Frugal Foodie

I think that chefs have a secret.

I’m not talking about a secret recipe or spice. I’m talking about the good feeling one gets chopping up vegetables.The best part is I'm not a chef, but I can enjoy this little endeavor.

I discovered this year when I would come home from work feeling frustrated or disheartened, if I would take out my big “chef’s” knife and start chopping away, I would feel better. Of course the delightful aroma of the vegetables probably didn’t hurt, either. Who needs to buy expensive aroma therapy when you can find it right at your counter top? I remember a spice company would have a radio commercial and the husband at the end would say, “Why does it smell like pot roast in here?” and you could tell that was a good thing.

I could sit and try to pinpoint what made me feel better, the movement of the knife, the larger vegetable being chopped, or even the smell as they roast or are sautéed. But, why take the magic out of it?

It’s hot out there!

One of the local car dealers usually runs a commercial where the kids are sitting around a pool and say, “It’s hot, Bob!” since the car dealer’s first name is Bob. So my husband jokingly will say, “It’s hot, Bob!” when things heat up. And it was pretty warm yesterday (90 degrees) and it is supposed to be even higher today with a heat index of a 100.

Last night for supper I tried to think of things that wouldn’t require an oven. I had leftover bread I had baked earlier in the week. I knew I was going to fix scallops. So, I scoured the fridge, garden, and pantry and came up with these items for supper: grits, grape tomatoes, Feta cheese, cucumber, Romaine cheese, green onions, bread, olive oil, mustard, Balsamic vinegar, and leftover zucchini patties.

Supper was decent: we had scallops, a tomato-cucumber salad, warmed up zucchini patties, and cheesy grits. I sautéed some of the green onions in olive oil and then added them to the grits while they were cooking. When the grits were about done, I added the Romaine cheese.

I made a dressing with the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard for the tomato-cucumber salad – and chopped some green onions into it and some basil. I sautéed some of the bread in olive oil and then drained it for homemade croutons. I added Feta cheese for a garnish.

It may have been hot outside, but at least my kitchen wasn’t over heated!

If you are old enough, you might remember Ellie Mae on the Beverly Hillbillies and all her critters. If it had fur or flew, she made a pet out of it.

We don’t have any pets, but it sure seems the critters are attracted to us. OK, maybe not us personally. I guess they like our home and yard.

My husband is currently battling a bunny in our yard. That rabbit has eaten on our green bean plants three times. We wound up having to buy poles and fencing to keep that one out. My spouse said he was ready to catch it and drop kick it over the house. Hubby talks a good show, but he’s very kind hearted. He just gets upset when something bothers his garden. Just when he thought he had that battle won, the rabbit has decided to attack his newly planted flowers. He isn’t eating them, but runs by them and breaks them off. Personally I think he’s angry over the rabbit proof fence.

My husband also seems to be communing with a robin. He says that robin lets him know when it’s thirsty so he waters a tree and it makes a small moat and the robin comes and drinks. He’s named the robin Robby.

We also have two mourning doves that hang around the front yard. He said they also like the moat. He hasn't named them yet.

Our back yard seems to be a playground for the squirrels. It’s cool and shady and we have a variety of trees. Sometimes they jump on the roof and run around. The sunroom has a tin roof so they sound like elephants stomping.

The other day we had a visit from a turtle. Now, we live in the Midwest. It’s pretty landlocked, so seeing a turtle is a bit unusual. We think he waddled over from the pond at the golf course by our house. Maybe he heard of my husband’s generosity with the garden hose. My husband was going to carry it back over to the pond, but a neighbor and her two boys beat him to it.

A friend of mine puts on her Facebook page how many garter snakes have gotten into her house. She hasn’t figured out where they are coming in. Personally, I think I’d move, but that’s just me. She just picks them up, puts them in a coffee can, and carries them outdoors. She says she puts them in the coffee can so they don’t squirm and she would accidently drop them and possibly hurt them. She has all sorts of pets from birds to dogs to mice, so she’s truly a modern Ellie Mae.

The other night as we pulled out of the driveway to head to church, a squirrel was sitting on top of the roof looking at us, Robby was sitting on the edge of the gutter, and the mourning doves were cooing their farewell. I kind of wondered if they were hoping to take over the house while we were gone!

Okay, it’s not really my garden. I’m the cheerleader; my husband does the gardening.

Years ago, during the depression and then during World War II, people planted gardens and called them Victory Gardens. The purpose was to grow their food and have victory over the fear of want. People are now calling them recession gardens. Whatever they are called, it’s sure nice to have one.

Gardens have often been thought of as old fashioned by many and I guess in some fancy subdivisions, rules regulate whether you can have a garden above and beyond a patio tomato pot. Fortunately we don’t live in one of those fancy subdivisions.

My husband has a green thumb, but for years he wouldn’t try growing vegetables because he claimed he couldn’t do it. Yet, three years ago I convinced him to plant some tomato plants. He was highly successful. Last year he planted tomatoes, green onions, herbs, and green beans and again, a success. He branched out a little bit this year and planted everything he did last year and then added some herbs and radishes. We’ve enjoyed the green onions and radishes and I continue to use herbs in my cooking. We look forward to the tomatoes and green beans. It’s nice to eat what is grown and we know where it came from.

The area he has is very small – it’s in the front yard and probably doesn’t do much for the curb appeal, but the backyard is very shady. He tried growing a tomato plant there once…the plant grew very tall, but no tomatoes! Fresh produce has such flavor and it’s handy…go out the front door and get some!

Now, if I could only convince him to plow up the front yard and really go at it!

Oven fried chicken is on the menu tonight. My husband really likes it.

When chicken breasts go on sale, I buy some and freeze them. The night before I wish to fix them, I soak them in milk with some Paprika and Turmeric. When it’s time to fix them, I dip them in egg and then bread crumbs and then bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees on a greased baking sheet. Part way through I turn them over. They are moist and delicious. Not to mention very easy to prepare.

I know there’s nothing like honest to goodness fried chicken, but this comes close.

Happy Eating!

One thing my husband likes about summer is I have more time to cook. And yesterday I baked a loaf of herb bread and he was a happy camper. My dear hubby has a green thumb and he graciously grows herbs for me to use.

It’s actually a recipe I use from the bread machine recipe booklet, but since the bread machine was put to rest, I just mix the ingredients in my mixer, let it rise, and then put in a loaf pan, let it rise and then bake it. The thing I like is the fact I can change it around depending on the herbs I want to use. I also changed the recipe because I don’t use sugar like it says, I use honey. Yesterday I used chopped garlic, oregano and some dill in the recipe. You can use whatever herbs you wish, but here’s the recipe:

Herb Bread
1 ½ cups water
4 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp dried herb (or 2 tsp fresh herb)
2 teaspoons of bread machine fast rising yeast

Mix together and let it rest and rise for about 2 hours (I cover with a towel) until it doubles in size. Take out of bowl and form into a loaf and put in greased bread pan and let it rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degree oven 30-40 minutes or until top is brown and if you thump the top, the bread sounds hollow.

I use more herbs than it suggests since I usually add 2 or 3, but I think you can decide what you want. I have also changed things up on the flour – sometimes I use ¼ cup of whole wheat flour or ¼ cup of oatmeal to give it a different flavor and texture.

I feel baking this bread saves money because we normally have a bread of some sort at supper and if you price a loaf like this it can cost anywhere from $3-5 around here. It certainly didn't cost that much to bake. Plus, I can put in it what we have on hand!

Happy Baking!

It was a horrendous weekend for some as tornadoes hit and destroyed property. Our sirens went off at 11 p.m. Saturday and we immediately turned on the news to see how close. Fortunately for us the tornado wasn’t near us, but northwest -- just a few miles away from us some folks lost homes and property. I see in Ohio – a couple states over, another tornado touched down and destroyed so much.

The weather report calls for lots of rain and storms tonight and tomorrow and a chance of hail. My husband is dreading the prospect of hail. We have 5 tomato plants, green beans, onions, radishes, green pepper plants, and herbs that are really taking off and we hope to enjoy the “fruits” of his labor, not to mention the many flowers he planted for curb appeal. He said hail will destroy it all. I’m sure hoping we don’t get it.

Sometimes when we think we have everything under control, the weather has to show us otherwise, doesn’t it?

Cheap. Fast. Good!

No, I’m not talking about my lifestyle for those of you who have your mind in the gutter. That is the title of a book I checked out of the library. It’s basically a cook book and it has some interesting recipes.

The author writes that making things at home can be cheap and fast if you plan a little in advance and I think the good is a given.

I’m always amazed at folks who eat out most nights. I’m not totally opposed to eating out, but I like think it is something to look forward to, not something you do because you “have to”. A friend of mine would go home and take a nap after work and then tell the spouse how tired they were and they could eat out cheaply. I imagine they did at the local fast food restaurant. I guess folks over 62 could eat off of the senior menu, but I keep thinking of the fact how limiting that has to be – fried red meat and fried potatoes…although yummy, it would get tiresome after awhile. Not to mention how bad it is for one's health.

Anyhow, this book gives 275 recipes and many shopping ideas on how to fix meals that are easy and quick and nutritious. It is a primer on basic cooking. For so many folks, I can see where that would be a good thing. Cooking isn’t a big thing with a lot of folks. One gal I know talks about what a great cook she is, but says she isn’t going to peel potatoes and will use instant. I guess it is a time saver, but maybe I’m a prude – I think instant potatoes do not have the same flavor. Besides, I like to think I’m getting a vegetable while eating my mashed or roasted potatoes.

I would recommend the book just for the ease of reading. The authors are Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross.

Having checked it out of the public library I would add “economical” to the title as well.

How many of us read instruction booklets? Willingly?

Yet, those of us who cook do…Recipes are the instructions on how to make most dishes.

I have far too many cookbooks – I don’t use half of any of the cookbooks I have. I like looking through them when I’m trying to think of a week’s menu.
I have a friend who says she “collects recipes.” I think she has hundreds of them. I’m not sure she uses many of them because from what she says, she fixes the same things over and over.

We went to the library this week and I checked out a few mysteries and two cookbooks. One was about Midwestern cooking – appropriate since I live in the Midwest, don’t ya think? It was interesting to read over the recipes. I was looking at the cover and it was illustrated and it was very pleasing to look at. I wonder if that is a regional thing – do we like to look at things that make us feel at home? If I lived on either coast would I be more comfortable looking at something else? OK, I digress.

I decided a couple of years ago I wanted to create my own working cookbook. So, if I try a recipe and I like it, I type it into a Word document and save it on a thumb drive. I print it out, three hole punch it, and put it in a notebook under the correct category. Bet that was a dead giveaway that I’m a teacher, wasn’t it? The notebook and the three hole punching especially.

It’s sort of like my own cookbook. I’m not writing the recipes, but it does keep a record of what recipes I have found successful. I guess if I were really high tech I would just keep the computer in the kitchen and print out what I needed, but I think that would be a waste…printing it out each time. Yeah, I'm frugal. Or cheap. You choose.

I’ve seen those television shows where the counter top is connected to the Internet and you can search for a recipe and it displays right on the countertop. I wonder if you can save your favorites like you can on the computer?

Whoever came up with the idea of writing down a recipe was brilliant. If one can read a recipe, he or she can then recreate the dish with the instructions.
So, I think I’ll continue reading these little instruction booklets. Who knows, I might get creative and make something that isn’t totally Midwestern and like it!

Talk about a nice surprise!

We went on a day trip yesterday to see the Blue Man Group in Chicago. We left very early and got home around 9. I was beat so I didn’t even fire up the computer. This morning when I opened my email, I received an email that was marked from a friend. Seems my friend sent me a gift certificate as a thank you. What a cool surprise!

At work I have created power points and my friend asked me to do one for her son and his fiancé’s rehearsal dinner. I did and she thanked me with a gift certificate. It was very thoughtful and totally unexpected.

I guess that’s how surprises work, eh?

Society has become rude.

There’s a phrase, “It’s just common courtesy,” no longer rings true. I won’t say everyone is discourteous, but it’s downright scary to see how many people only do things for themselves. My neighborhood is just a thumbnail sketch of this. Nothing earth shattering, but 20 years ago, a lot of this wouldn't have happened.

I live in a middle class neighborhood. Not a ritzy one and not a poor one. Just walking around, it doesn’t take long to see some rudeness manifest itself. Tuesday is garbage day, but because of the Memorial Day holiday, the garbage haulers are a day behind. That is understandable. But something that annoys me is how many people will pile their garbage on the sidewalk, instead of at the end of their driveway. For those of us who walk, we have to either walk in the street or walk in their grass to get around it. We have wide driveways, so it isn’t like they couldn’t put it to the side.

Speaking of sidewalks, it never ceases to amaze me how many people will park over the sidewalk. I’m not talking about guests; these are residents of the houses – we recognize the cars. There was one family who had one of those basketball hoops set up right on the sidewalk, instead of in the driveway. Another person has a camper and it juts out over the sidewalk. It makes walking on the sidewalk difficult.

While I’m on the topic of parking, another issue is the parking on the street. I know in big cities is it just a way of life, but we don’t live in a big city. And we’ve had some heated discussions on our own street when people park in front of the mailboxes and the mail delivery person can’t get to the mailbox and therefore will not deliver the mail. On our court we have 9 houses. Most days we have a minimum of 10 cars in the street. One family won’t park in the driveway. When the subdivision was built in the ‘70s, they didn’t plan for on street parking, so the street gets pretty narrow when there are cars on both sides. Why is this rude you ask? Because of this, the street cleaner has difficulty getting down, and in the winter the snow plow driver can’t clean our street. We don’t get first day service on the snow plowing anyway, and it would be nice to be able to have the court cleaned when it does come down.


Most of the folks around here who walk their dogs do clean up after them. But, there has to be a few…it’s bad enough they don’t, but when it is on the sidewalk, ick.

On one of the streets over, roofers replaced the roof. It was hot and humid yesterday and they looked tired while they were cleaning up. We noticed on our walk that something had blown out of their truck and lay in the street. No one stopped to move it or pick it up whether they were walking or driving. My husband and I checked it out -- it was a tarp that had probably blown out of their truck. He wrapped it around the sign post to get it out of the street and so it wouldn't blow and if the roofers came back, they would see it. I wonder how long it would have stayed there otherwise.

I don’t think most of these folks set out to be rude, but I think society has created this when we no longer consider the other guy. Courtesy just isn’t that common anymore. I think kindess is the exception instead of the norm.

We all say we want to do it. But how badly should be the question. How badly do we want to save money?

We have some friends who mew about not having a lot of money, but they continue to eat out. I don’t mean a couple of times a week. I mean at least once a day. Sometimes they eat out twice. Some of our friends brag about saving money by doing fast food…yet they then complain about the cholesterol medicine they have to purchase. Guess they don't see the correlation.

Every so often I get on a kick and try to figure out how much a meal costs us at home. For example, last night we grilled out steaks, had loaded potatoes, fresh green beans, grilled tomatoes, herb biscuits, cottage cheese, deviled eggs, and fresh fruit salad. The steaks cost us about $8. I imagine with the rest of the ingredients, we spent less than $16 total. These were decent steaks too, not shoe leather variety. Then I think back a few months ago when we went out with some friends who had to go to a steak house and I bet we spent way over $50 for a meal. Plus, our driving to that place which wasn’t in our town so that was an added expense. What a big difference in the cost of the meals!

We don’t eat steaks very often so when we do, it’s usually for an occasion. Normally we eat lots of chicken. I cook at home quite a bit because it saves us money as well as I control what we eat. We do go out and I feel we can afford to because of the other ways I save money. But, we just don't go out to go out. It's something we savor and enjoy.

Eating a healthy diet saves money as well – I took two sick days this past year. One I was sick and the other was because I had to – they were removing the braces off my teeth and you go in the morning and then back in the afternoon. I have a lot of health issues so for me to only use two sick days is nothing short of remarkable. I do think eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, little red meat, and hardly any fried food made a difference. Dear husband walks 5 days a week and since the weather has gotten better, I’ve been walking too.

During the school year I plan our menus ahead and make lots of casseroles or use the Crockpot. Yes, I’m sure I could be doing lots of fun things over the weekend besides that, but I feel committed to making meals ahead. And to be honest, I don't mind. It's kind of a challenge to figure out what I can fix without doing the same thing over and over again. For about an hour or two, I can make 3-4 meals ahead so when I get home, can pop something in the oven and we can have supper at a decent hour.

I have tried to convince some of our friends we should take turns hosting each other for meals to save money. Or we could have a potluck. We have some friends who do that with their Bible study group and besides the good company, they all save money and get to try new things. Unfortunately our other friends don’t want to do cook at home – they would rather go out and then complain about lack of funds in their daily life.

I claim to be frugal and I am to a point. I guess the definition depends on how you look at it. I will not sacrifice good nutrition for the sake of saving money. We buy lots of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes we buy fruits out of season because we need the nutrients. I figure I save money by cooking at home to more than make up for the cost. Our suppers aren’t soup and a sandwich – my husband is old school and he wants a regular sit down dinner so we have it – a meat, a starch, a vegetable or two and some fruit and of course some bread. My herb rolls are a steal and easy to make – 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder,(or 1 cup of self rising flour if you have it), 2/3 cup milk, a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and then whatever herbs you have on hand. I change out the recipe depending on what I have. Last night’s was dill, garlic, and oregano. I’ve also put shredded cheese and garlic together and they are very similar to the ones you can get at a popular fish restaurant. Grease a muffin tin, bake at 400 until they start to brown, and you’ve got cheap, easy rolls.

So how badly do I want to save money – in the long run I do save money by cooking at home and feeling healthier. So, I guess I’ve answered my own question. How about you?

Ah, it’s Memorial Day - the unofficial kickoff to summer. People hope to fire up their grills and cook out and eat those foods they associate with summer.

If you have been watching the television ads, many show a staple of cook outs and that is baked beans. I know the grocery store ads had a well known brand on sale. And one brand even has a special grilling brand of them.

A few years ago I ran across a recipe for wonderful baked beans. It really isn’t that much cheaper to make them if you get the others on sale, but they have a better flavor and are worth the trouble. However, if the items in this list are already in your pantry, it might be more economical. I let mine bake uncovered until the sides start to caramelize and boy, are they delicious! They really aren’t a lot of work, just take a little planning, and you have homemade baked beans.

Baked Beans

½ lb of dried navy beans – picked over and soaked overnight in water to cover and then drained
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 slice of bacon, chopped
1 cup of ketchup
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large stalk of celery, chopped
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup of yellow mustard
1 teaspoon of black pepper

Drain the beans and then put in a pan with plenty of water and cook until beans are tender, for about an hour. Drain the beans, but reserve the cooking liquid.

Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat the olive oil in a pan or large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven. When oil is hot, add the bacon, onions, and celery and pepper. When onions and celery are translucent, add the ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar and stir together. Turn off heat and add beans, stirring carefully. Add the cooking liquid until the mixture is a little bit soupy – otherwise it will dry out when you bake it. You will have to basically eye ball how much liquid you will need.

Bake in the oven proof pot or Dutch oven uncovered for almost two hours or until it starts to caramelize at the sides. If it has dried out during the baking, stir in more cooking liquid to keep it moist.

If you haven’t made your own before you might think this is hard, but other than the initial chopping and cooking the onion and celery and keeping an eye on it when it is baking, it really isn’t difficult and it is flavorful. I’m sure you could experiment with different types of mustards or even onions and if you like some heat, could add cayenne pepper instead of black pepper. Anyway you try it, you can make it your own.

Besides, wouldn't it be nice to impress your friends and family and say you made it yourself?

I certainly have more than I use. Do you? What, you query? I’m talking salt and pepper shakers.

This came to mind as I filled up the old clear glass ones that look like tall, but small mugs. They are probably a collectible. I like them because they are easy to handle, easy to fill, and easy to keep clean. I have about 4 other sets and I don’t use them. One set is really old and matches my Blue Willow dishes. I don’t like the way the salt or pepper comes out. So, they sit in the hutch. I have another set that look like little Blue Willow coffee pots. I don’t use them because they are a pain to refill and they don’t hold very much. I have yet another set I bought my mom years ago at Carson Pirie Scott that looks like crystal. I thought they were the prettiest things I had ever seen. I was too young to realize they aren’t the kind of things you set out when you are using plastic plates and plastic placemats and paper cups. Dumb me! We weren't fancy and these puppies are!

My mom and dad used to have a furniture store and then an antique shop and they bought and sold a bunch of things through the years. One of the things that was incredibly popular were salt and pepper collections. I remember ladies who had hundreds of them holed up in a China cabinet. The bobbers were kind of cool – they set in a base and you could take your finger and touch it, and they would bob up and down. I remember a lot of birds as bobbers. There were all sorts of things as salt and peppers, as they would call them. I’ve seen one that has the outline of Illinois for one and Lincoln as the other. I’m sure all states had something like that. I’ve seen plastic shakers, glass, China, metal, even cast iron shakers. I used to have one that was a Cherished teddie riding a polar bear. I used it until it was so chipped, I was ashamed to put it out. It was cute, but not really functional. Maybe collections are like that.

As much as I like to collect things, having a salt and pepper collection wasn’t anything I was really coveting. But like most collections, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Now days, I just want to add a little pepper to my eggs and I’m happy with a clear glass pepper shaker. Guess I’m not into the spice of life!

Decoration Day? My mom said Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day because it was expected that one would go to the cemeteries and place flowers for loved ones. Most of the time veterans would also have flags at their gravestones as well. Yesterday we put flowers on graves. One cemetery had many flowers on other graves, while the other cemetery had a few. I have a couple of theories on that…one is that many of the people who are buried in the second one may not have any living relatives left or they don’t live in town. Plus, around here, I think very few people under the age of 50 actually decorate the graves. I was discussing it with my husband and some friends and we think that our generation of baby boomers may be the last generation to take flowers on Memorial Day. I hope we are wrong. I know the deceased aren’t waiting on us, but I think it’s a good way to remember our loved ones and our soldiers and stop and take a breath in our lives of always being so busy.

We went to the grocery store today and two veterans were selling poppies. I remember seeing a lot more of this going on in the past. Again, I wonder if the greatest generation’s demise is causing this loss.

As you celebrate this weekend which has become commercial as any other holiday – the ads are proclaiming Memorial Day sales, please take a moment to remember the soldiers who gave their time and their lives and the family and friends who went before you. That is better than any sale or any ad.

Men have their gadgets. I’ll grant you, that’s a generalization, but many men really like gadgets. Well, I think women do too, but we call them different things and often rationalize our desire to own and collect them. I guess we feel we have to.

I am happiest if we are out and about, looking at kitchen stuff. This week we perused Kohl’s on Wednesday because my husband could have gotten the senior’s discount. So, I happily made my way to house wares to fiddle with the pots, pans, appliances and gasp…gadgets! Just for the record, we didn’t buy a thing. But, I had a frenzy of looking and comparing!

My own kitchen probably has too many gadgets. I have 4 Crockpots®. Yes, they are Rival so they are truly Crockpots®.. And they are all different sizes. I use them for different things. My largest is usually used for a pot roast with lots of vegetables and potatoes so I can make 2-3 meals. My next largest holds a whole chicken with a few vegetables, again enough for a couple of meals. The second to the smallest is great for beef stew, chicken broth, or ribs. The smallest is fabulous for meatloaf, small pieces of chicken, or vegetable broth when I have a few vegetables on hand and can’t use them for anything else. I don’t use one of the tiny ones for dips – I guess if I entertained a lot it would come in handy, but at this point, I don’t need it. Up until yesterday, I had 5 Crockpots®.. I took one away – it was a weird story, but I bought one at a garage sale and wound up being gifted with another one. I used to have one at school so my total did ring up to six at one time. I gave that one away. I figured, why not share the joy!

Up until a few months ago I owned a bread machine until it wore out. I have a coffee maker, a microwave, a tabletop grill, a food processor, a mixer, and a countertop oven. I also have a blender and bright shiny toaster. My husband gave me that toaster for Christmas a few years ago because he watched me covet it at the store. Some women like shiny jewels; I like shiny gadgets.

Now comes the rationalization…I feel I use most of these items frequently. The blender is probably the least used. The coffee maker is definitely employed the most. The counter top oven is large enough for a casserole dish so I utilize it when the days are hot and steamy so I don’t heat up the house. I operate my mixer for my bread making as well as cakes and other things that need to be mixed or kneaded. The food processor handles lots of shredding and chopping that makes my life a little easier. Why buy frozen hash browns when I can use the fresh potatoes that are in my pantry? I can then chop some onions and put them in the hash browns…yum! Plus, I like zucchini cakes…run a zucchini or two in the food processor, mix with egg and bread crumbs and sauté … well, you get the picture.

As for my herd of Crockpots®. …well, I use them. A lot. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but I think a slow cooker is mine. Last night I made chicken broth. Quite a bit of it, in fact, so that I could cook some fresh green beans in it for supper tonight. The extra I will freeze for use down the line whether to use for soups, more green beans, and casseroles…the list goes on. I try to watch how much salt we use and my broth does not have added salt or preservatives. I put ribs in my slow cooker for tonight. It’s nice to use when the temps are hot so it doesn’t heat up the kitchen.

So, I have gadgets galore. Hopefully I won’t have to attend a meeting for my gadget addiction. If I do, maybe I’ll whip up some snacks beforehand!

I’ve been reading many blogs on this site and so many talk about groceries and personal items they get for free or next to nothing. And then there’s that delightful sentence that says that they will be donating extra to their local food pantry. I’m going to state right now that I think it is wonderful. Although this site is about saving money, there is the element of “I’m going to share my bounty.”

We have 3 full time food pantries in my city and I believe they are all busy on any given day. We have some churches that also give out food over and above this. One church, each Monday, gives a box of food that usually contains some meat of some sort whether it is a whole chicken or a couple of cans of tuna, some vegetables, and whatever else they have on hand.

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I do have a slight hoarding problem. I tend to overstock my pantry. I believe it comes from growing up with parents who grew up in the Depression and talked about not having enough to eat so they overstocked their pantry. I grew up with that fear ingrained into me.

Normally we donate money to our favorite food pantry because they can buy food for so much a pound. I’m not telling you that to brag. I feel that we have been very blessed and we should share what we can.

However, that being said, I wanted to go a step further, especially after reading the newsletter we received from the above mentioned pantry. It said they are giving out at least 100 food boxes a day. Our community probably has around 75,000 to 80,000 people if you include the small towns around and 100 people need food a day. I don’t think the pantry is giving to the same 100 people – I think they have stipulations of how many times you can get food in a given month because of the need. Imagine, 100 boxes are given at this one pantry. The need is so great.

I work in a high poverty school which is very close to this food pantry. I have seen the faces of the hungry children who often depend on the free breakfast and lunch that the school provides. I would think that some of these families are getting these food boxes. At least if they need them, I hope they are doing so.

In America we should not have so many people in need. I know the economy has really hit so many hard. Here in my city, we usually have a higher unemployment rate because we went from having some major factories that were good paying jobs to just a couple. These were jobs that had decent salaries and decent benefits. We have plenty of fast food restaurants and two Wal-Marts – granted they give employment, but not big wages and benefits.

Anyway, I’ve decided to glean from my overstocked pantry some items to drop off today at the food pantry. I’m sure someone can use the soups and pasta and crackers. And I will rejoice that I have indeed been over blessed with my bounty.

Years back, the Byrds had a popular song called, “Turn, turn, turn.” It talked about having a season for everything:
The chorus:
“To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven.”

For those of you familiar with the Old Testament of the Bible, the lyrics come from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes. Now, I’m not going to be doing a sermon here.

However, I am going to say the song should have had a line about a time to rest and a time to go. I can write this because I did get some rest…I slept over 8 hours last night. It was rest I truly needed. And I’m not apologizing for it!

Why is it society has made resting something for which we are ashamed? I believe in working hard. The Protestant work ethic was drilled into me at a young age by my father. He grew up in the depression and he always worried about losing his job as an adult. He said you should go to work earlier than they expect you to and do more than what they asked.

But when did we get so confused about resting? Or sleeping for that matter? I hear people bragging how they were up very late and got up very early like it was a medal of honor. With some of the folks I know they think it is ridiculous to get 8 hours of sleep…they have too much other stuff to do or so they say. If anyone talks about going to bed early they get a look like “Gosh, you are a lazy bum.”

I know others who think they have to work 12 hour days. Not because they work for a company that requires it, but because they like talking about it. They complain nonstop about doing it, yet they do it again and again. They don’t have a time clock to punch, but I truly think they get some pleasure out of “complaining” about working so many hours. Are they truly getting that much more done? I read an article last week that said folks who work 12 hour days consistently aren’t as alert and are harming their health by not getting enough rest.

I know if I don’t get enough sleep, I’m not at my peak. My body tells me by not being alert and then as the day goes on, my joints ache. I see some of my on the go friends constantly struggling with colds or other illnesses because they aren’t taking care of themselves. A good sleep heals the body and mind.

I know there are folks who don’t need 8 hours of sleep. But for those of us who do, we need for society to quit brow beating us about this and making us think we are lazy. We aren’t. We are doing what our bodies need. We need to quit feeling ashamed of it.

So, I’m adding to the song:

A time to rest and a time to go
A time to play and a time to sleep
A time to work and a time to think
A time to be and a time just for me.

That said, I think maybe it’s time for a nap!

This may be a girl thing. But then again, maybe not. I imagine some men are the same way.

What am I talking about? I’m writing about the concept of “Food is Love.” I really enjoy treating my husband to a meal I know he will like. I get the same pleasure of doing the same for my friends. My baking banana bread is also to give away. I like doing it because people seem to like getting it. When I baked bread with some students at my school, they loved the experience and really loved eating the bread. It was a nice time all around.

A lot of the time when I would bake bread at school in bread machines, people would stop by my room just for a sniff. With that whiff came a recollection of someone baking in their lives and they shared it. And it was a good memory that brought some joy to their faces. Again, “food is love” rang true.

So, maybe it’s the maternal part of me that loves to cook and share, or maybe it’s just a vital part that likes to love on someone with some edibles. I think men may have the same feeling so I don’t want to say it’s only a girl thing.

But it is, wouldn’t you agree, a good thing?

Today was the second last day of school. I took some of the banana bread I baked and gave out to the principal and secretary and couple of others. It's one thing that most folks seem to appreciate.

I'm a little down because I received some news that although not unexpected, still wasn't what I wanted to hear. It's funny how we always want our way, isn't it? I'm sure it will work out OK, but I guess our selfish selves like having it our way. I won't be throwing a tantrum -- it's way too hot -- 91 today with lots of humidity. But, I think I can have a bit of a pity party.

I fixed pork chops, mashed potatoes, sauteed okra, sliced tomatoes, and fruit and sliced the Irish soda bread for supper tonight. It wasn't a bad meal.

My husband went with me to pack up a lot of my stuff tonight since I have to move. It's amazing what you accrue with a short time.

Hopefully I'll be in a better mood tomorrow.

Bread seems to be a big deal at my house. More so than cake or cookies anyway, although they aren’t total strangers.

And, I’m always on the lookout for new bread recipes. I think I found a good one. I baked it last night and after it cooled a bit; our dessert was a slice of warm bread with some butter. It was delicious. My eyes lit up when I thought about how I can possibly change the recipe to make it a little differently with herbs and spices. Although I have no problem baking with yeast, sometimes it’s nice not to have to wait for the rising, and this bread uses baking powder and baking soda. It has a different texture and flavor of regular white bread, and it is rich with the butter. I imagine the cold butter put in the dough makes it pop in the oven when baking. Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Combine eggs, butter and buttermilk, stir into flour mixture until moistened.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; gently knead 5-6 times.
Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a round loaf. Place 6 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Yield: 2 loaves

Some say it’s the perfect fruit. It comes ready to eat, has its own carrying “case”, contains potassium, is naturally sweet, and is easy eat because you just peel. It is, of course, a banana!

For years I tried to get my husband to eat bananas. I like them, and they are easy to pack in lunches. They were my fruit of choice when I had braces because they were soft and unlike apples, I didn’t have to cut them up – I was told not to bite into an apple with braces. Husband refused telling me he didn’t like them.

So, being the sneaky wife that I am, I started cutting them up into the fruit salad I would make. Then, one day, I ran out. He asked me, “Where’s my nany?”

Besides winning him over in the fruit salad, he had been reading of the health benefits of bananas. And he decided he liked them. Hmmm. So much so that he keeps watch over the fruit bowl on the counter and if we get low, he’ll volunteer to get some bananas.

Bananas don’t go to waste in this house either. Some ripen more quickly than others, or so it seems, so every so often we have overripe bananas. The perfect solution in my book is to make banana bread. And apparently many agree because people never turn down a loaf of banana bread. One friend of mine always tells me she likes it because she has a “carb deficiency” that the banana bread seems to fill. One gal I work with said I should open up a shop and sell banana bread. Somehow I don’t think I’m going to give up my day job to bake banana bread, but I do appreciate the compliments.

Here’s the recipe I use for banana bread:

Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 F

3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
¾ cup chopped walnut pieces (optional)

Lightly grease 6x9 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil or butter

Peel the bananas, place in a small mixing bowl…mash

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and sour cream and whisk until smooth

Add the cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, mashed bananas, and walnuts to the egg mixture and whisk to combine

Add the flour and stir until just combined – don’t over mix.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake until golden brown and it has risen…about an hour and 10 minutes.

It was very tempting tonight. So very tempting. After a tiring day, dear husband suggested we go out and eat because I have been tired and stressed.

I’m proud of myself. I held out and said we should eat what we already have. Earlier this week I had fixed a turkey breast in the Crockpot and we still had some turkey left. So, I broke the turkey off into pieces, and sautéed some green onions and garlic, and mixed with a little barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey, and Dijon mustard. I don't know if the turkey was really a Tom, but I'm calling it "Sloppy Toms". We had leftover green beans so I heated them up and baked some potatoes. I served all this with sliced tomatoes, homegrown radishes, and fruit salad I had made earlier this week. I figure I saved us some serious money by not going out and eating what we had.

Plus, I had some control over what we ate. The buns were whole wheat. We had lots of fruits and vegetables and turkey. So, with hindsight I’m glad I didn’t succumb to temptation. But I bet some local restaurants aren’t sharing the same feeling!

Something’s brewing at my house. What you query? It’s tea!

A couple of nights ago we met some friends for dinner and their daughter-in-law works for a major department store as a buyer. Part of the perks of her job is she gets samples. And some of these samples were tea bags. How fortunate for me because she sends these wonderful teas for me to enjoy. I appreciate the generosity and thoughtfulness of this gal and her in-laws for making her aware of my tea habit.

I will admit I do drink coffee, so I’m just not a tea lover. But I like both iced and hot tea. And I truly enjoy brewing a nice cup of tea and enjoying it -- it's relaxing and in my twisted mind, makes me feel sophisticated. I'm probably not, but we all have an imagination.

According to some of the reports I’ve read and heard, tea is especially good for you. So, besides the wonderful aroma and flavor, there’s the health benefit. How many foods or drinks can claim that?
It’s a damp, dreary night here in Central Illinois and I have the hot pot ready. I’m getting ready to brew a cup of tea. I wish you could join me!

Last Monday my husband cornered me with the newspaper in hand and asked me if I was guilty. Guilty? Me?

Well, it seems there was a letter in the Dear Abby column and he thought maybe I wrote it. Seems the person who wrote it told Ms. Abby that they had some friends over for dinner a few times and this couple has not reciprocated. What really frosted the writer was this couple will often brag about the other folks they have invited over and all the different things they served and how much fun it was. And the write explained how hurtful it was to them who have not been invited.

I am innocent. I didn’t write the letter. But I could have. We know a couple just like that. We’ve had them as guests 4-5 times. Yet no dinner invite or meal out or whatever. But this gal brags nonstop about the meals she fixes when she invites these other people over. And it hurts. My husband says we must be pond scum.

Ms. Abby suggested they no longer remain friends with this couple. Sound great in print, doesn’t it? But, friends are still to be cherished even if they aren’t always kind. So, we’ll remain friends with them. We just won’t invite them over again.

And that, my friends is my story and I’m sticking to it!

There’s little fowl about turkey. At least in my book. We had turkey for supper tonight. I had put it in the Crockpot with some rosemary, a green onion, some spices, and water. It cooked all day on low and was sufficiently yummy! I took it out 45 minutes before I wanted to serve it, let it rest for about 20, sliced it, and then put it back in the broth in the Crockpot until I needed to plate it up. My husband and our dinner guest really ate it up. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that line!

We had mashed potatoes made with a little cream cheese and milk, fresh green beans I had snapped and cooked over the weekend, along with some radishes from the garden. Our dinner guest brought a yummy strawberry pie he had purchased. It was delicious, but we decided there’s an art to getting a slice of pie out without it falling apart. It tasted scrumptious even in pieces.

It was a pleasant evening…no harm or no fowl!

It seems that so many celebrations center around food…birthday cakes…retirement dinners, graduation parties…the list is endless. Some folks give exquisite dinner parties with the fashionable settings and even more fashionable food. I’m not doing that – most of my stuff is pretty down home basic, but I feel anyone who comes to my home for a meal is fed, just not in a fancy way.

We met some friends to celebrate her birthday tonight. We had a decent meal at a local restaurant. It wasn’t really the food we went for, but the company and the observation of another year passing. It was a good time and a nice way to catch up on our lives.

Tomorrow night we invited a friend to sup with us. He’s the perfect guest – he compliments anything we serve, offers to bring something, and always makes the effort to try things. He is a witty conversationalist and we look forward to having him. He doesn’t mind the house isn’t totally picked up and tidy – he’s just happy to be invited and is good company.

Fortunately not all friendship depends on food, but it sure is a nice benefit, isn’t it?

Ah, the scent of grilling meat! We’ve been walking in the evenings and the delicious aroma of meat roasting has wafted through the air and although we had just finished supper, our mouths would start to water. We kept saying we needed to get out the charcoal and do our own, but after I get home from work, it is a challenge to get the charcoal ready and the meat cooking and supper ready and still get to bed at a reasonable time. So, we would walk and covet.

But not tonight! It’s Sunday and we were home so although it was threatening to rain, I fired up the grill. I sliced Vidalia onions to cook on the grill as well as the Angus hamburgers. I even “grilled” the buns. We had roasted potatoes with rosemary, green pepper, and Vidalia onion (I fixed that in the oven, my grill isn’t very big), sliced some tomatoes, and picked some radishes. What a delightful dinner! We took our after dinner walk and didn't haven't to covet someone else's grilling.

Maybe it was someone else’s turn to have their mouth water!

My husband is an addict. It’s often not pretty and the ramifications are serious.

Dear husband went to the doctor for his physical. The whole ball of wax. Including blood tests and the “glove.” I’m sure all men are cringing at the last part. Believe me, woman have their own trials. Anyway, I digress.

A few years ago when hubby went, his sugar was high and his cholesterol was really too high. The doctor gave him a glucose test and fortunately he wasn’t diabetic. You see my husband has an addiction and it’s a bad one. It’s ice cream. Creamy, smooth, sweet ice cream that melts on your tongue and slides down your throat making your tummy happy. And serving suggestions on sizes mean nothing to him. He usually uses a big soup bowl and piles it up and sits there enjoying himself. And, did I mention he’s thin? Besides the fact it isn’t fair he can be an eating machine and not gain weight, he thought he was safe from cholesterol and such. Well, that year he wasn’t.
As with all things, ice cream has to be eaten in moderation. So, we’ve looked for alternatives that he can enjoy in place of two gallons of the creamy goodness. Plus, he continues to walk five days a week. He always walked when he was working during his lunch time. Now that he’s retired he can walk longer and he averages around 5 miles a day. And, our dinners have been filled with lots of fruit and vegetables. I haven’t truly achieved the Mediterranean diet which is considered to be very healthy, but we are getting close. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating foods like fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, high-fiber grains and breads, and olive oils. Meat, cheese, and sweets are very limited. These recommended foods are rich with monounsaturated fats, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Although the price of fruits and vegetables are more expensive than many of the cheaper filler foods, I feel we are saving money by not having to spend money on medicines and more health care. Apparently the doctor’s tests agree – his cholesterol was 167 and his good cholesterol was at a good number as was his bad cholesterol. And his sugar was in the normal range. So, I feel our eating well has paid off.
As for his addiction, although it’s not illegal or immoral, he has used moderation as a guide. And I’m proud of him!

I’m always interested in saving a little moolah here and there and assume if you are at this site, you are as well.

I get ready to start my grocery list for next week and my menu for the meals. We have 7 more school days which means I still need to plan a few more casseroles. I am, however, looking forward to making some other items since I will have time to cook things that are not casseroles. Don’t get me wrong, I like casseroles, but sometimes it’s nice to have other things.

My husband has been quite a gardener when it comes to vegetables. He always has had a green thumb, but claimed he couldn’t grow vegetables. But, three years ago he tried tomatoes and was a success. Last year it was green onions, tomatoes, a few green beans, and herbs. This year he branched out to radishes and green peppers and a few more herbs. Many of these are in pots. The rest are in a very small space in our front yard because our backyard is way too shady. We laugh about the convenience of going to the front yard and pulling a few onions and radishes and getting some herbs to cook with. I guess people are growing their own food to save money. That is part of it with us – fresh vegetables and herbs are expensive. But there’s nothing like the taste of something homegrown. He’s all excited because his green beans are popping up. He has even resorted to talking to his tomato plants. I’m not real sure if they are listening because I think he’s sort of threatening them. But, if they produce like their “forefathers” did last year, we’ll be happy campers with a healthy diet. Not to mention saving some money!