Thai Peanut Sauce

 Oooh what warm, hearty goodness. This recipe is absolute comfort food, especially with yesterday's home-made noodles. You don't need a mixer for this Thai peanut recipe, but it did assist in making an especially smooth sauce. It almost could have been a soup. Mr. V could not stop raving about this meal, even the next day. And at a total cost of $1.34 for 3 servings...what a bargain!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons peanut butter (the more natural, the more flavor...I'm trying to move toward more natural foods, but am being a bit hypocritical by using up the last of my processed stash)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 clove chopped garlic
up to 2 teaspoons hot chili paste (optional....I used a half teaspoon and it added a spicy flavor without much burn)

chives/green onions for garnish

Equipment:

bowl & wisk
small saucepan


Directions:

• Whisk together all ingredients until smooth

• Cook on low until bubbling

• Serve over noodles and/or chicken

Cost:

Peanut Butter	0.23
Honey	0.15
Soy Sauce	0.19
Chili Sauce	0.05
Garlic	0.02
chicken broth	0.25
	0.89

Udon Noodles

I found this yummy looking Thai peanut sauce recipe today and it recommended serving over Udon Noodles. We certainly didn't have any, so I'm not sure what possessed me, but I decided to see if it was something I could make from scratch. Sure enough! It's pretty simple. I'd never made noodles before, and these turned out a bit thick and lumpy, but still delicious. ESPECIALLY with the Thai peanut sauce.Yummmmm. Between the 2 recipes, the total cost was $1.10 (it would cost about .20 more cents if you buy your flour from the grocery store instead of a club store - or obviously more if you added chicken). Mr. V and I were both stuffed. It easily should could have been 3 servings - 4 or 5 if chicken was added.

I don't really have a source as I compiled several how-tos after googling 'how to make udon noodles'.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

Equipment:

Mixing bowl with beater or bowl and floured hands
Floured surface
Santoku or other flat-bladed knife (I used a really sturdy bread-knife that worked well)
Large pot of boiling salted water


Directions:

• Pour flour and salt into bowl and turn the mixer to low speed (about 2 on KitchenAid mixers)
• Slowly trickle in the water while mixing.

• Let mix for about 5 minutes, making sure the dough is tacky not sticky
• Dump the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. 

• Fold the plastic wrap over on top, and smooth the dough into a disk.
• Let sit for several hours

• Unwrap the disk onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick

• Fold the dough in half 

• Cut into strips - approximately 5 strips per inch
• Drop into boiling water, being careful to not overcrowd. 
• Cook a few minutes before draining and serving

Cost:

flour	0.44
salt	0.01
	0.45

Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

I had decided to make Amish White Bread again, since we're out of bread. Ya'll almost missed out on a post! BUUUT I talked myself into trying something new and made Sweet Potato Rolls instead. These make a really soft, hearty roll. If you're expecting lots of flavor you'll be disappointed at first like I was. But these accompany flavorful foods well, and kick it up with a little depth of their own.

My main changes from the original recipe are: I doubled the recipe minus one egg (I'd run out) and I left the first rise for 3 hours instead of 1. Afterward the dough was falling over the sides of the bowl. I got so excited, I completely missed taking that picture.

We all really liked these dense fluffy rolls. In fact, I gorged myself so much that I was still full when I woke up this morning!

Ingredients:

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup sweet potato puree (canned or homemade)
1 cup warm water, ~ 110 degrees F
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
7 cups all-purpose flour

Equipment:

Mixer with dough hook
9x13 pan


Directions:

• Combine water, yeast, and 2 tablespoons sugar in the mixing bowl
• Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT the flour and stir till well incorporated

• Slowly incorporate flour until the dough forms a ball and starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl

• Remove the bowl from the mixer and coat the ball of dough in oil
• Cover and let rise for at least 1 hour

• Punch down the risen dough and let rest for a few minutes
• 
  

• Separate the dough into uniform balls and place in the pan.

• Let rise until doubled
• Bake at 375F until toothpick comes out clean ~ 20 minutes

• Serve hot (though also good cold)

Cost: 

Sweet Potato	0.75
Yeast	0.66
Sugar	0.08
Butter	0.5
eggs	0.5
Flour	1.03
	3.52	.15 c each

Corn Bread

Looking through my cabinets/fridge I found some eggs and cornbread mix that needed to be used. I suppose hush-puppies or something might have been a more exciting choice, but out of sheer laziness I decided to make simple cornbread. This cornbread recipe would be even more fantastic cooked in a cast-iron skillet. It sill doesn't beat my favorite corn bread recipe, but it did the trick.

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup 2 tablespoons milk
2 1/3 cup self rising corn bread mix

Equipment:

Bowl & Spoon or Mixer & Beater attachment
9 inch pan (round or square)


Directions:

• Cream the butter & sugar

• Combine rest of ingredients till well blended

• Pour into greased baking pan
• Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

•  Cut & Serve. Enjoy!

Cost:

butter	0.58
eggs	0.25
sugar	0.12
milk	0.23
CornBread Mix	0.88
	2.06