Happy frugal things in May

Giving away some vanilla beans!

Yes, this made me happy! And they weren't too expensive. When you find something really awesome, you just want to share. My personal income has grown a tiny bit, through blogging (ads on the page), and I am very happy to turn some of this around in the form of giveaways to you. I have something in mind for next month, too! (Yeah, I know, you're saying to yourself, "there are ads on the page? Where?" I never notice the ads either! So I'm amazed that they ever get clicks.)

Chive blossoms!

Sprinkled over salads, making chive blossom vinegar, and saving the seeds from the blossoms for adding to bread dough or topping rolls before baking

The family cook-out!

This is a summer tradition for our family. A few times per month, beginning in May, and running through September, we have a fire in the patio firepit and roast hot dogs and make s'mores. It gets us all out of the house, into the fresh air, and enjoying the sights and sounds as night begins to fall.

Freezing eggs!

I froze 3 dozen eggs in muffin pans, and froze 1 dozen eggs, 3 to a container, for making quiche later this spring and summer. These were eggs bought for 99 cents/dozen just before Easter, that's half what I would have to pay if not on sale. So for every dozen I buy and freeze, I saved $1! That makes me happy!

Brightening up the dining room!

Searched through  a pile of table linens to find something "springy". Not much there -- but did find this mint green table round, and square card/game table cutwork cloth from my grandmother. The round doesn't fit perfectly, but it's good enough. I added the spring basket that I made last year, plus these 25 cent canning jar candles for decor. Now I think that says spring.

I accidentally left the yogurt to culture overnight -- and loved how it turned out!

I had been incubating yogurt for 3 to 4 hours. Leaving it for 12-13 hours got me into researching long-incubation for yogurt-making. The yogurt was thicker and more tangy than 3-hour yogurt. And as a bonus, long-incubation reduces lactose even further, a boon for those of us lactose-intolerant. But, for batches since my goof, I've been most happy with 7 hours of incubation. In case you're needing some hints on making yogurt, I have a rather lengthy post here.

Experimenting with making mustard!

I've made 4 batches, so far. My first batch was super hot! My second batch was slightly sweet with the last of the honey added afterward. The third batch, I made to be a hot dog mustard, so added turmeric, and cooked the mixture to moderate the spiciness. And the fourth batch was an additional yellow hot dog mustard, as we seem to go through it quickly. (The day I made this last batch of hot dog mustard, I also made ketchup -- to have with bbq's this month.)

Homemade mustard can be tricky. An interesting thing, if you want mild mustard, then you heat the mixture. If you want hot mustard, then you use only cold ingredients. And either way, mustard needs to mature for at least 24 hours to get rid of the bitter taste.

Potting up the violas and pansies that I found on the clearance rack at Home Depot for 19 per plant!

I bought 48 little plants. They bring cheer and color to the deck and entry of our home.

~~~ no photo here. Do you really want to see my socks? I think not!~~~

Socks! Socks! Socks!

I used 2 $10 coupons, one to Kohl's the other to JCPenney's, on socks! For a grand total of $2.63 I got 6 new pairs of socks for myself. I chose 1 package of Adidas, and 1 package of Nike socks. So far, I like them both. We'll see which ones last the longest.

Making Rhubarb Crumb Muffins and Lemon Balm-Mint iced tea!

A delicious springtime treat.

What frugal things made you happy this month?

My collections: glassware

Although glass pieces are often put on display, because of it's affordability I like to use my collectible glassware on a daily basis. Glass can be both functional and beautiful, made in many colors and textures.

My personal preference is aqua glass. Memories of my grandmother's house are punctuated with pieces of aqua glass -- aqua vases, jars, glasses and bowls filled her home. I understand why. Aqua glass mimics the warm waters of oceans in faraway tropical locales. It's restful and rejuvenating.

But I also like clear glass. Especially when I want to show off the contents of that glass, or when the glass has been embossed with a pretty design.

Some of my favorite pieces and uses

You already know that I like to frequent vintage and second-hand shops.

vintage ice cream cups -- this is a common pattern, they're about $2-3 per piece in vintage shops, even less on ebay. Talk about portion control! These hold exactly 1 scoop of ice cream and no more, just the size that I think is about right.

vintage aqua "Moxie Nerve Tonic" bottle  -- "Moxie" bottles are more of a vintage shop or collectors item. I see these on ebay and etsy often, with prices ranging from about $7 up to $25, depending on condition, and whether or not a wire and the zinc or porcelain stopper is still attached. I bought this one at a flea market many years ago.  With its long neck, it makes a perfect "vase" for 3 or 4 daisies in mid-summer. But I also use it as a table water bottle, when we eat out on the deck (our deck decor is in aqua, sage green, dark brown, and white).

vintage aqua glass ink bottle -- found in a free pile. It once held ink, but now makes a sweet posie vase for small blossoms.

1960's embossed fruit pattern punch cups -- No sense in buying a punch service new. Punch cups, and sometimes the large bowls, abound in thrift shops. New-- you could pay $20 and up for 6 to 12 cups, just the cups -- mine are a Value Village find at 29 cents per cup -- no matching bowl. (I've seen these exact cups for as much as $1.50 each on Etsy.) I use a large glass salad bowl for a punch bowl, mostly around the holidays, at birthday parties, or mid-summer, for eggnog, punch and chilled gazpacho soup on a hot summer day.

I also can appreciate the beauty in new-ish glass pieces, and these are very affordable to free.

recycled food jars -- both home canning jars and washed olive, salsa, peanut butter or mayo jars (re-manufacturing glass is better than sending jars and bottles to the landfill, but re-purposing the glass is even better for the environment.) I use these on my desk to hold pens, desk tools, rubber bands and scissors. Inside the jars, I slide clippings from magazines and junk mail. Sometimes the clippings are inspirational thoughts, and sometimes they're photos of crafting, designing and gardening ideas.

blue canning jars -- these are new, and can be found on Amazon and in the canning sections of many grocery, home and big box stores. I've found the pint jars for a low as $8 for a set of 6, about $1.35 per jar. I use these in the bathroom to organize bath supplies, like cotton balls and swabs.


Collecting vintage glassware is still relatively frugal. I can pick up pieces in thrift and vintage shops, garage sales and "free" piles, all for a fraction of what I'd pay for a similar, newly-manufactured item. Yet, a vintage piece has history. That's something a set of glassware from Target can't claim.

I like to imagine a family sitting around their dining table, enjoying a scoop of ice cream on a steamy summer evening. Or the "Moxie" bottle -- I may only fill the bottle with water for table use now, but I can imagine once this bottle held it's famous nerve tonic.

I guess you could say that I'm a closet social-history enthusiast.


Collections on a budget. Glassware is one of mine. Do you have a favorite collection?

Solutions and Substitutions: Old Time Way to Make Lemon Meringue Pie (No Cornstarch, No Cream of Tartar)

Even with a fairly complete baking cabinet, I, too, run out of just the thing I need, and right when I need it.

For my husband's birthday, last month, I had wanted to make a Lemon Meringue Pie, as he has told me that was his favorite pie growing up. However, I was seriously low on corn starch, and cream of tartar is expensive (so I try to use it sparingly). My quest was to find a way or recipe to make this favorite pie without corn starch or cream of tartar.

That's when I scoured my older cookbooks (1950s-era) and found a recipe for Old-Time Lemon Pie. It called for flour (instead of cornstarch) as the thickener in the lemon custard. And in the meringue it called for lemon juice (instead of cream of tartar) to stabilize the egg whites. Perfect!

The basic guideline for substituting all-purpose flour for cornstarch is to use twice as much flour as the cornstarch called for in the recipe. Also, it should take half as long for flour to thicken in a sauce than corn starch.

An FYI, 1 cup of liquid requires 1 tablespoon of corn starch or 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken into a sauce or gravy.

Back to the Lemon Meringue Pie. I made it the old-time way, and it came out wonderfully creamy. If there is a difference between one made with corn starch and one made with flour, I'd say the cornstarch version is slightly firmer, and the flour version is slightly creamier. But it's so close -- a casual diner would not be able to tell the difference.

As for adding an acid to egg whites before whipping, here's a good explanation of how the acid stabilizes the egg white. Basically, to get the fluffiest meringue topping that actually holds its volume, you need to add something acidic to the egg whites, such as vinegar, lemon juice or cream of tartar.

To make a meringue topping using 3 egg whites -- use 3/8th teaspoon cream of tartar, or, 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar, or 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Need an old-time recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie? The following is the one I used just last month. It has more tang and less sweetness than other recipes that I've used, with a good, old-time, lemon flavor.

The Pie to Beat All Pies

Old-time Lemon Pie
ingredients:

1 pre-baked pie crust

filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks, beaten

meringue:

3 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons granulated sugar


Combine sugar, flour, salt in a saucepan. Use a whisk to mix in water and lemon juice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Remove from heat. Stir a couple of spoonfuls of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Repeat. Add egg yolks to remaining hot mixture. Return to medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring, and cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Pour into cooled, baked pie shell.

Beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over lemon curd pie filling, sealing to edges.

Bake in preheated oven, 350 degrees F, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool before slicing pie.

Recalling this pie makes me want another one. I may just make a lemon pie for our Memorial Day cook-out. Do you have any plans for your Memorial Day celebration?

The lesson learned here: Sometimes the old ways work out best and save us money. I think of all the things I've been inspired to try because I read about them in an historical fiction novel -- from baking bread to making pickles and sourdough. I think there's a bit of homesteader in all of us.

The Complete Guide to Essentials for My Baking Cabinet (and Other Storage Areas in My Kitchen)

(Just an FYI -- there's still the vanilla bean giveaway here. This giveaway closes at 12 midnight PDT, Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Now back to today's blog post.)

Don't we all like to "see" what's in someone else's cupboard or closet or shopping cart? I think that's a universal curiosity. It gives us insight into a person's daily life. It's what anthropologists study. Here you go, my guide to essentials for my baking cabinet.

Baking and cooking from scratch has been a large part of what has kept our grocery spending so low over the last 27 years. I get that not everyone wants to spend as much time in the kitchen as I do. But learning to scratch-cook and bake has allowed me to be the one who kept the home fires burning. Put plainly, our grocery savings was the monetary difference between having me work outside or inside the home.

To bake this much from scratch, I need to keep a very well-stocked cupboard of baking and dessert-making essentials. My goal here is to have what I need to make just about any baked good or dessert that we could want. I fall short on a couple of ingredients, but overall I'm keeping my baking cabinet well stocked.

The Guide

There are a few items that I find essential to my baking and dessert preparations. These are the basics for my baking.

sweeteners

molasses 

I buy molasses in 1-gallon jugs at the restaurant supply. 1 gallon lasts us about a year to a year and a half. I use it in making pancake syrup, brown sugar, whole wheat sandwich bread, and specific recipes which call for molasses, like gingerbread cake or cookies.

granulated sugar 

I buy white granulated sugar in 50-lb sacks at the restaurant supply. My last bag was $18.75, or 37.5 cents per pound. It's a lot of sugar, yes, but I'm doing a lot of baking!

confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

I buy confectioners sugar during holiday baking sales (Christmas and Easter), for $1.99/2-lbs or less. I typically buy 4 or 5 bags per year, and use in some cookies, to top items like waffles or brownies, and in butter cream frosting and glazes.

corn syrup 

I don't use corn syrup for much, primarily for candy-making at the holidays. I buy corn syrup in the 32-oz container, which will keep for years and years. I also use a small amount of corn syrup in homemade bubble solution for the kiddies I babysit.

Sometime this year, I'd like to add honey to my baking supplies. Perhaps this summer from the farmer's market. One of my daughters bought and used honey in homemade nougat this past Christmas.

flavorings

cocoa powder

The flavor of different brands of cocoa powder varies. Some folks might prefer a specific brand Hershey's is actually quite good, even though it's just a supermarket brand. But, before we get all snooty about which brand tastes best, I remind myself that the cocoa powder will be mixed with a half-dozen other ingredients, making the flavor of individual cocoa powder brands mostly indistinguishable from each other.

vanilla extract

I make my own once per year unless family members gift me a bottle as a Christmas present.

maple flavoring

I buy this in 16-ounce bottles at the restaurant supply. 16 ounces lasts for about 5 to 10 years in our house. I use maple flavoring in our pancake syrup as well as baking that includes pumpkin and/or apples (muffins, quick breads, granola, cakes, cookies).

almond extract

I buy almond extract in 16 ounce bottles at the restaurant supply. One bottle lasts a decade or so in our house.

spices

I keep cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, mace, allspice as ground spices and as whole spices. I've found whole spices that are freshly ground to be far superior in baking than packaged ground, and I will use the fresh ground for special recipes or occasions.

assorted jams, jellies and preserves 

Every summer I "put up" preserves, everything from cherry preserves to blackberry or raspberry jam, plum jam to crabapple jelly, and sometimes red currant jelly. These can be used to fill cookies, make homemade pop-tarts, add a layer of flavor to cakes, or spooned on top of tapioca or rice pudding.

bottled lemon juice

I buy lemon juice in 1 gallon jugs, at the restaurant supply. I keep this in the fridge, to use in beverages, to flavor glazes for pound cake and bundt cakes, make lemon flavored desserts (lemon bars and lemon meringue pie), and to make lemon curd for scones and toast. Lemon juice can also be used as the acid to stabilize egg whites for whipping.

leavenings

baking powder

I keep a small container of homemade baking powder (baking soda, cream of tartar and corn starch or arrowroot) for recipes which won't have liquids added (some cookie recipes, mostly). I use a combination of baking soda and vinegar as a substitute for baking powder in all other recipes. Both of these homemade concoctions are completely aluminum-free and easily made from very basic ingredients.

baking soda

The large boxes of baking soda are no more economical at our restaurant supply than the small boxes when found on sale or at the dollar store. So I buy small boxes as I need. In addition to baking, I use baking soda to neutralize acids in fruit desserts and sauces and as a scrub for the kitchen and bathroom sinks. In addition, I use a combination of baking soda and vinegar as a substitute for baking powder.

vinegar

I buy 1-gallon jugs of vinegar to use in cooking and as part of my substitution for baking powder or for souring the milk portion in a recipe calling for buttermilk. Vinegar is also my go-to cleaning solution for bathrooms, the kitchen floor, inside of appliances, etc. It should be noted that vinegar should not be used on real stone, such as the very-popular granite countertops.

cream of tartar

I keep a small amount of cream of tartar in the cupboard for homemade baking powder. I only use this DIY baking powder for recipes which I don't want to add any liquids (the vinegar), for example a couple of cookie recipes.

yeast

I buy yeast in 2-lb bags at the restaurant supply. I transfer yeast from these bags to a small jar (stored in the fridge) and store the rest in a large ziploc bag in the freezer.

sour dough starter

Sour dough starter replaces yeast in bread-making. I keep a 12-ounce jar of sourdough starter in the fridge. I made this starter from flour, yeast and water, about 2 years ago. I use it about once per week to keep it fresh and active. I can make a large loaf of bread with nothing more than some of this starter, 4 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and water. About the cheapest bread I know. Want to make your own sourdough starter, here's the how-to on Making Sourdough Starter Using Only Flour and Water.

eggs for baking

When I find a great sale on eggs (99 cents to $1.29 per dozen), I buy a few extra dozen eggs to freeze for use in baking later. I pour beaten eggs into muffin pans, freeze solid, then pop out and store in freezer bags. I currently have 4 dozen eggs in the freezer for baking throughout summer and into early fall, when egg prices are historically higher in my area.

thickeners

cornstarch

I mostly use cornstarch as a thickener for puddings and sauces. I buy cornstarch in standard-sized boxes at the restaurant supply, Walmart or WinCo for under $2, sticking to the store brand. For the recipes that I use cornstarch, name brands don't make a difference. Cornstarch keeps for years. I keep it in a tightly covered container. 

tapioca pearls 

I buy small bags of whole tapioca pearls at the Asian market for roughly 1/3 the price of boxed instant tapioca sold in American grocery stores. Yes, whole tapioca pearls take a lot longer to cook, but they're much more economical. Tapioca is not a grain. It's a root and can be used on a grain-free diet.

arrowroot

I buy small amounts of arrowroot at the natural foods and grains store or from bulk bins in WinCo. I buy just what I need. As a thickener, arrowroot tends to make dairy sauces and puddings a bit slimy. But I do like arrowroot as a thickener for a natural, no-sugar added fruit pudding (dried fruit re-hydrated in water or juice, then thickened with arrowroot).

oils and fats  

vegetable oils

I keep a few oils stocked in the pantry. I primarily use all-purpose vegetable oils in frying or sautéing Chinese food. I also buy high quality olive oil and avocado oil to use for fresh green salads and in some cooking applications. And I keep sesame oil available to use as a flavor finisher for stir fries.

butter

Butter stores well in the freezer, extending the freshness by many months. I stock up on butter twice a year when on sale, once during the fall and winter holidays and the second time near Easter.

solid shortening and fats

I buy solid shortening (Crisco) for pie pastry in 6 lb cans at the restaurant supply or in 3-lb cans at Walmart. I store shortening the pantry. I also keep a variety of saved meat fats in the freezer for cooking and baking. In addition, I buy all natural pork fat in jars to store in the fridge. When I make a 5-crust batch of pie pastry, I use 1 part park fat and 1 part Crisco-type shortening for the best ever flaky crust and old-time flavor. My exclusive scratch recipe for batch pie pastry is right here in Frugal Pie Hacks: The Crust. The recipe is highly customizable and practically fool-proof. The pastry yields tender, reliable crusts perfect for anything from savory pot pies to sweet fruit pies. The unbaked dough can be kept in the freezer for several months when wrapped in plastic wrap or bags in individual single-crust patties.

fruits

dried fruit

I buy raisins in 2-lb bags at the restaurant supply or from bulk bins at WinCo. I also buy dried apricots, prunes and cherries in mid-summer when the local drugstore puts them on sale. I squirrel these away until fall and winter when our garden fresh fruit is less plentiful. For banana chips, the dollar store has the best price. I also dry homegrown cherries, plums, and sugar-dusted rhubarb in the dehydrator. I've found it's less expensive to just buy dried fruit when on sale than to buy fresh fruit for drying at home. The exception to this is bananas when on a fabulous sale for banana chips and whole watermelons in the peak of summer for melon leather.

If you grow rhubarb, you can convert some of the fresh rhubarb into a sweetened chewy fruit to use topping a bowl of granola, in tossed salads, and in scratch muffins. Want to know how? Read this easy explanation in Rhu-sins: Dried Sweetened Rhubarb.

candied fruit 

I buy fruitcake fruit mixes after Christmas on clearance when about 50 cents per package. It keeps unopened for a year or more. Once opened, I store the rest in the fridge. My current package is about 1  1/2 years old, and still perfectly fine. I used 1/2 cup in our traditional Easter bread last month. I also make candied orange peel, which I chop and freeze to use in baking and to extend the fruitcake mix or add something a bit more natural-looking than the green and red citron found in those packaged candied fruit mixes.

citrus zest

When we have whole citrus, I do something to salvage the peel, either make citrus-vinegar cleaner, candied orange peel, or zest and freeze the citrus to use as flavoring in baking.

canned fruit

I don't buy much canned fruit with exception to a few cans of pineapple -- nice to have around for pineapple upside down cake,  to add to carrot cake, or to top homemade tapioca pudding.

frozen fruit

I freeze and can fruit from our garden each summer: whole cranberries, blackberries, chopped rhubarb, plums, sweet cherries, raspberries and blueberries. I use these fruits in coffee cakes, muffins, pies, cobblers, crisps, and fruit sauces throughout the winter months.

flours and grains 

flour

I buy whole wheat and all-purpose flour in 50-lb sacks at the restaurant supply. This amount lasts us about 3-4 months. The restaurant supply near us has a rapid turnover on the stone ground whole wheat flour, much faster than a supermarket. So I feel confident that this grain is fairly recently milled, which is key for retaining nutrients in whole grains.

other grains 

I buy cornmeal and oats in 25 lb. sacks, also at the restaurant supply. In a pinch, I use my blender or food processor to make oat flour for recipes. This can substitute for some of the all-purpose flour in quick bread and cookie recipes.  I buy brown rice in 50 lb sacks. Mostly this rice is used as a side dish for meals, but also I grind brown rice in my coffee grinder to make my own brown rice flour for GF baking.

I have 2 very large plastic food storage containers for the oats and cornmeal. It's my hope to purchase 2 more very large containers for storing the wheat flours, perhaps next year. 

I also have small amounts of white rice flour, tapioca flour, corn flour and buckwheat. I buy these alternative flours at a local health food store or at WinCo in their bulk section. It's a great place to buy just a small amount of any flour or starch for making your own non-wheat flour blends or homemade baking powder or just for trying something out to see if you like it.

odds and ends

salt

I keep Kosher salt for topping homemade pretzels and some breads, as well as pickling and making salsas. Kosher salt is iodine-free, resulting in better flavor for home canning. I also have a supply of iodized table salt, of which I buy several containers when I find a good sale. In addition to general cooking/baking, I use table salt as a scrub for my stainless pots. It works faster than baking soda in scrubbing out my stainless yogurt-making stock pot. And I buy sea salt and pink Himalayan salt to use as table salt.

nuts 

I usually have some sort of nuts in the house that I buy when I find a good deal, primarily at our local drugstores in late-November, but also I just keep my eyes open for deals on nuts. Otherwise, I buy whole or sliced almonds, pecan halves, peanuts, and unroasted sunflower seeds at Trader Joe's or at a local grocery store in the bulk section. I've found the unroasted sunflower seeds to be less expensive than the roasted. I can roast my own and save 50 cents or more per pound. I also keep a lot of peanut butter on hand, mostly for my peanut butter fiends, but also it's yummy in cookies.

cake and cookie decors

This includes sprinkles (bought on clearance after holidays), colored sugar (we make this ourselves), small candies like red hots (clearance purchase) and cut-rock/ribbon candy (after Christmas clearance) to use for decorating gingerbread houses, and jelly beans (after Easter clearance, used the next Easter to make chocolate and candy "nests" and for decorating gingerbread houses.

baking chips

I rarely buy milk chocolate, white chocolate or butterscotch baking chips. But when I do buy and open a bag, I keep the rest of the opened bag in the freezer. Not for freshness purposes, but to keep us from snacking on them. I do buy and stock-up on semi-sweet chocolate chips when I find a great sale. For most of our chocolatey desserts I use cocoa powder, saving the baking chips for very specific recipes (Dream Bars, chocolate chip cookies, Haystacks, Peppermint Bark and dipping homemade candies, dried fruit, nuts or pretzels). I've found that I can make a very satisfying fudge sauce or fudge candy with cocoa powder for a fraction of the price of chocolate pieces. While chocolate chips in brownies are always popular, I've also found that a cocoa powder frosting topping a pan of brownies will also make them very decadent.

To make shaved chocolate using baking chips: melt semi-sweet chocolate chips, spread on a baking sheet with a rubber spatula, pop in the freezer, then use a metal spatula to "scrape" curls. Just as pretty as shaved bar chocolate, but a lot less expensive.

To make dipping chocolate using baking chips: microwave to melt semi-sweet chocolate chips with a teaspoon of Crisco solid shortening. A favorite is to dip candied orange peel strips. I've given boxes of chocolate-dipped candied orange peel strips at Christmas with great success.

flaked coconut

Flaked coconut adds a wonderful texture to meringue cookies. It's also the foundation for making Easter candy "nests" when stirred into melted chocolate chips then mounded onto waxed paper forming nest shapes. The finishing touch is a trio of jelly beans in the hollow of each nest. 

marshmallows and mini-marshmallows

Marshmallows and mimi-marshmallows are the secret ingredient to making quick cereal bar cookies, like rice crispy treats or any ready to eat dry cereal. They also make a lovely topping for a cup of hot cocoa. And of course, who could leave out s'mores after a cook-out? Melty, gooey s'mores while sitting around the fire ring are a classic frugal fun activity.

food coloring

I use gel food coloring, the kind sold for cake decorating. I buy this from fabric and craft supply stores using a 40 or 50% off coupon, one small jar at a time. I keep the vials in a repurposed egg carton. The egg holders are just the right size for each vial of coloring. In addition to coloring for icings, I use these for egg dye at Easter, and occasionally "correcting" the color on a sauce or pudding that's supposed to be pale yellow but looks gray.

pie crusts

My pie pastry recipe referenced above under solid shortenings makes enough for 4 to 5 crusts. I sometimes make and freeze pie pastry in pie tins, making pie-making very easy. I also roll out pie pastry then roll up on a sheet of waved paper around repurposed cardboard paper towel tubes for easy to make crusts. This pie dough also freezes well in patties to roll out for baking at another time.

unflavored gelatin

I buy canisters of Knox gelatin in 16-oz canisters from Amazon. It's less expensive per ounce bought in a canister than in those little packets, and it keeps for years and years, even after opening.

whipped heavy cream

When I find a stellar deal on heavy whipping cream, I buy a couple of pints. I whip and sweeten most of it then freeze in mounds on waxed paper. These mounds of whipped cream make a lovely topping for desserts with no last-minute work for me. I simply place one whipped mound onto a serving of dessert and allow to stand at room temp for about 15 minutes to thaw. This trick is also genius for using leftover whipping cream after the holidays. A day or two after Thanksgiving I make whipped cream mounds to freeze that I will then use to top Christmas and New Year's dinner desserts.

With a baking cabinet filled with these items, I can bake just about anything we could want. I really enjoy baking. In a typical week I may bake a batch or two of cookies or wafers, a pie, 1 or 2 fruit cobblers or crisps, several loaves of bread, some muffins, pancakes or waffles, and a batch of cupcakes. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Keep in mind, I'm feeding a bunch of adults every day. It surprises me to see how quickly it all disappears! 

I hope this guide to baking and dessert-making essentials has been helpful to you. Are there any other items that you feel are an essential for your baking cupboard? Tell me in the comments below.

The vanilla bean birthday club (and a giveaway)

I get my vanilla beans every year, on my birthday, for free. Yep! That's right, 6 Madagascar vanilla beans, absolutely free. That's enough vanilla beans to make about a pint of vanilla extract (using the recipe in this post), which lasts me about 1 year.

Getting free vanilla beans -- retail birthday/rewards clubs

How do I get free Madagascar vanilla beans (and how can you get some too)? I sign up for a variety of birthday freebies from restaurants and retail stores. One of the retail birthday clubs that I've signed up for is Cost Plus World Market. A week or so before my birthday, they email me a coupon good for $10 off any purchase. This coupon is good for the entire month of my birthday.

World Market happens to have the best local prices on vanilla beans, $2.99 for a packet of 2 vanilla beans. They fly off the store's racks. (As soon as I get my birthday coupon in the email, I give our local World Market a phone call and ask about their supply of vanilla beans. I don't want to make the trip there to find they are temporarily out of stock.)

Price comparison -- grocery stores sell single vanilla beans in a plastic tube for about $10 each! So, for my $10 coupon, I get 3 packets of vanilla beans, or 6 vanilla beans.

For coupons, birthday surprises (I've been receiving $10 coupons on my birthday for a few years) and alerts to special sales, you can sign up for Cost Plus World Market Market Explorers Reward program.

World Market has been around for several decades (since the 1950s). I remember when they were primarily a west coast store. I shopped at one of their locations in southern California back in the 70s and 80s. They now have over 250 stores across the US. By the way, I don't get anything for telling you about them. They don't know that I exist. I just think this $10 birthday coupon is a great deal, and want to share with you.

If you don't have a World Market near you, you can use your $10 birthday coupon online. They do ship, although shipping can be pricey ($4.95 for orders under $15). Still, if you used your $10 coupon and ordered 3 or 4 packets of vanilla beans (6 to 8 beans), you'd only be out-of-pocket $6.95 tops (if ordering 4 packets @ $2.99 each, less $10 coupon, plus shipping charge of $4.95).

Other sources for buying vanilla beans at a reasonable price point -- online might be the next best thing

If World Market's rewards program isn't your thing, ordering vanilla beans online through other sources, like beanilla.com, ebay or Amazon is a good option. Beanilla.com offers free shipping from time to time, and their prices are very reasonable for vanilla beans. Also, many people use ebay and Amazon for buying vanilla beans. Check a couple of sources and price it out before buying.

note: as of yesterday, May 14, 2014, Beanilla.com had a click-through ad in the right hand side bar, on my page here, indicating a price on Madagascar vanilla beans of $8.95 USD, free shipping for 10 vanilla beans. I don't know if that ad is still on my page. But it does indicate that they currently have some sort of free shipping promotion going on.


Now for the giveaway part of this post

If you'd like a couple of packets of vanilla beans, enough to make 4 ounces of vanilla extract, I'm giving away 2 packets (4 beans) to 1 winner. If you've never made your own vanilla extract, this could give you the opportunity to see if you like it. And if you already make your own, you know just how expensive vanilla beans can be -- here are a few for free!

Just leave a comment in the comment section below. This giveaway is open for the next 6 days, closing at midnight PDT, Tuesday May 20th. This is open to the USA, only. The winner will be drawn randomly. I'll announce the winner on Thursday May 22nd in my regular blog post.

Good luck!

Are you making common mistakes in storing vanilla extract (commercial and homemade)?

Just a quickie post today. Tomorrow's post (Thursday's) has the info on getting free vanilla beans, buying them inexpensively and a giveaway.

So, in the comments on Monday's post, there was a question and small discussion on how to store vanilla extract, to ensure it maintains maximum strength. We often just keep our baking supplies in a cabinet that's convenient to our work, without regard to suitability to the product. And once we put that product away in the cupboard, it's easy to forget that we paid for that!

With extracts, I think this is important information, to ensure we are really getting value from what we purchase. If our vanilla extract loses strength, we're more inclined to double up on measure, which means our vanilla extract, whether we made it ourselves or bought it at the store, is actually costing us twice what we thought we paid for it. Ouch!

Getting maximum value from your vanilla extract

First of all, if you're purchasing pure vanilla extract, make sure you are purchasing from a store with a fast turnover of stock. The last thing you want is a product that was manufactured several years ago. This sounds obvious, right? I've been in stores where there was a thin layer of dust on top of some packages and cartons. Not a good omen for the manufacture date of the product.

The enemies of extracts are light, air and heat. Exposure to these three cause vanilla extract to age prematurely, experience flavor changes, evaporate and lose potency.

With vanilla extract in particular:

• if the vanilla is in a large bottle (more than you will use within a 3 month period, transfer some of the contents to a small bottle, for kitchen use, and refill as needed. This prevents the constant re-opening of the bottle. According the joyofbaking.com, the flavor of extracts does evaporate. Keep the bottle tightly sealed shut.
• if the bottle is clear, transfer the contents to a dark bottle (I re-use an old, dark-colored vanilla extract bottle), to reduce exposure to damaging light. However, if you have to choose between a dark bottle with poor fitting cap and a clear bottle that can be well-sealed after each use, go for the clear bottle. Exposure to light isn't nearly as harmful as exposure to air. Keeping the cupboard door shut most of the time can give the extract a lot of the darkness it needs.
• store vanilla extract in a cool and dark cupboard, but NOT in the fridge. And remember, the main-supply bottle doesn't "have" to be stored in the kitchen. I actually store my main supply on a shelf, in a closet in one of the coolest bedrooms, and use this to refill my tiny kitchen-use bottle.
• if storing in the cupboard above the counter, make sure this is not over a light system (I have under-cabinet lighting, which really heats up the enclosed space above the lights).

Even stored under ideal circumstances, vanilla extract will lose potency after a couple of years. It would be better to split a large bottle with a friend, and make or buy it more often, than keep a 5-year old bottle of vanilla on your shelves.

Happy baking!


Just an unrelated FYI -- there are feed delivery issues, regarding my posts. Since I changed from a .blogspot.com to simply a .com, my posts have not been showing up in feeds/blogrolls, or showing up hours to a day late. The email subscription appears to be working fine, however. (I have an email subscription to my own blog, so I can see if it is in fact being delivered.)

My resident tech geek is busy for the week, and I'm working all day on Saturday, so I may not be able to try anything to remedy this feed problem for a while. I'm sorry about that. In the meantime, if it matters to you to receive every post of mine, you could always sign up for email delivery. Or just check back often. I do have a post planned for tomorrow, then again on Monday, and my usual posting time is 4 AM PDT, if knowing part of my schedule helps.

I hope your week is going splendidly!

Vanilla and how to make (what I think is) the very best extract

Where does vanilla come from? Why is it soooo expensive? And what is artificial vanilla made of?

Did you know that vanilla comes from a species of orchid? Vanilla beans or seed pods are the resulting fruit from pollination of this species of orchid.

Originally vanilla production was limited to the Americas, as this orchid had just one natural pollinator, a specific bee. Methods of hand pollination were implemented as a way to grow vanilla outside of the Americas.

Today, with hand pollination, the majority of the world's vanilla beans come from the islands of the Indian Ocean, Bourbon vanilla (from Bourbon Island, not made with bourbon), or Madagascar vanilla (from Madagascar and neighboring islands). Other sources of modern day vanilla still include Mexico, as well as the Tahitian Islands, and the West Indies.

Vanilla is a costly spice/flavoring, second only to saffron, due to the labor-intensive process of artificially pollinating the blossoms.

Because of this high cost, artificial vanilla flavors are commonly found in many commercially baked goods.

The most common consumer artificial vanilla flavoring contains a form of vanillin, synthesized from a natural polymer found in wood. It's a synthetic flavor. In addition, artificial vanilla flavoring often contains coloring, for which the label does not need to specify this coloring's origin (often simply called "caramel coloring"), and sugars.

When the label says "natural" flavoring on a vanilla product, does this mean natural vanilla? Or something else?

So, there's this rumor/myth circulating that a natural, vanilla-like flavoring comes from beaver glands and is used in "natural" vanilla flavoring. The castor sacs of beavers produces a secretion that does have a vanilla-like essence. And it has been approved by the FDA to be safe for use in food. However, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group (who thoroughly investigated this), no major vanilla manufacturer in the USA uses this as a source of vanilla flavoring. In years past, it may have been used, but not in today's manufacturing process.

So, what is "natural" vanilla flavoring?

The FDA is very specific about what can be called vanilla extract, and what has to be called vanilla flavoring. Only products made with vanilla beans, alcohol and water can be called vanilla extract. The alcohol-free substitute, made with glycerine and/or propylene glycol, must be called vanilla flavoring. It's still made from natural vanilla, but it's flavor is slightly different from pure vanilla extract.

Vanilla extract is also allowed to contain sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, caramel color and stabilizers. It's these extra ingredients that makes me inclined to favor homemade vanilla extract.

If you are traveling outside the US, all bets are off as to what is in that cheap bottle of "vanilla extract". Other countries do not need to abide by the FDA's regulations, if they are selling their product outside the US. I remember my mom buying "vanilla extract" in Mexico, when we'd go down to Tijuana (I grew up in So. Calif.). She raved over how cheap it was. But who really knows what was in those bottles?

Just to simplify all of this, I prefer to just make my own. That way, I know exactly what it contains. And if I'm not satisfied with it's strength, then I can adjust that myself, at home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To make vanilla extract

If I'm gonna go to the trouble of making my own vanilla extract, I want it to be goooooood! Here's how I do it.

To make your own high-quality, pure vanilla extract, you'll need:

a 1-quart glass jar, with plastic lid
12 ounces of vodka (I use bottom-shelf vodka, whatever is cheapest -- and you can fudge a bit on the amount of vodka and use up to 14 ounces per 8 or 9 beans, but it will be of lesser strength)
8 to 10 whole vanilla beans
a sharp knife and cutting board
and, eventually a small, dark glass bottle to decant your finished product

A lot of homemade vanilla isn't much more than vanilla booze. Many online recipes say to pop a vanilla bean into a fifth of vodka and let it sit a month or two. You just can't get enough flavor out of that one vanilla bean. The FDA actually has set standards on what can be called vanilla extract. It's a ratio of about 9 beans for every 12 ounces of vodka. (The amount of beans is set by weight and not count, hence the "about".)

I say, go for the beans! I use 8 beans in 10 to 12 ounces of vodka (however much I have at the time). And I really love the resulting flavor.

If your vanilla does not taste as strong as you like, that's easy to remedy. Simply add another split bean or two, and wait a few weeks. If your vanilla is too strong, then either add less to recipes, or add a bit more vodka to the jar.

And time. You've got to let it infuse for several months. IMO, the best flavor emerges around the 8-month marker. The flavor of the extract is complex and rich at this point. So, if you want vanilla for holiday baking or gifting, now is the time to start.

The process:

You will get the most flavor by exposing a lot of surface area of the pod to the infusing liquid (vodka is my alcohol of choice for making vanilla).

So, using the point of a sharp knife, I first split the pods lengthwise.

Then I scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife blade, and put these scrapings in a quart-size glass jar along with the vodka.

I cut each split pod into 2-inch lengths. Every time you add a cut surface to the vanilla bean, you add the ability to draw out more flavor. (I could chop the beans finely, but I want to be able to fish out the pieces after 2 years.)





Place a lid tightly on the jar and allow to infuse in a dark place. From what I've read, you want to store your vanilla in a dark cupboard to protect the fragile oils from exposure to light (could weaken the strength over time).

Start testing your vanilla around the 4th or 5th month. I think the flavor really matures around month 8.

When ready, decant the vanilla, a couple of ounces at a time, into a small dark bottle. (I reuse an old commercial vanilla bottle.)

To make more vanilla:

I leave the beans in the same jar of vodka for 2 years. I add new beans and vodka each year.

To determine which beans are the two-year old ones, I alternate years with my cutting technique.

• On year one, I split the beans, then cut into 2-inch lengths. 
• On year two, I split and scrape the beans, but leave them whole. 
• On year three, I remove the old 2-inch lengths before adding new 2-inch ones. 

I figure that a vanilla pod that is a year old should still have a bit of flavoring left in it, so I leave it to infuse with the new pods.

Don't throw those used pods away! Dry them, and add to a container of granulated sugar. You'll have a mild vanilla-flavored sugar to add to coffee or tea, or to sprinkle over shortbread and other cookies.

Just how high quality of vanilla beans do you need for making extract?

Do you need premium vanilla beans? Nope! (Finally a do-it-yourself project that doesn't require premium anything!) Vanilla beans are graded based on appearance and moisture content. Highest grade vanilla beans don't necessarily have more flavoring potential than lower grade. So, those $10 glass vials at the supermarket, containing one lone vanilla bean may be significantly overpriced for making extract. Go for less expensive beans.

I've been very happy making vanilla extract with less expensive vanilla beans and bottom-shelf vodka for several years.

In my next post, I'll tell you where I get most of my vanilla beans for free, and how you can too (plus a giveaway). And I'll give you a couple of sources for buying quality vanilla beans at a good price. So, stay tuned.



sources for this post include: the website from FDA.gov, wikipedia,The Vegetarian Resource Group


What are your thoughts on home-made vanilla? Do you make your own? Buy pure vanilla extract? Buy artificial vanilla flavoring? Does it matter to you whether vanilla is real or artificial? It is only a teaspoon or so added to recipes. Maybe real or artificial doesn't matter to you. Just wondering what your thoughts are.

Don't buy cream puffs and eclairs (they are crazy-cheap to make!)

(It was a rainy Thursday afternoon. I was stuck inside all afternoon, so guess what? You get me this morning, as I had time to type up what I was doing -- baking. Now aren't you lucky?! Haha!)

This week, the grocery ads for Mother's Day are featuring cream puffs and eclairs for $6 for a 7 to 9-count package.

They are so easy to make (really!!), and crazy-cheap.

I baked 15 medium-size cream puffs the other day, for under $1. Here's the breakdown in cost:

• 1/2 cup butter -- 50 cents
• 4 eggs -- 36 cents
• 1 cup all-purpose flour -- 8 cents
• 1/4 teaspoon salt -- 1 cent

total to make my own cream puffs -- 95 cents. Even if your grocery costs are double mine, it would still be under $2 to make a batch of 12 to 15 cream puffs. My filling (whipped cream and fruit -- remember the whipped cream I bought on markdown, whipped, then froze back in February?) will cost about 50 cents for the whole batch. So for me, my price per cream puff will be about 10 cents per filled puff. The grocery store cream puffs work out to almost $1 per cream puff!

So you're thinking, "what do I need 15 cream puffs for?" Well, unfilled cream puffs freeze beautifully. You can use however many at a time that you need. And since the batter to make them is not at all sweet, you can use them to hold savory as well as sweet fillings. I sometimes make tiny cream puffs (referred to as cocktail-size) to fill with chicken salad, to take to potlucks.

Cream puffs are egg-risen. Once they puff up, they have a hollowed out spot inside, just right for a dollop of filling.

For a dessert, I pull frozen, unfilled cream puffs out from the freezer, allow to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, on the counter, then fill with either sweetened whipped cream, ice cream, or homemade vanilla pudding. You can frost the tops, sprinkle with powdered (confectioner's) sugar, or drizzle with a chocolate glaze or syrup.

What's the best, though, is if these are for guests, they look so spectacular everyone thinks I'm some sort of master baker!

I bake the cream puffs, in advance, so I'm not rushed at the last minute. (I baked the Mother's Day brunch ones on the Thursday before Mother's Day, then froze unfilled.) If more than a day in advance, I pop them into a ziploc and freeze them.

Here's the recipe I've been using for the last 30 years, and that my mother used for 20 years before that.

For 12 to 15 3-inch diameter cream puffs:

ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

equipment:

heavy-bottomed medium saucepan

large spoon

small bowl and fork

rubber spatula

large baking sheet

Prep:

Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (non-convection). Grease the baking sheet.

Cook:

In the saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add butter, and stir until butter is melted. Stir in salt.

Add the flour, all at once, and stir vigorously until throughly mixed in, and a large mass develops. Remove pan from heat.

In small bowl, beat 1 egg with fork. Add to this slightly cooled flour/butter/water mixture, and beat vigorously. When thoroughly combined, break 2nd egg into small bowl, beat with fork, then beat into the flour/butter/water mixture. 

By now, the mixture is cool enough, that you can add the last 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well in between, whole, and not need to beat the eggs in a bowl first So, add the last 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat vigorously until thoroughly combined. You'll have to beat hard for about a minute or so.

With the large spoon and a rubber spatula, spoon the batter onto greased baking sheet. The dollops will be about the size of a ping pong ball, before they naturally flatten. If desired, you can flatten the "points" with the back of a spoon, dipped in water. It's not necessary, but does make them more professional-looking.

Bake:

Bake the cream puffs at 450 F, for 14 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and bake for about 20-22 additional minutes, until golden.

Allow to sit on baking sheet for about 1 minute, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool throughly.

Filling cream puffs:

Just before serving, use a serrated knife to cut 1/3 off of the top, leaving a large hollow inside. Fill with sweetened, whipped cream, ice cream, cornstarch pudding or meat/egg-based salad. For the dessert cream puffs, you can also add a few slices of strawberries or a few blueberries, after the whipped cream. Replace the tops.

(Fill just prior to serving, as the pastry will become soggy if they sit too long already-filled.)

Once filled, sprinkle with powdered (confectioner's) sugar, drizzle with chocolate glaze or syrup, or ice with a thin frosting.

These freeze beautifully. Once cooled, slide into a large ziploc, whole and uncut, and store in freezer up to 4 months.

As far as calories go (I really am trying to cut back on extra calories, I know, hard to believe when you see me posting about cream puffs), these are only as naughty as you make them. Unfilled, each one has 107 calories. If filled with sliced strawberries (13 calories for 1/4 cup sliced) and use a fat-free whipped topping (15 calories for 2 tablespoons fat-free Cool Whip), then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, you can make a "decadent" dessert for under 150 calories. Even if using real whipped cream (30 calories for 2 tablespoons whipped), instead of fat-free whipped topping, the calorie count only "jumps" to 150 calories.

To make eclairs:

For eclairs, the recipe is exactly the same, only instead of using a spoon to form the dough on baking sheets, fill a pastry/icing bag, without the tip, with the dough. Pipe in ribbons, directly onto greased baking sheet, 1-inch wide, 3-inches long. Bake as above, at 450 F to start, then 325 F to finish, until golden. Slice eclairs horizontally, and fill with ice cream, whipped cream or cornstarch pudding.