RICE MILK OR NUT MILKS

(WARNING: Recipes towards the bottom of this post)
Who knew you could make rice milk at home? Nut milks? I didn't until I saw a demonstration for a vitamix at Costco!  I have wanted a vitamix for about 10  years now, so what did I do? I got one. Why? Well the price of a case of rice dream at costco is about $16 per case which is only 12 quarts. If you buy an individual quart at Safeway or and grocery store, you are looking at $3.79 per quart or MORE!!! Super crazy! Why pay that much when you can make it at home for pennies per quart?
First thing I made when I got home with my new toy was make a smoothie, spinach, blueberries, bananas, carrots, apples, oranges and ice. The kids LOVED it.. of course we always loves smoothies, but this blender, er vitamix thing makes them really smooth.
Next I made a batch of cashew, almond rice milk. DD#2 was in heaven! Thick like cow milk, yummy and good for her too! She begged me to never buy rice dream again! That sealed it, this vitamix thing was not going to go back to the store!!  I use my vitamix atleast once a day now! Crazy, but so easy to use, and clean!  .... oh woops off track, I am supposed to be posting the recipe.. ha ha.. I just had to explain why I have the vitamix (justification?).. Love it, I hope the power doesn't go out so that I can still have my daily spinach smoothie :) or spinach sorbet (kids love it with cottage cream!!!)

Our FAVORITE Milk Mix
3 cups cold water
1/4 cup (50 g) cooked rice
1/4 cup (35 g) raw cashews
1/4 cup (35 g) raw almonds
2 TBS to 1/4 cup (17 g to 35g) coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
dash of salt
2 pinches of sugar to 1/4 tsp.
splash of vanilla extract up to 1/2 tsp.

Place all in vitamix in order, secure lid
Select variable 1.
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 10, then HIGH.
Blend for 3 to 4 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Store in refrigerator. SHAKE well before using.

Rice Milk:
1/2 cup (100 g) cooked rice (whatever kind floats your boat)
2 cups (480 ml) cold water
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar (brown or white)

Place ingredients into the Vitamix in order listed and secure lid.
Select Variable 1.
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 10, then HIGH.
Blend for 2-3 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
Store in refrigerator.
Shake well before using.


Almond or Cashew Milk
If you desire to strain away sediment, place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour almond milk slowly into sieve and allow to filter through, or stir the milk in the sieve with a spatual to encourage it to pass through more rapidly. Do not strain if using cashews.

3 cups (720 ml) water
1 cup (140 g) raw almonds or cashews
pinch of salt, optional
sugar or sweetener to taste, optional

Place all in Vitamix containter in order listed, secure lid.
Select Variable 1.
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to HIGH.
Blend for 2 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.

Coconut milk
Strain through a fine mesh sieve for a smoother drink.

2 cups (480 ml) water
1 cup (75 g) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened

Place ingredients in Vitamix, secure lid.
Select variable 1. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to 10, then high.
Blend for 3 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Chill.

Hillbilly Housewife Award Winning Chili

This recipe is amazing. And because the Hillbilly Housewife is so bogged down with hundreds of emails daily, I am simply going to put a link here for you to go to her site for the recipe instead of waiting weeks for permission to put it here on my blog. This is the one I used for activity days daddy daughter western dinner, and the one I took to the RS meeting where crock pot recipes were brought..

My changes to HH's recipe:

I used HOT Italian sausage (instead of Jimmy Dean)
NO celery 
6 cloves garlic (you can never have enough)
1 TBS cayenne (PLENTY)
1 TBS chili powder (WHOA!!!)
1 can stewed italian and 1 can stewed mexican tomatoes, drained into crock pot and I chopped the tomatoes up more.
1 can pinto beans and 1 can canellini or black beans 2 HOURS before serving (so the pintos burst and make the chili thicker)
I also added water!!

Prussian Pot

I was really surprised by this recipe. Super easy!!

1 lb. fresh sauerkraut or 1 lb canned sauerkraut
1 lb smoked sausage (I used beef kielbasa)
3 tart cooking apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used granny smiths)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup apple juice or cider

Rinse sauerkraut and squeeze dry. Cut sausage into 2-inch pieces (I cut them smaller so I wouldn't have to cut them while trying to eat them).  Put 1/2 the sauerkraut in the crock-pot. Add 1/2 the sausage on top, then 1/2 the apples, salt and pepper and half the brown sugar. Then the rest of the sausage and apples and brown sugar and top with remaining sauerkraut. DO NOT STIR THE LAYERS. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 7 hours. Stir before serving.

Crock-Pot Apple Cheesecake

This was a quick throw together, pray it tastes good thing I made today. Well it was AWESOME!!  So Here is it for you :

2 TBS butter, melted
7 or 8 graham crackers, the whole biscuit with 4 sections, crushed
12 ounces cream cheese
3 eggs
1 TBS powdered sugar
1 TBS granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
apple pie filling (I used my home canned apple pie filling)*
1/2 to 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 TBS butter

Combine the 2 TBS butter and graham crackers. Spread in bottom of 5-quart crock pot. Turn crock pot onto HIGH.
In a bowl mix cream cheese and sugars with hand mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Add vanilla and almond extract, mix smooth. Spread over graham crust. Combine pie filling with 1/2 to 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 TBS butter, and warm gently on stove, spread over cream cheese mix. Cook on HIGH for 2-hours. Turn off and let sit.

*I canned an amazing apple pie filling using tapioca that is super yummy.