How to Make a Pancake Mix Container from a Ketchup Bottle

 

Kitchen DIY: Ketchup Bottle for Pancake Batter
Buy at Amazon

The idea for this post on using a ketchup bottle to make a pancake mix container is a pinterest tip.  It works great for special heart shaped valentine pancakes, or even more special W.T. pancakes for the good little boy in your life…

If you clean out an old ketchup bottle and fill it with a thin (but not watery) pancake batter, you can squeeze out precise amounts or add artistic flair without making a mess.

At my house, I typically make a mess as I use a measuring cup to scoop the batter out of the bowl and drip globs of batter throughout the kitchen. (Which reduces the hubby points for making weekend breakfast to less that zero).

This works pretty good, it works best with thinner batter that is pretty well mixed.  It may take some practice to see what recipe works the best with the bottle you have.  I have also, on occasion opened up the hole in the lid.

It is pretty cool that some people have taken this technique to a whole higher level.  I have seen videos of people making art out of squirted pancake batter.  They let the pancakes cook to different levels of doneness, which causes shading on the portraits they made.

How to Make Blackberry Dumplings

How to Make Blackberry Dumplings

 

Recipe: Blackberry Dumplings
Buy at Amazon

Since I have blackberries growing along my fence, I am always looking for new blackberry recipes.

This recipe for Blackberry Dumplings is a clear winner.

Besides being simple and tasty – its also can be made in a dutch oven for a camping treat.

Try it an tell me what you think.

 

Blackberry Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 qt Fresh or frozen (loose-pack) blackberries
  • 1 c Plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 ts Lemon extract
  • 1 1/2 c All-purpose flour
  • 2 ts Baking powder
  • 1/4 ts Ground nutmeg
  • 2/3 c Milk
  • Cream or whipped cream, optional

Procedure

  • In a Dutch oven, combine the blackberries, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lemon extract.
  • Bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and remaining sugar and salt.
  • Add milk
  • Stir just until mixed. (Dough will be very thick.)
  • Drop by tablespoonfuls into six mounds onto hot blackberry mixture
  • Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.
  • Spoon into serving dishes.

If cooking in an oven I used 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, but the recipe really is designed for a campfire.

How to Cook Rice in a Pressure Cooker

How to Cook Rice in a Pressure Cooker

 

Kitchen DIY: Rice in a Pressure Cooker
Buy at Amazon

Pressure cookers are great for preppers as it cooks things in a fraction of the time using less energy.

Today I show how to cook rice in a pressure cooker as a “I wonder if…”.  It was just a guess if it would work.

It did, and not I am going to show that method.

I have heard of a pot in a pot method that supposedly works much better.  After I do more research I will try it out later.

This is a faster method than my how to make sticky rice in a crock pot article.

From my experience here are some knowledge points for cooking rice this way.

  • Do not fill the pressure cooker more than halfway full.
  • Do not short change the standing time at the end of the process.

Ingredients:

  • ]1 cup rice
  • 2 cups water, broth, or stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional, I sometimes use oil – or even omit it altogether)

Procedure:

  • Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker.
  • Securely fasten lid.
  • Cook over medium-high heat until it is at high pressure. (it will vent)
  • Reduce heat a little and continue cooking for 7 minutes.
  • Remove from heat (I let it set until it cools, but you can place in sink and release pressure by running cold water over the lid if you are in a hurry)
  • Let rice stand covered for 5 minutes. Check pressure before removing lid. If any pressure has built up, run under cold water again to release it.

How to Make Baked Honey Bananas

 

Recipe: Baked Honey Bananas
Buy at Amazon

Having a toddler and a healthy living advocate in the house we go through bananas like a circus tent full of monkeys – not that eating bananas is bad.  They are a great source of potassium and really help with the soreness after working too hard at the land.

However, eating one food to extremes can get old and I am always looking for neat new recipes.  As a beekeeper (beehaver is more accurate) I admit I am especially interested in recipes using honey so when I found this baked honey banana recipe I could not wait to try it.

This recipe is so simple written instructions are not necessary, the video is short and is easily followed.  However if you love sweet gooey desserts this recipe is addictive.  It is so easy and tastes so good you may find yourself cooking it often.

Personally, I like taking it to potluck dinners because it is “exotic” I get much more credit than the effort expended is worth.

This easy recipe tastes good, looks good, and is simple, so Baked Honey Bananas wins in every recipe metric.  You owe it to yourself to try this fun recipe.  Its good.

Recipe: Egg Drop Soup

Recipe: Egg Drop Soup
Buy at Amazon

Here is an Asian inspired Egg Drop Soup that is very simple to make and uses one of the perfect homestead proteins sources – eggs.

This is a very economical recipe that contains few ingredients in the base, but allows you to add more ingredients based upon your desires.

Egg drop soup is just eggs added to a boiling chicken broth. The eggs cook almost immediately when added to the hot broth and create thin strands in the flavorful liquid.

Many times egg drop soup is just seasoned with salt, pepper and a little green onions.

Here in America we often add corn starch to make it thicker.

Since both eggs and chicken stock are very nutritious, making this soup is a great source of nutrients. The simple nature and easy digestibility makes it easy to digest so it is a great soup to eat when feeling run down or when dealing with some kind of sickness.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 eggs

Preparation

  • Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan over a medium-high heat.
  • Add the ginger, chives and salt to the liquid and allow it to come to a boil.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the eggs
  • As the broth continues to boil, use a fork and drizzle the eggs into the pot. The eggs should cook immediately.