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Showing posts from February, 2011

How to Make Instant Pancake Mix

My kids love pancakes. They really enjoy them with added taste of blueberries, strawberries and whip cream, and even chocolate chips. I usually prepare them at least once a week and probably would serve them twice a week if time allowed. I have to admit I usually prepare them using a pre-made or complete pancake mixes courtesy of Krusteaz, Aunt Jemima, or the occasional generic brand. These are okay and convenient, but I have a better homemade instant pancake mix that produces tastier results. Now I want to emphasize this is an instant pancake mix and not "complete" pancake mix. A complete pancake mix involves adding only a liquid such as water or milk. The instant pancake mix recipe below will get you 90% there with only having the task of adding eggs and oil. This recipe below will yield approximately five pounds of pancake mix which will surprisingly go quickly. Use a Tupperware container or even an old plastic ice cream bucket to store the pancake mix. Homemade Instant Pa

Saving Box Tops For Education Coupons

Shame, shame, shame on me. The other day I proceeded to fold down an empty Ziploc baggie box and insert into our recycler container in the garage. The wife yelled out to me……..”Don’t forget we are saving box tops for education coupons”. What? Oh yeah………those little pictures of box tops with a pencil on them. These tiny little coupon labels can equate to serious money for schools when considering the school can redeem each label for ten cents. Per the elementary school PTO, our school has purchased numerous library books, computers, laminators and much, much more. The following brands participate in the program: • Betty Crocker® • Bisquick® • Fiber One™ • Gold Medal® • Nestle® • Cascadian Farm® • General Mills or Big “G” Cereals • Chex® • Curves™ Cereals • Disney’s® Cereals • Nature Valley® • Green Giant® Vegetables • Hamburger Helper® products • Old El Paso® products • Suddenly Salad® Mixes • Fruit Roll-Ups® products • COTTONELLE® products • GOODNITES® products • HUGGIES® products • PU

Making She Crab Soup

She Crab Soup Ingredients – What is this soup anyway? One of my favorite travel destinations every spring is the southeastern coast of the United States. We usually pay an annual visit to the Charleston/Savannah area and take in a little golf, beach time, and some really dynamite barbecue. The other culinary specialty in this “low country” is seafood. One of the first local favorites I was exposed to when I first visited Charleston area was She Crab Soup. For those that have not heard of this soup, it is a cream and sherry based soup with a healthy amount of lump white or blue crab with a starter base of onions, celery, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings of which some low country cooks use old bay seasoning. The “She” element of She-Crab soup consists of the crab roe or eggs added to the soup. I have had several bowls of soup throughout the years in coastal South Carolina, and some chefs add the roe while others do not. It wasn’t until recently did I discover that the roe was what mad

Chicken Croquettes

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I've got some more comfort food for ya!  Chicken Croquettes are currently filling the ever-constant fried-food void in my life. These are handy, easy to eat, easy to reheat, and even taste great with ketchup... You will need: 0.80 lbs chicken (any cut) 2 Tbsp butter 2/3 cup flour 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp chicken bouillon (1 cube) 1 tsp lemon juice 1/8 tsp onion powder 1 tsp parsley sage (to taste) 1/2 cup diced mushrooms 1 cup bread crumbs Canola or Vegetable Oil 1. Cook and shred chicken, set aside. 2. In a pot, melt butter and combine with flour and pepper. 3. Add milk and lemon juice.  Heat and add bouillon, dissolve. 4. Add onion powder, parsley, a sprinkling of sage (to taste), mushrooms, and chicken.  Mix. 5. Crack an egg into a small bowl and beat. 6. Add bread crumbs to another small bowl. 7. Shape chicken/mushroom mixture into small patties.  (Use flour or breadcrumbs to soak-up excess liquid, or add small amounts of milk to increase moisture.) 8. Heat enough oil in a pan to c