Ha! Haven’t made donuts in years. Last time I tried…well…let’s just say the greasy mess was suitable for chicken fodder. But today we have a winner! I found this online and asked the owner if I could post it and he was only too happy to allow me. So here it is. I’m just copying the directions straight from his site, including his introductory comments.  The kids and I baked some of them instead of frying them, and they came out great, too! So if you don’t like the oil, you can bake these. They filled great! We used a cookie gun to squirt pudding into the cooked and cooled donuts and they came out perfect! Let me know what you think! And if you like them, email the owner a thank you! I’m sure he’d be glad to know people are using his recipe!  Gail

(From Brad, the donut guy): Thank you for trying my Donut Recipe:

I have put a photo with almost every step so that it is easy to follow. Enjoy the donuts and don’t forget to share them with your friends.  (Gail’s note: The photos did not copy over. You can go to his site and see them if you need to.)

Print this webpage so you have a copy of the recipe!

Thanks again,

Brad Flickinger
bradf@mac.com

Soups/Stews

We are huge fans of soups and stews. I could eat them all year ‘round, but my family prefers them in the cooler months. I have a vegetable beef soup base to which I add any number of items I have on hand. So far, no combination has been rejected. Every time I make a pot of soup, the kids say, “Oh, Mamma, that looks/smells GOOD! When’s dinner?”

The beauty of the soup/stew base is that it is SO EASY to use and add to! You do not have to spend hours chopping and dicing vegetables!

Base: Campbell’s Vegetable Beef condensed soup, either 2 small cans or 1 large family-size can. To this I add any combination of the following:

1 can blackeyed peas, not drained
1 can whole kernel corn, not drained
1 can carrots, not drained
1 can kidney beans (any color), drained
1 can peas, not drained
1-2 cans diced potatoes, not drained
1 large or 2 small cubes of beef builllon
(frozen peas, carrots, corn, or green beans can be substituted for the canned items)
1 can corned beef hash or about 1 cup of cooked ground beef
Seasoning to taste

You can add 1-2 cups of water for a soupier consistency, or drain some of the vegetables before adding for a more stew-like consistency.

Serve with crackers. The soup costs about 75 cents a can. The veggies are usually about 50 cents a can in my area. The corned beef is about $1 a can. Ground beef is generally $2.25 a pound. I can make a huge pot of soup that will feed 8-10 people or more for about $6.00. Crackers are $2.00/box, and we would use ½ box. Total cost: $7.00 (88 cpp if serving 8 people)

If you prefer a stew, you can serve it over rice.

Of course, if you have special dietary needs which require less fat or sodium, you can buy the healthier soup versions and canned vegetables which are available. The price will go up some, but it is still cheaper than eating out!

I’m putting together a new freebie (well – it will be free for a limited time!). It’s an ebook on how we feed our family of 8 for about $600 a month.

I realize $600 is not record-breaking cheap – I’ve read many articles on families who only spend $30-$50 a week on food, but that’s because they eat a TON of dried beans and cornbread. $600 is cheap for a huge portion of the population. Statistics for average spending for a family of four range from $560 to a whopping $1100 per month! So $600 is pretty good!

We eat a wide variety of food around here, and we eat meat. We are not vegetarians and I make no apology for that. I do like dried beans; I use beans several times a month. But I don’t use them 3-4 times a week. I also don’t make pan after pan of cornbread and biscuits.

Anyway, I thought I would share some recipes with my faithful readers over the next few days. I’ll start with Breakfast Items:

cpp = cents per person

Apple Raisin Oatmeal

Prepare oatmeal for 8 people as directed on the package. Add 1 small jar applesauce, ½ box raisins, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir well. Serve.

Costs: ¼ lg. round container of oatmeal ~ 50 cents) + 1 sm. jar applesauce ~ $1.00 + ½ box raisins ~ $1.00 + .20 (sugar) + .10 (cinnamon) = $2.80 (35 cpp)

Pancakes

I used to make my own mix. Now I buy a box mix. There are several brands, and they all work about the same. Just add water, mix well, and pour onto a hot griddle. It’s a fast and simple hot breakfast. Serve with butter, jam, peanut butter, or syrup.

Box mixes usually cost ~ $2.00 and last my family for 2 breakfasts.
1 Bottle of maple syrup ~ $2.00 and lasts about 4 breakfasts.
Butter costs ~ $2.39 for 4 sticks
Jam ~ $1.50 a jar, lasts for 4 breakfasts
peanut butter ~ $3 a jar. lasts for many breakfasts

Costs: ½ box mix + ¼ bottle syrup + ¼ box butter = $2.10 to make enough pancakes for 8 people. (26 cpp)

Waffles

Usually the pancake mixes will also be used for making waffles, simply by adding an egg or two and by substituting milk for water. This may increase the above cost of pancakes by about 25 cents, or .03 cpp.

Kielbasa Toss with Scrambled Eggs

Fry together:
One pound sliced kielbasa sausage
1 diced onion
1 diced green pepper

In another frying pan, fry up scrambled eggs, using 12 eggs and ½ cup milk, whisked together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Costs: Kielbasa ~ $2.60 + Onion ~ .30 + Bell pepper ~ .60 + Dozen eggs ~ 1.25 + Milk ~ .13 = $4.88. Serves 8. (61 cpp)

I have no idea how accurate this is, but I thought it was interesting…. I plan to try using this combination and see what happens!

Cinnamon & Honey

I received all this information in an anonymous email – so if I’m plaigerizing, it’s not intentional.

I am reticent to say any of these below suggestions are actually “cures” but they may very well help the ailments they are reported to “cure.” It is certainly worth a try!

Facts on honey and cinnamon:
It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a “Ram Ban” (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases. Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.

Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

TOOTHACHE: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three times a day until the tooth stops aching.

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey wit h 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root. GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural Ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoon s of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root. SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than! than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week

BAD BREATH: People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing.