Recipes for Non-Cooks

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Homemade Goodies

HOMEMADE SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1-1/4 cups or a 14 ounce can.
Keeps in the refrigerator.

"This recipe will save you lots of money over the years. Needs to be refrigerated."

HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT

This makes a wonderful Mother's Day or Christmas present for someone youlove who loves to bake. Simply use the prettiest alcohol beveragebottle you can find, and remove the outer papering. Then decorate the bottle in the manner you wish, and add a pretty bow. It'll be a treasured gift never to be surpassed!

1 large vanilla bean
1 pint dark rum (light rum or vodka works as well)

Place vanilla bean in rum bottle and let sit in a dark place for a minimum of 1 month. The longer the vanilla sits the better the flavor is extracted from the bean.

NOTE: This is a never-ending supply of vanilla, because you just simply keep adding the rum to your vanilla as you use it.

HOMEMADE CHEEZ WHIZ

1/4 pound margarine
2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cut up
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar

Melt together in a double boiler. Stir well . ..You could add pimiento, bacon pieces, or 1 teaspoon yellow mustard if desired . Makes 3 pints. You could halve this recipe.

HOMEMADE BISQUICK

1 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon "Promise-lighter" margarine

Combine all, and store in fridg. I use this recipe in place of Bisquick all the time. It has never failed me.

Lighter Pancakes

Here's a well-kept secret:

DON'T TELL ANOTHER SOUL!!

Did you know that for lighter and fluffier pancakes you can use club soda instead of milk in the batter?

Noncook, Dianne 11323 says,

"Don't tell anyone about this either...CLUB SODA MAKE THE BEST HOME MADE BAKING POWDER BISQUIT'S!!! It's our secret!!!"

No-Spill Gelatin

When making gelatin, place the mold in the refrigerator before pouring in the last cup of liquid or fruit. This prevents the spills that often occur when transferring a full mold to the refrigerator

Store all your pastas in canning jars or glass pickle, or mayo jars, well cleaned. Pasta will stay fresher and jars stack nicely. You will be able to see what you need at a glance in your pantry for the grocery list..

Note from McClug:

Dianne, I love this idea for pasta shapes. I heard once you could store long pasta in those Pringles Potato Chip cans, but of course you can't see inside. Since I always break long pasta into two pieces before cooking it anyway, maybe it would fit in the glass jars O.K. I'll give it a try.

Instead of using a knife to butter hot corn on the cob, just butter a piece of sliced bread; hold the bread in one hand and roll the hot ear of corn over the buttered bread, evenly coating the corn with butter without the mess.

Easy grilled pocket's for all veggies..

Releasable foil. (great stuff!!) Your choice of size. Your foil must be large enough to be folded and sealed on all ends after adding your veggie and/or meat.

Some quick ideas:

Boneless pork cut of your choice, hamburger steak, your choice steak cut, or boneless chicken parts of your choice. Marinade of your choice. I use a cheap bottle of real oil Italian dressing. There is enough oil in the dressing for a nice marinade. Discard marinade. Rinse meat. Hamburger steaks need no marinade.

Seasonings of your choice.

Frozen CUBED potatoes (I use the style with the peppers and onions). I like to thaw these a bit.

I usually use frozen veggies or raw for this. Yet that will add to grilling or baking time. Cook your choices on the stove or in the microwave until tender..

The sky is the limit!! Add your favorites.

Wrap up and place on a slow to medium grill, turning a couple of times. Use a nice big spatula to turn and remove.

A splash of liquid of your choice is great. OR, AN ICE CUBE OR TWO added before sealing..

In oven, 350 degrees. Lay on a baking pan. Turn a couple of times. Cook depending on desired doneness of meat and veggies.

Enjoy the company of others while your personal pockets grill or bake.

Roasting Vegetables

I love roasted vegetables of all sorts. Here's a hint from B. Brace of Strongsville, Ohio via "Cuisine" magazine, May/June 2000. http://www.cuisineathome.com

To put a nice caramelized crust on roasted vegetables, preheat a skillet or a heavy duty baking sheet in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the preheated skillet; they'll sizzle when they hit the hot pan, creating a beautiful caramelized crust.

Mess-free Measuring Cups

To avoid the frustration of trying to clean measuring cups that have contained a solid fat such as shortening or lard, line the measuring cup with plastic wrap before adding the fat. Push the fat into the cup with a spatula or wooden spoon to be sure the cup is full. When you remove the fat, the measuring cup stays clean. You can wrap the fat in the plastic to chill it before cutting it into the flour for pie dough.

New Uses for Old Things

I use the carboard box part of the Velvetta cheese boxes as a pen, colored pencil, marker, notepads, household stuff, nuts and bolts, hair pins,sharp knives, EVERYTHING... EVERYWHERE IN THIS HOUSE.
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Elise uses the straight tall glass olive bottles for her paint brushes.
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I like to make flavored oils with garlic, onions and peppers for cooking. These work well for this also.
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The small glass jars from tartar sauces or horseradish sauces make a wonderful baking soda container for the bathroom. My family brushes their teeth at least twice a week with straight baking soda and peroxide. These also make a nice sized jar for Glen's dressings and/or salsas for his lunch.
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The big plastic bottles from the liquid soaps? Or gallon milk jug? These can be made into plant starters. A few rocks and a small hole or two in the bottom placed on an old pizza pan...you have an herb garden or starter flower/veggie garden.
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Old cake pan's work well in the garage as a drip pan...or as a cat's box.
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Worn out, stretched out clothes lines (not wire ones) make good tie-downs for a short trip.
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Old style heavy draperies you plan to discard make a good tarp for a short road trip or tarping in sheds and garages.
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Paper grocery bags make wonderful easy book covers for school...Or, if you wish to wrap something in brown paper.
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I have made Holloween masks out of the DRYER LINT for many years.

Note from McClug:

Those are great ideas, Dianne. Here are a couple more:

Stuff plastic produce or grocery bags into an empty Kleenex box. Remove one at a time when needed.
Store the boxes containing plastic sandwich bags, rolls of tin foil, plastic wrap and the like upright in the slots of a cardboard six-pack container that once held beer or soda bottles.
Use flat bottomed coffee filters in place of little bowls or ramekins when cutting up small quantities of ingredients for stir-fry etc. When you are done just throw the filters in the trash. Paper cups can be used as well. Nothing to wash afterwards,

Drying Salad Greens

I saw someone do this once but I had forgotten about it because Ihave a salad spinner, but if you don't have a salad spinner, just put your washed greens in a plastic grocery bag lined with lots of paper towels. Twist the top of the bag closed tightly, then spin it around your head in a loop like a lasso. The greens will be perfectly dry and ready to use...

...they will also be very dizzy.

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