Fat Frog Diary

Bias Tape- Love it or hate it, you have to have it when you quilt or sew. Well-meaning friends often give a quilter/sewer lots of scrap fabric, whether it's suitable for quilting or not. I have received bags full of absolutely stunning high-quality wedding silks, a footlocker full of grandma's table linens, and an entire 18-gallon tote of upholstery fabric. Then again, I also have my own Mount Scrapmore. I can't bear to throw away anything larger than 2-1/2" wide. It's still useful.  I confess I hated making bias tape. That was one of the reasons I stopped quilting. I always screwed up the angles making bias tape until Dave found this method below. Within a day, I was zooming through my scraps making all the bias tape out of all the 2-1/2" strips I'd been holding onto for years. If my cats hadn't practiced their interference mastery skills by laying all into my piles (sorted by color) I probably would have been falling asleep at the sewing machine.    ...

I hope this can be read easily. I had to do a bit of sizing to get it to fit. If it can't be read, please let me know. The braided Dinner rolls are the best for a cheat hack to make you look like a genius baker.    Notes: 1. The braided roll can be made using store-bought pizza dough, roll it out and cut it into three long strands. Brush them with melted butter, braid them, brush with a simple egg wash, and bake at 375F until golden. Optionally, you can sprinkle with poppy seeds over the egg wash.  2. Store bought dinner rolls from the refrigerated section of the grocery store can be made into Parker House style rolls by flattening them with a rolling pin, buttering them, and then folding them into the classic Parker House shape Bake at 400F for about 10-12 minutes, or whatever the bag says.  Disclaimer: I am not a chef, nor a licensed food service professional of any kind. I'm a grandmother who loves to cook and loves efficient cooking. Anything I post has been chec...

 How do you make yourself look like a star baker when you barely have time to slice and bake those sugar cookies from the store or whip up a mix? Wilton Candy Melts.   No, they are not my sponsor. I'm just lazy. Lazy means I am always seeking the most efficient way to do things.  How easy is it to do? Just melt the candy and drip or drizzle. Literally, that's it.  No, really. That's it. The picture above is simply Rice Crispy Treats with a popsicle stick stuck in them, then dipped in melted Candy Melts. Some were sprinkled with candy decorations before the candy hardened.  You can do the same with brownies, pretzels, or even store-bought cookies. I've stuck a stick in Oreos then dipped them in Candy Melts. Dip plain old slice and bake sugar cookies into Candy Melts and they'll call you a brilliant baker. Drizzle different colors of Candy Melts to make a theme like orange and green for Halloween or red/white/blue for patriotic, and do I really need to mentio...

  This is one of my kitchen basics, right along with a classic White Sauce. Learning to make this elevates a plain old cheesecake or ice cream to divine. Think how a raspberry sauce would go over plain old pear halves, for instance. This makes keeping a can or two of fruit cocktail in the pantry and a few single-serve cans of orange juice hidden away well worth the trouble. Or better yet, how to elevate plain Greek yogurt to something even Aphrodite might enjoy. Since cheesecake and yogurt qualify as creamy, I am sharing it now. You'll thank me for giving it to you early in the year.  Please note this sauce is more than just sugar, water, and fruit. It has cornstarch to thicken it and you get to decide how much sugar to use. I personally use a tablespoon of sugar, and sometimes a tablespoon of Splenda, because I have a diabetic in the house.  Hiding the orange juice is the trickiest part. Single serve bottles and cans do best. Sneak thieves find the stash and drink it all...

 Bonus Post! Conventional wisdom says that when you have to measure a sticky ingredient like honey or molasses, spray the appropriate measuring cup with cooking spray, then pour in the sticky ingredient. The cooking spray will help keep the ingredient from sticking. For the most part, this works. However, you still have to clean the cooking spray and residual sticky ingredients from the measuring cup. This is a better way.  Will it work every time? No. In some cases, the recipe instructions say to mix the sticky with other things before adding to the dry ingredients. In that case, go back to spraying your measuring cup and proceed on as usual.  But...when you can get away with this hack, do it! I used it in the bread machine, since I knew the recipe well enough to not mix the sticky molasses with the liquids and get away with the minor change. This was not on delay cycle! I hit start as soon as the last ingredient (yeast) went in.  Example: The recipe calls for 1/3 c...

Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies  This is another "prepare for the holidays now!" recipes. By making these up and stowing them for later, you make your life easier when you get the "Mom! I forgot to tell you that I'm supposed to bring cookies to the class party tomorrow!" It happens to all of us. Save your stress and have these rolls ready in the freezer.  Note that there are thousands of ways to up the cookie game besides sprinkling colored sugar or dumping on some frosting. One of my favorites is to take the foot of a toy T-rex and other dinosaurs for cookies that have been "walked on" by dinosaurs.  10 Cookie Shaping Hacks to Impress All the Cookie Lovers!! So Yummy - YouTube I'm the surprise cookie obsessed that wraps cookie dough in caramels and other candies. Have a great time and I hope you learned a lot from this one post. Let me know what's your favorite method or trick to making cookies that wow. 

 MUFFIN MIX  First, the basic mix, then how to make it into muffins, and then what you can do with that very basic muffin to jazz it up.  How to make Melt-in-Your-Mouth Muffins This recipe comes from the Make a Mix Cookbook I've mentioned in previous posts. It's well worth a place on your cookbook shelf. I recommend writing the ingredients below on the container of the muffin mix so it's handy. Add a note about the time and temperature of the oven and you're set to make muffins even after only one cup of coffee.  2-3/4 cups Muffin Mix  1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk 1/2 cup butter, melted or 1/2 cup vegetable oil  Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Put muffin mix in a big bowl. Mix all wet ingredients and then add all at once to dry. Stir until just moistened. Do not overbeat. It's supposed to be lumpy, trust me. Fill your muffin tins with your batter until 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown...

I keep a giant pickle glass pickle jar of this in my pantry at all times, winter and summer. You'll want some big bowls and some crusty bread for this one. This bean mix works well any time you want some extra "filler" in your soup, stews, and chili. If you don't have a giant pickle jar like I do, then make up 2-cup increment zip-top bags, label, and store in the pantry for immediate use.  Calico Bean Soup Note: while you can boil then soak your beans overnight, a faster method is to use your Instant Pot. To the two cups of beans add 4 cups of water. Add salt, if desired. Lock down the lid, set to Pressure Cook, 25 minutes. Walk away. Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for at least 30 minutes after it's done, then release any excess pressure. Drain the beans, keeping them in the pot.  Add:  8 cups water 1-1/2 lb ham hocks or ham bone 1 onion, chopped (about a 1/2 cup or more if you like onions) 1 garlic clove minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp chili powder 1 28-oz ...

 Corn Bread Mix This recipe makes a sweeter version of corn bread. Some folks prefer to have a more corn-forward recipe. Adjust as needed.  Remember that this is made using the muffin method, so don't over-beat. Just mix until moistened. A lumpy batter is better than an overbeaten one. I actually prefer this as corn muffins, so don't be afraid to change the baking vessel to a greased muffin tin, if desired. 

 Chili Seasoning Mix  Ever wish you could have a magical amount of chili seasoning mix to toss in with some ground beef, tomatoes, and beans and call it a day? Now you can. Mix several of these in small batches and store in zip-top snack sized bags with labels. Dinner can be done in a jiffy.  Note that this recipe was written before the invention of the Instant Pot. Saute the ground beef (or brown in the air fryer) and use a paper towel held in tongs to absorb the excess grease. Throw in the rest of the ingredients, set to slow cook until the time you want to serve, and cover. No need to pressure lock, so if you have a glass top lid that fits your Instant Pot like I do, you can just put the lid on top and walk away. 

Brownie Mix- It's not just for brownies anymore.  I'm going to include just the brownie recipe, but it's possible to make cookies, sheet cakes, alaskas, and many other dishes using this mix as a starting point. Get wild with this one after you get familiar with how it bakes as a brownie.  Brownie Mix Brownies 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 2-1/4 cups brownie mix  1/2 cup nuts, coconut, marshmallows, dried fruits, crushed Wilton Candy Melts, or chocolate chips (all are optional) Frosting, Coconut, Marshmallows, and other toppings are also optional. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease and flour an 8" square pan. Combine butter, eggs, vanilla, and brownie mix. Beat until smooth. Stir in nuts or optional additions. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until edges separate from the sides of the pan. Cool completely, then frost if desired. Cut into 2-inch bars. Makes about 16 brownies.  The original recipe comes from the book, Make-A-Mix...

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

 Let's make this quick and easy. We all get surprised by that last minute "I need a cake now!" moment. A quick dash to the pantry may reveal nothing that can be used. With this recipe, you can throw a multitude of cakes together with minor additions like chocolate chips and flavors. I highly recommend keeping flavors handy beyond vanilla extract, such as Torani flavored syrups. Yellow or White Cake 5 cups all-purpose cake mix 1-1/4 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla extract (or any other flavored extract or syrup you want) 3 eggs (or for white cake, whites only) Preheat oven to 350F (175C) Generously grease and lightly flour two 8-or 9-inch round cake pans or one 13x9 baking pan.  In a large bowl, combine cake mix, milk and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on high speed for one minute. Scrape batter from side of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high one minute longer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the batter is creamy. Pour batter into pan(s).  B...

 You know when you drop the just-purchased groceries on the counter? Do you wearily put away the perishables, trudge to the pantry to put away the non-perishables, then walk away thinking you've done all you can?  Think again. You can save a great deal of time and money by NOT putting away the vegetables just yet. Instead, get out the freezer bags, a Sharpie, a chef's knife, a cutting surface, and maybe these from Amazon:  Amazon.com - OTURGC Baggy Sandwich Racks Holder，Food Storage Bags Clip-Ideal Plastic Kitchen Gadget, No Hassle Cooking Solutions(4 Pack), 4pcs, Green… Optional but recommended: food processor with the chopping blade, a bowl for composting scraps and a trashcan nearby. If you have a deep freezer, you're set. If you don't, please keep in mind what space considerations you need to make. It might be time to clean out the freezer of the remains of the quart of freezer burned ice cream and the frozen store-bought lasagna from six months ago that no one will...

https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/uses-for-household-borax/   I'm giving this lady full credit! We all know about baking soda and how many wonderful things it can do, but borax equals or exceeds it. I've made the laundry soap and found it beyond excellent. I've used it to scrub delicate china without removing the artwork, and I knew it could do other things but I was stunned by the advice from a friend to try it for an insect infestation. Little brown cockroaches had invaded my home from a grocery bag kept a little too long, and bug spray just wasn't doing the job. Not only was it expensive, I was tired of inhaling the poison while I wielded the Raid spray like a weapon. Not the way I want to enjoy my coffee in the morning. I live in Florida, and bugs are a constant issue. We have cockroaches the size of your thumb we term "palmetto bugs" but let's not mince words. They are giant flying cockroaches you have to kill with a hammer. No, I'm not k...