Ice Cream...I mean Dream, Anyone?!

I found this lovely blog a few weeks ago and I am so glad I did. She has blogged about a what looks like a wonderful new book coming out, The Ice Dream Cookbook by Rachel Albert-Matesz. Nourishing Days says this about the book, "The great thing about this book is that not only are the recipes dairy and gluten free, they are also low in sugar. All of the recipes are sweetened only with honey or agave and stevia. So, for anyone who can not tolerate cane sugar, or tries to stay away from too many sweeteners - you can enjoy ice cream (dream) again!". I am sold!

She is also holding a giveaway for a copy of the book! All you have to do is leave her a comment. Check it out!

Maple Syrup Recipe

We have a problem in our house every Saturday and Sunday morning...Pancakes!! Daddy and Ellie make a stack of Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes every weekend and the extras go in the freezer for a lazy morning when mommy can't get her body to cooperate with her head and get up on time :)

Along with these pancakes we of course need syrup. Has anyone priced decent yummy maple syrup recently?!? I know prices overall are going up and this is reflected in the syrup aisle. Again in my effort to maintain a frugal household I thought, "Why can't I make the syrup?". I think this thought first took root in my brain as I was watching our maple tree drip sap. It was running with so much sap that the branches had sap "icicles". It was amazing and I am kicking myself for not getting a picture. The squirrels and birds would just sit on the branches and nibble away. I joked with a friend about tapping the tree and setting up a big pot over a fire in the front yard to boil down our own maple syrup...Watch out, I just might try it next year :)

Second best to tapping the tree is the recipe I found for Maple Syrup. It is super easy, takes all of 5 minutes to make and has passed the Starner taste test. Let me know what you think.

Maple Syrup

Combine in saucepan:
1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat stirring often, cover and cook 1 minute. (I have found you need to play around with how long to cook it, this depends on how thick or thin you prefer you syrup)Cool slightly.
Add:
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t maple flavoring
Cover saucepan for a few minutes as syrup cooks to melt down crystals; helps prevent syrup from crystallizing later in storage. Allow to cool and store in covered container in refrigerator.

From the Starner house to yours. Enjoy!

Soup

I have come to really enjoy and appreciate the many varieties of soup during this time of Dave transitioning to a new job. We have found it to be an extremely healthful and frugal way to stretch our food supply and our balance in the checking account.

Here is one we sampled recently that all of us thoroughly enjoyed. Even the other non-soup loving individuals in the house :)

Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb bulk sausage (I actually bought a smoked sausage and diced it, it was delicious)
1 cup lentils
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 potato (we were out of white potatoes so I used a sweet potato, highly recommended)
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
3-4 sprigs thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, leaves shredded

Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat with one turn of the pot of EVOO. Once hot, add the sausage and saute for 3-4 minutes, breaking into small pieces as it cooks and browns.
While sausage is browning, pour lentils out and sift thru for small stones.
To the browned sausage, add onion, garlic, potato, mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes.
Add the stock and 2 cups of water, turn the heat up to high and bring to a bubble. Add the lentils and the kale. Stir until the kale wilts in then turn heat down to medium and simmer 30-45 minutes until lentils are tender.

Next time we have this soup I am going to try it as a vegan dish. I think it will be just as lovely and filling.

Post your comments and let me know if you and your family enjoy this for a meal. Let me know any of your personal alterations.

A Frugal Recipe

Okay, so my brother of all people recently started a blog. On his blog he has vowed to post yummy recipes and such that his family enjoys so that others can share in their life. I thought this sounded like fun so the big sister is now going to copy her little brother :)

I recently read the Duggars new book and loved it. They share many frugal recipes and one that I have actually tried is their recipe for laundry detergent. It works out to between 3 and 4 CENTS a load!! Gotta love that! We started using it last week and I think the batch might just last us a year :) Seriously it made a 5 gallon bucket worth of laundry detergent and there are only 4 of us...

A friend of mine suggested this website, http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/ for buying the soaps you need. They shipped out the soaps very quickly and the price seemed reasonable.

Liquid Laundry Soap

Water
1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap
5 gallon bucket
1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
4 1/2 gallons water

Put grated Fels Naptha in saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved, this takes a while. Just be patient. Fill bucket with hot water and add soap. (I suggest adding the water first and then the soap...I did it the other way and I have never seen so many bubbles) Stir to combine. Add 1 cup washing soda and 1 cup borax and mix well. As it cools, it will thicken. If mixture becomes too thick, add hot water to thin it to desired consistency. Mine did become too thick and I heated some water in my tea kettle and added a little bit at a time. I worked great. May be used immediately. Mix well before each use. Use 1/2(normal) to 1 cup per load (heavy). Cost per load .04.

I also added some glass beads(marbles would work too) to help keep the soap mixed well.

Enjoy!