ThriftyFun Recipes - October 20, 2009

We are definitely getting a chill in the air around here and I've been making lots of soups and stews. Please send in your favorite recipes and tips for cool fall weather.

Today we have a great article from Debra about freezer jams, jellies and pickles. If you have some freezer canning tips or recipes, add them in as feedback there. Thank you to Stella, love2can, Deeli, av8rs3, morebetomommy and (ljf) Loretta for today's tips and recipes.

Submit Your Favorite Recipe!

Submit a Food tip!

Looking for a recipe? Submit a request

Thanks for reading,

The ThriftyFun Team

• Send to a Friend!

Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter.

Recipe Requests:

• Blumonge Recipe
• Removing Skins From Tomatoes
• Homemade Flavored Coffee
• Making Jewish Apple Cake
• Cakes Sticking to the Pan
• Refreezing Beef

Today's Food Tips:

• Keep Potatoes from Sprouting
• Sterilizing Canning Jars
• Make Your Freezer Work For You: Jams, Jellies And Pickles

Today's Contest Recipes:

• Tomato and Basil Pita Pizza
• Easy Party Punch
• Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
• Sauerkraut Casserole
• Jalapeno Ranch Salad Dressing

Robins's Recipe Corner:

• Pineapple Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes
• Ham Spread
• Hot Milk Cake
• Macaroni Beef Casserole
• Five Hour Beef Stew

Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml

Blumonge Recipe

Does any kind ThriftyFun person out there have the recipe for blumonge, its a dessert my late mum would make. I have tried google-ing it, but no luck. It had plain flour and boiling water and sugar, but that's all I remember. Thanks.

By Ausjulie from Sydney, Australia

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77995669.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Removing Skins From Tomatoes

What is the best way to strip skins from tomatoes?

Hardiness Zone: 6a

By Johnny C. from Conneaut, OH

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41696197.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Homemade Flavored Coffee

How do you make flavored coffee? Like Hazelnut, Vanilla, etc.

By cajunangel from Shreveport, LA

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf766698.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Making Jewish Apple Cake

When making Jewish apple cake, what kind of juice can I use besides orange juice?

By Bernie from Gardiner, OR

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41978873.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Cakes Sticking to the Pan

What is the easiest way to bake a cake without it sticking to the pan and spending all this time scrubbing the pan?

By booboo kitty from Jacksonville, FL

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf14165470.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Refreezing Beef

Would it be OK to grind beef roasts into hamburger and refreeze it?

By Rrobbie from Asheville, NC

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf50647271.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

• Tip Contest
  Submit a Tip or Recipe!

• Photo Contest
  Submit a tip with photo!

The above contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners, 2 photo winners (1 photo and 1 pet photo) and 1 recipe winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25!

• My Frugal Life
  Submit a My Frugal Life Essay!

Keep Potatoes from Sprouting

Putting an apple in a bag of potatoes will keep them from sprouting. Doesn't matter what kind of apple it is.

Source: Real Simple

By Stella from St Joseph, MO

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf773559.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Sterilizing Canning Jars

If you're doing canning, try this. Wash your jars and check the tops of your jars. They should feel like a piece of flat glass, nice and smooth. Put them in the oven on a cookie sheet, open side up, at 200 degrees F until ready to use. This gives you more room on the top of the stove.

Source: 30 years of canning.

By love2can from Sweet Valley, PA

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf63876924.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Make Your Freezer Work For You: Jams, Jellies And Pickles
By Debra Frick

There are many ways of preserving food. You can can it or you can dehydrate it, but if you have a freezer, you have a world of possibilities. The freezer is not just for storing your meat and TV dinners anymore. Some of us remember our mothers or grandmothers working in the kitchen with boxes of clean jars and lids and rings putting up all of their summer produce. If you were lucky, with all the great smells of the kitchen, came lessons on how to can.

Well, I grew up in California and my mother never canned anything. She told me there was no need anymore because of the advancement of processed foods. Well, we now know that processed foods are not the miracles that some of our mothers thought. With the movement now towards a more natural and healthy diet, our ability to preserve naturally grown produce has brought back the need to preserve our own food.

As I said I never learned how to can. When I talked to girlfriends who grew up with mothers that did can, it seemed like a long and hard process. That is when I started researching how I could freeze my fresh produce. At that time, because I had such a large family, a friend gave us a freezer.

Well, I found out that their were many cookbooks out there with great charts on how to freeze produce and fruits. The basic procedure was wash, cut up and then blanch (plunge in boiling water and then into ice water) and then to package. If you were doing fruit, you added a product called "Fruit Fresh", which is powdered citric acid that would keep the fruit from darkening.

In talking to the many helpful farmers at my local farmers market, I learned a lot of tricks. Like freezing my ear corn with the shucks and all, just pop them in my freezer. When we wanted corn, I just de-frosted them and shucked and cleaned them and we had great corn on the cob well into the winter. I even got some great recipes for tomato based sauces like spaghetti and a tomato base that could be used for any thing from chili to tomato soup. All this and I could freeze it! I was in Seventh Heaven.

This was back in the 80's. A new friend moved into the neighborhood and she gave me some beautiful jars of jams and pickles. I was jealous because I did not know how to can. Well, she explained that I could make pickles and jams that I could freeze. We started that day and she taught me well and she gave me some of her mother's recipes. So here I hope to pass on some of my knowledge to help you to have some of the greatest jams and jellies and pickles you have ever eaten.

Freezer Jam And Jelly

Jam Ingredients

• Fruit: Use perfectly ripe fruit. Since you won't be cooking it, the flavor of the jam is going to be much like the flavor of the fruit, meaning if the fruit is over or underripe, you'll be able to taste it. Jam made with under-ripe fruit (besides being sour) may jell too much, while jam made with overripe fruit (besides having an off-flavor) may not jell enough. So only use the freshest best tasting fruit that you can and always let under ripe fruit ripen before using.

• Pectin: Traditional jam recipes call for cooking; this process thickens the jam. Since you don't cook freezer jam, most recipes call for additional pectin to thicken it, giving the mixture the consistency you expect from your preserves. Commercially produced pectin is derived from fruit, usually apples or citrus. Store-bought pectin comes in two forms: powder and liquid. These are not interchangeable, you should use whichever form your recipe calls for. Ball (the company that brought us canning jars) has a powdered pectin for freezer jams and jellies. Also the Kraft company has a pectin product called Sure Gel which is also a powder. Kraft also makes a liquid pectin called Certo. At most stores, these are sold on the same isle as Jello.

  The most common freezer jam recipes call for powdered pectin. The basic ratios for each packet of powdered pectin are:

  • 3 cups mashed fruit
  • 5 cups sugar, and
  • 1 cup water in which to dissolve and boil the pectin

  This formula can vary a little depending on the brand of pectin, however, so the best thing to do is follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package.

  Sugar: Sugar inhibits the growth of bacteria, keeping your jam fresh, fruity, and safe to eat. Jam recipes are formulated to call for a certain ratio of pectin to sugar, and they will not jell properly if you don't use the correct amount of sugar. If you'd like to make less-sweet jam, you'll need to buy a special kind of pectin that's formulated to work with less sugar and follow the proportions as given to you on the package.

• Containers: Before you begin making the jam, have all your jam jars ready and waiting. Use either sturdy plastic containers with tight-fitting lids or the new containers for the freezer made by Glad. They are inexpensive and can be used more than once. Small jars with tight fitting lids can also be recycled from other things that you have bought like peanut butter or mayonnaise. It's best to choose containers that are no bigger than pint-size; the jam will not set up as well in larger containers. Wash them as you would any other dishes; Just run them through your dishwasher on the top rack so they will not melt. There's no need to boil them like with traditional jam-making.

Jam Instructions

In the meantime, mix together the pectin and water in a small saucepan until the powder is dissolved. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and let it boil for a full minute. Pour it into the fruit and stir for a couple of minutes. Pour the jam into your containers, leaving a half-inch of "headspace" at the top. Cover the containers and let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

The jam should have thickened significantly overnight, but it can take up to two weeks for it to completely finish its jelling process. If it's too thick, stirring it will soften it up. If it's still too runny after two weeks, you can pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. It will get thicker as it cools, and you can re-bottle as you did before.

Designer Jams and Jellies: You can mix your fruits. If you like strawberries and raspberries mixed together, try and make some delecious strawberry/raspberry jam.

Storing Your Jam

Homemade Freezer Jelly

Basic Ratios for Jelly

• 3 cups Juice
• 5 cups sugar
• 1 cup water in which to dissolve and boil the pectin

Apple Jelly

• 3 cups bottled or refrigerated apple juice
• 1 package of pectin
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 5 cups sugar

Makes 6 cups

Freezer Pickles

Aunt Susie's Freezer Dill Pickles

• 1 lb. cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 3/4 lb. yellow onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 4 Tbsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. dried dill weed

Directions:

Aunt Susie's Freezer Sweet Pickles

• 2 quarts cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

• 3 1/2 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
• 1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 2 Tbsp. water

Directions:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22937005.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Tomato and Basil Pita Pizza

If you like basil, you'll love this and it's quick and easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. pesto sauce
• 2 6 or 7 inch pitas
• 1 tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or more if you prefer double cheese)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place pitas on a baking sheet and spread pesto on pita bread. Sprinkle half of the cheese over pesto sauce and layer with tomato slices. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of tomato slices and evenly sprinkle fresh basil. Bake for about seven minutes or until the cheese is melted.

By Deeli from Richland, WA

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf45386386.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Easy Party Punch

Simple and fast!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Hawaiian Punch
• 1 bottle 7-UP

Directions:

Mix and add ice. Yum!

Source: My mom

By av8rs3

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47497190.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

A wonderful muffin with a surprising filling of cream cheese! Yum! A great way to use pumpkin. I've changed it a little and added my own cream cheese icing.

Ingredients:

• (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. sugar

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup oil

• 1 (250 g) package Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

For the filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Divide half of the batter among 24 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Drop filling by teaspoonfuls over batter. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.

To make icing, mix one package of softened cream cheese with melted butter and 2 cups of icing sugar until smooth. Add one teaspoon of lemon juice. Frost cupcakes after they have cooled.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

By morbetomommy from Topeka, KS

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf74290630.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Sauerkraut Casserole

This is a simple, fast recipe that uses a food that not all of my children liked when they were growing up, but some were really fond of. Making this dish, the one that even liked sauerkraut the least was the one that liked this dish the most.

Ingredients:

• 1 can, or jar (approx. 15 oz.) of sauerkraut
• 1 can condensed cream of potato soup (not ready to eat)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• small amount chopped chives, to taste, (optional)
• slices of Swiss cheese to top dish with

Directions:

Drain sauerkraut well. Mix the condensed cream of potato soup with the sour cream and chives, add this to the sauerkraut. Mix together and spoon into greased casserole dish, top with slices of swiss cheese. Put in 350 degree F oven until cheese is bubbly. This takes about 20 minutes, but check it sooner, as it depends on each oven, and placement in the oven. I always doubled or tripled and did two pans, so time was a bit different.

Source: It was so many-many years ago, I have no idea where it came from.

By ljf (Loretta) from Theodore, AL

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf60058200.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Jalapeno Ranch Salad Dressing

Besides using on salads, it's yummy as a dip for tortilla chips. I also love it for dipping celery.

Ingredients:

• 1 tomatillo, husked and quartered
• 1/4 bunch cilantro
• 1 pickled jalapeno pepper
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 oz. package, (1 oz. = 3 Tbsp.) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing 'dry mix'

Directions:

Place tomatillo, cilantro, and jalapeno in blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Combine the sour cream and ranch dressing mix in a medium bowl. Stir in about 1/2 of the green sauce and then taste (Just in case this is your heat level limit). Add more green sauce until you reach your desired heat level ;-)

By Deeli from Richland, WA

Contest Contender!

This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it:

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65796446.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print |

Pineapple Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• marshmallows

Directions:

Thoroughly mix all ingredients except marshmallows. Beat until light and fluffy. Use more milk and fruit juice if you need to. Place in buttered casserole and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and cover the top with marshmallows. Return to oven to brown. Watch closely as this only takes a very few minutes!

By Robin from Washington, IA

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69405514.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Ham Spread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups ground ham
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup pickle relish
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Chill for several hours before serving for best blending of flavors. Spread is delicious on crackers!

By Robin from Washington, IA

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf30422484.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Hot Milk Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup boiling milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

By Robin from Washington, IA

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf52169839.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Macaroni Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2-3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup macaroni
• 1/2 cup cheddar or American cheese

Directions:

Cook macaroni until done; drain. Brown beef; drain. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. Remove when cheese haws melted, usually 20 minutes or so.

By Robin from Washington, IA

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90562479.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Five Hour Beef Stew

It's starting to cool off in Iowa, especially in the evenings. This is a great fall/winter meal!

Ingredients

• 2 lb. beef chuck, cut in cubes
• 6 medium carrots, cut in chunks
• 3 potatoes, cut in chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups stewed tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

By Robin from Washington, IA

Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf56733692.tip.html

Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: |

Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml

Coupon Swap!
Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users.