Food Stretching Recipes

With the economy being what it is and well,I just never have a good excuse except that I have a lot of kids I need my food bill to stretch to feed us all, I thought I would share some things I do that helps to keep us in a budget and still tastes good.

WHIPPED SOFT BUTTER
1 lb. butter
1/2 c. room temperature water
1/2 c. olive oil

Mix the butter until it's soft and creamy, then add the water and oil. It will splatter quite a bit, so take precautions. You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups of butter when it's all done. Store half in a freezer container until you are ready to use it.


INDIAN FRY BREAD
We started doing these instead of buying tortillas. This makes a large batch, so you can use the left overs as snacks/desert with honey and butter.

4 c. flour
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
1 c. milk
little bit of water

Mix all the ingredients and mix well, using your hands if necessary. I use a dough hook on my kitchen aid. I add a little bit of water in until the mixture comes together and cleans the bowl. Roll out, make a slit in the middle and fry in 1/2 inch of moderately hot oil. Brown on both sides.


BREAD
I started making my own bread rather than buying it in the store. I can make it cheaper than what's in the store, although I'm sure you could get some better deals at a Day Old Breadstore (but I don't have that option out here).

Dissolve 2 T. east in 1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees).

Heat 4 c. milk for 3 minutes in microwave.
Add 1 stick of butter or 1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. honey
2 T. salt
2 eggs

Mix those until the honey and butter have dissolved and cooled the milk down some.

Add yeast mix in.
Add 4-5 cups of flour until well mixed, then start adding up to 4 more cups until you can knead the dough and it cleans the bowl. Let rise for 2 hours, divide into 4 loaf pans and let rise until it touches the rim of the pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

I also make Runzas out of the bread:
Brown up some ground beef, onions, garlic and mushrooms. Grate 1/2 lb. swiss cheese. Roll out the equivalent of two loaves of bread and divide them into 8 sections. Place a spoon of meat mix in the center, sprinkle cheese over the top and fold the dough over to make a sealed up pocket. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bread is browned and done, but not burnt. You can also add some cabbage to your meat mixture too.

SCONES
I had one of these from Starbucks one time, a pumpkin one, and it was as hard and heavy as a rock. I thought scones were supposed to be light and fluffy, like half biscuit, half cookie? So, when I came across this recipe, and tried it out, I was so surprised and happy with it, I make them a couple times a month. One time we had them for a tea party when "Abigail Adams" came to visit our homeschool.

Freeze your butter the night before so it's ready when you are.

4 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. butter, frozen
1 c. sour cream
2 large eggs

Adjust oven rack to lower bottom level. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl. Grate the butter and sprinkle into the flour mixture. Mixture should resemble course meal.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and sour cream together until smooth. Using a fork, mix the sour cream and eggs into the flour until large clumps form. Continue to mix with hands until it comes together. It may not seem as if it will, but as you press, it will.

Place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 7-8 inch circle 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into 8 triangles and place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper) about one inch apart. Bake until golden about 15-17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

We serve it with frozen strawberries or mixed berries and whipped cream. They are good by themselves too.

I feel bad this is all carbohydrates so here's some vegetable recipes.

Creamed Corn
2 c. frozen corn or 3 cans drained corn
1 pkg. cream cheese
1/4 c. butter
3 T. milk
2 T. sugar

Mix altogether in a skillet until cream cheese and butter are melted. I have this as a starch for breakfast sometimes. Very filling....also really good with grilled steak.

Baby Lima Beans
1 pkg lima beans, boiled
2 T. butter
1/2 t. thyme leaves

Once the beans are boiled and drained, add the butter and thyme and mix till butter is dissolved. Good with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Cauliflower Salad
1 fresh head of cauliflower, cut
2 c. shredded lettuce
Crumbled bacon
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sugar
2 T. vinegar
1 T. lemon juice

Cut cauliflower into florets, shred lettuce and mix together. Brown bacon and crumble into vegetable mixture. Mix mayo, sugar, vinegar and lemon juice until well dissolved. Pour over salad. Cover and refrigerate until chilled through.