Photo Credit: Jurvetson
My favorite berry to do this with is blackberries, with raspberries running a close second.
Bonus? This is super easy to make. Here’s what you need:
One half cup of cider vinegar, 1 cup olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of berries (you choose).
Whip up everything in a blender to break down, mix up and aerate. Great with a fresh green salad.
Flickr Photo Credit: Aidantmorgan
I got this one at a recipe swap I hosted a few years back, and admit to not having had a chance to try it out yet. However, I wanted to have it up on the blog and documented so I could access it while away from home if I wanted to (travel, family visits). I’ve seen some great fruit dips done over the years with marshmallow creme as one of the main ingredients, and am in hopes to try this one out soon. If anyone out there has any input or the inside scoop on a super slammin’ marshmallow creme recipe, by all means, post away so the rest of us can benefit.
3 egg white, 2 cups light corn syrup, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, put the egg whites, salt and corn syrup. Beat until thick or for about 10 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar at low speed. Then add vanilla extract and continue to beat until well blended. The recipe states that this should make about 2 quarts. From everything I’ve read and heard over the years, homemade marshmallow creme needs to be kept in the fridge. If anyone knows anything additional or different, I’d love to hear about it.
Flickr Photo Credit: Way Tru
5 slices of bread in half-inch pieces, 1/2 cup margarine or butter (melted), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp salt, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 4 medium cooking apples (peeled, cored and chopped).
Spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together inside the crock, cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or until apples are tender. Serve warm. Add whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
This is a good cheap yummy treat for fall if you have last minute company with at least a bit of warning. You can also reduce the sugar for extra calorie savings.
Flickr Photo Credit: Zana Stardust
Affordable, easy, and made with only three ingredients. This one is on my list for homemade holiday gifts this year.
1 twelve-ounce package of chocolate bits, 1/2 cup of raisins, 1/2 cup of peanuts.
Melt chocolate in saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in raisins and nuts. Drop on wax paper covered cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm.
Flickr Photo Credit: JS Patchwork
My friend from Guam sent me this years ago when she was living in Hawaii. Should be yummy for an island style cookout.
1 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tbsp chopped ginger, 2 green onions (chopped). Marinade meat in this mixture for at least an hour, and fire up the grill!
Flickr Photo Credit: TSC Traveler
This one’s from Taste of Home magazine, so I’m confident enough to post without pretesting. Every time I’ve wanted to make this, I’ve been somewhere without my recipes. Hopefully, this blog post will eliminate that problem.
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tbsp corn starch, 1 tsp ground mustard, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp grated lemon peel, 2 tbsp butter or margarine.
Combine sugar, corn starch and mustard in a saucepan. Stir in water, raisins, vinegar, lemon juice and peel until mixture is well blended. Bring to a boil and continue to stir for 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Stir in butter until melted. Serve warm over sliced ham.
I’ve also read when exploring for other raisin sauce recipes that you can make this stuff in advance to have on hand for the holiday season, or any time you are planning ahead for a family ham dinner.
Flickr Photo Credit: Astarr
1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 pound of chopped dates, pinch of salt. Throw all of this stuff in a saucepan and cook until bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly.
Next, mix together 1 egg, 1 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla. Add to the date mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Let this mixture cool and add 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 2 cups of crispy rice cereal. Form into balls and roll in either coconut or finely chopped nuts. Layer them in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper. Decadent!
Note: Will probably want to grease your hands with shortening or spray them with nonstick spray before forming these balls. Keeps things from getting stickier than necessary.
Original recipe was cut out and tried by Mama Fobes on January 1, 1963. Must be good if they’ve hung on to it all this time, huh?
2 2/3 cup sifted flour, 2 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3 eggs, 2/3 cup butter or margarine, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional), 1 16-ounce package of chocolate bits, 1 tsp salt.
Grease cookie sheet. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In large saucepan melt the butter, stirring in brown sugar. Let cool 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour mixture and chocolate bits until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched. Cool and cut into squares.
Flickr Photo Credit: I Find Karma
4 cups quick cooking oats, 4 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 cups wheat and 2 cups all purpose), 1 cup nonfat powdered milk, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 5 tsp salt, 3 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp cream of tarter. Combine all ingredients, mix well and store in an airtight container. This yields about 8 cups of mix.
To make: beat 2 eggs and 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Alternately beat in 2 cups of mix and 1 cup of water. Heat a lightly greased skillet over medium heat. Pour batter by heaping spoonfuls onto the surface. Cook until bubbles form and break. Flip and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes or until golden brown.
I would think this recipe would be easily doubled and also adapted by adding in a bit of oat bran, flax seed, etc.
Flickr Photo Credit: Kevin Marsh
This is one from the cookbook, Miserly Meals.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 cloved garlic, 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce. Place all ingredients in a blender and cover. Blend until smooth and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Should last at least two weeks.
These are ingredients we usually have on hand at our house. I’ve really been getting into the homemade salad dressings here lately as it’s a nice way to add a ton of elegance and zip to an affordable budget meal.