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Well, I procrastinated a while, but I finally got a turkey in the oven tonight. I made my own bread for the dressing--from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day recipe, SO easy--and broke it up a couple-three days ago, so it was good and dry. I sauteed the celery and spices with butter and then added broth from the last turkey (I had frozen the broth in peanut butter jars), to get the dressing moist enough. It smelled really good in the skillet; hope it tastes as good in the finished dressing! If it does, I'll just do that from now on.
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I keep a plastic container (with lid) in my freezer. If I have any leftovers too small for a second meal, I throw them in the plastic container to make a future batch of "refrigerator soup." Into it goes corn, beans of any kind, spaghetti (with sauce) macaroni and cheese, meat scraps, mashed potatoes (IMO other kinds of potatoes get mealy when frozen) sloppy joe, etc. In short I add anything but processed meats like bologna or polish sausage - which seem to dominate every other taste. Then, usually when I have made a pot roast or baked chicken and have lots of good drippings, I use the pan I cooked it in to make soup. I also clean out the refrigerator and add to the soup pot everything that needs to get used up... half a tomato or onion, garlic cloves that are starting to dry up, cabbage, that last flower of broccolli or cauliflower, the zucchini I cooked last night. I cover everything with water and then add one 15-16 oz can of tomato sauce and seasonings (Bay leaf is a must for any soup I make) and cook for at least half an hour till everything is tender.
Delicioso!!! Smooches, Keri |
I am soooo bummed to tell you that turkey and dressing without onions is just... flat.
Onions cause a kind of pernicious anemia in dogs, and I planned to use part of this turkey to make dog treats, so I left the onions out. Even using turkey broth in the dressing did no good... since, yanno, the turkey broth was also onion free. :bigcry: Gryph sprinkled onion powder on his serving and says it made a big difference. Maybe I'll sautee some onions later and add them to the dressing, now that it's out of the bird. Lady's still begging for turkey, even though she has GOT to be full at this point..... I guess keeping it onion-free is worth it. Sorta. Maybe. :bigcry: |
Question!
I'm assuming gnocchi can be frozen but is there a specific method? I've been craving a healthy gnocchi and want to make a giant batch of it and freeze some for lunches and whatnot but don't want to end up with gnocchi-flavored ice balls! Hep! |
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Line baking sheets with wax paper and dust with flour. Spread gnocchi on the baking sheets and freeze until hard (usually takes about 2-3 hours). Remove and put in portion-sized freezer bags. Can only freeze them for a month at the most. |
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Oh, and I'm making a pumpkin gnocchi too!
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After this hiatus full of recipes and conversations, then silence, I would like to get back to the topic at hand: how do you thriftily use, re-use, recycle, and re-invent your food staples in creative ways.....(inquiring minds and all....)
I just did a spring cleaning of my freezer, so I could fill it with detoxing, good for you stuff, and I found several partly filled bags of frozen fruit I used in smoothies and the like....blackberries, blueberries, berry medley, mango, black cherries.....I also had a batch of Fuji apples (fresh) languishing in the fruit bowl and looking a bit wrinkled from dehydration.......Voilą! Instant (almost!) Tutti Frutti jam! Added sugar, a large handful of dried lemon, tangerine, orange and grapefruit peel (I am thrifty that way) and the juice of two blood oranges, brought to a simmer and cooked until jell point.......6 pints of delightful ruby colored, full of texture jam! Completely satisfying!! By the way, yes I dry and keep all citrus peels and use them usually in compotes (apple sauce in particular) and stews, where they lend a distinct note, and of course in teas, particularly when I have a tea blend which is a bit on the bland side....or I pulverize it, and use the powdered peel to flavour pie or cookie dough.. My two euros for the day! Keep those hints coming, I really enjoy them! Elle* |
Elle, thanks so much for bumping this thread or I might not have seen it! What an awesome thread!
I love the frugal lifestyle because I have to live frugally these days. But I embrace it because it's fun to see just how long I can go without going to the store to replenish. I have read this thread from the beginning now and there are some amazing ideas! At the beginning of the year, I had begun a diet program which had prepackaged food. Now, since I can't afford the program, luckily, I had saved the microwavable dishes. I used them to make my own, smaller portion meals as well as paint pallettes for my art! Also, I LOVE the Vlasic Zesty Bread and Butter pickles....LOVE them! :eyebat: But when they're gone, I have all this amazing juice left over, so I peel & slice a couple of zucchini & toss 'em in that juice and the next day....well....major yumminess! Carrots are also good, but zukes are my fave! Thanks, Elle....great thread! Subscribing! :) |
In my painting, I find myself recycling a myriad of things......
~a champagne cork makes a great, albeit imperfect, stamp. ~Bottle caps of all sizes make great circles. ~Dryer sheets are GREAT! Shredded, they're a great texture to add to a canvas....they make a nice effect when paint is dabbed through one, too! ~A coffee can lid (plastic) can be cut in half, then zig~zag cut to paint interesting designs ...drag them through the paint for fun designs. ~I have a ruined paint brush that I'm going to incorporate in a piece I'm currently painting....fun! |
How to make your own glue (non toxic, too!)
Flour and water glue, cooked
Usually made with wheat flour, but you can use rice flour too, just experiment for quantities! It does spoil (gets moldy at room temperature) so should be kept in fridge! Boil 5 cups of water in a pan. Separately, in a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of sieved flour with a cup of cold water. Mix to a smooth consistency (this bit is like making custard or a white sauce) and when all the lumps have gone, add the mixture to the water in the pan. Gently boil, stirring continually for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens. Allow to cool before using. You can make a thicker glue (that has the benefit of drying more quickly) by using 1 whole cup of flour to every 3 cups of water. Enjoy, you thrifty crafty people! Elle* |
I have to make a confession that may horrify some of you.
I make freezer casserole. In other words, I have a bowl in my freezer that I dump everything into for use later. I generally keep the bowl oriented toward Mexican food so any time I have leftover black beans or corn or chicken or tomatoes, I just toss it all in my freezer bowl. Tomorrow, I'll unthaw my bowl and layer everything between corn tortillas and cheese and VOILA! |
There's a great page on FaceBook called The Frugal Goddess ..........
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Going to check it out right now!! Elle* |
Clean drains, the green way
I remembered how to clean drains in an efficient, money-saving, green way, with two things I always have in my kitchen, and no chemicals (to which I am highly allergic!).
Pour about half a box of baking soda down the drain and add about a cup of white vinegar. It will bubble up like a volcano, let it do its work for a half-hour or so, and presto, clean, green drains! If the build-up was severe, repeat one more time. It really works! And by the way, baking soda is a very good cleaning agent for many other tasks! Elle* |
This link is from my cousin, Sharry (I can't get away from the Sharies/Sharrys!!).....an inexpensive way to have one's iced coffee.....YUMMIE!
~~LINKYLICIOUS~~ |
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