Spinoff of "prepackaged" thread

**HomeofLove4Him** · 06-22-2005, 11:52 AM

OK, so now that we know what prepackaged foods everyone still buys (oh, and for me my biggest thing would be boxed mac n cheese-I can make it.. but I am so accustomed to the taste, I prefer Kraft, unless i am making it in the oven). So now:

What prepackaged foods that you are still buying would you like to easily replace w/homemade?

*Spaghetti sauce--dh just got a patient's homemade sauce recipe, and canning/freezing instructions to go along, so we are making this prob this wknd.

*I just tossed out the last bit (not enough to do anything) of Bisquick yesterday, and made a homemade mix. I found a link on line, and that link included about a dozen recipes (cakes, muffins, biscuits, coffee cake-which I made this morning and MAN was it good!-pizza crust, etc.) to use your mix.

*BREAD! You know if I had things to make it easier, I would be more inclined lol.... also dh likes the texture of store boght better for sandwiches. No matter how hard I try I just can't get it ias soft and airy as store bought. *sigh* Any tips?? I'd love to easily make our own bread. I have a breadmachine I could use for the mixing, btw.

*taco mix

*cream of _____ soups

Some things I have gotten back into lately, and some things on my agenda to start:

*I made 3batches of jam in the past few days. Now if I could make a good peanut butter, I'd be set! (that wouldn't be too stiff to spread)

*I wanna make the cream soups. Actually dh wants me to make some of those, too.

*I make my own pasta noodles (sometimes)

*I have recipes for some snacks. Today I'm going to make graham crackers, and nextwk I will prob do animal crackers, or just cookies.

*Not buying ANY premade snacks, except maybe the very rare times (like 1-2X a year!). If there is something I can't do a homemade version of (fruit chews, for isntance....at least, I dont know how to anyway), I'll just make something comparable, or find something better altogether.

Well, that's all I can think of for now

**KimSecret** · 06-22-2005, 01:52 PM

Id also love to know how to make the cream of _____ soups. I buy & use a lot of these. Lately Ive been buying a lot of canned broth as well. Yesterday, after boiling my chicken thighs,I saved all my broth & am going to freeze it for later use...no sense in spending 50cents a can if I can use my own.
Wish I could make a good,sweet spahgetti sauce. I buy mine & hate paying the price!

**MandiDawn** · 06-22-2005, 02:02 PM

I would love the snacks recipies - also the cream of __ recipies would be great also.
I need to print out the seasonings recipies also -
I already make my own "blends of seasonings" and my own spagetti sauce, along with my own jams.
If I could find a way to make bread and slice it easily for toast!! I would make that all the time also.

**Kimberlina** · 06-22-2005, 02:17 PM

I actually just started getting rid of what few pre-packaged things we buy. I prefer the taste/nutrition of most homemade things, but with both of use working different shifts (so rarely both home at the same time, and both usually trying to care for Maggie and get housework done alone) we do still rely on some prepackaged food.

Coincidentally enough, I spent the morning making some of the things we have a tendency to buy prepackaged when we are tight on time- frozen waffles, fresh pizza dough, bread. I also got out my Make Your Own Groceries and More Make Your Own Groceries books out and made up some Shake-and-Bake type stuff for DH and Maggie to use. I never normally buy that- as a matter of fact, I don't recall ever buying it- but DH found some split chicken breasts in the freezer he wants to make tonight and I think DD will like them that way. I know what is in it and I used my leftover crumbs for half of the base.

I have a cream of recipe around here somewhere- Heloise has published it several times. Here is a link to it:

http://www.recipesource.com/misc/mixes/01/rec0154.html

I've never had a good recipe for tomato sauce. I found a decent one last year, but I think it costs me about the same as the canned stuff I buy. Until I find a better one (and I know thy are out tthere) I will probably mostly buy mine. HomeofLove4Him, I would love it if you could share the one you recently got.

II love those books- I almost covet them, though I rarely use them so far- because they are hard to come by. There are lots of great make-it-am-home rrecipes, though.

**Kimberlina** · 06-22-2005, 02:22 PM

Originally posted by MandiDawn
I.
If I could find a way to make bread and slice it easily for toast!! I would make that all the time also.

I use the dough setting on my bread maker, and that takes care of the making-it part. Did you know that there are bread slicing guides available? I don't know how much they cost as ours was a wedding gift, but it does mak slicing a WHOLE lot easier.

**forestdale** · 06-22-2005, 03:53 PM

I use to use an electric knife for my bread cutting, now I use a good quality serrated knife. I get perfect slices.

For peanut butter. I always buy organic PB from the Org. supermarket but I know how they make it. In the blender or food processor add 2 cups or so of roasted peanuts (buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself in the oven - takes 5 minutes) add about one - two tablespoons of peanut or canola oil to the peanuts until it is the right consistency for you. Keep blending until it turns to paste. You can add a touch of salt to taste and add some chopped nuts for crunchy PB.

**Mojjo** · 06-22-2005, 07:45 PM

I would love a good cream of mushroom soup recipe

and the baking mix would be great

**cheapgeek** · 06-23-2005, 10:48 AM

I've already cut way back on my pre-packaged stuff, and what I'd really like to work on is making homemade tortillas and biscuits more often.

Spice mixes are my other thing. I just used my last package of taco seasoning (full of corn starch and sugar

) so I'd like to make some of my own for next time.

**MandiDawn** · 06-23-2005, 11:31 AM

I just printed off the "Cream of" recipie and plan on looking into the bread slicer.
THanks!!!

**Kimberlina** · 06-23-2005, 11:58 AM

Here is a guide- it is nicer than mine. ine doesn't store bread, too. (And oddly enough, I was just yesterday wishing it did.)

http://www.kitchencollection.com/Tem...D14A61CBEF65F9

I just use a nice serrated knife with a long, thin blade with my guide.

Another:
http://www.organize-everything.com/exbreadkeepw.html

This one is mine, only without the electric knife:

http://www.epinions.com/Presto_Bread..._Cooking_Tools

**MandiDawn** · 06-27-2005, 04:46 PM

OK - I just got a windfall of hotdog buns yesterday (about 9 pkgs) - so we froze them all, but we really dont' need that many hot dog buns, not to mention we DO need the freezer space.
So I was thinking about trying ot make breadcrumbs.
What exactly do I do?
Do I lay out the bread to dry it up? or just leave it in the bag? sometimes it gets moldy before it dries out. THen just chop it up when hard?
If someone could write stepbystep instructions I would appriciate it. TIA.
Mandi

**psjkmom** · 06-27-2005, 11:28 PM

MandiDawn, you could make croutons with the hotdog buns. Just cut them into cubes and mix them with melted butter and garlic powder. Bake around 350 degrees until golden-brown. They make salads taste really good. They also keep a long time in an airtight container.

Following is a recipe for a basic cream sauce from the More with Less cookbook:
Melt 3T of margarine in a heavy saucepan.
Blend in 3T of flour and 1/4 t. salt. Cook and stir until bubbly.
Using a wire whisk to prevent lumps, stir in 1 cup of milk or stock.
Cook just until smooth and thickened.
For a mushroom sauce comparable to cream of mushroom soup, saute 1/4 cup shopped mushrooms and 1 T. finely chopped onion in margarine before adding flour.

**favesis37** · 06-28-2005, 08:45 AM

i would love to know how to make freezer jam, i just got a spag.sauce recipe from another member, so i will try that next weekend( can't wait) am going to pick cherries tomorrow fro cobbler,

**MandiDawn** · 06-28-2005, 09:00 AM

Favesis37 -
I just follow the directions on the "sure-jell" box when making Jam - I don't do freezer because I dno't have the freezer space, but I know that they give instructions on that. They are very easy to follow. Just be sure to do the EXACT measurements of sugar/fruit because it won't set if you don't.