Being Booga

Well today I finally did something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

I made homemade SOY MILK.

I got my “recipe” by viewing several different YouTube videos and researching online. The processes were all basically the same:

Soak Soy Beans overnight.

Drain / Rinse.

Pulse 1 cup at a time in blender with 3 cups of water. Strain through cheese cloth into large pot. Squeeze to get all the liquid out.  Do this in batches. I processed a total of 3 cups of soaked beans, one cup at a time in the blender, with 600 ml filtered water.

I read somewhere that 3 cups soaked soy beans will make a gallon of soy milk. Is this right?

Then you boil the liquid “milk” for at least 25 minutes (boil, then simmer - scimming off foam as it develops, and stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan).

**The cooking part of the milk is very important in order to destroy something that would otherwise made the soy liquid indigestible.**

Okay all’s well so far. It looked great and I loved the soy aroma.

Then I got a phone call and needed to be somewhere - fast.

So since it had been 30 minutes cook time, I went ahead and starting pouring the hot milk into clean, hot, sterilized Quart jars. I had enough milk to fill two Quart jars.

When I returned later, I found the milk had cooled down. I poured myself a tasting glass and… YUCK!!!

Not only is it disgusting, it’s slimy and there’s CHUNKS of… soy…

So … since I’d read that 3 cups Soy Beans = 1 Gallon Soy Milk my first thought is “Do I add filtered drinking water to this to make it a gallon?” - Followed by, “Do I strain the milk again to get rid of the chunks?”

I am NOT sure. I could also try adding some flavors. My neighbor Becky gave me some Agavae syrup to try. I also have vanilla, honey and sugar.

Tomorrow it’s back to the hearth to see what I can do with this. In the meantime, I really hope to hear from anyone who has experience in making Soy Milk.

I love soy milk and the price of dry soybeans is right - I get my soy beans in my local Asian market. I’d love to be able to make my own soy milk to enjoy!

Please Comment!

Had a guest for dinner last night and I served Herb Roasted Vegetables.

She LOVED it and suggested I post the recipe on here - so, Gina, here it is! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 small red potatoes - washed and cubed (skin on)

1 zucchini cubed - skin on

1 small onion, quartered

2 carrots, sliced

Optional: Cubed fresh tomato, cubed / peeled squash, bell pepper, mushrooms, sweet potato

Put the prepared vegetables in a rectangle baking dish. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with dried thyme, rosemary, zest spice, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Toss and mix until the veggies are covered in herbs & spice and oil is distributed evenly.

Place in 400 degree oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir. Continue to bake another 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are fork-tender and caramelized. Roast longer in oven if you like your vegetables more tender.

NOTE: Some recipes for Oven Roasted Vegetables have you cover your pan with foil for the first part of baking. I have done this, also. When I cut the veggies up smaller, however, I don’t need to use foil. Play with this. Just keep baking until they’re as tender as you like. If they’re burning faster than you’d like - use foil!

Mashed Potatoes

I found this yummy recipe on RecipeZaar.Com (my favorite cooking & recipe site) - it was posted by TSmith70 and gets excellent reviews. I usually tend to adjust recipes, but not this one, it’s perfect exactly how it is.

Ingredients:

8-10 medium Idaho russet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup blue bonnet margarine
salt
pepper
parsley flakes, to top

Directions

1. Peel, cut up and boil potatoes until tender.
2. Drain water and put potatoes in a mixing bowl.
3. Add margarine, sour cream and milk.
4. Use an electric mixer and mix until desired consistency.
5. The KEY here is to add salt and pepper to taste.
6. You might add anywhere from a teaspoon to several tablespoons of salt, just depending on how much you like salt.
7. Pepper is the same way, although use it more sparingly.
8. Just remember to add a little at a time, until you get it where you like it.
9. Once that is done, I usually put a couple of pats of margarine on top of the finished potatoes to let it melt.
10. Then sprinkle parsley over it.

This will make the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever found anywhere.

Frugal, Simple, Natural, Easy - And it gets your clothes clean.

Did you know you can make your own laundry detergent? It’s a super easy way to save money.

This recipe makes a powder detergent that gives you clean and fresh-smelling laundry, without spending a bundle on store-bought laundry soap.

Supplies / Ingredients:

20 Mule Team Borax
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (Big yellow box w/ red lettering - this is NOT baking SODA!)
1 Bar Soap - I use regular Ivory soap.

Technique:

Push the soap bar into your food processor and process until the soap is turned into very fine flakes.

Mix it with 1 cup Borax and 1 cup washing soda. I mixed mine by stirring it up to combine and then by placing in a plastic container with a lid and shaking it up!

I heard you can add some vanilla extract (pure) along with some lavender oil and mix that in for a nice fragrance! I haven’t tried that yet. I’m going to, however! I love lavender and vanilla!

This is highly concentrated - you only need to use 1 to 2 Tablespoons per wash load. Please allow the mixture to mix with water before adding your laundry~!

There’s a liquid-detergent recipe out there if you prefer. I haven’t tried making that yet, but I plan to!

The cost for my supplies which were 1 large box Borax, 1 large box of Washing Soda, and 3 bars of Ivory (they were on sale) totaled about $11.00. I haven’t done a cost / price analysis yet, but I’m pretty sure this first batch is going to last a long time and I have supplies for several more batches. According to my estimate, I think I’m washing laundry for about half-a-penny per load.

Fabulous?

Ryan came up with this recipe tonight and it was delicious! He made notes in the kitchen notebook during the prep. I took photos.

1/3 Cup Mayo (Or salad dressing. We like Mayo)
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
pinch of sugar.
Stir to combine and incorporate. May need to thin with a little drizzle of olive oil.

Place chicken breast cutlets in bowl and coat well. Place in baking dish - Bake 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (This depends on how thin your cutlets are)

We served ours with sticky Basmati rice with soy sauce and steamed carrots. The chicken was fork-tender and very yummy.

I beieve these products are SUPERIOR to what I could buy in a store.

Supplies:
White Vinegar
Baking Soda
20 Mule Team BORAX
Arm & Hammer Washing SODA
Ammonia (lemon)
Rubbing Alcohol
Ivory Soap bars
Lemons
Pure Vanilla Extract
scrubby pads
Dobie pad
Towels / Rags
Sponges

TIPS:

• You can use crumpled up newspaper to clean windows, instead of pricey paper towels
• You can use a piece of crumpled up foil as a “scrubber” for stubborn stuck-on food. (This is a camping trick. We always brought foil with us camping, never brought a sponge)
• Protect your hands / nails — wear gloves, these ARE chemicals

Homemade Laundry Powder
1 bar Ivory - processed to shred fine
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1/2 cup BORAX

Mix well and use 1 to 2 Tablespoons for each load, dissolved in water before adding clothes. Can use 1/2 cup vinegar in rinse cycle for a fabric softener.

Dishwasher:
1/2 washing soda 1/2 borax mix - fill detergent cup. Use vinegar in place of “Jet Dry”

USES FOR WHITE VINEGAR
I can’t even begin to sing the praises of vinegar. Vinegar soaks up / rids the environment of odor. Beware, it is an acid. Don’t spray / use it on marble or any other porous surface.

I keep a large clear spay bottle with 1 part vinegar, 1 part water mix. I spray it on the stovetop, counters, sinks, drains. Wipe up with hot soapy water. It disinfects and and cuts through grease — after the vinegar smell dissipates, you just smell “freshness”.

I spray some inside my glass coffee carafe and wipe out to remove coffee residue.

To whiten a sink (I have the white iron / porcelain sink) sprinkle with Borax, then spray w/ Vinegar / H20 mix, scrub with a sponge and let sit.

I rarely use the other ingredients / recipes here.

For my woods, I buy a citrus wood oil spray product. I know I can make a homemade wood polish - I just never have, YET.


General Cleaning Supplies Recipes

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner Like 409
1 Spray Bottle, Labeled. Mix:
2 tb Pinesol
2 tb Lemon ammonia
Fill remainder of spray-bottle
With water.

Mix all together and keep in marked bottle away from children and pets

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 lb low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard (Dijon, use less if you aren’t a mustard fan - or, omit)
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Procedure:
Melt the butter over med. heat. Stir / whisk in flour and cook until bubbly. Do not brown. Remove from heat for a minute. Add milk. Return to med - high heat, and whisk until smooth, bubbly and begins to thicken slightly. Add cream cheese, salt, mustard, and pepper. Continue to heat / whisk until bubbly and combined and thick. Add grated cheese and combine until melted. You can use this on macaroni for yummy mac-n-cheese. I make this ahead and place portions (enough for a pot of mac n cheese) in the freezer. I’ve also made this with just the white sauce and grated cheese (no cream cheese) - it’s a much milder flavor. Also this might be too much mustard for some people’s taste. Experiment. Enjoy!

Wow, CHEAP AND GOOD!

Ingredients

I STRUGGLE AS I WRITE THIS. I’VE NEVER WRITTEN IT DOWN, I’VE ALWAYS JUST MADE THESE! I “invented” these right around 1991 or so…
HERE GOES…

Ingredients:
3 Cups cooked rice - we use long-grain - jasmine is my favorite!
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
4 cups cooked refried beans (I make black beans)
1 can chopped green chilis
1 can Embassa salsa, or other small can medium to hot red salsa (in the ethnic section of your supermarket)
1 can chopped tomatoes - mexican style - or one tomato, chopped
1 can chilis in adobo sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon oil (we use olive oil)
4 cups shredded cheese
hot pepper sauce of choice (we use whatever is on hand)
hot pepper flakes, if you’re wanting spicy burritos

About 30 large flour tortillas. I always bought these. But, sometimes they’re pricey and so I hope someday to make my own. Katie over at Frugal Fabulous has a recipe for supposedly easy homemade tortillas. I haven’t tried them yet, so if you do, let me know!

You also need plenty of plastic wrap

Procedure:

The day before, make the beans.
Rinse and sort 2 cups black beans or pinto beans. Rinse a few times. Cover in cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and cover and let “soak” for at least a few hours. Let them cool then cover, place in the fridge.
The next day, Drain and rinse again. Cover in cold water, bring again to a rolling boil then simmer slowly with a lid on until beans are nice and tender - soft enough to mash. Boil off extra liquid if needed, leaving some liquid so the beans are somewhat soupy, like a stew. Set aside to cool enough to handle in a food processor.

Cook the ground beef. Set aside. Start the rice. While the rice is steaming / cooking (jasmine takes about 20 minutes simmer covered low simmer), transfer half the beans to a processor and process or else use a potato masher to mash about half the beans. Mix well with the liquid, and if at this point they’re too “Soupy” then boil off some liquid. We prefer our beans with more texture. Process / mash to a consistency you prefer.

In a skillet with the olive oil, cook chopped onions and garlic until browned, then add the chilis with adobo sauce. Add some more oil if needed. Over med-high heat add the beans and let cook / fry. Flip / stir beans and continue to fry untl they start drying and getting “crusty”. Now keep stirring the crusty back into the beans. If you have to add some more liquid at this point that’s okay. Now we’re going for a little soupier than commercial, canned refried beans. Salt. We didn’t season the rice OR the ground beef. The beans are everything for the flavor of the burritos. Salt / taste. They’re so good I usually grab a tortilla at this point and have a mini bean burrito snack, beans and tortilla only!

In a very large bowl (I LOVE my giant stainless steel bowl) - combine beans, cooked ground beef, cooked rice, and canned ingredients. Stir and combine thoroughly. Taste and if desired, throw in some splashes of hot pepper sauce and pepper flakes. Remember, they’ll get “hotter” though after freezing, so go easy! For my family I like to make some spicy, some not.

Warm tortillas in stacks of 6 in a microwave, medium power for 1 minute. Stack warm tortillas in front of the bowl of burrito mix. Glob burritio mix in the burrito - not too much, you need to be able to roll it up tightly - then sprinkle about a tablespoon of cheese on. To roll, fold bottom up over the globe, pull toward you tight, then fold the sides in. Roll tightly. Transfer to a baking sheet, seam side down, to keep it in “shape” while you continue making burritos. When you have a large batch done, wrap them each individually in plastic wrap. Don’t use foil. Place them in a grocery sack or what-have-you and place in freezer. To eat, pull one out and microwave with plastic on, med power 1 minute to thaw somewhat. Loosen plastic wrap or just remove, and continue microwaving until burrito is hot.

I never did a cost on these - well I think I might have way back in the day - I do know this mix and process will get you 30+ burritos for way less than buying them at a convenience store or individually at the supermarket. The little “Juan” type ones aren’t even that good and they’re at least a dollar, sometimes $2. I think if I add meat, beans, etc. it would probably come up to less than $20.00 (tortillas, at least the good ones, are pretty pricey - investigate making them homemade!) - so you can figure out the savings. A bonus - you know exactly what’s IN these, no preservatives - homemade, fresh, delicious! I used to send a big batch of these to my husband’s work. He’s put them in the freezer there and his coworkers would put a dollar in a can when they wanted one. I think I made a pretty good profit. They were really popular. Kids love them, too.

Sweet Tea

For a perfectly brewed glass of sweet tea that’s sure to refresh, follow these instructions:
To about 2 cups hot water (in small pot on stove) add 1 cup of sugar.
Stir and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the pot is about boiling.
Stir in a clock-wise direction.
Add 8 regular sized tea bags. Remove from heat and cover tightly.
Let brew / steep for at least an hour. Two hours even better!
Pour the semi-cooled Sweet Tea syrup into a gallon jug or container (we recycle a plastic milk jug) - squeezing every drop out of each tea bag. Fill jug the remaining way with cold water. You’ll get lots of foam - keep filling (foam will spill over) until tea is to the top. Cover and shake. Refrigerate.
Enjoy poured over ice - can add lemon, too!
Reviews:
I poured some for Ryan. He gulped it down, took a breath, and said, “More?” –
Farmer Steve stopped in, knocking loudly at the back door, “Hello!? You home? Got any of that ice tea?”
For “Spiced” sweet tea (a favorite!) just add some cinnamon / cloves / orange peels during brew process. Strain.