Ahhhhhh, the sun is shining and the tempurature is rising! Summer is just around the corner!
In our house, when the weather starts warming up, I get lots of requests for Gatorade. The hubster can go through up to a gallon a day at work, and the boys can drink ALOT too. Even if I buy the powdered Gatorade and mix it at home, it can get really pricey! Now, those who know me know that I am a total frugalista. I HATE paying more than I have to for anything. So, I was super stoked when a friend quietly slipped me this recipe one sunny, summer afternoon. And I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. I thought there was no way I could slip a homemade version of Gatorade into my husbands giant water jug without him noticing. Well, a week after I started serving it to him, I was convinced...he never noticed the switch! And once I told him about it, he was excited about the fact that he could choose his own flavors and customize his gatorade! So here it is, if your skeptical, go ahead and mix up this homemade version and you'll never miss the old, expensive stuff!
Homemade Gatorade
2 envelopes of kool-aid (Do not substitute ready mix kool-aid, it has to be the sugar free packets)
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of orange juice
4 Quarts of water
Add all together, mix well and chill. Makes about 1 gallon and tastes just like real bottled gatorade for a fraction of the cost. And you can combine flavor combinations by combining different kool-aids if you're feeling a little frisky!
Enjoy!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies
The biggest whine in our house, is that we never have good dessert. These are the best, most gigantic peanut butter cookies I have ever had. These are what come out of my kitchen when I need a quick and easy dessert fix. These beat out even the best of the bakery cookies! But be ready for some JUMBO cookies! Each cookie consists of 1/4 cup of dough, which gives you a 5-6" cookie!
Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat togethr butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add both sugars, beat until light colored. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, add in chocolate chips.
With floured hands, measure out 1/4 cup of dough. Press it into a 3 inch "disk" and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 13 - 16 minutes (depending on your oven), or until cookies brown slightly on the edges but still appear wet in the middle. Let stand on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.
Serve these cookies warm! If serving at a later date, pop into a toaster or microwave for a few seconds!
You definately won't be dissapointed with these cookies, they are fantastic!
Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat togethr butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add both sugars, beat until light colored. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, add in chocolate chips.
With floured hands, measure out 1/4 cup of dough. Press it into a 3 inch "disk" and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 13 - 16 minutes (depending on your oven), or until cookies brown slightly on the edges but still appear wet in the middle. Let stand on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.
Serve these cookies warm! If serving at a later date, pop into a toaster or microwave for a few seconds!
You definately won't be dissapointed with these cookies, they are fantastic!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Parmesan Pasta and Breadsticks
This is another family favorite that even my picky eaters load up on! This is a fairly quick meal to get on the table and people will think you slaved all day! The pasta takes only about 15 minutes to make, and the breadsticks take about 45 when you include rising time.
Parmesan Pasta
8 ounce package of spaghetti noodles
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Chicken or shrimp, cooked and chopped
Cook pasta according to package directions. In the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta, saute the garlic in olive oil until golden and tender. This happens very quickly, garlic will only need to be sauted for about a minute! Add cooked chicken (be sure both pasta and chicken are warm) to the pasta. Pour garlic and oil over pasta, add parmesan cheese and toss gently to coat. Serve warm!
Breadsticks
1 cup warm water
3 Tbs butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast (or 1 single package)
Breadstick topping
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs parmesan cheese
In a medium bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast. Stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes until foamy. In a seperate bowl mix salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and flour. Into yeast mixture, add melted butter and stir. Add flour mixture and stir. Knead until smooth and elastic. Divide dough in half. Cut each half into about 12 pieces and roll out into 4 - 6 inch ropes. Place onto a baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Brush with topping mixture and serve warm.
I guarantee this meal won't dissapoint. It is extremely easy to make and tastes gourmet. And as far as homemade baked goods go, there isn't a long rise time so it is fairly quick.
Kid friendly scale - this meal gets 5 stars for kid friendliness in our house. Both of my kids can be picky, but they both take seconds on this meal!
Budget friendly scale - this meal is pretty budget friendly, but with a few minor substitutions can be even more budget friendly. Skip the shrimp and use chicken if your watching your budget. I normally use chicken breast, but when times are tough, boiled and shredded chicken thighs work great too. If olive oil isn't in your budget, you can substitute regular vegetable oil without sacrificing too much taste!
This is one of our family favorites and it is suprising light, even though it contains oil! Enjoy!
Parmesan Pasta
8 ounce package of spaghetti noodles
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Chicken or shrimp, cooked and chopped
Cook pasta according to package directions. In the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta, saute the garlic in olive oil until golden and tender. This happens very quickly, garlic will only need to be sauted for about a minute! Add cooked chicken (be sure both pasta and chicken are warm) to the pasta. Pour garlic and oil over pasta, add parmesan cheese and toss gently to coat. Serve warm!
Breadsticks
1 cup warm water
3 Tbs butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast (or 1 single package)
Breadstick topping
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs parmesan cheese
In a medium bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast. Stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes until foamy. In a seperate bowl mix salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and flour. Into yeast mixture, add melted butter and stir. Add flour mixture and stir. Knead until smooth and elastic. Divide dough in half. Cut each half into about 12 pieces and roll out into 4 - 6 inch ropes. Place onto a baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Brush with topping mixture and serve warm.
I guarantee this meal won't dissapoint. It is extremely easy to make and tastes gourmet. And as far as homemade baked goods go, there isn't a long rise time so it is fairly quick.
Kid friendly scale - this meal gets 5 stars for kid friendliness in our house. Both of my kids can be picky, but they both take seconds on this meal!
Budget friendly scale - this meal is pretty budget friendly, but with a few minor substitutions can be even more budget friendly. Skip the shrimp and use chicken if your watching your budget. I normally use chicken breast, but when times are tough, boiled and shredded chicken thighs work great too. If olive oil isn't in your budget, you can substitute regular vegetable oil without sacrificing too much taste!
This is one of our family favorites and it is suprising light, even though it contains oil! Enjoy!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Cheeseburger Soup
I figured I would start off with a fairly original recipe. I have never seen a cheeseburger soup recipe with fresh lettuce and tomato in it, other than in our house. But it is amazing. The kids baulked at the idea of actually having to eat something green (God forbid a vegetable cross their lips), but it's not nearly as good without them...so don't even try to omit them! Now, I'm going to do my best to include accurate measurments. I tend to do a "pinch of this" and a "dash of that" while cooking, but I'll try to be a bit more accurate here!
Cheeseburger Soup
Be sure to have a large stock pot on hand. We normally have enough to feed 4, plus at least half leftover (but it also tastes great after being frozen and reheated)
Velveeta or Processed cheese loaf
2 - 32 ounce cans chicken broth
1 - 15 ounce can evaported milk
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion
1/4 head of lettuce, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 cup water
8 Tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste
In a large heavy bottomed stock pot or soup pot, melt butter. Brown ground beef and onions in butter. Once browned, add chicken broth, salt, pepper and evaporated milk to pot. Chop cheese into chunks and add to pot. Heat through until cheese is completely melted, careful not to bring to a boil. Dissolve flour into cold water. Once heat is completely melted, pour flour mixture into the soup to use as a thickening agent. Be sure to continue to stir after flour mix is added, so you don't get clumps! Remove from heat and add lettuce and tomato. Stir and let sit for a few minutes to allow lettuce and tomato to warm!
Serve with a toasted hamburger bun, or a loaf of a homemade hearty bread! Enjoy!
Cheeseburger Soup
Be sure to have a large stock pot on hand. We normally have enough to feed 4, plus at least half leftover (but it also tastes great after being frozen and reheated)
Velveeta or Processed cheese loaf
2 - 32 ounce cans chicken broth
1 - 15 ounce can evaported milk
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion
1/4 head of lettuce, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 cup water
8 Tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste
In a large heavy bottomed stock pot or soup pot, melt butter. Brown ground beef and onions in butter. Once browned, add chicken broth, salt, pepper and evaporated milk to pot. Chop cheese into chunks and add to pot. Heat through until cheese is completely melted, careful not to bring to a boil. Dissolve flour into cold water. Once heat is completely melted, pour flour mixture into the soup to use as a thickening agent. Be sure to continue to stir after flour mix is added, so you don't get clumps! Remove from heat and add lettuce and tomato. Stir and let sit for a few minutes to allow lettuce and tomato to warm!
Serve with a toasted hamburger bun, or a loaf of a homemade hearty bread! Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
