DIY Baking Staples

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How many times have you started a recipe only to find you don't have brown sugar, baking soda, sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, egg noodles etc?

 

When I was a little kid I remember my Gram cooking up eggs and potatoes to make potato salad only to find she was out of mayonnaise. To my amazement, that didn't stop her! She whipped up "homemade" mayo, and it was delicious, so much tastier than the name brand mayo she purchased from the store!

 

I know there are many young families out there struggling, some struggling as single parents, many on a fixed incomes or taking a pay cut to keep your job, working 2 jobs to make ends meet . . . all trying to make your money stretch further. No matter what your circumstances, learning ways to save money and handle what you do have with respect is very important! Becoming less dependent on the grocery store for our daily needs is very freeing! It frees up our monies, our time, curbs impulse buying, reduces wear and tear of our vehicles, saves on gasoline, lowers pollution, offers us healthier alternatives, stimulates creativity, makes us feel good about our contribution to the well being of our families . . . this list could go on and on!

 

Homemade ( Do II Yourself) cooking staples were the way my grandparents functioned years ago! If you needed egg noodles you made them. If you wanted mayonnaise, you made it! We have become victims of progress! So many of the skills homemakers functioned with on a day to day basis have been lost and it's time we re-skill ourselves in many of these basics so we aren't at the mercy of all the expensive, chemical-ladden, high fructose corn syrup laced, commercially processed products so readily available! All those wonderfully packaged products, all that fancy advertising has one thing in mind, they want to get their hands on your hard earned money! It's time to rethink how we spend our time and money, move away from being consumers and begin taking baby steps towards freedom, simplier living and productivity!

 

Let's look at some easy ways to save money and learn some cool little recipes!

BAKING POWDER

Most store bought baking powder contains aluminum, with the exception of Rumford.

2 parts cream of tartar (tartaric acid) to 1 part baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

OR

1/4 cup cream of tartar

2 tablespoons baking soda

Push ingredients through a fine sieve 3 times using the back of a spoon. Add 1 teaspoon of corn starch (optional) to reduce clumping. The cream of tartar makes your homemade baking powder double acting, just like the commercial brands!

BROWN SUGAR

Light Brown Sugar

1 cup cane sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

Mix together with a fork or mix larger batches in your food processor.

Dark Brown Sugar

1 cup cane sugar

2 tablespoon molasses

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK ~ From Cooks.com

I always tried to keep a can on hand but by the time I needed it the milk had turned an ugly brown and was unusable!

2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix well. Use in place of the standard 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. Notice baking powder and brown sugar are listed in the ingredients in the above recipe.

Although I have never made my own vanilla, it's also very easy to make, and when I've finished my giant bottle of vanilla I'll be trying my hand at making some homemade vanilla . . . Over at Julie's!!!

 

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