Make-it-Yourself Monday: Apricot jam

Due to friends' generosity, I have an abundance of apricots to play with this week. Here's one of the recipes I'm hoping to try, with thanks to Make and Takes:

Apricot Leather

2 C. apricots
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. honey

Cut the apricots in half and remove pits. Blend apricots until smooth. Add honey and lemon juice and blend again.

Cover a tray with plastic wrap (a screen tray works best). Pour the apricot mixture onto the plastic wrap and smooth with a spatula to about 1/8" thick.

Put another screen rack on top and tape them together. If you don’t have a screen tray, find something that would keep out the bugs but allow air to come in and the sun to hit it.

Place trays outside on a table to dry. Leave them out for about 24 hours (shorter for a moister leather). Bring indoors and roll up the plastic wrap to create the roll-ups.

What are you making this week? Share it with other readers via Mr. Linky below!

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Sidewalk Chalk

Continuing last week's theme of fun, simple playthings for kids, here are instructions for sidewalk chalk. This recipe is compliments of familyeducation.com.

Sidewalk Chalk

Ingredients

1 C. plaster of Paris
1 C. water
Powdered tempera paint
Mold for chalk (small paper cups, ice cube trays, toilet paper rolls, etc.)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the water and plaster of Paris together.

2. Add the powdered tempera paint to the mixture.

3. Once the paint has been mixed in well, set it aside for a few minutes.

4. Pour the mixture into the mold and let it dry. This can take from several hours to a day or more, depending on the size of the mold. The bigger the mold, the longer it will take to dry.

5. Once the mold is dry, remove the chalk. If the chalk is still moist, let it air dry for another 24 hours.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Play Dough

I have fond memories of making play dough when I was a kid. Here are a couple recipes to try out...

Edible Play Dough
Adapted from WikiHow

12 oz. creamy peanut butter
6 T. honey
1 1/2 C. nonfat dry milk

Mix all ingredients until dough is easy to handle. If dough is too sticky, add more dry milk in small amounts.

Plain Play Dough
Adapted from Fun Baby Games

1 1/2 C. salt
1 1/2 T. cooking oil
1 T. cream of tartar
3 C. boiling water
3 C. flour

Mix salt, oil, cream of tartar and water in a large bowl. Add flour. Stir well until the mixture leaves the sides of the owl. Add more flour if the mixture seems too sticky. Turn out to knead. Store in airtight container.

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Whole Wheat Waffles

This has been my favorite waffle recipe since I started regularly making waffles a couple years ago. They're completely whole wheat, but amazingly light and fluffy.

Whole Wheat Waffles

2 C. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 T. honey
4 eggs, separated
1 C. plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/3 C. milk
1/3 C. oil or melted better

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry.

In a separate bowl, blend together the honey, egg yolks, yogurt, milk and oil. Add the dry mixture to the wet, blending thoroughly. Fold beaten egg whites into the batter.

Bake according to directions on your waffle maker.

After many good intentions, at the encouragement of a reader, I am introducing a Make-it-Yourself Monday meme. To participate, leave your link below with Mr. Linky.

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Shortbread

Shortbread is simple, buttery goodness at its best. Try serving it with tea or fruit for a delightful treat.

Shortbread

1 1/2 C. flour
1/3 C. sugar
3/4 C. butter

Blend ingredients well. Dough will be stiff. Press into a 9 x 9 inch glass dish or form into log on cookie sheet. Bake in oven preheated to 350 until edges are pale golden brown. Cut while warm.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Gift Bags

I love using gift bags because they're fun and reusable. Here are instructions to make your own...

Supplies needed

brown paper bag (size depends on how large you want to make the gift bag)
glue or paste
drawstring or ribbons
rolls of gift paper (use heavier gift paper for larger bags, and lighter weight for smaller bags)

Directions

1. Open the seams of the brown paper bag, making sure you also open the bottom folded area.

2. Place the roll of paper on a table, with the cut brown paper bag on top. Trace around the brown paper.

3. Fold the decorated paper the same way that the brown paper was folded. This will make your bag.

4. Put a slit at each corner of the extra paper fold down at the top of the bag. Do the same thing with the bottom. Paste or glue the folded areas. Smooth with your hands as you paste.

5. Make a hole on either side of the bag on top. Insert the rope or string to create the handles.

Gift bag instructions thanks to wikiHow. For more Make-it-Yourself Monday features, click here.

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries are in season and it's a great time to try new recipes. Following is a strawberry shortcake recipe I love--I've had it for quite some time, but just now rediscovered where I picked it up: Tammy's Recipes. For the original recipe and lots of other amazing treats, check out Tammy's website.

Whole-Wheat Strawberry Shortcake

4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound (about 2 cups) fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating at high speed and add 1/4 cup sugar, about 2 tablespoonfuls at a time. Beat well after each addition, until sugar is completely dissolved and egg whites stand in stiff peaks.

2. In another mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the egg yolks, flour, water, oil, baking powder, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of sugar. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the beaten egg whites until completely blended. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan or two smaller round cake pans.

3. Bake cake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched with finger and cake tests done. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan. The cake will sink slightly as it cools.

4. Beat whipping cream in a chilled bowl on high until soft peaks form. Add a tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and continue beating until cream is stiff.

5. To serve, spread the whipped cream over the cake. Top with strawberries. Cut into slices and serve! Or, cut into slices and top each slice with whipped cream and strawberries just before serving.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Crepes

Crepes are a lovely treat and homemade ones can be delicious. With strawberries in season now, it's a great time to serve up crepes with whipped cream and strawberries. Or use your creativity to come up with other tantalizing fillings. The following recipe was originally from Recipezaar.

Crepes

1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. flour
2 eggs
1 T. oil
2 T. sugar

1. Mix together milk, eggs, oil and sugar.

2. Add flour until combined.

3. Heat a nonstick skillet on high. Remove from heat, pour 1/4 cup batter onto skillet, tilt pan to spread batter.

4. When crepe is dry on top, turn onto paper towels. Repeat steps with remaining batter.

5. Serve with fruit, whipped cream, syrup, anything! If you want savory crepes, omit the sugar in the recipe.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Sweet Southern Tea

Thanks to Suzanne for sharing this weeks' Make-it-Yourself Monday idea.

Sweet Southern Tea

6 regular tea bags
6 C. water
2 C. sugar

Bring tea bags and water to a rolling boil. Let boil for 15 seconds. Steep for five to ten minutes. Put sugar into gallon pitcher and add hot tea. Stir vigorously until sugar is dissolved. Add water until pitcher is full. Chill.

Are there projects you'd like to see in our Make-it-Yourself Monday feature? What do-it-yourself ideas are you wanting to learn about this spring?

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Sweet & Spicy Relish

Garden season is beginning--here's a relish recipe to get you in the mood for using your produce. :-)

Sweet & Spicy Relish

12 C. grated zucchini or cucumber
4 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped red pepper
1 C. chopper green pepper
1 chopped jalapeno (alter to personal preference)
5 T. pickling salt
5 C. sugar
3 C. cider vinegar
1 T. mustard
1/2 T. celery seed
1 t. pepper
3/4 t. turmeric

In large glass or ceramic bowl, combine zucchini, onions, peppers, and salt. Cover and chill overnight. Drain in colander and rinse under cold running water. In a kettle, combine sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery seed, pepper, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add zucchini and peppers. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Pack into pint jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes. Makes about 7 pints.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Ingredient substitutions

In this week's Make-it-Yourself Monday feature, we're focusing on ingredient substitutions. The following is taken primarily from the NDSU's Ingredient Substitution listing. More substitution ideas may be found on their site.

Baking powder: 1 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda and
5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda and
1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk or yogurt (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda and
1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice used with sweet milk to make 1/2 cup (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup)

1/3 teaspoon baking soda and
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Bread crumbs, dry: 1/3 cup

1 slice of bread

Bread crumbs, soft: 3/4 cup

1 slice bread

Butter: 1 cup

7/8 to 1 cup hydrogenated fat and
1/2 teaspoon salt

7/8 cup oil and
1/2 teaspoon salt

7/8 cup lard and
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup margarine

7/8 cup oil

Catsup*: 1 cup

1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar

*for use in cooking

Chocolate chips, semisweet: 1 ounce

1 ounce sweet cooking chocolate

Chocolate, semisweet: 1-2/3 ounces

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus
4 teaspoons sugar

Chocolate, semisweet pieces melted: 6 ounce package

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup sugar

Chocolate, unsweetened: 1 ounce or square

3 tablespoons cocoa plus
1 tablespoon butter, margarine, or shortening

Cocoa: 1/4 cup

1 ounce (square) chocolate (decrease fat called for in recipe by 1/2 tablespoon)

Cornstarch (for thickening): 1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cracker crumbs: 3/4 cup

1 cup bread crumbs

Cream cheese

Part skim milk ricotta cheese or lowfat cottage cheese, beaten until smooth

Cream, whipped

Chill a 13 oz. can of evaporated milk for 12 hours. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Whip until stiff.

Egg: 1 whole (3 tablespoons)

1 egg white and 2 teaspoons oil

2 egg whites

2 yolks and 1 tablespoon water (in cookies)

2 yolks (in custards, cream fillings and similar mixtures)

Garlic: 1 clove

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Herbs, dried: 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon fresh, finely cut

Herbs, fresh: 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon dried herbs, finely cut

1/2 teaspoon ground herbs

Milk, sour or buttermilk: 1 cup

1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sweet milk plus
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar (allow to stand 5 to 10minutes)

1 cup sweet milk and
1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar

Mustard, dry: 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Onion: 1 small

1/4 cup chopped, fresh onion

1 to 2 tablespoons minced onion

1 teaspoon onion powder

Orange: 1 medium

6 to 8 tablespoons juice

Parsley, dried: 1 teaspoon

3 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

Pumpkin pie spice: 1 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Sour cream, cultured: 1 cup

7/8 cup sour milk or buttermilk plus
1/3 cup butter or margarine

Blend until smooth:
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup cottage cheese

Mix:
1-1/8 cups non-fat dry milk powder
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon vinegar
Mixture will thicken in refrigerator in a few hours

1 cup plain yogurt (in cooking add a tablespoon of cornstarch to prevent separating)

3/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup butter or margarine

Puree in blender:
1 cup cottage cheese
2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice

Sugar, brown: 1 cup, firmly packed

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses

Yogurt, plain: 1 cup

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup cottage cheese, blended until smooth

1 cup sour cream

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Granola

I love granola and find the homemade stuff hard to beat. Here's my family's current version (which happens to my favorite one ever :-) )...

Homemade Granola

6 C. oats
2 C. oat flour (just grind oats in the blender)
1/2 C. oil, warmed in microwave
1 C. nuts (pecans are our favorite)
1 C. sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 t. salt
1 T. vanilla
1/2 C. honey

Toast oats in oven for 10 minutes at 300. Add flour and stir. Add warmed oil and mix thoroughly. Add nuts, coconut, salt, and vanilla and stir to combine. Add honey last and mix well. Bake for one hour at 300, stirring 20 minutes into the baking time and again 40 minutes into the baking time. When baking time is over, don't stir granola, but turn oven off and leave it until granola cools (this makes for nice chunky granola). Remove from oven and store in airtight containers.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Cultured Buttermilk

Several weeks ago, we featured instructions for making buttermilk substitute. If, however, you'd like to try the real thing, here's help...

Cultured Buttermilk

1/2-1 C. cultured buttermilk (to use as starter)
3-3 1/2 C. milk

Scald milk, but don't allow it to boil. Cool to room temperature. Place buttermilk starter in quart jar and fill remainder of jar with scalded milk. Shake to mix thoroughly. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours or until thickened. Store in refrigerator.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Baking Mixes

Baking mixes can save a lot of time, but may also add more to your grocery bill than you wish. Here are a couple of recipes to save you both time and money in your meal preparations. Both recipes were originally from Hillbilly Housewife.

Basic Baking Mix

9 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 T. salt
1/4 C. baking powder
2 C. vegetable shortening

Thoroughly mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix shortening into dry ingredients until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an airtight container.

More detailed instructions are available with the original recipe.

Light Wheat Baking Mix

5 C. unbleached white flour
4 C. whole wheat flour
1/4 C. baking powder
1 1/2 T. salt
2 C. vegetable shortening

Thoroughly mix flours, salt, and baking powder. Mix shortening into dry ingredients until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an airtight container.

More detailed instructions are available with the original recipe.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Canning beans

Here, finally, is this week's Make-it-Yourself Monday. If you can find tasty ways to prepare dried beans, you'll save a heap of money... :-)

Note: In order to complete this project, you will need to know how to use a pressure canner.

For each pint of canned beans, you will need the following:

1 straight-sided wide-mouth pint jar
3/4 c. dry beans
1/2 t. salt
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic (optional)

Place beans in jars. Fill jars with water. Allow to soak overnight. Drain water and rinse beans thoroughly. Add salt, bay leaf, and garlic. Fill to 1/2" from top with boiling water.

Put flat jar lids in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Make sure jar tops are completely clean and not chipped. Place lids on jars. Fasten with jar lid rings. Put 2" water in bottom of pressure canner. Process beans for 40 minutes at ten pounds pressure. Follow pressure canner directions for cooling before opening the canner.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Fabric softener

Today's Make-it-Yourself Monday idea is inspired by Thrifty Fun. Personally, I don't usually use fabric softener, but if you can't survive without the stuff, here's a fun alternative... :-)

Dryer "sheets"

6 C. water
3 C. vinegar
2 C. hair conditioner (this would be a great use for conditioner you've gotten free or cheap)

Combine all in gallon container. Stir to mix. Dispense from spray bottle.

To use, saturate a clean washcloth or rag with softener. Dry in dryer with clean clothes.

Note: Since fabric softener reduces the absorbency of fabric, you may wish to avoid using it on your towels, rags, washcloths, and any other items used to soak up liquid.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: White sauce

This week in Make-it-Yourself Monday, we're talking about white sauce. White sauce is simple, yet the results taste a whole lot better than the cream-of-whatever soups from a can! Once you're used to making it, it's fun to mess around with the recipe and make new variations... :-)

Basic White Sauce

2 T. butter
2 T. white flour
1/4 t. salt
1 C. milk

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add salt and flour, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until bubbly, then continue to cook for about five minutes. Add milk a little at a time, beating constantly. Cook on low heat until thickened (do not allow to boil). Use in recipes as you would cream soup or as a base for other sauces.

For some fun variations, you might try the following:

Cheese sauce: After sauce has thickened, turn off heat and add grated cheese. Stir until melted and mixed.

Mushroom sauce (use in place of cream of mushroom soup): Add sauteed mushrooms.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Curtains

In this week's Make-it-Yourself Monday feature, we're talking about making curtains. For those of you who are challenged in the area of sewing, take heart--I am, too, and I still managed to make some cute curtains. :-) Curtains can be simple, inexpensive, and take very little time--yet completely change the feel of a room.


Supplies needed:

tape measure
cloth
thread
iron

1. Measure your window. How much cloth you use for the curtains can vary according to your taste and how gathered you want your curtains to look. I used about three times the width of the windows. You should also decide approximately how long you want your curtains, though you can always shorten them.

2. Wash, dry, and iron your fabric before beginning.

3. Cut your material, adding 7" to your curtain length and, if not using the natural edge of the fabric on the sides, 3" to the sides.

4. Fold down a 1/2" of material along the top, toward the wrong side of the fabric, and press.

5. Fold down 3-4" of material toward the wrong side of the fabric, and press again (original 1/2" fold will now be hidden on the wrong side of the material).

6. On the wrong side of the fabric, sew a very narrow hem, catching the 1/2" you turned under.

7. Make a similar seam about 2" higher, leaving two "tubes" along the top of the curtain.

8. Hang your curtain in the window, and decide exactly how long you want it to be. Use a pin to mark the length.

9. Cut curtain 1" below your hem mark.

10. Fold a scant 1/2" up along the bottom (toward the wrong side). Press. Fold a generous 1/2" up, and hem along the bottom, catching both layers in your seam.

You did it! :-) If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment, and I'll do my best to answer you.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Buttermilk substitute

Today's Make-it-Yourself Monday idea is a simple baking tip: what to do when you're out of buttermilk.

If you find yourself needing buttermilk for a recipe but don't have any on hand (or prefer a cheaper alternative), you can make a very simple substitution. Simply pour one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup, then add milk up to the one cup line. Allow it to sit for a couple minutes before using.

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Make-it-Yourself Monday: Broth

Broth is a lovely base for soups and sauces and makes a great addition to many casseroles. Best of all, you can make it at home for just pennies.

Supplies needed:

Leftover bones
When you eat chicken, throw the leftover bones into your "chicken bone bag" in the freezer. Keep beef bones in a separate bag. When you have a supply of one or the other, make a pot of broth.

Small amount of vinegar
Vinegar is optional, but will help leach minerals out of the bones and into your broth.

Seasonings such as celery leaves, onions, and garlic (optional)
Vegetables may be left whole--they'll be easier to remove later.

Salt to taste (optional)
I prefer to leave broth unsalted, then season when I'm using it in a recipe.

Place bones in stockpot. Cover with water and add seasonings and vinegar. Place on stovetop on very low heat. (I've never used a crockpot for this, but it should work.) Simmer for at least eight hours--24 hours is better. (The longer you simmer the broth, the better the flavor... up to a point!) Allow to cool. Remove bones and vegetables. Broth may be used immediately, or I prefer to have it frozen in recipe-sized amounts for later use.