Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/2 C powdered milk
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Using a blender, mix all the ingredients together.

In Turkey, Nette Mireles and I were trying to make something and we didn't have any condensed milk but we found this in one of her cookbooks.  It worked great!  I love having a good substitution for items in my pantry.  
Love Always,
Mommy

Teriyaki Marinade

1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing Mix (1/4 C)
1/4 C cider vinegar
1/4 C oil
1/4 C soy sauce
2 TB honey

To Double:
1/2 C Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1/2 C vinegar
1/2 C oil
1/2 C soy sauce
1/4 C honey

Combine ingredients in a gallon size ziplock bag.  Mix well.  Add 1 1b of chicken, beef, or veggies.  Marinate at least 1 hour.  Do not marinate meat and veggies together.  Discard marinade after use.

Putting chicken in this marinade in the morning and letting it sit in the refrigerator all day is an easy way to get some dinner prep completed ahead of time.  The marinated chicken fries up deliciously.  I usually fry it in some oil and a little bit of the marinade.  Occasionally I have made a batch of the marinade to warm up and serve over the chicken and some rice.  It makes the chicken "black" and Daniel loves "burnt chicken".  :)
Love Always, 
Mommy

Vegetable Seasoning Mix

Quick Cooking July/August 2000

2 TB garlic salt
2 TB garlic powder
2 TB dried, minced onion
2 TB onion powder
2 TB salt

Combine all the ingredients and store in a glass jar with a lid in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

To use:
Cook 2 cups of veggies, drain well.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2-1 teaspoon seasoning mix; toss until butter is melted and seasoning is mixed into veggies.

This makes the best green beans!  Daddy loves this on his green beans and I know all you children do too.  It's an easy way to make our veggies a little more special.

Love Always,
Mommy

Hamburger Helper

From The Family Homestead and Mommy versions

Master Mix

2 C of powdered milk

1 C corn starch

¼ C chicken bouillon powder

2 TB dried onion

1 tsp basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp pepper

2 TB dried parsley

1 TB garlic powder

2 TB salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in a canning jar with an air tight lid. 

Lasagna

Brown one pound of hamburger and add:

½ C mix

1 chopped onion

2 C water

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

½ C parmesan cheese

3 C whole wheat pasta of your choice

Bring to a boil, reduce  heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  top with:

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cover with a lid and do not stir.  Turn off heat.  Let it sit long enough for cheese to melt.

Chili Mac

Brown one pound of hamburger and add:

1 C of water

1 ½ C of uncooked elbow noodles

2 cans (15 oz) chopped tomatoes

1 TB chili powder

½ C mix

Bring above ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until noodles are cooked completely.

Hamburger Stroganoff

Brown one pound of hamburger and add:

2 C water

½ C helper

2 C linguine noodles

Bring mixture to a boil and stir, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Then add:

½ cup sour cream and serve

Hamburger Potato Casserole

Brown one pound hamburger and add:

1¾ C water

6 peeled potatoes, sliced thin

1 cup frozen peas

½ cup (slightly heaping) mix

Bring mixture to a boil and stir, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

Cheeseburger Mac

Brown 1 lb. of hamburger and add:

1/2 C master mix

2 C macaroni

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

4 C water

Bring mixture to a boil and stir, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with 1 C cheddar cheese and cook until cheese melts.

Beefy Noodle

Brown 1 lb. of hamburger and add:

1/2 C master mix

3 C noodles

4 tsp chicken bouillon

4 C water

1/4 C ketchup

Bring mixture to a boil and stir, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Beef Taco

Brown 1 lb. of hamburger and add:

1/2 C master mix

2 C macaroni

1/4 C taco seasoning

4 C water

Bring mixture to a boil and stir, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with 1 C cheddar cheese and cook until cheese melts.

Team Southerland has only made the Lasagna Hamburger Helper.  We like it so much that it's been awhile since we have eaten the other versions.  :)  The Cheeseburger Mac, Beefy Noodle, and Beef Taco are all Mommy modified recipes.  We used to make a different version of those recipes but lately we have been stuck on the lasagna one.  So yum!  An easy way to prep ahead for dinner is to place all the dry ingredients of one of these recipes into a ziplock bag or glass jar.  Label with recipe name and cooking instructions.  If you have fried up some beef in advance, this makes for a very fast and easy dinner. I have found that the recipes need a little more water or liquid and a bit longer cooking time.

Love Always, 

Mommy 

Italian Dressing Mix

Heavenly Homemakers

2 TB garlic powder
1/4 C onion powder
2 TB plus 2 tsp oregano
1/4 C parsley
2 TB plus 2 tsp sea salt
4 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp dried celery

Shake ingredients together and store in a jar.  This is a master batch.

To make Italian salad dressing:
Mix 2 TB mix with 1/4 C vinegar, 2 tsp water, and 1/2 C olive oil.

I found this recipe over at Heavenly Homemakers.  She has all kinds of recipes for homemade salad dressings.  This is also the dry mix we use in our Shredded Beef Tacos (Street Tacos).  It makes yummy salad dressing without all the yucky preservatives in it.  Good stuff!

Love Always,
Mommy

Pizza Sauce

3 cans (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 1/4 C. water
2/3 C. parmesan cheese
3 tsp. dried minced garlic, rejuvinated
2 tsp. honey
2 1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. marjoram
3/4 tsp. basil
3/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and let stand 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Yield- enough sauce for 2 pizzas

I found this on the allrecipes website.  This is really yummy on our homemade pizza crust.  It isn't hard and tastes so good.  Homemade pizza is the best!
Love Always,
Mommy

Frozen Pudding Pops

From Heavenly Homemakers

Make a batch (or two or three) of pudding.  This is an excellent homemade pudding to use.


Pour the pudding into popsicle containers or 3 ounce sized bathroom cups.  Each batch of pudding made about 12 Pudding Pop cups.  I found it easiest to put all the cups on a large cookie sheet for easier transport the freezer.


Allow the pudding to cool and set up (about 45 minutes).  Place a popsicle stick in each cup.


Put the Pudding Pops into the freezer for at least 4 hours.  I was surprised that it took quite a while for these to be frozen through and through. 


Mommy made these the other day for the first time and they were awesome!  I only made a single batch to test the recipe out.  Next time I will definitely make a double or triple batch! Even Daddy liked these!  We used the paper Dixie cups and found out that the paper stuck to the pudding pops!  A little hot water run on the outside of the cup loosen it right up and we were able to slip it off without any cup still stuck to our pop.  We found 1,000 popsicle sticks at Michael's Craft Store for under $5.  That's a lot of pudding pops!  :)  These aren't super sweet but they are so good.
Love Always,
Mommy

Creamy Pudding

Another great one from Heavenly Homemakers

Creamy Vanilla Pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup real maple syrup (grade B is best for you) or honey
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 t. sea salt
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, arrowroot powder and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until pudding begins to thicken.  Stir over the heat for about 15 more seconds.  Remove immediately from the heat, and continue to stir until pudding is creamy.  (I use my whisk the whole time for stirring and find this works great!)  Add butter and vanilla and continue to stir until mixed.  Pour into serving dishes and serve warm, or chill for two hours and serve cold.


Chocolate Creamy Pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 t. sea salt
3 T. butter
1 t. vanilla


In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, sucanat or maple syrup, cocoa, arrowroot powder and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until pudding begins to thicken.  Remove immediately from the heat, and continue to stir until pudding is creamy.   Add butter and vanilla and continue to stir until mixed.  Pour into serving dishes and serve warm, or chill for two hours and serve cold.


Mommy has only made this to make Pudding Pops but boy is it good!  Even Daddy liked the Pudding Pops and they are much healthier than anything you could buy at the grocery store.  Yum!
Love Always,
Mommy

Mommy Mocha Frapp

Mommy Creation

3/4 C. milk
2 TB baking cocoa
2 TB organic sugar
1 tsp. instant decaf coffee
1/4 C. chocolate syrup (homemade preferable)
2 C. ice

Put all ingredients except for ice in the VitaMix.  Blend to combine.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  Enjoy with a straw!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mocha Frapp
Add 3-5 large fresh or frozen strawberries, stems removed


This is so yummy!!!  Mommy loves this.  I like Starbucks Frappuccinos but they are expensive.  This is a great way to curb my Starbucks "wanter" for a whole less money.  :)   The homemade chocolate syrup is much better for you than the Hershey's syrup and it tastes awesome.
Love Always,
Mommy

Vegetable Seasoning Mix

Source: Quick Cooking Magazine.  July/August 2000 pg. 19

2 TB garlic salt
2 TB garlic powder
2 TB dried minced onion
2 TB onion powder
2 TB sea salt

Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to one year.

Additional ingredients:
2 C. green beans or vegetable of choice
1 TB butter

To Use:
Cook and drain vegetables. Add butter and ½ - 1 tsp. seasoning mix. Toss until butter is melted.

Mommy saw this in her Quick Cooking magazine one day and decided to give it a try.  Our entire family likes it on green beans.  Grandmommie likes it too and puts it on all kinds of vegetables.  This is also a great one to sprinkle on fried cucumber, squash, and tomatoes.  Grandmommie makes that for us sometimes and it is so yummy!

Love Always,
Mommy

Evaporated Milk Substitute

Source- About.Com: Frugal Living

2/3 cup non-fat dry milk
3/4 cup water

Mix the water and dry milk powder together. Then, use in place of the evaporated milk in any recipe.

Yield: 1 cup (8 ounces)

Did You Know?
Evaporated milk is simply fresh milk that has had about 60% of its water content removed.

I was getting out all the ingredients to make Homemade Mac-N-Cheese for church tomorrow and I realized that I didn't have any evaporated milk.  A quick search lead me to this recipe.  :)  Yippee- saved a trip to the store.

Love Always,
Mommy

Cream of "Whatever" Soup

Sheri Graham Nourishing Heart & Home
Cream Soup Substitue

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup water
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour until mixed well. Add in the water, milk, and bouillon. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and use in place of a store-bought can of cream soup.

Mommy has used a Cream of "Whatever" soup substitute for several years now but I wasn't completely happy with the recipe I was using.  The old recipe broke down to "yuck" in the crock pot so I couldn't use it there.  Sheri Graham shared her recipe with me and it is a winner!  I haven't found a recipe yet that doesn't work with this substitute.  I use the MSG Free Chicken Bouillon for this recipe to make it even better for our family.  Yum!  This is another one of those great recipes that you may want to make a staple in your own pantries.

Love Always,
Mommy

Onion Soup Mix

Tina Jenkins from MOMYS

3 C dried, minced onion
1 C chicken bouillon
1 TB garlic powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 TB sugar

Add all ingredients together in a blender and grind into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.

Use a 1/4 cup mix as you would a pouch of the store bought onion soup mix.

Dip: Use 1/4 cup mix with 16 oz. sour cream for a chip dip.

Children- This is another staple in our pantry.  Store bought Onion Soup Mix has MSG in it so this is a great alternative especailly when we use the MSG Free Chicken Bouillon.  This is the basis for a lot of our homemade meals.

Love Always,
Mommy

Ranch Dressing and Dip

Laura at Heavenly Homemakers
Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings

5 TB dried minced onions,  blended in food processor
7 tsp parsley flakes
4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

For dressing: Mix 2 TB dry mix with 1 C mayonnaise and 1 C buttermilk or sour cream. (I use buttermilk.)
For dip: Mix 1 TB dry mix with 2 C sour cream or kreme fresh.

Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend nicely.

I am noticing a trend as I choose which recipe to add next.  Laura at Heavenly Homemakers shows up quite often!  :)  She has some super recipes that our family really enjoys!  This ranch mix is FANTASTIC!!!  Hannah, Daniel, and Ezra love to eat this with carrots and celery.  Especially celery!  What a great way to add some veggies to our diet.  Hannah has specifically asked that this recipe be added to her cookbook so here you go Sweetie!

Love Always,
Mommy

MSG Free Chicken Boullion

Sheri Graham of Nourishing Heart and Home
Homemade Chicken Broth Powder

1 1/3 C nutritional yeast flakes
3 TB onion powder
7 1/2 tsp (2 1/2 TB) sea salt
1 TB rice protein powder
1 TB sugar
2 1/2 tsp. garlic granules or powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp finely crumbled dried sage (NOT powdered)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric

Blend in a dry blender or food processor until powdery. Store in a dry, airtight container.

Use 1 level teaspoon per cup of boiling water.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups of broth powder

Mommy has been concerned about the MSG in so many of the prepackaged foods. I have been learning to make a lot of our own homemade mixes but most of them call for bouillon which contains MSG. I was so excited when I saw this from our friend Sheri Graham. This has solved our bouillon problem. We use this mix in every recipe calling for bouillon.  What a blessing this recipe has been to our family.

Love Always,
Mommy