How to Make Zucchini Candy With a Dehydrator

My successful experiment turning zucchini into candy. Delicious! Most everyone that grows these highly nutritious vegetables probably have an abundance of them right now. This is just another simple, cost effective way of preparing them, that your family is sure to enjoy.
You will need zucchini, kool-aid (or any unsweetened powdered drink mix, your choice of flavor), sugar and water.
The recipe I used for this video (the original recipe I found was double these ingredients):
5 cups sliced or diced zucchini
1 packet of kool-aid mix (strawberry)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
In saucepan whisk water, sugar and drink mix together and bring to a boil (stirring constantly to prevent sticking).  Once mixture is boiling, stir in zucchini and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with lid, and simmer for 25 minutes. (stirring occasionally)
After 25 minutes, remove from heat and strain (you Can save your syrup for future batches, either place in a jar and seal or place in refrigerator.)  Place zucchini pieces in dehydrator in a single layer, not touching and process at 125 degrees for 14 hours.  When they are done you can store them as they are, or coat them in sugar, powdered sugar, or another sweet or sour drink mix. This gives different flavors and keeps them from sticking together in the container.
Eat and enjoy!

How to Rehydrate - Dehydrated Brown Rice

The last time I cooked brown rice I decided to double the batch and dehydrate half of it, so the next time we wanted brown rice it would only take about half the time to prepare. This is our first time rehydrating and taste testing this way.  Honestly, our home is divided on the results...half love it and the other half can tolerate it, but don't really like it. I'm thinking this would be much better in a meat and/or veggie dish....so we will be trying it again. Our family loves sweet rice, so I thought this would be a hit....I just don't think sweet and brown rice mix very well.

If you would like to try sweet rice, all you have to do is cook your rice according to the directions on the package; when the rice is done add your butter and sugar to taste. I did add 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar, but this was 4 cups of rice by the time it was rehydrated.

Hope you try it and enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roasted Garlic Butter ~ How to

This is one of our most popular uses of our roasted garlic....garlic butter (margarine). We use it to make yummy breads, potatoes, mac & cheese, grill cheese, fish, shrimp, chicken, etc.  Very easy! Give it a try!
For this you will need: roasted garlic (please see previous video if you don't know how to do this), a stick of butter/margarine (softened), fork and bowl.

Roasted Garlic ~ DIY

This is a very simple method of roasting your own garlic to be used in many different dishes. We use it for a variety of things: garlic butter, breads, potato dishes, pasta dishes, garlic: fish, chicken, shrimp, etc. If you love roasted garlic, the possibilities are many! Hope you try it and love it! Thanks for stopping by!
For this you will need: bulb(s) of garlic, olive oil (or oil of choice), knife, cutting board, aluminum foil and an oven (or toaster oven).

Garlic Infused Oil ~ DIY

This is a very simple and effective way to make your own infused cooking or salad oils. Other spices and herbs may be used in place of garlic if you would like a variety of flavored oils, it's all the same basic process. It is a little more tricky with fresh items as they have water content and we all know that oil and water don't mix well....and oil is not a preservative. But, don't let this stop you from experimenting! Just store your infusing oils in a cool, dark place and keep an eye on them. Shake them daily and every few days remove the lid and smell....if the herbs or spices start to turn bad, you should be able to detect it. All you should be able to smell is, in this case, garlic and oil.....mainly garlic. Of course you can also use dried herbs or spices. Either way you choose, after 2 weeks, strain out your herbs/spices, bottle your oil and keep in a cool dark place. Hope you try this, enjoy it and get creative with the flavors that you and your family like.
For this recipe you will need: cloves of garlic, oil of preference, empty bottle or glass container to store in, knife and cutting board.

Make Your Own Croutons

One method of making homemade croutons.

How to Make Croutons ~ 2nd Method

Our second method of making homemade croutons.

How to Make Fabric Softener

A very easy and economical way to make your own fabric softener.



You will need:

3 cups hot water (helps dissolve conditioner)

1/2 cup baking soda

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 cup chosen hair conditioner



Also:

bowl

whisk

container to store fabric softener in

funnel



Pour hot water into bowl, add baking soda, slowly add vinegar, stir to start combining and add conditioner. Use a whisk to combine all ingredients well. Place a funnel (if needed) in your container  and pour in your freshly made fabric softener. Empty fabric softener or detergent containers work well for storage, and the lids are handy for measuring. Please note, if you are making this hot, it is a good idea to let mixture cool before pouring in chosen container.



Directions for use: Shake Well before each use and add 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup per load of laundry. It's really a personal choice how much you would like to use.

Dryer Sheets ~ DIY

How we make our own homemade dryer sheets.

Protein Bars ~ Chocolate, Oatmeal & Peanut Butter

These are delicious and full of protein! Very easy to make.

Protein Bars ~ Chocolate, Oatmeal & Peanut Butter

Ingredients:

4 cups - "Quick Oats" oatmeal (old fashioned oats can be used, but they need to be ground down first)

3 Tbsp - cocoa

3 to 4 scoops - protein drink mix, your favorite brand & flavor

1 cup - softened peanut butter

3 Tbsp - honey

up to 1/2 cup warm water.

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.

2. Stir in peanut butter and honey. 

3. Gradually add in up to 1/2 cup warm water, until you get a consistency that will stick together well. Note: using your hands is probably the easiest method to do this.

4. Press mixture firmly and evenly into a 9 x 9 baking dish.

5. Allow to sit and cool for at least 30 minutes.

6. Cut into desired size pieces and Enjoy!

Stir Fried Ramen Noodles ~ Quick & Easy

                                           
A quick & easy way to jazz up your ramen noodles, that can easily be tailored to your taste-buds. Experiment with it  The video shows the basic steps and some of the ingredients I use.  
Honestly, the basic stir fry without the extra ingredients is very good too.

For the "basic stir fry" you will need...
For each pack of ramen noodles used: 1 tablespoon cooking oil & 1 cup of water.

Heat oil in skillet; crush noodles, (set season packet aside); stir fry noodles (also add any other ingredients that you may want to saute in during this process) until browned, add water, seasonings & any other ingredients you would like. Bring to boil. and stirring frequently, boil until very little water remains. 
Enjoy.

Cooking Deer Meat

This is how I prepare venison for cooking and one of the ways that I prepare it.