Make it Yourself Monday: Homemade Bread

I just read on the blog of a family of 8 that I am acquainted with that the mom makes five 1lb loaves of bread - TWICE a week for her family!!! That sounds exhausting!! Especially b/c she uses a sourdough starter (from her gma!!) so she has to be consistent about it!

My husband LOVES when I make bread. I can't say I enjoy it as much. Even with our family of 4, we go through a loaf in 2-3 days when we have it, so it seems like the reward is too short-lived.

Still, I recognize the value of home baked bread - the house smells good, it tastes wonderful, and you never have to wonder about the unwholesome ingredients used to make it (unless you voluntarily included them).

And I've finally found a recipe that consistently makes great loaves, so I'm encouraged to make a habit of baking my bread instead of buying it. The recipe I use is on this lovely blog. It utilizes both the bread machine and the oven (or just the machine if you prefer) and has instructions for soaking the dough to decrease the amount of phytic acid in the loaf.

I only alter the recipe slightly by substituting 1 cup of the whole wheat flour with spelt flour. And so far my best results have used kefir for the acid and butter for the fat.

What is your favorite bread recipe? What else have you been making yourself lately? Click here for detailed instructions on how to participate in Make it Yourself Monday. Link your post(s) up below!

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to commenter #12, susan (at) cravingthesavings (dot) com!! Please respond to my email within 48 hours to claim your prize! :)

I hope everyone else who entered has taken the time to check out all of their great coconut recipes at the very least!

Remember, if you decide to order anything from Tropical Traditions (and I hope you do!), specify that you were referred by me (5989786) and you'll receive a free book about coconut oil with your order! :)

Enjoy!

Make it Yourself Monday: Breakfast Cereals

I've seen so many interesting homemade cereals online, but I have to admit that I haven't branched out much. I've loved experimenting with granolas and oatmeal. What do you make as an alternative to pre-made cereal? Enjoy these recipes and tell me if you try them!

Cranberry Coconut Granola

Good & Hearty Granola

Oatmeal Packets

Click here for directions on how to participate in Make it Yourself Monday if this is your first time!

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway

Giveaway Closed...

I'm so excited to share this product with you! I LOVE coconut oil and use it in place of olive oil for high heat cooking and vegetable or canola oil for baking. In fact, as I explained in a previous post, it is the only cooking "fat" I use now other than ghee/butter!

My husband likes it so much that he puts it on toast, and my two year old calls it "snow" and frequently asks for a spoonful! I am more than happy to oblige considering what a wonderful "real food" coconut oil is! We also use it as a lotion and in our kids' bath water!! Seriously, it's amazing stuff! Here's a little blurb about Tropical Tradition's Virgin Coconut oil and what makes it different than others on the market:

"This Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is a truly unrefined coconut oil... Only the highest quality coconuts are hand-picked from each harvest... The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled), and thencold-pressed using the water from inside the coconuts to make coconut milk. The milk is then allowed to sit for about half a day, while the oil naturally separates from the heavier water. The oil is then filtered from the curds (coconut solids). No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains no trans fatty acids.

We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. Our coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year. This high-grade Virgin Coconut Oil has a long shelf life due to the high antioxidant properties."

This video explains that info in more detail:

I've enjoyed the flavor of the oil I received from Tropical Traditions, it isn't as sweet as some other brands I've tasted so it does well in main dish cooking as well as baked goods. If you are looking for ways to use your coconut oil, Tropical Traditions has an awesome collection of recipes at FreeCoconutRecipes.com. My family enjoyed the Chocolate Coconut Gluten Free Protein Bars.

I also used coconut oil in these recipes:

Zucchini Coconut Brownies

Homemade Cashew Butter

Coconut Sweet Potato Pie

Chicken Fried Rice

Cranberry Coconut Granola

Buy it:

Grab a jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil on sale starting at $19.95 for a pint. The normal price is $25.00!

Tropical Traditions also has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number… 5989786. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how you can incorporate coconut into your diet.

Win it:

One lucky person will be shipped a free quart of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil! To enter, simply sign up for the Tropical Traditions Sales Newsletter and leave me a comment telling me you did so!

For bonus entries:

*Become a Fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook.

*Follow @troptraditions on Twitter

Leave a separate comment for each (three possible) entry!

The contest will be open until midnight CST on Wednesday, May 26th. The winner will be notified by email and posted here on the blog on Thursday, May 27th! Good luck!

***Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Make it Yourself Monday: Seasoning Blends

When I was learning (read: teaching myself) how to cook, I wouldn't have dared to attempt a meal - even one as simple as tacos - without a recipe and every single ingredient it called for. I've moved far, far from there and my husband now jokes that it'd be OK to follow a recipe every once in a while... :) Even if you aren't as adventurous as I've become, you don't need to rush to the grocer for that chili seasoning or that steak rub if you have a well stocked spice cabinet.

There are a couple of ways to go about making your own seasoning/spice blends. You can find or create recipes for making a large batch to use over time, or you can combine just what you need for a particular meal.

If you are an organizer (I'm not), you might prefer the first option. You can either use a recipe someone else has created, or guess on the proportions yourself. For instance...

My empty "Italian Seasoning" bottle says that it contains basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and garlic powder. I could start out with a tsp. of each and then, since I know I like garlic, basil, and oregano, add another tsp or each of those. If I find after using it the first time that it is lacking something or that the oregano is over-powering, then I can add more of whatever it needs.

If you're not ready to guess, here are a few sites to help you out:

164 Mixes from Budget 101

Seasoning & Spice Blends (lots of recipes)

Make Your Own Seasoning Blends (7 unique recipes)

Fajita Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

Seafood Seasoning

If you don't think you'll need a large batch or are just caught unprepared, you can use the same methods I outlined but combine just enough for one meal. Start out with just a little of each spice/herb and taste before you add more. Better bland than unpalatable. :)

Do you have a favorite homemade seasoning blend to share? What else have you been "Making yourself" lately? Click here for directions and rules for linking up as well as a list of my previous Make it Yourself Monday posts!

Blogging the Old Fashioned Way...

aka "using a pen and paper."

My 2 month old little girl who loves to be held, nursed, and cood at is making sure I don't get much time at the computer. My 2 year old boy who is all about swinging and sliding and picking dandelions is making sure I don't get much time inside the house at all. That basically leaves me sitting under a tree on a blanket all day.

SO nice, but not exactly conducive to blogging!

Rather than fight it, I've decided to go in a new direction this Summer. While the weather is nice, I'm going to focus less on trying new recipes (they take the longest to type up - and who wants to stand over a stove in the warm weather, anyway?) and instead work on something I blogged about in March... a series on getting started in the kitchen.

It has become apparent as I've begun hammering out ideas, however, that the information I have to share is better suited for a book than a blog. Enter: the pen and paper. Since I'm having a hard time creating good blog posts anyway, this is the perfect project for this stage of my life. I'll write/scribble/sketch out my ideas on paper during the day, and steal a little time to transfer them to the computer every once in a while after the kids are in bed.

It's my goal to have an e-book available to you by the Fall.

This doesn't mean I'm abandoning Eat From Your Pantry by any means! I will still be sure to post Make it Yourself Monday every week, and I will get other posts up as I have time. Believe me, I've got a TON to blog about - just no time! Don't expect daily posts again for a while, but please don't forget me! Make sure you are connected to EFYP on facebook, twitter, and RSS feed by clicking around on the left under "connect." And stay tuned for more info about my new project! :)

Make it Yourself Monday Recap

In addition to Mother's Day, we also had the joy of celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary this weekend! We've been so busy that I thought I'd give myself a break today and take some time to do some more organizing on the blog rather than typing out another recipe to share.

Over to the left under "Navigation," you'll now find a Make it Yourself Monday link that will take you to a page describing the general guidelines for participating, as well as links to previous MIYM posts. For your convenience, I'll also list them here:

Make it Yourself Monday

Bread Crumbs

Cora Ruth

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Food Processor Ice Cream

Crockpot Yogurt

Granola Bars

Condiments

Nut Butter

Tortillas

Take some time today to browse through the posts from previous weeks, and link up your own below!

Eat From Your Pantry Recipes

The good news is, I've been writing here at EFYP for long enough that I've got quite a bit of content to share (this is post #141). Bad news is that the site was becoming harder to navigate.

Now, if you click the "Recipes" link to the left under "Navigation," you'll find an alphabetical list of the recipes I've blogged about. They are divided into three categories (main dishes, sides, & desserts).

Alternatively, you can browse through all posts labeled "recipe," or scroll down the page and look through all of the other labels (like chicken, soup, & beans) to get ideas.

Hope that helps, and please let me know if you can think of any other ways I can make this site better for you!

Make it Yourself Monday: Tortillas

I will never buy tortillas from the store again after making these! The recipe is the basic tortilla recipe from More With Less Cookbook* (a great book for pantry cooking!) with the changes Katie from Kitchen Stewardship made (butter for shortening, etc.):

Homemade Tortillas

Mix together:
2 c. flour
1 t. salt

Cut in with pastry blender or two knives:
¼ c. butter (slightly softened)

When it looks like crumbs, add gradually:
½ c. room temperature water

Toss with a fork to make stiff dough. Knead thoroughly until smooth and flecked with air bubbles. (Just a few minutes.) Refrigerate 4-24 hours and allow to come to room temperature before rolling out.
Divide dough into 8-11 balls, depending on how big you want your tortillas. Roll on a lightly floured surface or between sheets of wax paper. Heat an ungreased griddle or cast iron pan very hot (400 degrees) and drop tortillas on it.

Cook about 20 seconds, until lightly flecked with brown on one side, then flip until brown spots appear on the other side. Serve immediately or refrigerate (or freeze) in airtight container.

**Tip** I placed my balls of dough between two sheets of parchment paper (could also use wax paper) to roll them - I was able to get them much thinner than just rolling them out of a board.

I used 1 cup whole wheat flour from this company, and 1 cup spelt flour. I skipped the refrigeration step b/c I didn't have time. The texture was perfect!! You can find lots of variations on the recipe over at Kitchen Stewardship.

*Amazon link

What have you made recently that you could find pre-made at the store? Link up so we can learn from you!

Linked to Homemaker Mondays