Tahini Recipe



Ingredients for tahini

While there are a variety of uses for tahini, I usually just use it as a base in my hummus recipe. While you can spend $6.50 or more to get 16 ounces of if from the store, you can make your own and customize it to your taste. The recipe that follows is a basic tahini recipe and you can add other flavors to get the taste you desire. for just a fraction of the cost. As with my Lipton Onion Soup Mix recipe, I used items I got from the bulk bin at our grocery store (Winco). The cost of one pound of sesame seeds at Winco was $3.83. For this price,  you get a massive amount, since sesame seeds weight next to nothing. You can easily make this recipe 3 or more times. In addition, if you make your own hamburger buns, the sesame seeds make a great topper to them. Well, enough talk.


What you need:

• 4 Cups: Sesame seeds (toasted)
• 1/4 - 1/2 Cup: Olive oil

Lipton Onion Soup Mix Copycat Recipe

Here is a recipe for making Lipton Onion Soup Mix.

Lipton Onion Soup Mix

While you can always go to the store and spend anywhere from $1.50 to $3.00 for a few ounces of the original, this recipe can save you a bunch of money without sacrificing taste. I use this in my Chicken with Rice recipe and also in my hummus, soups, and dips, just to name a few.  Now, while there are many styles of this recipe out there, this is the one that I found that tastes the best .This makes quite a lot, so you'll need to store it in an airtight container. The following recipe was made using ingredients from the bulk bin of our supermarket.

Ingredients needed to make the mix (direct from the bulk bin)

What you need:

• 3/4 Cup: Minced onion (onion flakes)
• 1/3 Cup: Beef bullion
• 4 tsp: Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp: Celery seeds (crushed)
• 1/4 tsp: Sugar  

 What to do:

• Add all the ingredients into a bowl

Ingredients before being mixed

• Mix using a whisk or your fingers

Ingredients after being mixed

• Transfer to a jar

Lipton Onion Soup Mix in a jar

Since the ingredients have a tendency to settle, be sure to give the jar a good shake before using.
Enjoy.

Sour Dough French Bread

I made some French bread today, but instead of just using the active sour dough starter, I added yeast as well.  It came out pretty good, with the added bonus of a much shorter rise time of 2 hours instead of 6.

What you need:

• 1 cup of active sour dough starter
• 2 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 2-3 cups of flour (you may need more or less depending on humidity)

Putting it together:

• In a bowl, add the sour dough starter
• Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix until combined
• Allow to sit for about 30 minutes
• Put yeast and sugar in small bowl and add water
• Once yeast has bloomed, add to sour dough starter
• Mix to combine
• Add salt and egg, mixing to combine
• Begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time
• Continue adding until well mixed. Dough should be somewhat sticky, but not TOO sticky.
• Once kneading is complete, cover and let rise until doubled in size: 60-90 minutes.
• After first rise, take out, punch down gently, and shape into loaf(s)
• Cover and let rise an additional 30 minutes
• Preheat oven to 425
• Bake for 18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees
• Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing
• Enjoy!!