Biscuits

RM's grandmother taught me how to make biscuits a few months ago, but I've only recently started making them myself.  Previously, if we wanted biscuits, we just went to the store and bought one of those cans of biscuits that you whack on the corner of the counter top to open, and voila!, biscuits.  Unfortunately, buying biscuits isn't exactly cost effective, and the results when compared to home-made are sub-par.  Additionally, they aren't very healthy.

I've always been aware of the "cost of convenience", and I generally take it into consideration when shopping for whatever it is we need.  Recently, however, with our finances being squeezed, it seems more worth my time to save those few extra pennies.  I have lots of time, especially with school being out for winter break.  So why not trade time for money?

Part of the stated goal of this blog is to chronicle our efforts at saving money while maintaining our mental and physical well-being.  And as mentioned above, store-bought biscuits aren't terribly healthy.  For that matter, biscuits in general aren't very healthy.  They are mainly made from flour and fat (with some fats being healthier than others).  The only thing healthy in them is the milk, and that assumes you aren't lactose intolerant and/or on one of those Paleo diets. In our house, RM prefers to count calories, while I eat low glycemic*.  This presents the occasional problem, especially when it comes to starchy foods we both love, but I shouldn't eat, such as biscuits.  So I decided to experiment with different biscuit recipes to see if I couldn't find something that is cost effective, healthier, and tasty.  Though I still have to spend a little extra on some of the ingredients, I've found a recipe that at least passes the tasty and healthy tests with flying colors, and is a little cheaper than buying pre-made.  I'll be continuing to work on ways to make it even more cost effective and posting updates as I figure out what works and what doesn't.

Original Biscuit Recipe:
2 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup Crisco
3/4 cup Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 430 F.
Sift flour, then mix flour and Crisco by hand until texture of cornmeal.
Pour in milk, mix until combined.
Tip mix out of bowl onto a floured counter top or other work surface.
Knead 10 times, then roll or press to about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut biscuits out and place on pan.
Bake 5-10 minutes, until golden brown on top.

To get a consistent size biscuit, after I cut the top off of a can of green beans to use, I saved the can and washed it.  If I put a little butter or oil on the inside I find it makes an excellent biscuit cutter.
                                                                                   

Lower Glycemic Biscuit Recipe:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup Carbquik low-carb baking mix
1/3 cup Crisco
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Mix vinegar and evaporated milk.
Preheat oven to 430 F.
Sift flour and Carbquick, than mix flour blend with Crisco until texture of cornmeal.
Stir milk mix, then pour and mix until just combined.

Tip mix out of bowl onto a floured counter top or other work surface.
Knead 10 times, then roll or press to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Cut biscuits out and place on pan.
Bake 5-10 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Mixing the evaporated milk with vinegar creates a buttermilk substitute that has twice the amount of calcium as buttermilk, but otherwise is similar in nutritional values.  I didn't have buttermilk, but I had several cans of evaporated milk, so I decided to give it a try and see how it worked, and have made it this way since, however buttermilk is more economical per serving.  These biscuits don't rise as much, so I make them a little thicker but smaller in circumference than for the original recipe.

Results:
Though they don't rise quite as well as the original recipe, they are still light and fluffy enough, and they have a great flavor.  Many people may be willing to exchange flavor for healthiness, and some even swear that their low-fat or low-sugar versions taste exactly the same.  I have much higher standards, and if something isn't delicious, it isn't worth eating.  I love these biscuits.  They may taste a little different, and not quite be up to the same standard and Grandma's biscuits (and honestly, what recipe ever is?), they are still delicious.

                                                                                   

Both of these recipes also freeze well.  Grease or place parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Cut out biscuits and place on cookie sheet so they aren't touching.  Place in freezer for 2 hours, then transfer from cookie sheet to resealable plastic bag.  When you want to bake them just place them, still frozen, onto a cookie sheet and bake at 425 F. for 14-18 minutes, until golden brown on top.

To make this recipe more economical, lard can be used in place of the Crisco.  I've never rendered lard, but it is my understanding that it is relatively simple, and that the fat scraps for it can be acquired for free from many butchers.  There have been many studies that indicate that lard is actually healthier than Crisco, because the body breaks it down more easily, derives more energy from it, and it has no potentially poisonous chemicals.  I'll make a new post when I render lard to describe the process and my results, and will update this one when I try making biscuits substituting lard for the Crisco, and also using real buttermilk instead of the evaporated milk and vinegar.

*For those who don't know, the glycemic index is a scale used to determine how a person's body responds to various foods by monitoring the insulin reaction of the body to the food.  The lower glycemic a food, the lower and slower the insulin reaction is.  Eating low glycemic is a necessity for diabetics, and just a good. healthful way to eat for non-diabetics.  I belong to the latter category.

Update 1/5/13:
So I made biscuits with lard, and they turned out great!  I didn't have quite enough lard (I was shy by 2 tablespoons) so I substituted in softened butter.  The biscuits had a great texture and flavor!  I'll definitely be using home-rendered lard again!

Jerky

So I was preparing a London Broil today to marinate yesterday, and I realized it was too large to fit in the container I had to marinate it in.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized how unlikely it would be for RM and I to eat the whole roast before it went bad.  At first I thought I should cut the meat in half and re-freeze the half I wouldn't use, but then it occurred to me that we don't really have much along the lines of snacks in the house, and I decided to make jerky for that purpose.  I haven't made jerky in years, and the last time I made it I used venison. So I browsed the internet for a recipe and sort of mixed several recipes together to come up with this one:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke (hickory)
1 tablespoon Splenda brown sugar*
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika

*you can use two tablespoons of regular brown sugar in place of one tablespoon of Splenda brown sugar

Instructions:

Cut meat into thin strips (this is easier if it's partly frozen).  Mix ingredients, then pour marinade over meat in a bowl or Ziploc type bag, and let marinate covered in refrigerator for 8-16 hours (shorter for milder flavor, longer for stronger flavor)

Place meat strips between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until 1/8 inch thin.

Arrange meat strips on a dehydrator tray and set dehydrator at 155 degrees F.  Turn meat strips after an hour.  Let dehydrate for 4-8 hours, until jerky breaks when bent in half.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use your oven.  Here's how:
Place meat on skewers.  Place baking sheets on lower rack to catch any drips (oven racks should be far enough apart that meat strips hanging on top rack don't touch baking sheets).  Arrange skewers on top rack so meat strips dangle between the metal rack bars.  Set oven to 175F, crack oven door, check meat every hour or so until done.




Results:

The flavor is excellent.  RM loves it, and I really like it but it is a little strong for my taste.  I marinated mine for 16 hours, but next time I think I will only marinate them for 10 or 12.  Otherwise this recipe is great, and I will definitely be using it again.  I'm so grateful to my (soon to be) father-in-law for giving us his old dehydrator, since it is easier and faster than the oven method and very versatile!  We'll be dehydrating apples in the next couple days.  I've never done that before so I'm really looking forward to it!

Update 1/2/13: I made the jerky again with the same recipe, but using only 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and I marinated it for only 8 hours.  The flavor is still great, but you taste the flavor first, and then the heat hits.  I find this to be much preferable.

Money and Happiness

I think everyone has heard the saying 'money can't buy happiness', and most of us have rolled out eyes at it.  I recently read an article about the way the ability to purchase things makes people happy.  I was surprised at my own reaction.

My fiance' and I have recently hit troubled financial waters, which is actually why I am starting this blog (but more on that later).  While we have never been what I would call "secure" in our finances, until recently we also never really had to worry about which bill we would pay with the funds we had available.  When we had some, albeit not much, disposable income, we often found ourselves lamenting not being able to buy the things we wanted or not being able to afford to go out as often as we would like.  When we did splurge and go out, it was still with a relatively reserved budget which sometimes made the date/experience feel like it was lacking. We were much better off than so many people in this world, and yet we weren't really Happy.

We've only fallen on hard times recently, but I have suddenly become much happier.  I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to stretch our budget.  I am much more appreciative of the things we have and the free entertainment we find.  We also are becoming even closer as we share our concerns and work together to overcome obstacles. Yes, our financial situation is stressful, yet I approach each day with a more energetic attitude.

It is very helpful that we have been slowly preparing for this situation for some time.  Two years ago my fiance' and I agreed that we should try to increase our number of hand tools and stockpile non-perishable foods in the pantry and meats in the freezer.  We also felt we should try to learn skills which would increase our self-sufficiency and sustainability.  And this all leads in to what this blog is really about.

When you don't have to do something the hard way, why would you?  For almost two years now I have been reading blogs, books, and articles about homesteading and survivalism. I have hundreds of bookmarks for tips, tricks, and how-to's that I read and thought to myself "oh how neat, I should do that!" and never actually attempted.  And now is the time when I will begin to utilize them.  The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences with trying all of the neat, cost-saving ideas I have found online, and a few we come up with ourselves, to stretch a budget and attain happiness within our standard of living.  Money can't buy happiness, but with some elbow grease and a thrifty mind-set, we might be able to create it.