The Frugal Gourmom

This was my first time making biscotti – I must admit, I’m not a baker, but these are super easy and really delicious. You can experiment with different extracts and add-ins. I happened to have slivered almonds and cinnamon on hand, so that’s what I used. If I had some chocolate, I would definitely dip the bottoms in some dark chocolate.

Makes 12 biscotti (not counting the ends that I ate immediately)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs & extracts together.

In another bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through.

On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log about 14 inches long and 3 – 4 inches wide. Transfer log to the baking sheet bake for 30 -40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (log will spread during baking).

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch thick.   Arrange evenly on baking sheet.  Bake 10-15 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10-15 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Really simple and really really tasty. I will be making these often, I’m sure. I think they could use some chocolate and a hot cup of coffee to dunk them into.

I’m a mayo-phobe. I really dislike it, but I love coleslaw. This is how I make it – you can use different vinegars and oils for different flavors. Use rice wine vinegar for an Asian flavor. Use red wine vinegar for an Italian flavor.

This is my basic slaw recipe, though. Easy, cheap and tastes great on a bbq or sloppy joe sandwich.

Whisk the sugar, oil and vinegar together well in the bottom of a large bowl.

Add the cabbage, carrots, fennel to the bowl and toss with the dressing. Taste it and add salt/pepper as needed.

It can be eaten right away, but I prefer it after it sits for a while. It’s great the next day too!

Today, I made chili and wanted to make some corn casserole or cornbread to go along with it. The cupboard was without “Jiffy” mix or Aldi-brand cornbread mix, but  DID have plain ol’ corn meal. I whipped this up and used it in my corn casserole recipe. Excellent! My kid was eating the mix dry! He said it was delicious.

This recipe will make about 10 cups of mix, but I reduced it by 1/4 because I didn’t need that much. I still have a couple cups leftover. I’m keeping it in an old jar in the fridge. It will keep for about 3-4 months in the fridge in an air tight container according to the recipe.

• 4 cups flour (I did 1 cup flour)
• 1 Tbsp. salt (I did a big pinch)
• 1 cup sugar (I did 1/4 cup sugar)
• 1/4 cup baking powder (I did 1 tbsp baking powder)
• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening (I used 1/4 cup of cold unsalted butter)
• 4 cups cornmeal (I did 1 cup corn meal)

Preparation:

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives cut in shortening until particles are fine. Add the cornmeal and mix well. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 months. Makes about 10 cups of dry mix.

My version made about 2.5 cups of dry mix so if you are making the recipe for the cornbread below, you won’t have any leftover mix.

CORNBREAD OR CORN MUFFINS RECIPE

Combine 2 1/2 cups of the homemade cornbread mix with 1 beaten egg and 1-1/4 cups milk. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.   Add 1 cup of corn if you like it kind of rustic.  Add some green chilis or cheese to bump up the flavor too!

Pour into a greased 8″ square pan sprayed with non-stick spray or greased muffin tins and bake at 425 degrees for 15-25 minutes until light golden brown and bread springs back when lightly touched with finger. Muffins will bake for the shorter time period.

For those of you concerned about storage – I found this online. My scrub does contain Vitamin E, but  feel free to add a tsp of salt too.

Make the sugar scrub in small batches. Depending on how often you use the scrub, you should make enough for only a couple of months. After this time, you risk the oil going rancid.

Store homemade sugar scrub in a plastic or glass container. Plastic is the best choice since you make sugar scrub with oil, and glass can get slippery and break if you drop it in the shower. The container should also have an air tight lid.

Keep the sugar scrub on the bathtub ledge, on the sink counter, in your medicine chest or underneath the sink in a drawer. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, unless your recipe uses a dairy product such as yogurt or whey.

Mix a preservative into your body scrub, if you plan on storing it for longer than a couple of months. This is also a good idea if you’re giving the scrub as a gift and aren’t sure how long the person will keep it. Vitamin E oil and sea salt are natural preservatives you can use in homemade sugar scrub.

Add a stronger preservative, if there’s a chance you’ll get water into your sugar scrub. If storing the sugar scrub on the bathtub ledge where it can fall and fill up with water, use a stronger preservative like Liquid Germall Plus, which fights bacteria in water-based products.