Save yourself some money by making for yourself some of the foods you generally purchase at the store. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Chocolate Syrup
Keep this chocolate syrup on hand in a jar in the fridge and you will always have a sweet topping for ice cream or desserts.
1 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir ingredients together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Once boiling, continue to cook and stir constantly 3-5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Store all leftover sauce in fridge and use in place of store-bought syrup for ice cream, chocolate milk, or any recipe calling for chocolate syrup.
Bread Crumbs
Use bread scraps or ends of loaves to make your own bread crumbs. Leave bread out for a few days until the pieces become rock hard. Crush into fine crumbs using a food processor or blender. Store remainder in the freezer to be used when recipes call for bread crumbs. Add Italian seasoning to taste to make Italian bread crumbs.
Cheez Whiz
I was really pleased to find this recipe to make homemade Cheez Whiz. I just recently found a soup recipe that calls for a jar of the stuff, but Cheez Whiz seems to be so overpriced. So, here is a way to make it for less…
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk
1 pound processed cheese (Velveeta), cut into small chunks
1/4 cup stick margarine
Dash of Tobasco sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Melt all ingredients in medium saucepan or double broiler over medium heat. Pour from pan into another container. Store in fridge. Use on crackers or in place of Cheez Whiz in recipes.
One more tip…
There is a wealth of recipes online, right at your fingertips. Doing a quick search you can find copycat recipes for many products that you can purchase at the grocery store.