Homemade creamy canned goods!

A ton of recipes I see call for creamed of 'blank' soup and even though they do see 'healthier' versions of those soups, they are still processed foods with a ton of unpronounceable ingredients that really lack the flavor of the full fat versions. So I set out to try and make my own version, with all the same flavor and ingredients I could pronounce! I usually make the recipe in bulk and keep the dry mix stored in a tupperware in our pantry to just pull out and use when needed.

Homemade Cream of 'fill-in-the-blank' Soup:

2 cups powdered nonfat milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup chicken bouillon (I use low sodium but you can use whatever you'd like)

2-3 Tablespoons dried onion flakes (you can use onion powder, but I found that the flakes do make a slight difference and taste more like the original)

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

To make the equivalent of 1 can of cream of soup, whisk together 1/3 cup of the dry mix with 1 cup cold water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until thickened. The whole mix above makes about 9-10 cans.

To add the flavor of whatever cream of you desire (i.e. chicken, mushroom, celery, etc), I chop up bits of those and toss in to cook when the mixture is thickening. If it is a hard vegetable such as celery, I usually saute it first in some olive oil to soften if up a bit, but that is not necessary, especially if the soup is going into a casserole or something that is going to bake.

As a baker, another canned product I frequently come across is sweetened condensed milk. Instead of constantly buying them and having them on hand, I decided to make my own, much healthier version. This can be added to anything from coffee and tea to baked goods. One of my favorite coffee shops downtown, La Colombe, makes their own bittersweet chocolate syrup that they add to coffees with a squirt or two of homemade sweetened condensed milk. It is by far the best coffee I have ever had and wanted to do the same at home, which is a big reason I use this recipe frequently!

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk:

1/2 cup hot water

3/4 cup powdered nonfat milk (heaping)

1/2 cup sugar

In a food processor, add the powdered milk and sugar. Pulse a few times to combine. Then with the motor running, slowly add the warm water. Process until well combined, thick and dissolved. This recipe is equal to one can of store-bought condensed milk.