Buffy ran out of dog treats. She's been training well with the delicious incentive.
So, I went online and looked for dog treat recipes. I found one called Flea Hater's Biscuits. I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I mixed up a batch.
She hated them.
Wouldn't even taste them.
Hmmm... Well, I decided to use some venison we'd been given for a nice Venison Chili. When I drained off the fat and juice from browning the ground venison, I poured it over the failed dog biscuits. I popped them back into the oven to toast and brown.
She likes them! I saved $3 on dog biscuits by using staples in my pantry: flour, oil, wheat germ, brewers yeast (I just happened to have received a small bottle in recent weeks), salt and chicken broth (I used my stock of buillon powder).
I'm not sure how to tell if a dog treat recipe will taste good to a dog or not, as yet. But, there a lot of them available on the internet to try. They're pretty simple and it's fun.
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Making the Most of What you Have
I'm not so good at planning ahead when it comes to shopping and cooking. I tend to buy what is on sale in addition to what I need. Or, I'll buy the 10 lb. bag of potatoes when I only need a few at the time, because the 10lb. bag is actually cheaper than the 5 lb. bag or buying only a handful of potatoes. It's hard to pass up a good bargain.
The problem with this can be not using the food that was a bargain before it spoils. Then, it just becomes a silly waste of money. The extra potatoes from the huge sack are often forgotten until they are a little funky. We don't eat that many potatoes apparently.
To resolve this and make the most of my budget, I prowl through the fridge and pantry at least once a week (sometimes more often) and see what needs to be used. Yesterday, it was potatoes. I had about 1/2 - 1/3 of a 10 lb bag left that needed to be used before they found their way to the compost pile. In addition to potatoes, I found some celery, carrots and a bit of onion all left over from holiday cooking and still in good condition... for now.
Being a chilly day, it seemed perfect to make a big pot of potato soup. Yum! I'll include my recipe, but I have to say that soups are one of those things I don't really follow a recipe to create each time. Usually the first time I make something new I do follow a recipe. Then, after that, it becomes my own and I will adjust things here and there for what's on hand. That's what I did with the potato soup I made last night and it turned out wonderfully delicious!
Potato soup is a great budget stretching item. Potatoes are inexpensive. You can get enough to make a huge pot and feed a crowd for only a few dollars. It is very filling and can stretch a meal when served with sandwiches or as an appetizer. Personally, I like a steaming bowl with some crusty bread or rolls.
Potato Soup
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbspns flour
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cans chicken stock (or add chicken bullion cubes to water)
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
I had about 3 times the amount of potatoes needed, so I used a bigger pot and adjusted the recipe. I used a bit of oil with the butter to stretch it. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions and garlic, cooking until soft. I added 1 carrot, peeled and sliced and 1 stalk of celery, chopped to this recipe last night. If you add additional veggies like this, do so when you are sauteéing the onions and garlic. Add flour to make a roué, then add potatoes and chicken stock to barely cover the potatoes. I had on hand some chicken broth powder that we picked up inexpensively at the local bargain store. I used water and about 2 tablespoons of the powder. Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Add milk and season to taste. Milk was in short supply last night, so I skipped the milk and added more water to the cooking process. The flour had thickened the broth nicely and I used my spoon to mash some of the potatoes to make it a bit thicker. It worked fine without having milk in the recipe. Heat until thickened and creamy.
This made a decent pot of soup and we have some leftover in the fridge. I took a picture of some in the pot so you could see how yummy it looked... too bad we still don't have smell-a-vision. Today I'll freeze some of the leftovers for another day.
Enjoy!
The problem with this can be not using the food that was a bargain before it spoils. Then, it just becomes a silly waste of money. The extra potatoes from the huge sack are often forgotten until they are a little funky. We don't eat that many potatoes apparently.
To resolve this and make the most of my budget, I prowl through the fridge and pantry at least once a week (sometimes more often) and see what needs to be used. Yesterday, it was potatoes. I had about 1/2 - 1/3 of a 10 lb bag left that needed to be used before they found their way to the compost pile. In addition to potatoes, I found some celery, carrots and a bit of onion all left over from holiday cooking and still in good condition... for now.
Being a chilly day, it seemed perfect to make a big pot of potato soup. Yum! I'll include my recipe, but I have to say that soups are one of those things I don't really follow a recipe to create each time. Usually the first time I make something new I do follow a recipe. Then, after that, it becomes my own and I will adjust things here and there for what's on hand. That's what I did with the potato soup I made last night and it turned out wonderfully delicious!
Potato soup is a great budget stretching item. Potatoes are inexpensive. You can get enough to make a huge pot and feed a crowd for only a few dollars. It is very filling and can stretch a meal when served with sandwiches or as an appetizer. Personally, I like a steaming bowl with some crusty bread or rolls.
Potato Soup3 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbspns flour
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cans chicken stock (or add chicken bullion cubes to water)
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
I had about 3 times the amount of potatoes needed, so I used a bigger pot and adjusted the recipe. I used a bit of oil with the butter to stretch it. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions and garlic, cooking until soft. I added 1 carrot, peeled and sliced and 1 stalk of celery, chopped to this recipe last night. If you add additional veggies like this, do so when you are sauteéing the onions and garlic. Add flour to make a roué, then add potatoes and chicken stock to barely cover the potatoes. I had on hand some chicken broth powder that we picked up inexpensively at the local bargain store. I used water and about 2 tablespoons of the powder. Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Add milk and season to taste. Milk was in short supply last night, so I skipped the milk and added more water to the cooking process. The flour had thickened the broth nicely and I used my spoon to mash some of the potatoes to make it a bit thicker. It worked fine without having milk in the recipe. Heat until thickened and creamy.
This made a decent pot of soup and we have some leftover in the fridge. I took a picture of some in the pot so you could see how yummy it looked... too bad we still don't have smell-a-vision. Today I'll freeze some of the leftovers for another day.
Enjoy!
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