Salads

 Taco Salad

We like taco salad but for two of us its to much at one time. The chips get soggy the next day and even though its good its not as good as day 1.

When I make chili as an example I take a bit of the browned hamburger and put it aside. The next day I literally throw a taco salad together. It  makes just enough for two. I also add more veggies. 

Just throw it together. The browned hamburger, cheese, onion, lettuce and I use romaine, chips crushed, taco seasoning and I don't use Dorito's. Throw in anything you like stir it and add more if needed. Top off with French dressing or what ever you want. I also make my own dressing. 

Honey French Dressing:        
                                                             
1/2 cup Organic Ketchup
1 cup Organic Olive Oil  (I use grape seed oil)
1/4 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar                  
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Organic Onion (coarsely chopped) (I use powder)
1 tsp Sea Salt (I use Himalaya salt)
1/4 tsp Organic Ground Black Pepper (Don't use)
1 small clove of Garlic (I  use powdered)
Combine everything in your blender and blend until smooth! Will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge, enjoy!

Creamy Cucumber Salad Ingredients:

4 large Cucumbers
1 medium Sweet Onion
1 cup Mayonnaise
 ½ cup White Sugar
¼ cup White Vinegar
 Salt and Pepper to taste

CREAMY CUCUMBERS 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 English cucumbers
• ½ cup Sliced red onions
• ¾ cup Sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped fresh dill
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• Pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Chocolate Candy

Homemade chocolate chips 

1/2 cup of cocoa powder - 1/2 cup coconut oil - 1/4 cup maple syrup - Heat together - dump - firm - cut

Peanut butter cups

Line a cupcake pan with liners

Add a bit of melted chocolate then 

Add peanut butter then more chocolate 

Then freeze and eat. 

Mounds bars can be made the same way. Mix coconut with sweetened condensed milk. Then add chocolate then coconut mix then more chocolate then freeze. 

Jello & Pudding & Ice Cream

 Chocolate Pudding

1/4 cup  unsweetened cocoa - 1/2 cup sugar - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 2 cups milk - 3 Tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot .  Cook til thickened. 

Homemade jello

Ingredients 

3 cups fruit juice (I use organic cherry, apple or and grape)

1/4 cup cold or room temp water

1/4 cup hot water - not quite boiling 

1.5 tablespoons gelatin from grass fed cows - Amazon

Optional honey - didn’t use 

Directions

Add the gelatin to the cold water and stir until the texture is smooth and consistent. Add the hot water and stir again (this will thin the mixture back to a water-like consistency). Add this gelatin mixture to the fruit juice (sweetened if you so choose) and stir some more.

Then pour your jello mixture into a large bowl, and place it in the fridge to set for at least 2-3 hours (or you can pop it in the freezer if you’re impatient!). Add fruit if you want. Make jello chiffon by waiting till it’s partially set and mixing in whip cream. 

Last but not least, enjoy!

Simple vanilla ice cream

1 & 1/2 cups milk

1 & 1/8 sugar - I used just under a cup

3 cups heavy cream

1 & 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract 

Mix - pour in - 20-25 minutes

Simple chocolate ice cream 

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup sugar 

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 

1 & 1/2 cups milk

3 & 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 

 Combine cocoa powder and sugars. Stir. Add whole milk and use a hand mixer on low to combine. Stir in cream and vanilla. 25-30 minutes. 

Chocolate mint ice cream

1 & 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup chocolate syrup

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint 

1 cup mint morsels or Andes mint chips or peppermint candies

Mix with hand mixer milk, chocolate syrup and sugar. Stir in cream and peppermint. 20-25 minutes. 5 minutes before done add Andes or whatever you choose. 

Ice milk 

4 cups of milk

 1 Cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

20-25 minutes 

Mason Jar Ice Cream - Good

1 cup heavy whip cream

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Shake - Freeze - Enjoy

I shake it then put in a small container to freeze. Depending on how big your mason jar is you need to be able to get the ice cream out of the jar.

Pecan Pie/Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

Mix 2 eggs slightly beaten and 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar (I use my homemade and don't pack it)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (I don't use that much)
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves (I don't use them don't like them)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Blend into pumpkin mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk ( I just use my regular whole milk)

Pour into your favorite pie crust

Bake at 425 degree's for 15 minutes, then 350 for 40 minutes. Mine always takes longer to bake. Maybe because I use regular milk. Not sure.

Make your own brown sugar: 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon molasses equals brown sugar

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour  - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1 stick of butter cold  - 4-5 Tablespoons ice water

Butter pie pan. Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter. Add ice water to form dough. Roll out on floured surface.

If prebaking bake at 425 degree's for about 8 minutes. Otherwise fill and bake.

I roll my crust thin so this recipe makes 2 pie crust's. Also I normally use more ice water then what it calls for.

I saw a cute idea where instead of using a top pie crust you can cut shapes to put across the top of pie. I saw one using stars. At Christmas you could use cut outs.

Maple Pecan Pie 

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour  - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1 stick of butter cold  - 4-5 Tablespoons ice water

Butter pie pan. Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter. Add ice water to form dough. Roll out on floured surface. Place in pie pan. 

I roll my crust thin so this recipe makes 2 pie crust's. Also I normally use more ice water than what it calls for.

FILLING

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 SFilling

• 2 and 1/2 cups (250g) shelled pecans (pecan halves)
• 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour*
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240ml) pure maple syrup
• Whip cream when serving.

Instructions

1. The filling: Carefully spread pecans evenly inside pie crust. Set aside. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and flour together in a large bowl until combined and thick. Whisk in the vanilla extract, salt, eggs, and pure maple syrup until combined. Pour evenly over pecans.
2. Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. The pie filling will set as it cools.
3. Don’t forget you can use maple syrup in place of corn syrup with all recipes. And thanks to our Children Jodi and Andrew we will never run out. They make it every year. Of course all glory to God for providing the tree’s.

Hamburger Gravy/Meat balls or loaf

 Hamburger Gravy

1 pound ground beef - 1 tsp salt - 1 tsp pepper - 1/2 tsp garlic salt - 1 tsp minced onion - 4 Tbsp butter               1/4 cup flour - 2 cups milk 

Always prepare whatever your putting gravy over first. If you cook the gravy to long while waiting for your side to be done it gets to thick.

In a skillet, over medium high heat, season ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic salt and onion and cook until meat is done. 

Add butter and melt. Sprinkle flour over the top of beef and stir. Cook flour 1 to 2 minutes. 

Slowly pour in milk and whisk or stir to incorporate into the flour beef. Stir occasionally let it cook until it thickens. About 5 minutes or so. 

Serve immediately over mashed potatoes, toast, noodles or rice. It is good.

Meat loaf or Meat balls

1 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup onion diced, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, one egg, 1/4 cup parsley chopped, 1/4 cup Parmesan shredded, salt and pepper to taste. Mix and bake. I do 375 but it says you can do 400 18 to 20 minutes.

Meatloaf - very good too

2 1/2 pounds hamburger/venision

1 1/4 cups plain bread crumbs

1 egg

Ketchup - mustard - barbecue sauce 

My seasoning 

Real onion chopped

Drizzle with avocado oil 

Kombuca

3 qts distilled water - 12 cups. Boil. Then add 1 cup sugar (Should be cheap sugar not organic) and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from burner add 4 bags black tea and steep for 10 minutes then remove and stir. Marylin told me to use more tea bags. 

Cool tea for at least 45 minutes. Then pour into a gallon jar. Cool for another 2 hours. You want it room temperature before you add the scobby. After 2 hours check it. Sometimes I let mine go a bit longer.

After its room temperature in the gallon jar add almost a cup of liquid from the scobby container and place the scobby dark side down in the jar. Cover with a coffer filter and use a rubber band to keep it on. Sit on counter out of sunlight. Let sir 7-10 days.

Make your own scooby

1 cup raw and unpasteurized store bought kombucha. 

1/3 cup sugar

1 qt water

4 tea bags

Make a tea batch with these measurements. Let sit 10 days untouched in warm place. 

Cooking Substitute

You can substitute mayo in your cake for the eggs and oil. 

Example if your just substituting the oil 1/2 of mayo = 1/2 of oil

Also substitute mayo for eggs. 1/4 cup for each egg. 

Self-rising flour is made by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup all purpose flour.

I use healthy oils for baking. I also replace oil for butter. If you want though you can substitute oil by using: applesauce, fruit puree or yogurt. I have used applesauce. If you make brownies and add applesauce instead of oil your kids might complain, mine did.

If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by adding 1 Tablespoon of either fresh lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk. I have made it using the vinegar.

Out of eggs? Use any of these substitutes in place of 1 egg: 1/4 cup applesauce or 1/4 cup vegetable oil or 1/4 cup mashed banana.

Cut a recipe in half: 

3/4 cup is 6 Tablespoons - 2/3 cup is 1/3 cup - 1/2 cup is 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup is 2 teaspoons plus 2 Tablespoons - 1/4 cup is 2 Tablespoons - 1 Tablespoon is 1 1/2 teaspoons - 1 teaspoon is 1/2 teaspoon - 1/2 teaspoon is 1/4 teaspoon. 

Heavy Cream Substitute 

If you need heavy cream for a recipe, make your own by combining 2/3 cup whole milk with 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter. This will give you 1 cup of heavy cream. (I normally don't use unsalted butter and recipes that call for it I just use salted butter.)

Maple syrup instead of corn syrup.