Homemade

I have been told that some people don't know what to think of me making some of my staples instead of running out and buying them from the grocery stores. Like for example I make my own homemade Pancake Syrup it literately takes minutes, cost pennies and it is way better for me and my family than the stuff in the store filled with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Now I suppose I could run over to the organic section of the store and pick up a teeny weeny bottle of some overpriced priced corn syrup free syrup but seriously I would rather make my own from three simple ingredients Brown Sugar, Water and Maple Flavoring.

Maple Syrup/Pancake Syrup Ingredients 2 Cu. Dark Brown Sugar, 1 Cu. Water, 1/2 to 1 tsp. Maple Flavoring or 1/2 tsp Maple Flavoring and 1/2 tsp. Butter Flavoring. Directions Combine water and sugar into a sauce pan bring to a boil and turn down to low. Cook until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat let it cool some then add the Maple flavoring. Let the syrup cool completely and pour into an airtight bottle to store. This keeps a long time.

Now moving on I also like to put the time and effort into making my own Ketchup. A major name brand (who shall remain nameless) used to make a corn syrup free ketchup for a reasonable amount of money, but early last year they stopped. After investigating the organic corn syrup free brands and prices and deciding once again I wasn't going to pay over 3.00 for a tiny bottle of ketchup I had to do some research and find a ketchup recipe that was simple, delicious that I could make at home that had the right consistency. It wasn't hard and I am happy to report that my family likes this way better than any store brand. I usually double this recipe and I follow it to the letter. I have tried it with both apple cider vinegar and white and my family prefers apple cider. Making this ketchup is simple and satisfying. It keeps well in the fridge for weeks.

I have this recipe that was passed on to me from a friend P. Cakes from an old AOL food chat room 100 hundred years ago that through the years has gone through some changes (the recipe I have no idea if AOL food chat still lives). The recipe is a crustless quiche that calls for Bisquick to be added to the eggs and milk and blended in a blender. The recipe is delicious but I have never been a Bisquick kind of girl dating all the way back to making cinnamon rolls in my Home Economics class in Jr. High. So I finally hunted down a recipe that works great, I can easily half the recipe and it keeps in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Where is the crust-less quiche recipe you ask? Well it is on the menu for next week so you will have to look for it then.

Making things from scratch for my family is something I enjoy doing for a lot of different reasons. I get personal satisfaction from knowing that I can make these things better tasting, better quality and sometimes for less money than buying them in grocery stores. Enjoy