Kitchen Staples

I’ve been visiting with my parents and offered to cook some while there. Looking through their cabinets made me think about how we each have our own kitchen staples. You know, those items that we never want to run out of. Here are some of my kitchen staples:

Olive oil – I prefer cooking with olive oil unless it’s a recipe that requires a high smoke point oil (like roasting a chicken; olive oil would be terrible for that). It is also great for home remedies as I mentioned in yesterdays post.

Baking soda – Besides a baking necessity, baking soda cleans tough grease off the stove and from inside the oven. I think that entire blogs could be (and probably are) dedicated to the endless uses of baking soda.

Yeast – I make my own bread, so yeast is important to keep on hand.

Flour: All purpose, whole wheat, bread and cake – Yes, I keep an assortment of types of flour because they all have important purposes. Whole wheat and bread flour are both important for most of my bread recipes. All purpose flour is important for making sauces and gravies, and cake flour. Well, you never know when you need to bake a cake.

Coconut oil – It gives a sort of tropical flavor to dishes. It also has a lot of household purposes.

Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning – I put Italian seasoning in a lot of dishes. I just like it.

Honey – I use honey instead of sugar or to cut down the amount of sugar used in some of my bread recipes and sauces.

Vinegar – This is another food that has many uses in the kitchen as well as the rest of the house.

Shortening – Some recipes just require good old fashioned shortening. It’s just the way it is.

Sugar – Sugar is needed to activate the yeast.

1 can of super cheap spaghetti sauce – So, I realize this seems weird, but I always keep a can on hand. If I need to make a quick spaghetti, I start with the cheap canned sauce and add tons of stuff to it to make it taste like it isn’t super cheap canned spaghetti sauce. It’s an inexpensive base for making really yummy sauce.

So those are some of my pantry staples. What about you? What do you always have in your pantry that you wouldn’t want to run out of?

Home Remedies

I love home remedies as long as they actually work. I’m always looking for good, natural ways to treat issues. Recently, with the constant weather changes in my area, my sinuses have been really upset. My son is also in the middle of teething, so my mind has certainly been on treating these issues. So here are a few home remedies that I’ve found work for me and my family. They may be ones you already use, but perhaps there will be a new idea in the mix.

Ear Aches:

A couple drops of olive oil in the ear relieves earaches for me. I’ve used this with my son also and it seemed to work for him as well.

I know some people who use a little hydrogen peroxide, and they say that works as well.

Congestion:

I realize this is probably obvious, but steam works amazingly well. For adults, a pot of water heating on the stove works great. When my son was congested, we spent a lot of time sitting in the bathroom with the hot water on steaming up the room.

Saline drops are great as well. These are sold, but are also really easy to make. It’s just ¼ teaspoon salt mixed in 1 cup of warm water.

Teething:

A little bit of olive oil on your finger and rubbed into the gums seems to help with the teething pain.

My son has no interest in teething toys. He really just wants to chew on fabric and hands. He’s pretty impartial; any hand or piece of fabric will do. With that being the case, gum massages seem to help most.

Diaper rash:

I love certain commercial all natural diaper ointments, but have also found that coconut oil works great. If you aren’t familiar with coconut oil, check it out. It has a lot of uses along with being good for cooking.

I hope at least one of these is a new idea for you. Hoping your weather has been calmer than ours!

3 Uses for Left Over Pieces of Soap

If you use bars of soap, you may, like us, end up with those little pieces of the bar left over. Did you know those little pieces are actually quite useful? Here are three ideas for those pieces.

1. You can make those pieces into a new bar of soap. 

Just save up the little pieces until you have enough to make a new bar. I keep a plastic bag in my bathroom drawer. When I see a little piece left on the soap dish, I move it to the bag. Once I’ve collected enough pieces, I put them in a glass microwave safe measuring cup, add a little water and microwave. I do 30 seconds at a time and check and stir. Once the soap is fairly well melted, I pour it into one of those travel snap close soap dishes and put it in the refrigerator to cool. Once it’s hardened back, I pop it out of the mold and viola! You have a usable bar of soap. I make melt and pour soaps, which are certainly much prettier than the lumpy bar of soap produced from the store bought bars of soap, but it serves its purpose.

2. You can also make liquid soap out of your left over soap pieces. 

To make liquid soap, collect enough to make about 1 whole bar of soap (if they almost fill the travel type snap closed soap dish, you have enough) and grate them using a cheese grater. Mix the grated pieces in a glass microwave safe dish or measuring cup along with 3 cups of hot water. Microwave at 30 second increments until it is completely melted. Once all the pieces are melted, let it cool and then pour into a container to store and use.

3. You can make dish detergent. 

For dish detergent, grate the pieces of soap until you have ¼ cup. Melt the pieces into 2 cups of water either in the microwave or on the stove top. Once it’s melted, allow it to cool then add one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. I have found that the detergent using lemon juice doesn’t last quite as long as when it is made with vinegar.

So before you throw out your left over pieces of soap, think about saving them for an easy weekend project. 

Roasted Chicken Part 4 Why it's worth it

On day one, I gave some of the reasons why roasting a whole chicken is worth it. You get delicious chicken for a lower cost and can make really good chicken stock. Other than my inability to properly carve my chicken (this is definitely my husband’s job!), I really enjoy the whole process of making everything myself, and knowing that I’m feeding my family fresh foods that haven’t been processed. It also saves money.

If the chicken is not on sale (and you can usually find them on sale pretty regularly), it’s about 99 cents per pound in my supermarket. Here’s my cost break down for a 5 pound bird. These are estimates; I really haven’t weighted the pieces of my chicken.

2 chicken breasts (about 1 – 1 ½ pounds depending on the size) would be $1.99 per pound store bought (on sale at my local supermarket this week)

2-3 pounds of various chicken parts (legs, wings, thighs) would be $1.19 per pound store bought (same sale)

2 quarts of chicken stock (approximately) would be $2.69 for 26 ounces store bought

So roughly, the cost would be ($1.99 x 1.5) + ($1.19 x 3) + ($2.69 x 2) = $11.94 for the chicken breasts and other pieces and the chicken stock

If it’s not on sale the chicken would be $.99 x 5lb bird (but seriously, they’re always on sale!) + about $2 worth of vegetables = $6.95 (the chickens I got on sale for $.39 a pound would be a total cost of $3.95 with the vegetables)

So, buying a whole chicken and taking advantage of all of it allows you to get about $12 worth of product for about $7 or less. Besides being almost half the cost, the flavor of the chicken and the broth is so much better!

Maybe one weekend, you can roast a chicken and make some stock. You’ll have a delicious weekend meal of roasted chicken and be able to put together a casserole so you don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner for the first couple of week days.

Happy roasting!

Roasted Chicken Part 3 Chicken Stock

This post is a continuation from the past two days talking about roasting a chicken. I usually roast a chicken for dinner and then the next day make stock and that night use part of my stock. Making chicken stock can be a bit time consuming, but it tastes so much better than store bought and you can add flavors you enjoy.

In my previous post, I said that after I get the meat off the carcass, I put the chicken bones in a container to save. When I get ready to make stock, take the bones (they’ll still have a little meat on them, which is great because that adds to the flavor of the stock) and put in a stock pot (or large pot that can hold a lot). When you got ready to roast the chicken, I told you to put the innards aside for later. Now is later. You definitely want to use the neck in the stock. Some people say the liver, heart and other assorted innards can make the stock bitter. I use them because I hate the idea of wasting them, but if it grosses you out you can throw them away. Add vegetables or pieces of vegetables. I generally add part of the onion that had been inside the chicken (the part we didn’t eat), the parts of carrots I had removed like the top and bottom and the peel when I take off the outer layer. The cob from the corn if I made some for pot pies or whatever other dish I used my chicken for.

Here’s the thing. If you read professionals about making stock, they’ll say use whole vegetables because you want lots of rich flavor. These are also the people who say not to use the gizzards. This is true and you should probably listen to them. My philosophy, however, is that I want to utilize everything so that I’m minimizing waste. That’s why I use the tops and ends of carrots and whatever else I had peeled off or cut away in cooking. Every time I make stock it tastes different because I never use the same ingredients twice. That said, using too many potatoes give it kind of a weird taste. Broccoli can also give it a strange taste, though I use a little if I’ve been cooking with it. My ideal stock would be the chicken bones with a little meat on them, the neck, carrots, celery, onion, a little salt and pepper, and some fresh thyme from my herb garden.

Okay, so in the pot you have the chicken bones, the vegetables, the innards (whichever ones you’ve chosen to use) and add salt and pepper. Now you’re ready to add water. Put enough water in to completely cover the chicken and the vegetables. Turn the stove on to medium high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat down and let it simmer. The longer it simmers the more rich the flavor will be. If the water starts getting low, you can add more but if you have enough to start with and don’t let the heat get too high, you probably won’t have to add more. I usually let mine simmer for at least 3 or 4 hours. If you did put the innards in, make sure they have completely boiled and are cooked so that the stock doesn’t have anything undercooked in it.

Once you’re satisfied with the stock, strain out all the solids so that you’re just left with your stock. You can always add more salt and pepper if needed. At this point you can use the pieces for compost or throw them away. You’ve definitely gotten your money’s worth out of the chicken!

I divide my stock into small containers and freeze what I won’t be using right away. By freezing it into 1 or 2 cup increments, you know how much you’re getting out when you need it. If you’re going to make chicken noodle soup, you will probably go ahead and use all your stock. 

Roasted Chicken Part 2 The Rest of the Chicken

This post is a continuation of the chicken I roasted in yesterday’s post. Today is about what to do with the rest of the chicken. So, after dinner while my husband is doing the dishes. (Yes, I have a really awesome husband who does the dishes), I start pulling the meat off the chicken bones. Don’t be afraid to really get in there and get as much meat as possible. I put the meat in one bowl and the carcass in another. It’s easier to get the meat off while the chicken is still warm. If you wait until the chicken is cold, you won’t get as much meat. The remaining meat gets used in an assortment of recipes. Some of my favorites are: chicken pot pies, chicken broccoli casserole, chicken noodle soup, or even chicken salad for lunches, really any recipe that doesn’t require the chicken to be carefully cut up. Of course, the number of people eating the roasted chicken and the size of the chicken will effect how much meat is left, but I always find that when I start getting it off the chicken, there’s more there than I would have thought.

Here’s a run down of a couple of my favorite recipes:

Chicken pot pies:
Pieces of chicken, some boiled carrots, corn, and potatoes (and whatever other vegetables you like in your chicken pot pies), a little chicken stock, salt and pepper and pie crust. The lack of precise measurements isn’t a reflection of me not wanting to share, it’s a reflection of me not measuring when I make these.
To make 4-6 individual pot pies, I usually use 2 potatoes, 3 or 4 carrots, and a couple ears of corn. I cut up the potatoes and carrots and boil them until they are cooked but not mushy. I boil the corn and then take it off the cob. Sometimes I add green peas if I'm in the mood. I put the vegetables in a bowl with the chicken and chicken stock. Don’t forget salt and pepper (I always forget salt and pepper in my pot pies) And then scoop it into the containers to be cooked on top of the pie crust. I really like crust on my pot pies, so I put a pie crust on the bottom, add the mix of chicken, vegetables and stock, and then add a pie crust to the top. You want enough stock to keep the pies moist while they bake. I have some glass bowls that we were given as a wedding gift that I usually make them in. They are pretty large, so I can make 4 pies using those.
I decided to try using disposable containers yesterday so that left over pies could be taken as lunches, warmed in an oven and then thrown away. I was able to make 6 this way. I'd like to find paper based disposable containers so that the pie could be microwaved instead, but I didn't see any of those. Bake it at 350 degrees until the top crust is browned. Usually about 15-20 minutes, but I check frequently because burned pie crust isn't yummy. Here are some pot pies I made for dinner last night. The crust is usually prettier, but I was a little short because of the extra pies I was able to make. They still tasted good though!

Chicken broccoli casserole:
Pieces of chicken, some steamed or boiled broccoli, cooked rice, a little chicken stock or cream of mushroom soup, salt and pepper and some shredded cheese (I usually add onion and sometimes whatever else I have around). You can also add some Italian seasoning if you want. I don’t measure with this recipe either. I usually use one bunch of broccoli and a couple bags of the 10 minute rice, one can of cream of mushroom soup or enough stock to keep everything really moist while it bakes. I love cheese, so I usually add 2 cups. Mix it all together and cook at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

If you still have the onion from roasting the chicken, you could add it to either recipe or save it for your stock.

We usually get at least 2 or 3 days off either of these recipes. With the roasted chicken we ate the day before, we can eat or 3 or 4 days off a meat that at the very most cost me 99 cents a pound. I have gotten whole chickens for as low as 39 cents a pound.

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll tell you how I make chicken stock. 

Roasted Chicken Part 1 - Roasting the Chicken

This week is going to be roasted chicken week on my blog. I started to write this post and then realized there’s far more than one entry can handle! So, here goes! Enjoy roasted chicken week :)

I really like being thrifty. My husband sometimes says I’m cheap, but we’ll say thrifty. I don’t mind adding a little extra “elbow grease” with something less expensive if it results in a product that is as good or even better than I could buy for more. I say even better with chicken in mind. At least in my area, whole chickens are always cheaper than buying the meat cut up. Our grocery stores also seem to have sales on whole chickens fairly often, and when they do, I stock up! My husband can tell when there was a sale on whole chickens because the freezer is full of them! So, is it really worth it to buy a whole chicken. Absolutely! Here’s why:

The meat is really juicy when cooked with the whole chicken. The first time I roasted a chicken and my husband and I started eating the chicken breasts, we couldn’t believe how good it tasted! So much better than when you have to cook them separately.

You really get a lot of meat from the whole chicken. It may require a bit of effort to get it off, but it’s totally worth it. When I roast a 4-ish pound chicken, we have enough meat for a week’s worth of meals.

The carcass can be used to make chicken stock. Yes, you can buy chicken stock, but homemade is so much better!

So, how do you roast a chicken? If you look online, you’ll find a lot of opinions. Here’s mine:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Look at the packaging to see how much the chicken weighs. This matters for cooking time! Unwrap the chicken and take the “innard” bag out of the chicken. If the chicken was frozen, you’ll want to make sure it is well defrosted before you try this or you will end up standing over the sink burning your hands with hot water stabbing at the center of the bird with a steak knife pulling out one piece at a time (That doesn’t sound like it happened to me, does it?) Save the innards for making stock. I just put them in a sealed bowl until I’m ready to make stock.

Put the chicken on a cast iron skillet and pour canola or vegetable oil over the top. You need a high smoke point oil like vegetable or canola, but if you prefer another that’s fine. I don’t think olive oil works well for this. You can also coat the bird in butter, but I really try to minimize my handling of it.

Salt and pepper the bird. You can also add any other seasonings you’d like. I sometimes put Italian seasoning on the outside.

Cut up an onion and stuff it inside the bird. It helps keep the bird really juicy and the onion ends up tasting awesome too! Whenever the chicken comes out of the oven, my husband always goes straight for the onion. If you don’t have an onion, you can use celery, but I like the onion better.

That’s it! Put the chicken in your preheated oven. It needs to cook 20 minutes + 20 minutes per pound. (So, if the chicken weighs 4 pounds it needs to cook 20 minutes + 20 x 4 = 100 minutes or 1 hour 40 minutes)

When the chicken comes out, test it with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature needs to have reached 160 degrees to be safe to eat!

A few safety things: I don’t wash my chicken because I really want to minimize the surfaces the raw chicken comes in contact with. This is also why I don’t use butter. With the oil, the chicken can just sit there and have it poured on. Also, make sure to thoroughly clean any surfaces the raw chicken touched! It needs to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees to be thoroughly cooked, so do make sure it’s there.

My husband and I eat off the roast chicken and then after dinner, I take the remaining meat off the bones for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you what we do with the rest of the meat.

Cloth Diapers - Part 2 & Cloth wipes

My son's afternoon nap seems like a great time to finish up my post on cloth diapers. One reason many people aren't interested in cloth diapers is dealing with dirty diapers. Visions of swishing diapers in the toilet may play in your head. Thankfully there is a wonderful invention called a diaper sprayer. It attaches to the toilet and works basically like a kitchen sink sprayer but is more powerful. They are easy to install and don't damage the plumbing (we were able to put one in at our apartment). You just spray the poo into the toilet and the diaper is ready to wash.

We also use cloth wipes. My son has very sensitive skin and if I use disposable wipes, I have to use the unscented hypoallergenic (expensive) kind or he develops diaper rash. With cloth wipes, I just wet them with warm water and store them in a wipes warmer. Some people use baby oil and a few drops of essential oils, but plain water has worked well for me so far! The same places that sell cloth diapers sell wipes though really any very soft fabric will do.

I prefer the cloth wipes also because of how I've always changed dirty diapers. Maybe you have the same technique: wipe as much into the diaper as possible then pile the dirty wipes into the diaper. With disposable diapers and disposable wipes this rolled up yuck goes in the trash. If both are cloth, they go to be sprayed off and then are ready to wash. If the diapers are cloth and the wipes are disposable...well...I end up washing disposable wipes or accidentally throwing them in the toilet.

Cloth wipes also save money and just get washed with the cloth diapers. I use fewer cloth wipes than disposable wipes because the cloth can be used on both sides and are more sturdy for cleaning up a mess. I don't get anything on my hands when I use cloth.

I hope this information helps if you're looking into cloth! Happy diapering :-)

Cloth Diapers

My son on the changing table.

I love using cloth diapers. Now, these aren't the kind with safety pins and origami folding required. These are really easy to use and easy to clean. We decided to use cloth to save money. I also find the few times I use disposables for some reason that the extra trash created by the disposables is a nuisance. My son also does not have as much diaper rash with the cloth. There is a bit more up front cost involved because you have to buy enough diapers, but when you add up the cost of disposables versus the cost of cloth, cloth wins in my opinion. Here are some facts about the All In One diapers that we use.

We hang our diapers up to dry rather than putting them in the dryer. They can go in the dryer, but we want them to last as long as possible! If you're going to cloth diaper and plan to hang them to dry, figure it will take about 24 hours for them to fully dry.

The type of detergent matters. Of course this makes sense because the diapers are touching the most sensitive skin. There are lists online of safe detergents. I use my homemade detergent and have no problems!

The type of diaper ointment matters. If your baby does develop a diaper rash, the standard diaper ointment can't be used because it effects the absorbency of the diapers. All natural ointments can be used. They sell appropriate ointments at most grocery stores.

The all in ones come in snaps or hook in loop. I prefer the snaps because as my son gets bigger, the snaps will be harder for him to take off. Also, the snaps last longer! The advantage of the hook in loops is that you can get a more exact fit, but for me longevity is key.

We bought one size diapers. These fit from about 8 pounds to about 35 pounds. You just adjust either the snaps or the elastic depending upon the brand. My son was big enough at birth to fit in these, but we used disposables until his belly button nub fell off.

If the Lord allows us to have more children, we will be able to use the same diapers for them, so the savings will just increase if that's the case!

There's several other things I was going to say about why I love cloth diapers, but my son just woke up from his nap, so I've got to wrap this up! If you're interested in cloth and want more info, please feel free to contact me!

I'm not going to list the cost comparison because there are a lot of factors involved (what brand disposables you would use, how many cloth you want to buy based on how often you would wash, what brand you're using, etc)