Frugal Foodie

We have so much to be grateful for so it sometimes is difficult to pinpoint just one item. Today I think I'm going to say I'm appreciative for the medical profession. We are blessed to have doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to help us and the fact that we can, if need be, get things off the counter to help in many ways that other countries can only dream about!

When I think of how blessed I am to have plenty, I think of those who do not. Today I am grateful for food pantries and organizations who are there to help those who are in need. I remember watching the Golden Girls years ago when Rose realized a friend of hers was homeless and that just a few bad breaks and she could be in the same spot. We are a country that is blessed to have these folks who are willing to service those who need help. I am not only thankful for them, but applaud their efforts.

I am very grateful for music. I like listening to music and at times it can set the mood I'm in. I enjoy listening to a variety of music and sometimes it helps me when I work to keep focused. I don't know why it does, but I think it blanks out conversations so I'm not tempted to listen and add to the chat.

Can you imagine Christmas without carols?

Although there are some types of music that don't strike my fancy, I'm sure we all have our own favorites that we have reasons we enjoy.

Today I am thankful for bread.

If you mention bread, what pictures pops up in your mind? Do you think of the soft white bread of your youth? Homemade bread with a great crush and rough texture? Soft rolls smothered in butter? The sweet flavor of banana bread?

A few years ago I had asked for donations of bread machines because our students thought bread came from the store. I know it does, but they didn't realize it was baked and that people often do bake it. It was a good exercise in measuring as well as some cooking. We ate our "homework" and the kids loved it.

Funny thing is the adults loved it too. Many would stop by my room and eat the crusts because the kids wouldn't eat the end pieces. They liked the aroma in the halls. A few would sit down at lunch and talk about what a wonderful experience they had because someone had baked bread with or for them. All of this because of something so simple as bread. Maybe it's not so simple after all.

I try to experiment with different breads and different flours. We found a small Amish store in a nearby town that sells flour in smaller packages so I can purchase enough for a couple of loaves and not worry about using 5 pounds or wasting 5 pounds if we don't like it.

There's something glorious about the smell of bread baking. And magical too. Putting together flour and yeast and liquid and then whatever else and seeing it rise is pretty cool too.

I found this recipe for biscuits I want to try. It sounded easy enough to do, but tasty enough to want:

Cheddar Sage Biscuits

2 cup(s) flours
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
1 teaspoon(s) salt
2 tablespoon(s) dried sage
4 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter
1 cup(s) (shredded) white Cheddar cheese
1 cup(s) buttermilk

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Directions

1.Preheat oven to 475ºF and grease 2 cookie sheets with butter. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sage and butter in food processor, and pulse until well combined; transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, cut butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two knives and use your fingers to combine.) Stir in cheese and buttermilk.
2.Place dough on a floured surface and knead a little (4 or 5 times). Roll out dough to 1?2-inch thickness and cut out 24 biscuits using a 2-inch round cutter. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheets an inch apart and bake until tops are browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Today I'm thankful for...drum roll please...leftovers!

I know some would think that was a weird thing, but first of all, if we have leftovers, it means we have more than enough to begin with.

Today we had another meal from that Crockpot ham we had earlier this week. Easy recipe for ham and mac and cheese:

Boil some elbow macaroni until done

Make a cheese sauce with a tablespoon of butter, tablepoon of flour heated through, then add cut up cheese and milk until desired consistency.

Cut up ham in small pieces.

Mix together and put in a greased pan and add bread crumbs to the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered for 25 minutes and take the cover off for the last five minutes! A hot, filling meal. Add a vegetable and a bread and a good Friday night meal. Easy, quick, and cheap!

I am grateful for lights. All kinds of them. The lights in my house so I can see -- we really appreciate them when it is dark and power goes off. I like to be able to see so I don't run into things and so I can read. But I also am thankful for other lights. I'm thankful we have stop lights so we don't have as many accidents. I'm pleased we have lights that tell us if stuff is on. Our city has a Central Park and the local electrical union has strung the Christmas lights and they did a beautiful job. It makes ordinary things special.

I missed posting yesterday...long day with school and then a parent meeting until after 8:15 p.m. So, I'm sort of messed up on the days, sorry!

I am grateful for technology. When it works, it sure makes life easier. Make a copy of a paper...zip -- there is it. Word processing is sure easier than the old manual typewriter with the "eraser" that seemed to smudge the typeface instead of erasing it (anyone besides me remember that stiff little eraser?) Microwaves are a marvel and even the little hot pot make heating water much faster than on the stove.

I am grateful for Crockpots. I can't imagine not having the use of one. I put a ham in one for supper tonight and boy was it yummy. I made a glaze with Dr. Pepper and honey and some cinnamon and boy was it yummy!

I am grateful for Crockpots. I can't imagine not having the use of one. I put a ham in one for supper tonight and boy was it yummy. I made a glaze with Dr. Pepper and honey and some cinnamon and boy was it yummy!

I think my pastor likes to be funny. So far we haven't been rolling out of the pews laughing, but he does have his entertaining moments.

Today he was talking about people think that good people shouldn't have bad things happen to them and if it does, why some folks believe it happens. He was discussing that God still cares for us and although bad things happen, it isn't because God quit caring or that he is powerless. It's because we live in a fallen world and that there are consequences to our actions. No kidding.

He then went on to share how he needed to be someplace that was an hour and a half away but only had an hour to get there. Being the brilliant person he is, he figured that if he drove a third faster than normal (he figured it out mathematically...I told you he was brilliant) he could make it. Unfortunately, that was 85 mph and police officers rather frown on one traveling so quickly. He made a choice and paid the consequence...he received a speeding ticket.

It's nice to have a religious leader who will admit to mistakes. He uses it as a way to teach us things. And it makes us smile as well.

We all have consequences in what we do whether it is to speed or skip a step in baking. If I skip a step I might not get the finished product I had planned on. Or, I am wearing the consequence of not being careful when I pulled something out the oven, not once but twice. I have two "brand" marks on my right arm where I touched the hot rack. Stupid? Yes. Have I learned my lesson? I certainly hope so. I just tell folks that my modeling career is over. Which is the truth to an extent...I am not modeling material to begin with. But, I digress.

I am thankful that we have a great pastor who is willing to use every day activities to show us a better way to live. It certainly doesn't hurt that pastor has a good sense of humor and can teach a lesson in a humorous way. I am grateful that I have had many good people in my life who have cared enough to direct me.

So, what about you? Are you grateful that you've had someone in your life teaching you?

I am very thankful for dishwashers! Remember the days when you had to hand wash dishes? Every meal and every day?

My husband teases me that if I prepare a meal and basically don't fill the diswasher by the evening, something must be wrong! LOL


In the early 80s my folks were moved by the state because a the road had to be widened. They wound up relocating and then moving back to the property they owned, and bought one of those manufactured houses. My mom had a choice of getting a dishwasher or not. She almost said no. I talked her into it thinking it would be a handy device. She loved it after the first cycle! When they downsized to a smaller home, number one in the kitchen had to be a dishwasher!

I am grateful for computers! I can't imagine how boring my life could be without having this site, email, and Facebook!

Today is Veteran's Day and although I am thankful for the Vets, I'm also grateful that my school district has decided to give us the day as a holiday.

Holidays are often wonderful days that give you a chance to sit back and reflect on this and that. And sometimes is gives you breathing room from your job so you can think and do something different for a day.

I do get a bit discouraged when I see the store advertisements harking the holiday sale. I know that they have to make money to stay in business, but sometimes the commercialism is overwhelming. Pray tell, what can one buy on Veteran's day other than a flag or flower that truly celebrates the holiday? Somehow new shoes for my non Veteran feet or a new outfit doesn't seem fitting for the holiday.

All in all, we have to take the bad with the good. So, I'm pleased to have today off and a chance to thank our Veterans as well as relax a bit.

Today I am thankful for all the delicious food I get to enjoy! Monday night we had turkey and mashed potatoes and vegetables and it was yummy. I've had turkey sandwiches the past few days for lunches and tonight we finished up the turkey and broth with turkey and noodles. We also had some of the last homegrown tomatoes. I'm already missing them because we are starting winter soon.

We are very fortunate to have so many food choices. When I think about some people who have two choices: take it or go without, it makes me humble to think I have the choice of having different foods whenever I want. And although I often grouse about the expense, we can eat reasonably and healthily.

Veteran's Day is this Thursday. I want to say thank you to the veterans who risked their all for those of us they didn't even know.

Mark Schultz has a great song about "Letters from War". He had the idea to write the song after reading a relative's diary about how she was so worried her sons wouldn't return from WWII.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuvbBwsMTgI

Today I am grateful for friends. I opened my email and found an email from a friend that made me smile. Last night we had sandwiches with some other friends. At church yesterday morning we talked with people I consider friends. Friends just are there. They like you and consider you and know what to say or do when you need it.

Do you have any special friends?

I just left the kitchen. Not permanently, but I have been fixing things. On the stove are homegrown grape tomatoes that are cooking down for marinara sauce. I have dough rising for two loaves of bread to be baked a little later. I have a turkey breast defrosting that I plan on putting in the Crockpot. So,I would have to say that today I'm deeply grateful that I have plenty to eat.

I work in a district that has many schools that are considered low income. I know that many of these children depend on the free lunch and free breakfast they receive at school. Although I grew up poor, we always had plenty to eat. It might not have been the greatest or what I wanted, but we had food. I know a local food pantry says they give out over 1,200 food boxes a month and they aren't the only pantry in the city. I think in many areas folks are hungry.

So, I'm blessed!

I am grateful I have eyesight. I love to read, I love looking at beautiful items and I love watching my darling husband. Although I have to wear glasses, I never resent having to do so -- how much more fortunate I am than those who years and years and year ago didn't have corrective lenses and saw the world fuzzily!

I admit it...I'm a worrier. I know I shouldn't worry and I know it's a sin. Perhaps even a vice.

After all the stuff in the news about plastic and certain types leeching into our food and drinks, I went on a campaign to start replacing the plastic lidded bowls with glass ones. I hit a bonanza at a couple of "antique" shops...the old Pyrex dishes as well as the refrigerator dishes with lids were in abundance if you knew where to look. I have, the in the past few months, bought an assortment in different sizes. None of them match, but that's OK.

So, that's where I safely store the leftovers because I'm too cheap to throw them away. They make great lunches. I admit, I've become the laughingstock at school, though.

A drawback of using glass is they don't fit tightly and the lids come off. My solution...rubber bands to secure them. One of my friends said she should have me come in and teach problem solving to her class after she laughed at my "solution." Hey, it works. The rubber bands are the ones that came on the paper that the paper person doesn't seem to want back. Yeah, I called and left a message when I had a ton of them and said I'd leave them on the front step. They were there after the delivery. Guess they forgot they could save money by reusing them. So, I reuse them.

While I'm in the problem solving mode I can also say teh glass dish certainly adds to the weight of my lunch bag. Maybe I'm getting a workout with "weights".

I would say I'm hitting two birds with one glass container -- no BPA and getting a weight workout too.

Today I am thankful for my job. I'm fortunate to have it and it provides me with a living to have a comfortable home.

Yesterday I started this whole thing with saying we needed to find satisfaction in our daily lives and I see many of you joined in. Cool beans!

So, today, I'm grateful to those teachers who taught me what I needed to know to become a good citizen. Some of these "teachers" weren't teachers in the sense of being a professional educator, but people who were great role models showing me the way. Kind of like that Liberty Mutual commercial that showed someone doing something nice for someone else so they in turned passed it on.

Alright, so here's you challenge...what else are you grateful for?

I'm on a roll. I'm apologizing ahead of time. Yesterday, I blogged about a book and the fact I'm thankful for what I have and that I'm not rich and have to live a certain life in a certain life style. It made me think maybe we need to learn satisfaction with what we have and perhaps a gratitude blog would be a way to do that. So, today, I'm going to add to what I started yesterday...I know some of you made comments about what you are thankful for as well. Perhaps we need to make an ongoing list to show our gratitude.

So, day one, I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who loves me beyond reason.

How about you?

I just started a fictional book on how a gal who lives in "Bedford" and was a member of high society (read snooty society) was suddenly thrown in a tailspin when her husband was arrested by the FBI for fraud. I haven't gotten to the part where she recovers, but it is interesting to read the author's take on how the once friendly folks she did things with no longer associate with her because she's poor and not deemed worthy of being a part of "their society."

Not being rich or snotty, I wonder if this is realistic fiction. I assume the author is portraying societal norms of a few.

So, while I plan on finishing this book, I did mention to my husband it made me realize I'm glad I don't feel the peer pressure to have to depend on my relationships being based on money and stature in society. My friends are not superficial based on the size of house, money in the bank, and how much volunteering I do.

As we begin November here in America, I'm trying to figure out ways to be grateful for all I have as Thanksgiving approaches. So today I would say I'm grateful that I'm not rich because I don't have to be ashamed of working. Although we all wish we were wealthy, I think it can often bring problems we don't imagine. Realizing satisfaction with what we have is far more comfortable that trying to keep up with wealthy.

For what are you grateful?

Both my husband and I are history fans. My husband more so than I -- he loves those shows on the History Channel when they talk about tanks and go down to what kind of nuts and bolts were used to fasten things. Me, not so much.

However, we have a standing joke around our house. We talk about having a "Hoover dinner." Most Friday nights I get a whole frozen chicken and put it in the Crockpot to cook over night with some vegetables and herbs. Saturday morning we are awakened to the savory smell of chicken and broth. We figure Mr. Hoover would be proud of our chicken in the Crockpot and making two to three meals out of it.

Those folks who remember some historical phrases, when Herbert Hoover was running for president, he promised a chicken in every pot. Well, I have a chicken in my Crockpot so maybe Herbert would be proud!

To digress,I would have to say with the mudslinging and hate ads going on, I would like to go back to some of Herbert and FDR's phrases while running for election; our local telelvision station admitted that 80% of their advertisement is made up of political ads. And they are downright nasty -- only one person has actually ran an ad stating what he plans to do. The rest are ripping into their competition. When this is all said and done, how can these folks try to work with each other to truly represent us?

OK, now that I'm back to the original subject, I do a lot of things with that chicken and broth. I usually make two to three meals from that chicken. I'm planning on chicken stew, chicken and noodles and a new recipe I'm itching to try: chicken and artichoke casserole. I found it in the magazine Simple and Delicious.It was shared by a gal named Amy Nutoni from Minnesota.

Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (14 oz) water-packed artichoke hearts, rined, drained, and chopped
1 can (10 3/4 ounces of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup 2% milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup onion and garlic salad courtons, coursely crushed

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large bowl, combined the chicken, artichokes, soup, cheese, mayonnaise, milk, garlic, onion powder and pepper. Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with croutons. Baked, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

I'm not sure if Mr. Hoover would like this dish, but he'd like the chicken in the Crockpot. And he would probably appreciate my goal of saving money -- he was around during the depression -- he may not have been poor, but he saw what it did. That's why he promised a chicken in every pot. So, as we lift our forks we'll say, "This one's for you, Herbie!"

Every so often folks sit down and starting remembering the "Good Ole' Days". And, often, these days of memory weren't so good when they were being lived, but a hard scrabble way of life.

But for many, there were life lessons learned that proved useful later in life.

I've mentioned before my folks grew up during the depression. The struggles they lived through -- going hungry, patched clothes, and doing without shaped their lives and then shaped mine. I fear for having an empty pantry in case something bad might happen -- this fear was learned through their hard lives and passed down to me.

But, I also think this fear also has made me frugal in life as well as appreciative to what I have.

I admit I spend money. Sometimes I go wild and I feel guilty when I do it. But, fortunately I have the means to do this without having to do without things.

But, looking back, some of those things that were in place years ago really did save money and make sense. Old fashioned? Perhaps.

There a quote I often think about:

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
— Boyd K. Packer

If more people did this, perhaps we wouldn't have the money troubles in the economy.

Yesterday we took the train to Chicago and on the way home, chose to buy a sandwich and a bottle of water for our supper instead of buying the pricey meal in the dining car. After finishing the water, I put the bottle in my bag to bring home to recycle. It made me think of growing up when soft drinks were served in glass bottles. When you bought the soda, you paid a deposit and when you returned the empty bottle, you received your deposit back. Talk about recycling! You didn't have to check the bottom to see if the recycling place would take it! And I maintain that a soda doesn't taste as good nowdays in plastic container or aluminum can as it did in an ice cold bottle!

Plus, we had the entertainment of looking at the bottom of the bottle. My dad worked for Coca Cola bottling company and at the bottom of the bottle would be stamped the name of the city the bottle had originally been bottled at the first time it was used. It became a contest to see who had a bottle from the furtherst place.

Today I made what I call "Clean out your kitchen lasagna." I can't give measurements for anything. I had half a pound of sausage that I had cooked with onions and bell peppers. I had bits and pieces of different cheeses. I had a partial container of cream, a partial container of sour cream, milk, leftover lasagna noodles, and a few grape tomatoes. So, I thought a casserole could be this lasagna. I did open a small can of tomato sauce since I didn't have enough tomatoes, but the white sauce was thickedn with some butter and flour and it looked pretty good. It's sitting the fridge with two other casseroles we will be enjoying this week after I get off work.

Maybe we can define the "good" in the "Good Ole Days" as the good learning that took place.

So, what are some ways you are using it up, wearing it out, making it do, or doing without?

No, I'm not practing my Tony the Tiger growling because things are not "GGGGRREEAATTT!"

I sort of lost it today. I work with another person and we are to be a "team". But yet again, this person is late. This person is late to almost every meeting. Today, one of our supervisors asked me where my "partner" was and why this person was late. I just said, "I wish people would quit asking me this because I'm not this person's keeper."

Maybe I shouldn't have said it. But I hear it a minimum of four days a week.

The supervisor said he understood and he could see why it would bother me.

Yet, I don't get it why this person is consistently late.

Overall, this person is nice, but perhaps doesn't realize how rude it is to keep people waiting to start a meeting until this person shows up.

An administrator did say something a few weeks ago about a meeting starting ten minutes before and it seemed to help, but that lasted but a few days. And the person it was directed to was none too happy to have this mentioned.

It's not my place to tell this person to be at work on time -- I'm not a boss. They roll their eyes or say something to me about the person being late, but other than that one time, nothing was said.

But, wouldn't one think that the bosses are as much to blame for allowing it to continue?

It's Sunday and I've been in the kitchen most of the afternoon fixing stuff for the coming week. I also pack my lunch for the next day because it means I don't have to get up that much earlier in the morning. Plus, I hate worrying that I might forget.

I have read many posts and blogs about folks saying they save money taking their lunches. It was always a given with me because I don't have time to go out and I don't want to get up an earlier than I have to to stop someplace and pick something up.

Are you creative with your lunches? Often I take leftovers and that's pretty good. But there are times when I don't have leftovers. For awhile, I was eating turkey and to be quite honest, I was getting a bit tired of it. I guess that sounds whiny. Sorry!

A friend of mine was talking about her tuna salad and I'm thinking I need to try it. She puts sliced boiled eggs (3 eggs, but only uses one yolk), and relish in it. That sounds pretty good.

I had some potatoes that were starting to get a bit soft and since I had fixed a chicken in the Crockpot, I had chicken broth left over. I normally freeze it so I have it on hand, but I figured it's mine and I can use it. So, I made potato soup this afternoon and put it in a microwavable mug with a lid for lunch tomorrow. It's supposed to be rainy so that sounds pretty good. DH bought a bag of apples on sale and we usually have grapes so I cleaned them and packaged the grapes in a plastic container and washed the apple and have it ready for my lunch. With a Thermos of water, it should be a decent lunch.

So, do you have the lunch packing blues?

If you read my blogs you might think I have a preoccupation with kitchen appliances and you might be correct!

It's Thursday and my fridge is looking kind of lonely. I fixed a few meals ahead this week and had them stashed in the fridge. I opened the door tonight after supper and showed my husband how bare it was starting to look. He just laughed at me.

But it does look bare. There's a little milk, some ice tea in a pitcher, and a few odds and ends here and there to eat, but last Sunday the shelves were jam packed with things that were fixed and could be heated up, or defrosting so they could be cooked.

It means the cycle starts over where I write up a grocery list for Aldi and one for the other grocery we frequent so we can begin again.

On the bright side, better a lonely looking fridge than an empty tummy, right?

I am torn. I have blogged about wanting a new stove and saving up for it.

I have been watching the ads and have also read Consumer Reports.

I think that if I catch the stove in sale, I have enough to pay for it.

There was something great about anticipating. I like looking through the Sunday ads and seeing what's out there. I have enjoyed perusing stores and looking at those sleek and shiny stoves and imagining them in my kitchen.

But, I wonder now if I should spend the money. It's not an issue of not having the money to pay bills. We do.

It's not an issue of having to have the stove...it's a want, not a need.

But, I'm torn. Do I want to keep the money in the credit union...I admit it, I like having that money in the bank and seeing the balance go up.

Or do I want a new stove enough to spend that money?

Geeze, talking about the old adage of having your cake and eating it too....

I like fall. I like it for a variety of reasons -- partially because it gets cooler. I'd like summer a whole lot more if it didn't get so stinking hot because I don't handle heat well. But, I think fall is a special time because the leaves change color and it just makes it enjoyable to watch as trees get more colorful each day.

I also think I like fall because it is a season of harvest. Believe it or not, I'm a food lover and some of the things harvested in the fall are simply delicious.

I like the aspect of baking more and using fall flavors. I try to bake things seasonally just to keep it in my mind what the season is like. The idea of a bubbling stew and a hearty bread on a cool fall day just makes me smile.

A few years ago in one of those coupon inserts a flour company had this harvest bread recipe and I clipped it and make it from time to time. It sort of tastes like stuffing which goes into the seasonal part. Hope you enjoy it.

Harvest Stuffing Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 envelope quick rise yeast
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of minced onion (divided)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon celery sead.

Combine 1 cup all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, 2 tablespoons onions, parlsey, poultry seasoning and salt in a large bowl. Heat water and butter until very warm (120 to 130 F). Stir into flour mixture.

Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stire in remaining all purpose flour to make stiff batter.

Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Turn batter into greased bread pan (about 1 1/2 quart). Smooth top of dough in casserole with floured hands. Cover.

Rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Brush beaten egg on loaf. Sprinkle with remining onion and celery seed.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. If you use a glass pan, bake at 350.

I have changed this a bit using sage because I like sage in my stuff and it does give it little more depth of flavor. Can you imagine how much a loaf of this would cost at a bakery? Once you get the basic ingredients to make bread, it makes store bought bread seem outrageous, especially at speciality bakeries!

OK, what kind of soup should I fix with this?