Category: Recipes

Recipes

Homemade American Cheese ("Like" Velveeta)

Nicole




This recipe really came in handy Thanksgiving afternoon. I realized about 2:30pm I forgot to buy Velveeta cheese for a casserole I was making to have with dinner. ALL of the grocery stores by my house closed at 2:00pm. I am always late!

I had wanted to try this recipe so the timing of finding this recipe was perfect. I had it saved waiting for the right moment. Who knew? I quickly and I mean quickly made this recipe up. I wasn’t concerned about refrigerating it because it was going to be melted in a casserole anyway, but it was imperative that it get done was.

Who knew it would be so easy to make your own American cheese? After making this up myself I don’t know that I will ever buy the pre-made/processed cheese again.  In cost alone this is worth making.

My American cheese loaf turned out fantastic!! Not only did it taste wonder (better than the name brand) but the texture was the same, the melting texture was the same, and it formed into a nice loaf too. I didn’t even have to refrigerate it for it to get hard. It was so fun and so ridiculously easy that it’s crazy!! I swear after I grated the cheese everything was done within minutes.

This recipe calls for whole milk powder, but I used the regular fat free powdered milk and had no problems with it. I didn’t see that it made a difference.


Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
  • 12 ounces Colby cheese, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:
  1. Line 5-by 4-inch disposable aluminum loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing excess to hang over sides. 
  2. Place water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over top and let mixture sit for 5 minutes. Pulse cheese, milk powder, salt, and cream of tartar in food processor until combined, about 3 pulses.
  3. Meanwhile, bring milk to boil in small saucepan. Off heat, stir in softened gelatin until dissolved, and transfer mixture to 1-cup liquid measuring cup. With processor running, slowly add hot milk mixture to cheese mixture until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. 
  4. Immediately transfer cheese mixture to prepared pan, pressing to compact. Wrap tightly and chill at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Original Recipe Source


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Recipes

How to Cut a Measuring Cup in Half

Nicole


OK so we are not going to be literally cutting a measuring cup in half, but this is a chart that tells you how to cut a recipe in half using awkward measurements. This information has come in handy so many times for me. This is brilliant because there are many times that you just don’t have the time or the patience to do the math. 


Figuring out half of 1/3 of a cup is a real pain in the you know what when you are talking about measuring cups and spoons. This tells you exactly how to do those things using teaspoons and tablespoons and just makes it’s less complicated.

This is a great post from “The Nest” I am not only linking the original article, but I am also going to copy the conversion table and paste it here because so many times such great information gets removed from sites and they are gone forever. In my opinion this conversion chart is too good to lose.

ORIGINAL (HALF) 
  • 1 cup (1/2 cup)
  • 3/4 cup (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.) 
  • 2/3 cup (1/3 cup) 
  • 1/2 cup (1/4 cup) 
  • 1/3 cup (2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp.)
  • 1/4 cup (2 Tbsp.) 
  • 3 Tbsp. (1 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp.) 
  • 2 Tbsp. (1 Tbsp.) 
  • 1 Tbsp. (1 1/2 tsp.)

Visit The Nest to read more

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Recipes

Dump Brownies (Make Now … Cook Later)

Nicole



In an effort to cut out as many pre-made boxed items I can from our diets I have been trying to find things that I can make ahead of time that will be just as easy to use when I need them.  I love boxed items because they are easy I just don’t like all the additives that can be found in the boxes.

This is a super easy recipe that can be stored in a zip bag and used when you need it.  (To me) they taste identical to Betty Crocker brownies! I like to call them dump brownies because you can dump everything in a bag, and then when you need them they are basically ready to go just add the wet ingredients.

Another great thing about these brownies is it’s something you can throw together when company is coming over. With the holiday approaching you may have guest stopping by and it’s nice to have something warm in the oven to serve them. Plus your home will smell wonderful when they walk in the door.  

These brownies are also customizable! You can add marshmallows, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, caramels, and so on to these brownies. Yumm-O!

I do not know who to give credit to when it comes to these brownies so if I owe you credit please let me know. I found them by clicking on a dead Pinterest link.

Dry Ingredients (For the make-ahead bag)
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 1/3 Cup Cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder.

Wet Ingredients to add later
  • 2 Eggs,
  • 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil,
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla.

Directions:

Bake in an 8×8 pan at 350 degrees for 25-45 minutes. Mine took 45 minutes, but the original recipe states 25 minutes. 

This was after 10 minutes on the table!!


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Recipes

Parisian Green Beans

Nicole




I love green beans and I am always looking for new ways to make green beans. Sometimes you just get tired of the same plain Jane recipe. I remember a recipe my dad made called Parisian green beans. I have no idea why they were called Parisian other than the wine in them, but I do remember them tasting amazing so I thought I would try making them myself. I am sure happy I did. They turned out perfect and bursting with flavor. They cook quickly and have a nice end result.

Ingredients:
  • 8 ounces of frozen green beans
  • 1 tablespoon dry onions
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 beef bouillon cube
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Pepper to taste

Directions:
  1. In a skillet add water, beef bouillon, butter, wine, pepper, dry onions, and bring to a boil. Once your mixture begins to boil cover and cook down to half the original amount of liquid.
  2. Once you are at half the liquid add green beans, cover and simmer until the green beans are tender and your liquid thickens. 

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Recipes

Grilled Potatoes

Nicole



One of my favorite blogs to visit on a daily bases is Under the Big Oak Tree. Alison is always posting delicious looking recipes with mouthwatering pictures. One recipe that I have been dying to try is her Grilled Potatoes Recipe. Although I commented on it a few months ago I am finally getting around making it. I am so far behind its ridiculous!

This recipe is fantastic! I made it with the grilling directions except I put them in the oven. I also added precooked bacon bits to each potato. In order to make sure I got the onions and bacon bits between each piece of potato slice I propped each one open with a small sliver of butter. Oh my goodness they were so good. Everyone said they would have rather eaten the grilled potatoes than the main dish. I thought that was funny! The potatoes come out nice and crispy and the onions taste grilled. I think next time I make these I am going to add even more onions to each potato. They are delicious!

These are really great! I highly recommend making these tatars! Visit Under the BigOak Tree for this recipe and many more!!


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