Bittersweet tangerine/orange jam

Recently I found good bargains on lemons, oranges, and tangerines.   I have plenty of frozen oranges in the freezer already.  What do I do with a windfall of several oranges and tangerines?  I decided to make tangerine/orange jam.   This is a bittersweet jam. 

This jam can be made with only oranges.

Or it can be made with only tangerines or a combination of both.  Use whatever you find.

Here is the basic ingredient list:

5 oranges (or tangerines or both)

2 lemons

1 1/2 cup honey (or 3 cups sugar)

This basic recipe makes 3 half pints.  I'll explain the recipe but the photos are of a much larger batch.  I had bunches of tangerines and oranges so I multiplied the ingredients to make lots more. 

Take one whole orange, remove the seeds, slice into small sections, rind and all.  Put this into a blender or a food processor and grind it into a paste.  The rind should be very tiny pieces.  In this recipe the rind provides the pectin and the juice provides the acid.

Now peel and remove the seeds of the lemons and the remaining oranges.   Put these through the blender or food processor too.  Put it all into a large pot big enough to allow for expansion of the liquids during cooking.  I'm using a large stock pot for my larger batch.

Add the sugar and stir together. 

Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil that can't be stirred down.   It will start to foam but this is ok, do not remove the foam.   Be sure it doesn't boil over.  

Boil at a rolling boil for at least 10 minutes or until it resembles a thick syrup.  Stir frequently.  The foam will eventually die down. 

Turn off the heat and pour jam into jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.   If you made the small batch then the jars can be allowed to cool and stored in the refrigerator.  Allow the jam to age for atleast two weeks before eating or it will taste very bitter.  Aging improves the taste. 

I made a big batch for long term storage so I processed my jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.  My batch made 9 pints. 

I have enough tangerines, oranges, and lemons to make 18 more pints.  Some will be given to neighbors.

More discount bin bargains

Monday was shopping day.  It's different now that I shop once a month.  When I shopped every 3 to 6 months it would take me well over a week to preserve the bargains I found.  This time, I've been in the kitchen for 3 days with 1 more to go before I get back to the quilting work.

  Here's a few of the bargains I found.  This flour was one dollar a bag.  A lot less pricey than flour has been for quite awhile.  I bake my own bread and make my own scratch cakes.  Umm..... I use flour for lots of other things too.

I found these and bought them.  They are tomato bullion with chicken flavor.  I can use these in soups or as an ingredient in meatloaf.  Also in any food that a tomato flavor can be added.  I might even use this for making tomato soup.

These were a dollar and a quarter a bag.  I haven't seen that low price in several months.  Not a discount bin find but a good price anyway since I was out of cornmeal.

Grapes were on sale for 99 cents a pound but I found these on the discount table for 75 cents a pound.  I put these in the freezer first thing.  Grapes go bad very quickly and I didn't want to loose the money I spent on them.  Eating frozen grapes is sort of like eating a grape Popsicle.   Set some on a counter for awhile and they are just like fresh picked.

I found green peppers and onions on the discount table too.   I have enough of those in the freezer to use in my cooking so I decided to make pepper/onion relish.    I had just enough to make 6 pints.  It's used sort of like you would use pickle relish..... but there's no cucumbers in it.

I found a really good bargain on lemons and.....

tangerines and oranges.

I have more than enough of these in the freezer too.  I decided to make orange/tangerine jam with them.  I'm going to do a tutorial on this. 

I also found discounted ground pork and chicken thighs.  I'm going to make chicken/pork sausage today. 

I found a really good non-food bargain too.  This is a wind up radio and flashlight.  I bought one for me and one for my brother.   What's really neat about this is that it can charge up a cell phone too.  A few cranks of the handle is all that's needed...... IF it works like it says it does.   This will be great for when there's a power outage. 

For several months I've been searching for rennet tablets.  I was unable to find it anywhere.  Imagine my surprise when these showed up on the discount table at the store I had searched the most often.  It's used for making ice cream but that's not what I want them for.

I wanted rennet tablets because I thought maybe I would try making my own cheese.  I drink powdered milk but sometimes I find whole milk that's discounted.  I'm thinking it can't be very different to make an aged cheese.  Well, I had looked and looked for rennet.  I asked at several stores but no one seemed to know what rennet was.  When asked what I needed it for; I told them I planned to make cheese. 

I got some really strange looks from them.  None of the store personnel could believe I actually planned to go to the trouble to make my own cheese.  I'm sure those same people never think beyond what's for dinner after a long day at work.  I can always tell when someone is a "future planner" and someone who is not.  Someone who thinks ahead and plans for the future would be all ears and questions when I mention making my own cheese.  Or they might tell me they do the same thing.  Those who don't plan for rising prices and a worsening economy give me blank stares. 

It's the blank stare people who sadden me the most.  It reminds me how far away from the way life used to be that we've gone.  The life we had back when people were not living paycheck to paycheck.  A life when women and men did things at home.   The folks of my generation have failed to pass along our knowledge to our children.   Our children are no longer interested.  This is so sad. 

Well, I'm going to continue my move back to a simpler life.  Now that I'm no longer chasing the almighty dollar just to spend it acquiring more useless stuff.... I'm much happier.  I write this blog for the benefit of those who think like me and want a simpler life too.  I don't have all the answers but it makes me happy to know someone, somewhere cares enough to visit as I learn new skills or re-learn forgotten ones. 

To all my blog readers...... THANK YOU.

Oh my goodness!

I've talked several times about how we should always check the amounts on our bills and what gets rug up at a cash register .  Never trust a bill or a cash register!  Always check it for accuracy.  Even a small error in the favor of those who bill us is money out of our pockets.  That's money we could use for food or shelter.  Well, sometimes the errors I find are down right ridiculous. 

Recently I read that our water bill would be going up.  I knew this was going to happen and sort of prepared myself for the rate hike.  Yet, when I got the bill I was very shocked.  I wasn't shocked by the amount of the raise.  I was shocked by how much water they claimed I was using.  It was double my normal usage.  Double in one billing cycle.  Yikes!  Now let me tell ya... there's absolutely no way I'm suddenly using double the amount of water!  Not with all the ways I've cut back. 

I call the water company and I'm told I must have a water leak someplace.  Ok, I can accept that as an answer.... for now.  I'll get a plumber to come check it out.  In the meantime, I talk with several other people who have said the same thing.  They were billed for double the amount of water than is normal.  These people have also called the water company and got the same answer.... there must be a water leak someplace.  Granted one or two people who know each other might have a water leak but all 10 of us?  Ten out of ten is pretty high odds that we all have water leaks under our houses don't ya think?

The trouble with double checking our water usage is that the meter is underground and impossible to check for accuracy by the homeowner.  Anybody know who I could file a complaint with other than the water company?  

Ok, how about a bill from a nursing home for the care of a patient who is not even in the nursing home?  Mom was in the hospital from just after Thanksgiving until after New Year's day.  The bill had charges for December.... twice.  Bills for October and November which were already paid.  AND.... billing for January.  January hadn't even arrived yet at the time I got the bill.  I got this bill on December 27th.  How can they charge for care that hasn't been given?    Hmm... it's kind of like being charged for surgery when you haven't been operated on yet.  Or paying for groceries when you haven't even filled the cart yet. 

I do know when a patient leaves the nursing home and is admitted to the hospital you must pay a fee to hold the bed.  If you don't pay the bed hold fees they can give the spot to someone else.  Which leaves the patient without a place to go back to if not paid.  It took a couple of phone calls and this was straightened out.  A computer hiccup was the cause..... or so I was told. 

Well now, moving on, we all know about the cost of groceries going up... am I right?  I know I sure do get sticker shock every time I go to the grocery these days.  From one trip to the next, I find the cost of everything has gone up.  I don't care what the tv news tells us about the economy getting better.  In my personal opinion, the economy is only getting better for big wigs and wall street, not main street.  I believe what I see with my own eyes every time I pay higher prices for groceries.  Uh, DUH!  Maybe I should change that?  Maybe I shouldn't believe my own eyes anymore. 

Let me tell you about my shopping trip yesterday.  My readers know I love to buy discount items when shopping for groceries.  There are certain discount produce items which make me as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning.  When I find bananas, oranges, onions, bell peppers and stuff like that on a produce discount table I am very happy.   I don't take it all but I do take enough to last me for awhile.  Yesterday, I had just about given up on getting fresh bell peppers, which I'm completely out of right now.  I had already been to Kroger where the price was $1 each for very small ones.  None were marked down.  I believe the cost of a pound of bell peppers is comparable to the cost of a pound of t-bone steak these days.  Don't believe me?  Maybe you will in a minute or two.

When I get to Meijer, I'm delighted as I spot bell peppers on the discount table.  I saw them from way across the room.  I rushed to get a few before everyone else spotted them too.  I quickly grabbed a couple bags of the color ones and a couple bags of the green.  I put those in my cart along with a couple bags of over ripe bananas.  Ok, are you ready for some sticker shock too?   Can you believe this? 

Yup, it says $109.59 for three reduced price bell peppers.  Isn't that about the cost of t-bone?  A very, very expensive t-bone?  Ok, how about this price tag?

Yup, the price is $62.39 for two reduced price peppers.  The price is $79.99 per pound.  Wow, talk about sticker shock!  After looking at those price tags, the hair on my head stood up, I had a look of sheer surprise, and I'm standing there shaking from the jolt I got.  I'm in the produce isle looking sort of looked like this..... (click to make the picture larger to get the full effect)

I look around to see if anyone else has as much sticker shock as I did.  Yup, I looked kind of like this too as I stand there looking around at other people who are also rather shocked. 

Trust me, I do not want this kind of sticker shock very often!  A little giggle from the produce manager and all the tags were changed.  Hmm... I wonder why she giggled instead of feeling embarrassed or saying she was sorry?  Do you think there might have been people who actually paid that price without ever checking it?  It's quite possible.  Next time I go grocery shopping I think my clothing should include a grounding wire from my waist to the floor. 

Now do you see why I tell people to always check?  Excuse me while I end this post and get a cuppa coffee.  Maybe the caffeine will calm me down a bit.  With all the shocks I've been getting lately I'm almost afraid to go near the quilting machine.  I might damage it with residual shock current coming from my hands.

A confession

Yesterday I believe I failed to really express the point of what I was explaining. My point was that we throw away far too much food in America simply because of a date stamp.  At no time in our history have we ever bought so much only to throw it in the trash. The amount of food thrown away in America could possibly feed a whole other country.   Hmm.... quite possibly more than one.

Several months ago I was reading a cookbook I got from the library.  It was published right after WWll when food was really scarce and being rationed all over the world.  I can't remember the name of the book but a quote from it went like this..... "if every household in America saved the grain of just one slice of bread a day for a week, we could send enough grain to foreign countries to produce 1,000,000 loaves of  bread for starving people" which really got me thinking about how we live today.  With even more families in America today, than there were back then, the amount of grain saved would be much higher than that. 

We live by a stamp on a package rather than our own knowledge about food safety.  Yes, the date stamp is useful, but at the same time it shouldn't be our only way of knowing when food is not safe to eat.  We have lost our ability to know how long food can last, what to do with it before it goes bad, and how to buy only enough for our need. 

We (the older generations) have failed to remember how we used food in different ways until the last bit was eaten.  We have also failed to teach this knowledge to our younger generations.  When I talk about frugal meals on this blog I don't mean skimpy, full of filler meals.  I mean using and serving hearty food until it's all eaten.  Here's just one example to give you an idea of what I mean. 

The life of a loaf of bread. 

Day 1 it's served fresh with a meal. 

Day 2 it's sliced for sandwiches. 

Day 3 it's soaked in eggs and fried. 

Day 4 it's made into a soup or a pudding. 

Day 5 it's made into croutons 

Day 6 it's ground up into crumbs to coat a meat or used as a casserole topping. 

Day 7 it's last remaining crumbs are added to a new loaf of bread 

By the end of day six there should be nothing left of that loaf of bread except a few crumbs.  There are many variations for the life of a loaf of bread but you should see my meaning.  Today, instead of using bread until every crumb is gone, there are people who throw half a loaf away and buy another loaf.  Not everyone; though there are plenty who do. 

Throwing food away, like we do today, is not sustainable.  The fields are being overworked to produce ever more throw away foods.  Chemicals are put on the fields to help grow crops and the chemicals are poisoning us.  Even as I do my house clean out I'm painfully aware of the amount of food I'm giving away to charity.  I should never have bought so much food in the first place unless my intention was to donate.  The cost of food is getting higher and higher which means more of our earnings are going toward the purchase of food and less for other things. 

 Other countries are depending on our food more and more.  There are countries of starving people.  I keep wondering..... will there be a war over food someday in the future?  Not tomorrow or the next week or next year but maybe eventually?   

Up until about the time of the economic down turn of 2008 my food budget was an average of $10 a week and I ate really well.  Somewhere along my way I started spending a lot more than that and blamed it on the cost of food getting higher instead of my own failures.  What I failed to remember was how I managed to spend only ten a week and eat everyday.

True, I did buy a lot of discounted foods.  I could find much more of it back then.  These days I believe more people are taking a second look at discounted foods because of the economy.  This makes the discounted foods more scarce.  I believe if I really try, I can get back to a smaller food budget.  I don't think I can get back to $10 a week but I can surely do much better than I've been doing the last couple of years.

What I can do is make better use of the food I do purchase until there is nothing left of it.  It won't be easy for me because I hate cooking for just one.  I'm going to go back through my old cookbooks to help my senior memory remember the way we did our cooking back when I was young.   I don't want to turn this blog into a food blog either.  It's supposed to be all kinds of ways I save money.  At the same time I believe the quickest way to start saving money is in the kitchen. 

Older cookbooks have recipes for using foods we don't think of today. Someone asked about how short dated milk is used other than drinking.  Well, I can use it for gravy or in sauces.  Next I can make cottage cheese which is super simple to do.  I can make some other kinds of cheese as well, like mozzarella, and even hard cheese if I have the right supplies.  My Grandma Mama used milk to make house paint but I don't think I will go that far myself.  

Here, let me show you an example of one of my old cookbooks.  It's from 1963. 

Have a look at an example of what's inside.  Frugal cooking was the theme of the book.

Look at the bottom chapter on this page.   The recipes were "easy on the bank" which is what we call "the budget" today.

Here's another page in the book.  Notice that leftovers were used until the last bite was eaten.

The older generation (like me) has failed to teach our children the value of being thrifty, frugal, conservative, sustainable, green living, or whatever it's called these days.   Too many years we've listened to the ads telling us to buy, buy, buy, spend, spend, spend.  We've been told "there's plenty more where that came from so throw it away and you can buy more". 

I don't want to live that way anymore!  I don't believe "there's plenty more" is going to be there for us in the future.  I want to go back to a simpler life.  I want a life where the stuff I own has real meaning to me instead of the stuff owning me. 

When my generation was young we ate foods that young people of today hear about and say.... eeewww!  you really ate that?  Foods like beef tongue sandwiches, rabbit stew, fried squirrel for breakfast instead of bacon or sausage and many other foods like that.   When I was young we knew how to make our own lunch meats and hot dogs.  We made a lot of things that are considered convenience foods today. 

Ok, I could go on and on about the past but my work is not getting done with me sitting here type-talking.  I hope I've explained a little better what I was talking about yesterday.

it's my birthday

Ok, today is my birthday.  I'm taking a day for just me.  No cleaning, no sorting, no sewing, no worry.  I decided to use the comments made by Anonymous as part of my post today.  It's sort of an unofficial guest post.  Unofficial since I couldn't email to ask if it was ok.  I can't figure out why other people can leave long comments but I'm told by blogger that I have too many words on my own blog comments?

FROM ANONYMOUS:

You wrote: What I saw was stockpiles far greater than one family could use in one lifetime... or two lifetimes and was going to be left in a will rather than give any of it to charity.

That goes back to the writers of the story only picked the most extreme people/stories to appear on their show. They may or may not be donating to others, but the writers for the show are not going to include it even if they are helping others as they are going for the shock factor. But I am sure there are a few people who are hoarders and do....... well go to the extreme, but it is a very small percentage of people.

You wrote: How long do you think coupons will be offered if the 2-3% of coupons turned in right now suddenly became 60 - 80% turned in?

It will never happen!!! Most people can't be bothered to use even one coupon. Some are in the mindset that people will look down on me as being poor if I do. Some will not even use them if they are cut and given to them. Some will not take the time, they think that it does not save them money. And some are just too lazy (not saying any of you are), but they want stuff handed to them on a silver platter. There are a hundred different reasons.

If it was going to jump to that high of a percentage we would be see more than a CONSISTANT 2-3% usage over the last several decades. Since the 1960's really as that is when the coupons were more or less started. Before that they put the item/gift into the product (towels in soap/ glasses in laundry detergents, etc) Several of the manufacturers and companies are trying to move into the internet coupons, and not print the paper coupons. Times change, but still historically ONLY 2-3% are ever redeemed.

You wrote: Yes, I did pick stuff out of other people's trash to earn a few dollars. Back in those days I was probably the ONLY one around doing that in this area.

I agree you were probally one of the few in your area. But then again some people don't share with others what they do, buy with coupons, shopping goodwill or whatever. They have to maintain appearences, its human nature. They don't want to be looked down on. But there again over the whole USA there were thousands who did this, but it was still only 2-3% of the total refunds put out each year.

If you follow coupons and refunds which are printed, they are on a cycle. These large companies are well aware of the dollar amounts released in their advertising, and they keep doing it year after year at about the same time frame each year. But everything changes and grows, more people don't buy the product, the product gets discontinued, etc, etc. If the companies weren't aware of this, it maybe different, but they employ a large staff to keep up with it.

Someone said that the stores would start raising prices if more and more coupons were turned in.

If you have ever read the coupons you will note the stores ARE NOT paying for the coupons, they are getting reimbursed by the companies/manufactures and are getting usually a 7 or 8 percent handling fee on top of the coupon value. Yes some of the stores did double and triple coupons, the double and triple was on the stores part, there again they employ a research staff which follows those figures for their store and they still offered the "extra". They were not losing money or they would have stopped.

The stores which follow this practice still do it, in the areas of the country in which they are making the money. They are the large chain stores and not the little mom and pop operations. All stores around here have been doubling for over 20 years and have not changed their policies. Sometimes certain NEW management will come in and try to change how they run their stores, but the General management has not changed, usually a simple phone call to headquarters in a nice polite manner will get your answer and the local store will have to honor whatever the headquarters has in place for their policy.

part 2

Some of the extreme couponers may be spending hours and hours, but if they are working with the coupons on a regular basics and have a good system in place they could spend as little as 2-3 hours a week. If in that time they are savings 60% of their grocery budget, they are averaging $15-20 and hour. More than most can make working for someone else.

Someone commented about the extreme couponer cleaning off the shelf and not leaving any for others.

IT IS NOT JUST THE COUPONERS doing this. There are certain numbers that the stores order in of each item, and if it is on sale they may sell out of that item within a short amount of time, but if you stood at checkout and watched most of those same items would not have a coupon used at checkout. or there is not a coupon even out for that item at that time. If there is only a couple dozen items on the shelf and say a hundred people go through the store during the day, if everyone bought just one item there still would not be enough. The stores only carry a 2-3 day supply of food on premises at any given time, if say a snow storm shut down the roads for 3 days, they (if they could even open) the store would be without food in that amount of time.

Yes there are a few extreme couponers who do clear the shelves, but alot of them will even have the store special order in a case of the items for them. But the companies are also aware of what coupons are out at any given time. They employ people to track this. Some store managers will order in extra when they know something will sell out, some won't. It is at the descretion of the store managers.

I agree that alot of the coupons are for junk. I also know there are not alot of coupons out for the meats, fruits and veggies. But they do exist, they are just harder to come by. Or are only released at certain times of the year. That is why stockpiling is important. But if people just used coupons on personal care, laundry, cleaning, etc they would save money, but most people cannot be bothered.

Whoever wrote: One thing the Bible says that I try to live by, "is not to bring attention to oneself". If anyone gives to charity, it is to be done with a willing heart and in secret so to speak. God knows what we do and why we do it. One does not need to "brag" about how much and which charity you give to. Give because it is in your heart to give, not to show to others. As I said, I try.

Its a very thin line between knowing what is teaching/helping, and what may be showing off. I know alot of the couponers do live by this and do not call attention to themselves.  They summed it up in alot fewer words than I have been rambling about.

By the way YOU did not make me mad. I think people should see that there is another side of the story and usually it never gets discussed. These shows want to only show the extreme.

By Anonymous on Anonymous comment answer

FROM ME:

Hey Anonymous,  I wanna shop in your area.  I live in Louisville, Kentucky, how far away is your area?  Ok I'm kidding. 

I'm always on the lookout for ways to live more frugally. I'm open to all ideas.  If good coupons were put out in this area again, I might go back to using more of them.  If stores in this area started doubling more than two coupons for each particular item again (on products I use), I would be one of the first ones to start buying multiples.  Not to the extreme shown on tv though.  I would buy enough multiples to last me awhile and give some to charity.  Some would go to my neighbors that are of the "too lazy" catagory but are never too lazy to ask to "borrow" my stuff.

Even though I've stopped using coupons, I still keep up with what's going on with them.  I keep hoping things will change and I can go back to being a major couponer again.  I even signed up my Kroger card so coupons can be downloaded to it instead of having to clip coupons.   So far, I've not found a single coupon I wanted to download to my card. 

Hmm...... Maybe I'm too much of a DIY person these days to use many coupons.  I make my own products before buying what is commercially made.  I don't have a need for laundry soap coupons if I make it myself.  I don't have a need for deodorant coupons if I make it myself.  I don't have a need for kleenix tissue or paper towel coupons if I use cloth.  I don't have a need for bath soap coupons if I make it myself.  I don't have a need for vitamins if I eat healthy enough.  You see my point? 

True, not everyone has the time for a lot of DIY and for those people coupons will save money.  Coupons are just not right for me now that I'm doing more and more DIY.  Ok, time for me to get off the internet and go have a do nothing birthday.

Menu planning

 I've said before how difficult it is for me to menu plan before going to the grocery.  I thought I'd explain a little more about why I have such a hard time.  I do keep a list of items I really need from the grocery and I do go with a budget amount.  Mostly though I'm a discount bin cook.  I make meals around whatever I find in the discount bin or from items given to me by the food fairies.  Let me show you a few examples from last Friday's shopping trip. 

Barley.  Good for making my own beef barley soup or adding to any other type of soup if I want.  In a pinch I could cook some barley and use it in place of rice in a dish.

Jam.  This does not have to be used only on toast although it's good that way.  I can use it as a coating on a ham instead of pineapple.  I can mix it in a cake mix then use more as the frosting.  Jam can be used in many ways by substituting it for the sweet (sugar) part of any recipe.

Lime juice.  Use it for marinades and for a bit of extra flavor in a smoothie.

Olive oil.  Cook with it.  Flavor a salad with it.  Make soap with it.  Use for removing eye makeup. 

Beef stew.  Not what I really like but good for a quick lunch.  If it really tastes horrible..... let the furkid eat it. 

Salsa.  Use as is.  No chips?  Fry some potatoes and onions then pour this over top for a different type of potato dish.  Add it to chili or put it on a pizza instead of the tomato sauce.

Sour cream.  Ok, a question.  What happens to sour cream that's past it's use by date?  It's already sour so does it go good?  Make sour cream muffins or cookies.  Mix with a bit of miracle whip and some spices for a salad dressing over raw veggies. 

Eggnog and milk.  Use the eggnog for making custard or make a cake frosting from it.  Freeze the milk in small containers to use a little at a time.  Make a big batch of white sauce and put in the freezer.  Make mozzarella cheese. 

Meats.  Use any recipe. 

Vegetables.  Put into the freezer for use in small batches.

Food fairy boxes.  I never know what's going to be in them.  I find lots of creative meal ideas in boxes like this.

I save things like this too.  Good for adding just a little something extra to any recipe.

Ok, this is not food related but I wanted to show that I watch for bargains on other items in the discount bin too.  Computer paper discounted because of a torn wrapper is good. 

I've given you only a small sample of what I buy each shopping trip.  It's very difficult to plan menus before going to the store when I don't know what I will find.  I do my planning around what's in the pantry instead.  I'm also not afraid of making substitutions in recipes.  For example using jam instead of sugar or barley instead of rice.  I do come up with some really strange combinations.... but that's not always a bad thing.  Sometimes it results in a recipe I want to make more often.

Powdered milk

There are basically two types of powdered milk.  There's a non-instant variety commonly used for long term storage and there's the instant variety you find in the grocery stores.  I get powdered milk from the senior commodity program and I buy powdered milk too.  Both of the types I use are instant variety.  The brands I buy at the store are for drinking and the commodity milk I use for cooking.  Why?

Well, there are two different tastes to instant powdered milk.  It's how the milk is made that makes it drinkable for me or not.  One way producers make powdered milk is by cooking it.  Milk is dripped onto a very hot barrel device which evaporates the moisture from the milk.  In effect it's cooked to remove the moisture.  It works like an ice cream maker in that it scrapes the milk off in thin sheets.  Cooking anything changes its flavor.  The other way powdered milk is made is by spraying in a vacuum chamber evaporating the milk instantly.  It has a more natural taste because nothing changes except the moisture is removed. 

If you have trouble drinking powdered milk it may be because you don't like the cooked taste of the milk.  I suggest you keep trying until you find a variety of powdered milk that suits your taste buds.  For me the commodity milk has too much of a cooked taste so I use it only in my cooking. 

I do drink powdered milk because paying from 4 to 6 dollars a gallon at the neighborhood store is a bit much for my budget.  I had to train myself to drink powdered milk.  I searched until I found one made without the cooking process.  The box does not tell you what process is used.  I added vanilla to the milk which masked the taste until I felt comfortable drinking just plain milk.  Mixing powdered milk and regular milk doesn't work if you are trying to fool someone.  Again, it's the cooked taste that sneaks in there.  First find a brand that is not cooked then try mixing them together or add some vanilla. 

Even if you just can't bring yourself to drink powdered milk, at least give it a try in your cooking. 

Fry coating mix

I save time in the kitchen whenever I can.  Instead of mixing up a coating mix each and every time I plan to fry chicken or pork chops or whatever; it's easier to have it already mixed.  I make the mix in a large quantity then simply scoop out what is needed each time. 

I both mix and store the coating mix in this jar which was originally a peanut butter jar.  I date when it was made so I know when it should be either used or tossed.  Truthfully, I've never kept any of it long enough to be tossed.  I use it long before it gets old.  It's still better to be safe than sorry so I date it.   Mixing it ahead of time also lets the flour soak up the favor of the spices used.  The corn starch gives a more crispy texture when fried. 

2 cups flour

1 cup corn starch

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon pepper

2 Tablespoons bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons savory (cereal) crumbs

3 Tablespoons Mrs Dash table blend

You may notice that I don't use salt of any kind in this mix.  I try to use as little salt as possible in my cooking.  Salt is added at the table if the food needs it.  Cooking with salt then adding more at the table plus salt put in by the food companies adds up to a lot of salt. 

Bargain whipping cream

I use what bargains I can find, when I can find them.  For example these cartons of whipping cream.  If you enlarge the photo you can see the use by date says 10-19-10.  I bought these on the 15th.  There are a couple of things I could do to extend the life of the cream.   I could freeze it in the carton.  It would last for two months in the freezer if it remains unopened but no longer than that.  Any longer than two months and it separates then goes bad even in the freezer.  It also goes bad if opened and then put into the freezer too.

I could make whipped cream for a bunch of deserts but that's a lot of deserts to be eaten don't you think?  One dollop at a time just won't do for getting all the food value before it goes bad.  I could make ice cream.  I could even make my own sour cream chip dip.  But for these three containers I believe I'll make some homemade butter.  There's just no comparison between the stuff called margarine and real honest to goodness cream butter.

So how do I start?  Well, the cream needs to be left out of the fridge for awhile to let it come up to room temperature.  I know it can be done while the cream is cold but that takes longer.  I pour the cream into the mixer.  

Turn it on "slow" and gradually go to a higher setting.  I'm trying to get whipped cream first. 

Even with slowly going to a higher speed I got a big mess.  I made myself a splash guard for my machine because mine didn't come with one.  I gotta add a splash guard to my wish list.

Here it's gotten almost to the whip cream stage but it needs to go even farther in the mixing.  It will happen very, very quickly so I can't leave the machine for anything.  Not even to answer the phone.

Here the cream has gone from a white color to a slight yellow color and is separating.

I let it whip only a couple seconds more and I see the butter form right before my eyes.

Now I stop the machine.  See, I told you I got messy with this.  The butter looks sort of like watery yellow cottage cheese which is what I want.

Dip the butter out of the bowl into another bowl then pour the remaining milk into a quart jar.  This is homemade buttermilk folks.  It's not the same as the creamy buttermilk you get in the stores.  They add cream back into that buttermilk.  This is pure buttermilk.  I don't throw it away.  I put it into the fridge for drinking or for cooking. 

Now I have to wash the butter to remove all traces of the milk.  If the milk is not removed completely the butter will go bad in a couple of days.  It's the milk that spoils, not the fat.  How do I wash butter? 

By smooshing it with a spatula on the side or bottom of the bowl with a little cold tap water added.  Working the water through the butter as if I'm trying to mix them together.  Of course oil and water don't mix so it runs out taking the extra milk with it.  The first washing produces something very milky color like the buttermilk but it's really just water.  I can throw this away.  I won't be tempted to add it to my buttermilk because then I'll have very watery buttermilk.  It will spoil really quickly too. 

I wash for a few minutes then pour out the water.  I add fresh cold tap water.  This is how the water looks after the second washing.  A little cloudy but better.   I pour this out and add more cold tap water.

I repeat the washing until I get nothing but clean clear water.

Just to be sure I've gotten all the milk out, I wash it one more time.

Now I have butter.  At this point I can leave it unsalted if I want.  I personally believe the salt acts as a preservative so I add it in.  About a teaspoon of salt for each pint is what my Grandmother taught me to add.  I mix the salt in really well. 

If I still had my butter mold that's what I would do with the butter now.  But.... since I don't have the mold I just put it into a bowl and then into the fridge.   Actually the butter can be left out on the counter without any problems.  I remember as a child we didn't have electricity.  We used butter in our cooking and we ate it on our food so it never lasted more than 3 or 4 days anyway.   By the time one batch was gone, we had enough fresh cream from the cows to make another batch.

Umm.... wait just a minute!  What's fresh butter without fresh bread to test it out?  Mmm.... yummy.  Sorry, no picture of the butter spread on the bread.  I was too busy eating.  A little honey and I had a feast.

There are a number of ways to make your own butter.  It can be done with a blender, a hand mixer, a food processor, or as a children's home school experiment using marbles in a jar.  Give it a try, it's lots of fun.  It took me only 5 minutes of watching the mixer and I had butter.  Another 5 minutes of washing it.