Eating Well on a Budget!
Recipe Re-Mix will help you streamline your grocery bill, yet still eat a healthier diet!
We all have our favorite traditional and/or cultural foods that we love. Unfortunately, many of us face barriers when cooking our favorite foods in a healthier manner. Recipe Re-Mix will help us to identify barriers and find ways to overcome them.
I used to own a very popular restaurant. One of the strategies I used to keep my costs down was to create menu items using ingredients I used in other dishes. I call these the “Basics.”
Let’s take a look at how we, together, will create this site!
The Basics
- What are your favorite foods?
- How do you currently make them?
- What ingredients do you use most in your cooking?
- Do you have health concerns regarding the foods you eat?
- What are your biggest barriers? Is it a tight budget, lack of transportation, or lack of kitchen equipment?
These are the discussions I want to have with you. I’ll be asking a lot of questions on Quora! I will be posting the best posts from our Recipe Re-Mix Community here on this site.
Butter!
To be clear, I am not a nutritionist, nor a doctor. I am 65 years old and my cholesterol levels are normal, I am not diabetic, and am generally in good health.
Growing up in the southern regions of the USA, we used butter in everything. I refer to butter as “love” when I am cooking. However, moderation is the key. Now that my kids are grown, I do not go through as much butter as before, but you can always find it in my refrigerator. And, most importantly, I use butter in many of my recipes.
In case you haven’t noticed, the cost of butter (as well as everything else) has skyrocketed. My favorite butter costs over $6/lb in the grocery store. The store brand is over $4/lb, and specialty butters are even more expensive! I decided it was more economical to make my own. For less than $5, I was able to make almost 1 lb of butter and 2 cups of buttermilk for marinating chicken. A pound of butter will usually last me for 2 weeks, unless I am cooking for company. I also use quite a bit more during the holidays. But that’s a whole different story.
I use a food processor to make my butter. You can also use the paddle blade on your “stand mixer”, a hand mixer, or you can make it by hand. I have never tried churning the butter by hand, so I can not say how long it takes.
Ingredients:
Heavy Whipping Cream (32oz) – $4.89 at Walmart
Instructions:
- Pour cream into food processor
- Puree/Mix for approximately 12 minutes. The butter will separate from the liquid making a loud thumping sound. If your food processor does not have suction feet on the bottom, you might want to maintain a good eye on it to keep it from scooting of the counter!
- Pour liquid from food processor into medium bowl.
- Scape out solids from the food processor.
- Pictures are below
I usually split the butter up into 4 parts at this point. With clean hands, squeeze each ball of butter and drain remaining liquid into the bowl with the other “buttermilk.” Once you have completed this step, roll your butter and wrap tightly with saran wrap.
I was able to make 440 grams (15.53 ounces) of butter and almost 2 cups of buttermilk. I use the buttermilk to soak (marinate) my chicken for the week. It makes the most tender chicken you have ever tasted!
Seasonings:
I don’t remember a time when there was not Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Seasoning in my family’s kitchen when I was growing up. My mom used it on everything, and I do too. Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt has approximately 50% less sodium than regular table salt per serving and contains No MSG.
I always sprinkle “Krazy Salt” in with half of the butter I make. You will see that I use “Krazy Salt” in most recipes I create.
This is not a paid endorsement – I seriously believe in the product and recommend it wholeheartedly.
Fresh Herbs and Seasonings:
I grow rosemary and sage to use when I make fancier seasoned butters. We will talk about growing our own herbs in a future post.
Recipe Re-Mix 