Scratch cooking.......how did she do that...

One of the concepts that saves a lot of money is scratch cooking,   Scratch— the mere sound of the word insights dread in many a person.   In some cases, this was my last hold out.  Especially when it came to bread.   There are a lot of set it and forget it or easy scratch cooking recipes.   Keeping life simple helps.

Combining prep work and quick and easy recipes makes for good meals——cheap.   Many mean that you need to be home, but you don’t have to watch pots.   You can be watching tv instead, or doing  other things.   Multi tasking is the key to keeping it up.

Let’s start with one basic thing a week,   Learn that and piggy back it with the next thing and before you know it, it will take you less time than making things from a box or bag and it will be better without all the preservatives.   Did you know that there is detergent and wood pulp on some of our food.   Yes, it is in safe doses, but, I for one, don’t want to feed my family soap or wood pulp.    YUK.


White sauce.  Plain and simple.  The french have a fancy word for it, but it’s basic white sauce.  The basis for Mac and cheese , or many a casserole.

Scratch sauce :

1 Tbls fat (vegetable oil, melted  butter
1  Tbls flour
1) melt butter or place oil in saucepan.
2) pour in flour
On medium heat, whisk flour into fat and cook just slightly to cook away the raw flour taste.
3) begin whisking in onc cup of milk, a little at a time until sauce has thickened.

Makes one cup.


White Sauce Mix
2 cups dry milk
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup butter

Mix dry ingredients.
Add butter and cut in (using a fork and a knife or. Pastry blender, or the food processer, mix until butter is incorporated into mix.

Store 2-3 months n airtight container in refrigerator.

To make:

Use 1/2 cup mix with 1 cup water.
Add to saucepan and whisk over medium heat until a medium thick sauce.

Alternate without fat
Sauce mix

2 cups dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup low sodium chicken granules

Mix together .  Store on cool, dry place

Use 1/3 cup mix to 1-1/4 cup water.
Place ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat, storing with whisk until sauce has thickened .


White sauce is also the basis for enchalada sauce.  Enchalada sauce is really expensive considering  the few  ingredients it takes,

Enchalada sauce,

Over low heat on a 1 quart saucepan,
Make a roux with 1/4 cup canola oil and 2T flour
Cook slighky to take the flour taste away,

Add slowly , 1 cup chicken broth and 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce,
Add in 2 T taco seasoning
Cook, stirring  constantly until sauce thickens slightly.

Homemade taco seasoning saves a lot of money.