Homemade Pancake Syrup

Trying to cut corn syrup out of our diet... so I have found a wonderful pancake syrup recipe and I thought I would share it all with you.

2 cups water

4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. maple flavouring
1/4 tstp. vanilla flavouring

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add sugar.
3. Boil for one minute.
4. Cool and add flavoring. (do not add before it is off the heat as the flavouring with boil off)

I save the bottles to put it in once it cools!

Another recipe:

Hot Buttermilk Syrup

1 cup sugar (I generally use a bit less)
2 TBS buttermilk powder
1/8 tsp baking soda, scant
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together dry ingredients (including butter milk powder). In saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil. Pour dry ingredients into saucepan, stirring constantly. Bring back to boil and stir for a minute or two. Take off heat and stir in vanilla. It will thicken as it cools.

Note: I was really skeptical of "making" syrup before I tried these two recipes. But, we LOVE them at my house! You can also substitute 1/2 cup real butter milk instead of the 2 TBS buttermilk powder and 1/2 cup water, if you wish.

Homemade Powdered Ranch Dressing Mix

Have you ever looked at the back of a package of Ranch Dressing Mix.... trust me don't so many words I can not pronounce. My goal was to try to find a Ranch Dressing mix I could keep on hand to use for dips and other recipes when it is called for. Here is what I came up with.

Homemade Powdered Ranch Dressing Mix

1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed

add pepper to taste

In a small bowl, stir together the parsley, salt, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, pepper and thyme.

Use as a substitute for Ranch Dressing Mix.

Here is a recipe to make a larger quantity you can store in a cool dry place and just use it as needed for recipes or ranch dressing.

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons dried parsley

1-1/4 teaspoons seasoned salt

1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/4 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

Black Pepper to taste

Uses:
To make dressing, mix this recipe with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk.
For dip, mix this recipe with 1 3/4 cups sour cream and 1/4 cup of buttermilk.
I made this into a dip with 1/4 cup buttermilk, an 8 oz container of fat-free plain yogurt, and about 1/2 cup of light mayonnaise

I mixed it with 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup mayo, and 1/2 cup sour cream. perfect consistency and flavor!

Buttermilk Substitution

1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar

Stove Top Stuffing Copycat

1/3 cup freshly chopped celery
4-5 slices white bread
3-4 slices whole wheat bread
3 tsp chicken bouillion
2 tsp chopped dried onions
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp EACH sugar and onion powder

To prepare, you need:

1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup butter

Mince the celery tiny and dry overnight on a sheet pan overnight, or in a very slightly warm oven. I have a dehydrator, which makes it much easier!

Press the bread together to compress it and cube it. You should have about 4 cups of bread.

Dry the bread cubes in a 250 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. You should have about 2 2/3 cups cubes after drying.

Combine the dried veggies, seasonings and bread. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To prepare the stuffing, bring the water and butter to a boil, stir in the veggie/spice mix, cover and let simmer 10 minutes. Add the bread cubes, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5-7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Sloppy Joes Seasoning Mix

Here's another time aver for those busy nights. I'll make this in bulk and use 6 Tbsp per dinner.

Sloppy Joes Seasoning Mix
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp green pepper flakes
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. Store in small glass jar in a cool, dry place and use within 6 months.
Makes 1 package (about 3 T) of mix.

Sloppy Joes: Brown 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease. Add 6 Tbsp seasoning mix, 1 cup water, 2 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over toasted hamburger buns.

Makes 12 servings

Cream of "whatever" Soup

This equals 9 cans of cream soup when mixed and used as directed.

2 cups non fat powdered milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon
2 tbsps dried onion flakes
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together adn store in an air tight container.
When you need soup combine 1/3 cup of this mix with 1 1/4 cup cold water to equal one can of soup.
Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens.
You need to add this to make waht flavour you need to make

Mushroom - 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
Celery - 1/2 cup minced celery
Potato - 1 cup cooked diced potatoes
Chicken - 1/2 cup cooked diced chicken
Veggie - 3/4 cup cooked veggies
Broccoli - 1 cup cooked chopped Broccoli

Note: you can leave out the bouillon and add 1 1/4cup broth instead of 1 1/4 cup water.

Light Cream

18% table cream

or

1 cup = 7/8 cup milk + 3 tablespoons butter

Heavy Cream

35% whipping cream

or

1 cup heavy cream = 3/4 cup milk + 1/3 cup butter

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup instant non-fat dry milk
1/3 cup boiling water
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsps melted butter

1. combine all in a blender (I use my hand blender)
2. Process until thick and smooth.
2. You can store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Makes 1 1/4 cups or equal to a 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk.
Serving: 1 can