Frugal Foodie

There's an antique mall around us we happened upon about a year ago. A local guy decided to start it and has his own things besides some consignment items.

A few years ago I decided to get rid of the plastic in my kitchen and started replacing it with Pyrex, Corningware, Fire King, etc.

I bought a few items here and there, but I really hit the jackpot with this place.

DH loves going in and poking around too. I found a Paula Deen cast iron Dutch oven for $10 a couple months back. I bought 4 Christmas glasses (Anchor Hocking) for $3. I love enameled cast iron so the Dutch oven was a find. I have a huge one and a small one so this one was a jewel. It isn't my favorite color, but I'm cooking with it, not decorating with it. The glasses were cute and we've used them a lot.

Well today we went and I found some cloth napkins. I have been using cloth napkins for about 4 or 5 years. I read this was a way to cut back on costs and trash. We had a good time looking at stuff. The guy who runs this place must not only have the Pyrex and Corningware market cornered, but also costume jewelry. I had a good time trying on some of the big honking diamond rings and when I say "big", I'm talking golf ball size.

We spent $5 on the 8 napkins. I think we got more than $5 worth of pleasure just poking around. But, I pointed out to DH, this place is lethal because if I weren't so cheap, I could overspend very easily there.

Before heading off to work, I try to peruse the paper for a few local stories and glance at some headlines.

However, one story caught my eye that claimed that the recovering economy can withstand the rising gas prices.

I'm wondering where they got that information. Maybe some cities won't have a problem, but locally, we have had two businesses with major layoffs, and many of our folks who are employed are underemployed. I'm sure having to choose between gas in the tank and food on the table and medicine for health, many will not buy fuel and try to find alternatives or stay at home.

I'm sure our tourism will be hurt this summer too.

I remember when news stories were supposed to be factual and based on true stuff. It seems that news is often skewed by sensationalism to tell the story or the personal views of the editor. I'm a realist. If it is a news story, I want the facts, good or bad. If I want to read an opinion, I'll look on the editorial page. I really wonder where the reporter got those facts on the economy and gas prices. A generalized story on the wire doesn't mean everyone has the same situation. So, I am thinking we might have a situation where the economy might not be able to weather these gas prices...at least near me.

Just call me a skeptic!

We had turkey pot pie for supper tonight. I have tried 3 different toppings and have concluded that I like the homemade pie crust the best. I have been using some things we had...I have some Bisquick that I need to use up so that was the top tonight. It was OK, but just a bit heavy. DH who normally loves all things bready, ate some, but said he wasn't in love with it.

We had turkey breast last Saturday night for supper, so I used some of the leftovers for the pot pie and roasted a large pan of vegetables over the weekend. Half went into the pot pie and half went into cooked rice. The rice dish is for supper tomorrow night with either salmon patties or tuna cakes.

It was pretty windy here today with gusts up to 50 mph, but I will not complain after seeing the tornado damage on the news in Harrisburg, IL, and Branson, MO. A few broken limbs and other things is nothing compared to the tragic loss these cities and some others had.

I guess I should research other ways to make pot pie. I've tried turkey and chicken and I imagine there is also beef. Anyone tried anything else?

I have been going through my cookbooks and found a recipe for the slow cooker. I am trying to use things up in the pantry before they are past their date, as well as use what I have in the freezer. At our recent meat shop run, they had beef stew meat on sale, so I bought some thinking I could always either make stew or use it to make another dish. Then I found this recipe:

Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup

1 pound stew meat -- trim all fat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup of barley
2 cans of diced tomatoes (with garlic if possible -- if no garlic, mince a couple of cloves)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 cups beef broth

Put all in a slow cooker and cook 8-9 hours on low. I have it ready for tomorrow and dh walked by and said that I was mean.

Mean? I asked.

Yep, he replied. He said every time I put something in the slow cooker when I'm away are work, I torture him because he has to smell it when he's home.

I suggested I could possibly not make things and he said that perhaps torture was too strong a word, but it does make him very hungry by the afternoon. I guess the man likes pain!

It's been an odd few days. We received our home insurance bill and it went up almost $100. I guess it is because of so many claims all over the country. In the almost 22 years we have had homeowner's insurance, we had one claim and it was to replace a small area of guttering when the ice storm had a tree hit our house.

Gas prices skyrocketed. I know that was everywhere in the U.S. What we find interesting is although the local service stations have already bought some of the gas, as soon as they catch wind of oil prices going up, they raise the price, although they haven't bought any of the new gas.

Our governor is trying to cut things everywhere. He's trying to figure out how he can cut teacher pensions. I understand that our state is in trouble, but Illinois teachers pay a huge amount of their paychecks for their pension. Unfortunately the legislature hasn't kept up their end of the bargain for years and has raised the pension plan to pay for projects they wanted. Now the governor wants to cut the health insurance. Teachers pay for their health insurance so it isn't like they get it free.

It is getting scary since I'm getting closer to retirement. I'm hoping there will be a pension plan and insurance plan when my time comes. Illinois teachers are not eligible for Social Security.

Our city has been hit with layoffs at two places this week. I know the national news says the recession is over, but our unemployment has remained high. Now with these two major employers laying more off, it is getting downright frightening.

Hope things are better where you are!

Quiche is on the menu tonight. I have an easy recipe and feel that because it easy as well as economical, it makes for a good meal.

Recipe:

1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)

3 eggs
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded cheese
other optional items: spinach, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, etc.

I whip the eggs, half and half and cheese together and put it in the crust. I then add the other things -- usually what is on hand. Tonight is chopped green onions and cherry tomatoes. I put strips of foil over around the edge of the pie crust so it doesn't brown too much, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until solid.

I'm have a salad with this and this makes a fairly nutritious meal. I was telling a gal I work with about the recipe and she mentioned that using eggs is a reasonable meal. On Saturday we were talking to another gal and she brought up that you can't eat much more cheaply than having a few eggs.

Hubby loves eggs so he's a happy boy. He doesn't subscribe to the theory that real men don't eat quiche!

We went to the library and on the new arrival shelf was a book about being debt free by Gail Vaz-Oxley. One chapter talked about how our friends influence the way we spend.

I would say to a certain extent that could be true. I think it also can be said that some of us no longer bow to peer pressure. I would think that many folks on the SA site have chosen a different route.

Years ago it was tough when my friends in high school, most who had parents who had more money than mine, would tell me about this and that their parents bought them. Or the trips they were going on. I couldn't keep up with the Joneses so to speak then, and I choose not to now.

Yesterday we had a teacher inservice day and although we had an hour for lunch (unheard of for teachers), part of that time was also travel time because we came from different schools in the morning, to a larger school in the afternoon to all meet together. I packed saltines, peanut butter, apple, and a Thermos of water. Most of the folks who had to travel and set up stopped and bought sandwiches and soda.

It was interesting because one person watched me slather the peanut butter on the saltines and then said that she was jealous of my lunch...it seemed that I was getting an intrinsic joy of putting the peanut butter on the cracker in such a way.

I thought about it for a moment and realized she was right. I like saltines and peanut butter. I remember in college when my snacks were that and when I ran out of peanut butter (and money), it was just saltines. But, I also thought this little exercise gave me some control - not only of my spending and eating, but I "controlled" how I would spread the peanut butter.

Pretty weird for such a simple lunch!

Someone asked me why I brought my lunch and I just said I was trying to save money and the conversation then went to how overpriced "fast food" sandwiches were.

I don't ever think I'll be the one giving peer pressure to the spenders, but for one brief moment, I was the one they were jealous of with my simple lunch!

Bet you are wondering what "BIM SIM" represents...

A little background... DH and I both have some arthritis. As a result, it often can be painful to do things. But, most doctors and apparently medicine advertisers agree that one shouldn't stop doing things because you have arthritis. One commercial says, "a body in motion stays in motion" so I decided we needed to have a saying or slogan to remind each other. So, I thought BIM SIM (body in motion stays in motion)was something we could say to keep each other going.

My dad has been gone 14 years. The last few years of his life he was bedridden. He had arthritis and although his doctor told him to keep moving and walking, he said it hurt too much. I'm sure it was painful. On the rare occasions I did get him out and moving, he would comment the next day he felt like he could move better. But, it didn't last. It is a sad saga...he wound up with bedsores because he wouldn't get up and walk, but sat all the time. His bedsores became so bad the doctor gave him antibiotics, but unfortunately they were too strong and he became dehydrated and very ill. He was hospitalized and was making recovery as the hospital put him through physical therapy. However, he chose to quit going and as a result, he got the point he couldn't walk. It was a vicious circle in a way. He had also had a lot of mini strokes so I don't think he was really able to think through things at this point, so his judgment wasn't the best.

That being said, I don't want to have the same problems, so the reminder of getting up and moving is always good. I guess I could say it could save me money if I take care of myself. BIM SIM

Tomorrow is the big heart day. If you are a teacher, you may have a aimilar experience...elementary kids really take this day seriously. I have seen street smart sixth graders get really hurt if they didn't get a Valentine from every single one in class. I think it just shows how we all desire to be thought of.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

I have quite a collection of cookbooks. I never started out thinking I wanted to collect them, but folks have been generous in getting them to me.

Although I have so many, I have to admit I have been remiss in using too many new recipes.

So, I challenged myself to go through my cookbooks and try to locate something different. I will admit that my area in the family room looks like a bookmobile exploded with all these various cookbooks piled up. They are not the same size or shape and some are professionally bound while others are spiral, and a few are just like pamphlets with a staple holding it all together.

I stumbled on this recipe and thought I'd try it this week.

Chicken and rice casserole

1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup (1 stick butter)
1/2 cup flour
1 (6 oz) can sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Half and Half
3 cups diced chicken
1/s t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T dried cilantro

Cook the rice according to directions on package. Saute onion in butter until tender, but not brown. Remove from heat and stir in flour, drain mushrooms, saving liquid. Add enough chicken broth to mushroom liquid to make 1 1/2 cups, gradually stir into onion mixture. Slowly add Half and Half, and stir until mixture is thickened. Add cooked rice, mushroom, chicken, salt and pepper to a greased 2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with cilantro. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes. Serves 6-8.

I have the casserole ready and will heat it up later in the week. I'm thinking already how maybe I'll change it the next time.

In the meantime, I will need to keep going through all these cookbooks! Yikes!

I'm just a little bit impressed that I actually fixed a supper and did not make too much. Granted, it isn't earth shattering, but I hate to waste food. Some of my lunches have been pretty diverse because I have a little of this and a little of that because I don't like to throw stuff away.

I fixed beef short ribs, brown rice, salad, homemade rye bread, and a fruit salad. The fruit and the garden salad were easy -- just portion out what we need. But things like rice and pasta usually drive me crazy because it is either feast or famine -- I either make too much or too little. Tonight, I can call it a Goldilocks portion -- it was just right!

So, I would say I saved money by not wasting food. We had sufficient to suffice and it was very, very nice!

A few years ago, there was a commercial where the question asked, "It is soup, yet?" as someone talked about making soup and how hard it is to wait. I think it was for a canned soup and how one can get homemade taste with the convenience of opening a can and heating it.

I have been trying to stay away from canned soups as much as possible, but want to make things that are both nutritious, economical, and something we'll eat. I ran across this recipe is a magazine, but changed it because I didn't care for the original.

Sweet Potato Soup

2 onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into chunks
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 T Turmeric
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c cream

In a 5 to 6 slow cooker, combine the onions, carrots, ginger Tumeric, cinnamon stick, salt, pepper, broth and water. Cook covered 7 or 8 hours. Puree the soup in a blender and add the cream.

I actually halved the recipe because I didn't have that many sweet potatoes and I put it in a smaller slow cooker, but it was yummy. I like the fact I could use things I had on hand and the ingredients weren't so exotic (read expensive). It made a good lunch today.

At my schools, there's a company that sells books and usually it has a couple of cookbooks. One gal said she loved cookbooks, but anymore, she doesn't buy them because she either gets people to share recipes or goes to allrecipes.com. She said her cookbooks are collecting dust on the shelf.

That lead to a discussion that is appears that many of the cookbooks have recipes that most of us aren't going to really use and how sharing recipes and getting them online is probably more economical.

And so feeding the tummy and feeding the wallet, all in one step sounds like a great idea!

When I was growing up, my folks would often encourage me not to use certain things and keep them for "good."

As my mother aged, she admitted that wasn't always the best advice. She said she crocheted and embroidered a lot of things and wouldn't use them, but instead kept them for "good," which meant she was saving them for use on a special occasion. However, as these things aged, they started to go bad. A lot of the things she worked so hard on started to fall apart. All that work and anticipated pleasure for naught because she never had the joy of using them.

I didn't inherit a lot of things from my grandmother, but I did get a tablecloth that fit a card table and 4 napkins. They are linen and have a design cut out and embroidered around the design. For years I would take them out of the cedar lined chest, wash them, iron them, and put them back. Then it dawned on me, these were my grandmother's and I never saw her use them. My mom never used them. And since I don't have children, chances are they won't get used unless I do.

So, I pulled out the tablecloth and I have it on a small table in my sunroom. I like the tablecloth and enjoy seeing it.

As for the napkins, we use them. Not for special days either. I use a lot of cloth napkins and they are in the stack to be used. Whatever placemats or tablecloth they go with, they get used.

I ironed them last night and thought that I'm getting far more enjoyment out of using them, than having them stored away.

Years ago Erma Bomback who normally wrote humorous articles did write a serious one. I believe it was when she was diagnosed with a terminal disease. She pointed out that life was for living and it was OK to use those things. I remember her saying she didn't use a rose shaped candle because it was for a special time, but wound up in a box in the garage where it melted.

A few years ago I donated my "good" China to be given away to a family that could use it. I think I used it maybe two or three times. It wasn't the most expensive, but I remember buying into the notion that when one married, they should have two sets of dishes -- every day and the fancy stuff. And, I didn't want to use the fancy stuff in case I would break a piece or chip it.

My dishes are my dishes. Some are chipped. I've broken a few through the years, but I like the pattern and feel I'm making better use of these stuff I have if I use it, instead of saving it.

I ironed a tablecloth last night. I never used to use cloth tablecloths or napkins, thinking it should only be when we have company. Well, I've decided we are worth the trouble of having a pretty tablecloth and napkins.

There isn't too much I'm keeping for "good" anymore. We don't have fancy dinner parties. I'm not a gourmet cook or chef. If folks come to eat at my house, hopefully they come for the hospitality and not the fancy dishes or flatware or napkins.

Perhaps it is part of my mind set of being content and finding pleasure in what I have.

I live in Central Illinois and it is a rainy day. First, let me clarify I am not complaining. Given the choice between a ton of snow or freezing rain, plain rain is just fine. We had water restrictions this fall, so I'm sure the rain is a blessing. But, what a dreary day! We have had such a mild winter so far that most of my fresh herbs are still alive outside. I know we do need a hard freeze just to keep down the insect population, but as long as we don't receive all the snow and ice, I'm fine with that.

DH is under the weather so I'm trying to stay quiet while he rests. I did get some things done in the kitchen. I have a loaf of rye bread baking and I'm roasting some vegetables for two different meals this week. I have a turkey breast in the Crockpot and I am fixing fresh green beans as well. I wrote out my menus for this week. I'm' thinking of pulling out the other Crockpot and making some soup for lunches too.

I did go to the grocery store -- the one closest to us -- this morning. We usually run errands and are out and about and we frequent another one where the prices are a little cheaper. But, since I wasn't going too far, I only bought what I absolutely needed and did score some buys on Kleenex. With the store card and I had to buy 10 boxes, but got them for 99 cents each. Both of us have allergies and although dh often uses a hanky, it is nice to have a stash of facial tissue when we need it.

Hope you are having a great Saturday as well.

A couple of the restaurants we like have Facebook pages and often they post their specials for the night. As a joke, I have been posting what I've fixed for supper. I get some interesting comments, usually folks asking to come over!

One gal asked if I ever took a night off. I said I do because I do, but I also responded that I cook things ahead. Tonight we had lasagna. I had planned it because I wanted a filling supper as well as stuff for lunches. I had already bought the lasagna noodles on sale, had a coupon and a sale on the cheese, and hubby found a good deal on ground chicken. I used the tomato sauce I made last summer with our tomatoes, onions and basil, so it wasn't the most expensive meal either.

One couple we sometimes do things with never plan anything ahead. They have called and asked us to go out to eat and I have often had to say that I had already started supper. They act like I'm crazy. DH says they fly by the seat of their pants. I admit we do eat out, but I do cook a lot too. And, I usually plan my weekly menus to use what we have as well as utilize those items on sale. Maybe I'm anal, but it is reassuring to know I have our meals planned and some fixed and ready to heat.

I think planning goes farther than just food. We plan for vacation by saving up and reading up. We save up for most things and then check Consumer Reports to see if it is a good value. I have been trying to put a bit of money away for the past 20+ years for retirement. I can't say I'll be rich, but hopefully I won't live in poverty, either.

Is it safe to assume that if you are on Saving Advice you are a planner too?

I know in some cultures there are supposedly signs that it was a good meal if the folks who partook burb or belch. Kind of gross, in my book.

Usually people say it was good or rave about this or that if it really tickled their fancy. Not every meal is a gourmet feast, at least not around here. Sometimes it is just sustenance. But there are days when one wonders, how was it?

I have concluded in our house it HAD to be a good meal if I fill up the dishwasher.

OK, I'm being silly here, but we laugh about the fact the meal often is pretty good if we have enough dishes to fill up the dishwasher. I realize that really means nothing for taste. Our dishwasher is actually a source of a lot of teasing in our household.

Years ago when we bought new cabinets, I had borrowed lots of books from the library to pick out the cabinets and style I wanted. We visited some of the stores too. I didn't change the layout or anything because it worked and also because moving plumbing and electrical unless it was absolutely necessary was a huge expense. I was just thrilled to have drawers that opened correctly. The drawers on the old cabinet had been "stapled" together and as they aged, they would twist and I couldn't get them to open. I would have to take everything out of the drawer, then wedge that puppy out, take a hammer and try to straighten it. It made cooking a pain in the patootie to say the least.

When we were planning on the new cabinets, I teased my hubby that we should splurge and get two dishwashers. I was basically playing, but it has become a joke when the dishwasher is full and we have stuff left over. I won't run the dishwasher unless it is full so that means sometimes the second day we have dishes leftover.

So last night's meal must have been good because not only was the dishwasher full, we had to wash a couple things by hand.

Ah, if only life was that easy!

My hubby is a meatloaf lover. I have tried various recipes through the years, and I think I have finally found one that he loves. I have been buying enough meat to make four one pound loaves at a time. I purchased two glass loaf pans at a garage sale last summer giving me a total of 4. So, when I want to do meatloaf, I make up four of them, and freeze three of them.

The recipe is a combination of a different ones. This is for one one pound meatloaf.

Meatloaf
1/2 pound ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1 onion chopped,
1 green bell pepper chopped.
1 cup of catsup, separated into 2 1/2 cups
1 egg
1/2 cup of instant unflavored oatmeal
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup mustard, separated into 1/4 cup portions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Tumeric
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon dried Basil

Topping: (from the above ingredients) 1/2 cup catsup, 1/4 cup mustard, 1/2 cup brown sugar mixed together

Brown onion and bell pepper in olive oil. Add garlic near the very end so it doesn't burn. Take off heat and cool.

Mix the hamburger and sausage with the Tumeric, Paprika, and Basil. Add egg, oatmeal, and bread crumbs and mix with 1/2 cup catsup and 1/4 cup mustard. Add the cooled onion, pepper, and garlic. If the mixture is still too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Form a loaf and put in a greased glass loaf pan. Spoon topping over and put foil on top. Bake at 400 degrees F for an hour. Take out of oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I have served this recipe over and over and dh loves it and a friend of ours will make a special trip to our house if he knows we are having this meatloaf.

Tonight we are having the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans,and homemade bread. DH thinks it is a perfect comfort meal for a wintery night.

Since I am feeling human again, and in dh's terms, "eatified" (I think he made up that word), I'm back to fixing stuff that both sounds good and tastes good. With our weather being a bit wintry, soup sounded good.

I have a Facebook account and a few of the restaurants post what they have for specials. So, as a joke, I have been posting on Facebook what I have been fixing. Last night I had a few friends request my recipe for Italian wedding soup. I originally tried the Barefoot Contessa's soup and it was good, but decided to make some changes and make it my own recipe. This is hubby's favorite way I have made it, so I try to make it this way each time now.

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

1 lb of ground turkey or ground chicken
½ cup or 2/3 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
2 teaspoons of Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of Tumeric
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 teaspoons of oregano

Mix together and roll into balls. Bake at 350 degrees until browned, turning once…takes around 30-40 minutes.


For the soup:

1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup of beef broth
1 cup of water
1 half of a package of fresh spinach
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 cup of whole grain pasta
Parmesan cheese (shredded)

Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and zucchini in the olive oil. Cook until soft. Pour into the broths and the water, and bring to a boil, then turn down and let it simmer. Add the tomato sauce and the pasta. Simmer for an hour or until the broth has cooked down some. Add the spinach and let it cook down. Serve hot and put some Parmesan on top, or refrigerate and heat up and serve with Parmesan. Should serve 3-4.


Hubby ate a lot of it, so the serves 3-4 wasn't true. But, we had enough to have it for lunch today as well. I fixed a salad and homemade biscuits with it.

The biscuits are from Paula Deen, except I've made a few changes:

Biscuits

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons mayonaise -- depends on how dry the mix is
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (any you choose makes it different each time)
1-2 teaspoons of spice of your choice -- oregano, basil, etc., whatever you have on hand
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

Mix together until it sort of makes a ball. I spray a muffin tin with baking spray, then spoon them into the muffin tin. Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes -- or until tops are starting to brown. It will depend on what kind of tin you use -- if it is a dark one it might not take as long.

I figure over all the supper wasn't all that expensive and we had biscuits left over as well as the soup. It was a hearty meal and with leftovers, I kept up the idea of cooking once and eating twice, hence saving money!

Have you seen the new Foodnetwork show called "Pioneer Woman?" I watched it this week and was interested because although I knew she blogged, I hadn't really delved into it.

I guess I thought she would be cooking on a cook stove in a long dress. What a surprise to see a very modern and large kitchen.

It was an amusing program as she cooked for 15 and had pork, augratin potatoes and a slaw. Real food that filled a plate and it wasn't a contest.

I know competition is a big deal, but to be frank, I'm tired of all the contests on television. I never cared for shows like Fear Factor and some of the cooking shows are bordering on scary when they show bizarre ingredients.

I think Foodnetwork has figured decided that everyone loves competition.

Well, I for one am tired of it. I watch the shows to learn new techniques, new recipes, and sometimes to be entertained. I'm not saying there shouldn't be shows like Chopped or Next Foodnetwork Star, but why is it almost all the programs are going for that? I can't watch most of the programs during the day because I *ahem* work. If I didn't, I couldn afford the basic cable I have.

So, on the weekend during the afternoon and evenings when I can watch, all there seems to be are those shows that compete.

So, seeing Pioneer Woman was both refreshing and interesting. Although not a true pioneer, perhaps her title is being a pioneer of being someone who cooks in a society that usually doesn't.

The past seven days have been tough. We went out to eat last Saturday night. My food was cold. I sent it back and apparently it was reheated. It didn't taste right. I didn't finish it, but apparently ate enough because come Sunday I was very ill with food poisoning.

I contacted the owner who said it couldn't be. Uh huh. My body would disagree.

I was out of work three days and Monday was a holiday so I missed a lot of time.

I was thinking that restaurant owners need to realize how much faith customers have them when they walk through their doors. We trust them to be clean and fair and not put us at risk.

So, right now my trust has shattered.

We finished supper a little while ago and that was made with some of the chicken and broth I fixed over the weekend. We had chicken and noodles on a cold, blowy, snowy evening and there was enough leftover for dh's lunch tomorrow.

I had roasted a pan of vegetables over the weekend and used that for chicken and rice during the week, and also added them to the strata we had last night. I fixed extra rice and I have been taking that for lunch with the extra vegetables. I eat the last of that tomorrow for lunch as well.

Today's lunch was the leftover salad fixins from the past few nights. My fridge is starting to look kind of empty and sad. I'm trying to eat up the fruit we bought too so that was part of my lunch as well as part of our supper -- dessert,in fact.

I think I should figure how much I spend for meals because sometimes I beat myself up on how much we spend on groceries. I bet tonight's meal was probably less than $7 total and we have leftovers for a lunch. Last night's meal of strata, sweet potatoes, salad, and toast was probably less than $7, except I did splurge and open up some black olives for the salad to make it a little different.

Fortunately dh likes eating my cooking...and as I tell him if we don't spend the money going out, we have it for other things we really want!

It's the weekend and it means I'm planning the menus for this week.

It actually starts before the weekend. On Thursday I make out a list for Aldi and DH nicely goes on Friday and picks up what we need. I think about what we have this week based on what the inserts show on sale and what I have in the pantry and freezer.

On Saturday we go to the other store we frequent getting the things we didn't get at Aldi. Sometimes we go to a separate meat market. Their prices aren't any higher than the grocery and it is nice I can get stuff wrapped in portions I want. DH doesn't want to go in and ask for a chicken breast, but I have no problem doing it.

Well, my menu is basically planned by then. Last night I roasted some vegetables and cooked some rice. I had put a whole chicken in the Crockpot Friday night and I pulled the meat off and then strained the broth. I froze the extra broth in small containers.

Today, I made a strata out of leftover sausage. I had bought a roll of Bob Evans that was on sale and I had coupon the previous week. I used part of it for Friday's supper when we had quiche. So, I cooked the rest of it and let it cool and then added some of the vegetables to the egg mixture with the sausage.

Egg strata

5 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk or half and half
4-5 slices of stale or older bread, torn up
1/2 cup of shredded cheese, your choice


optional: meat or vegetables

The strata usually needs to sit overnight in the fridge so the bread soaks up the milk -- it sort of makes a bread pudding out of it.

I bake it for an hour covered at 350. Your baking time can differ based on what kind of dish you have it in. It needs to be baked solid so the knife comes out clean in the middle. If it is a deep dish it might take longer. If it a a shallower dish, it might be shorter. If you want the top to brown, take off the cover during the last 10 minutes.

I often make a strata for a quick economical dish that also uses up things in the fridge.

It's funny, the other night I made a quiche. We both like quiche, but it was also a way to use things up and have a meal at home that is economically. I figured with everything, including the toast we made, juice, coffee and dh's tea, we spent less than $7.

Now that might sound like a lot, but DH is a big eater. So, spending $7 on a meal is pretty reasonable, especially since I don't like to use things with preservatives. Someone asked him why we just didn't go out and he smiled and said, "I'd rather eat at home."

I admit that last week we found some good deals at Walgreens on things we use and there were manufacturer's coupons besides. I spent money to hopefully save money down the road as I added some of these items to my pantry.

Yet, I am still a bit confused with some friends who claim they are saving money as they buy things on sale. One person bragged how they saved money on cereal at this one place, but then said they spent the savings and then some on some other item, but still, they saved money! This friend is the first to complain about being low in cash, yet is so excited about buying things and thinks a buy one, get one free sale is wonderful, even if that item isn't wanted or needed. Sigh.

Another friend has been participating in a program where you can buy stuff half off. What a great savings, right? Except some of these items are things this friend doesn't like or even want, but hey, they got half off! Yet another person who complains about not having enough money. Double sigh.

Maybe I'm too pragmatic. I don't buy something on sale or with a coupon just because it is on sale or I have a coupon just to save money. I figure by not buying it in the first place I'm saving money.

All this sighing is giving me a headache!

Now that I'm back to work, I won't be watching as much television which is both good and bad, but that's not what this blog is about.

What I've noticed is that in many of the food commercials, the folks have pretty fancy kitchens. For example, the new KFC commercial has a stainless stove that looks like a professional type. Hmmm...a chef who regularly gets KFC?

Some of the heat and eat snacks show pretty luxurious kitchens too...pretty darn fancy for heating stuff up in the microwave.

I wonder if the folks who make these commercials think we all have fancy kitchens or if they think we all want fancy kitchens. Very few have laminate countertops. Most have granite.

I don't have granite...part of it the cost, but part of it is also if we did spring for it, it would overimprove the kitchen for the neighborhood we live in.

Am I the only one who is noticing these commercials? Are these subliminal messages to the consumer?

Remember the adage, measure twice and cut once? The purpose was to make sure the measurement was correct before cutting something and possibly making a mistake.

Well, I like the idea of cooking once and eating twice or more. Yesterday I fixed a slice of ham. It was a thick slice bought at Aldi. I had made scalloped potatoes and cornbread and green beans to go with our New Year's meal.

Today, my last day of vacation, we had some errands to run, including running dh's vehicle in for a recall. We got home and I suggested we have a rerun of yesterday's lunch. DH was fine with that and we had a hearty meal on a windy, cold day. I still have some ham and potatoes left as well. Part of the ham will be a lunch this week with the leftover potatoes. The rest of the ham will be cut up and I'll make ham and beans for dh. I don't particulary care for ham and beans, but he likes it and apparently I've found a simple recipe to make a lunch size portion of them for him. I have to admit I use a can of navy beans, but I have been lucky and found them on sale.

I cut up the ham in small pieces and saute' it with onion and celery, then I add a little chicken broth. I then drain some of the liquid off the beans, but keep enough so the beans don't get dry. I add a half of a teaspoon of cumin and tumeric and let them simmer for about an hour, adding broth as needed. I put them in a dish he can heat up in the microwave and he's a happy boy.

I really think the idea of cooking once and eating twice saves money. I know I prefer cooking a whole chicken in the Crockpot and although we usually don't eat an intial meal off of it, I do make 2-3 dishes from the chicken and broth, depending on the size of the chicken.

On New Year's Eve we did go out to eat and we had some vegetables we couldn't eat on our plates. I asked to have a box with the skin from my baked potato. We got home and I added a couple of vegetables that were sitting around here with some herbs, and made a very rich vegetable broth. It has been strained and is in the freezer awaiting my next soup adventure.

Tonight we are having chicken and sweet potatoes. The chicken breasts were reasonable at Aldi when we went and I think there are more than two. Two will be used for us tonight, but the others will be made in a casserole with rice and vegetables for another meal this week. I'll just cook them all so I have them.

I did that the other day with sweet potatoes. I baked the 5 small ones we had. We had two for a meal and the other three I used to make a small sweet potato casserole for another meal. Sure saved time.

Well, the kitchen is calling, so I guess I better heed the call. Please share if you have some ideas on cooking once and eating twice.

I know there's a cliche' that you can never be too thin or too rich...

I won't even go on about the slender part, but the money part, I have an opinion.

We turned on the television to watch something while we ate our lunch. I don't care for football so dh turned on HGTV and they are having a series or programs of Million Dollar Room or Outdoor Spaces or...

Anyway, they were showing a kitchen. Now, I'm kind of partial at looking at kitchens because I like to cook. The island stone alone was $50,000. There are folks who don't spend that much on a house.

In other house they showed a bedroom with his and hers and hers closets. She had two different rooms that each held 500 shoes. How many shoes can someone wear? Plus, there was a craft room with a wrapping station. The hostess said on some of these rooms, they actually cost millions.

In another episode (yeah, it's like seeing a train wreck, we couldn't stop watching), this guy had an outdoor space where he brought in sand from the Bahamas that cost him between $75,000 and $100,000. Just for the sand and the barge travel.

I don't want this to sound like sour grapes, but geeze, doesn't this seem like a bit overwhelming? And, where does one go from here after all that?

After seeing the luxurious kitchens, I commented, I bet they don't even cook in these fancy dancy places.

As for a wrapping station, if they have that kind of money, why not just pay to have these items wrapped in the first place. Wouldn't want to break a nail or get a paper cut!

So, I'm glad dh has turned on football, because the glamour was just getting to be a little much.

We celebrated New Year's by having an early dinner. Our favorite restaurant has a loyalty program and we had some money coming, so we splurged and had steaks. Yum!

As we were leaving, an older couple had already gotten into their car. It was an older Crown Victoria. That baby was shined up and looked pristine. Not a speck of rust or dirt. I bet the inside was as clean.

DH said you can tell that an older person owns it because they know how to take care of things.

How sad. But true. How much money can one save by taking care of things? I have some pots that belonged to my grandmother. I am sure they are over 50 years old. She took care of them and I've taken care of them and we have both gotten good use of them.

That being said, how many things are made nowdays that can last? A friend of mine said when she and her hubby went television shopping, they mentioned that their "old" television of over 7 years was going out and the sales clerk said they were lucky to have gotten that much time out of it -- things aren't made to last, but to be replaced.

Our bodies are also examples. If one eats right, exercises, and tries to stay content, usually the body lasts far longer than if one parties, smokes, and is angry all the time. Not always, but usually.

I would say taking care of things can help save money. I know many of the items in my kitchen are old -- Pyrex and Corningware especially because my family or someone else took care of them. They are serving me well.

So, even if the businesses expect me to replace things, I'm going to continue taking care of things to try and get the best use out of it. Hopefully it will pay off for me by saving some money as well as less to throw out.

We were out and about doing some grocery shopping. We were at the meat market and my dh looked down and there was a penny. Of course I picked it up and put it in the furnace fund. I'm not too proud.

We also hit Aldi and found lots of good things for meals for the coming week. I was excited to find blackberries for 99 cents for the package. That's a treat. Although I like to save money, I also splurge on fresh fruits, even some out of season.

Last week a friend was talking about her baking. She said she had been using margarine in her cookies and said she thinks they have changed the formula and wanted to know what I used. She was shocked when she heard me say I use butter. I told her I get a pound of it for under $2 at Aldi here in town and I can choose between salted and unsalted and I'd rather have butter than margarine.

She sort of turned up her nose at first. She said she never thought of Aldi and why would I want to shop there. I said to save money, of course.

Granted, we could afford to buy our groceries at one of the other chains, and we still fill in at the other stores, but if I can get fruits, dairy, and vegetables more reasonable and it's not out of our way, why wouldn't I? After all, it gives us extra money to either save or spend.

Guess some folks still feel the need to pay full price for everything and then mew about it.

I viewed half of the new TLC program, Extreme Cheapskate last night. I caught the part where the guy has no spend weeks throughout the year and he and his wife eat what they have. On the last day he scrounged up change to go buy some meat. The man had over $7 in change after riding his bike here and there to pick up pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. His idea of a good meal? Two goat heads.

Now, I think I like to save money, but I am not brave enough to try boiling and then roasting a goat's head. He said the eye was a delicacy. Ick. Actually double ick on my part. His wife said she would let him enjoy his "meat" and ate whatever else they had.

The next part was a kid who bartered for things. We just saw on the news where a town in Maine is doing a lot of bartering because so few have money. But this guy on the TLC program was almost, in my opinion, greedy.

I imagine some of the stuff on these programs is for the glitz of television, but geeze, to me a no spend day doesn't mean rounding up change and then going to buy something. Perhaps I'm too literal.

As my husband would say, this guy gives cheap a bad name.

As I'm catching up on some blogs, I was reading CB in the City and how one felt when the other gifts were grander and more expensive.

In this morning's paper, reporters talked to those who were out and about yesterday and so many said how they were out buying things they didn't get for Christmas and wanted.

I'm not going to get real preachy here or anything, but somehow Christmas has become a one uppance on gifts and if you don't get what you want, then by golly, go get it!

It's kind of sad when we measure the pleasure of Christmas by the gifts we receive.

When I was growing up, my mom would buy things on sale and wrap them up. She liked seeing lots of gifts under the tree. I understand her reasoning, but as a 16 year old, receiving Pepto-Bismol and an Oil of Olay knock off wasn't exactly very thrilling. Especially when a friend would call and go over her list of things her parents gave her...I figure it must have been hundreds and hundreds of dollars. And, as a teenager, it was difficult to listen to her go on and on and be excited for her.

I admit my husband is very generous. He always has been and remains today. But, I don't sit there and look at the stuff and say, "gee, why didn't you get me this?" I am pleased he thought enough to buy me what he bought me.

When I was little my grandmother didn't have a lot of money. I knew she bought me something like a toy or outfit, but then she would give me some fudge and peanut brittle -- they were always good. So good, that's how she made money -- by making it and selling it during the holidays. I know I didn't get to eat a lot of it, but I remember receiving them. Interesting enough, I don't remember the other Christmas gifts she gave me.

Don't think I'm criticizing the bargain hunting of the day or days after Christmas. I was out in the frenzy for a bit buying cards and wrapping paper for next year.

But, I'm just commenting that society has made Christmas a time for taking overall. Perhaps Ebenezer (the unchanged one) and I can have coffee and discuss it.