A couple of years ago I cut back on using canned cream of mushroom soup in recipes that called for them. Instead I started making my own just for the sake of cutting back on processed foods. It's been a while now since I've used a canned cream of mushroom and wanted to share the recipe I use in its place.
Oh yes, mushrooms aren't something I keep in my fridge regularly so it is very likely that I wouldn't have any on hand when I needed the cream of mushroom soup. I just make it anyway without the mushroom, and while you do lose that flavor, I just add a few extra shakes of seasonings like onion powder and garlic powder.
I plan to make a potato casserole tomorrow, Insha'Allah, and went ahead and made the cream sauce tonight so that I'll be that much ahead tomorrow.
In a saucepan I melt 1/4 cup butter.
Add to that 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms and saute till they are soft, a few minutes.
Add 1/4 cup flour and blend well. Cook and stir over medium heat to blend it all well.
Add 1 cup milk (I use whole milk) and stir until the flour has mixed into the milk.
Sauce will thicken within a minute, and then you can add about 1/4 tsp salt and some pepper. I like to use white pepper.
That's it. You're left with a gloppy, goopy, creamy mushroom base!
Here's my picture... it's not glamorous!
I've recently learned about a line of essential oils called doTerra and was interested in their oils because of the effort they went to to get their oils labelled as therapeutic grade and that they've gotten a nutrition label on some of them that you can put in your food. I already am a user of essential oils in my home, so I was happy to find a good use for the oil blend called OnGuard whose oils are antimicrobial/bacterial/fungal in nature. They suggested we use OnGuard in a foaming soap! I fell for this great idea and set up three bottles in my house using some distilled water, liquid castile soap, and a couple of drops of the essential oils.
I filled each bottle with the distilled water nearly to the top. Then I squirted a bit of castile soap (on the internet you can find some recipes calling for up to 1/3 cup but I am happy with about 2 tablespoons if I had to estimate). To that I put 3-5 drops of the essential oil. I was happy to use the blend On Guard for health reasons, but you could always use an oil of your choice suitable for a soap... lavender, geranium, peppermint, lemon.
I give the bottle a gentle swish back and forth before I use it just to disperse the oil in case it has settled on the top. Whether it is necessary or not, I don't know. In the meantime, I'm happy with a very inexpensive, easy to make, and enjoyable to use handsoap!
