Make your own Instant Oatmeal!

Instant Oatmeal is expensive- so I suggest you make your own- here, from the Cheap Like Me blog is a recipe to make your own instant Oatmeal- super cheap, super tasty!

Cheap Like Me Instant Oatmeal
6 cups rolled oats, divided use
1/2-1 cup light brown sugar (or to taste)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Generous pinch table salt
1 cup powdered milk (optional)
Process 2 cups oats to a powder, then set aside in a bowl large enough to hold all 6 cups. Combine 4 cups of oats with remaining ingredients except powdered milk and process in two batches with two or three 1-second pulses, just so oats are slightly broken. Add to bowl with powdered oats. Add powdered milk. Stir or shake it up.
(Rob's Note; I don't add the powdered milk to the recipe: I use real milk when it is made- just a personal preference)
To serve, place about 1/2 to 1 cup of oatmeal in a bowl and stir in enough boiling water to get the consistency you desire (it may need a minute to thicken). Add any fruit, nuts, maple syrup or other flavorings you want.

How to dehydrate Banana Chips

Whether you use an oven or a dehydrater here is a DIY vid that shows how to make delicious nutritious Banana Chips:

How to make your own frozen Mashed potato cubes

I love the frozen mashed potato cubes found at Trader Joe’s, Better than potato flakes, they are so convenient- just take out 8 cubes for two servings, But they are so expensive, I was thinking how to do my own and after searching the internet Here is what I came up with:

Mashed potato cubes (Just like Trader Joe’s, minus the plastic bag!)

Make mashed potatoes according to your recipe. Mine is new potatoes or Yukon golds or fingerlings a little milk and a little butter. Cut the potatoes to about 1” cubes and boil until tender (a fork easily goes in them and they slip off quickly). Then take a Masher some milk or crème and mash them- Skins and all- Add the butter while mashing.
Option 1A - Take a pastry bag, when the mashed potatoes cool, and put a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Make little dot’s of mashed potato on the cookie sheet
Option 1B – same as above but if you don’t have a pastry bag simply use a melon baller or a spoon and scoop them out onto the cookie sheet.

Option 2- My Frigidaire came with a great set of small cube sized ice trays. Well the damn thing has an Ice Maker built in so- I stole the Ice Trays from it and filled them with Mash Potatoes and stuck them in the freezer.

When fully frozen, take them and put into a container and keep in the freezer until ready for use.

To prepare them, simply take 4 cubes of mashed potato per serving, put in a bowl, you may want to add a teaspoon of water per serving and microwave for 30 seconds and stir them. 2-4 servings might require more time

How to make tomato paste

Yeaterday, beth made the comment on my post about making catsup that the tomato paste can has BPA in it. Of course, I never knew that you could make your own tomato paste. From the fantastic PICK YOUR OWN website- here is how to make your own tomato paste- and you can freeze it rather than can it.

The Pick Your Own site is a fantastic website with canning and preservation instructions, where to find U-Pick farms,pumpkin patches, corn mazes all over the USA where to find canning supplies- a vast plethora of preservation information!

How to make fruit roll-ups

Another way to preserve deliciuos fruit from the summer- here is a DIY on making fruit roll-ups from a Sonoma Garden blog

How to freeze Cauliflower

Ever wondered how to keep cauliflower so you can eat eat it in the winter? Freeze it! Here is a quick DIY on freezing cauliflower

Find blanching times and freezing info for all your veggies here

How to freeze berries

How do you freeze berries? Summer is going strong and the berries are ripe for the picking. Here is how to freeze berries

How to make small batch jam

I just made jam for the first itme. This video was very instructive and easy to understand.

Make your own Jerky!

You don't need a special appliance like a dehydrator or smoker to make beef Jerky! You can use your own oven! Here is how to make jerky using your oven. I cant vouch for the jerky shooter, but I can vouch for homemade Jerky!

ROB'S JERKY MARINADE
2 cups brown sugar
1 large bottle of Lea and Perrins - Worcestshire Sauce
1 TBSP. Of crushed or minced garlic
Black pepper
Mix brown sugar, lea and perrins and garlic in a large bowl- place meat in bowl- let sit over night
after putting the strips of meat for making jerky, sprinkle with black pepper- I found that fresh ground black pepper works best