A decorative, filled bread/pastry, that resembles baby Jesus in swaddling cloth, for Christmas (Crèche Bread)

This method of forming a loaf that looks like a braid (but isn't) is easy enough for most beginners, yet looks quite impressive.

I know this as Crèche Bread, which is French, but from my Scandinavian heritage (go figure). So, one of those things that has been changed and passed down for several generations. I'm not sure where it was altered with the French translation. But Crèche refers to the nativity scene, with Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloth, in a manger. The dough folds over in layers, as if "wrapped" in cloth.


This method works well with yeasted, refrigerator roll doughs. The refrigeration helps relax the dough so that it can be rolled out thin. If you use a standard yeast bread dough, leave it slightly soft (not too much flour), and refrigerate the dough before rolling out.

This folding technique is for a filled bread, but it doesn't have to be, it could be "empty" and just be pretty. The filling can be sweet, such as chopped nuts, raisins, cinnamon and sugar, or sweetened cream cheese topped with jam or lemon curd. Or it can be savory, such as cream cheese, shredded hard cheese, sausage crumbles and/or herbs. The loaf in this photo is for our Christmas morning bread, filled with a sweetened, almond paste.


Have filling ready and waiting.

With chilled dough (just before final rise), on a floured surface, roll out into a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.

Transfer dough to a large, buttered baking sheet. Some dough might hang over the sides at this point. The sides will be folded over the center, and the ends will be tucked under, after filling.

Use a knife to mark dough, by scoring, into thirds, the length of the rectangle. Don't cut all the way through, just score. These are markings, only. Make the center third slightly wider than the side thirds, as the side strips will stretch while folding.

With a small, sharp knife, cut diagonal strips in the dough, on outer thirds, 1 to 2-inches apart, all the way down the length of the rectangle. Don't cut into the center third.

Place your filling down the center third, and spread to within 1/2-inch of side slits and top and bottom edges.

Beginning at the top, fold the strips inward, covering the filling, alternating and overlapping, from side to side.

Flatten and seal the ends, then tuck each end under.

Neaten up the sides and strips, gently.

Allow to rise till double. Optionally, just before baking, you can brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar, coarse salt, and/or chopped or sliced nuts. Bake (375 F degrees, until golden brown, for most doughs).

I baked this loaf the other day, wrapped it in foil, put in the freezer, and will warm it on Christmas morning.

Making homemade bread look "fancy" -- braiding dough

A braided loaf of bread looks really impressive. But it takes less time to execute, than shaped rolls, and only requires rudimentary braiding skill (can you braid hair? then you can braid dough). Because it is easier and faster than shaping rolls, I like to use a loaf of braided bread when I am tasked with bringing rolls to an event or dinner.

I have 2 methods of braiding bread dough. One method uses a refrigerated roll dough. And the other, this double-braid method, uses any yeasted bread dough. You can even buy frozen bread dough for this method of braiding. In any case, it makes the finished bread "fancy" enough for gifting, or for serving at holiday meals.

This is the loaf I made a week ago, using a fruit and nut, yeast bread dough. But you can use plain bread dough, whole wheat, rye or French bread dough for this sort of braid.

With bread dough that is ready for it's final rise, divide into thirds. Use 2/3 of the dough for the bottom braid, and 1/3 of the dough for the top braid. Set the 1/3 portion aside and begin working with the 2/3 portion.

Using your hands, roll the larger portion of dough into a long log (about 15 inches), and flatten slightly.

With a knife, cut the flat log into long thirds. Gently roll these strands, on a floured surface, to round out the cut edges.

Pinch the 3 ends together, gently, and begin braiding, as you would hair.

If your braid is loose at the "beginning" end, flip it upside down, undo that first pinching, and re-braid that end, only. Doing this, should tighten up your final result, into one uniform braid. Place this bottom braid on your buttered, baking sheet.

Now, work your 1/3 portion of dough, the same way as the 2/3 portion: rolling into a log (but this time, make your log about 18 inches long); flatten and cut into 3 strands; braid; check for looseness; pinch together any breaks. My braid, above, had two problems. It was too loose at the "beginning" end, and it had a break. I flipped it over and re-braided/tightened the "beginning" end, and I pinched the break back together.

Place the second braid on top of the first braid, allowing the ends of the top braid to fall over both ends of the bottom braid.

Use the palm of your hand to gently smash down the ends of the top braid, onto the baking sheet.

Tuck these flattened ends under the bottom braid. Doing this is what gives the finished loaf a neatly-braided look, after baking.

Allow to rise until nearly doubled in bulk, and bake.

My other method for braiding dough isn't really a braid, at all. I especially love this other method for a Christmas morning bread. I baked a filled loaf, yesterday afternoon. I'll write up a post for that one, for tomorrow morning. 

I used a standard, refrigerator yeast roll dough, and filled with an almond filling. At other times, I have used nut/cinnamon/sugar filling, fruit/nut fillings, and cream cheese/herbs (for a savory filled bread).

This bread-braiding method comes from my Scandinavian heritage. I've always called it Crèche Bread, as it resembles the baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling cloth, in the manger. However, when I went to verify that that is indeed what it is called, I couldn't find it anywhere, online. In any case, check back tomorrow, if you'd like to see a simple, but impressive method for filling and "braiding" bread dough.

Have a great day!

The snacky foods for our Christmas tree decorating gathering . . .

. . . all from what we had on hand.

It's a family tradition for us all to spend one evening together in December to put up our Christmas tree and other holiday decor in the house, and have a snacky sort of dinner, together. I don't make special purchases at the store, but instead I use whatever I find in our pantry, fridge and freezer. Even though I don't buy a lot of snack foods, routinely, it's always surprising how much of a meal I can throw together with what I have already.

This year, we had tomato and cheese cube kabobs (leftovers given to us after working at a fundraiser), smoked salmon spread (salmon from the freezer, a gift over a year ago), candy canes (bought last year at Dollar Tree), tortilla chips and salsa, smoked almonds, some cheese and onion pastries (son's girlfriend brought those), dried cranberries, veggies and dip, nut bar cookies and brownie cookies (leftovers given to us after working at the fundraiser), and orange segments. We had cola, which I was a "Friday freebie" a while ago at Fred Meyer, and hidden in the pantry until now.

The dinner was affordable, fun, festive and very easy on the cook! My kind of holiday cooking.

Hand-drawn gift tags, by my daughter

You can buy a package of gift tags at the store, or . . .

and

My daughter drew these for two gifts, that she was giving to a couple of young girls who helped their mother, at the fundraiser luncheon, where we worked on Saturday.

I thought these were beautiful in their simplicity, and wanted to share, in case you needed gift tags this week, but wanted something more decorative than a plain piece of paper, without rushing out to the store. The snowflake, line and color design is simple enough to follow, or improvise your own snowflake. Black ink pen, colored pencils or pens, and heavy-weight paper, like card stock or drawing/watercolor paper.

Have a great day! Be back tomorrow.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the beginning of Winter Break

burritos -- when life is busy, these have been quick to make for supper

Friday
Today is the first day of Winter Break for both daughters. I had an appointment in the morning, and one daughter and I ran errands in the afternoon, so an easy dinner it shall be. Even though I make biscuits from scratch, I've memorized the recipe. Plus, I made these as drop biscuits (no rolling out dough), and used oil instead of butter or shortening (no cutting in the fat, just mixing). As a result of all of this, they are quick to throw together and get in the oven. Making plain biscuits as Cheddar Bay, is simply a matter of adding shredded cheddar to the dough, then after baking, spooning some melted butter, mixed with garlic powder and Old Bay Seasoning, over each baked biscuit. They're quite good, and make a nice accompaniment to many soups and salads, as well as seafood.

• pumpkin soup from the freezer
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits, using this homemade bay seasoning
• cole slaw (cabbage on sale for 49 cents/lb)

Saturday

• a one-pot meal with cooked whole wheat pasta, seasoned tomato sauce, green beans, olives and mushrooms, topped with mozzarella
• leftover Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Sunday

• turkey slices in gravy from the freezer, cranberry sauce
• microwaved baked potatoes, topped with sour cream and butter
• mashed canned yams, seasoned with mace, nutmeg and cinnamon, topped with mini-marshmallows and baked
• cole slaw
• olives

Monday

• burritos filled with refried beans, ground beef, and cheese
• orange wedges
• carrot sticks
• peppermint bark

Tuesday

• meatloaf
• brown rice
• canned green beans
• leftover yams
• peppermint bark

Wednesday

• bean, cheese, salsa and rice burritos
• veggie platter with dip
• peppermint bark

Thursday

• pizza
• veggie platter

Trying to get everything done for the week has been a challenge. Even though this is now winter break for my daughters, there is so much to be done, every single day, and I'm still running them around town, with meetings and appointments. Add in Christmas shopping and 2 visits to the post office (one to get flat-rate mailers, the other to actually ship the stuff), and I am nearing the end of my energy. Next week should be better, as most appointments and meetings are suspended.

How was your week? What were some of your favorite meals this week? I hope you are able to get everything done that needs doing. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Party Vegetable Tray

This is one of those things that was commercialized, about 15-20 years ago, but that party-givers have been putting together for decades, if not longer.

We probably all remember our mothers putting together a vegetable or relish tray. It was unheard of, in my childhood, to buy a pre-made veggie platter, nicely arranged in a sectioned, plastic tray. They just weren't sold in supermarkets. And now, many hostesses rely on these pre-assembled party trays.

If you simply don't cook, I can see buying some items for a party. But, really, assembling raw veggies takes zero cooking skill. So, I just don't "get" buying these.

Our Cash & Carry has 64 oz. vegetable trays on sale, this week, for $8.95 each. And that is a pretty decent price for that size, pre-assembled vegetable tray. 4 pounds of fresh vegetables, for almost $9, or over $2 per pound for carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli and grape tomatoes (the actual cost is $2.23/lb). The most expensive item there is the section of grape tomatoes. However, at the same Cash & Carry, grape tomatoes sell for $4.17 for 2.5 pounds, or $1.66/lb. So, you're paying someone a lot of money to lay vegetables onto a plastic tray.

I wanted to see how cheaply I could put together a similar tray. Off to WinCo I headed. I bought 1 bundle of celery for 98 cents (it weighed almost 2 lbs), 1 pound of baby carrots for 98 cents, 1 12-ounce container of grape tomatoes for $1.48 ($1.97/lb), and 3/4 pound of broccoli crowns, for $1.10 (at $1.48/lb). I also bought Ranch dressing mix from the bulk bins for 58 cents (.10 lb at $5.81/lb). I used about 2/3 of the dressing mix, or about 38 cents worth. from my kitchen I used milk, vinegar and mayonnaise to make the dip, at about 25 cents. And I used a nice dish from my own kitchen to serve my veggie platter.

My cost was about $5.17, for 4 & 1/2 lbs of vegetables and 8 ounces of dip -- an 80 oz tray, instead of Cash & Carry's 64 oz tray. For a price comparison, 64 ounces of my homemade platter cost $4.14, less than half the cost of Cash & Carry's vegetable tray.

Time-wise, it took me about 10 minutes to rinse the veggies, cut the celery and broccoli and mix the dip, and zero cooking skills.

I know you probably already put together your own veggie platters. I just wanted to show you how worthwhile this is, to do yourself.

A super quick holiday treat: Peppermint Bark

Monday morning and midday found me out running errands for several hours. Upon returning home, I wanted to put together a little something sweet that tasted "Christmas". I didn't have time for baking cookies. But I did have time, and all of the ingredients, for peppermint bark.

• semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
• shortening (Crisco), (1 teaspoon)
• peppermint melting wafers, by Wilton, 1 cup (bought on clearance after Christmas two years ago) 
• 3 mini candy canes (bought at Dollar Tree last year and didn't use)

My cost was around $2 for a 3/4 pound batch. That's about $2.67 per pound. And it took me 10-15 minutes to make.

Not that I would buy the WS stuff, but in comparison, Williams-Sonoma sells their Peppermint Bark for $28.95/1-lb. 

I guess I could figure I just saved myself about $20! And if I calculated this savings as an hourly wage, I just "earned" $80 to $120 per hour.

Quick and easy, hearty soup: Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I love this soup for it's ease, and the speed to get it from the fridge and onto the table. Plus, it's cheap, cheap, cheap, with the main ingredient being leftover baked potatoes.

When I'm baking potatoes, whether in the microwave or conventional oven, I bake several extras. They make great starters for quick meals, for one person, or for many of us.

When it's just me at home for lunch, I can split a leftover baked potato in half, top with cheese and heat till the cheese is melted. Super quick and easy lunch for one.

For family dinners, leftover baked potatoes can be warmed, as is, or sliced and pan-fried till crispy and golden, to use as a side dish to something like turkey in gravy from the freezer.

the most important ingredient, the leftover baked potatoes

I have another use for leftover baked potatoes, that's a huge hit with my family -- Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

Imagine your favorite baked potato with all of the traditional toppings, like sour cream, chives, cheddar cheese and ham or bacon bits. Now put all of that into a pot, with some stock, and you have a hearty soup which can stand alone as small supper or lunch, or be paired with a salad for a satisfying meal.

Throwing together a pot of Fully Loaded Baked Potato soup takes about 20 minutes, from stepping into the kitchen to filling bowls. The bulk of this time is spent chopping onions, celery, herbs and stirring together. It only requires bringing up to a boil, to heat through, as all of the ingredients after cooking the onions and celery, are already cooked.

The "recipe" is more a guide of suggestions. Use what you have, and don't sweat what you don't. So long as you have potatoes (leftover baked), you've got something to work with for this soup. Here's what I put in this last batch:

• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• oil for sautéeing the onion, about 2 tablespoons
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of celery greens and center stalks, minced (optional, but good)
• 4 medium leftover baked potatoes, skins left on (this is enough to make about 6 servings of soup)
• stock (chicken, ham or vegetable), about 2-3 cups (I used the saved liquid from a few cans of vegetables)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sour cream, plain yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt (I used a mix of sour cream and Greek yogurt)
• 1 cup of cooked ham dices or 1/2 cup of cooked bacon bits (I used leftover turkey slices in gravy, in this batch, diced small, 1 cup)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and black pepper
• water, to thin (about 3 to 4 cups, you can substitute 1 cup of milk, for 1 cup of the water, if desired)
• parsley, chives or green onions for garnish (can also use dried herbs, or cracked black pepper for garnish)

In a large stockpot sauté  the onion and celery in oil, until soft. 

Chop the baked potatoes into 1-inch cubes, skins left on. Add to the vegetables. Pour in the 2 to 3 cups of stock or reserved canned vegetable liquid. Bring to a boil.

Puree the potato, onion and liquid mixture, with an immersion blender (alternatively, you can run this through a blender or food processor). The texture of this soup is most interesting if you leave a few chunks of potatoes in the puree.

Stir in a large dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, the ham or bacon, and cheese. Add water to thin to a creamy, thick soup consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat through. And serve, garnished with herbs, more cheddar and/or bacon bits.

A pot of this soup is enough for 6 hearty servings for my family, and costs about $1.50. 

It makes use of things that might have been tossed out, like celery tops and the liquid from canned green beans. By having the baked potatoes leftover from another meal, there's no time spent waiting for potatoes to cook till soft in the soup.

** I leave the skins on the potatoes, for added nutrients, and to make this easier. The skins do leave some brown flecks throughout the soup. So, if your family would prefer not to see those flecks of potato skin, you could also scoop the insides out of the potato skins for this soup.

Bargains on greeting cards

If you aren't already inundated with free cards from charities soliciting donations, and you just need a couple of Christmas cards, check your thrift stores, first, before going to the dollar store.

I was at St. Vincent de Paul yesterday afternoon, and found Christmas cards, with envelopes, at 10 cents each. I only need a couple, so this was the least expensive way for me to buy just what I needed. I had planned on going to Dollar Tree to pick up cards. I saved $1.20 (over buying the 50-cent cards at Dollar Tree), on 3 cards.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for a busy December week

Friday
Yes, one more night of bean burritos. What can I say. I was in the car almost the entire day.

• bean, rice, olive and cheese burritos
• canned corn
• canned pineapple chunks

Saturday

My husband is in Vegas for the weekend, so it's me and my kids for dinner, for the next 3 nights. I am thinking of pancakes for dinner, tonight, using some of that delicious real maple syrup.

• pancakes
• mushroom frittata
• fruit cup of pineapple chunks and orange segments

Sunday

My daughters and son are performing/working in the musical performance at our church, tonight. I believe they will get dinner, in between shows, which leaves me on my own for dinner. I'll scrounge around in the freeze for something.

• skillet dinner saute of 1 frozen cooked hamburger square, some sliced mushrooms, cooked together in the pan, the meat chopped with the spatula as it heated through. Then I added thyme, garlic powder, salt, leftover cooked rice and canned peas, and cooked a couple of minutes until hot. Good, except the thyme. It didn't go well with the flavor of the peas. But it was very easy, and it only dirtied one skillet and one spatula.

Monday

• turkey in gravy from the freezer
• mashed potatoes (made lots for leftovers)
• canned green beans
• baked squash
• canned cranberry sauce

Tuesday

• thick and hearty vegetarian soup made from lots of leftovers, including liquid from canned veggies, beans, carrots, celery, onions and mashed potatoes
• corn tortillas toasted with cheese
• oranges

Wednesday

• mushroom frittata
• baked squash
• green beans
• leftover mashed potatoes with sour cream added
• olives
• Austrian Almond Braid bread

Thursday

• hot dog taquitos, in corn tortillas with cheese
• carrot sticks, celery sticks
• leftover mashed potatoes, mixed with sour cream and leftover canned peas
• watermelon pickles

It's that very busy month of the year, with Christmas performances, holiday parties, final exams, decorating the house for Christmas and New Years, shopping, baking and lots of merry-making. Cooking has meant relying on easy meals. There wasn't one single elaborate meal, this past week. That's okay. It's nice to have a change and shift my focus to other things. And I'm happy to say that even with a busy week, I was able to throw together meals, quickly, using what I had on hand.

I'm still making efforts at cooking big. When I went to make mashed potatoes, earlier this week, I didn't just make enough for one meal, but I made enough for several. After that first night, the potatoes seized up a bit. To make them soft and creamy again, I stirred in sour cream, before heating and serving. I also found the ready-made mashed potatoes to be great for making a pot of vegetable soup, extra hearty.

How about you? What was on your menu this past week? Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Packaging soup mixes for gifts

I think (but I'm not sure) that this is the last of the gifts that I'll post about this season.

There are a handful of people to whom I am gifting soup mixes, for Christmas.

If you recall, I knitted a set of kitchen wash cloths, and I bought a set of tea towels from Williams-Sonoma to go with the dish cloths, to go to my step-mom. Going with a kitchen/cooking theme, I've made 3 different soup mixes for her, to add to the box of gifts. My soup mixes fall under the category of semi-homemade, as I began with mixes from the bulk bins at WinCo.

Before I began, I checked out various soup mixes for sale at a local holiday store. I noticed that many of these had additional items, suggested to add to the mix. In addition, I was able to gather ideas for potential soup "flavors".

For the first soup mix, I used WinCo's vegetable soup blend, and dried tortellini, from the bulk bins. With these items, I added some seasonings, and a packet of Parmesan, to come up with a Vegetable Tortellini Soup Mix. The suggested add-in for this soup is a can of tomato sauce.

WinCo also sells a bean and tortilla soup mix. To the bean and tortilla soup mix, I added more seasonings, and included a baggie of tortilla chips for garnish. The suggested add-ins for this soup are some diced, cook chicken and a chopped tomato. My name for this soup mix is Mexi Chicken, Tortilla and Bean Soup.

The third soup mix began with WinCo's Beanland soup blend. Again, I added some seasonings, plus some dried onion, and suggested cooking with diced carrot and celery.

I tested out each of these "recipes" a couple of times. I did find that WinCo's suggested cook time was off on all of the bulk bin ingredients, so testing was very important.

As I tested, I kept notes on what I added and the timing. I was able to type of my notes, to include as a recipe for the soup preparation.

the soup mix in ziploc bag, a white lunch bag, the printout of instructions

For the packaging, I was working with supplies I had at home. I didn't want to spend more money on packaging supplies, plus I wanted to use up some of the supplies that I have, already.

What I came up with -- ziploc freezer bags, quart, and snack-size bags, white paper lunch sacks, free online images from the internet, to print out in black and white at home, and red/white twine.

I put the soup mix into ziploc freezer bags, separating any ingredients, into smaller baggies, that needed to be added at different times in the preparation of the soup. Along with the ingredients, I slipped in an extra copy of the soup instructions, into the quart-size ziploc bag.

the packaging part

For the outer bag, I found a lovely vintage vegetable image. I cut and pasted this into a Word document, and just below it, I typed the soup-making instructions. This is my label. I printed this label, cut it out, and used a glue stick to attach it to the front of a white paper lunch sack.

I tucked the soup mix into the sack, folded the top of the sack down, then rolled the rest of the sack with label, around, to make a tidy little bundle. I tied the whole thing up with a length of red and white twine.

I like the way these look. A bit homey and vintage. Brown paper bags would also suit this look. This packaging idea could be used for a variety of food-gifts, such as homemade fudge, cookies, mini loaves of quick bread or muffin mixes. It's very inexpensive to make, using a basic home printer for a label, some online images, a small paper sack and a bit of string or twine.

**An update on the birdseed ornaments -- I had one break on me yesterday when I went to pick it up/see if it was all dried. I was squishing it sideways, and it broke.This was the last of the ornaments that I made, it wasn't as thick, and I wasn't able to really pack it well, as I didn't have enough mixture. Plus, I was kind of squishing it absent-mindedly, checking for dryness. (They had been kind of spongey when not dried out.)

The others were fine for wrapping in cellophane and bubble wrap. Just an FYI about really packing the birdseed together.

Also, I read up on using a dehydrator to dry them. This could be really beneficial in damp climates, and especially if you plan on making these well in advance, and wrapping for favors or gifts. Birdseed ornaments seem to be a popular wedding favor, and many brides make these a couple of weeks in advance. Getting them very dry prevents molding. With my next batch, I will try a dehydrator. the suggestion I read was to allow to air dry overnight, then transfer to a dehydrator for 6 hours. then allow to air dry some more for a couple of days, before wrapping. And perhaps, on your gift tag, a little note "handle with care", so recipients don't press or try to squish them.

Making birdseed ornaments (an inexpensive gift for bird lovers)

I had mentioned making some birdseed ornaments last week. There are a few different recipes for these ornaments. I tried two. Both worked well. But I have to say, they took several days to dry, not the 8 hours or overnight that any of the online recipes said. Maybe it's a Seattle thing, with dampness and all. But as I am hoping to use a couple of these as gifts, time for drying is important.

Anyway, the first recipe I tried was for gelatin, water and birdseed, only. I liked this recipe quite a lot, for its ability to hold everything together, and it didn't seize up quickly, so I could take my time making the shapes. The downside was that it seemed to take longer to dry out, than the other recipe I tried. I tweaked the recipe a bit, and have made my suggestions for making these more easily.

Here's the recipe.

ingredients:

4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (2 small packets)
2/3 cup boiling water
2 cups birdseed
string, twine, ribbon

you will also need:

large and small spoons for mixing and filling
parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet
non-stick cooking spray
large bowl
pot of boiling water on the stove, for a make-shift double boiler
skewer 

something to shape them:

**best** a shallow measuring scoop -- I liked the way the 1/2-cup, shallow measuring scoop worked, it was easier to un-mold and held together far better than cookie cutters
**I don't have these, but I've read they work well** silicone molds, 1/2-cup
**my last choice** -- cookie cutters, bigger and simpler in shape is better

(note about molds -- for best results, opt for a 1/2-cup, blocky shape, like a shallow measuring scoop or silicone muffin mold. Not quite as "pretty" as shapes like stars, leaves, etc, but the end result will be a birdseed ornament that holds together, well, even for shipping. Save ornaments like the fancy shapes for your own yard, or when gifting in person. The narrow bends in a fancier shape are difficult to pack the birdseed in tightly. My stars and maple leaves were more "crumbly" than the circle.)

1) Pour boiling water into bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Stir, stir, stir. If there are clumps of gelatin in the water, place the bowl over the pot of boiling water, and stir until dissolved completely (takes no more than 5 minutes). Remove from stove.

2) Stir in the birdseed, and stir until the gelatin covers all of the birdseed.

If you have soupy liquid at the bottom of the bowl, place it in the fridge for 5 minutes, so the gelatin will begin to set and coat the birdseed, thickly. Stir the birdseed again. If no soupy stuff remains at the bottom of the bowl, your mix is ready to use. (If the gelatin firmed up at the bottom of the bowl, while in the fridge, simply place it on the double-boiler again for a minute and stir.)


3) Spray cooking spray on the inside of the cutters or containers. Mound the birdseed in the mold. Pack the birdseed mixture, very compactly into the containers/cutters, using the palm of your hand for large areas, and the underside of a small spoon for tight corners. (You can also spray a sheet of waxed paper with cooking spray and use that to help press the birdseed into the molds.) Fill small areas of the mold, using a teaspoon, as needed. Then, pack tightly, again. Packing tightly is key for getting these ornaments to hold together.

If using a silicone mold or scoop for your mold --
After about 2 minutes, gently tap the birdseed ornament out of the measuring scoop.

4) Use the skewer to carefully poke a hole in the center of your ornament, all the way through.

If you choose to use cookie cutters,
you'll want to poke the hole in the center, before you un-mold. 

If using cookie cutters --
Before unloading, you'll want to poke your holes, first, while birdseed is still inside the cutter. Use a skewer to poke a hole in each ornament in the center. Then leave the ornaments inside the cutters, for a several hours to firm up. The detail will come out better, if not un-molded right away.

5) Begin the drying process on the sheet of waxed paper or parchment, for the first 24 hours. After 24 hours, carefully move the ornaments to a cake-cooling rack (for air circulation all around). Turn them over, once per day. These will require 5 to 7 days to dry enough to wrap in cellophane or pack in a box.

6) Around day 5, use a yarn needle to thread some twine or thin ribbon through the small hole you initially created. Tie the twine/ribbon together at the top, to form a hanging loop. I added a small bow to the twine, just above the top of the ornament. You could also use a sprig of greenery where I placed the bow.

If shipping these, once completely dried, wrap individually in a sheet of plastic wrap, then overwrap in bubble wrap, and then place in a small box. You will want them to slide about, as little as possible, in transit.

I saved the star-shaped ornaments for our yard, but am gifting the circular ones, as they feel more durable for shipping.


Tips:

• small-seeded mixtures hold together better, and are easier to pack tightly, than large-seeded mixtures of birdseed
• a sprayed, shallow, plastic measuring scoop worked better for releasing the birdseed than the shaped cookie cutters
• the simpler the shape, the better. Points on the star crumbled a bit when removing from the mold. But the circle held together with much less crumbling. 
• some crumbling is to be expected. Don't assume they are ruined if a few grains of birdseed fall off as you move or turn the ornaments. 
• the ornaments that I made with cookie cutters had to remain inside the mold for a day, in order to release them neatly. This meant I couldn't make multiple stars, the way I could make multiple circles.
• allow to dry for 5-7 days, before wrapping for gifting. After 1 day, I carefully moved my ornaments to a cake rack, for better air circulation. These need to be very dry before wrapping, to prevent mold.
• I used a yarn needle (the kind used for weaving the ends of yarn into a knitting project or for sewing knitted pieces together) to thread the twine through the dried ornament. A yarn needle would also allow you to thread ribbon, easily, through the small hole of the ornament.
• leftover bits of birdseed mixture can be placed in tray-style bird feeders, or in scooped out orange or grapefruit shells, and set out for birds to nibble.

Here's the impressive part:

These retail for about $20 in specialty catalogs for anywhere from 3 to 6 ornaments. This recipe uses about 1 pound of birdseed, at a cost of 50 cents to $1 per pound, plus about 30 to 75 cents of gelatin (depending on how you buy gelatin), and it makes 4 half-cup ornaments. So, no more than $2 for a set of 4 ornaments.

I had all of the ingredients at home for mine, but I estimate that my cost was around $1 for the set of 4. Not a bad savings!

Canned pineapple, saving the juice

Around the holidays, I find canned pineapple on sale at several stores in my area. I try to pick up a few cans at this time. On Black Friday, my girls and I made a stop at the local drug store, where we found 20-oz cans for 99 cents. I may find a better price,  as we get closer to Christmas. At the very least, I should be able to find about this same price, perhaps with a limit. So, I can get more, if I want. Knowing this, on Friday, I limited my purchase to 10 cans.

As I open each can, I strain off the liquid, and save this in a glass jar in the fridge, to use later. Canned pineapple juice can be used in sweet and sour dishes, as part of a teriyaki marinade for meat, or, my favorite, as a beverage. I make orange-pineapple juice, combining the salvaged pineapple liquid with orange juice. I get a kick out of the knowledge that my family thinks this is one of those "festive" treats that I provide for Christmas and New Year's morning. When what I'm really doing is salvaging something that others might just throw away.

Pineapple juice can be stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar for up to 7 days. If I don't think we'll use it within 7 days, then I freeze it. Stored in the freezer, canned pineapple juice will be at it's best for drinking, if used within about 2 months, but I've used it in marinades 6 to 9 months after putting it into the freezer, with no issues other than some frost in the container.

Nothing wasted!

Making sweetened, condensed milk

I was making a half-batch of 7-layer Dream Bars, on Saturday afternoon. One of the ingredients is sweetened, condensed milk. I have never bought that stuff. It just seems oddly expensive for what it is, a cup and a half of milk, cooked with a little sugar, with some butter added. In the store, this concoction sells for $1.50 to $2.00. I just can't bring myself to spend that much for about 50 cents of ingredients. (Your costs may differ from mine.)

When I've needed this product for baking recipes, I've always made my own. There are two common methods for making sweetened condensed milk. One uses powdered milk, and the other (which I make) uses liquid milk. Neither method is complicated. The powdered milk method takes minutes to make. The liquid milk method takes a little over an hour of intermittent attention.

Among the merits of making your own sweetened, condensed milk is the ability to make this with any type of milk, including soy or almond, and just the amount that a recipe may need.

7-layer Dream Bars are yummy, but rich and not super cheap, so I usually just make a half-batch. In addition, making my own SCM, for a half-batch bars, is super handy. Buying a can would give me twice as much as I need.

I wanted to pass on this recipe during the holiday baking season. So, here it is.

Homemade sweetened, condensed milk

1  1/2 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together milk and sugar. Bring to a simmer over MED. Reduce heat to low and very gently simmer for about 1 to 1  1/2 hours, or until it has reduced by half. Stir every 5-10 minutes, to prevent scorching.

After 1 hour, begin measuring, every 10 minutes. Pour the milk/sugar into the measuring cup that was used to measure the milk at the beginning of this recipe. When the concoction has reduced to just over 1 cup, stir in the butter and vanilla.

If the milk and sugar are over-reduced by measurement, add water to the correct level. The final amount should be about 1  1/4 cups of liquid.

Allow to cool before using in recipes.

That's it. Nothing special. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the week following Thanksgiving

Friday

• leftovers from Thanksgiving, set out for all to help themselves

Saturday

• leftovers, again, from Thanksgiving dinner

Sunday

Today was the day that I simmered most of the turkey carcass. I froze the roasted legs, separately, for making soup, sometime next month.

• turkey, vegetable and noodle soup
• crackers
• the last of the pies

Monday

• leftover turkey soup, extended with another carrot, sliced, and half a baked potato, cubed
• pumpkin bread with cream cheese

Tuesday
Perfect storm re tonight's dinner. I found mushrooms on markdown today. I have some thawed eggs in the fridge that need using. I baked 2 large acorn squash yesterday, and can quickly mash them, then reheat in the microwave. Dinner should be a quick one to throw together.

• mushroom, cheddar frittata
• brown rice
• baked acorn squash

Wednesday

An easy dinner is in the plans for tonight. I've had a busy few days, and I just need easy.

• bean, rice, cheese and olive burritos
• leftover baked squash
• leftover canned green beans

Thursday

Only 2 will be home for dinner tonight. My daughter has her directing debut this evening, and I want to be there to support her in this. So, I'll meet up with the other daughter and we'll use a coupon to get a free sandwich to share for our dinner. I told the daughter, who's directing a one-act play tonight, that I'd bring something for her to eat in the car on the long drive home. That just leaves my husband and son for whom to make dinner. I've got leftovers from last night. I think that will work great.

• bean, rice, cheese and olive burritos
• leftover pumpkin soup that I made early in the week for lunches

Fred Meyer carries one of their store-brand flour tortillas for 99 cents/1-lb package (10 tortillas). On Senior Discount Tuesdays, I get these tortillas for 89 cents a package. The catch is they are often out of these tortillas by the time I get there. So, when I find any, I buy whatever they have. I bought 3 packages this past week. 

These make burritos assembly so easy. I can make bean, rice, cheese and olive burritos, for under 30 cents, each. (1 tortilla at 9 cents, 3 tablespoons cheese at 9 cents, 1/2 cup of homemade refried beans at 6 or 7 cents, 1 tablespoon of rice at 1 cent, 1 tablespoon of sliced olives at about 2 cents = 27-28 cents.) 

That's only $1.50 for the main dish (1 each, and I make some larger, some smaller, depending on who is eating them), on a busy night, for the family. If I add a can of corn and carrot sticks, my total cost for the meal is right around $2. That's pretty good for a quick and easy dinner.

How about you? What was on your menu this past week? Do you have any favorite ways that you use leftovers from Thanksgiving? or do you do, as my family did this last week, and just serve them, as is?

Is anyone planning to do something to celebrate the holiday season, this weekend? I'm going to an Advent musical production at our church, on Sunday evening. On Saturday, I will get out the holiday decorations, with the help of my kids. If the weather is good, I have one lone, tree-shaped shrub by the kitchen door, on which I wish to put lights. I made birdseed ornaments, yesterday afternoon. They need to dry, still. Once they are dried thoroughly,  I'll hang them on this shrub, with red and white twine. I have this look in my mind, of how I want this to look. White lights, birdseed ornaments, red and white twine, and red ribbons. I believe that I have everything that I need, here, already.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Buying maple syrup, for less

Out west, where I live, real maple syrup is very expensive. In place of real maple syrup, we use homemade blackberry syrup and homemade imitation maple syrup. For special occasions, I've bought maple syrup in small 12 ounce bottles.

With fall underway, and winter quickly approaching, I'm making pancakes for weekend breakfasts more often. There is something about a chilly morning, and waking to the aroma of pancakes cooking on the griddle. This fall, I found myself longing for real maple syrup. But that stuff can be pricey.

At the regular grocery stores near me, real maple syrup sells for around $7.00 to $8.50 per 12-oz bottle (58 cents to 71 cents per ounce).

Occasionally, I find it on sale for around $6.75 for 12-oz. The other day, at Fred Meyer, private label pure maple syrup was $6.69/12-oz (56 cents/ounce). Considering that would only last my family 3 or 4 family breakfasts, that still a bit steep for my budget.

In my search for real maple syrup, at a price that wouldn't make me choke on my morning coffee, I ventured into the realm of buying in quantity.

Pure maple syrup, sold in quarts, half-gallons and gallons, at places like WinCo, Cash & Carry, warehouse clubs and online (such as through Amazon), can yield a substantial savings over buying it in those pretty little glass bottles. True, you do sacrifice the attractive bottle, when you buy maple syrup in the larger quantities. Larger containers of maple syrup are sold in plastic jugs, whether they be quarts, half-gallons or gallons.

Our solution has been to save one of those glass bottles from Trader Joe's, and refill it with maple syrup from the half-gallon jug that I bought at Cash & Carry. (I knew there would be a reason for me to have saved that glass bottle!)

I bought maple syrup in a 64-oz jug at Cash & Carry, at 44 cents per ounce ($28.08/half-gallon). Our area Costco carries real maple syrup for close to that price. WinCo, has real maple syrup in 32 ounce jugs, for about 53 cents per ounce. Amazon carries real maple syrup in half-gallons and gallons for as low as 43 cents per ounce (bought in a 1-gallon jug). Any of these prices will beat my local grocery store regular and sale price.

The trick will be to not plow through a half-gallon in a month! It does taste wonderful, eat-it-right-out-of-a-spoon, wonderful. The flavor takes me back to my childhood, when my mother would sometimes buy maple sugar candies for my sibs and I.

And as a bonus, real maple syrup contains nutrients. It boasts manganese, magnesium, calcium, potassium, riboflavin and zinc. [http://www.purecanadamaple.com/benefits-of-maple-syrup/maple-syrup-nutrition/]

We'll still use homemade blackberry syrup, from time to time, this winter. But having some of the real stuff, for special weekend breakfasts will be a treat, and especially nice that I found it for less.