Homemade for the Holidays - Secret Treasure Book

This is my favorite non-food, homemade-for-the-holidays gift idea this year.  We love antique books at our house and have found some pretty cool looking books, that we don't necessarily want to read, at thrift stores.  If you have a book lover, antique hound, or someone who likes to keep a stash hidden away, this is a thoughtful, fun gift you can make with very little equipment.  Your most important tool for this project will be a sharp utility knife.

I'm not recreating the wheel here.  So, follow the link below for detailed instructions.  Thanks to the author of the Polish the Stars blog.  She documented how to do this very well.  Go check it out.

http://www.polishthestars.com/2010/11/secret-hollow-book.html

Homemade for the Holidays - Ricotta Cheese Anyone

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_ricotta_cheese/

Last week I had a Christmas wish for a favorite treat from Italy.  The dessert I planned included a hefty amount of ricotta cheese.  Have you priced ricotta cheese lately?  It's almost $8 for 32 oz.  Well, for the price of a gallon of milk I can make ricotta that tastes better than anything I've ever bought in the store and is less than half the cost.  Plus, it is SO easy.  Here's how you do it:

Homemade Ricotta Cheese
I always use whole milk because everything I've read says this produces the best quality cheese. Please let me know in the comments if you do something else.  Sometimes I also add a cup of heavy cream for a dessert cheese. This recipe is the perfect amount for a 9x13 pan of lasagna or stuffed shells, but it can easily be halved.

Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp salt

Instructions
1 In a large pot, over medium heat, bring the milk, vinegar, and salt to a near boil.  Be patient, it takes about 30 minutes and looks like lots of steam and foam.  If you want to use a thermometer, your looking for a temp around 180 degrees.  Don't let the milk scorch or your ricotta will be ruined.  Very gently boil for one to two minutes, until the milk is curdled.
2 Meanwhile, line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and set it over a deep bowl. Save your whey. Put it in a few freezer bags.  I'll have some recipes for how to use that soon.
3 Pour the milk mixture into the strainer and let drain for 15 minutes. Gather the cheesecloth around the curds and squeeze gently to extract any excess liquid.
Makes 4 cups.

Use immediately for lasagna, pizza, salads, cannoli or any other Italian treat.  Or, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for several days.

Christmas Around the World

http://soilnativity.webs.com/DSC02906.JPG

The other night we went to our neighborhood Christmas Around the World Party, and our assignment was to bring a favorite Christmastime treat from a country we have an affinity toward.

"We could bring a big plate of brats," my husband, Don, says enthusiastically, thinking of his favorite German sausages.

"What about some kind of pasta?" suggests one of the kids.

"We could bring a Chinese treat," the youngest proposes.

One daughter jumps right out of the Christmas "box".  "I think we should make latkes.  Sure they're for Hanukkah, but that's a huge part of our Christmas celebration.  Right?  I think we should talk about Hannukah for our Christmas Around the World moment.  Who doesn't love fried food?" That last line is a famous saying in our house.

"How about a big bowl of fresh salsa or something from Egypt," I offer.  Nothing from the peanut gallery on these ideas.  They are all still thinking.

"Here's the thing guys," I add. "I have meetings all afternoon and time is a big factor.  Whatever we decide on has to be made ahead of time and should taste good even if it's cold."

With those restrictions we are all temporarily stumped.

Well, our family claims MANY cultures in our genetic heritage, plus we have adopted customs and favorite foods of countries no one in our ancestry hales from. So, it's not easy to decide what to bring that would represent a FAVORITE dish for Christmas Around the World. And, of course we couldn't just bring a package of cookies from the Euro Import store, though I know the neighbors wouldn't have cared one wit, the kids wanted it to be something special.

"We gonna have a party?" Brennan, our oldest asked at just 18 months old.  A party for him was any gathering larger than the three of us.  And, as we added kids, we added traditions and any reason to celebrate is a party at our house.  Aside from the typical American holidays, here are some of the customs we either observe every year, or have acknowledged in one way or another:

The German Winter Fest
Chinese New Year
St. Patrick's Day
Purim
Holi - Indian Festival of Colors
Passover
Cinco de Mayo
Midsummer's Eve
Pioneer Day
Ramadan
Constitution Day
Festival of India
The Feast of the Sacrifice
Saint Nicholas Day
Hanukkah

Maybe one day I'll actually write something about each of those instead of just ripping off a bunch of links from other people's web sites.

Now the SHOCKING news. With all this celebration of diversity in our home, I (not we) tend to come back to favorites where food is concerned.  And, I have to say that of all the food in the world we love to fill up on, my favorite over-all, could eat it for every meal, every day of the week ethnic cuisines comes from one country.   My family does not agree.

"So, if you guys had to pick a favorite cuisine, where would it come from?" I ask, thinking I know the answer.

"I don't like having to choose favorites," Brennan says blandly.

"Yeah, it's like a false choice.  I think you're setting us up.  Think of all the food we love.  Mexican food is like everything you could ever want to eat, wrapped in a tortilla.  Then there's Indian.  And Asian, I love Asian food except the breakfasts, I never could do the fish gruel when I travelled to places like China and Korea." Don says.

"Besides, I think if you choose one at the expense of all the others, it would take all the joy out of that one." Such a philosophical teen this oldest boy of mine.

"Yeah, but if you had to choose," I press.

"I wouldn't because you just want me to choose Italian, and I love Italian, but not at the cost of letting everything else go."

"Fine, you guys keep your open minds and palettes.  I'm not ashamed to name a favorite, hands down, no questions asked ethnic food." I answer.

Guess what I chose.  Maybe I already gave it away, but go ahead, guess.  Anyway, we made a brilliant dessert I've been dreaming of making for YEARS.  Find out what it was next time I write.

This Week's Update - Charts and Graphs

Things are CRAZY at my house, as I'm sure they are at yours.  We have work, school, commuting to and from, home business, home school, school board meetings, lots to do at church, Christmas concerts, Christmas parties, Christmas plays, Christmas shopping, birthday parties, birthday dinners, birthday gifts to devise.  Not a lot of down time.  Almost no time for meal planning and prep.  Still, we've chosen a pretty austere budget for groceries and we're sticking to it. This is what we've done since Friday last week. 

Let's talk money first:

Maybe you'll remember, on 12/2 we were down to $101.
12/3 - Deli counter chicken parts for kids (popcorn chicken and chicken strips)- $8
12/6 - Dairy days at Costco - Milk, cheeses, cream, egg nog, chocolate milk - $47
12/10 - With 10 days, and 2 birthday dinners to go..........................................$46

The biggest spend this week was on dairy items at Costco.  I am aghast at how the price of cheese has SKYROCKETED.  At least it seems that way to me.  In fact, I was so curious about just how much prices have risen, I went on a search for a chart.  Here's what I found.  Note these are wholesale prices:

http://future.aae.wisc.edu/data/monthly_values/by_area/816?area=WI&tab=prices&yoy=true

Needless to say, this chart is VERY disappointing to a family of cheese snobs.  Even though this one only shows mozzerella, the picture is the same for every kind of cheese.  So, I am now devising ways to economize our cheese consumption.  More on that later. 

Another thing I've been watching creep up and up is cereal.  I've stopped buying it, to my family's somewhat chagrin.  Here are some interesting charts, one about food in general, followed by one that shows what happened with sugar this year.  Even though it's come down, it is still WAY higher than all f our other commodity prices.

http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/foodpricesindex/en/

For time's sake, this has been a week of running the simplified menu plan. Soup, rice and sauces were a theme.  Remember, breakfasts are always the same: hot chocolate and hot cereal or toast or eggs. And, lunches are fruit, nuts, yogurt and a treat.  Here's what we ate for dinner:

This Week’s Menu
Friday – Cousins Night – Personal pizzas and sandwiches
Saturday – French Onion Soup (our first and very successful attempt)
Sunday – Turkey, Bacon Cheddar Soup (an awesome use for leftover turkey and stock)
Monday – Spinach Curry with Rice
Tuesday – Tacos with homemade salsa
Wednesday – Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad’s date night
Thursday – Fried Rice with Stir Fried Veggies

I hope to include some recipes later, especially for the soups and curry.  The thing is, every recipe has a story and I get hung up on needing to tell it.  So, if you want a certain recipe, pray that I have time to write it down and send me an email or comment. 

Even though the fare was simple, and often prepared by younger hands than mine, it was delicious, nutritious and filling.  I don't think the kids even realize we are still living our experiment.  Maybe we need to talk about it some more.

Thanksgiving Leftovers - Part 2 - Croquette Anyone

image credit: http://edwinahart.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/184/

I love the images of friends and family in idyllic settings, so couldn't resist this one.  You may wonder what it has to do with Thanksgiving leftovers, and why I'm still sharing now that that we are closer to Christmas than Thanksgiving.  Well, above, you see a striking young Victorian woman readying for her turn at a match of croquet.  Here at my house, we are readying to make a batch of croquette - potato croquette that is.

image credit: foodnetwork.com

In our house fried food is a favorite this time of year.  As if we need more fat and calories to wash down our holiday meals with.  But, we are getting ready for Hanukkah and these little tasties are perfect practice for the latkes we will make.

Here's Paula Deen's recipe and instructions:

Potato Croquette
2 tablespoons milk
Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped green onion
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
Panko bread crumbs (or gluten free option see note below)
Veggie oil, enough to fill pan 1/2-inch

Directions

Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape using an ice cream scoop. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs. Fry each croquette in shallow oil until brown on all sides.

Cook's Note: Cook in small batches, giving each croquette at least 2 inches of space around it to not overcrowd the pan. This prevents the croquettes from crumbling while frying.  Also, try adding a couple of minced garlic cloves, cilantro or cheddar cheese for a different twist.

Gluten Free Note: To make these gluten free, follow all the instructions above, but put the croquettes in the freezer for 30 minutes before you dredge and fry them.  This will keep them from falling apart in your pan. Use corn meal or gluten free "all purpose flour" instead of flour.

A Hundred and One Bucks of Fun

11/21 - Beginning Total-    $300
11/21 - Costco -               $  67
11/23 - Grocery Stores -   $107
11/23 - Family Dining Out - $20
11/29 - Salsa and Sodas -     $5
12/2   -Mid-term Total -    $101

A Hundred and One Pounds of Fun, those were the days before I had four kids.  Now, they'd have to rework the song and take all kinds of creative licence and artistic liberties to get a proper description of me out of it.  But, I digress. 

Here I am with two and a half weeks and three birthday parties to go before I can draw more funds and I have A Hundred and One Bucks of Fun left.  However, for some reason, when I counted through my cash, I found I had $7 extra.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I found it rolling around in the dryer, my kids aren't as careful as they should be. Or, it could have come from the Honey Bun the cash fairy who watches over a very special orchard of money trees. She might have left it.  At any rate, I put it in the Treat Jar.

I want to tell you how meals have gone since Thanksgiving.  It hasn't been great.  We've had strep throat, board meeting, work Christmas parties and all kinds of other chaos going on.  The best dinner we had was for a daughter's birthday.  Grandparents and Heba contributed Italian sausages and eclairs, brothers made sauces, sister made her first batch of brownies by herself.

I should clarify that I'm only going to list dinners because breakfast and lunch are pretty standard around here.  Breakfast is usually whole grain toast (from the ghetto store where I pa a buck a loaf for it), hot chocolate (just add water but it is and a tasty mix I buy in bulk), and a piece of fruit (right now we have a big box of easy peel tangerines we're making our way through).  Lunch at home is a sandwich, mac and cheese or ramen noodles, plus some sort of fruit of veggie.  Lunch at school is yogurt or bagels (both from the ghetto), a home made treat, more fruit, a hand full of nuts, something savory like tortilla chips or dried flavored seaweed.

• Friday:  Straight Leftovers
• Saturday - Homemade Personal Pizzas, sweet potato bread
• Sunday - Sick kids - Turkey Tortilla Soup
• Monday - Birthday Dinner - Spaghetti and penne pasta, marinara and Alfredo, garlic bread, salad, Italian sausage, soda, brownies, eclairs, ice cream!
• Tuesday - Summer squash, hamburgers, french fries, salad
• Wednesday - Thanksgiving leftovers again
• Thursday - Fend for yourself - Mom and Dad on a date

So, I have a hundred and one bucks left for two and a half weeks.  Should be okay, although I don't have a plan yet for the birthday parties and accompanying dinners.  Also, I have two more birthday dinners to host between now and then.  I plan to spend $30 on Bountiful Baskets to keep our steady stream of produce.  I went looking for cold cereal this week and actually left the store and my basket of groceries behind when I pondered how much "real food" I could purchase for the sum I had planned to lay down for Puffy Pops or whatever the heck I was going to buy.

Weekends are the hardest times to conserve food funds.  It's like we're addicts to eating out, picking up odds and ends at the market, stopping at the convenience store more than we should.  Maybe there is a 12 step program for people like us. 

Next up, my plan for the hundred and one.

Homemade Personal Pizzas

photo credit:http://comfortbites.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

The procedure I use for these creates several meals and makes having pizza super cheap and easy, just the way I like most things. 

So, let's begin with the crust. You can make your own from scratch, but I generally don't..  I buy Rhodes frozen rolls and work with about a dozen at a time.  If I thought ahead, I have them thawing on the counter.  If not, you will be thrilled to know that it takes less that 20 seconds in the microwave to thaw one roll.  So, if they are all frozen I thaw one, and put the next one in while I'm rolling the first out, and so on.

These make small 4 in pizza.  If you use 2 rolls in one crust, you are more likely to get a 7-8 in. crust.  I like the 4 in size for a few reasons:

1. You get a dozen little pizza crusts out of a dozen rolls
2. It's perfect for a lunch bag
3. If it's dinner time and someone wants more than one, they can choose a variety of toppings

Before I start rolling dough out I prep the oven.  I line one full rack with foil and spray it with cooking spray.  Then I set the oven to 500F. Once I've rolled 6-8 balls of dough into circles (they are more a collection of odd shapes than circles), I poke them 3-4 times with a fork and put them in the oven for about 2 minutes.  Just long enough to cook the dough into a par-baked crust.  I pull them out, still white, but not doughy and cool them on the counter.

If you are planning on making and eating all of these pizzas now, the previous step is unnecessary.  Just top and bake at 500F for 4-5 minutes depending on how you like them done.  Otherwise, cool your par-baked crusts (flip them once or twice to avoid moisture build up) and put them in a freezer bag to freeze and enjoy later. 

When you are ready to use them, pull as many crusts as you need from the freezer, top and bake for 8-10 minutes on 500F.  Keep an eye on them if you want them less done.  These make SUPER easy lunches.  When we have them for dinner everyone gets to choose their own toppings and everyone is happy.