Pavlova from freeze dried egg whites

 

PAVLOVA

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Be sure your mixing bowl and beaters are clean (even wipe them with vinegar to be sure) so no fat or oils are on them.

6 T Freeze dried egg whites along with 2 T water per egg white 
3 T powdered sugar (or powdered natural sweetener for low carb)
2 t vanilla 

Mix the egg white powder and water in your mixing bowl to soft peak stage.  With the mixer running on low, add in the powdered sugar or sweetener and the vanilla very slowly, once it's all added in and dissolved into the egg whites, increase speed to medium until it's thick and glossy and stiff peaks.

Turn it out onto parchment in a big blob and then use the back of a large spoon or a large icing knife to pull up the sides, and use your big spoon to scoop out the center a bit.  

Turn your oven down to 225 degrees and bake for 1 1/2 hours, turn off your oven and leave it in (without opening your oven) for at least 6+ hours.  I made mine in the late afternoon and left it overnight.

Served the next day with homemade lemon curd and fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries are good - as well as raspberries).  

 

 

 

 

 

Kind of a Chef Boyardee copycat version of their lasagna or pasta but also is lasagna soup (or stew if you make it thicker like I did)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lasagna soup was one I saw on social media from McCormick spices, and although I didn't have lasagna noodles on hand, it looked really easy and surprisingly good to me that afternoon so I decided I'd whip it up for dinner.  I don't actually love 'soup' for dinner and I'm not a huge fan of lasagna or any of its soup equivalents.   But it was really cold that day, and this recipe was so easy to throw together in a pot and forget about it that I decided to make it.

At first I didn't think it was one I'd bother putting on my website for future reference but when I had leftovers the next day I realized it tasted a lot like the Chef Boyardee version I remembered from my childhood... and decided to put here just in case I ever felt like making it again.

Another quick note - I used food storage items in this too so if you need to use your freeze dried ground beef, this is a good way to do it.

 

 

Loosely based on the Lasagna Soup recipe by McCormick - but then winged it on my own version

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced (or used the equivalent of dried)
1 lb. ground beef (used freeze dried - with some bouillon added for flavor)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14 oz each)
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/3 c freeze dried green and red peppers
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t dried oregano (I used more like 2 teaspoons)
1-2 t dried basil
salt and pepper
4 c chicken stock or made with chicken bouillon base 
A handful of pasta - lasagna noodles broken up or penne, etc.

Brown the ground beef and onion in the oil.  Add everything else, bring to a boil and then simmer until the noodles are soft.  Add more water as needed if you are using freeze dried foods or if you want it more 'soup' and less thick.  It was even better the next day - it had thickened up to ChefBoyardee style and texture and tasted a lot like it.   

 

 

Roast Beef Sliders - homemade and super quick and easy

 

I'm getting ready to make dinner, got the roast beef and the buns (regular for my husband and keto for me) and I couldn't recall where my recipe for these was!  I checked my 'go to' recipe book, didn't see them but that doesn't mean it wasn't there... I probably missed it.  I've not made these in forever... forgot about them as I don't typically buy roast beef slices when I go to Sam's... but saw them on the shelf my last trip and said "OH YEAH...."

I came to my website to get my recipe (from 11/5/22) and I figured I'd repost it as I'm literally whipping these up now and will not 'forget' about making them again any time soon... they are a favorite of both my husband and I - and need to be put back into rotation! 

Roast Beef Sandwiches

2 T olive oil

2-3 t minced garlic

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1/2 lb. sliced roast beef (mine comes from Sam's Club in the meat/deli area)

1/2 c beef broth

1 t Worcestershire sauce or, a little balsamic vinegar or red wine

2 t liquid aminos or soy sauce

2 t dried parsley

2 t dried basil

1/4 t salt and dash fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 t oregano

provolone or swiss cheese slices

buns

In a skillet, heat the oil.  Add the garlic and dried red pepper flakes.  Heat for 1 minute then add the roast beef slices, broth, Worcestershire, liquid aminos, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and oregano.  Heat through.  Lay bottom buns in a pan, top with the meat.  Drizzle the sauce over, top with cheese slices and the top bun.  Drizzle the top with a little more sauce.  Heat in an oven until the cheese melts.

 

A little more on top... optional

 

I sometimes put a wire cookie cooling rack on the bottom of the pan and the sandwiches on top, which keeps the sauce completely off the bottom bun if you don't want any liquid on the bottom.  Other times I don't bother.  If I don't use too much sauce, it doesn't really affect the bottom bun.  If you use a LOT of sauce and the bottoms get a bit soggy, just flip them over and back into the oven to crisp up the bottoms.  Flip again and serve.

 

 

 

Soft, squishy homemade playdough - (I made 20 pounds of homemade playdough this day!)

 

 

 

I've been making homemade playdough ever since I was a child - literally.  My mother never (ever) bought play-doh from the store, but made it so that was what I knew growing up.  When I had children we did buy Play-Doh and Play-Doh sets from the store (and still do) but made tons of homemade as well - to supplement, to make more to share, and to just 'enjoy' when the store bought versions were too hard to use in some of the play-sets. The squishy homemade versions are so soft, and more affordable!  

This post comes about because I have some 'old' flour to use up from our emergency storage, and playdough is one of the items I chose to use it up on.   

 

I also wanted to use up some celtic salt I don't like as well as 2 of the flavor extracts I'm not a fan of!  I don't want to use any of these in cooking or baking so they were perfect to make into tons of playdough.

 

 

 

 

SUPER SOFT, SQUISHY HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH

 

2 c flour
3/4 c salt
4 t cream of tartar
2 c water
2 T oil of choice (I used cheap, vegetable oil)
food color and extracts of choice (or use some powdered Kool-Aid from a packet)


Dump all your ingredients into a saucepan on the stove.  Cook over medium, stirring constantly.  It will start to thicken and get sticky.  Keep stirring.  It will start to turn into a ball and hold together.  Remove from heat.  Remove from the pan and plop it out onto wax or parchment paper to cool a little bit - it will still be sticky.  As soon as you can work with it without burning your hands, start to knead it.  As you knead it, it comes together.  When it's smooth and pliable, and cooled, it's ready to use.  Store it in a plastic bag to keep it soft.
 

 

  

 You can wait and not add the food color until later if you want more than one color per batch

 

  

It's sticky but comes together when you knead it.

 

 

 

 

 

Plop it out of the pan and start to knead it into a ball when it's cool enough to work with 

 I used good quality gel and powdered color to get the vibrant shades

 

 

 

 

I made 20 pounds of Playdough this day!  

Low Carb Sugar Free Carrot Cake with my Coffee (and cream cheese frosting on it)

 

 

 

 

We have been enjoying a keto carrot cake this weekend with our coffee as I had to use up some leftover baby carrots from when we had houseguests... I snapped a couple quick pictures with my cell phone to show it as I don't know that I care enough to try to make it look 'pretty' - I literally take a photo just before I'm going to eat it!

I have a version of it I posted back in 2016... Some of those ingredients are not made any longer and others, I don't use anymore or use newer versions.

Here is the carrot cake (sugar free, low carb) I posted back in 2016.  Very similar to the one I typically make now - just a couple changes.  About 10 years ago I started to add heavy cream to my frostings as well - so similar base - but add a huge dollop of heavy cream and you get more volume, a smooth silky frosting, and even better flavor. 

https://www.housewifebarbie.com/2016/05/ 

 

The current cake I've been making for the past almost 10 years though is this one (based on Carolyn Ketchums recipe!).

  
Low Carb Carrot Cake

 
2 c almond flour
1/3 c coconut flour
1/3 vanilla whey protein powder (I use Isopure and have for 20 years)
1 T baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t salt
dash of ground cloves
4 eggs
1/2 c avocado oil
1/2 c brown sugar style sweetener
1/2 c granular style natural sweetener
1 1/2 c shredded baby carrots
2 t baking vanilla
optional - a few tablespoons chopped pecans

Grease and line the pans (I use 2, 8" or 9" pans).  Blend together the dry ingredients (flours, powders, seasoning).  

Mix the eggs, oil and sweeteners, add carrots and vanilla.  Beat in the dry ingredient mixture and add chopped nuts if using.  

Divide batter between the 2 pans and bake in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes, until done in the center.  Let cool.  Remove from pans.  

Spread frosting between layers, top and frost all.

For the Frosting I used:

1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c powdered natural sweetener (depending on the brand you use some are sweeter than others so adjust to taste.  1 cup of my allulose/splenda/stevia blend is TOO sweet so must cut back to 2/3-ish.)
1-2 t vanilla

dash of salt
Enough heavy whipping cream to taste and amount you need (I use about 3/4 cup)

In a mixing bowl whip the butter and cream cheese and sweeteners with the vanilla.  Slowly pour in the heavy cream while on low speed and increase to medium high.  Beat until it's whippy and spreadable.   Use on your cakes.