February is Freedom from Convenience Foods Month

February is Freedom from Convenience Foods Month

by Frugal Michael February 2, 2010

Convenience foods – those easy-to-use packets, pouches, boxes and bottles that make our lives so much easier because they make it possible for us to prepare meals despite our hectic on-the-go lifestyles.  They are also full of additives, preservatives and heaven only knows what other chemicals that I just can’t bring myself to put into my body.  Call it a personal crusade if you will, Gone Frugal has declared February Freedom from Convenience Foods Month. Don’t worry, I’m not going to call Intervention and try to get you into a

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The Pullman Bread Pan

by Frugal Michael February 7, 2010

I did something decidedly not frugal yesterday.

As much as I have been baking bread lately, I didn’t own a bread pan so while I was out on errands I went to a cooking store to buy a couple of good pans.  I learned my lesson long ago about using cheap bake ware so I knew I was going to get something with a good construction and a good reputation.

I found what I was looking for at a decent price but then I was drawn in by another item in the same aisle.  I hadn’t seen a Pullman loaf pan in years, likely because they had fallen out of vogue when the more organic-shaped artisan breads became popular.  The Pullman pan looks a lot like a metal rectangular box with a lid, by all accounts.

Gone Frugal Pullman Loaf Bread Pan Pullman bread isn’t fancy, in fact it doesn’t look all that different from a loaf of sandwich bread you might buy at the supermarket but that’s where the similarities end. 

A loaf of Pullman bread is dense and hearty; the perfect wrapper for any sandwich and a definite contender for the greatest French toast bread in history.

Wanting to save a little cash I opted for the smaller Pullman pan that measures 8 1/4”x4”x4” as opposed to the more standard 13” model but I didn’t expect to have such a problem locating recipes for this type of bread pan.  Because of the confining space in a lidded pan your bread dough has to be measured well to fill all the available space without overfilling.

It may take a few tries to get the right proportions down for my pan but I plan to report back soon with my very own perfect Pullman loaf recipe.

Okay, I did all that talking first in the hopes that some of you wouldn’t read to the end to find out that I spent thirty bucks on that Pullman pan.  I know, I’m ashamed.

A little.

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Homemade McDonald’s Big Mac

by Frugal Michael February 3, 2010

Freedom from Convenience Foods Month continues as author Todd Wilbur from Top Secret Recipes shows you how to make your own homemade McDonald’s Big Mac at home in this short video:

The key ingredient of course is the special sauce.  You can find the recipe here in the recipe section.

Keep your eyes on Gone Frugal all month long for recipes and tips for recreating your favorite convenience foods at home during our Freedom from Convenience Foods Month!

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This Week's Video Feature

Quick tips to make your own household cleaners for pennies.

Frugal Recipes

February 8, 2010

When people first learn that I like to do clone recipes of well known foods from various restaurants and stores one of the most common requests I get is for help making a homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing clone. 
If I am to be entirely honest, the salad dressing is the only thing I [...]

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February 6, 2010

People have been enjoying my homemade pancake recipe so much that I wanted to take it a step further during our Freedom from Convenience Foods Month and share with you a recipe for making your own baking mix that works every bit as well as Bisquick or Pioneer Baking Mix except you made it [...]

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February 6, 2010

Old Bay is a versatile,  delicious seasoning blend but if you are like me and have an overly stocked spice cabinet, why not make it yourself?  In my case I have an ulterior motive; I am allergic to ginger and when I make my homemade Old Bay Seasoning recipe from scratch I can adjust [...]

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February 3, 2010

The McDonald’s Big Mac is an addiction for a lot of my friends so a few years ago I went digging around to find a way to make the special sauce since that was really the only variable ingredient in the now-famous recipe of "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a [...]

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