Homemade Fruit Leather / Fruit Roll Ups

PS - don't ask me why the formatting on this got all screwy... I have no idea! I shared this on another blog, copy & pasted and the formatting is all whacky! Oh well, I give up!

I must say… talk about easy! I really thought it was going to be difficult, but it wasn’t!
This specific fruit leather is a berry-blend… I used:

Ingredients:

2 lbs of strawberries
4.4 oz of blueberries (standard small package size)
and apx 1/4-1/2 lb of grapes (enough to make 32 oz of puree)

You can use almost any fruit. Try the fruit first, and if it seems a little tart, or needs some sweetening, add about 1 tbsp of honey or corn syrup. Taste test to see what is good for you!

Directions

Puree all ingredients (blender, food processor, etc)

With Dehydrator:

• Grease your fruit leather tray (Pam works for me)
• Pour your fruit puree on the fruit leather tray
• Set dehydrator between 130-140 degrees
• Let dehydrate for 4-8 hours (time depends on the thickness of your fruit leather, which fruits you are using, etc)Without Dehydrator:
• Set your oven to the lowest setting possible (probably around 140 degrees, or aim between 130-140 degrees)
• Place heavy duty plastic wrap or wax paper on baking sheet
• Pour fruit puree on a thin layer (or to desired thickness) on the tray
• Dehydrate for 4-8 hours.

Now, I’ve never actually done the oven method… let me know how it turns out! Here is an article with more on dehydrating with an oven

Homemade White Sandwich Bread

I have tweaked this recipe around from multiple different recipes and this variation is my favorite, by far! Just ask anyone. They'll tell you my bread recipe rocks your socks off.

Marlana's White Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

• 2 envelopes yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp if you use the jar)
• 2 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6-7 cups all purpose flour

Directions

• Sprinkle yeast over warm water
• Add honey, butter, and salt; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy (5-10 min)

Yeast and ingredients mixed.

Foamy appearance.

• Add 3 cups flour, mix until incorporated and mostly smooth (with spatula or on low speed with mixer)
  
• Add 3 more cups of flour, mix until incorporated
• **Make sure your dough stays slightly sticky, but not so sticky it keep sticking to your fingers
• Lightly flour your surface to knead. Again, you want just enough flour on the dough and your surface to make sure it doesn’t stick to your hands. If it still feels too sticky, slowly add in the remaining cup of flour (just a little at a time).
  
• Begin kneading until smooth and elastic.
• Kneading 101, if you need help kneading: begin at the outer edge of the dough, and fold it over closest to you, and then push away from you. Quarter turn and repeat. Knead dough about 6-8 minutes. Your dough is kneaded enough when you push your finger 1/4 inch in and it rises back up.
  Push away from you with bothpalms of your hand (I have one here because I was taking the photo!)
• Fold in to your body. Quarter turn and repeat.
• Spray your bowl with Pam or lightly grease with butter. Place kneaded dough ball into bowl, and let rise until doubled in size. It helps to put in a warm place and cover with a hand towel.
  In light greased bowl.At least doubled in size. You know your dough has risen enough when you push your finger in and the imprint stays.
• After bread has risen, punch it down, take out of bowl and knead out a couple more times.
• If using 2 pans ( 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 ), divide dough in half now, and grease pans (use Pam or Pam w/ flour)
• Press or roll out dough roughly to a square or rectangle, and roll up (like a jelly roll)
  If you need to, bring in reinforcements.
  Rolled out, rectangular, apx the size of the pan.
  Begin rolling up dough.
  Rolled dough.
• To help reduce the “seams” at the bottom, pinch them together. Pull each side of the bread from top to bottom (pinch sides and the bottom) to make the “heel” of each side of the bread.
  Seams pinched together.
  Heel created.
• Let rise in the pan until doubled in size.
  Rising this much left me a nice high loaf… lots of bread! You’ll see at the end of this post. If you’d like your bread smaller, don’t let it rise as much.
• Put in oven heated to 400 degrees for 20-30 min. The bread is done when you (use oven mitts!) flip your bread out of the pan, tap on the bottom with the heavy end of a butter knife, and it makes a hallow tapping sound.
• Let cool on wire rack. (One more tip, it is best to use a serrated bread knife to cut your loaf.)
  

ENJOY!

FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE, CLICK HERE!

Want a video to go with this post? Or are the photos enough? If you’d like a video for any of the steps (such as kneading, or how to tell if your dough has risen enough, etc), please let me know and I’ll make a video to add!

Food I Haven't Burned: Cajun Rub Ribs

Wait, yes I do! (Sorry PETA, I know you'll find me as a traitor. I used to have this bumper sticker on my car.)

I shared with some friends of mine about participating in a Grocery Challenge. I must say, it really transforms the way you cook and try to save money! I'm already a deal hunter (Yes, BEFORE the "Extreme" show came out on TLC... I ain't no biter!) Some girlfriends of mine expressed interest in my sharing some of my recipes and ways to save money in my recipes. Here goes my first shot!

Let me say, I (gasp) did not get these ribs on sale. Blasphemous, I know. However, they were relatively inexpensive still, approximately $5 for the rack. I'll admit, I was just really craving ribs, so I splurged.

Cajun Rub Ribs:
Cajun Spice, Creole Seasoning (entire container) ~ $1.72 at WinCo
1 part Lawry's Season Salt ~ a couple dollars for an economy size container

2 parts sugar ~ you should have this on hand!

Mix together. Rub into ribs. Cook on slow at 225 for about 4 hours (or, my other favorite, all day in the crock pot!)

Ribs. Mmm.

The spices. I also need to add, I've only found this Cajun Spice Creole Seasoning at WinCo. I imagine somebody else must sell it, but that's where I find mine. McCormick's and other brands make a Cajun spice as well, but there is just something about this brand that has that delicious bite.

Yeah baby. That's enough for my family, my parents, and leftovers for my Carnivore. I mean, husband.

Rub that delicious Creole-Season-Sugar mixture all over the ribs.

I have this fancy rib rack I found on clearance for 75% off at Target, once upon a time. I love it. But you can just throw them in a foil lined pan too.

Set at 225 for about 4 hours.

Go ahead. You can drool. Here's a towel to wipe up your keyboard.

And don't forget the sides!!

How you like that squash?! Straight from our garden baby!

All that, plus squash, and mashed potatoes, about $7.00 for a rack! (That works out to about $1.75 a person!) Sure can't find it that cheap at any fancy-shmancy restaurant, can you?

Tuesday Blog Hops!