Cooking Tips and Tricks

  Cooking Tips and Tricks

--Allergy Friendly Recipes are marked with an * and are FREE from... 

Chicken, Corn, Dairy, Egg, Garlic, Gluten, Soy, Vinegar, and Yeast.   

*ASD Flour Mix - Gluten Free

*Basic Allergy Friendly Substitutions

Cooking with Pureed Beans

Fresh Ground Wheat

Measuring Chart - Cooking

 Milk and Cream Substitutions

Recipe Conversion Chart

Milk and Cream Substitutions

  Milk and Cream Substitutions...   from Joy of Baking.com

1 c. half and half           (10-12% butter fat) = 7/8 c. whole milk + 2 T. melted unsalted butter
1 c. light cream                  (18% butter fat) = 7/8 c. whole milk + 3 T. melted butter
1 c. light whipping cream  (30% butter fat) = 3/4 c. whole milk + 1/4 c. melted butter
1 c. Heavy Cream              (35% butter fat) = 2/3 c. whole milk + 1/3 c. melted butter
1 c. whole milk (3.5 % butter fat) = 1 c. skim milk + 2 T. melted butter
1 c. butter milk (sour milk) = 1 T. lemon juice or Vinegar + milk to = 1 c.  .. let stand 5-10 minutes
1 c. Yogurt/ Sour Cream/ Buttermilk = 1 c. heavy whipping cream + 1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice (let stand 5-10 minutes)

How do we rate our recipes?

We've been married almost 12 years now and there's been times in the past when I've gotten a little 'hurt' when My Soldier wasn't as impressed with my cooking as I hoped he'd be.  Well, I've found a way for us to be totally honest and open about my cookin' and other things :)

   When I try new recipes, My soldier and I each rate it 1-5 and then I write it (the average) near my recipe title so I know what we think of it.

1= NO WAY

2= not really

3= ok 

4= pretty good

5= OH YEAH!

Sometimes only I like a recipe so it's just my name by the title with a number. I make it when My Soldier isn't home for dinner or when I cook fish for him, cause I'm not a fan of fishy tasting things.
      If it's less than a 3... it's not added to my cookbook because ...there's so many better things to eat than something as low as a 3 :) he he he!  (Yep, that was quirky)

This also works in other things too... "1-5 how much do ya wanna go visit so and so?"  or "1-5 for watching this movie or 1-5 for watching that movie?"   Then we each know how the other is feeling without assuming or getting our feelings hurt!!!


  Here's a few recipes I found this weekend when I wanted pulled pork sandwiches after church.

We've tried and rated the first one and we'll rate the other one when I cook it for Sunday dinner another time!

Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork   4.25   (Soldier-4.5   Sheree-4)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Rootbeer  (will rate it soon)


  How do you determine which recipes you keep and which ones you ditch and eat frozen pizza instead?

Weekly Menu

I make my Soldier's breakfast and lunch each morning and figuring out 'what to fix today'

drove me nuts until I came up with this little diagram... 

(It's in a sheet protector taped on the inside of the bread cupboard door!)

 Now mornings are less stressful and I know he's not eating the same thing each day!

                                                    BREAKFAST                      LUNCH                            DINNER

Sunday	Cold Cereal Milk	Picnic Lunch	Grain
Monday	Oatmeal Milk	Meat n cheese Dried Fruit Veggies Cookie	Pizza
Tuesday	Muffins Chocolate Milk Boiled Egg	Peanut Butter &honey Apple sauce Lettuce salad w/ cheese Salty Crackers	Bean
Wednesday	Pancake, waffle, French toast	Egg salad Fruit Salsa & refried beans Chips	Potato
Thursday	Breakfast Burrito, egg on toast	Peanut butter & Jelly Cheese stick Veggies & ranch Salty Crackers	Rice
Friday	Cold Cereal Milk	Meat & cheese Fruit Potato Salad Graham Crackers	Pasta
Saturday	Muffins & Eggs	Left Overs	?

For dinners, I plan a menu each week or 2 before I grocery shop. 

I just pick menu items from the daily categories and voila!  Less stress!

   I can print out a new menu every 3 months or so if he gets sick of this... we'll see how long it lasts!  I'm thinking a new menu for Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter?

What things do you put in your luch box?

.....

Basic Allergy Friendly Substitutions

These are the main substitutions I use for my allergy-friendly recipes!

4 T. butter = 3 T. oil
4 T. butter = 2 T. pureed beans + 1 1/2 T. oil

1 T. oil = 3 T. ground flax

1 egg = 1 T. ground flax in 3 T. boiling water (let sit 5-10 min)

1/4 t. vanilla extract = 1 T. vanilla sugar

1 t. baking powder =  1/4 t. baking soda + 1/2 t. cream of tartar

1 c. Cookie flour = 1/3 c. oat flour
                               1/3 c. brown rice flour
                               1/3 c. white rice flour

1 c. Bread flour = 4 T + 2 t.white rice flour
                             1/3 c. brown rice flour
                             2 T + 2 t. potato flake flour
                             2 T. + 2 t. tapioca starch
                             2 t. ground flax

Cook on parchment paper instead of spraying pan.

Powdered Sugar = 1 cup sugar  and  1 T tapioca starch (optional).  Place in blender or food
                              processor.  Blend for a minute or so. 

Cooking with Barley

I've got another cooking challenge...  :) :)

 My friend, Monica, is allergic to tons of stuff, and the Doc. just put her on a more restrictive diet to help her kidneys.  Barley is the ONLY grain she can eat so she sent me home with a jar of barley to experiment with...  My mom hooked me up with some recipes (THANKS MOM) and I've only got to tweak them a little bit.  Monica can't have milk, only Cream.. weird eh?

Before I even got to bake anything, her stomach was giving her fits.  I'd read in another book I have.. "Barley or Rice water is very soothing and healing, particularly to the digestive system. It helps relieve diarrhea and aids in rehydration."   So I mixed up a little Barley Water and it calmed her stomach right down!!!

Barley Water (from Recipes for Self-Sufficient Living by Kay Martineau...)
Stir 1 T. barley into 3 c. boiling water. Turn heat down and simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is soft. Strain. Salt to taste.
   I used pearl barley and simmered it for 20 minutes.  I didn't add salt.  
Monica tried it plain and with a little cream and sugar. She preferred it just plain and said, "It reminds me of baby cereal. Not bad, I like it!"


Learn about barley

More about barley!

To cook pearl barley: In medium saucepan with lid, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup pearl barley and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Makes about 3 to 3-1/2 cups.

In a crock pot or slow cooker: Place 2-1/2 cups boiling water, 1 cup pearl barley and 1/2 teaspoon salt in crock pot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

To cook whole grain barley kernels: In medium saucepan with lid, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup whole grain barley kernels and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 50 to 55 minutes. Makes about 3 cups. Note: Because whole grain barley retains most of the outer bran layer, the kernels tend to absorb less liquid during the cooking process. It may be necessary to pour off any remaining liquid after 50 to 55 minutes of cooking time. Compared to pearl barley, whole grain barley tends to be chewier in texture and produces a more robust flavor.

Here's a few recipes I found online
Barley pie crust
Apple and Barley pudding
Apple-barley pudding
Baked barley pudding recipe



1 cup of raw barley makes 2 cups of barley flour

Fresh ground wheat flour

Have you ever wondered how flour is made?  Well... Here's how I do it.

I start with some clean wheat kernels.

This is my grinder...

Put the wheat in the top and turn it on.

After you've ground as much as you want, turn it off and take off the lid.

Now, this is some warm, soft, fresh wheat flour!

***Now use it to make bread or put it in the freezer to keep its nutrients until you're ready to use it!

Recipe Conversion Chart

OK, so you have a recipe that you really want to try but it says it makes enough for an army.
I've got a cool chart that will help you out.   (I think this sounds like an informercial)

.... Now you can easily divide the ingredients and enjoy it without stressing about eating it for the next 3 days or throwing it out. 

OR

 If you find out that you'll be hosting a large gathering and you want to make a lot more cookies!... Now you can make a extra big batch without fussing with all the fractions in the recipe!

Happy Cooking!

OH, Just in case :) ...      c. = cup,       T.= Tablespoon,      t. = teaspoon

Cooking with Pureed Beans

You might think that using beans in a recipe will make it taste weird but.....

   Some recipes (snickerdoodles for example) become more soft and fluffy!

Try it out!  If you think your family won't like it, just wait and tell them after they've tried it.  Think they still won't eat it? Offer them cookies for breakfast, who can turn that down... even if it has beans? :)

Did you know that you can replace the oil in some recipes with pureed beans?

(Thanks to my sister for this awesome bit of advice)

The general rule of thumb:  ‘up to half’ of the oil called for in a recipe can be substituted.
If your recipe calls for ½ c. butter, you can use ¼ c. butter and ¼ c. pureed beans.

This also applies to margarine, shortening, lard, vegetable or olive oil!

If you're unsure, start with substituting 25% then 50%. Each recipe will be different. Have fun experimenting!

WHAT KIND OF BEANS? 

I prefer to use white beans as they have minimal flavor and color. If you’re making brownies or something with chocolate, go ahead and use black or pinto beans as the color won’t matter!  
 (I’ve never experimented with other kinds of beans so please share your findings!)

Why do I use pureed beans?

-I prefer pureed beans because it doesn’t add flavor but does add protein, and fiber and reduces the amount of oil I consume!
-I prefer pureed beans instead of applesauce because I don’t need to worry about it adding extra sweetness to the recipe like applesauce does.
-You’ll notice that you don’t have a greasy aftertaste in your mouth like you normally get from high oil-content foods such as frosting.

What recipes can I use pureed beans in?

-In most baking recipes!
-In cookies, they will become more fluffy which makes a delicious Snickerdoodle (I actually use 75% beans and 25%  butter in Snickerdoodles and get asked for the recipe all the time… boy are they surprised when I tell them my secret ingredient)
-In a pie crust, it will be a little crisper and if you use too much, it can become crunchy (I’d suggest only 25-50% beans).
-In frosting, it will be a softer texture. Expect to use it for the ‘flat’ frosting.  The more beans, the flatter it will be.  Go ahead and experiment using 25%, then 50% and see which you prefer.

When will I NOT use beans again?

My mom and I were making hard caramels and I figured I’d give it a whirl with using ½ beans and ½ butter instead of all butter.
The results were?           …. Drum roll please….  
Flavor- The same as the regular recipe.     Appearance- Just a hair darker.       Texture- Grainy.
Conclusion: The kids were ecstatic that we let them eat up the caramels and they didn’t mind at all!

Ok, are you ready to try it out?

IN A NUT SHELL

1 c. + 1 T. dry beans = 3 c. + 3 T. cooked beans
1 c. + 1 T. cooked beans + 2 T. bean broth = 5.3 oz (10 T + 2 t.) pureed beans
3 c. + 3 T. cooked beans + 6 T. broth = 16 oz (2 c.) pureed beans

HOW TO PREPARE PUREED BEANS

1 - The jar shows dried beans.  Cook beans as suggested below or use rinsed, canned beans. 

2 - Mash (with a fork) or blend (in a blender) 1 cup of  cooked, drained beans until smooth, adding 2 Tablespoons of bean broth/liquid until it’s the consistency of soft butter, shortening, or lard.

3 - Place  1 cup (8 oz) of pureed beans into the square plastic container (shown bottom,left) and smooth it out.

4 - Use a butter knife to score (lightly cut ½-¾ way through) it into 16 pieces like the diagram (shown bottom,right).

5 - Now freeze the beans so you can break it into 16 pieces (1 tablespoon each) as needed. This makes it easier to thaw and use. Keep pureed beans frozen and sealed in a freezer bag/container.

THE BASICS ABOUT SOAKING AND COOKING BEANS

Dried Bean Guide Use this guide to gauge how much dried beans to cook.   (1 serving – 1/3 cup. cooked beans)
¼ cup dry beans	¾ cup cooked beans
1/3 cup dry beans	1 cup cooked beans
½ cup dry beans	1 ½ cups cooked beans
2/3 cup dry beans	2 cup cooked beans
1 cup dry beans (1/2 pound)	3 cups cooked beans, drained
2 cups (1 pound) dry beans	6 cups cooked beans, drained
One 15-ounce can of cooked beans	1 ½ cups cooked beans, drained

PRESOAKING DRIED BEANS: Rinse beans in water and pick out any broken pieces and rocks. Add water/beans in sauce pan. (1 part dried beans to 3-4 parts water)

The Quick Presoak method is to boil the beans for two minutes, take the pan off the heat, cover and allow to stand for one hour. Before cooking the beans, regardless of method, drain the soaking liquid and rinse the beans with clean water.

TO COOK BEANS: Add three cups of fresh water or broth for each cup of dried beans. The liquid should be about one to two inches above the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, partially covering the pot. If any foam develops, you can skim it off during the simmering process. Black beans generally take about one and one-half hours to become tender using this method.    (Soaked beans cook in a saucepan in 1-1 ½ hours  OR in a 15lb pressure cooker  in 5-8 minutes.)

DO NOT add any seasonings that are salty or acidic until after the beans have been cooked since adding them earlier will make the beans tough and greatly increase the cooking time.

Right click on the above document to print or download the recipe

You can also use Pureed Lentils

Best of luck!



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Measuring Chart - Cooking

I love to try new recipes and since there's only two of us, I end up dividing a recipe in one-half or one-fourth so I don't have a ton of leftovers.

Too often I find myself wondering "How much is that in teaspoons or ounces?"

I have a "Pampered Chef" measuring cup which I used as a guide for this chart.
I hope it makes your cooking experience a little less stressful!