Recipes

Recipe Binder

April 23, 2013 by beth 1 Comment

(This is my most recent post for Or so she says…)

Hey there! Today I want to share with you one of my favorite things from my kitchen:

My Recipe Binder

Back when I was a newlywed, I didn’t really have a lot of recipes. I had a few family favorites written down in a little book my grandma made me, but that was about it. I love to cook, but let’s just say I “perfected” the three or four meals I knew how to make. Even though I wanted to cook well, I needed more ideas and recipes.

I could have gone out and bought a bunch of cookbooks, but I’m kind of picky. I’m a visual person, so unless the cookbook had a picture with every recipe, I stayed away from it. I don’t like trying a new recipe if I haven’t seen what it looks like yet. (Anyone else like that? Please say yes!)

Around this same time I had a pretty good collection of magazines that I just couldn’t seem to part with. They were starting to take over, and it was time to purge. I decided to go through each one and pull out any pictures or ideas or articles I wanted to keep (this was BP – Before Pinterest). There were a ton of recipes, too, so I began pulling out those as well.

Over the course of a few years I had quite the recipe collection (with pictures!!), so my next step was to protect them with plastic sheet protectors. I bought a large box of them at an office supply store and started arranging the pages to form a book.

The thing I really like about this part was that I arranged my recipes the way I like looking up what I want to cook: by main ingredient or what the dish actually is. So if I want to make a chicken dish, I look up chicken – not main dishes. If we want to eat pie, I go to the pie section – not desserts. This is easier for me because I can choose what I am cooking according to what ingredients I have. That’s what so great about making a recipe binder for yourself – you can tailor it to how YOU want it to be. It’s like making your own cookbook without having to buy one from Barnes and Noble. So, my cookbook is alphabetized and arranged according to what I would look for in the glossary of other cookbooks.

Once all of the recipes were in a protective sheet, I added them to a binder. Another cool thing about making your own cookbook: you get to decide the cover! I chose this one because it is vintage…ahem…I’ve had it since I was a teenager and really really love it!

When it’s time to cook something, I just pull the recipe out of the binder and put it on my recipe stand. Once the dish is complete, I can wipe the page off and put it back in the binder.

When creating your own recipe binder, it really is all about how you would like a cookbook to be if you could create your own. Some people need dividers or tabs. Some people want handwritten recipes. (There are a ton of cute recipe card printables online.) Maybe you only like recipes with pictures like me. Anyway you look at it, it is YOUR personal binder, and you can make it any way you like it!

Once you create one, you have a very personalized cookbook with all of your favorite recipes. This collection will take time and will evolve with you. But it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to create your own recipe binder using recipes you find online, in magazines, or passed down from family members.

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Easy Raspberry Freezer Jam

April 16, 2013 by beth Leave a Comment

K, so I wanted to share a favorite recipe of mine with you today that is easy and quick to make, plus it’s really really good. Have you ever made Raspberry Freezer Jam? Have you ever made your own jam at all? It is so much easier to make than you think, and it’s such a great way to use your favorite fruit while it’s in season.

Our most recent freezer jam batches came from necessity: I am super clumsy right now and dropped and busted an entire jar of store-bought jelly all over the floor. :/ (This was right after I dropped a whole pizza right out of the oven AND plateful of birthday cake I was about to give to The Hubs. My poor family!) Luckily we had just bought some raspberries, so I decided that instead of going to the store for more jelly, I would make my own!

It’s simple to make, and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand right now. The only thing that you may not usually have in your pantry to make homemade jam is pectin. It’s not hard to find at the grocery store, though – I’ve always found it on the baking or canning aisle.

Here’s the directions if you want to make freezer jam, too:

Ingredients:

3 c raspberries (P.S. If you want to use other berries or fruit, see variations of this recipe at the end of the post.)

1 TB fresh lemon juice

5 tsp powdered fruit pectin

1/2 tsp butter

1 1/4 c sugar

Directions:

In a skillet, mix together raspberries, lemon juice, pectin, and butter.

Heat to boiling on high, blending and mashing with a potato masher. Boil for 1 minute.

Stir in sugar and return to a boil. Boil jam for 2 more minutes (until it’s syrupy), stirring occasionally.

Remove jam from heat. Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Pour jam into 1/2 pint jars with tight fitting lids. (I used jars that were from previous homemade jams from friends, but we also have some plastic ones I bought from Wal-mart’s canning aisle.)

Cover and refrigerate until jam is set and cold (about 8 hours). The jam will thicken as it chills. Keep jam refrigerated and use within 3 weeks. OR put the jam into freezer safe containers and store in the freezer up to 1 year.

We LOVE this jam. It’s sweet and tastes like real fruit instead of artificial flavors. You can cook it in the time it takes to run to the store and buy jam, but you actually know what’s in it!

Variations:

For strawberry jam: use strawberries instead of raspberries; increase lemon juice to 2 TB; increase pectin to 2 TB.

For three-berry jam: reduce raspberries to 1 cup, add 2 cups of strawberries and 1 cup of blackberries; increase pectin to 2 TB; reduce sugar to 3/4 cup.

So that’s it! I highly recommend making your own - especially when you don’t have to pull out a bunch of special canning equipment or spend all day in the kitchen.

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Cheesecake Sopaipillas {Cheesecake Sopapillas}

April 1, 2013 by beth 3 Comments

Hey friends! I hope you all had a lovely Easter. We hosted lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kidlets at our house yesterday. When trying to decide what to serve for dessert, I knew I wanted to try a recipe that I’ve been holding on to for two or three years. One of my sweet friends in Florida passed it along to me, and it is SO good.

Have you ever had Cheesecake Sopaipillas?

They are the perfect blend of doughy, gooey inside/slightly crunchy outside. Cream cheese, cinnamon, and sugar make a creamy filling that is seriously heavenly. I made one pan, and it was gone. Like LONG gone…there wasn’t even a crumb left.

Wanna make some for your friends and family, too? Here’s the recipe:

Cheesecake Sopaipillas

*2 cans of crescent rolls

*1 block of cream cheese (although I’ve read other recipes calling for two – depending on your taste)

*1 cup sugar

*1 stick of melted butter

*1 tsp vanilla

*cinnamon and sugar

Instructions: Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Roll out one can of dough on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture across the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Repeat for second layer. Add melted butter across the top, and sprinkle a little more cinnamon and sugar over the butter. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

This easy dessert was such a crowd pleaser! And it seriously took only minutes to make. I just popped it in the oven while we ate, and it was ready to go after lunch.

Here are few more quick and easy desserts:

S’more Brownies

Candy Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Georgia Peach Smile (Peach Cobbler)

Have a great day!

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Steak and Berry Salad

March 14, 2013 by beth 4 Comments

K, so the other day I was trying to figure out what to have for dinner, but I was stumped because we keep eating the same things over and over. (The end of a pregnancy really wears on you, ya know?) Then I remembered this SERIOUSLY easy and yummy salad that The Hubs and I love. It only takes a few ingredients, and an hour or two to marinate, before throwing it on the grill. Here’s the recipe:

Steak and Berry Salad

1-1/2-pound flank steak
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of pressed garlic
8 cups torn lettuce leaves
3 cups fresh berries. I love strawberries and raspberries. Blackberries and blueberries are also really yummy!
1/2 cup broken pecan halves
Ginger-Balsamic Dressing (Whisk together 1/4 cup each balsamic vinegar and vegetable oil, 2 TB teriyaki sauce and 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger root.)

Directions:

*Score both sides of steak; place steak in large plastic food storage bag.
*Combine teriyaki sauce, vinegar, oil and garlic; pour mixture over steak.
*Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat steak. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning bag over once.
*Remove steak from marinade and discard.
*Grill steak, turning over once.
*Holding knife at slight angle, cut steak across grain into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices.
*Divide lettuce on 4 individual serving plates.
*Arrange steak slices on top of greens and top with fresh berries and pecans. Serve with dressing.

This salad serves up to 4 people, and it is seriously SO tasty. The Hubs and I gobble it up! Every time I eat Steak and Berry Salad, I feel like I just spent a lot of money on a pricey salad from a restaurant – it’s that good. Except my wallet isn’t crying in the corner, and I didn’t even have to leave my house.

Do you have a favorite Go To quick meals or salads? Here is a list of some of my other favorites!

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How to Make Homemade Yogurt

February 25, 2013 by beth 4 Comments

K, so I want to introduce you to two of my awesome friends, Angie and Doug. Angie and I have known each other since our sophomore year in high school. We were both the new kids at school, and we hit it off right away. (Don’t worry, Ang, I won’t put any incriminating high school pics of us on here!)

My cute friends have three adorable boys (Yay for three boys!) and a sweet new little angel daughter. Angie has been one of Free Stylin’s biggest supporters from day one. She often leaves me sweet comments or texts about my posts that make me feel like a million bucks. And when I’m slow on blogging, she is the cheerleader behind getting me back on my feet. I love this girl.

The other day Angie posted a picture of some homemade yogurt she had made on Facebook, and it seriously looked SO easy (and freakin’ cheap) to make. I begged her to share her recipe on Free Stylin’, and she and Doug were kind enough to write up a post AND add some pictures. (P.S. While you read, check out their kitchen. They redid most of it themselves, and it is amazing! LOVE the back splash!)

Take it away, Angikins!

How to Make Homemade Yogurt

Making homemade yogurt is easy and delicious. You only need two ingredients!

Gallon on whole milk
1 6-8oz container of plain or vanilla yogurt
4-5 quart mason jars with lids and rings

First wash your jars, lids and rings. Because we aren’t sealing these, it isn’t important to use new lids. I just use old lids and keep reusing them.

Pour the whole gallon of milk into a crock pot.

Heat until the milk reaches 185-190 degrees. (This took me about 3 hours on high heat. After 2 & 1/2 hours I checked the milk every 10 minutes or so.)

Once the milk is heated to 185-190 degrees, set the crock into the sink and fill with cold water about half way to the height of the crock. (I am assuming that like me you are using a crock pot with a removable crock so that when you do this you don’t short out your unit.)

Leave in the water until the milk cools to 120 degrees. (Watch closely, this only took me about 10 minutes.)

Heat your oven to the lowest setting. Remove the crock from the sink. Add one small container of yogurt. (If this is your second batch, you can use a cup of yogurt that you made last time.) Stir the yogurt in well so that all the yogurt cultures are distributed. If you like vanilla flavored yogurt, add 1/2 – 1 cup of sugar and 1 – 2 tablespoons of vanilla. Stir well.

Ladle the milk into the mason jars. (If you have wide mouth jars, use them over the regular size. It will be easier to get the yogurt out once it’s made.) Put the lids and bands on the jars.

Turn off the oven and turn on the oven light. Place the jars in the oven with the light on for 3 hours.

Remove the jars and place in the fridge for 8 hours or over night.

In the morning you’ll have delicious yogurt. We serve ours with fresh fruit or jam. YUMMY!!!

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Oh my gosh, doesn’t that look so easy and SO delicious? And for the price of a gallon of milk and one small yogurt container, you can get a ton of yogurt. Awesome! What’s your favorite yogurt flavor? What would you add to your yogurt? I bet this recipe would be so good with blueberries or raspberries. Can’t wait to make my own batch!

Thanks so much, Ang! You’re the best!

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