GOOD MORNING CLASS.  PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS.  Today we are going to learn how to make some old tried and true ingredients by ourselves!  Remember last Christmas how you wanted to make my “Cheesecake for Dummies” but you didn’t have sweetened condensed milk?  PLUS–isn’t it about $25.00 a can???? Maybe not.  But still.  Here’s how you make it next time you need it and don’t have it.  NOTE:  for probably 40 years I have made it with dry milk powder.  But that’s as bad as not having the Sweetened milk, cause I never have that ingredient either!  We kept it around sometimes in the 70’s, but not much anymore.  ALSO NOTE:  This isn’t a “Snap” to make, but it isn’t difficult.  Just takes a little time:

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

1 can Evaporated milk

1 1/4 cups white sugar

Add sugar to milk in saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook until sugar is totally dissolved.  Cool and store in fridge in covered container.

THE OLD WAY:

1 Cup boiling water

1/4 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

4 cups dry milk powder

Put the water in a blender and add ingredients, one at a time till totally blended,  (adding  the milk powder one cup at a time).  Blend till there are no lumps.  Cool and store in fridge in a covered container.

NOW YOU CAN MAKE A SIMPLE CHEESECAKE by simply blending 1 8oz cream cheese with a cup of sweetened condensed milk and 2 eggs.  I just put a little vanilla wafer in the bottom of muffin cups, fill 1/2 full, and bake about 15 minutes at 350.  Perfect for any topping you like!

HERE’S ONE MORE LITTLE TRICK YOU CAN USE: How to make cake flour.  So easy!   (of course, nobody uses cake flour anymore….).  Just take one cup flour, remove 2 TBS. and ADD 2 TBS cornstarch.  Sift and you have Cake Flour!