Recipes From Becky's Farm Life

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
makes 14 cups (this makes a 28 cup batch)
2 cups instant non fat milk (1 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa (1 cup)
1 1/2 cup sugar ( 3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt ( 1/2 teaspoon)
Mix all together well, store in an air tight bowl. To use add 3 heaping tablespoons to a cup of hot water, not boiling water. If you have a coffee maker- run the water with no coffee, this is just the right temp. ( after making it with the hot water and stirring good, it can be put in the ice box and becomes choc. milk, this is good too.)

More Brownies Please
1 cup butter(2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts optional ( but are great with walnuts)
Preheat oven to 350, grease 13 X 9 X 2 pan, melt butter in a pan then turn heat off and stir in sugar and vanilla, add eggs one at a time beating well with wooden spoon after each egg, add cocoa, beat until blended, add flour, baking powder, salt, beat well. stir in nuts. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 min. or until brownies pull away from the sides of pan. Enjoy!


Freezing Eggs
(Freezing eggs- Farm and store bought with photos)
You crack say 2 -3 eggs into a bowl, add 1/4 tsp. of sugar or salt 9 use sugar or salt depending on what the eggs will be used for), just pop the yoke, and pour into a freezer bag. label your bag sugar or salt and how many eggs inside. Check your most used recipes to find the number of eggs you use the most. I use 6 eggs in ice cream with 1/2 tsp of sugar. Eggs to eat, I pack in 3’s with 1/4 tsp salt. Eggs for cakes add sugar to eggs. The only thing you can’t do with these eggs is have them fried. I have found they last 6 -12 months in the freezer. The older they get, its best to use them in recipes than to eat plain. A lot of people don’t know you can freeze eggs. After the first year here of home grown eggs, the store bought eggs didn’t taste so good any more. So I found a way to keep us in eggs when the hens slow down. This does work with store eggs, too. Date your bags and always use the oldest first.


Freezing Milk:
I have found that best way to freeze milk is to use juice bottles or 2 liter bottles, WHY? the jugs that milk comes in is very thin and weak. And more times than not, when the milk thaws the jug leaks. In a 2 liter bottle put a 1/2 gallon of milk, this will leave room for it to freeze. Always date your bottles. And it will thaw over night in ice box. I have found it will last 6- 12 months in freezer, I know that is not what is said, but that’s what works here. Just always use the oldest first. We have done this for over 6 years now, and same with eggs.


Canning hard cheeses:
We love sharp cheddar cheese but don’t like it frozen. You can, can any hard cheese this way. So I found a way to can it. In jelly/ or pint jars, in a pan of water (put jars in water), put cheese in jars(slice into small pieces) , allow to melt down to 1 in. from top, then put lids on and hot water bath 40 min. for both pints and jelly jars.The longer it sit on shelf the sharp it gets. We just got plans to build a cheese press, so as I can make my own cheddar cheese. We have had to wait to make it because I had no way or place to allow cheese to ripen. So now I’ll make it and can it. The can cheese will last 2 plus years in a cool dark place.


Home canning Cheese sauce
6 lbs of velveeta cheese ( I used a off brand, which was half in price)
3 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/4 lb butter
1 quart milk
( I used our fresh cows milk, our butter and cream. This cut the price of my sauce way down. I just had to buy the cheese. In case any of you have your own cows, I’m not sure if goats milk will work.)
*melt butter in a big sauce pot
*add milk and cream
*slice cheese into above mixture
*melt cheese slowly, if melted too fast it will burn on the bottom.
*put into hot jars
*seal and hot bath for 20 minutes.
Makes 20 jelly jars. ( mine made 22 jelly jars)
The cheese sauce is great. I found that a jelly jar is enough cheese for a batch of mac & cheese for 4 people. And here, they like to spread the cheese on crackers too ( it’s like a cheese whiz). The best part for me is that it stores on the shelf. If keep in a cool dry place, it should last at least 2 years. ( I got it at http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=82726 It’s called “home canned nacho cheese sauce”, But I just wanted the cheese sauce above.

Home canned butter
I also found out you can, home can butter see here: http://frugalabundance.com/homecannedbutter.htm I have not tried this one yet as for time and it’s been to hot to make big batches of butter. I only make what we need, and all the extra cream I freeze for now. Then when it cools off, I’ll thaw the cream and make butter, then can it.
Canning raw cow’s milk
With our milk cow giving us 3 plus gallons a day ( it’s only her first calf). I have extra milk. So I freeze some (for when she is dry) and I can some( this canned milk makes the best white gravy you ever had. I use the canned milk for cooking only.We have been doing this for years. Can be used any where you would use milk or store can milk.)
Fill quarts and/ or pints with milk to with in 1/4 in. from rim. Then pressure can (cook) 10 minutes at 15 lbs pressure for both qt’s. and pt’s.
The milk will be a light tan color. I have canned the milk whole (without decreaming it, which will give you a thick cream like butter on top of the milk, which is good in cooking) and I have canned decreamed milk ( I take just the heavy cream off first, which gives you a little of the cream like butter on top). Both ways are good. And I have not used goats milk, but I think it would be the same but I’m not sure. If any one knows please let me know, Ok.
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13 Comments »

I have canned goats’ milk and it turned out OK. I am looking for real recipes to do some now. I will try your suggestions as to time and pressure amounts. Thanks.
Comment by rebecca gring August 20, 2008

Rebecca,Have you tried your canned goats milk yet? If so, how did it turn out?Becky
Comment by jordansfarm August 24, 2008

Could you share your cinnamon roll recipe as well?
Comment by D. August 31, 2008

Becky - Have you tried canning butter yet? I just bought 14 pounds on sale, and would really like to can it. I’ve read the directions, got the jars, just haven’t gotten it done … yet!
For what it’s worth, most of my family thinks I’m crazy for stockpiling too, but this has been on my heart for months. I really believe the Lord is preparing us for something big. There are a couple of people at our church who feel the same way, but most just think the stores will always have food. I’m so glad to know that others share this conviction.
Your blog has been a *huge* help, and I can’t thank you enough.
Praying for you and your husband.
Comment by arksoaper September 5, 2008

arksoaper,No, I have not had time yet to even make butter. But I do have about 15-20 gallons of cream in the freezer just waiting on me to make butter. Please let me know how it turns out. I would start out with just a small batch of canned butter, and see how it works and if you like the taste. This canning butter, I have not tried, I want too. But I will make a small batch first. When I tried the canned cheese sauce and canned hard cheeses, I made small batches and let everyone try it, first.
And welcome to the crazy stockpiling group, the group is growing, and doing so fast.
Have a wonderful week.Becky
Comment by jordansfarm September 5, 2008

Hey Becky,
Just wanted to give you an update on the butter. I took your advice and canned one pound first to see how it turned out before I wound up ruining 14 pounds of it. ) I think overall it went well. The jar sealed with no problem, and I shook it several times as recommended while it was cooling. The consistency of the butter is grainier than normal, but it is beautiful in the jar! I think for now, I’m just going to freeze the butter, and if we have a major power outage, I at least have the option of canning it. I wouldn’t hesitate to use the canned for cooking, but just to eat on toast or something, it’s a little gritty for our taste (maybe because it’s the store brand?). I think it would be fine otherwise though.
Thanks for all of your help!
Have a great weekend,Stacie
Comment by arksoaper September 6, 2008

D.The cinnamon roll recipe is coming, I didn’t forget. I will post it next week.
Stacie,Thank you for letting me know about the butter. I found the “how to” for and if the power was out for to long. It’s my back up. Later this fall, I will try it with homemade butter and let you know. Thank you again.
Becky
Comment by jordansfarm September 7, 2008

Hello Becky:just found your web site and wish you and your family all the best. I was wondering regarding the Parmesan cheese and Mock Mozzarella recipe it calls for 1 cup of powered milk and 3 cups of powdered milk. Is the milk already made up (from the powder) or is it in the powder form that you add altogether. I have never used powdered milk but have just acquired some for my food storage. Thanks in advance for your answer.Debbie
Comment by Debbie September 20, 2008

Hello again Becky: I forgot to ask if the powdered milk is instant or non instant. I do have both. ThanksDebbie
Comment by Debbie September 20, 2008

Debbie,Thank you for stopping in. As for the powdered milk: you are to add it in it’s dry form. Both say to blend all ingredients together. The recipes each have the water in them.Now for the instant or non instant: I am not sure as I have not tried these two yet, but the book just says powdered. i would think you can use either, or, as they both are cooked.Please let me know how it turns out. I posted these two because I know not everyone has a milk cow. And I’ll use it when mine is dry.Thank you again, and have a great weekend.Becky
Comment by jordansfarm September 21, 2008

Hi Becky ! New to canning and simply *love* your site (was looking for info on canning potatoes when I found). Have a question regarding home-made buttermilk. I found a recipe from USDA which said to take 1/2 cup commercial buttermilk, add to 1 1/3 cup powdered milk and 3 cups water. You shake in covered jar and let sit on counter to ‘clabber’ 5 to 10 hrs.
I tried this recipe and came up with very thick, goopy ’stringy’ stuff (my husband said it looked like white nasal extract) that smells vinegary. I repeated recipe in case I made an error and came up with same result. I’m scared to death to use it for fear of being brought up on homicide charges ( thats supposed to be a joke ) - have you ever tried this? is my end result SUPPOSED to look this way? comments from anyone else?
Comment by Robin November 12, 2008

Thanks for all the great recipes and tips. I’d like to share one with you that my family loves and is very quick meal on cold days.
CHEESEBURGER CASEROLE1 1/2 lbs of ground beef1 large can of Manwich1 med onion diced1 med green pepper dicedany kind of cheese you likecanned biscuts
Cook meat, onions, and peppers in large pot til brown and crumbled. Add your large can of manwich and simmer for about 5 min. Transfer your meet mixture to a caserole dish, spread evenly and top with cheese of your choice. I use American Deli slices. Take your canned biscuts or if you choose to make homemade and place on top of the cheese leaving no space uncovered. Follow the baking directions on can of biscuts or til the biscuts are light brown and serve. The whole dish only takes about 30-35 min start to finish and we never have leftovers. Hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does. Let me know. I look forward to seeing more recipes and tips in your blog in the future.
Comment by Candace January 28, 2009

Candace,Thank you for the recipe, it looks like it’ll be good. And thank you for stopping in. Have a great day.Becky
Comment by Becky January 29, 2009