Tag: homemade

How to make homemade Hummus – Quick and Easy

Hummus is quick and easy to make with this recipe. Make your own hummus that is better tasting than the one you buy at the grocery store.

Ingredients: 

1 can chickpeas

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

1 small clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon zaatar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons water

paprika (garnishment for serving)

Directions:

First mix lemon juice and tahini in a blender or food processor until it is “whipped”.   

It is important to mix this first to get a smooth and creamy hummus. 

Combine the remaining ingredients and mix.

Add additional tablespoons of water until hummus reaches the desired consistency.

Pour into a bowl and serve. You can sprinkle paprika on top or garnish with more zaatar, or sesame seeds, and a small drizzle of olive oil.

How to make homemade banana bread

Banana bread is one of my favorite breads and its a great way to use up your bananas after they start to get brown spots on them.

Ingredients: 

3 ripe bananas

  2 eggs

  ½ cup shortening

  1 ¼ cup white sugar

  1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 ¾ cup all purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ chopped walnuts 

Instructions: mix together the sugar and shortening and blended and forms little balls. Add in bananas and vanilla extract and continue to mix. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt together. Combine the flour mixture with the banana mixture and mix until all ingredients are blended together. Pour mixture into a greased and floured bread pan and sprinkle the walnuts on top. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After baking let cool and remove from pan. Enjoy.

How to make homemade vanilla extract

Making homemade vanilla extract is simple and a lot less expensive than purchasing pure vanilla at the store.  A common brand of the extract can cost nearly $16 for 4 ounces, that’s $4 per ounce.  A gourmet bottle can cost $27 for 4 ounces; that’s $6.75 per ounce.  I can show you how to make vanilla extract for $2.86 per ounce.  All you need is a mason jar, vanilla beans, and at least an 80 proof alcohol.  Many people tend to use vodka, rum, or even bourbon for their extract.  I prefer to use vodka.  You don’t need to use premium alcohol because you are not drinking this, and you will use this in small amounts in your recipes.  If you want to spend more money on any ingredient, make it your vanilla beans.  Everyone has a different taste for how rich they like their vanilla extract to taste, and the full-bodied ness and richness comes from how many vanilla beans you use to make your extract.  I prefer to use one vanilla bean for every 2 ounces of alcohol. 

Ingredients:    

6 Vanilla Beans

 12 oz vodka

  1. Slice open the 6 vanilla beans and turn them inside out to expose the beans.  Place them in a 2 cup mason jar.
  2. Fill the mason jar with 12 oz vodka.

Store in a cool, dark place, such as a cupboard for at least 30 days.  The longer you store the extract, the richer the vanilla taste.

My costs:  $15 for a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka, which equates to $0.25 per ounce.  $59 for 25 grade A vanilla beans, which equates to $2.36 per bean.  If I use 1 bean per 2 ounces of vodka, my costs are $2.86 per ounce.