Dill Dressing

We have spent the last couple of days eating up the odds and ends in the refrigerator. Leftover pork, leftover taco meat, half a cucumber, a bit of lettuce, etc. We typically have a leftover night each week to finish off these leftovers and this has really helped to reduce our food waste. To go along with our lettuce and other bits of produce, I made up this Dill Dressing. As I was whisking it together I realized that I had never posted it here at You Can Make That. I've been making it for years and I can't believe that I had never told you about it. My favorite way to serve this is over a green salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and grated carrots. 

Dill Dressing

¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. dried dill
½ tsp. salt

Measure all ingredients into a jar. Whisk to combine. Serve over green salad.

A Fun Filled Fall Weekend

Over the weekend we visited a local farm. We went especially to go through the Corn Maze. It was geared toward young children with educational questions that gave you directions through the maze. There was only one way in and one way out with no possibility of being lost for hours. My younger two loved it, and my older one was gracious about the fact that it was not more challenging.

At the end of the maze there were more educational activities that they enjoyed. Plus, everyone got a free pumpkin. After the maze, we got some homemade ice cream that is made right on the farm. It was a lovely day and the kids were pleased with all of it.

After we had gotten home, and the kids were off playing in the yard, I saw this pumpkin sitting on my living room couch wrapped up like a baby in a basket. I couldn't help but to take a picture. My little one is definitely in love with her pumpkin!

This pumpkin baby reminded me of another interesting baby that my little one fell in love with over the summer. Meet pumpkin baby's cousin, corn baby. My little one certainly has a unique attraction to produce!

What are you doing to celebrate Fall?

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Recently I tried a Pumpkin Smoothie recipe. I really liked it, but my kids were not impressed. So, I poured the leftovers into a canning jar and put it in the refrigerator. Later that day, the idea came to me that I could use the leftover smoothie as coffee creamer. This was a great solution to keep food from going to waste and it was yummy in my coffee. Although, it was a bit tart from the yogurt in the recipe.

I reworked the recipe and came up with the one below. It is smooth and thick. And, it even tastes great on its own without being too sweet. I am pleased that the One Time Pumpkin Smoothie evolved into something that I have gladly enjoyed and will make again and again.

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

¾ cup cooked pumpkin
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Add all four ingredients to a blender. Process until completely combined. Serve with your favorite coffee. Store in the refrigerator, and shake before serving.

You may also like to try homemade versions of Amaretto Creamer and Peppermint Mocha Creamer.

Pumpkin Waffles

I love the flavors of Fall. Pumpkin, apples, and all things cinnamon. To me, these flavors add up to a feeling of warmth and comfort. These Pumpkin Waffles are so tasty with real maple syrup and all three of my kids agree. (Homemade Cinnamon Syrup is delicious too!)

Of course one of the best features of this recipe is that the batter can be made up ahead of time and refrigerated for later. And, if you do not have a waffle maker, you can certainly use the batter to make pancakes instead.

Pumpkin Waffles

4 Tbsp. melted butter
¼ cup raw or brown sugar
1 cup cooked pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Stir together all ingredients. Follow the instructions for your waffle maker to the cook the waffles. Yield: 6 Belgian sized waffles.

Energy Bars

A while back, I told you about some No-Bake Energy Bites that are oh so tasty. However, I didn't make them as often as my children would have liked because they seemed too time consuming with the mixing, refrigerating, and rolling into balls. So, lately I have started using my food processor to do the mixing, skipped the refrigerating, and pressed the mixture into a pan. I then cut them into bars once they have firmed up in the refrigerator. This is so much simpler! And, they taste the same, so no complaints from my kids. Normally I serve these as a snack, but earlier this week my kids ate them for breakfast. 

No-Bake Energy Bars

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup raw honey
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Add all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to the bowl of a food processor. Process until thouroughly combined. Remove blade from the food processor and stir in chocolate chips. Press into an 8X6 pan and refrigerate until firm. Cut and serve. Store energy bars in the refrigerator.

The Society

Do you collect jars? Peanut butter jars, jam jars, honey jars, spaghetti sauce jars, pickle jars? Well, I do and I am not ashamed to admit it. I use them to store dry foods like popcorn and banana chips in my pantry, for leftovers like chicken broth and bacon grease in my refrigerator, and for freezing things like bulk yeast and bread crumbs. And, this is not my first post talking about my love for jars. If you like, you can read more about my obsession here. My grandfather named this obsession many years ago when he noticed that my grandmother was saving all of her used jars. He called it: The Society for the Preservation and Protection of Old Pickle and Peanut Butter Jars. Are you a member?

I love my collection of jars, I'm just weird like that. Right now I am saving my jars for Christmas. I have two recipes picked out that I plan to give to neighbors, teachers, and co-workers. But, since many of these friends read You Can Make That, I will not be sharing my Christmas gift recipes just yet. 

Have you started thinking about your Holiday gift giving?

Have You Missed Me?

I know that some of you have. I have received e-mails, phone calls, and text messages all asking me where I have been. Well, where do I start? My kids have been in school for three weeks now, and we are all making the adjustment to beginning another year in school. Two of my kids have started music lessons which takes us out of the house for several hours one night a week. And, I have started working again part time. It has been a flurry of activity at my house lately, so I apologize for my absence.

I am happy to report to you though that I have been using my “new” bread maker at least twice a week. It has been a fabulous time saver and my kids are so pleased to have homemade bread again. I have also been streamlining my lunch system to save time and money. One of the things that I have done is to purchase more containers for the school lunches. Having more containers has kept me from having to hand wash the containers every day to make sure that there are plenty for the next day. And finally, my youngest takes vanilla yogurt every day to school. So, now that I have enough containers, I am able to fill them only once a week instead of daily. This has helped me to save time too.

Although our transition to a new school year has not been seamless, it is shaping up to be a good year for us. How are you handling the new school year?