Cream of "Something" Soup Recipe

I have so many recipes to post!  I'll try to catch up over the next few days.

First of all, though, I must share this recipe.  You have probably seen it on pinterest or blogs.  I've been meaning to try this out for months, and finally made some of this mix about a month ago.  This is why I think it is AWESOME!

1. It's cheap.  So, it's no secret that our family is on a tight budget.  In our 11 years of being married, I've never had to be so frugal with grocery shopping.  And cream of whatever soups are NOT cheap.  So, by making this mix, I am saving a significant amount of money over time.

2. It's healthier than the canned soup.  No preservatives, crazy amounts of salt, who knows what else...  just trustworthy ingredients you can probably find in your pantry.

3.  It's easy.  It took me five minutes to make up the mix and stick it in my pantry.  Then it takes me about five minutes to create the 'can of soup' for each recipe.  Easy peasy...

4.  It's DELICIOUS!  Surprisingly so!  I have now had the chance to use it in several completely different recipes.  One was a casserole that called for cream of chicken soup, another was a crock pot meal that called for cream of celery; I've used it in a sauce that wanted cream of mushroom... Every single one of these meals has turned out absolutely delicious!  I won't say that this recipe tastes exactly like a can of cream soup, but I am willing to bet that your family won't be able to tell the difference.  And honestly, I feel that the flavor was enhanced in my few experiences.

Are you convinced?  Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup non-fat dried milk
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup bouillon powder (If you have cubes you have to smash them up. You can use whatever kind you like, such as chicken, beef, or veggie.  The only kind I had enough of was beef, so that is what I used.  Next time I plan to try chicken.)
• 4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions (I didn't have any, so I used some onion salt instead)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (You could use dried parsley instead.)
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix everything together well and store in an air tight container.  I keep mine in the pantry with the instructions below on it:

When you need a can of cream of soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium or medium high heat, stirring, until thick.  It will look like the same consistency of the soup when it comes out of the can.

Voila! 

Dish Detergent

As you know, I've been making my own laundry detergent now for a couple of years, and love it.  For those same couple of years, I've been trying to find a dishwashing detergent recipe that I liked.  I've tried probably a dozen different combinations and recipes over time, unsuccessfully, but I've finally found one that I think actually cleans as well or better than the expensive store-bought stuff.  The KEY is using Lemishine.  Lemishine is a product found next to the rinse aids in the dish soap aisle.  I buy it at King Soopers (Smith's) or Wal-Mart, and have noticed it at other grocery stores.  The other ingredients are things I usually have around my house, because many of them double as the ingredients in my laundry detergent recipe.  I have been washing my dishes with this for about 4 months now, and am really pleased with the results.  I had a friend move and she gave me some liquid dishwashing detergent, so I have been using that for the past couple of weeks instead, and it doesn't come close to comparing to the quality of this homemade stuff!  I finally threw the last little bit out and just switched back to this homemade stuff because it's SO much better.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Arm & Hammer super washing soda
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 cup Lemishine 

Mix everything together and store in a plastic container.  Use 1 Tbsp per load.  I put this in the dishsoap section that doesn't have a lid covering it.  Use white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment of your dishwasher to help keep your dishes from getting spotty. I also fill the dishsoap section of my dishwasher with a lid with straight Lemishine.  Lemishine really is the KEY.

I got this recipe from The Lady with the Red Rocker, and she includes a price breakdown to show how much money you save by using this rather than store bought stuff.  Good luck, and happy dish washing!

How to Cook Bacon

Tried this idea off of pinterest, and it worked wonderfully! I'll never make bacon any other way again, I'm pretty sure! Thought I'd share it on here:

Source: marthastewart.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Cook bacon in the oven. Cover cookie sheet with tinfoil first. I made sure the tinfoil went up the sides a bit, as well, to avoid getting the pan dirty at all. Cook for 375 for about 20 min. Then all the bacon is done at the same time, meanwhile you are free to make the rest of breakfast. Also, clean up was SO MUCH EASIER than it is when I fry bacon - I just picked up the whole piece of tinfoil and threw it away - awesome!

Crayon-Removal 'Recipe'

Okay, so this isn't your typical 'recipe,' but maybe one of you might find it valuable someday!

I washed and dried a load of laundry without knowing that Katelee had stuck a green crayon in her pocket. Oh, no! I was so, so sad, because I thought it had ruined most of Katelee and Blake's best clothes and blankets. But then my friend gave me this 'Crayon-Removal Recipe.' I tried it out . . . and it worked like a charm! Amazing! The clothes are good as new, which is a huge relief to say the least. So, in case any of you ever have a similar experience, here is the recipe for getting crayon out of your clothing!

• 1 scoop Borax
• 1/2 bottle Spray n' wash (I used a large bottle)
• 1 small bottle white vinegar
• Regular amount of your laundry detergent
  

Fill your washer with the hottest water possible. Add clothes. Run the agitate cycle but don't let it drain. Turn the machine off & let it soak for at least a couple hours. Finish the laundry cycle & then send the clothes through a whole other wash to remove any residue.

Fondant

Ingredients & Recipes

It is important to use high-quality ingredients when making fondant. Using a store-brand powdered sugar or marshmallows can make the fondant come out with tiny rock-like lumps of sugar in it or change the consistency. I always use the brands named below.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
16 oz. white mini-marshmallows (Jet-Puffed brand)
2-5 T. water
2 pounds C&H Cane Powdered Sugar
white Crisco shortening

Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
1 batch Marshmallow Fondant
1 oz. top-quality bakers chocolate, melted
1 T. cocoa powder (use the best powdered cocoa you can get. The cheap brands take shortcuts on grinding the cocoa so you might get a grainy fondant if you use a cheap brand.)

Decorating Frosting Recipe
2 tsp. vanilla extract (or other flavors; you could use almond extract, mint extract, etc.)
8 T. milk or water
2 c. shortening
2 T. Wilton Meringue Powder (optional)
2 lb. (approximately 8 c.) powdered sugar

Cream shortening, flavorings and milk or water. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. Blend an additional minute or so, until creamy.

Chocolate Decorating Frosting Recipe
1 batch of decorating frosting
1 T. cocoa powder
1-2 oz. melted bakers chocolate

Mix all together as directed for the decorating frosting recipe, just adding in these ingredients.

Making your Fondant

1. Generously grease a large, microwave-safe bowl, a spatula, and your countertop. If you are using a stand-mixer, grease the bowl and dough hook of the mixer instead of your counter.

2. Melt the marshmallows and 2 T. of water in a microwave, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.

3. Pour the melted marshmallows onto your greased countertop and then pour about 1/2 your bag of powdered sugar on top. Be carefully, the marshmallows will be HOT!

4. Grease your hands generously. Seriously. Be generous. Between your fingers, both sides…

5. Start kneading the powdered sugar into the marshmallows, just like bread dough. Keep kneading! Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands as needed.

6. It usually takes about 8 minutes to incorporate all the powdered sugar and get the fondant to a good consistency.

*Note – The consistency of fondant is very important. You do NOT want it to be sticky. If it is sticking to you at all, you need to add more powdered sugar. On the other hand, you do NOT want it to be dry and tearing. If it feels too dry, try adding some Crisco, or add more water about 1/2 T. at a time.

7. If you want to store the fondant, coat it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, smother it in plastic wrap and then put it in a air-tight Ziploc bag. You can refrigerate it for weeks, if needed.

8. If you want to use the fondant now, color it if desired by adding food coloring and kneading it in.

Decorating with Fondant

1. On a clean surface spread plenty of powdered sugar.

2. Put your disk of fondant on the powdered sugar and begin rolling it out like a piecrust. You probably want it about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch thick. (If you don’t have a non-stick rolling pin, coat your rolling pin with powdered sugar.)

*Note - If you notice a bubble in the surface, take a thin sharp needle and poke a tiny hole, at an angle, in the bubble. If you poke straight down, you can almost always see the hole even after the most careful smoothing. The angled hole lets the air out of the bubble, and with a tiny bit of rubbing you can reseal the hole.

3. As you roll out the fondant, continually pick it up and flip it over and move it around to make sure that it’s not sticking to the countertop. Add more powdered sugar as needed.

4. When the fondant is rolled out to the desired size, pick up half the fondant and fling over your arm or your rolling pin. Quickly place one edge of the fondant over the cake, unrolling as you go, letting the fondant fall onto the cake.

5. With your hand, begin smoothing the fondant onto the cake. Start with the top. Then begin smoothing the edges. If doing a round cake, pretend it’s a clock. Smooth the edge at 12 o’clock, then move to the edge at 6 o’clock, then 3 and 9, etc. If a wrinkle is developing, pull on the bottom of the fondant and re-smooth. Keep working it out until all wrinkles are gone and the fondant is smooth.

6. Trim the edges with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

7. Decorate as desired! Cut out and shape your own decorations out of fondant. A drop of water on the back of a piece of fondant is the perfect glue and all that is necessary to hold it in place.

Storing Your Fondant Covered Cake

Most decorators feel that a fondant covered cake will hold the moisture in the cake for 3 to 5 days, depending on your atmosphere. I personally have never done a cake more than 1 or so days in advance. I like the cake to have a fresh taste.

There is no need to cover your fondant covered cake for moisture reasons; the fondant itself acts as a cover and keeps the cake moist and fresh.

Do not refrigerate your covered cake! When you take the cake out of the refrigerator, moisture will condense and destroy your beautiful surface. If you don’t want to leave the cake just sitting out, your best option is to store the cake in a sealed bakery box. The cardboard sides of a box will keep the dust in the air off the cake, but allows the Fondant to breath.

Other Resources

If you want to see some pictures of what fondant is, and look at some fondant cakes I've done, you can view my cake blog at www.CakesByJenn.blogspot.com

Also, if you want to learn more about fondant and cake decorating, here are some great resources where I have learned a lot!

YouTube – type in fondant or decorating a cake or whatever you are interested in learning about and watch videos demonstrating these skills. Very useful!

www.wilton.com - Has tons of great information about making and decorating cakes, including fun ideas!

www.whatscookingamerica.net/Peg@/DecoratingFondantQA.htm - probably the most useful site I used when first getting started!

www.ices.org - a fun and useful site!

www.cakecentral.com - a fun gallery of pictures and ideas!

How to Cook Asaparagus

We love asparagus at our house!

2 lbs. fresh asparagus
butter
salt

Trim woody ends from asparagus and discard. Cook asparagus in a large pot of boiling, salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse asparagus under cold water. Drain well. Butter and salt to taste.

Red Pepper Pasta

A rich, sweet pasta. I don't love raw red peppers very much, but I LOVE this pasta because the peppers are cooked with these other amazing ingredients! (Kara, if you ever read this, I will think of you every time we make this -forever!)

3 red peppers
capers (about half a small jar)
crushed red pepper to taste
1 large can stewed tomatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 pint heavy whipping cream (or a little less)
noodles

Roast the red peppers cut in half on foil at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Peel off the skin and chop up. Sauté in olive oil. Add tomatoes, capers, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Boil down till most of the liquid is gone. (It doesn’t have to be all gone.) Add the whipping cream right before you add to the noodles. Start boiling the noodles about the time that you add the tomatoes. The longer you let the mixture boil, the better it tastes.

How to Roast Red Peppers

Many recipes call for roasted peppers. Follow these instructions for easy roasting.

4 red peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, cored and seeded
olive oil

Preheat the broiler. Lay the pepper pieces skin-side-up on a flat broiling pan and place the pan 3 to 4 inches below the heat. Broil the peppers for about 10 minutes until the skins are charred (they should be black). Remove peppers to a plastic bag for 15 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bad and slip off the charred skins. Place the peppers in a quart storage jar on plastic bad. Add olive oil just to cover. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to a week.

Candy-Making Tips

Temperatures for Cooking Candy

Some cooks prefer to use a candy thermometer and some prefer to use the old-fashioned cold-water way to test the doneness of candy. Below there are directions for both.

Thread Stage - begins at 230 degrees F. - Makes a long thread when dropped in cold water.

Soft Ball - 234 degrees F. - Forms a soft ball that doesn't hold its shape. Cream candies, fudge, fondants are done at the softball stage.

Firm Ball - 246 degrees F. - This ball will only flatten with pressure. Divinity and Caramels.

Hard Ball - 250 degrees F. - This ball will hold its shape when pressed. Taffy.

Soft Crack - 270 degrees F. - Separates into bendable threads. Toffee and Butterscotch.

Hard Crack - 300 degrees F. - Becomes brittle. Peanut Brittle.

Caramelize - 310 degrees F.

Pie Crust Paint

1 egg white
food coloring

Mix food coloring into one egg white. Use a toothpick or paintbrush to brush the color onto the top crust of an uncooked pie to make pictures such as holly leaves, pumpkins, Christmas trees, etc. When the pie bakes, the color will turn deep and vibrant and create a beautiful pie!

Mom’s Pie Crust Saver

1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. flour

Mix these together and put in the pie plate before putting the uncooked crust into the plate. This prevents the bottom of the piecrust from getting soggy.

Mom’s Homemade Gravy

How to make mom's delicious gravy!

juices from the cooked meat (such as a turkey or chicken)
gravy seasoning envelope (optional, but adds more flavor)
water
flour
salt and pepper

Pour the hot juices from the cooked meat into a pan. Mix the gravy mix with 1/2 the amount of water suggested on the package. Add to the juices. Mix cold water with the flour and stir until smooth. Set aside. Bring the juices to a boil, slowly, over medium heat. Gradually add the flour mixture until the desired consistency has been reached. Serve immediately.