Christmas time is full of traditions. This is one of our family’s, but the original recipe calls for sour cream. Now that I have a way to make my own yogurt I can substitute with yogurt and make these traditional cookies no matter what my family’s current situation is.
Original recipe from Karen
Continue reading
–From Julie L.
This is a fail- proof recipe that promises to delight with every bite! It’s soft, fluffy and melts in your mouth like only white bread can.Smothered in butter we could devour a loaf in just minutes! I use it for pizza crust and awesome sandwich rings –just make a long dough “snake” and wrap it around the edges of your pizza pan. The leftovers nearly always end up as French toast!
Yield: about 20 slices/loaf
Who doesn’t love brownies?! This is one of our all-time favorite recipes! I couldn’t resist trying it with beans instead of butter, and the result was surprisingly good! My kids thought they’d died and gone to heaven when I let them eat brownies for breakfast! –Mellyn 
–From Beth L.
The perfect chocolate chip cookie! I’ve been making these since I was 8-years old, and I’ve never found another chocolate chip cookie recipe that could rival it! Of course I had to try them with beans, and I got good results using half oil and half beans in place of the butter. However, even with the butter flavoring, I still missed the butter flavor. This is one recipe I plan to use my precious butter for…although I could probably live with half butter, half beans. Beth says to make sure you eat them immediately or freeze them right away! –Mellyn
*If using beans and oil instead of butter, whisk navy bean flour and water in a glass bowl or measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk and repeat 3 more times. The resulting mixture is the equivalent of 1/2 cup of navy beans, blended with liquid. You can also use navy beans, blended with liquid. I prefer the flour because I can mix up the exact amount I want! You can read more about using beans in your baking, if you click on the tab labelled “Tips & Tidbits.” Don’t forget to add your butter flavoring if you’re making this with beans!
|
I am not usually a “mix” kind of girl, but I have some tried and true “Bisquick” recipes that I reach for in a time pinch. I created this concoction so even when I want to use wheat I can still go for my easy recipes. Don’t worry! If you aren’t a wheat person this recipe is still very valuable. Just use white flour in place of the wheat and you have a cost saving alternative to high priced brand names.
 Continue reading |
|
Growing up, the best way to store potatoes was in your cellar, or as my grandma called it, “The fruit room.” The fruit room was always cooler and lower than the main level of your house, and you just stocked up on potatoes in the fall and ate them all winter. After being married for a while, we moved to a tropical climate, and I discovered that trick doesn’t work everywhere. At one time I couldn’t keep a fresh potato in my house for more than 3 days before it was completely inedible! That’s when I found dehydrated potatoes! I love how they go just about anywhere, and I never have to peel! They are relatively cheap and come in many forms — sliced, diced, shredded and flakes. Bring on the dehydrated potatoes!
 Continue reading |
– From Kara K.
Kara whipped up this yummy bruschetta for lunch one day out of ingredients we had on hand. It was so tasty, we had to make a second batch! I don’t store this recipe as a meal in my 19×19, but I use it to help rotate my storage. If I find myself with a lot of tomatoes that are approaching expiration (okay — and a lot of times just because I like it), we treat ourselves to Bruschetta for lunch.
I also love to keep the tomato mixture made up in the fridge…it’s good in omelets, along with some cheese and fresh spinach, and delicious as a sandwich filling –just spoon it over your turkey and avocado. Mmmm! –Mellyn
Although I can’t seem to find a way to make butternut squash truly shelf stable. The freezer is a good place to store it when my garden is plentiful. I’ve found that peeling it with a vegetable peeler and then cubing it (remember to get rid of the seeds in the middle) before throwing it into a ziploc makes it ready and available all through the winter. When I need some for a recipe or a side dish I use my double broiler and in 15-20 minutes I have hot, soft squash! This is just one of the recipes I love to make with this frozen vegetable. Either leftover turkey from the big day or a can of turkey off the shelf are great in this and both are welcome at my table!
Continue reading
This recipe is a classic, and when I serve it over homemade biscuits, it becomes a treat! It’s a great use of leftover turkey or a simple can of turkey.
Sweet, tangy and on the edge of too sour, this pie is my absolute favorite for Thanksgiving!
This pie is a cross between a pie and a crisp. It’s so good, I couldn’t even get the picture taken before a slice was gone! Don’t be put off by the GIGANTIC list of ingredients. With an oatmeal crust you can press into the pan, this dessert comes together really quickly. Even my father-in-law, who’s not a big pie fan, enjoyed it! –Mellyn
Going without cheese is no option for our family. My grandfather loved cheese so much he would put it in his morning oatmeal. I guess you could say grandpa was the inspiration for these muffins. They are full of apples, but the cheese makes them awesome and adds variety to the kinds of things my food storage brings to my breakfast table. Yes, I spend the extra money on freeze-dried cheeses, but I shop the sales and stock up when I find it for $15-$20 a #10 can. I also feel $40 a can is too much, but when things are on sale, I can justify a lot.
Don’t let the long list of ingredients keep you from trying these. They are inspired by a family recipe given to me from my mother-in-law. We can’t live without these special pancakes so I was just determined to make them out of shelf stable ingredients. They do not disappoint.
Continue reading
–From Jeanie R.
I love alfredo sauce. But what you can do with a jar of creamy garlic sauce is limited, so I store table cream instead. This yummy Alfredo Bean Cream Sauce satisfies my craving, but I can also turn the ingredients into something totally different — like dessert! That’s versatility! — Mellyn
Shown here served over pasta twirls, ABC Sauce is always a hit!
Delicious and reasonably healthy — these are chocolate chip cookies Charlie Brown (and every other kid) will love. As the Mom I love them, too. They freeze well, and (dare I admit?!) we ate them for breakfast last week. Picky boy was all about that! – Mellyn
A Betty Crocker version of this recipe was the first “real” food I learned to cook, and it’s still a family favorite. (Heck, I even forked out the cash for freeze-dried peas! No mooshy green peas in my pot pie!) Anyway, I keep about 25 pounds of butter in my freezer and planned to use part of it for chicken pot pie filling. But now that I’ve made the bean “discovery,” I can save my butter for places I won’t be trying beans — like spread on my toast at breakfast! –Mellyn
They’ll never know! Since the shortening has been replaced with beans, these biscuits have all of the comfort and none of the guilt! Why would I do such a thing?! Two reasons. First, although shortening is shelf stable, it only lasts about 2 years from the date of manufacture (according to the Crisco website). Dry beans last 30+ years! Second, shortening is horrible health-wise. Using beans eliminates nearly 50 calories and 5 grams of fat per biscuit, while dumping the hydrogenated fat and boosting calcium, potassium, iron and fiber.
For more info about my bean “experiments,” be sure to read Bonkers for Beans!
– Mellyn
Now that my eyes are open to the many things that can be done with pumpkin, I’m excited to try more and more recipes. Unfortunately, many call for fresh ingredients. Sometimes making them out of food storage works well (with a little tweeking); sometimes it doesn’t. I was happy when I got this butter spread to work. The sugar really enhances the cranberries, and it was spreadable and yummy.
This chili is so super easy with the convenience of dehydrated veggies and beans. Add the pumpkin, and you have one nutrient-packed bowl!
Continue reading
