Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Homemade Oven Cleaner

I really liked this post- you can see the results from 8 different natural oven cleaners!! Thanks Bren!

Oven Cleaner #5 (Winner!)

Ingredients: Baking soda (3 tablespoons), water (1.5 tablespoons)

Directions: Stir together baking soda and water. Apply to oven, let sit for 20 minutes, wipe clean.

Oven Cleaner #7 (Runner up! My favorite all-purpose cleaner)

Ingredients: Baking soda (3 tablespoons), hydrogen peroxide (1 tablespoon), dishwashing soap (1 tablespoon)

Directions: Stir together baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap. Apply to oven, let sit for 20 minutes, wipe clean.

Why this combo works:
  • Baking soda is a mildly abrasive cleaner that absorbs grease and is good for scrubbing. It helps to break up and remove the dirt that is stuck to the oven surface without causing damage.
  • Water softens the grime and baked on food particles so they can be easily wiped away.
Go to https://brendid.com/worlds-best-oven-cleaner-8-homemade-natural-oven-cleaners-tested/ to see all of the information

Oven Baked Omelets

Oven Baked Omelets

Makes6 servings
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time25 mins

Ingredients
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped ham, bacon, or sausage, chopped
8 eggs
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

Directions
Cook first 3 ingredients on stove in oil until lightly browned and meat is cooked through. Divide into 12 muffin cups to cool. Combine eggs, oil, and baking powder with wire whisk. Sprinkle cheese over onions/ham. Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. You can freeze these then reheat in microwave.



I made my variation for my new way of eating this way: hold meat and cheese until the very end. Use avocado or grape seed oil.
Pour 6 without meat or cheese into muffin pans (you can see mine at the bottom of pan one). Then add the meat and cheese, mix and place the other 18 in the open muffin pan areas.

So easy!!

Layered Bean Dip



To make your own avocado dip: Thaw 10 oz frozen diced avocado. 2 min on power 5 three times. Stiring between each. Avocado may be warm. 
Place avocado in a food processor with picante and spices. First add 1/2 c picante, then add 1/4 tsp chili powder; 1/2 tsp of each: garlic powder, cumin, onion powder and salt. 
Blend. 
Add more garlic or cumin to taste. Set aside.
Chop lettuce. Place 1/2 of it in large glass bowl with lid. You'll be serving it in this. 
Mix refried beans and picante sauce. Add 1 tsp garlic powder for an extra zing.
Drain tomatoes. Set aside.
Measure the sour cream in the same 2 c measuring cup (rinsed) you used for the picante.

Measure the cheese as you use it. 
Let's build this dip!
You already have the lettuce. 
Place 1/2 of each on the lettuce in this order:  refried beans, sour cream, cheese
Repeat. Lettuce, beans, sour cream, cheese. Then place the avocado dip and green onions on the top.
Right before serving, add the tomatoes and sliced olives on the top.








Easy Herb Roasted Turkey

Fall off the bones tastiness!

Wash turkey. Pat dry. Place breast side up in a large roasting pan. 
Wash hands thoroughly.
Mix baste. Set aside.
Stuff 12 lb turkey w bottom 2/3rds (white portion) of 3 leeks. 
Set aside green portion for scalloped potatoes. 
Make a turkey tent (2 pieces folded w a seam in center). Measure 2 c of water into your basting measuring cup. Pour some in so that 1/3 of the pan has water (you may need 1-1 1/2).

 Then place the foil around the turkey, tucking the wings in. Shiny side of foil must be inside (touching the meat).
Place in preheated oven. 
Bake 3 - 3 1/2 hours.
Check after 1 1/2 hours to see if it needs more water. 
It's best to have a second person w oven mitts there to hold the rack stable. Pull out the rack w the turkey on it.  Untuck one corner and look at water level. Use the rest of the water (1/2 c) if needed, or even more. Fill so that about one-third of pan has water again. 
Tuck that foil corner back nicely to keep in the moisture. 
This will keep your turkey moist and give you some base for gravy.

Slide the rack back in and close the oven. 
Continue baking for another 1 1/2 hours. 

Pull entire turkey out of the oven. Peel tent off in one piece and set aside. Be careful -foil is hot. Check the temperature. Try to plunge your meat thermometer between the wing and the breast stabbing it sideways into the deepest part of the bird. 
It should be 180 F. 
If not...place tent back on and bake longer. After 30 minutes repeat process. 
If it is at least that warm, put the tent back on loosely and let the turkey cool on the top of the oven. Turn off oven. 

Now for the gravy...
Psych - next post......

Harvard Beets


Harvard Beets - adapted:
1 lb chopped beets and stems
1T tapioca starch
1/2 tsp salt, pepper
1/4 c apple cider vinegar

Chop up beets - stalks and all. Be sure to chop off any roots and tops, leaving the best for the pot. 
I had chopped up the stalks two weeks ago, so took out the darker ones to toss. 
Place into warm, almost boiling water. Cover. And keep the stove at 8.
Once it boils, turn down the stove to 4 and uncover.
You've got to watch it or it will overflow and that would be awful. Beets stain. Everything. Pink.
Cook an additional 5 minutes. On 4.
Drain. Catch the beet juice if you'd like. Place 1/2 c beet juice in pan with cooked beets.  Cool and add to smoothies. 
Place the drained beets back into the pan. Mix sauce in a small bowl. Blend well. Then pour on beets in pan.
1T tapioca starch
1/2 tsp ea: salt, pepper
1/4 c vinegar (4 T)
2 drops liquid monkfruit 
Cook on 4, stiring constantly. It will thicken and stick to the beets within about 4 minutes. 






Harvest Tomato Soup


Homemade tomato soup is the perfect comfort food.
with or without heavy whipping cream
Cut and cook green onions in small pan with 2 T butter. 
Place all ingredients (including the cooked green onion) in the Instant Pot. Cook for 3 minutes on high. 
Use an immersion blender to mix well. Pour into bowls and enjoy!




Saturday, December 20, 2025

Truffle-Os

Imperfect but tasty! I didn't get any chocolate dipping skills from my grandmother. 


When I had these for the first time, it was on a Christmas treat plate from a neighbor. I had to get the recipe. And then I found out how easy it is. Wow!

Truffle - Os

1 pkg Oreo Cookies
1 - 8 oz cream cheese
2 c chocolate chips

Use food processor to blend cookies until they're all crumbs. Mix crumbs thoroughly with softened cream cheese. Roll dough-like mixture into balls. Freeze for at least 20 minutes. 

Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 2 minutes on 30%. Stir until smooth. Heat at 50% for another 30 seconds if needed. Rolls balls in chocolate and return to freezer. Makes 30. 

Andes Baking chips are great for dipping. You can use any kind of chips for dipping.
Another version w more specific instructions per step:








Sourdough Lavosh

So scrumptious- especially for someone like me who doesn't eat wheat, corn or potatoes in general. There's really NOT much in the way of crunchy and crispy besides celery in my world. Until this! 
When my dietician said I could make my own sourdough, I was overwhelmed, but committed to figure things out. 
I. Love. Bread.
And not having it for over three years was hard. 
I found out quickly that I was not a failure just because I couldn't figure out the actual sourdough bread. 
There are easy, forgiving and flat options!!!
Lavosh and Waffles have been made weekly in our home for over a year.  
Here's the Lavash:

This is one batch of lavosh showing three stages. 
The entire dough ball. The 1/8th portion and one portion rolled flat. 
Bake them for 7 minutes, then flip them over and change racks.  Bake another 4-5 (for a total of 11-12).  Take them off the pan quickly and cool. 
During that first 7 minutes of baking the first four, you can roll out the next four.
Pop the next four in and bake as described above. 
Once cooked, store in an airtight container.
If you think they'll last more than three days, freeze some. Somehow they're crispier and fresher tasting than just sitting in the pantry. 

paleo orange cranberry bread


It's nice to do this in three stages, having two of the three ready to pull out and mix quickly. 
Stage One: Measure dry ingredients. Set aside. And label if you're mixing things up later. 
For my triple batch, I used 1 c coconut flour, 1/2 c vanilla protein powder, 1/2 c tapioca starch. 
Stage Two: Layer the cranberries and granulated monkfruit. Add cinnamon and pour vanilla in.
Again- set aside for later (in fridge for up to 3 days) or use immediately. 
Last step: "Fresh (third) stage"
Get eggs and orange juice out. They'll need to be at room temperature. 
I'm making a triple batch, so yes, that's 18 eggs. 
Mix up the orange juice, add that and the oil to the eggs. Mix well. 
Add Stage One dry ingredients. Mix on 3 again. It may be a bit lumpy, that's the coconut flour. Smash it w a fork, scrape and mix again. 
Add Stage Two cranberries and sugar mixture. Blend again. 
Optional: Add orange peel finely (diced or zest).
Preheat oven to 325 F for glass or 350 F for other loaf pans.
I'm using four glass bread pans for my triple batch, sprayed first with 100%pure avocado oil. 
Get each as even as possible. 
Add diced orange.
Bake at 325 for 45- 50 minutes. 
Lovely! If you want it a but sweeter, you can sprinkle some granulated monkfruit on now while it cools. 


 


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