If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Lots of breakfast and lunch pockets

My daughter asked if we could make a bunch of pockets to stock their freezer for quick lunches and breakfasts for her family.  I like to cook and of course I said yes.
So Friday, I loaded up my bread machine with the bread part and just let each batch go through the kneading process.  Then I bagged up each batch of dough in a lightly oiled gallon zip bag and let them chil until we did the baking today.
You can make the dough just before you make the pockets but if the dough is able to chill and rest in the fridge for at least a few hours,  it rolls out so easy.

For the fillings- we made a double batch of the scrambled egg, sausage, potato and cheese ones.  Then with the last batch of dough,  half were filled with diced ham and grated cheddar and the other half were pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara sauce.

We made a total of 47 - each batch of dough makes 16 but I gave grand daughter Elizabeth one ball of dough to roll out.  She spent the whole time rolling out and adding flour to her one ball while we made the other 47.  I've tweaked the original Pinterest recipe a bit and here is how we like them
Breakfast and Lunch Pockets 
    Dough
  • 2 1/2 t yeast
  • 1/2 c warm water 
  • 3/4 C milk- heated in the microwave just to steaming
  • 1/2 c vegetable oil
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1 egg- well beaten
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 c flour
  • you can mix and knead the dough anyway you like but I like to put all the ingredients in my bread machine and let it knead it all to perfection.  
  • Filling
  • 1 lb breakfast sausage
  • 1 1/2 c frozen hashbrown potatoes
  • 7  well beaten 
  • 1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Cook and crumble the sausage until brown and then drain, then add the hashbrowns and heat through,  Add the eggs, stirring the whole time until the eggs are set.  Add some salt and pepper now if you want.  Just when the eggs start to look cooked,  stir in the cheese. 
  • Set the filling aside while you move on to rolling out the dough. 
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Punch down the dough and cut into 16 equal pieces.
  3. Roll each piece into 7 in circle on a floured surface. Top with 1/3 c filling in the center of each dough circle then fold the ends up, then sides up and then lay on your baking sheets with all the folds on the bottom. This seals in the filling and it is not neccessary to wet the edges or spend lots of time crimping either.  
  4.  No need to let rise again and Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown.  
  5. To freeze:
  6. Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Once cooled, place in the freezer until frozen. Store in a zip bag in the freezer for 3-6 months. To reheat, place on a paper towel and microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes.



Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Mondays bargains

I rarely shop at Walgreens anymore as their deals got really complicated when they introduced their points system along with register rewards and their customer cards. But I earn $1 a month at Walgreens with walking steps counted on my FitBit and had recently got an email that I could redeem $5 there. Yes, walking is good for you but you won't get rich doing it. 
Then I read about this Purex B1G2free with some printable coupons so here is how I did.
6 bags of Purex 18 count laundry detergent - just $4.04 after sale price, coupons and rewards redemption.



CVS
Mitchum was $1.99 and I had $1 coupons on each
Ajax was 88 cents minus the 39 cent coupon I got at the scanner
Razor blades were $10.49 and I had 2 $3 coupons- I needed to spend at least $25 to get a $10 ECB - so I bought 3 even though I did not a coupon for every one. 

I had a $10 ECB from last week and I got a $3.50 ECB at the scanner. 

I always scan my CVS card when I enter the store for the print out coupons and deals.
Total spent $14.44 and I am got back another $10 ECB for my next shopping trip. 

Friday, October 4, 2013

Friday night supper

First we started with a big salad.
Then we had a no meat meal of
Corn bread sticks 
and

copycat  Ranch Style Beans 

the links to these recipes go  through my Pinterest account and my notes are there too.  

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Pinterest 5 in 5 - Day 5. Hot chocolate mix and Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub

I did 2 very simple Pinterest recipes today. I spent maybe 10 minutes in the kitchen and had both done and the counters wiped off and the ingredients put away.
Hot chocolate mix is in the big jar. It calls for
2 cups nonfat dry milk
 1 C sugar 
1/2 C unsweetened baking cocoa - mine was kind of lumpy so I sifted it first
 1/2 C dry non-dairy creamer
dash of salt 
 Combine all ingredients and stir well to mix. Store in a jar with a good lid. 
To serve, add 1/4 cup of mix to 8 ounces of hot water


And

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub
I just made a half recipe for the first time to see if I like it
I used 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, spices and just enough coconut oil to get the right consistency.  The original recipe calls for a lot of spice but I cut them back by about 2/3s.
I used 1 t cinnamon and about 1/2 t of ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
I like the idea of a light scent, I don't really want people 10 feet away from me to wonder why they smell Pie.



I have not taken a shower with it but it did use just a dab after I washed my hands and it felt great. My hands still fell soft and that was hours ago. 
Homemade sugar scrubs will save me $$$. Every winter, I buy several jars from Bath and Body Works and theirs is priced at $20. I think the homemade is just as good and truly costs only a tiny fraction of the retail kind. 


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Pinterest 5 in 5 challenge- day 4 -corn dogs from scratch

Corn dogs from scratch
There were 7 adults and 3 little eaters here for supper tonight.I have never made corn dogs from scratch but it sounded like a fun supper. So, after looking at a few recipes online, I settled on this one. 

They are not something I will cook often but they were really good. So good, I don't think any other batter recipe would be better. 

For sides, we had a big green salad and homemade cole slaw. 

My version of corn dogs from scratch
Batter
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
8 t baking powder
2 cups milk
2 eggs- beaten a little
Stir together the dry ingredients. Then whisk in milk and eggs. Batter will be thick. 

Heat oil to about 360 degrees- I used almost a gallon of vegetable oil in our countertop fryer. I bought the fryer 2 years ago and I think this was the 3rd time we've used it. 

We used 17 Hebrew National kosher beef hot dogs. I cut them in thirds and dried them on paper towels.
For the sticks, I found a pack of 75 flat wood skewers in the craft department of Super Walmart. 

Put a stick in each dry hot dog, then roll in a little plain flour to help the batter stick. Then roll each hot dog in the batter until they are coated. 

Now, deep fry each dipped corn dog. I could do 5 at a time and they took about 3 minutes each.

Drain after cooking- I use paper towels. 

I do not suggest these are for a regular menu plan but for a special family meal or a party, they are yummy.