Homemade Brown Sugar

Who knew you could make brown sugar at home??

It's always exciting when I learn how to make something homemade.  And last week, I found the book The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila at the library.  There are a ton of great recipes to explore, and I'm sure I'll try several more.  The first one that caught my eye was homemade brown sugar.  It's never even crossed my mind that I could make it at home.  Apparently, it only takes two ingredients and takes about a minute.

Why have I been paying twice as much for brown sugar than for white sugar??  No more!  I have crossed another processed item off my grocery list :)

What you need:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp unsulphured molasses

 (yes, that's really all you need)

Pour the molasses over the sugar. 

Fluff with a fork until it is all mixed in.  At first it looks like you've ruined your sugar, and it's all clumpy.

Don't worry.  Keep going, and in a minute you'll have brown sugar.

I've been using this for months in my recipes, and it tastes and acts the same as store-bought brown sugar.

-Lily

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How to Make Homemade Breadcrumbs

I discovered that I could make homemade bread crumbs a couple years ago, and I've never looked back.  They're so easy, and cheap, and taste so much better than the crumbled cardboard that you buy in the store.  Yummy!

For about 3/4 cup crumbs, all you need is two slices of bread.

Yep, that's it.  I usually keep bread heels, ends, stale homemade bread, etc. in a ziploc or bread bag in the freezer, then I just pull out what I need.

Toast bread for 1-2 cycles.

You want it golden and dry, but not burnt.

Cut into fine crumbs

 And, now you have homemade bread crumbs!

Substitution note: usually recipes call for store-bought breadcrumbs, so if you substitute homemade you may need to experiment a little with the amount you use.  You may need a different quantity to get the same taste or texture.

-Lily