Frugal Me Fridays- Should You Buy in Bulk

You can save a lot of money by buying in bulk.
But, you may be wasting money too.

If it is something you can freeze or keeps for long periods of time, bulk is great.
But, if you buy something perishable and you don't use it- than you are wasting money.

Normally the price per ounce is cheaper the more you buy.
Not always.

Sometimes it is cheaper to buy two smaller containers than a large one.

If you want less waste from packaging, you buy one.
But, if your goal is to save money on your budget, you buy two.

Here are a few things you may not think of freezing:

Hard cheeses- buy some freezer containers and divide it into amounts you will use before the cheese gets old and moldy.

Bananas- you can get them cheap or even free when they are overripe. You can peel them and stick in containers and take them out and serve with chocolate for a nice frozen treat. Or, put the unpeeled bananas in a bag and take them out when you want to bake. Let them thaw, cut the end off, ans squish out the fruit. No mashing required.

Milk- Pour a bit out of the jug and stick in freezer. Thaw slowly in fridge overnight before using.

You cooked some meat and have meat leftover. Instead, cook all of it and stick what you don't need in the freezer.

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Have a great Friday!

All American Apple Pie

In honor of National Apple Pie Day, I have decided to repost my favorite apple pie recipe.
I hope you enjoy!

I have always been a huge fan of apple pie. It is one of my top two favorites.
I prefer a butter crust for this pie. But, a simple shortening pie crust tastes marvelous here too.
It isn't super simple but the results are worth it.

Ingredients:

Dough for a double 9" pie crust

5-6 apples, cored, peeled and sliced- you will need to have 8 cups sliced apples
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, optional
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Make the dough for the pie crusts and wrap and refrigerate while making the apple filling.

Put the sliced apples into a large bowl. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, brown sugar,cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss well.
Let it set for an hour to bring out the apple juices.

Take the pie dough out to soften.

Drain the juices into a small saucepan.
Add the butter.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Swirl the liquid so it doesn't burn, but you don't need to stir.
Reduce the liquid by about half.
Put the apples back into the large bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss till cornstarch is blended in.
Add the reduced liquid.
Toss well.

On a floured counter, roll out the bottom crust.
Add the filling.
Roll out top crust and lay it over the filling.
Fold the top down under the bottom crust and press to seal.
Crimp the edges with fingers or a fork.
Cover with a towel and refrigerate while preheating the oven.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take the pie out of the fridge and brush the top with milk.
Sprinkle with sugar.
With a knife, make some slashes in the top to let steam escape.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or til the apples are tender when pierced with a knife and the juices are bubbling thickly through the slashes.
After 30 minutes protect with a pie shield or foil ring.

Let rest for a few hours before serving.

Serves 6-8.

Frugal Me Fridays

I decided to start giving a few tips on being frugal.
Over the years, I have really learned to stretch a dollar.

Food and frugality doesn't always involve the use of coupons.
That is really what most people seem to think of first.

Really, I don't use a lot of coupons.
It is hard for me to find them for either the brands or types of foods I buy.

One of the biggest money savers is cooking from scratch.
At first, it may seem like it costs more to buy all the individual ingredients.
But, you will have left over ingredients for other meals or baked goods.

If you work full-time, it can be hard.
It is still doable.

Use your crockpot.
Or
Do some of your prep work before work that morning or the night before. Refrigerate if needed.
Or
Set aside a day every few weeks and make meals ahead and stick them in the freezer. Thaw the night before and heat up when you get home.

Every Friday, I plan to give you tips on saving money.
It can be easier than you think.

Happy Friday!

Zest

When a recipe calls for lemon zest, they are meaning the grated peel.

You can use a box grater or a planer.
A planer can also be known as a zester.
A zester or planer  has holes like a gater, but it is small, flat, and has a handle.

To make zest. Just run the planer over the peel to get what you need.

You can also buy dried zest.
That comes in handy if you bake a lot
but you don't keep limes or lemons handy.

Just remember to cut down the amount if you are using dried by 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of fresh called for. 

If the recipe calls for less than 1 tablespoon zest, you can just leave it out especially if you have juice, or extract in it.
Leaving it out will change the flavor a bit, but not much.
It will still taste good.

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Happy A-Z!

Yellow Foods For Health

You can get many nutrients just from eating healthy.

In the past, I have read that a colorful plate means you are getting balanced nutrition.

Each color of fruit or vegetable signifies the types of antioxidants found inside.

Yellow and orange fruits and veggies have lots of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is good for your heart, cancer, and depression.

Yellow/orange also signifies vitamin C and E.

Eating the foods give the best benefit if they are raw or lightly cooked.
Not only does the food taste better and healthier, but the less heat the better.

Vitamins A and E are fat soluble which means that the nutrients absorb better into your body if consumed with a small amount of fat.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is used a lot in pretty much everything you buy at the store that is processed.
It is used a a thickener or for texture and structure.

It is a type of bacteria derived from corn.

It works the same as guar gum.

A lot of cooks use it for home baking when they cook gluten free.
The reason for this is to help with structure.
It will give your breads a more regular bread like texture and rise.

If you don't want to use xanthan gum or guar gum in your baked goods, you can mix some flax seed or chia seeds with water- 1 tablespoons  seed to 2 tablespoons water.
Make a slurry and add to you ingredients.

There are some people that have questions about the safety of xanthan gum though it has been deemed safe by the FDA.
Because of this guar gum may be used.
But, guar gum will impart a slightly different flavor.
It does come from the guar bean so is is considered more healthy.

White Chicken Chili

This is a somewhat unconventional chili. It is made with chicken, white beans, and cheese.
It is great on a cold day and it makes a ton so it is perfect for gatherings or leftovers.
You make it in the crockpot.

You will need a large crockpot.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves.
6 cups water
1 large chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon oil
2-4(4 oz. can) chopped green chilies OR seed and chop 1 whole green chili pepper
1-2 diced jalapeno OR Serrano peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1b. can navy beans OR cook and season 3 cups of dry navy beans
2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Add the chicken and water to the crockpot and let it cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Remove chicken from the water, cube and set to the side.
While the chicken is cooking saute the onion and garlic in the oil.
Add the chili and jalapeno peppers, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt. Cook and stir two minutes.
After removing chicken from the crockpot add the onion/pepper mixture.
Add the beans. If you are using canned pour straight in, if you are using beans you cooked drain before adding to the crockpot.
Cook on low for an hour.
Add the chicken.
Stir in the cheese until it is melted in.
Serve.

This makes about 10-12 servings.

Great served with sour cream.
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This is another repost from November of 2010. The only w I had a picture of was another waffle recipe and I have done a type of waffle the last 2 A-Z challenges so you get this.