Milk-less Potato Soup

Ingredients needed:

• Potatoes (I used 20, although a small family would need less.  For this recipe, calculate about 4 potatoes per person and you will still have some left-overs)
• a small amount of oil
• Celery  3-5 stalks or less
• carrots (one is enough, but if you love carrots, you can add more)
• onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
• corn starch

*I added a small amount of sour cream and a small chunk of Velveeta cheese to mine that I had leftover, but it is not necessary.

For us, I normally use about 10-12 potatoes when I use milk, but for this recipe I use 20 (the creamed pototoes give it a creamy consistency). 

My grandmother gave me a great tip for speeding up the process for cooking potatoes.  After you add water, add a little oil, then slit the potatoes.  Place a lid on the pot.

While the potatoes are cooking, skin and cut up carrots (however many you want in your soup.  I would use one to two for this recipe).  I cut mine into little strips.

Chop celery.

In a frying pan, add your carrots and celery and enough water to cover them. I added about half a stick of real butter (you may want to add less if you are making a smaller portion). Boil the water (add a lid so that the water won't evaporate and the veggies will cook faster).  Add a couple of tablespoons of onion powder and about a tablespoon of garlic powder.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

When the carrots and celery are tender and the water is still boiling, get a separate cup of  cold water and add about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Mix well (make sure there are no lumps), and pour this into your celery/carrot water.  Stir the water until you have a nice gravy and then turn on low.

After the potatoes are soft, pour out the hot water and cover the potatoes in cold water.  Peel the skin off the potatoes.  Take half of your potatoes and cream them well.  Take the other half and chop them into bite-sized pieces.

Pour your celery/carrot gravy into a large soup pot, add your creamed potatoes, and add your dices potato bites.  Mix this together into your soup pot and turn on low.

Test your soup and add  whatever salt, pepper or spices you may need to have the perfect flavor.

My husband loves to eat Cuban bread with this.  Click here for the recipe.

Very tasty!

Milk-less pancakes

from: http://www.grouprecipes.com/24644/easy-pancakes.html




We added chocolate chips! Yum!


Ingredients


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1 C. flour shopping list

1 Tbsp. sugar shopping list

2 tsp. baking powder shopping list

¼ tsp. salt shopping list

1 beaten egg shopping list

1 C. water shopping list

1 Tbsp. oil shopping list

How to make it

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In mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, combine egg, water, and cooking oil. Add to flour mixture all at once. Stir mixture just until blended but still slightly lumpy. Pour about ¼ C. batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet for each standard sized pancake or about 1 Tbsp of batter for each dollar-sized pancake.

Cook until pancakes are golden brown, turning to cook second side when pancake has bubbly survace and slightly dry edges. Makes 8 to 10 standard-size or 36 dollar-sized pancakes.

What To Do If You Run Out of....

I am starting a list of what to do if you run out of things. I have done this so many times (run out of something) and didn't want to go to the store just for that one thing. I will add things as I think of them and if any readers want to add, just comment and I will add it to the post (of course at my discretion*smile*). I am going to try to just keep it as a running list in random order:


1. Coffee filters: Well this takes a "little" planning.
You either have to already have a plastic, re-usable filter. Or one coffee filter left. Once I ran out of coffee filters and I had one left. O.k. I know it sounds funny, but IT WORKS! I had one left, so I rinsed it out and laid it on top of a cup. The next morning it was dry! And I used it again. I think I rinsed and re-used it for at least 3 or 4 days. I guess I COULD HAVE gone to the store and bought another pack for a dollar, but I had too much fun experimenting.

2. Conditioner: Thanks to Shannon who posted about it on her blog. I occasionally use about 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar mixed with about a cup of water and pour on my head instead of conditioner. KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED!!! Makes for nice shiny hair. Then I go back to regular conditioner after about a week.

3. coffee: Run to the store and BUY SOME MORE immediately!!!! sorry... can't think of anything else LOL (I guess you could drink hot tea?)

4. Dishwasher soap or laundry detergent: Dishwashing liquid. Just a squirt! Or for dishwasher soap, you can use just about a TBSP of bleach. *revised: This isn't the best idea.... I have used very tiny amounts with sucess - rare thing!
But if one isn't careful, there will be millions of bubbles and a huge mess!. Your best bet? Handwash your dishes!

5. Fabric softener: vinegar (I use this instead of all the time)
6. toothpaste: baking soda!
7. Floor cleaner: mix a cup of vinegar with a squirt of dishwashing liquid and fill mop bucket with hot water
8. I buy those foaming hand soap containers and then when they run out, I fill about 1/4 full of dish-soap. It works as a great replacement for regular hand soap!