet comments about our little guy. We're all recovering very well, and actually getting quite a bit of sleep! We couldn't have asked for a better baby!

Along with the birth of our baby, we had many people bringing over meals, as well as my mom cooking for us while she was here for a week. So now that our stash of leftovers and frozen meals are depleting, I'm forced to start cooking again. For these next few weeks when I'm adjusting to being a full time mom and juggling everything that goes along with that role, I'm going to keep cooking pretty simple. Guaranteed to be included in those simple meals is one our favorites -- Flavorful Italian Soup.

Although there are quite a few ingredients, it's one of those recipes where you chop everything up and throw it in a pot all at once. So easy.


Flavorful Italian Soup
1/2 smoked sausage link, sliced ($1.50)
4 cups chicken broth ($0.16)
1 cup water
2 medium potatoes, cubed (peeled if desired) ($0.30)
1 cup chopped carrot ($0.30)
1/2 cup chopped onion ($0.10)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms ($1.00)
1 teaspoon dried basil ($0.05)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ($0.05)
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce ($0.05)
Dash garlic salt
1/3 package broken uncooked spaghetti (2-inch pieces) ($0.40)

In a large cooking pot, combine sausage, broth, water, vegetables, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add spaghetti. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes longer or until spaghetti and vegetables are tender. Serves 4.

Total Cost: $3.91. That's pretty hard to beat.

Homemade (Janssen)

If you're willing to eat the very cheapest bread available at the store (the store-brand of Wonder Bread, likely), it's probably least expensive to buy bread. If the idea of having your bread adhere to the roof of your mouth makes you a bit ill, however (like me!), you may be able to save money by making your own bread.

The bread I buy at the grocery store (whole wheat, minimal extra filler ingredients) costs, on sale, about $2.50 - $3.00 per loaf. After a while, this started to seem like a place I could save some money, have some healthier bread, and make my homemade-bread loving husband happier.

This is the recipe I use, which I calculate costs me about $0.70 per loaf (not counting the energy it costs to run the oven). I also think it might be a bit cheaper for you depending on where you live, since I know flour and sugar were cheaper in Texas than they are for me now in Boston.

I've also updated the recipe to use instant yeast, which I really like because it shaves a good hour off your time since you don't need to proof the yeast or let it rise before you shape it.

Whole Wheat Bread (recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
(2 loaves)


2 3/4 cups warm water (for all intents and purposes, free)
1/4 cup sugar ($0.05)
1/4 cup oil ($0.06)
1 tablespoon instant yeast ($0.04)
1 tablespoon salt ($0.01)
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten ($0.08)
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk ($0.10)
1 cup white flour ($0.17)
4-5 cups white wheat flour ($0.89)

Combine yeast sugar, oil, salt, gluten and dry milk together in the bowl and mix with an electric mixer or by hand. Add white flour and mix well. Continue adding the whole wheat flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and the dough is soft but not overly sticky. Knead for 10 minutes until a soft, smooth dough has formed.

Form into 2 loaves. Place the loaves into lightly greased bread pans and cover. Let them rise until the dough has risen about 1 1/2 inches above the top of the bread pan.
Place the bread pans in cold oven. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 38 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn out the bread onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

I slice up my entire loaves, put them in bread bags (which I've saved from my store-bought bread), and stick them in the freezer. Easy and delicious.

Recipe Wednesday - Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken (Merrick)

This is a recipe I recently tried out of the The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook. I mentioned this cookbook before and there were several commenters who said they were nervous about a $5 dinner; did these dinners only include spaghetti, casseroles, and ramen noodles? Well here is a recipe that proves the $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook has great options. In fact, after making this, Philip said it went into his top 10 recipes that I've ever made (that top 10 list doesn't include soups...that man would eat soup or stew every day for the rest of his life if I would make it for him).

Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($1.66)
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp olive oil ($.50)
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes ($.03)
1/4 cup bread crumbs ($.25)
2 heads broccoli ($.79)
1 package (16 oz) shell pasta ($.97)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ($.50)

Pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper to a thickness of 1/3 inch. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with 1 tsp of the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

In a skillet, saute the chicken breasts for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Remove from the skillet and let cool. When cool, dice the chicken and set aside.

Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Place them in a shallow saucepan with the 1/3 cup of olive oil and heat gently until the garlic takes on a golden color. Add crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of zing. Remove from the heat and set aside, uncovered.

In the same skillet used to saute the chicken, toast the bread crumbs until brown and set aside.

Remove the stems from the broccoli and separate into florets. Cook the broccoli florets in boiling salted water until they turn bright green. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta and reserve water to the pot.

Toss the broccoli and chicken with the cooked pasta. Pour the headed oil with the garlic cloves and red pepper flakes over the pasta and toss. Finally toss with the grated Parmesan and toasted bread crumbs.

**I like a little sauce with my pasta, and usually the pasta water doesn't really do it for me. So I made a half batch of $5 dinner mom's Homemade Basic White Sauce and tossed that with the meal right before serving**

Homemade Basic White Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter ($.40)
6 tablespoons flour ($.10)
3 cups milk ($.30)
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the flour and whisk with the melted utter until it forms a paste and bubbles.

Whisk in the milk. Whisk until flour and butter have dissolved into the milk.

Cook the sauce over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring continuously. The sauce will begin to thicken, as it bubbles and cooks. Add milk and flour one tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency for your meal. Add more milk for a thinner sauce. Add more flour for a thicker sauce.

Cost for Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken: $4.80
Cost for half batch of White Sauce: $.40

Total Cost for Dinner (that made plenty of leftovers for the next day): $5.20

Recipe Wednesday - Beef Stroganoff (Carole)

It's nice to have a sense of what your at-home recipes cost to cook -- and we are here to help!  You typically save about 80 - 90% by cooking dinner at home instead of going to a restaurant.  Now that feels great!!

Beef Stroganoff

(Cost for entire dish = $5.67)

Serves between 4 - 6 people.  Depending on the people.

2+ lbs beef roast  ($4.27)

1 Dry Onion Soup mix ($0.90)

1/4 cup water

1 cup sour cream ($0.50)

Cut the roast into 2 inch pieces, place in a crock pot on low.  Add onion soup mix and water.  Cook for 6 - 8 hours, stirring occasionally and adding small amounts of water if it gets dry.  10 minutes before serving, stir in sour cream and let heat through.

Serve over rice, potatoes or pasta.

These ingredient prices are so low because I watch for in-store sales.  The meat was $1.89/lb (nearly half price) and my local store almost always has store brand sour cream for $1.00 for a pint.  I usually buy the store brand of soup mix which is about half the price of Liptons.  

And I LOVE my crock pot.  It works all day and has dinner ready and smelling divine when I'm ready to feed my hungry crew.