Frugal Foodie

I admit it. I'm a big softie. Especially when it comes to soldiers and patriotism. Last year I wrote a a soldier weekly when he was in Afghanistan. A few years ago I wrote another soldier while he was in Iraq. It was nice to hear from them, but I didn't feel like they had to write a lot...I felt like the soldier was already doing enough by serving our country. Right now a friend's son in in Iraq and I try to write or send a card now and then so he gets something at mail call.

On Facebook a friend posted this YouTube video called "I fought for you" and it is very powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTb6qdPu8JE

Hopefully the url will come through and you can watch it if you wish. Whether you agree or disagree with the war, I hope you will remember these men and woman represent us and are doing a brave job. Without the freedoms we enjoy, we wouldn't have the pleasure of saving money or spending it or blogging about it. I hope you find the video as inspiring as I did.

My husband loves to walk.

He especially likes walking in the neighborhood and seeing the homes and nature and being outside.

Unfortunately the heat and humidity have made it very uncomfortable for him to walk because he goes at a pretty crisp clip. He says he doesn't like to melt down into his shoes in this weather and I can't blame him.

His solution has been to walk at the mall. He claims it is boring just going around in circles. But he has made a game of it. He tries to find people who are also walking for exercise and see if he can out pace them. I tease him about his competitive spirit and he just laughs.

But there's a lot of truth in it. He talks about this one young gal (20-30s) who has longer legs than he does and really flies -- he says he turns on the after burners and catches up and passes her.

There's another guy who he says hides from him when he sees him out walking because he can outdistance him.

Hubby says this spirit of competition keeps it interesting.

I say watch out Roadrunner! Beep! Beep!

I was pretty pumped last night to watch Ina Garten's program about surprising her husband with Greek lasagna. She often has Jewish recipes so I guess she thought she'd make a change.

I looked for the recipe last night, but couldn't find it on the Food Network site. I decided to try again and found it. It looks a lot harder written down than when she made it, but she is often very good about giving lots of details.

Pastitsio

Ingredients
For the Tomato Meat Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Bechamel:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or Kasseri cheese
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt, such as Fage Total
• 3/4 pound small shells
Directions
For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and lamb, and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon. Drain off any excess liquid, add the wine, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the bechamel, heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggs and yogurt and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don't over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.
Add the pasta to the meat and tomato sauce, and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the bechamel evenly to cover the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.

I am excited about trying it! How about you? Opa!

As I continue my quest for easy stuff to make, I remembered a friend sent me this recipe for 3 ingredient cherry dessert.

3 ingredient cherry dessert


2 cups cubed angel food cake
1 can cherry pie filling
1 12 oz thawed whipped topping

Mix the 3 ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I use sugar free cherry pie filling as my husband is diabetic and it is a dessert that he can have.

Looks easy and sounds tasty? Do you have any 3 ingredient recipes you'd like to share?

It's Monday and back to school. Actually, since one of my schools is a balanced calendar school, I have already started back to work. But today was the official first day for many of the buildings in my district.

This means I'm on the look out for recipes for quick and easy things for dinner. Actually, I call it supper, but most call it dinner. You know, the whole tomato, tohmato thing.

Speaking (writing?) of tomatoes, I was looking at my file of recipes and discovered this one that I thought I could change using fresh tomatoes sliced thinly:

Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes

Three 14 ½ ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained, any variety
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place the tomatoes in a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top each with a pat of butter. Generously sprinkle the cheese over the tomatoes and broil for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes are heated through and the cheese is bubbly.

Since it has finally cooled down to the low to mid 80s, I can embrace my oven once again. And if something has cheese, it HAS to be good, right?

Last week I blogged that I had the "problem" of too many tomatoes. One kind person suggested I make a marinara sauce.

I hate to admit it, but I had never made a marinara sauce. I'ved used tomato sauce out of the can and added stuff, but never made anything like this from scratch.

I'm happy to report that I have since been searching for a recipe that I could employ.

I was kind of worried because I don't have hours to let it simmer. Unfortunately my employer wouldn't think it was right if I came home during the day to make a sauce.

So, I wanted to find one I thought I could use. And I did. I had to adjust the measurements because I didn't have quite that many tomatoes available, but I did try it. I ran it through the food processor after it was cooked and added the fresh basil.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
• Ten pounds of VERY ripe tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Sugar
• Black Pepper
• Fresh Basil
• Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
Whole Tomato Version:

The ingredients listed above.
• Chop the washed tomatoes into small cubes (to reduce the area and cooking time).
• Sautee ten or fifteen large garlic cloves in olive oil until they are dark golden.
• Add chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning or sticking.
• Pour in an additional quarter cup of oil (or more according to taste).
• Add salt, a heavy dusting of black pepper and about three tablespoons of sugar (depending on the acidity of the tomato you can use less or no sugar).
• Lower heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring regularly, until all fluid is thickened. THIS SHOULD NOT TAKE FOUR HOURS BUT MORE LIKE A HALF HOUR. Why people insist on torturing tomato sauce on a stove for half a day is beyond me --- we call it the "Nonna syndrome."
• Remove from heat and immediately add a large quantity of fresh chopped basil.
• Cook pasta extra al dente and drain.
• Add pasta back to pan and add five or six ladles of tomato sauce to the pasta and stir over a medium heat until sauce and pasta are thickened.
Serve each plate with an additional ladle full of sauce on top and a drizzling of fresh cold olive oil and a heaping of Pecorino Romano.

Although the measurements are exact, I kept trying it until I got it the way I wanted. I tasted it and then finally had hubby try it. He's the resident critic. He gave it a thumbs up!

Now that I've accomplished this, I have one further query: can I freeze it?

OK, it doesn't have the ring to the title as the children's book, "Chicken Soup with Rice", but I have to work with what I have!

It's the weekend and I was looking for recipes that I could fix ahead and then come home after work and heat up later in the week.

Last year when I did an Internet search, I found a variety of chicken recipes. I was looking through them today and found one that included many of the ingredients I had on hand...my hubby just picked a red bell pepper and green bell pepper. I had fixed a chicken in the Crockpot overnight to use for different dishes and had the broth from it so I felt like I was pretty well set.

Chicken Hash Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken breast shredded or chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon sweet basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup roux ( make by stirring 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in 2 tablespoons of corn oil in frying pan until golden brown)

Preparation:

Sauté celery, peppers, and onions until tender.
Place chicken stock in medium saucepan and heat to boiling. Make the roux then mix chicken, chicken stock, vegetables, and seasoning with roux.

Serve over hot rice.

I am delighted I can heat this up on the stove instead of the oven (it's still very hot here) and I can store the ingredients in a bowl in the fridge until I need it. With the hot rice made right before I need it, it should be a tasty meal.

We watch "Til Debt Due Us Part" on CNBC on Saturday nights and one of the things the host keeps telling people is they need to cook at home to save money and buy things on a budget. We do eat out some, but I feel those nights when I'm tired and really don't want to start something from scratch, having something like this sitting in the fridge waiting sure makes it easier to put a hot, nutritious meal on the table without resorting to going out and spending extra money.

School hasn't officially started for most of the buildings in our district, but we do have one that is "year round."

My position is a new one and to put it simply, I work with data. Which is good. I like data and I like thinking and talking about educational data. I enjoy charts, graphs, and spreadsheets.

But, I can honestly say I'm just mentally exhausted. Between the extreme heat taking it's toll, and the fact I've been in 2 1/2 days of training, plus working on data for my schools, I'm spent.

I look forward to getting some rest tonight in my air conditioned home.

I have one word to describe tonight’s supper: YUM!
Last week I wrote about going to Arthur to a place called Beachy’s where I purchased some Amish made noodles. I fixed the garlic noodles and after draining them, I added a little butter. They were good by themselves. But, then, I added creamy beef and it was superb.

I have been perusing a cookbook by Stephanie O’Dea called “Make it fast, cook it slow” where she has Crockpot recipes. I have been thinking about trying one, and this was the time! It’s still very hot here and the head index has hit triple digits. What better meal than something done without heating up the stove? I am going to confess, however, I didn’t use the creamy beef recipe exactly as it was written, so although I gave her credit, I’m actually going to tell you how I fixed it.

Crockpot Creamy beef
1 pound beef stew meat
2 T butter
2 T 2% milk or lower
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 t of your favorite steak sauce
3 T beef broth
1 small chopped onion
1 t herbs, chopped (I used oregano)
2 oz. cream cheese
Use a small slow cooker. Put everything but the cream cheese in the Crockpot. Cook on low 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Stir in the cream cheese (I diced it up so it would melt quicker) in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve over hot buttered noodles, but I bet this would be great over rice too!

My husband gave it 10 out of 10. He loved the Amish noodles, but he adored the creamy beef mixture. As he says, “It’s a keeper!”

I had a small spending day today.

I worked all day and didn't spend anything except for what it will cost to replace the gas I used to drive to work. I went directly to work and came directly home.

I fixed coffee in a thermal cup and took with me. I packed my lunch and ate it at my desk. I had fixed a chicken in the Crockpot earlier this weekend and used it for some casseroles. I had some chicken left over so I made chicken salad for my sandwich. My husband's grape tomato crop is still pretty healthy, so I took some of them for my lunch as well and for a snack, I packed some peanut butter crackers I had in the pantry.

I'm not good every day, but today was a small spend day!

Have you ever started a collection merely by accident?

A few years ago we were sort of strapped -- we paid our bills and tried to save some and I had a friend who was buying stuff like a new stove and dishwasher and updating this and that. I groused that even though I did lots of cooking and really could use new appliances and would love a kitchen remodel, we couldn't afford it and certainly wouldn't go into debt.

My mom, who had a wicked sense of humor, decided to help me with my "remodel." A local grocery store was clearing out dishes you could buy. Seems they had a dinner plate and cup and saucer in a box and if you spent so much that week, you could buy this little place setting at a cheaper price. Ever the bargain hunter, my mom thought two new plates and cups and saucers were cheaper than a remodel and would also give me something to unwrap come Christmas. My mom didn't have a lot of money either.

Christmas morning and the unwrapping began. Sure enough, she had me unwrap my two alike packages last and there were the Blue Willow dishes.

Now, there's something you should know. My favorite color is blue. And I like stuff with a history behind it. We had quite the chuckle over my new dishes and that my "kitchen remodel" was at least dishwasher safe. Two plates, who needs more when there are just two of us eating, right?

Well, the more I saw those plates, the more I thought about how I'd like to have a set of them. I went to the local grocery and sure enough, they had 2 other boxes of these place settings, still on sale, and I didn't have to buy groceries to get the cheaper price.

Did I need these plates? Heck no. I had a set of every day plates and set of "good" China. My good China was bought when a store called Carson Pirie Scott was in business and they offered two different patterns -- a place setting for 8 for $99. I didn't realize that this really wasn't "good" China, but it was fancier than most stuff I came across.

But this Blue Willow is the stuff I really liked. So, it became a hobby. Whenever we would go the antique shops, flea markets, or even grocery stores, I would search for it. One big chain in Springfield was closing out on accessories like a platter, butter dish, and salt and pepper shakers. I found dinner plates in odd places. I refuse to pay full price.

Blue Willow has a story attached to it. Seems there was a father and daughter and the daughter fell in love with a man who worked for her father. The father did not want the relationship to continue, and like Romeo and Juliet, the two lovebirds died a premature death. The pattern has two lovebirds and also willow trees, hence the blue willow name. Pretty cool history, eh?

I started searching Ebay. My favorite company that makes it is Churchill because it can go in the dishwasher. Seems lots of companies have manufactured it through the years. I do have a few old pieces that came from Japan and when I use them I have to hand wash them. I bought a really fancy casserole dish that I refuse to use because it is so delicate. I had a funny mistake -- I kept bidding on another Churchill casserole dish and I would always miss it by a dollar or so. I decided I'd bid on two, thinking I'd get one. Well, I wound up winning both of them, and I paid about the same for both of them than if I had bought them outright from a website.

The Blue Willow search has increased my collection. One friend searches for it and I get it as gifts for birthday and Christmas.

I finally decided that since I don't give fancy parties, I don't need my "good" China anymore and I donated it. I donated my other set of dishes we used to use too because I like the Blue Willow so well. I guess the chefs on television wouldn't like to use them because many say you should use plain white plates so the food stands out. Apparently I'm not a purist.

This all started from a joke. My collecting was truly by accident. But what a fun "accident" it has become!

Ah, what a trouble...too many tomatoes!

My hubby planted 5 plants -- 4 big tomatoes and 1 grape tomato plant. The big tomato plants have been producing steadily, but not huge amounts. But that 1 measly little grape tomato plant has been unbelievable. I picked I bet over two pounds of little tomatoes yesterday.

I decided I needed to fix them some way besides eating them raw. I had seen a recipe for a gratin using regular tomatoes. I changed it a bit and I'm happy to report it was delicious!

Tomato Gratin

1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped up small
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon of fresh herb of your choice, chopped or a half tablepoon if dried (I used basil)
tomatoes -- enough to cover the bottom of a baking dish
bread crumbs -- enough to cover the top of the tomatoes
1/4 cup grated cheese (I used Romano because I had it on hand)
baking spray

Preheat oven to 400.
Saute the chopped onion in the olive oil. Take off heat once it is translucent and add honey and herb and mix together.
Slice the tomatoes in same size pieces. Since I used grape tomatoes, I sliced them in half and had them all face up to make one layer.
Toss in the chopped garlic and add the onion/honey sauce on top.
Spread the cheese over the tomatoes. Then add the bread crumbs until thoroughly covered.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bread crumbs are brown.

If you wanted to make the casserole thicker, you could layer the tomatoes and onions if you had more and then bake a little longer. I would probably add a little more honey and lemon juice.

I used the tomatoes from our garden, an onion from our garden, basil from our garden, and the bread crumbs I made in our food processor from left over bread.

It was delicious and a reasonably cheap side dish.

Horses and homemade noodles. I love them both.

OK, maybe not together, but yesterday we went to Arthur, IL. Arthur is a small town near us that has a large Amish population. And the Amish have horses. So, I had my horse “fix” by seeing so many. Even more so when we ventured out into the country to a store and took a wrong turn. One farm had over 15 draft horses in the pasture. One had a foal that was sleeping on the ground while the mom stood and watched over it, protecting it, while the other horses grazed. What a great horsey mom!

We did find the store. It is called Beachy’s and they sell a variety of goods, a lot of which is in bulk. Apparently it is run by an Amish family. It has cheeses made there in town, noodles and baked goods made right there. You could buy a large 50 pound bag of flour if you had the desire, or you could get a smaller bag of around 2 pounds. I didn’t think I could store 50 pounds for some reason, darn it! I guess this place had the selling in bulk concept before Sam’s and Costco!

They had 5 or 6 different types of noodles. We bought regular egg noodles and egg noodles with garlic. I can hardly wait to try these. They had whole wheat noodles, vegetables noodles, and egg noodles with tomatoes. It was almost noodle heaven! The list of ingredients was pretty simple: flour, egg yolks, water, food coloring and then whatever they used to flavor like garlic powder or tomatoes. No preservatives! Woo woo!

They had all sorts of homemade baked goods. It made our mouths water. They had white bread, wheat bread, and breads like banana and zucchini. They had cookies and angel food cakes (they have to use the egg whites for something after making all those noodles.)
They sell the spices in bulk and had a huge aisle of them. They had all sorts of rice in another aisle. And one aisle had candy. A lot of types you don’t see any more like lemon drops. I can’t remember the last time I had a lemon drop.

It was a terrific day. My hubby and I explored downtown Arthur and then made our visit to Beachy’s. And it was wonderful because of the horses and homemade noodles.

We hit the library again and it’s no mystery, we like to solve murder cases…fiction, of course!

We’ve run through all the Poirot episodes that our library has. We have moved on to Campion. It’s set in England in the 30s. I guess it originally broadcast on “Mystery” in the late 80s or early 90s. Campion is a detective who has a surly manservant named Lug who together solve mysteries. I think these characters make the stories more interesting. Poirot has Captain Hastings, Chief Inspector, and Miss Lemon. Campion has Lug, and boy, is Lug a character. We talk about these people like they are real instead of fictional.

We’ve also been watching Miss Marple, Agatha Christie’s nosy old lady who never misses a details. She's an interesting character herself.

These wonderful stories have provided great entertainment, but it does have a downside. I have a craving for a cup of tea while watching one of these. I wonder if it is because they all have tea in lovely tea cups? Do I want to copy their fancy ways? Have I fallen in love with 30s fashion? Or am I just weird? I need to brew a cup of tea and serve it in a china cup to feel satisfied. This is a mystery to me. I guess as far as cravings go, it's pretty cheap. Hot water, tea bag and a cup I already posses. The DVDs are borrowed from the library so other than the trip to the library the cost is minimal.

Well, we still have a few more episodes to enjoy the next few evenings. That’s something to look forward to. I just better make sure I have enough tea bags to brew. Maybe I’m just a character myself.

The topic of every newscast is the weather...namely it's hot outside. No kidding! You walk outside and take a breath and sweat!

On an earlier blog I mentioned Stephanie O'Dea's cookbook, "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow". Here is a recipe for potatoes that I hope to try in this hot weather.

Walnut and Sage Potatoes Au Gratin

Cooking spray
6 medium brown potatoes (such as Idaho or Russet), peeled and sliced 1/ 4 inch thick
½ yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup flour
4 T (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 ½ cups heavy cream or half and half
1 t Kosher salt
¼ t black pepper
1 t dried sage
1 ½ c shredded Greyere cheese
1 ½ c walnut halves

In a 4 quart slow cooker, spray the inside with cooking spray. Put the sliced potatoes and onion in the slow cooker. In a mixing bowl whisk the flour into the melted butter. Add the cream and salt, pepper, and sage to the bowl, mixing well. Pour the cream mixture into the slow cooker and toss with the potatoes and ion. Sprinkle the cheese and walnuts on the top. Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or until the potatoes are tender.


It sure sounds hearty and at least it won't heat up the kitchen!

I'm sure we aren't the only part of the country (USA) that it is hot, but it has that hazy look to it and you know it's just hot. The head index at 7 p.m. was 110. That's just plain miserable!

We had a gift card for a restaurant so we used it tonight. I planned it because I knew it would be a long day at work and I would be tired. I didn't think about the heat. On our way home, we noticed that a lot of restaurants seemed pretty busy. Tuesday isn't a big night for restaurant goers usually, but I think the heat may have helped increased their business.

Do you think weather has anything to do with increased restaurant sales?

Yesterday I wrote about receiving a huge zucchini. I also shared a recipe I was going to try.

That recipe is now history and I think it was pretty good, but kind of bland. I think when I make it again, I'm going to add chopped onions and maybe something else for some zing.

I do have a couple of recipes for zucchini that I'm sharing since there were some comments asking for other zucchini recipes.

Paula Deen’s Zucchini bread

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.


Zucchini and Tomato Casserole

2 to 3 zucchini, chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
¼ lb white cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ lb cheddar shredded
1 T basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Toss the zucchini, onion, and ¼ cup of the juice in a shallow casserole dish. Bake 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. Remove from oven and toss ¾ of the cheese and tomatoes with vegetables. Sprinkle with basil. Top with the remainder of the cheese.
Bake another 15 to 20 minutes.


Zucchini and onions
2 small zucchini sliced thin
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup of milk
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup of shredded cheese of your choice (I use whatever I have in the fridge

Saute zucchini and onion in olive oil. Add more oil if needed. When they are transparent, add milk and let it cook through. Pour into a greased casserole dish.
Mix the bread crumbs and cheese together and top the zucchini and onion. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

We were out and about today and at one of our stops, someone had dropped off tomatoes and a zucchini.

The folks at this place offered us both the tomatoes and the zucchini. Right now we are good on tomatoes with my hubby's garden, but we graciously accepted the zucchini. It's funny, but I've been fixing zucchini at least twice a week in different ways or a couple of years. These young people just looked at me and said the only thing they could think to do with it was make bread. I suggested a couple of recipes to them, but none of them wanted to cook.

With great delight I accepted this large zucchini and it now adorns my countertop awaiting my cooking.

I measured it just to see how large it really is. It is 19 inches long and at its widest it is 14 inches. This is a large zucchini. I guess I can do a little weight lifting before I slice into it.

I checked out a cookbook last week from the library. It was Fanny Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe cookbook. If you remember the book or the movie, the cafe had down home southern cooking. It also gave some squash and zucchini recipes.

With this large zucchini I think I can make more than one casserole, so I'll probably use it for some other items, but this is something I'm looking forward to making:

Zucchini Sour Cream Casserole

6 medium zucchini (about 2 pounds), cut into ½ inch slices
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
2 T butter
1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ t seasoned salt
¼ t pepper
½ cup crushed saltines or fine dry breadcrumbs

Cook zucchini in boiled salted water covered for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Preheat oven to 350. Combine sour cream and butter in a small saucepan and melt. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, seasoned salt, and pepper. Layer half of zucchini, sour cream mixture, and cracker crumbs in a greased shallow 1 ½ quart casserole; repeat layers. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot.

I had to laugh when we were talking to the "kids" at this place. The guy said he thought he might try his tomatoes "ghetto style." I asked what that was and he said, "You know, slice them and put salt and pepper on them."

I had never heard it referred that way; guess one learns something new every day.

Where's that darn maid? Or the dish fairy?

These folks never seem to show up at my house. Of course dust bunnies seem to multiply without hesitation.

I'm trying to keep control of the dust, dirt, and whatever around here. The vacuum doesn't run itself. The windows aren't self cleaning and that oven...ha!

I guess I sort of know how Cinderella felt, except I don't have evil stepsisters and a stepmother hovering over me. Just my own steel will to fight the battle of dirt, grime, and the neverending dust bunny!

I guess I could say I'm saving money by not hiring anyone to clean for me. That's my story anyway.

Now, where's my cape?

Abraham Lincoln. What a famous man both in the states and in the world.

We visited the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL, yesterday. We are fortunate to live around 45 miles away and have made at least 5 trips there to get our Lincoln “fix.”

Most of us know about the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and even his brutal murder.
But, do you have any idea of what he ate?

A couple of years ago a friend of mine knows our love of Lincoln and my love for cooking and gifted me a cookbook from the Lincoln Museum. There are recipes from the Lincoln era as well as recipes from volunteers at the museum. One in particular caught my eye. Apparently Mr. Lincoln had to be reminded to eat by his wife, Mary, but he did have a favorite cake. It was a white cake and the recipe was originally created by Monsieur Giron, a Lexington caterer. The recipe became a favorite of the Todd family and they requested it for family use.

Apparently this was a cake that Mary would bake for her husband. Think about it for a minute how hard it had to be to bake a cake in those cook stoves where you couldn’t regulate the temperature very easily. There were no electric mixers. Lots of hard work for a treat!

Here’s the recipe from the cookbook. It was noted that variations of the icing included the use of a sour cream icing. I’m going to give the cake recipe a try today, but think I’ll make a different icing since I don’t have the candied fruits. I'm sure if you want to order the cookbook, you can do a search for the Abraham Lincoln Museum and go to the gift shop.

Cake batter
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
3 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 c. milk
1 ¼ c. blanched almonds, chopped very fine
6 egg whites
1 t almond of vanilla extract
Cream sugar and butter. Sift flour and baking powder three times. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk. Add almonds. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Add extract. Pour into a greased and floured angel food cake pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour. Turn out cake on wire rack to cool.

Candied fruit frosting
2 egg whites
2 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 t vanilla extract or ½ tsp each of vanilla and almond extract
½ c diced, candied pineapple
½ c crystallized cherries cut in half
Beat egg whites until very stiff. Set aside. Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Boil until the syrup spins a thread about 5 inches long. Slowly add a few tablespoons of egg whites, 1 spoonful at a time, into the syrup. Then slowly, beating well, add remaining syrup into the eggs and beat until the icing forms peaks when dropped from a spoon. Add vanilla and/or almond extract. Fold in candied pineapple and crystallized cherries. Spread between layers of the cake and ice the tops and sides. The fruit may be omitted.

Here’s your chance to eat like a president!

It always hurts to fail.

I have shared many of my successes, so I feel it is only fair to share my failure as well.

I have tried one new recipe for the Crockpot and although adequate, I wouldn’t take the time to write it down and try it again. It sounded good. It was to be a type of chicken stew. You put in chicken (uncooked), potatoes, sliced onions, chopped bell pepper, a little chicken broth, and a can of tomatoes and cook 8-9 hours. It was edible, but certainly not delicious. The chicken was almost dried out. It shouldn't have been, there was plenty of liquid. It just wasn't yummy. This recipe will bite the dust.

Tonight I made stuffed peppers. My husband likes bell peppers. He likes ground beef. And rice. I chopped and sautéed some onion with the lean ground beef. Did what I was supposed to. It wasn’t bad. But he didn’t like it. Hence, another failure. I’m 0 for 2 so far this week.

It hurts to fail, but life goes on, and hopefully my cooking will too.

There are far bigger worries than two not wonderful meals, right?

I look forward to Jeffrey's posts and how he uses coupons to eat on a $1 a day. We don't have some of the grocery stores he has, but we do have a CVS. However, after looking at his blogs, I don't think I could cut the deals he has.

I discovered that different papers have different coupons. Some are better than others. Our local paper has a coupon insert or two on Sundays and they have some basic stuff, but my hubby also buys the Chicago Trib and often times the coupons are worth more or they might even have coupons that aren't in our local paper. They are put out by the same companies. I wonder if it is also a regional thing too.

That being said, I won't be eating on a $1 a day, but I am trying to make better use of the coupons we get.

Thanks, Jeffrey!

The more I listened, the more angry I've become.

I was minding my own business, working in the kitchen this afternoon, and my hubby was watching a program on HGTV called "My First Place." We've watched similar episodes and so many of these folks tick me off.

What irritates me is so many of these "kids" think their first home is supposed to be totally up to date with high end finishes, a basement to entertain in, a yard to show off and entertain in, a kitchen that a gourmet would be proud of, a master bedroom big enough for a ball room and a master bath that is not unlike a spa.

They grouse about so much being wrong or out of date or too small. When I write with something being wrong, I don't mean it is broken, but it doesn't look like the way they expect.

And these two guys weren't sure what they could really afford. One worked two part-time jobs and the other had a full time job.

This isn't the only show that is like this. House Hunters often has guests very similar. Granted, if I were giving big money for a house, I would expect certain things, but unless you get to build your house, I would think there is no "perfect" house.

I guess I'm tired of these folks wanting everything perfect right away. We've lived in this house for 12 years. We've updated and fixed things as we could afford it. Some of the stuff has been changed to match our personal tastes. I would love, love, love a walk in pantry because I have pots, pans, and assorted kitchen gadgets stored every which way to fit. But, I'm not giving up a room or building on to get this wish list item. I just drool when I see Ina Garten's organized pantry. I still have the room for my stuff, it just isn't as organized as I wish.

When we bought this house, we bought a house we could afford -- the bank told us we could borrow far more than we did. We did not buy the biggest or fanciest house in the neighborhood. In fact, it is a little smaller than the first house we bought and it wasn't huge. It is the smallest house on our court.

It's been fun planning and anticipating changes. Six years ago we replaced the kitchen cabinets. I still am thrilled with these cabinets. We kept the same layout, but these cabinets actually stay together when you open the drawers. I have a lazy Susan in the corner cabinet so stuff doesn't get lost in the dark abyss. We kept the counter top because we couldn't afford a new one. Three years ago we changed the counterop to a fancier laminate than we had. I like it, it cleans easily, and it doesn't over improve the house.

Two years ago we replaced the plywood bookcases in the family room with oak ones and had the fireplace mantel replaced -- the fireplace was rough brick and it had a big board that reminded me of one of the railboard boards under a track. Each day when we sit in the family room, I marvel at how nice this room looks. Would I do that if I moved into the perfect house 12 years ago? Probably not. I'd probably take it for granted.

So, I have released a little steam about these folks wanting everything immediately. Perhaps it's the way they have been raised -- they feel entitled to the very best. Or, perhaps it's at the urging of the television producers -- I imagine a lot goes on that we don't know.

For me, I know anticipation is part of the fun of fixing up my unperfect home.

Last night the national news had a story on a new trend: Friday night weddings.

Seems the couples and their families have found that many places and businesses are willing to cut a deal if you get married on a Friday night. They said the photographer gave them a huge percent discount, the caterer did as well and the reception hall was cheaper too. The broadcaster talked about how folks are making weddings more affordable.

The news cast said it was "thinking outside of the box."

I had to chuckle. Twenty years ago my husband and I married on a Friday night. Our wedding itself was very small -- just a few family members. We had a reception at a small place and had cake, punch, and a few munchies. Little did we know we were thinking outside of the box!

We had our small get together because my parents didn't have a lot of money and we were going to pay for most of it. I did without the big fancy dress and my husband did without the tux. My parents bought a sheet cake and paid the $15 to rent the area. I bought the rest of the stuff -- napkins, plates, punch, and even made some of my own munchies. My soon to be husband and I decided instead of paying for a big wedding, we would use the money for a downpayment on the house. We also paid, in cash, for a honeymoon in Vegas. We came back home to a house with more than a 20% downpayment and a little cash to buy paint to start decorating.

We were thinking outside of the box? I don't think so. I think we were actually just trying to be financially responsible.

As for the wedding...our vows must have stuck...we celebrated our 20th anniversary in June!

Is it ever too hot to cook?

I live in the Midwest and we've had a hot week. Today, at supper time, it was 92 with a heat index of 108. I know places are hotter, but it is just miserable. One of my friends said he wasn't sure what he and his wife were going to come up for supper because it was too hot to cook. She had boiled eggs and made a salad and that might be supper.

I don't know about you, but when it gets so uncomfortable and I don't care about eating a lot. I normally have a very healthy appetite, so I can always tell when it's hot.

Tonight we had beef and noodles. The beef and broth were left over from a roast I had in the Crockpot earlier this week. I sliced some tomatoes, had cottage cheese, fruit and some bread I baked earlier in the week. It was more than sufficient and I'm sure glad I didn't need to heat up the oven. We do have air conditioning, but I hate to tax it even more than need be.

So, was it too hot to cook where you live?

Took a trip to the library yesterday and hit a bonanza for newer magazines! Woo Woo!

I refuse to subscribe to a multitude of magazines for two reasons -- cost is one, but also, after reading them, what to do with them? I recycle them, but it seems such a waste. We get one magazine and it comes once a week -- a news magazine. After hubby reads it, I read it and then it goes into the recycling bin. Hubby said that although it is an interesting read, he doesn't want to renew the subscription. Fine with me!

However, what I really want to write about is the article in the "Saturday Evening Post" about clutter. The author said that we, as Americans, have more stuff than ever before. It was thought that perhaps we, in our minds, equate success with stuff and happiness with goods.

Good point, don't you think?

I think many people who lived during the Depression don't equate happiness with stuff, but survival with items. So many had so little and it is a fear they don't want to have again.

My parents would always say to me, "Don't get rid of that...what if we have another depression? You'd be happy to have it." It certainly taught me fear. Fear of being without.

I guess the key is to have a happy medium -- enough stuff to enjoy, but not too much.

I am working on decluttering at this house. We certainly have more things than we need. In fact, I'm kind of ashamed of all the stuff we have. I took some items to the auction last week. Not one item could I live without...raised $55.57 for my stove fund!

The article suggested as a decluttering idea was for every item you bring into your house, you get rid of two. I've heard the one for one equation...you buy something, you get rid of something. Maybe this twofer is a better idea.

As with all things...moderation!

I just read the article about advertising: http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2010/07/19/106329_becoming-ad-averse.html

I have to agree with Jennifer on many of the points. Advertising does bring up prices and make people think they need things they probably don’t really need.

I’d like to add to her story. I’ve been quite the skeptic for so long. My husband and I have “bets” (not with money) on how much the latest gadget will cost that is being offered by mail order…ever notice it always ends with a 9.95? Most are $19.95 and then there’s that “surprise” of “But wait…” OK, double the order … hmmm, wouldn’t that be a sign that the stuff is junk and if they can double it for the same price (plus extra shipping and handling) that is it a rip off?

My other thing is to look at the background of the ads for stuff. Most fast food/junk food stuff they are peddling is positioned in a high end gourmet kitchen. Granite countertops, high end appliances, everything is neat and tidy…and use that microwave to zap that convenience food! I realize that many gourmets probably do succumb to junk food once in awhile, but why would someone who has the wherewithal to have such a fancy kitchen zap fat and grease? No one has a typical middle class kitchen in these ads.

The car insurance commercial with the perky gal talking to two other insurance agents is interesting as well. Both of their suit coats, ties, and shirts are identical and bland. In other words, this insurance is more fun and exciting than theirs besides being cheaper.

Another insurance company features a stocky guy with a wonderful voice. Besides his reassurance of this company being one who cares, his demeanor and voice tell someone he’s a protector. Good choice of characters, wouldn’t you say?

One huge merchandiser has their ad campaign honed so well that at the end of it “Save money. Live better.” has been ingrained in everyone’s mind. I did a lesson on author’s purpose in the classroom last year and we talked about advertising as a persuasive piece. When I said the first phrase, “Save money.” The whole class in unison said the rest and added the name of the story. Cripes…what brainwashing! I’d say that company spent good money on that piece because everyone recognizes it.

Jennifer looked at ads a different way than I do. I enjoy picking them apart to see what kind of hidden message they are trying to tell us. Sometimes I even count how many are in between the program. I hate it when there is more advertising than program it seems. It’s become a game in our house to see what we can point out in the ad that is not being said, but implied.

And I’m going to save money because I’m not going to live better in that huge store!

I’m excited about trying a new bread recipe today. Besides the bread aspect, I like using my cast iron skillet.

Last week when we made a trip to the library, I checked out the book “Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies.” The author extols the wonder of cooking in cast iron and how many uses there are for the pots and pans. Although it isn’t my only source for pots and pans, I’ve had good luck using the ones I have.
There are some interesting recipes and one is for savory dill bread. I have it in a bowl rising as I type. Here’s the recipe:

Savory Dill Bread

¼ cup warm water
1 package yeast
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
1 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 unbeaten egg
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
¼ teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon instant oven
2 ¼ cups bread flour
Combine the yeast with ¼ cup of warm water in a bowl. Mix the cottage cheese, sugar, butter, salt, egg, dill weed, soda and instant onion into the yeast and water. Gradually add the flour, beating well after each addition. The dough will be a little sticky at this point, but it’s more manageable after the first rise. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Stir down dough. Turn the dough into a well-greased 3-inch deep cast iron skillet. Let rise until doubled in size again, about 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40-50 minutes. The finished loaf makes a hollow sound when you thump it. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Kosher salt if you wish. Makes one round, 10 inch loaf.

Get out your skillets!

There's something about the back to school sales that put me in the back to school frame of mind.

Fortunately I don't need to buy notebooks and pens and paper, but I need to gear up and think about what I'm going this year.

My job has changed and I'm delighted. I will be working with a lot of data. Hopefully my work with data and sharing it with staff will help them.

Sometimes we are data rich and although it sounds like a good thing, but if the data doesn't tell us anything, it's like eating too many candy bars. They were good at first, but boy, what a silly thing to do!

I am getting excited and thrilled as the school year approaches! It's like a New Year with all kinds of hopes and dreams!

We’ve been on a Hercule Poirot kick since last Sunday’s viewing of “Murder on the Orient Express.” We’ve been to the library and checked out DVD’s of past episodes and wait with anticipation to watch tonight’s offering, “Third Girl.”

After watching nearly 10 episodes, I asked my husband what kind of tea does Poirot drink? He said, “I think you need to go to your computer and find out.”
I did a search today and although there is not a definite answer, this site had the most interesting things to add about his drinks and food:

www.odzer.com/?p=1257

It’s funny to read about this picky little guy supposedly liked and how he thought Hastings ate stuff that wasn’t good for him.
I like the special cup or glass that Poirot uses too – it just seems to make drinking it even more of an experience. I can do a regular mug for coffee, but I really prefer a china cup and saucer when it comes to tea – I think it makes it more elegant. It probably doesn’t make it taste any different, but in my mind, I like it better.