Scratching the Itch.

I love this picture of Peter.  He got into some Pero and somehow managed to get it perfectly on his face so he looks like an old hobo.  I love it but it has very little to do with this post...

In an effort to save loads of money AND still eat healthy - I have resorted to making nearly everything from scratch.  And in doing so I've been pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it actually is - AND that it really does save us several hundred dollars a month!  I also love the feeling that if I've got a few basic ingredients I can feed my family really well.   In making things from scratch I aim for not inferior, cheap food, but actually superior quality and taste; and for the most part I haven't been disappointed.   Most of what I make is so good that even if I win the lottery it's going to be hard not to continue to make it myself.  Here are some of my "go to" recipes and some estimates on how much moo-la they are saving me:


(I linked the recipe's original if I found it online - otherwise I note where I found it - the cornbread picture is not mine and was taken from the original site)

Just Like Wheat Thins(taken from Jamie's wonderful book)
These really are just like wheat thins and have great flavor except I haven't yet gotten them as thin.  Each time I make them they get better.  They cost around $.88 to make and yield nearly twice as much as you'd get in a 12 ounce box for around $3.


Ingredients
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c white flour
1/4 c sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 c butter
3/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c wheat germ


Sift the first five ingredients together.  Add the butter and process in a food processor.  Add the buttermilk, and process until it forms a ball.  Set it aside for 10 minutes.  Cut the dough into four parts.  Grease cookie sheets and sprinkle them with wheat germ.  Roll each piece out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Cut into diamond shapes with a pastry wheel.  Baker at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool and put into a covered container.

Flour Tortillas (that don't need lard or shortening!)
 Once you taste these babies you'll have a hard time going back to the super unhealthy version you find at the store.  They're moist, soft, and healthy!  They can't cost me more than a quarter to make - and I double the recipe every time.

Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

100% Whole Wheat Bread
I already posted this recipe so I'm just gonna link to that...

I make this recipe about once every 6 days.  It makes 4 large loaves.  The bread I was purchasing before this that was of similar quality was $4 a loaf!  I think they cost me less than $0.50 a loaf.  Doing the math that means every week I save $14 on bread alone!







Pizza Dough(taken from one of my favorite cookbooks)
  I love this recipe and so does my family which means I make it at least once a week.  It makes two big hearty pizzas with chewy, tasty dough.  Because I buy my cheese at Costco in bulk - these pizzas cost me about a dollar a piece - including pepperoni!   Compare that with a large pizza from Domino's or Pizza Hut and I'm saving $14 a piece!  I make mine in a bosch which saves a lot of time since I can skip the double rise time.  The recipe below is the original by hand method.

2 1/2 c warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1 c whole wheat flour
5 c unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 scant tablespoon salt


    Pour the water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it.  Add the sugar, whole wheat flour, and 3 cups of the unbleached flour and stir briskly with a wooden spoon for 100 strokes.  Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.

    Stir the olive oil and salt into the dough.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, to make a shaggy but kneadble dough; this will require almost 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough with floured hands for about 8 minutes, until soft, smooth, and springy.  Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a ceramic bowl and smear it around.  Add the dough, rotate it to coat it with oil, and cover the bowl with plasstic wrap.  Set the dough aside in a warmish, draft-free spot for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in bulk.
    Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough for about one minutes, then divide the dough in half.  Knead each half into a ball and sprinkle lightly with flour.  Let the balls rest for 10 minutes, then proceed with your recipe. 
    Top it with any combination of sauce and toppings that you like and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 450 degree oven.  I bake mine on a pizza stone which makes some seriously great pizza crust.

Homemade Pasta
 As I've said before - this is some cheap but heavenly food.  I try and make it once a week as well.  I can pair with a tomato based homemade sauce, some pesto, or anything I've got on hand.  So good.





Click Here for the recipe

BEST EVER Cornbread
  When I say "Best Ever" I mean it - no matter how good the main dish is, this cornbread always steals the show - it's like eating cake for dinner.  It's all real food but I can't promise it's low in calories!  I'm not sure how much it costs me - I wish I could buy buttermilk in larger quantities than half gallon.  I can make my own cornmeal by grinding popcorn kernels - and it's good!  I've also made it with whole wheat and no one minded a bit!


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 





So there you have it!  Just about everything I make is from scratch but these are my basic staples that I use every week.  If you've got some other great from scratch recipes - send em to me!  

And before I forget, happy St. Patrick's Day!

p.s.  Our money saving goals have changed - we are now following Dave Ramsey's plan which means home buying is NOT in the immediate future.  But being debt free is!