Ready for more blueberry recipes? The following three blueberry recipes can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries, and involve simmering the berries into a hot concentrated form as a first step. Blueberry Cordial The raspberry cordial incident in Anne of Green Gables is quite memorable, and although Anne and Dianna did not actually drink the real thing on that occasion, the name always lingered in my mind as something that would be positively delicious to sip on a hot summer afternoon. One of the first things that came to mind when I was picking blueberries was to make a "cordial" out of them. So here's what I came up with.About 4 ... Continue Reading
Fruit Feature: Blueberries! (part 1)
Occasionally, I have been pleasantly plagued by the question of what my all-time favourite berry is. Anyone with me on that? Well, after dipping into a handful of freshly-picked blueberries last week and experiencing their familiar pop of sweetness I realized that they are, and always have been, my favourite berry.Sadly, we haven't had the easy and unhindered access to them that we've enjoyed in years past. The blueberry bushes in our backyard are still growing up, and don't provide the steady supply that those at Kent Drive did, much less the bounty of Marshall's Farm.Mercifully, I was tipped off by a few customers that ... Continue Reading
Fresh Homemade Chickpea Hummus
The little store-bought tubs of hummus cost...way too much! Make your own frugal homemade blender hummus with this easy recipe! This easy homemade hummus uses chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and garlic for a delicious dip or sandwich spread.An odd smell was coming from the kitchen of the old brick Victorian that I shared with 25 other study abroad students. I investigated and discovered a gigantic pot of mashed goo simmering on the stove. Apparently, a group of my colleagues were making hummus.Wow, I thought, when do they have time to write essays?I was impressed, though. I'd never seen hummus made from scratch! I ... Continue Reading
Gingerade: An Old-Fashioned Homemade Sports Drink
Conventional sports drinks contain ingredients that aren't good for your body. Leave them on the shelf and try a homemade electrolyte sports drink instead--Gingerade!Water is awesome, but sometimes on those extra hot days when you're working extra hard, you need something extra. In this situation, many people just grab a Powerade or Gatorade to re-hydrate. These two sports beverages are mostly water, of course, but they also provide some carbs, sugar, and minerals to replenish your system.Unfortunately, the sugar that Powerade provides is mostly in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is one of the top ten ingredients I try to ... Continue Reading
Easiest Homemade Yogurt (the Crock Pot Method)
Make your own homemade yogurt from scratch with the super-simple crock pot method! DIY yogurt is so easy and frugal, you'll never want to go back to store bought!What's in yogurt?Essentially just milk, cultures, and sweeteners. If you make your own yogurt, you get control of which sweeteners go in, while also saving money. And since yogurt is a nutritional powerhouse, it's a great recipe to incorporate into your regular cooking routine.I eat yogurt almost every day, so that I have good bacteria living in my gut to help my digestion. In fact, yogurt is so good for you that I believe it's one of the foundational first steps to ... Continue Reading
