Whipped Butter

Whether it's a matter of being frugal or if finding butter to buy has become a problem because of covid_19 food shortages, then this recipe is here to help. 

Keep 1/2 a pound of butter for baking and such. Use the other 1/2 and whip it up with a little milk to stretch that pound of butter!

(Thanks for the tip Dianna!)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb butter, room temperature
1/4 cup milk

Just put the butter and milk in a large mixing bowl and using the whisk attachment start combining on low to medium speed. After about 1 minute increase the speed to high and whip 4 or 5 minutes. At first it looks like it won't combine but after a few minutes it comes together.

Spread anywhere you would regular butter. Just remember it's not suitable for baking though.

Apple Bread Pudding Cups

The taste of these little bread puddings will remind you of a cinnamon roll. And made individually they are moist but not soggy like some bread puddings tend to be. Great for a comfort food dessert or you could have them for breakfast.

Ingredients:
5 cups cubed bread
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1  1/4 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1  1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
5 eggs, beaten
1  1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded apple

Glaze (optional):
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tbsps milk


Melt the butter then stir both sugars in using a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix the baking powder, salt and spices together then add to the large bowl. 

Beat the eggs with the milk and incorporate the apples. And add this mixture to the rest.

Fold in the bread cubes. Any soft bread will work (I wouldn't try a pumpernickel but you never know!) I used my store of heels from white and brown bread that I had stashed in the freezer.

Grease and flour muffin cups. I used Baker's Joy and it worked like a charm! Spoon the batter into the cups. Fill to the top as they won't rise when baked.

Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes

Cool in the pan 10-15 minutes then run a thin knife around the edge and carefully lift out with a small spatula. Serve warm as is or cool a little longer then mix the glaze together and drizzle over the tops.

Makes 18

Slow Cooked Tenderized Outside Round Beef Roast

You want to find cheaper cuts of meat, but you don't want to break your jaw to eat it.  Slow cooking and this milk marinade are the way to go.

2  1/4 lb outside round beef roast
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup HP steak sauce
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1 lb sliced onions
1 lb sliced carrots
1 lb potato pieces
2-3 tbsps onion soup mix

Score the meat a few times across the grain. Mix milk and vinegar together, then add garlic powder and pour over beef in  a plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible so the milk covers the meat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8.

Spray bottom of slow cooker with cooking spray.
Add onions. Drain meat and place it on top of the onions. Place the potatoes and carrots around it.

Mix the steak sauce, BBQ sauce, worcestershire and beef broth together and pour it over the roast.

Sprinkle with soup mix and slow cook 7 1/2 hours on low.

Let the meat rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.

And the house will smell wonderful all day!

Lemons and Limes

I just had to share this idea.
I was at the store and saw these lemons and limes in the bin for fast sale. At first I past them by because the bags were too big to use before they'd go bad. There were about 20 lemons and 25 limes in a bag. And each bag was only 99 cents!!

I couldn't leave them.  So I brought them home and washed them, then zested and juiced them all.

I froze the juice in ice cube trays and the zest in ziplok baggies.  A little elbow grease and I'm ready for any recipe that calls for juice or zest of lemons or limes!