Matzo flour

Passover 2014 began at sundown on Monday, April 14, heralding 7 days of abstaining from consuming chametz- grains that can leaven.  

The grocery stores in my area are pretty limited on Kosher for Passover items. I am glad I jumped at the opportunity to buy 6 boxes of Kosher for Passover matzos when they were on sale. Not only are they a great substitute for bread, but they can also (frugally) be ground up into matzo flour!  No more paying high dollars for small cans of matzo meal....even when you are fortunate to find them.  

Here is what you will need:

1 box of Kosher for Passover matzos
mini food processor
funnel with a wide exit
lidded glass jar for storage, clearly marked as Kosher for Passover

The process:

1) Break one sheet of matzo into small pieces, and place in the mini food processor.  Whirl until the texture is grainy.  If you want a cake flour consistently, then continue pulsing until dusty.

2) Place the funnel in the top of your jar.

3) Pour the ground matzo into the top of the funnel, and tap the funnel to completely release the flour into the jar.  

4) Repeat the process until you have the desired amount of matzo flour.

5) Place the lid on the jar, and store in the refrigerator.  

I successfully used the matzo flour this morning in pancakes! I measured the same amount as I would when using whole wheat flour.  

The matzo flour can also be put to use tonight when preparing dinner, for coating oven-baked cod. The recipe calls for 1 slice of toasted bread ground with 1/4 cup whole wheat flour.  I will use 3/4 cup of my freshly ground matzo flour instead.

I look forward to finding other ways of successfully substituting chametz with my home-ground matzo flour! 




  

Candy Cane Bark

It's that time of year again, for all things peppermint, due to the overload of candy canes available.  If you are like me, you probably still have a bag from last year, filled with canes that decorated your Christmas tree.  So far, I have found two edible uses for my minty stash...cookies, and peppermint bark.  Last year, I posted a recipe which called for peppermint discs.  This year, I decided to utilize what I already have on hand...candy canes that are made on dedicated peanut and tree nut free machinery, which are safe for those with allergies. 

The recipe is the same as the one I posted last year, except this time, I weighed 4 ounces of broken candy cane pieces, instead of peppermint discs.

 



I discovered a better method for crushing the candy:  fold a large piece of wax paper several times, and place it inside a plastic zip top bag.  Put the broken candy cane pieces between the layers of wax paper, and lightly tap them with a hammer.  This will help to prevent candy shards from cutting the bag and dumping sweet and pepperminty dust onto your work surface.

 

I created a double boiler by using a glass bowl over a small glass saucepan filled with  hot water.  Melt 8 ounces of your favorite chocolate, while frequently stirring with a silicone spatula. 

 

 

Once the chocolate has melted and is smooth, add the crushed candy canes, along with a drop or two of peppermint extract. 

 

 

 

Stir the mixture until it is well-combined.  

 

Spread contents of bowl onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Place it in the freezer until solid.

 

 

 

Break apart the candy cane bark into bite-size pieces.  Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator.  This size batch is typically consumed within a week by all three members of my household!

 

 

 



New Publication!

More of my recipes have been published! They are included in the October 2013 release of "The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room for Thirds" edited by J. Alan Hartman.  The e-book is an anthology comprised of several Thanksgiving-themed humorous mysteries written by talented Untreed Reads authors.  My contributions are:  Pumpkin Cranberry Pancakes, Cranberry Chutney, and Apple Cranberry Pie. 

It can be purchased directly from my e-publisher, Untreed Reads, and is available in several downloadable formats.

Frugal Tomato Juice

I recently came up with a quick curried chickpea recipe, which includes 1/2 cup of tomato juice.  I had in my freezer a few 1/2 cup portions of tomato juice drained from canned, "no salt added" diced tomatoes.  These were saved from a bean recipe calling for drained diced tomatoes, and set aside for later use in my split pea soup recipe.  When I used the last serving of tomato juice, and wasn't planning to drain canned tomatoes in the near future, I knew I needed to find a solution.

Later that week, I went to the grocery store, and read the ingredients on bottled tomato juice.  I wasn't happy with the sodium levels, added preservatives, and the price per ounce.  I walked over to the aisle that houses canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.  The canned tomatoes have likeable ingredients, but I rarely drain them.  The tomato sauce is not the right consistency, along with many herbs and spices, which can add the wrong tomato flavor to dals and soups.  When I looked at the can of tomato paste, I remembered my split pea soup recipe that calls for 1/2 cup tomato juice, or "1 Tablespoon tomato paste + 1/2 cup water".   DING!!!

So, here is what I did:  I purchased one 12 ounce can of tomato paste for $1.15.

I got out my 1 Tablespoon measure and began portioning out the tomato paste onto pieces of plastic wrap.

 I was able to wrap 16 Tablespoons-worth of tomato paste!  Add to that the 1 Tablespoon I used in a recipe, for a total of 17 Tablespoons from one 12 ounce can.

I placed all the wrapped Tablespoons of tomato paste into a ziptop bag that was pre-labeled with use instructions.

Now the bag is ready to go into the freezer! This week, when I make a small batch of chickpea dal, I can simply grab and unwrap a Tablespoon portion of tomato paste, add 1/2 cup of water, and move on!

Not only does this method avoid added salt and preservatives, but the price per Tablespoon is roughly $.07.  Healthy and frugal!

1/2 price e-Books at Kobo!

Are you in need of a healthy meal idea, or just wanting a fun and yummy dessert recipe? You can purchase my e-book, "From Lisa With Love" (as well as other titles for your reading pleasure) at half price from Kobo! Use code: Sept50

Frugal happiness find: olive oil dispenser

Last Saturday, my husband had to work, and I wanted to do something fun in the kitchen with my son.  We decided to bake a batch of cookies, which require a combination of light olive oil and applesauce to replace butter in the recipe.  I remembered that I had recently used up the last of a smaller bottle of light olive oil, and it was now time to open the HUGE jug from my recent Sam's haul.  This would not be as easy to pour from as a smaller, handheld bottle.   I had been wanting an olive oil dispenser for some time, and now I had the perfect excuse for this to be the day to find one!

I looked at kitchen stores online, and was a bit dismayed by the prices, so I switched to Googling DIY projects.  Some were interesting, even pretty, but assumed I already had in my possession an empty wine bottle, or something similar.  The necessary dispenser piece to fit on top was about $7.99 at a "big box" store, which cost less than olive oil dispensers sold at the kitchen stores.  Hmmmmm......

Suddenly, I remembered a recent email, stating that I had $4 in Rewards to spend at Kmart.  I immediately searched the Kmart website, and discovered that an olive oil dispenser for $4.99 was available in the store near my house! I excitedly ordered my son to put on his shoes, and off we went to Kmart.  To my delight, there were several olive oil dispensers on the shelf! I grabbed one, went to the register, and paid $1.06, including tax, thanks to the $4 credit on my Rewards card. 

As soon as I arrived home, I took a picture of my frugal find, along with the reason for its purchase.

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Not only is the bottle filled with olive oil aesthetically pleasing, but it also does a superb job of dispensing without making a mess!  Perhaps the greatest reason for my love affair with my newly acquired kitchen gadget is due to the price.  There is a such a great sense of satisfaction in knowing that something works correctly and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.  Ahhhhh, the bliss of a frugal happiness moment!  Thankfully, I have been able to enjoy the euphoria throughout this past week, as I see the bottle out of the corner of my eye on the kitchen counter, and neatly pour its contents for other recipes. 

 



Unclaimed Property

I just HAVE to share this with you!!!

This morning, as my oatmeal apple pancakes were cooking on the griddle, I perused some of my favorite frugal blogs.  One of them shared a link to another gal's blog with a refried beans recipe that I thought looked interesting.  Something else on her blog caught my eye:  Frugality Tip #9: Check for Unclaimed Money Owed You.  I clicked on it, read the information about how unclaimed property exists in all 50 of the United States, then clicked on the safe and legit NAUPA link.  At first, I entered my husband's name for our current state.  Then it occurred to me to enter his name in the LAST state we lived in.  Eureka!  There is $130 in unclaimed cash, due to an overpayment on the truck we purchased waaaaaaaaay back in 1999.  I clicked on the claim number, entered the required information, and printed the claim form.  All I have to do now is make a photo copy of my husband's driver's license, and a document that shows proof he lived at the address appearing in the claim.  Once I get all of that into an envelope, I will mail it off, and wait to receive our $130. 

You never know, you too might have some unclaimed property!  It only takes a few moments of your time to search, and you probably won't have any trouble thinking of ways to spend or save your "found" money.  I'm thinking "DATE NIGHT(S)!"