Blessings Darlings!
This post is not about bringing garden surplus to share with your coworkers. Maybe next year I'll be able to post about that. My garden's not going to provide that much food this year. I'll probably post more about that some other time.
Instead, this is about me wanting to eat better but NOT wanting to cook at home/heat up MY house. Work, OTOH, is in a hotel kitchen. And it's already hot and nothing I do will actually affect that fact one way or the other. So today (the day I'm writing this blog post, Sunday July 1) I'm bringing in a whole bunch of veggies that I want to roast so I can cut them, season them, and roast them - all during slow periods at work - while at work. This week has a federal holiday in it, so there will be LOTS of slow periods at work.
I got permission from the previous sous chef. Hell, he'd have let me use the veggies at work for this. Which is not something I'm going to do. Thus I have onion, carrots, beets, turnips, and two types of summer squash coming to work with me today. I also have two half gallon containers to take the finished products home in. And I'm bringing in the chef knife today, instead of the serrated knife or the boning knife.
It's gonna get real.
Frondly, Fern
Showing posts with label Cheap eats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheap eats. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Fruit Costs
Blessings Darlings!
As I once again start trying to eat better (notice that I don't announce when I'm NOT eating well?), I've been looking at the costs per serving of what I eat. So I'm going to start posting about it, starting with the fruits.
Oh - at this point I'm just going to talk about price type costs. Not environmental. That's a different conversation.
Bananas: They are some inexpensive fruit! At the stores I shop at, at 49 cents per pound, that comes to around 21 cents per banana, which is a good serving.
Apples: I buy these in three pound bags, because the price per pound is a bit lower, and the apples are smaller. And you can bet your bippy that I buy bags with smaller, but unblemished, apples. This way each apple, one serving, is about 45 cents each (less when on sale). Red ones apparently have more antioxidants than green/yellow ones, but if the green/yellows are on sale, I'll get those, since that usually drives the price down to 33 cents each.
Pineapple: They are usually a bargain in price per serving (define a serving as 6 ounces). One pineapple, NOT on sale, is about $4.00. Eight servings (at least) each, so 50 cents a serving. On sale, at $2 each, or even $1.50 each - bonus!
Strawberries: When they are $2 a pound I buy them a lot, since that's about 50 cents a serving for 6 'fluid' oz, rather than by weight. At $3 a pound ... sigh. I buy then more rarely. This, BTW, is the 'regular' price of whole frozen unsweetened strawberries. Sigh.
Blackberries: I love them. I only buy them when they are like $3.50 for 18 oz at Costco. That's like 70 cents a serving.
Raspberries: I really don't buy them. Pricier than blackberries.
Oranges/tangerines: Love the seedless tangerines. And they are small. If they are on sale for a dollar a pound (like 3 lb bag of seedless tangerines for $3) they are very affordable, at about 35 cents each. More often I get bags of 'juice oranges' that come out to about 50 cents each. Red grapefruit I get when they are about 35 cents each at Aldi's, and get two servings from each.
Grapes: On sale at $1.50, I eat a lot of them. That's about 30 cents per 6 fluid oz serving. I don't buy them when they are over $2 per pound.
Cherries: Love them, can't afford them.
Blueberries: I pick my own, and freeze them. Only way I can afford them.
Kiwi Fruit: on sale, 25 to 50 cents each, I get them. They are 3 for $1.00 right now!
Melons: I buy them on sale, then they are a bargain. I wish I could afford the amazing musk melons at road side stands, but I usually can't. Right now Cantaloupes are $3 each, that's about 40 cent a serving.
Mangos, Papayas, etc: Only if I find them marked down, or ... mangos are likely to be on sale right now for 50 cents each for Cinco de Mayo. If so, I'm grabbing them. Each one is two servings.
Pears: Usually about 40 cents each, if $1.60 a pound and you grab the smaller rather than big ones.
Of course, I do most of my shopping at Aldi and selected loss leaders at other stores close to home or work. YMMV.
Frondly, Fern
As I once again start trying to eat better (notice that I don't announce when I'm NOT eating well?), I've been looking at the costs per serving of what I eat. So I'm going to start posting about it, starting with the fruits.
Oh - at this point I'm just going to talk about price type costs. Not environmental. That's a different conversation.
Bananas: They are some inexpensive fruit! At the stores I shop at, at 49 cents per pound, that comes to around 21 cents per banana, which is a good serving.
Apples: I buy these in three pound bags, because the price per pound is a bit lower, and the apples are smaller. And you can bet your bippy that I buy bags with smaller, but unblemished, apples. This way each apple, one serving, is about 45 cents each (less when on sale). Red ones apparently have more antioxidants than green/yellow ones, but if the green/yellows are on sale, I'll get those, since that usually drives the price down to 33 cents each.
Pineapple: They are usually a bargain in price per serving (define a serving as 6 ounces). One pineapple, NOT on sale, is about $4.00. Eight servings (at least) each, so 50 cents a serving. On sale, at $2 each, or even $1.50 each - bonus!
Strawberries: When they are $2 a pound I buy them a lot, since that's about 50 cents a serving for 6 'fluid' oz, rather than by weight. At $3 a pound ... sigh. I buy then more rarely. This, BTW, is the 'regular' price of whole frozen unsweetened strawberries. Sigh.
Blackberries: I love them. I only buy them when they are like $3.50 for 18 oz at Costco. That's like 70 cents a serving.
Raspberries: I really don't buy them. Pricier than blackberries.
Oranges/tangerines: Love the seedless tangerines. And they are small. If they are on sale for a dollar a pound (like 3 lb bag of seedless tangerines for $3) they are very affordable, at about 35 cents each. More often I get bags of 'juice oranges' that come out to about 50 cents each. Red grapefruit I get when they are about 35 cents each at Aldi's, and get two servings from each.
Grapes: On sale at $1.50, I eat a lot of them. That's about 30 cents per 6 fluid oz serving. I don't buy them when they are over $2 per pound.
Cherries: Love them, can't afford them.
Blueberries: I pick my own, and freeze them. Only way I can afford them.
Kiwi Fruit: on sale, 25 to 50 cents each, I get them. They are 3 for $1.00 right now!
Melons: I buy them on sale, then they are a bargain. I wish I could afford the amazing musk melons at road side stands, but I usually can't. Right now Cantaloupes are $3 each, that's about 40 cent a serving.
Mangos, Papayas, etc: Only if I find them marked down, or ... mangos are likely to be on sale right now for 50 cents each for Cinco de Mayo. If so, I'm grabbing them. Each one is two servings.
Pears: Usually about 40 cents each, if $1.60 a pound and you grab the smaller rather than big ones.
Of course, I do most of my shopping at Aldi and selected loss leaders at other stores close to home or work. YMMV.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, March 4, 2016
Restaurant scrounging, addenum
Blessings Darlings!
The place I work at has added a new product - bone in broasted chicken. But Corporate keeps auto-shipping us WAY more than we sell. Okay, we cook the extra chicken (it's fresh, and has a short use-by date) unseasoned/breaded, then take the meat off the bones to use in pot pies and soup and such.
I boned 4 pans of chicken yesterday.
As I looked at the pans of chicken, and the lovely drippings in the pans, I realized that I was set up to throw out the ingredients for a really wonderful chicken stock. So I didn't throw the stuff out. I brought the 3 quarts of gelatinous drippings and many of the bones home. Once home, the bones went into the oven for an hour, then into two stock pots, with the drippings and more water, to simmer over night.
I now have two quarts of 'stock base'. I may choose to reduce the liquid, but I'll worry about that tonight, after it's cooled and I've skimmed it and tasted it.
The place I work at has added a new product - bone in broasted chicken. But Corporate keeps auto-shipping us WAY more than we sell. Okay, we cook the extra chicken (it's fresh, and has a short use-by date) unseasoned/breaded, then take the meat off the bones to use in pot pies and soup and such.
I boned 4 pans of chicken yesterday.
As I looked at the pans of chicken, and the lovely drippings in the pans, I realized that I was set up to throw out the ingredients for a really wonderful chicken stock. So I didn't throw the stuff out. I brought the 3 quarts of gelatinous drippings and many of the bones home. Once home, the bones went into the oven for an hour, then into two stock pots, with the drippings and more water, to simmer over night.
I now have two quarts of 'stock base'. I may choose to reduce the liquid, but I'll worry about that tonight, after it's cooled and I've skimmed it and tasted it.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Meh Ravioli
Blessings Darlings!
Tonight I made our fortnightly Vegetarian Dinner. I decided to try Spinach and Ricotta ravioli, with the budget substitutions of plantain weed leaves for spinach and cottage cheese for ricotta. Once again I found that wild greens suck up a lot of flavor and recipes have to be adjusted for that - had to double the salt, black pepper, nutmeg and add basil and garlic in order for the filling to have flavor.
The pasta part was pretty typical, except I've never made ravioli before. OTOH I've made more than a few recipes of Chinese dumplings and egg rolls! I did run into a problem with them sticking to the parchment paper and tearing, because using cottage cheese instead of ricotta make the filling more moist. I'll be making steamed dumplings (instead of boiled ones) out of those tomorrow.
Chubby Hubby asked for a pink sauce for these, instead of a red sauce. So I added a cup of cream to a red sauce and he was happy. Spawn and I weren't that impressed, it didn't 'sparkle', but it was adequate.
It all tasted fine, but it was not Restaurant or Company Quality.
I'm sure I'll do better if I make it again soon, but I probably won't make it again until next summer - the plantain plants are going to seed.
Frondly, Fern
Tonight I made our fortnightly Vegetarian Dinner. I decided to try Spinach and Ricotta ravioli, with the budget substitutions of plantain weed leaves for spinach and cottage cheese for ricotta. Once again I found that wild greens suck up a lot of flavor and recipes have to be adjusted for that - had to double the salt, black pepper, nutmeg and add basil and garlic in order for the filling to have flavor.
The pasta part was pretty typical, except I've never made ravioli before. OTOH I've made more than a few recipes of Chinese dumplings and egg rolls! I did run into a problem with them sticking to the parchment paper and tearing, because using cottage cheese instead of ricotta make the filling more moist. I'll be making steamed dumplings (instead of boiled ones) out of those tomorrow.
Chubby Hubby asked for a pink sauce for these, instead of a red sauce. So I added a cup of cream to a red sauce and he was happy. Spawn and I weren't that impressed, it didn't 'sparkle', but it was adequate.
It all tasted fine, but it was not Restaurant or Company Quality.
I'm sure I'll do better if I make it again soon, but I probably won't make it again until next summer - the plantain plants are going to seed.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
It's Zucchini Time!
Blessings Darlings!
So ... Zucchini.
I gave 3 to Suz today (and then we went out and picked blueberries, so I have 9 pounds of those to process). And I had half a cooked zuc left, and one whole fresh one in the fridge, and then harvested one more. So my lunch was pasta with the cooked zuc added.
The Chubby Hubby likes to have something hot with his lunches. Often that means leftovers, but as much as possible I steer him to soup. So I made zucchini soup. Well, a vegetable soup that featured a lot of zuc. Three cups water, 4 boullion cubes, one cubed carrot, most a zuc (cubed), and a large handful of dry egg noodles. He was happy. He ate some zuc, so I was happy. There is soup left for tomorrow, so we can be happy again tomorrow.
I may try Suz's recipe of battering sliced zuc, drizzling it with olive oil, and baking it next, because clearly I have to keep coming up with recipes.
Frondly, Fern
So ... Zucchini.
I gave 3 to Suz today (and then we went out and picked blueberries, so I have 9 pounds of those to process). And I had half a cooked zuc left, and one whole fresh one in the fridge, and then harvested one more. So my lunch was pasta with the cooked zuc added.
The Chubby Hubby likes to have something hot with his lunches. Often that means leftovers, but as much as possible I steer him to soup. So I made zucchini soup. Well, a vegetable soup that featured a lot of zuc. Three cups water, 4 boullion cubes, one cubed carrot, most a zuc (cubed), and a large handful of dry egg noodles. He was happy. He ate some zuc, so I was happy. There is soup left for tomorrow, so we can be happy again tomorrow.
I may try Suz's recipe of battering sliced zuc, drizzling it with olive oil, and baking it next, because clearly I have to keep coming up with recipes.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, April 26, 2013
End Of Month Eats
Blessings Darlings!
In a recent discussion in a Facebook group, the issue of getting thru' the end of the month on pasta or ramen came up. And how boring living on those noodles are.
Well.
First of all, you KNOW my view of pasta vs ramen, right? That pasta costs WAY less per serving, so go for that if you can? But, onward to making noodles flavorful (and more nutritious) when broke!
First, of course, your herb/spice rack is your friend. A shot of Sriracha sauce will kick up noodles. So will garlic and onion - use the powdered form if that's what you have.
Canned or frozen veggies can be added. Don't have any? Well, now that it's well into spring you can harvest what's growing wild. Today, for instance, I'm adding the greens from wild garlic, for vitamins C, A, fiber, and flavor. Here's a shot of wild garlic:
I'm also adding wild yellow dock. This is more of a problem to add - it can be bitter, and the Chubby Hubby is a supertaster of bitter and HATES HATES HATES it. So after I harvested it I chopped it, threw it in a bowl, and poured boiling water over it to blanch it. I drained it after it soaked for a few minutes and had CH taste it - it met his approval. For your viewing pleasure, a shot of yellow/curly dock:
There are plenty of other plants growing right now that you can add. Dandelions (again, bitter - you may have to soak/drain several times), plantain is coming up, creeping Charlie (nice peppery flavor), Corn creeper (boring flavor, but very nutritious), chickweed, etc. Even the young leaves of clover can be used.
And let's not forget to use those pasta, as well as ramen, in soup. Just add cheap cubes of boullion, and more wild greens (or canned veggies if you have them). Leftovers, in broth, with noodles, is a grand meal.
So - eat well!
Frondly, Fern
In a recent discussion in a Facebook group, the issue of getting thru' the end of the month on pasta or ramen came up. And how boring living on those noodles are.
Well.
First of all, you KNOW my view of pasta vs ramen, right? That pasta costs WAY less per serving, so go for that if you can? But, onward to making noodles flavorful (and more nutritious) when broke!
First, of course, your herb/spice rack is your friend. A shot of Sriracha sauce will kick up noodles. So will garlic and onion - use the powdered form if that's what you have.
Canned or frozen veggies can be added. Don't have any? Well, now that it's well into spring you can harvest what's growing wild. Today, for instance, I'm adding the greens from wild garlic, for vitamins C, A, fiber, and flavor. Here's a shot of wild garlic:
I'm also adding wild yellow dock. This is more of a problem to add - it can be bitter, and the Chubby Hubby is a supertaster of bitter and HATES HATES HATES it. So after I harvested it I chopped it, threw it in a bowl, and poured boiling water over it to blanch it. I drained it after it soaked for a few minutes and had CH taste it - it met his approval. For your viewing pleasure, a shot of yellow/curly dock:
There are plenty of other plants growing right now that you can add. Dandelions (again, bitter - you may have to soak/drain several times), plantain is coming up, creeping Charlie (nice peppery flavor), Corn creeper (boring flavor, but very nutritious), chickweed, etc. Even the young leaves of clover can be used.
And let's not forget to use those pasta, as well as ramen, in soup. Just add cheap cubes of boullion, and more wild greens (or canned veggies if you have them). Leftovers, in broth, with noodles, is a grand meal.
So - eat well!
Frondly, Fern
Monday, September 10, 2012
Fern's Cole Slaw Recipe
Blessings Darlings!
When your lunches tend to be soup and a salad, as our lunches often are (well, we also have popcorn a lot), having a lot of salad options is a good thing. Add that to the fact that cabbage is very healthy and usually cheaper than lettuce is, pound for pound .... cabbage based salads are something we eat a lot.
Cole Slaw is one of the most common cabbage based salads around. My standard recipe, the one I'm sharing here, isn't fancy or 'special'. It's just basic Good Eats. I've been making it once a week and we've been having it with lunch or dinner almost daily. I DO admit I use reduced fat mayo rather than regular mayo OR making my own. I might do it next with home-made, but let's face it - store bought mayo may not taste as good but it sure lasts longer in the fridge than home-made mayo does!
FERN'S BASIC COLE SLAW
4 Cups or so shredded green cabbage
1/3 or so cups of shredded red cabbage, if I happen to have any around
1 big or two small or so carrots, scraped and shredded.
juice of 1/4 lemon, or a splash from a bottle of lemon juice
mayonaise
Salt and pepper
Put the shredded veggies in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, and enough mayo so it looks dressed. My husband likes more, I like less. I make it to my taste. YMMV. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix. Eat.
There are sweet cole slaws, there are vinegar based cole slaws, etc - this is what the Chubby Hubby likes. Find a few you like. Make then often. Play.
Frondly, Fern
When your lunches tend to be soup and a salad, as our lunches often are (well, we also have popcorn a lot), having a lot of salad options is a good thing. Add that to the fact that cabbage is very healthy and usually cheaper than lettuce is, pound for pound .... cabbage based salads are something we eat a lot.
Cole Slaw is one of the most common cabbage based salads around. My standard recipe, the one I'm sharing here, isn't fancy or 'special'. It's just basic Good Eats. I've been making it once a week and we've been having it with lunch or dinner almost daily. I DO admit I use reduced fat mayo rather than regular mayo OR making my own. I might do it next with home-made, but let's face it - store bought mayo may not taste as good but it sure lasts longer in the fridge than home-made mayo does!
FERN'S BASIC COLE SLAW
4 Cups or so shredded green cabbage
1/3 or so cups of shredded red cabbage, if I happen to have any around
1 big or two small or so carrots, scraped and shredded.
juice of 1/4 lemon, or a splash from a bottle of lemon juice
mayonaise
Salt and pepper
Put the shredded veggies in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, and enough mayo so it looks dressed. My husband likes more, I like less. I make it to my taste. YMMV. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix. Eat.
There are sweet cole slaws, there are vinegar based cole slaws, etc - this is what the Chubby Hubby likes. Find a few you like. Make then often. Play.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, September 3, 2012
Bon Bon Chicken Salad
Blessings Darlings!
I now have 7 cucumbers harvested from the garden, patiently waiting in my kitchen to be used. While green salads are a great place for cucs, as are watercress sandwiches, for using LOTS of 'em we need a main course dish.
Bon Bon Chicken is my go-to main dish for cucumber season. My husband brought this recipe into our marriage with him. He got the original recipe from the Chinese cooking classes he took with Pansy and Chu-Yen Luke before we even met. We've modified it for our tastes. It does take some ingredients that many folks don't keep around their kitchen .... but since I DO keep them around it's not a problem for me. If gluten-free matters to you, it's easy to make this gluten free, you'll just have to make sure that your light soy sauce is gluten free.
BON BON CHICKEN SALAD
4 oz. bean thread
1 lb boneless chicken
1 lb. small cucumbers (think kirby, not 'salad' cucs)
1 Tbs salt
4 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, well chopped
4 Tbs Tahini
3 Tbs light soy sauce
3 Tbs Chinese black vinegar
4 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 Tbs chili oil .... or more to taste, but this is powerful.
If you're like me, and boning cheap leg quarters for the chicken, you'll get a pound from 2 meaty leg quarters. But the Chubby Hubby says that the Luke's adapted their REAL Chinese recipes by adding more meat, for American tastes, so reducing the meat may well be more authentic.
Soak the bean thread in water to cover for half an hour. While that soaks, bring a couple of cups of water to a boil, add the raw chicken, and simmer 'till it's cooked thru'. Take out the chicken and let it cool to room temperature, then cut it into thin and short strips. Salad size, you might say!
Cut the cucs the long way, then slice those halves the short way into thin slices. Remove water from them by sprinkling them with the salt and letting them sit while do make the salad dressing. You make the salad dressing by combining the rest of the ingredients. Squeeze the water from the cuc slices. If you are avoiding salt you might want to rinse them, too, I do.
Cut the hydrated bean thread 3 inches long. Drop them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain.
Now everything goes into a big serving dish and gets tossed, plated, and eaten.
Serves 4.
I now have 7 cucumbers harvested from the garden, patiently waiting in my kitchen to be used. While green salads are a great place for cucs, as are watercress sandwiches, for using LOTS of 'em we need a main course dish.
Bon Bon Chicken is my go-to main dish for cucumber season. My husband brought this recipe into our marriage with him. He got the original recipe from the Chinese cooking classes he took with Pansy and Chu-Yen Luke before we even met. We've modified it for our tastes. It does take some ingredients that many folks don't keep around their kitchen .... but since I DO keep them around it's not a problem for me. If gluten-free matters to you, it's easy to make this gluten free, you'll just have to make sure that your light soy sauce is gluten free.
BON BON CHICKEN SALAD
4 oz. bean thread
1 lb boneless chicken
1 lb. small cucumbers (think kirby, not 'salad' cucs)
1 Tbs salt
4 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, well chopped
4 Tbs Tahini
3 Tbs light soy sauce
3 Tbs Chinese black vinegar
4 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 Tbs chili oil .... or more to taste, but this is powerful.
If you're like me, and boning cheap leg quarters for the chicken, you'll get a pound from 2 meaty leg quarters. But the Chubby Hubby says that the Luke's adapted their REAL Chinese recipes by adding more meat, for American tastes, so reducing the meat may well be more authentic.
Soak the bean thread in water to cover for half an hour. While that soaks, bring a couple of cups of water to a boil, add the raw chicken, and simmer 'till it's cooked thru'. Take out the chicken and let it cool to room temperature, then cut it into thin and short strips. Salad size, you might say!
Cut the cucs the long way, then slice those halves the short way into thin slices. Remove water from them by sprinkling them with the salt and letting them sit while do make the salad dressing. You make the salad dressing by combining the rest of the ingredients. Squeeze the water from the cuc slices. If you are avoiding salt you might want to rinse them, too, I do.
Cut the hydrated bean thread 3 inches long. Drop them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain.
Now everything goes into a big serving dish and gets tossed, plated, and eaten.
Serves 4.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Biking
Blessings Darlings!
I've been getting more 'butt time' in on my bike - the road bike now, instead of the exercise bike. While spending some (not enough!) time on the exercise bike over the winter DID do a lot for my legs and lungs ... my ass now has to adjust to a different, narrower, seat and to the bumps in the road. I am looking forward not only to biking to and from the closer store again soon but to my butt not complaining for days afterwards. My legs and lungs are ready for the trip now, even with the hills. My sweet butt is not. Of course, the closer store has some of the highest food prices of the stores in the general area. I mostly go to that store for things that they have on loss-leader specials, especially if I can use coupons while there. This past week was one of those weeks! The BBQ sauce the family likes to use for a 'baked on' sauce was BOGO AND I had coupons. It brought the price down to 40 cents a bottle. I got 4 bottles. And each bottle had a coupon for "If you buy two bottles, you get $2 off of Kool-Aid," which was ALSO on sale. The Chubby Hubby likes to drink the Purple flavor (grape flavor it is NOT) so I got two of those for $1 each. I also got worceshire sauce for 20 cents, using a sale plus a doubled coupon.
My plan is to start going to the local store by bike only, not car, by next week. And my further plan is to bike to and from the 10 mile away less expensive stores .... as soon as possible. May the Gods grant that my bike and I haul home lots of equally good bargains over the next year!
Frondly, Fern
I've been getting more 'butt time' in on my bike - the road bike now, instead of the exercise bike. While spending some (not enough!) time on the exercise bike over the winter DID do a lot for my legs and lungs ... my ass now has to adjust to a different, narrower, seat and to the bumps in the road. I am looking forward not only to biking to and from the closer store again soon but to my butt not complaining for days afterwards. My legs and lungs are ready for the trip now, even with the hills. My sweet butt is not. Of course, the closer store has some of the highest food prices of the stores in the general area. I mostly go to that store for things that they have on loss-leader specials, especially if I can use coupons while there. This past week was one of those weeks! The BBQ sauce the family likes to use for a 'baked on' sauce was BOGO AND I had coupons. It brought the price down to 40 cents a bottle. I got 4 bottles. And each bottle had a coupon for "If you buy two bottles, you get $2 off of Kool-Aid," which was ALSO on sale. The Chubby Hubby likes to drink the Purple flavor (grape flavor it is NOT) so I got two of those for $1 each. I also got worceshire sauce for 20 cents, using a sale plus a doubled coupon.
My plan is to start going to the local store by bike only, not car, by next week. And my further plan is to bike to and from the 10 mile away less expensive stores .... as soon as possible. May the Gods grant that my bike and I haul home lots of equally good bargains over the next year!
Frondly, Fern
Monday, April 2, 2012
Cheap Eats - Refried Beans
Blessings Darlings!
I haven't focused on cheap eats recently, and given the economy I really should.
Tonight's dinner is going to be the Taco recipe I posted before, the half beef/half bean taco mix. A fact I forgot about last night before going to bed - I had planned to start soaking the beans then.
But I didn't. I DID remember them when I awoke at 1 am. And hauled my sorry butt to the kitchen to sort, wash, and start soaking two cups of dry black beans.
Have I mentioned that I tend to be my own worst enemy? Then again, in my experience, that is true of us all.
This morning I drained the soaking liquid then pressure cooked the beans. Since I only needed one pound of cooked beans, the two cups of dry beans resulted in FAR more beans than I needed. Which is great, it allowed me to make refried beans.
I'm sure all y'all already know that 'refried' beans aren't 'refried' at all. Refritos, in Spanish, means 'twice cooked'. First the cooking to make them soft and edible, then the cooking with seasoning and mashing them to make then tasty and give them a creamy texture.
This is a VERY laid-back recipe. I don't measure a damn thing, it's all mix/taste/adjust.
REFRIED BEANS
Several cups of cooked beans. Any type, really, except garbanzos, because then you'd be making hummus. I probably used around 3 cups this time, and the water left from cooking them.
A chopped onion. You pick the size. I used a large but not huge one.
Chili powder. I probably used about a tablespoon
Salt, I used at least a teaspoon
Minced Garlic, I used 3 cloves this time. Mince this first - it allows antioxidants to develop
Pepper, black, I dunno how much, I ground the pepper mill for a bit.
Ground coriander seed, maybe 1/3 tsp?
Ground cumin seed, maybe 1/2 tsp?
Oregano, a dash or so.
Some oil.
So, put 1 - 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a heavy pot. Let it get shimmery over medium heat. Add onions, cook 'till translucent. Add minced garlic and seasonings, let them 'bloom' in the hot pan for 30 seconds. Add beans. Heat. Mash. Adjust seasonings, add water if needed.
Serve with chips, or baked tortillas, or cut veggies.
Frondly, Fern
I haven't focused on cheap eats recently, and given the economy I really should.
Tonight's dinner is going to be the Taco recipe I posted before, the half beef/half bean taco mix. A fact I forgot about last night before going to bed - I had planned to start soaking the beans then.
But I didn't. I DID remember them when I awoke at 1 am. And hauled my sorry butt to the kitchen to sort, wash, and start soaking two cups of dry black beans.
Have I mentioned that I tend to be my own worst enemy? Then again, in my experience, that is true of us all.
This morning I drained the soaking liquid then pressure cooked the beans. Since I only needed one pound of cooked beans, the two cups of dry beans resulted in FAR more beans than I needed. Which is great, it allowed me to make refried beans.
I'm sure all y'all already know that 'refried' beans aren't 'refried' at all. Refritos, in Spanish, means 'twice cooked'. First the cooking to make them soft and edible, then the cooking with seasoning and mashing them to make then tasty and give them a creamy texture.
This is a VERY laid-back recipe. I don't measure a damn thing, it's all mix/taste/adjust.
REFRIED BEANS
Several cups of cooked beans. Any type, really, except garbanzos, because then you'd be making hummus. I probably used around 3 cups this time, and the water left from cooking them.
A chopped onion. You pick the size. I used a large but not huge one.
Chili powder. I probably used about a tablespoon
Salt, I used at least a teaspoon
Minced Garlic, I used 3 cloves this time. Mince this first - it allows antioxidants to develop
Pepper, black, I dunno how much, I ground the pepper mill for a bit.
Ground coriander seed, maybe 1/3 tsp?
Ground cumin seed, maybe 1/2 tsp?
Oregano, a dash or so.
Some oil.
So, put 1 - 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a heavy pot. Let it get shimmery over medium heat. Add onions, cook 'till translucent. Add minced garlic and seasonings, let them 'bloom' in the hot pan for 30 seconds. Add beans. Heat. Mash. Adjust seasonings, add water if needed.
Serve with chips, or baked tortillas, or cut veggies.
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Garden Time!
Blessings Darlings!
Now that it's February it's time to start your garden.
Yes really.
Time to map out what you want to plant, and where, in your garden. And in what order: if you plan on planting some spreading vine type plants (squash, sweet potatoes) you can put early harvested crops (spinach, lettuce, radishes, turnips) in the path of those vines. You'll have eaten and/or stored the food by the time the vines reach that part of the garden.
Order a few seed catalogs to look over vegetable varieties and get an idea of what area they take up by the time they're harvested.
It's also time to start seeds. I've started herbs and onions so far - not that they are starting well. Being low on money I'm using OLD seeds, and only the thyme is doing really well, Still, one parsley seed is up, a bit of oregano, one red onion. There's still time for them .... and it's not like my house is kept at 70 degrees as they'd like!
I'll be starting more seeds today, Gods willing and if the creek don't rise.
I don't use grow lights or any fancy set up. I'm using a sunny room, south and west exposures. I'm starting the seeds in potting soil and using egg cartons instead of pots. They are set in old baking pans. I'm REALLY low tech here (oh, the irony!).
In a month or so they'll be day tripping on the deck on warm days to start hardening off.
Considering all the challenges my gardening faced last year (clearing sod, wet spring, drought in summer) I had GREAT crops. I'm hoping to do as well this year .... AND have better deer protection!
The garden is a fundamental part of everything in both the preparedness / prepper / survival / survivalist line AND in the broke / cheap / cheap eats / broke line as well. Start now. You won't regret it.
Frondly, Fern
Now that it's February it's time to start your garden.
Yes really.
Time to map out what you want to plant, and where, in your garden. And in what order: if you plan on planting some spreading vine type plants (squash, sweet potatoes) you can put early harvested crops (spinach, lettuce, radishes, turnips) in the path of those vines. You'll have eaten and/or stored the food by the time the vines reach that part of the garden.
Order a few seed catalogs to look over vegetable varieties and get an idea of what area they take up by the time they're harvested.
It's also time to start seeds. I've started herbs and onions so far - not that they are starting well. Being low on money I'm using OLD seeds, and only the thyme is doing really well, Still, one parsley seed is up, a bit of oregano, one red onion. There's still time for them .... and it's not like my house is kept at 70 degrees as they'd like!
I'll be starting more seeds today, Gods willing and if the creek don't rise.
I don't use grow lights or any fancy set up. I'm using a sunny room, south and west exposures. I'm starting the seeds in potting soil and using egg cartons instead of pots. They are set in old baking pans. I'm REALLY low tech here (oh, the irony!).
In a month or so they'll be day tripping on the deck on warm days to start hardening off.
Considering all the challenges my gardening faced last year (clearing sod, wet spring, drought in summer) I had GREAT crops. I'm hoping to do as well this year .... AND have better deer protection!
The garden is a fundamental part of everything in both the preparedness / prepper / survival / survivalist line AND in the broke / cheap / cheap eats / broke line as well. Start now. You won't regret it.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Farmers, not markets
Blessings, Darlings!
We got paid by a client and two of our distributors yesterday (well, checks came from two of 'em and money was deposited electronically by the third). Thus I had to go to town to deposit checks and buy some staples. All well and good: shopped at one German-owned store, a Big Box store, gas from unknown country of origin, another Big Box store, finally hit a chain grocery store - damn, it was HARD finding canning lids!
But there was one more stop to be made. A family run farm stand. Where a half-bushel of peaches - seconds, and not organic - is $10. Way less expensive than at a farmer's market. Way WAY less expensive than from the store. And, obviously, as local as they come.
Tomorrow I shall be back at canning.
There were other fruits and veggies - LOVELY grapes! Lots of tomatoes - I bought two (yes, seconds). I may get a half or full bushel of tomatoes for canning next week. Alas, no corn, the drought plus deer have pretty much totaled the sweet corn.
I love food!
Frondly, Fern
We got paid by a client and two of our distributors yesterday (well, checks came from two of 'em and money was deposited electronically by the third). Thus I had to go to town to deposit checks and buy some staples. All well and good: shopped at one German-owned store, a Big Box store, gas from unknown country of origin, another Big Box store, finally hit a chain grocery store - damn, it was HARD finding canning lids!
But there was one more stop to be made. A family run farm stand. Where a half-bushel of peaches - seconds, and not organic - is $10. Way less expensive than at a farmer's market. Way WAY less expensive than from the store. And, obviously, as local as they come.
Tomorrow I shall be back at canning.
There were other fruits and veggies - LOVELY grapes! Lots of tomatoes - I bought two (yes, seconds). I may get a half or full bushel of tomatoes for canning next week. Alas, no corn, the drought plus deer have pretty much totaled the sweet corn.
I love food!
Frondly, Fern
Friday, May 27, 2011
Taco Recipe
Blessings, Darlings!
Dining well while broke continues. Tonight was taco night. But since the temperature was in the 90's, I chose to NOT fry tortillas into taco shells - we did soft tacos by just pan warming corn tortillas.
The shredded cheese was a bar of cheap cheddar from Aldi's. The tortillas were from a big package bought cheap somewhere else (Aldi's hasn't had corn tortillas at all this year!). No sour cream, but the Chubby Hubby could have used plain yogurt in its place. Tomatoes, well, I wasn't paying $2 per pound for fresh, so I used ones I had canned last year.
Taco filling was a mix of ground beef (sale priced) and black beans.
Taco Filling
1 large onion, chopped
2 green or red or yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped (I used ones I dried last year)
2 or more cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
4 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper
1 - 2 tsp ground coriander seed
Add a bit of oil to pan. Saute onion and pepper until onion is translucent. Add garlic, cook about 30 seconds more. Add and brown meat. Drain excess fat.
Add the dry spices. Cook them for about a minute. Add the tomato sauce, beans, and maybe up to 1/2 cup water. Simmer 1/2 hour. Done!
Dining well while broke continues. Tonight was taco night. But since the temperature was in the 90's, I chose to NOT fry tortillas into taco shells - we did soft tacos by just pan warming corn tortillas.
The shredded cheese was a bar of cheap cheddar from Aldi's. The tortillas were from a big package bought cheap somewhere else (Aldi's hasn't had corn tortillas at all this year!). No sour cream, but the Chubby Hubby could have used plain yogurt in its place. Tomatoes, well, I wasn't paying $2 per pound for fresh, so I used ones I had canned last year.
Taco filling was a mix of ground beef (sale priced) and black beans.
Taco Filling
1 large onion, chopped
2 green or red or yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped (I used ones I dried last year)
2 or more cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
4 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper
1 - 2 tsp ground coriander seed
Add a bit of oil to pan. Saute onion and pepper until onion is translucent. Add garlic, cook about 30 seconds more. Add and brown meat. Drain excess fat.
Add the dry spices. Cook them for about a minute. Add the tomato sauce, beans, and maybe up to 1/2 cup water. Simmer 1/2 hour. Done!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
More Cheap Eats
Blessings, Darlings!
Since we're still digging out from moving expenses (not only was moving more costly than we had figured, but when you're self-employed all that time spent packing, loading, unloading, unpacking you don't earn a penny!) my choice for February is to either have a working cell phone or food. And my cell phone isn't that expensive... so it's going to be a very low food budget month. Like $200 for the month.
So last Friday I did shopping that will get us thru' 2 - 4 weeks, with some fresh food added at times. I bought 15 pounds of white flour (I grind my own whole wheat flour already, but husband and son aren't yet hungry enough to eat 100% whole wheat everything), two dozen eggs, two gallons of milk, lots of sale priced apples and oranges, two pounds of carrots, a bunch of celery, three pounds of frozen green veggies, cat litter, and a few other things. I do wish I could have afforded more veggies and a few cans of cream of mushroom soup, but I just didn't have the money.
I figure we can get thru' February spending maybe $40 a week on food and such. That would be $8 on milk, $15 on produce, $15 on meat, and $5 on 'misc'. "Meat" includes eggs and cheese, for those keeping score at home.
Oatmeal with dried milk and raisins for breakfast. Soup and maybe peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Lots of cabbage and carrots featured in dinners. I've 2 1/2 weeks of dinners planned, and we'll see what meats may or may not go on sale for meals later in the month. Sunday night we had shrimp yaki soba (the shrimp was a BOGO purchase, and we used bean sprouts and cabbage in it), Monday night we had a little sausage with cole slaw and buns, Tuesday pot roast leftovers became a stew that will double as a lunch later this week, tonight is veggie/cheese omelets and home made rolls......
Of course, as this hits it has also become clear that the bag of mung beans I've been using for sprouts are past their prime - the sprouting ratio has dropped. Instead of getting 3+ cups of sprouts from every 1/4 cup of dry beans I barely got 1 1/2 cups the last time. I've one more bag that's about the same age - we'll see how that goes - but I also have two newer bags I bought this fall. They should still be in good shape.
Since we're still digging out from moving expenses (not only was moving more costly than we had figured, but when you're self-employed all that time spent packing, loading, unloading, unpacking you don't earn a penny!) my choice for February is to either have a working cell phone or food. And my cell phone isn't that expensive... so it's going to be a very low food budget month. Like $200 for the month.
So last Friday I did shopping that will get us thru' 2 - 4 weeks, with some fresh food added at times. I bought 15 pounds of white flour (I grind my own whole wheat flour already, but husband and son aren't yet hungry enough to eat 100% whole wheat everything), two dozen eggs, two gallons of milk, lots of sale priced apples and oranges, two pounds of carrots, a bunch of celery, three pounds of frozen green veggies, cat litter, and a few other things. I do wish I could have afforded more veggies and a few cans of cream of mushroom soup, but I just didn't have the money.
I figure we can get thru' February spending maybe $40 a week on food and such. That would be $8 on milk, $15 on produce, $15 on meat, and $5 on 'misc'. "Meat" includes eggs and cheese, for those keeping score at home.
Oatmeal with dried milk and raisins for breakfast. Soup and maybe peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Lots of cabbage and carrots featured in dinners. I've 2 1/2 weeks of dinners planned, and we'll see what meats may or may not go on sale for meals later in the month. Sunday night we had shrimp yaki soba (the shrimp was a BOGO purchase, and we used bean sprouts and cabbage in it), Monday night we had a little sausage with cole slaw and buns, Tuesday pot roast leftovers became a stew that will double as a lunch later this week, tonight is veggie/cheese omelets and home made rolls......
Of course, as this hits it has also become clear that the bag of mung beans I've been using for sprouts are past their prime - the sprouting ratio has dropped. Instead of getting 3+ cups of sprouts from every 1/4 cup of dry beans I barely got 1 1/2 cups the last time. I've one more bag that's about the same age - we'll see how that goes - but I also have two newer bags I bought this fall. They should still be in good shape.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Soup's On!
Blessings, Darlings!
The weather has turned blessedly cool and refreshing after the record heat of summer (and the record high temperatures that the DC area hit even last week!). So I can go back to ENJOYING hot bowls of soup again.
My love of soup goes WAY back, before even my earliest memory. My mother remembers the first time she fed me soup. Apparently I couldn't get enough. I'm sure it was chicken soup, served as part of Shabbos dinner, and she made it herself. She didn't say if it had noodles in it. She DID say that she stopped feeding it to me that night before I was done eating all I wanted.
My favorite soups are hearty stew-like ones, full of vegetables, meats, noodles or rice or potatoes or matzo balls, etc. But that's not to slight cream based soups, or lovely broths, or silky split pea, or.... well, you get the obsession.
Usually we have soup with lunch almost all year. This year, with the heat, we really couldn't face that (and we really don't like cold soups), so we've been soup-free for rather a while.
But it's time to get back on the soup bandwagon!
Simmering has started again in my kitchen. Barley, unhulled, is almost done cooking. It will be joined by stock from the freezer, a can or two of mixed veggies, and a can of beef. Maybe a can of mushrooms, too. Tomatoes? Why, yes, since the garden is still burying us in them! Herbs and other seasonings will be adjusted, bowls will be filled, and comfort food will fill our tummies, easing cool-weather sharpened appetites.
I'll be repeating the magic of soup making at least once a week for the next 9 months (except during the move, when I expect we'll use a lot of canned soup). I can't wait!
Frondly, Fern
The weather has turned blessedly cool and refreshing after the record heat of summer (and the record high temperatures that the DC area hit even last week!). So I can go back to ENJOYING hot bowls of soup again.
My love of soup goes WAY back, before even my earliest memory. My mother remembers the first time she fed me soup. Apparently I couldn't get enough. I'm sure it was chicken soup, served as part of Shabbos dinner, and she made it herself. She didn't say if it had noodles in it. She DID say that she stopped feeding it to me that night before I was done eating all I wanted.
My favorite soups are hearty stew-like ones, full of vegetables, meats, noodles or rice or potatoes or matzo balls, etc. But that's not to slight cream based soups, or lovely broths, or silky split pea, or.... well, you get the obsession.
Usually we have soup with lunch almost all year. This year, with the heat, we really couldn't face that (and we really don't like cold soups), so we've been soup-free for rather a while.
But it's time to get back on the soup bandwagon!
Simmering has started again in my kitchen. Barley, unhulled, is almost done cooking. It will be joined by stock from the freezer, a can or two of mixed veggies, and a can of beef. Maybe a can of mushrooms, too. Tomatoes? Why, yes, since the garden is still burying us in them! Herbs and other seasonings will be adjusted, bowls will be filled, and comfort food will fill our tummies, easing cool-weather sharpened appetites.
I'll be repeating the magic of soup making at least once a week for the next 9 months (except during the move, when I expect we'll use a lot of canned soup). I can't wait!
Frondly, Fern
Friday, September 17, 2010
Cheap Eats
Blessings, Darlings!
The Spawn has just driven off to his job at Popeye's, which brings food and lack of income to mind. And I realized that while I've talked about gardening, cooking from scratch, and foraging wild foods (which reminds me, I should check the persimmon trees in one of the parks in town to see if they will be worth checking when ripe) I have NOT talked about other food resources that may be available.
Since I already mentioned Popeye's, we'll start with "food from work". The Spawn gets one two piece chicken meal with a biscuit, a small side, and a drink every shift he works. That's a heck of a lot of his daily calorie need, and a lot of fried food. What he does is bring his lunch 4 out of 5 days - a sandwich and a piece of fruit - and have that with the drink and side dish (about evenly split between the fries and the red beans and rice). He tucks the two pieces of chicken in his cooler and brings them home. Once a week we have Popeye's chicken as a family dinner.
It used to be that if you worked at a grocery store you'd be able to get items that were past their sell-by date. That is far less common now, but in some ways that's a good thing - when I dropped off some garden-fresh tomatoes at the food pantry today I saw that they had out a whole bunch of pre-cut/packaged fruit from a local grocery store for their clients.
Many folks I know online like the monthly food from Angel Food Ministries: https://www.angelfoodministries.com/about/. I find that I can do just as well buying groceries at the store as I'd do thru' them, but as always YMMV (your mileage may vary). You get a box of food for a reduced price. It's a bit high on breaded fried foods for me, even more so now that we have a weekly dose of fried chicken!
The SHARE program is one that I like a lot http://www.sharedc.org/about.htm. This is the DC area link, but I know that there are other areas in the US where it operates as well. For SHARE, you pay a reduced price for our food as you do with Angel Food, but there is one more requirement - that you volunteer somewhere for 2 hours a month. It's still not 100% food I'd buy myself, but it's closer to my tastes than Angel Food.
Let's not forget that there are also food banks available. They are under more pressure than ever, with donations down and people in need up, and they, unlike the previously listed places, often require that you prove need. Back in the day I worked at a shelter than gave out some food, a typical bag for a family of 4 would be a box of cereal, a quart or two of dried milk, a box of crackers or a loaf of bread if we had that, two cans of soup, three cans of veggies, two cans of fruit, one box of jello, one can of tuna, a jar of jelly, a jar of peanut butter, a box of mac & cheese.
Dumpster Diving ... you know, at least one of the grocery chains here locks their garbage so no one can root thru' it for out of date food. They say it's because of risk of lawsuits.
Road kill - my husband hasn't let me do this yet. But, sheesh, last Saturday we passed not one but TWO dead deer on the road. I wasn't dressed to butcher them, but that would have been a whole lot of good venison. Why should the crows and buzzards be the only ones getting them?
Clearly this is not an exhaustive list. I've not looked into soup kitchens and other sources. But none of my posts are exhaustive!
Frondly, Fern
The Spawn has just driven off to his job at Popeye's, which brings food and lack of income to mind. And I realized that while I've talked about gardening, cooking from scratch, and foraging wild foods (which reminds me, I should check the persimmon trees in one of the parks in town to see if they will be worth checking when ripe) I have NOT talked about other food resources that may be available.
Since I already mentioned Popeye's, we'll start with "food from work". The Spawn gets one two piece chicken meal with a biscuit, a small side, and a drink every shift he works. That's a heck of a lot of his daily calorie need, and a lot of fried food. What he does is bring his lunch 4 out of 5 days - a sandwich and a piece of fruit - and have that with the drink and side dish (about evenly split between the fries and the red beans and rice). He tucks the two pieces of chicken in his cooler and brings them home. Once a week we have Popeye's chicken as a family dinner.
It used to be that if you worked at a grocery store you'd be able to get items that were past their sell-by date. That is far less common now, but in some ways that's a good thing - when I dropped off some garden-fresh tomatoes at the food pantry today I saw that they had out a whole bunch of pre-cut/packaged fruit from a local grocery store for their clients.
Many folks I know online like the monthly food from Angel Food Ministries: https://www.angelfoodministries.com/about/. I find that I can do just as well buying groceries at the store as I'd do thru' them, but as always YMMV (your mileage may vary). You get a box of food for a reduced price. It's a bit high on breaded fried foods for me, even more so now that we have a weekly dose of fried chicken!
The SHARE program is one that I like a lot http://www.sharedc.org/about.htm. This is the DC area link, but I know that there are other areas in the US where it operates as well. For SHARE, you pay a reduced price for our food as you do with Angel Food, but there is one more requirement - that you volunteer somewhere for 2 hours a month. It's still not 100% food I'd buy myself, but it's closer to my tastes than Angel Food.
Let's not forget that there are also food banks available. They are under more pressure than ever, with donations down and people in need up, and they, unlike the previously listed places, often require that you prove need. Back in the day I worked at a shelter than gave out some food, a typical bag for a family of 4 would be a box of cereal, a quart or two of dried milk, a box of crackers or a loaf of bread if we had that, two cans of soup, three cans of veggies, two cans of fruit, one box of jello, one can of tuna, a jar of jelly, a jar of peanut butter, a box of mac & cheese.
Dumpster Diving ... you know, at least one of the grocery chains here locks their garbage so no one can root thru' it for out of date food. They say it's because of risk of lawsuits.
Road kill - my husband hasn't let me do this yet. But, sheesh, last Saturday we passed not one but TWO dead deer on the road. I wasn't dressed to butcher them, but that would have been a whole lot of good venison. Why should the crows and buzzards be the only ones getting them?
Clearly this is not an exhaustive list. I've not looked into soup kitchens and other sources. But none of my posts are exhaustive!
Frondly, Fern
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