Been awhile since I've posted...work has kept me busy and I've been cooking a lot of stuff on weekends so it is prepared for week night dinners.

A couple we know eat out at least once a day. They are always on the look out for coupons and use them. It's interesting because they are eating things even they say are unhealthy because they feel they are saving money.

I know we spend quite a bit on groceries for just the two of us. But, we buy a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and I figure in the long run, I'm probably saving money by not having as many health issues.

The other night I was so tired my husband felt sorry for me and said let's just go out. I am irrational at this point due to exhaustion, but I said "No!" He looked at me and I said I had stuff in the fridge and it wouldn't take any longer to fix it than it would to get in the car, drive somewhere, place an order, wait for it, and then have it placed in front of us. So, we stayed home and I cooked.

I really should keep track of how much we save because it might make feel better on those nights when I'm so tired. I know some of the blogsters are doing challenges where they don't eat out for so many days.

Other than saving money, I also think we eat healthier at home as well as use fewer resources such as gas to drive there. But, on the other hand, by not buying things are we hurting the economy.

So, which is best...eating in or eating out?

A few blogs ago I discussed using what I had in the fridge to clean it out and not waste food. I had some great suggests from Bonanza Buffet to CORN (Clean out refrigerator night)...all were very creative.

Well, it's that time again. I have leftover turkey and a little broth. I have some cottage cheese and a little fruit salad and a banana and a pear. I have some frozen vegetables I put in a container awhile ago. And some odds and ends of cheeses and some eggs. I think I'm going to make a turkey casserole of sorts with the turkey, broth, cheeses, vegetables and eggs. I think I'll add the pear and almost overripe banana to the fruit salad. And make biscuits with the cheese and some herbs from dh's garden.

I will say that turkey breast was quite a buy. We had it for supper Monday night, had it for lunches twice this week, and now supper tonight.

I made meatloaf Tuesday night and we had the leftovers for sandwiches one day this week and there was still a little bit leftover so I made homemade nachos...I had tortillas and I baked them with salt and olive oil after cutting them up. I sprinkled the leftover meatloaf crumbled and put some cheese on them and nuked them. Not a bad try for homemade and leftover stuff.

It's kind of challenging to come up with meals with what is left over and I have to admit, they are never the same! Plus, I like the idea I'm saving money by not going out nor throwing out stuff.

Everytime I watch Barefoot Contessa I drool.

I am not drooling over the food, although my dh always comments how she invites all her friends over, but never has once invited us.

I am not drooling over her kitchen...I don't have room for a professional range and I certainly don't need a range and a cook top together.

I am not drooling over all her gadgets...I'm running out of room for the stuff I already have.

Which brings me to the reason I drool...her walk in pantry. I'd love a large pantry where I could store food stuffs in an organized manner and have dishes sitting in convenient spots. I'm short, and believe me, getting things from the top shelf of the cabinets can be dangerous!

When we first married and bought our first house, the kitchen was very small. Not tiny, but small. I asked the previous owner where she kept her canned goods and she said in the garage. We bought a cheap kitchen cabinet to put in the kitchen and that's where I kept canned goods. There were some cabinets and since I didn't have a lot of dishes or pots and pans, it was adequate.

Eight years later we bought a different house. The kitchen was larger and it has a pantry. Not a walk-in, but a real pantry. And with all truths, you grow into the space you have. And goodness, my kitchen stuff has grown.

Yesterday I organized the pantry. I could probably do this 4 times a year. I straightened it up and am happy to report that I didn't throw much away. I did put items in different things, but I'm happy to report I'm getting better at keeping on top of expiration dates.

I had organized the area of my spices earlier this week. I did throw out a few things because they were old. I am frustrated with the spice companies, though. So many of them sell larger bottles of things that I don't use that much of and I think it is wasteful. One of the stores I frequent is handling an off brand and the bottles are about 1/4 the size or regular spice bottles. I feel better about buying this instead of wasting so much. There are certain spices I use a lot of, but others...

I figure organizing my pantry and spices saves me money because I'm not buying things I already have, and hopefully not wasting what I do have. I need to be satisfied with what I have which is a serviceable pantry...far better than what I had at the other house. And, although a walk-in pantry is want, it isn't a need. So, we aren't spending the money.

DH says I'm not getting a walk-in pantry...We aren't building on the house and I can't see taking a bathroom or closet to get it. So, I guess I'll just have to drool over Ina's. At least it means that is one less "room" I have to clean!

A week or so ago I posted about certain grocery prices on the rise and many responded you are seeing the same thing.

Last night as we watched Suze Orman, she predicted in 2012 that things might get worse. She said if gas prices continue to rise, groceries will as well, as much as 14-40%! She said that not only does the transporting of food go up, but petroleum products are used for make plastic containers for things that we buy. I never thought of that, but she is right.

As I'm fixing stuff, I'm thinking, am I going to be doing this because I want to save money or because I have to save money?

Suze Orman suggested that people stay conservative for 2012 because she thinks things could get tight. I read in the paper yesterday that the experts are now saying the recession was far worse than they originally thought. No kidding. One of our local food pantries is giving out 100-120 boxes of food each day.

So, do you think Suze is right on grocery prices going up as much as 40%? If she is, it is going to hurt the economy even more because housing and food are necessary items and people will be using their money to buy the necessities.

We just finished eating a bit of ago and cleaned up. I was trying to tally the cost of the meal. I have always kind of played at doing this, to see if it was an expensive one or a reasonable one, but ever since the restaurant owner claimed no one could eat at home for less than $10 each, I do it more frequently.

Our supper was pork chops, noodles, bread, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, cottage cheese, and saute'd mushrooms. The meat, of course, was the most expensive item, but I believe when I bought it, they were having a sale -- I had taken it out of the freezer.

The noodles were homemade -- I made them with basil. I told my husband that it is unbelieveable how much noodles cost that are considered homemade and I made a big batch for less than a $1. The basil was from our garden. The bread was homemade -- it was less than a $1 for the loaf and we didn't eat a lot of it. The tomatoes are from my husband's garden and the corn was a gift from a friend we had over for supper last week. He brought a dozen ears and we didn't use them all. The mushrooms were leftover from something I had bought it for so I just went ahead and used them. I think I spent about $4.00 each for a very hearty meal.

A decent meal and cost effective as well...can't beat that!

Last week CNBC had a program on grocery stores and/or supermarkets. Interviewed were CEO's of large ones such as Whole Foods and also a gal who owned a little mom and pop. It was interesting to hear what each thought of their business.

They talked about research done for the big chains. It said that stores that provide extras seem to bring in people for those things -- recipes, samples, even entertainment. What they also said was the average person shops 3-4 times a week and overspends because they buy things they didn't originally plan to buy.

Well, we all know if one buys unplanned for things, it can blow the budget, but I'm curious, how many times do you shop? I try to do it once a week and usually be the end of the week, my fridge looks what I term "lonely" because it is getting empty. I just hate it if I have to stop and get something I forgot.

I've admitted I'm anal. I guess it gets pointed out to me on various occasions, but I am a planner. I like things to work out. Perhaps I'm a control freak, but I just know I like to have a plan.

This has come home to me a few times this summer. We do weekly grocery shopping -- usually a couple of stores. I figure out what's on sale, what I have on hand, and then try to work out a menu for the week's meals. We do eat out, probably more than we should, but I like to have that planned because I want it to be an "social experience" instead of just eating out and not cooking. I also try to eat things that are nutritous...not a lot of fried or junk foods and watch my salt intake.

Well, I think it is causing some problems. We have a couple we go out with every so often. She rarely cooks and they eat out. A lot. A lot of junk food. However, as to planning, they are pretty spontaneous. For example, they contacted us early afternoon and wanted us to go out to eat with them that evening. We already had meat thawing for supper. I guess that makes me an old stick in the mud. I have explained that I usually plan the week's menus by Thursday or Friday night the previous week so I know for what I will purchase.

We ate out last night with a friend. It had been planned last week. We all looked forward to it and it was a lot of fun visiting as well as enjoying the meal. I like to think it was an event.

I think purposeful planning saves us money by shopping for those things I plan to use, hopefully find them on sale, and as well as having a menu so supper isn't a last minute "gotta think of something" ordeal.

So, if I'm anal, I guess it's just a fact of life. I'm sorry I am not spontaneous, but then again, I like to feel I make wise decisions with my money.

Last summer about this time I blogged that I wanted to new stove. Well, this summer it is a new dishwasher. Our dishwasher still works, so there isn't any hurry. Yet I have found that having a savings goal helps me plan plus lets me anticipate.

My husband is a rare breed -- he carries cash and he likes to pay in exact change. As a result he often has lots of change around the house. I noticed the other day when I was dusting, that his change bowl was overflowing and there seemed to be a lot of pennies. I asked him if I could have the pennies and he said sure. Since there were far more pennies than other coins, I thought this could help both of us out.

Last night I sorted through the change and pulled out the pennies -- over $2.30 worth of pennies. I did find two wheat pennies that I saved. They probably aren't worth anything, but they aren't as plentiful so I thought it would be nice to have two of them before they no longer are in circulation. My husband is a Lincoln buff and I found three pennies that had different Lincoln scenes on the back -- minted in 2009 for his 100th birthday, so I saved those three too.

I checked my wallet and had a few pennies and some extra coins so I threw that in the bag to take to the credit union. Our credit union has one of those change things, but you have to have an account for them to use it. I also had a few extra ones. So my dishwasher account is up to $141.73 (I have added to it previously too).

I know the gurus claim we prices haven't been going up, but I have noticed an increase in many items at the grocery store, plus Illinois increased income tax this spring. It is getting harder to save for nonessentials, so it will probably take me longer to save the money for the dishwasher I want.

Yet, that is OK. It gives me more time to think about and wish for it and appreciate it when I do get it.

Here in the Midwest with high dew points and even higher temps, it was miserable today. Just going outside to pick a few leaves of lettuce resulted in a warm sticky feeling and I was only outside a few minutes.

My goal today was to fix something for supper that didn't heat up the kitchen -- or me for that matter!

Fortunately my husband is starting to get cherry tomatoes so that added to the lettuce and a couple of other items already in the fridge made a good salad.

I fixed pork chops on the top of the stove and saute'd mushrooms with them, and then boiled two ears of corn. I made biscuits in the toaster oven. I made a fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas and added Greek yogurt and honey -- what a cool dessert.

The other day the owner of a restaurant we go to was telling me that no one can eat at home for less than $10 each. I just smiled because he's the type of guy who thinks he's never wrong...many of our meals are less than $10 total for the two of us! So, I figured eating at home also saved money.

I'm sure glad we ate at home...it's too hot to go anywhere, that's for sure!

Ever have one of those nights when you have a lots of odds and ends in the fridge and hate to see it go to waste? Last night was one of those nights at our house.

I have been working through the freezer and trying to use up some of the stuff we've had awhile, and crab cakes was the winner from the freezer roulette.

The fridge had a few different items. We had green beans from the night before, baked beans from lunch a couple of days ago (we had them for two meals before this), lettuce, tomatoes, and part of a red onion, a boiled egg, a small portion of Feta cheese, leftover biscuits, a small portion of cottage cheese, leftover roasted potatoes, leftover fruit salad, an overripe pear, and on the counter...very ripe bananas.

I heated the potatoes in a little olive oil and cut up part of the onion in them. The rest of the onion I used for the salad of lettuce, tomato, Feta cheese,and sliced the egg. I heated up both types of beans, and put the cottage cheese out in a little bowl. I nuked the biscuits.

I cut up the pear and bananas into the fruit salad.

There was ample food and little of it went to waste. I think I did pitch a couple of biscuits. I had made them a couple of days before with some flour, milk, baking powder, and herbs from our garden so I wasn't throwing out big money.

Not a gourmet meal, but full tummies and a cleaner fridge were the result.

I bet we could get people to think leftovers were gourmet undertakings if we could figure out a catchy phrase for it!

Last weekend the paper had a list of antique shops and there was a new one in town. For me, that's a good thing.

Years ago this same house had been the "China House" and it had hundreds of pieces of dinnerware and China. We went every so often and it was fun looking at all the different dishes. I can't say we ever bought anything, but it was always fun to look. The lady retired and as far as we know, it has been vacant. However, apparently there's a new owner and he has opened. Well, sort of.

His hours are every day and go from about 9 until 4 or 4:30. We get there after 12:30. We notice there are bars on every window and there's bars over the backdoor. Yet, the ones on the back door do have a hinge, but it is closed.

It was a comedy of errors...we get there and it is locked up. The back door has bars over it and I look in and it looks like a store room. We figured maybe you had to walk in the front door and walk around to the street side...there are no steps to the porch to the front door. Hey, I'm all for adventure, but I'm not hopping on the front porch as a pole vaulter!

So, I whip out the cell phone, OK, maybe not whip it out because I, of course, didn't have it on, like usual. So I got it out, waited for it to come on and called the number. Whipping it out certainly has more of a ring to it, doesn't it? I guess I could stretch the truth since it is MY story.

The owner wasn't there. He was off eating lunch but would be back in 20 minutes. We go do something and come back. He's at the door waiting (back door). He had the bar thingy open this time. Good thing because I'm still not pole vaulting. We could barely get in because he doesn't have it organized. There are boxes everywhere. There is a small path, but even it is an obstacle course! What a hoot! He said his helper was in jail. I didn't even ask! I wanted to, but refrained. I can only imagine THAT story.

We talked for a bit and left. I wonder if he will be ready in a month. I will say one thing...I did save money because I couldn't find anything to buy!

I was raised by frugal parents. They had to be, as their parents had to be.

My dad worked full-time and they also has a business on the side. For awhile it was a furniture store. Then it was an antique shop. We went to sales, auctions, etc., always looking for a bargain that could either benefit us personally or their shop financially. That was years ago and my parents have passed.

Last week we went "antiquing." I use the term loosely because many of the items in these antique shops really aren't antiques. We enjoy looking at older stuff whether it is from our childhood, or from over a generation ago.

I often buy my kitchen stuff used. Last year before Pyrex and Fire King and Corningware became popular again, I decided to try and get rid of most of the plastic containers in my kitchen. I keep a few, but for personal use, I use glass ones. I found some refrigerator dishes to store leftovers, and have found some Pyrex dishes for leftovers and some small Corningware dishes to bake in. I like using them because I feel a little safer -- the BPA thing kind of worries me -- but I also just like using glass.

Most of the casseroles and glass dishes in my kitchen were bought "used". They cleaned up great and I enjoy using them. Plus, being the klutz I often am, I figure if I drop one, I'm not out a lot if it breaks.

The other day I was remarking that I was also being a recycler of sorts because I was reusing something someone else didn't want. I don't care if my Pyrex or Corningware doesn't match. I got a great deal on a Corningware dish at the church's rummage sale: $1. It doesn't match anything in my kitchen, but it holds good stuff when I put it in there.

Since most of the stuff anymore isn't made in America, I like using stuff that had been, at one point, made in our country.

In a way, I'm being green. I use and reuse these dishes. I'm not throwing out disposables. And I adopted these unwanted items. I figure I save money by buying them used, and since I'm not buying disposable stuff, I'm not constantly replenishing it so I'm also being frugal. And, if I'm cooking at home, I'm probably saving some money there as well.

I am almost ashamed to admit this, but I have never made noodles from scratch. I have three cooking goals this summer and one of them was to make noodles.

So, last Sunday, I looked at recipes, printed one off, and went into the kitchen. I mixed the ingredients, rolled them out as thin as I could, and cut them and let them dry. While they were drying, I put a chicken in the Crockpot with some vegetables and herbs to let it cook and make some broth. That evening when the noodles were dry, I cooked them in the broth and put the chicken in there. I let it simmer for awhile. I then let it cool and put it in the fridge because I knew I'd be working Tuesday and wouldn't have a lot of time to cook when I got home.

We had them last night. I wasn't sure if dh would like it, but he had three helpings so I think my noodle experiment was a success.

Yesterday I was talking to a gal who said she made her noodles and how she admired her mom's talent -- she didn't measure anything, just made a mount of flower on the counter, added an egg, water, and salt and mixed it without getting flour everywhere. She said it was a great way to fill people up on a budget and I'm thinking she is so right!

Here's the recipe I used:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 pinch salt
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 T butter

Mix, knead for 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Roll out to desired thinness and cut. Allow to air dry before cooking.

I'm wondering what kinds of things I can add to make these noodles different...

Two trips...that's how many times we've been to the library in the past week...and in my life, that is wonderful!

Being cheap and green, I prefer borrowing magazines instead of purchasing them. We hit the jackpot the other day and actually got some of the newer ones. But, even if I'm a month or two behind, that's OK. My world doesn't end if I'm reading something that's not the most current. Plus, when I enjoy the magazines, I return them and do not have to worry about storing them or recycling them.

One of the things I like to look at is recipes. Yeah, go figure, right? So, I found one with one of my husband's favorite food groups...potatoes. It's a type of potato cake. I changed it a little to make a potato casserole because I like my potatoes creamier than the recipe called for.

Potato Casserole

3 lbs potatoes peeled, and parboiled
1/2 cup milk or cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp seasoning of your choice
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 lb thinly sliced salami, ham or other meat of your choice (optional)


Topping: 1/3 cup grated cheese
1 T seasoned bread crumbs
1 T melted butter

Parboil the potatoes and mash with the milk or cream. Add the beaten eggs. Add the seasoning. Grease a baking dish and add half of the potatoes. Layer the cheese (and meat) and then top with the rest of the potatoes. Spread the topping evenly.
Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes, and then 5 minutes uncovered to let topping brown a bit. Take out of oven and let it sit for a few minutes.

I think this could be a side dish if you don't add the meat, or a main dish if you do. The original recipe called for fancy cheese, but I used what I had on hand. I wasn't planning on making an extra trip to the store. We usually have potatoes, eggs, cheese, and milk around the house.

I wonder if it could be made ahead and frozen before baking...this might be something to try.

Our friends just left. We invited them over for dinner and birthday cake. Our friend's birthday is this week and we wanted to celebrate with him and his wife.

Last night we had another friend over for dinner. It's interesting that so many folks are no longer used to being asked. I think we, as a society, overall have gotten used to going out to see friends. I wonder if that is good or not.

We spent a little more than we would have if it had been just us, but in the long run, we still saved money by eating in. We really didn't do it to save money, but because I like to cook and I like to control what goes onto my dinner plate. I made meatloaf tonight and bought a pound of beef and a pound of sausage. I sauted' onions and bell peppers and added that to the meat with eggs, oatmeal, bread crumbs, sage, and oregano. I had enough meat to make two loaves, so I wrapped one and froze it for another dinner. I baked bread using the flour our friends had given us from their trip to Michigan, and baked a cake from scratch. It was a good dinner and I think the two guys liked the meat and potatoes aspect of it, although we did have green beans and fruit salad too.

Last night we had pork roast and I fixed a potato casserole and we had a salad and some of the homemade bread. We had enough roast left over to send a slice home with our friend with some of the leftover potatoes, and enough for me to shred to make pulled pork sandwiches later on.

I know the restaurant industry would probably prefer people eat out, but it was nice being able to relax and visit and not worry about staying too long or not having good service or even the noise of other diners.

Are you inviting anyone over soon?

Twenty-one years ago we took our marriage vows and today we celebrate that decision. I'm glad we did. I am married to my best friend and can't imagine my life without him.

Our wedding was not big. We had my mom and dad and godparents and his mom, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. We had a reception for family and friends. We married in his mom's back yard and the reception was at a local community center where my parents lived. My folks didn't have money for a wedding so we paid for almost everything but the cake -- two sheet cakes is what we had.

Instead of a fancy dress, I wore something I had. I bought the cups, plates, and flatware at a discount store, as well as the decorations. A friend and I decorated the room.

We used the money to put a down payment on our first house. When the bank asked us back then if we had 20%, they were surprised that we did. Our goal was to buy less of a house than we could afford, and fix it up and still do things.

Twenty one years later I think we did OK. We are still married, we have moved to another house that is paid for, and we can do things we enjoy.

Sometimes I wish I had the big church wedding because I see the ones on television and in the movies and think they are beautiful. But in the long run, I'm married and we are happy and I think a lifetime of love and security is worth far more than an album of pretty pictures and possibly debt if we had gone wild.

Guess I'm a pragmatist at heart.

It's true. I drive my husband crazy.

When I get on a cleaning spree, I go nuts. Then I usually move things around. I tell him that it makes things look different and new and that I'm saving money doing so. He nods his head and agrees, but I really think he thinks I'm nuts. Maybe so, but I like to change things around. I used to change the furniture around a lot just to give rooms different looks. Our old house was a little bigger and I could do that. Can't do that so much with this house. Plus, my husband doesn't handle it when I move the bed because he says he can't find the bathroom at night when he's disorientated. I get that.

Yesterday I took orange oil cleaner to the kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, and the woodwork in the kitchen, dining room, bedroom, bathrooms, and hallway. I was thinking how it seemed to refresh the wood and make it look nicer since it was cleaned. Although I spent the money on the cleaner, I felt like I saved money by taking care of something we have.

When I was growing up my parents instilled in me the idea of taking care of things. For example, you don't jump up and down on the sofa because it makes it eventually wear down. You don't do the same thing to a mattress because it can wear down the springs and possibly put too much stress on the rails. You use coasters when you have a drink so you don't have water marks. All these items are free, but can keep things looking nicer. I use trivets when I have hot foods so I don't burn my countertop or table.

I think taking care of things also saves money. I asked my husband not to beat on the wooden arm of his chair because he was scratching it. He thought I was being mean. He sat in my chair and looked at the arm and said, "You don't have have knicks or scratches on it." Yep, I don't. I try to take care of my chair.

During my first year of teaching we put up a tree in the room. That tree was a sorry example of a tree, but it was what was in the basement. I crocheted ornaments for every student to put on the tree and then take home, and we made ornaments. I remember this one student telling me it was the most beautiful tree he had ever seen. I took him seriously and asked why that was. He said that years before his mom had put up a tree, but he and his brother tore it up and mom said she wasn't going to spend money on another tree. I wonder if this student got the point of that lesson!

I may drive my husband crazy, but at least I save him money!

During World War II, many people planted small gardens and called them Victory Gardens. With rationing and shortages, people wanted to show victory over the enemies, and probably victory over hunger.

My husband is a World War II buff. (He also likes the history of the Civil War and Lincoln.) His dad fought during WWII and was actually under George Patton. Bet you can guess who my husband's hero is, but that's another post. My husband's dad and my parents also almost always had a small garden of sorts during the summer. They still referred to it as a Victory Garden although the war had long been over.

Humans are creatures of habit and although we aren't fighting the Axis powers, we still call our garden a Victory Garden. Unfortunately we have to have it in the front yard because the back yard is too shady. Hubby has planted tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, lettuce, radishes, and herbs. We had our first radish about a week ago. It would have been sooner except a bunny thought my husband had planted this wonderful garden all for him and he chewed the radishes and lettuce to the ground. Hubby bought some non toxic rabbit repellent and started over. Maybe he can claim "victory" over the rabbit.

There's something exciting about having your own vegetables. I've already used some onions and lettuce as well as some herbs. I'm looking forward to a summer and fall of wonderful things.

I guess our victory will be won over high grocery prices and junk food.

How about you? Are you planting a Victory Garden?

Ah, the pantry! I have a love-hate relationship with my pantry.

I love having one, but wish it were larger. To be quite honest I have pantry envy when I see Ina Garten's walk in pantry or when we watch House Hunters and those big fancy houses have those large walk in pantries.

My pantry is pretty stocked. That's a good thing, I think. I keep pasta, beans, canned goods, sugar, crackers, and cereal on hand. I remember a few years ago a gal I worked with kind of looked down her nose at my wedding gift. She didn't cook a whole lot, but had put down many fancy dishes and pots and pans for her kitchen. I bought her the measuring cup she wanted, but then I bought her two large bags of groceries to fill her pantry. I purchased things like salt, pepper, lemon pepper, ketchup, mustard, canned soup, and crackers for the food part and then bought her a few cleaning supplies. She thanked me, but I could tell she wasn't thrilled. A friend of hers who was like a second mother told her that my gift was very generous and very practical. A couple of months later after she and new hubby started running out of items and she had to replace them, she realized that it wasn't such a bad gift after all.

When I got married over 20 years ago, none of us made a whole lot, so people did two things -- they chipped in and bought me a toaster and they filled a laundry basket with canned goods. What a terrific wedding gift! I was thrilled because I had already bought cleaning supplies for my house and I realized how expensive everything was. It also made me try things I wouldn't normally buy. What a blessing!

I know I've blogged before that my parents grew up during the depression and instilled in me the fear of running out of food. I think that's why I find it vital to keep lots of things on hand. I was reading Ina Garten's new cookbook (checked out from the library) and she said she thought a well stocked pantry made cooking easier, and I would have to agree. Not having to run out and buy a can of this or get some flour or sugar or a spice sure makes it easier to get a dish put together. Plus, I try to buy items on sale so I'm not paying full price. Just today the store I often frequent had a special on Hunts ketchup -- 69 cents a bottle. We don't use a huge amount of it, but I can store a bottle for a couple of months. I like saving money too!

I've been rolling along on this alphabet theme and I had a difficult time today choosing what I would put for "p" because I had lots of choices. I could put pasta, potatoes, pepper, popcorn, pineapple, pizza, pomegranate, peanut butter, peppermint, pretzels, pudding and peas. I am happy to say that other than the pizza and pomegranate and peas, I have all these other items in my pantry! Wouldn't Ina be proud?

I think we should find another name for "Leftovers" because I think it the term, not the stuff, that turns folks off.

My husband wouldn't think of eating a "leftover" (I don't ask why he feels that way), but if I ask him if he's like to have me make a "TV Dinner" out of it for him to heat up for lunch, he's all for it.

My lunches this week have basically been leftovers from this and that. I had tuna from some tuna salad I made a couple of days ago. Before that I had those leftover kabobs from our meal on Saturday night. I will take little bits of this and that and make a soup or stew. I've brought home vegetables I couldn't eat and put them with leftover vegetables here at home and made a lovely vegetable broth.

If you ever read books about folks growing up with little, it is amazing what they did with leftovers. If you like an inspiring little tome, try "A Nickel's Worth of Skim Milk" where the author talks about growing up in a single parent household years ago. Cooking in that household was creative because it had to be!

There are some things that are just better "left over". I think a lot of stews are tastier the second day than they were the first.

So, do you use your leftovers?

We don't eat a lot of jellies and jams at our house. I know I like it every so often with toast, and of course, if I take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, it is useful to have it around. Although, I've gotten to where I like peanut butter and honey sandwiches as well, but I digress.

I remember years ago when I was living at home and we had an apple tree and the apples weren't really good for plain eating, yet they made delightful jelly. I would wash and peel and core the apples and cook them down. Then, strain until I had juice and add the pectin and sugar and put in sterilized jars. I remember admiring the clear beautiful jelly and thinking it was a good thing. I gave quite a bit of it away for Christmas, but we ate a lot of at home.

I have great respect for those folks who can and make their own jams and jellies because it is hot and sticky work. But oh what a reward when it's in those lovely jars!

I made grape jelly too because we had some grape vines, but unfortunately they weren't seedless. But the jelly was pretty good. My dad wasn't too keen on it. He explained when he was growing up during the Depression; someone gave his mom all the grapes they pick off the arbor. So she and my dad picked the vines clean and she made jar after jar of grape jelly. Back then refrigeration was truly an ice box -- a box with metal insulation and the ice man came and sold them a big block of ice. He said there were many meals that were basically grape jelly on bread. I can see where he got tired of it.

On another aspect, it's always interesting to see the jelly and jams offered at restaurants. Most will have grape and possibly strawberry. Every so often a restaurant that specializes in breakfast will have a bigger assortment.

I haven't bought a lot of jelly or jam or even preserves. I remember I made pork chops with apricot preserves a few times and it was pretty good. I guess I need to pull out that recipe and try it again, but I will need to purchase a jar of apricot preserves -- that's probably why I haven't made it lately.

I just checked our fridge and we have one bottle of jelly -- grape. Do people buy an assortment or just stick to a favorite or what's on sale? I know we used to buy stuff that on sale for our toast when I lived at home -- had to squeeze that dollar as best we can.

So, what's in your fridge?

Broth – that glorious creation that is so easy to make, and can add so much flavor!

Around the holidays there’s a broth manufacturer that touts its product saying your holiday dishes will like it because there is no MSG in their broth.
I have news for that company – there isn’t any MSG in my homemade broth either!

I’m a big fan of making my own broth. Often I’ll cook a whole chicken with some herbs and vegetables just so I will have a rich broth to add to the chicken dishes or to freeze in containers for other uses. I use the chicken, but love the added benefit of that broth.

Ina Garten often talks about making her own broth on her show, “Barefoot Contessa” and she uses a big stock pot and simmers it for hours. I don’t have time to do that, so I use my handy dandy Crockpot for just that!

At one of our local restaurants, they serve such large portions; I often have chicken and vegetables left over. I ask for a to go box, come home, add water and whatever else I have available, and make a small Crockpot of broth. I let it cool, strain it, and put it in freezable containers and mark what it is. Then I wag it out to the freezer so it’s ready and waiting when I need some broth.

When I’m making broth, I often add some vegetables that are sort of past their prime – I hate to throw any food away. But I really like having that broth peeking out among the other items in the freezer, ready for a casserole, soup, or even to cook some fresh green beans in.

It's really pretty economical when you think about it -- if you are already going to need cooked chicken, adding some extra stuff to make a rich broth is actually saving you money and you can control what goes in it and what doesn't.

Ah, broth, how wonder art thou!

On Sundays our local paper prints a syndicated column by Steve Batie of Houseworks. Usually his columns are about home improvement projects or woodworking. I'm not very handy around the house and woodworking -- let's say I'd prefer not to increase my insurance premiums, but I enjoy his writing style and his well measured sarcastic remarks.

Today he wrote about people saving up for things. He said he thought most folks don't. I would have to agree. Saving has almost become a dirty word to many -- why save when you can have it right now???

I emailed him to thank him for his column, but also to say we are considered odd in our circle of friends -- we save money in a Christmas Club to buy presents come Christmas time. We have a vacation fund where we save up for a trip or two. Last year I used a small savings account to save up for a new stove. When we say we do these things, people look at us like we've sprouted antennae and we are aliens. Why not buy now and pay later? Or, put it on a credit card?

Other than big purchases than a house or a car, we like to save up for things. We did have money for downpayments on both, but that's another story.

Part of it has to do with the anticipation of actually buying something and truly owning it. It isn't an impulse buy and often something we regret. I really enjoy my new stove. I thought about it, researched it, looked at different stoves, and when I finally had the moolah to purchase it outright, decided I deserved the pleasure of owning it. It's mine and I use it and enjoy it. I'm not worrying about it being repossessed. I'm not doing without something else because I purchased it.

The same thing on a vacation. A friend of ours borrowed against his house so he could afford a vacation. I'm thinking to myself, let's see, you don't have the money outright for this trip, so you are going to borrow against the equity of your home to take a trip that when you get back, you will have to worry about paying the extra bills. Somehow, I would have trouble enjoying the vacation.

Granted, there are certain purchases you have to buy because of safety reasons. If I needed a new furnace and it was freezing outside with no thaw in sight, I'd say do what you need to do. But, to purchase an item that you want and then worry about having to pay for it later?

I think in very simplistic terms, the whole idea of not saving is what has gotten our economy in the mess it is in. In general, the Great Depression of the dirty thirties was brought in part by people buying things on credit where they didn't have the money to pay for it. They overextended themselves and eventually it hurt everyone. I think this last recession was a repeat (remember the slogan about those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it?) of that same story. People were buying more house than they can afford and suddenly when it came to crunch time, they couldn't make the payments. No money was being paid and suddenly lots of people were losing money. Excuse me, since when has it become a right for everyone to get exactly what they want immediately?

A friend of ours thought I was nuts when I suggested they make sure they had 20% to put down as a downpayment on their house. I received this comment that it would mean they couldn't buy or couldn't buy the size of house they wanted.

I guess I'm old fashioned -- I think that people are more responsible if they have a stake in whatever they are purchasing.

Although most of the folks on this site are committed to saving, I think we are select few. I say we need to make saving money a goal for everyone.

We did our weekly grocery run and I spent some time the last few evenings making my lists. Not sure if I checked them twice, but I am going to tell you who I think is naughty and nice!

Nice -- those companies who give you more than three weeks to redeem the coupon. I realize grocery shelf is a hot commodity, but there are times I don't need something before the coupon expires. I'm not asking for a year, but give me at least two months.

Nice -- those companies who realize that most of us don't have warehouses to store the products. There are two of us in this house and I'm the only one who eats cereal and having to buy three boxes to save a buck might be OK if I ate three boxes in a week, but I don't. I try to buy cereal when it is on sale and when I have a coupon as well as when I have storage. My pantry space is limited.

Naughty -- OK, the this is a repeat sort of, but less than four weeks of time to buy something? Come on! Some folks budget and if it isn't a necessity, they'll do without. I might be tempted to try your product if I had a little more time with the coupon, but if I already have something, I'm not throwing it out just so I can try your product.

Naughty -- buying multiples of something or the huge size of something with your coupon. I grant you that the warehouse stores have made regular stores try to compete, but I simply do not have a place to put 24 rolls of toilet paper and 10 paper towels. And many of us who buy name brand items, don't use two toothpastes in a month.

Naughty -- a coupon that you have to buy one item to get another free or marked down. I've bought a bag of potatoes and can save 50 cents if I buy something like a cheese spread. That would be great if I wanted the cheese spread, but if not, than I feel I was cheated out of saving 50 cents.


Naughty -- those chain stores who take you to a coupon site where you can print coupons, but then the local store doesn't accept Internet coupons. All or nothing, my friends. I'm not spending the time, ink, and paper only to be told that I can't use them. And I'm old enough that I don't care if the person behind me thinks I'm an old fuss budget and refuse to buy the item. In this economy, only the strong survive!

Dear coupon folks, please think about those of us who don't have a big family and we don't need multiples of things -- I really don't need three bags of party mix to save 50 cents. I have decided that if I can't save a few cents on one item, maybe I'll just do without!

It's Sunday so I usually bake some bread. I did -- I baked white bread and some banana bread.

Amazing stuff, this bread. It's not just a certain style, type, flavor, color, or size. It can be baked in pans, on stones, on trays, or even in pots. There are different things you can utilize to whip up a loaf -- all purpose flour, wheat flour, rye, rice flour, potato flour, well, you get the idea.

I blogged earlier that I went through 3 bread machines because my husband adores bread. But, he isn't alone. Panera, which used to be called St. Louis Bread company, is pretty famous for their bread. In our local Panera, there are paintings of bread.

For Christians, in the Lord's Prayer, there is, "Give us this day, our daily bread." So, bread has played an important part in every day life. Although we ask for more than bread, you get the picture -- we want to be well fed.

I remember baking bread at my former school and the teachers would come in and relive memories of who baked bread with or for them. The aroma aroused that memory.

Remember the ongoing line about if you go to jail you only get bread and water? I wonder what kind of bread? I always pictured that real soft white stuff of my childhood that you could squeeze together and make a ball. Some of the other breads might make it a good experience however. I like a hot, crusty bread. I'd prefer to eat it outside of the bars, but...

This will age me, but remember when people would ask if you had any bread and they didn't mean something to eat, but money? I guess as important is bread is to many, money is as important.

Being sort of frugal, I like baking my own bread because I can make different kinds with many of the same ingredients. It's far cheaper for me to make a loaf of bread than to buy it commercially. Plus, it's kind of fun experimenting with different breads and flours.

There are so many things you can do with bread. You can have it accompany a meal like a slice of bread with pasta. Or you can have a bread stick in olive oil. Yum, especially if it is hot and the olive oil has been flavored with garlic and rosemary. We make sandwiches with bread. And I have used bread to make egg stratas. Plus, we can have toast with our eggs or simply alone. I've used older bread to make bread crumbs for toppings. Or, I've toasted bread and cubed it for croutons for a salad. And, I've even taken some bread to feed the ducks down at the lake. I haven't even touched on the flat breads like cornbread! Not to mention sweet breads like banana and zucchini...yum!

I like different breads for different things. I enjoy the bread sticks if we are having pasta or a salad. I enjoy cornbread with ham. I like rye as well as whole wheat bread for sandwiches and toast. Pitas are delightful for gyros. French breads are great for brueschetta. Texas Toast thick stuff is delightful for French Toast. The bread world is amazing, isn't it?

Do you have a favorite bread?

There's just something aromatic about sauting garlic and onions and even celery in olive oil. So many good smells emit from the kitchen.

I sauted onions, celery, and mushrooms for the brisket and then added some garlic. My husband came into the kitchen and told me, "It sure smells good in here." I had to laugh. He doesn't care for fancy perfumes, but he sure likes the aromas of food cooking.

I know when I bake bread he likes it too. I remember last year when I baked bread at school people would open my classroom door to get a whiff and then smile. We humans like good smellin' stuff!

Somehow I don't think I'll be putting a little olive oil and garlic behind my ears, but I'm happy about making my hubby pleased. Think of the money I'm saving him in perfume by cooking and having that great smell? Am I being frugal????

So, what is your favorite aroma?

Years ago eggs were advertised as the Incredible Edible Egg. Then came the harsh warnings that eggs were bad, bad, bad for you and that they will raise one's cholesterol to skyrocketing numbers.

Well, last week, a new finding is eggs aren't quite as wicked as they were once thought. Research says that since chickens are eating better feeds, the cholesterol isn't quite so high.

For all of you brinner (breakfast + dinner) fans, I bet I just heard a hoot and a holler.

Anyway, eggs are tasty not to mention cheap. Right now one grocery store is offering "Ten for ten" which is a buck a dozen of large eggs. That's less than a dime an egg!

I like a good casserole and one with eggs always seems to be a bonus at my house. My husband loves eggs.

I have been poring through cookbooks and think I found a new recipe that I'm going to try. Well, I've already made it and have it in the fridge to bake off later this week. It's from one of those church cook books, but no one's name is on it so I can't give credit to anyone.

Hash Brown Egg Bake
1 pgk shredded hash browns
1 1/2 c. diced ham
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 eggs, beaten
1 pt whipping cream
1/4 c green pepper chopped
1/8 tsp garlic salt
3 T butter

Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl. Add beaten eggs and stir. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Top with butter pieces. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Sounds like a hearty meal for brinner to me!

We've been warned...Central Illinois is supposed to get freezing rain and snow in the next few days. The freezing rain scares me the most...we had the freezing rain/ice storm over 4 years ago and were without power over two days. Two cold, miserable days. I have new respect for those folks who heated with a fireplace -- I don't know how they did it.

The forecast is calling from anywhere between 10-20 inches from Monday evening to Wednesday. Then on Wednesday it is predicted we will have high wind gusts.

Thursday has equally good news...temperatures below zero and wind chills even lower.

A friend wrote as she talked about the weather..."if you were planning on doing your grocery shopping tomorrow night, you might want to do it today." Amen, sister!

I know a gal who rarely has anything in the house. She often says she has to go out to eat because she didn't have anything to bring for lunch. If she thinks of it, she'll stop at a convenience store to pick up a frozen dinner for lunch. (Can we say expensive?) Before Christmas we were supposed to have a bad storm and I suggested she hit the store before she went home and she said she didn't have time because some friends might stop by. I always wonder what she'll do if her car won't start. Snack on some tree bark? Eat a few weeds? OK, I digress....

We hit the store this weekend to pick up a few fresh things like milk and bread and a few items to replenish items I've used throughout the week. Granted, most of the stuff in my pantry would require some heating to make it taste the best, but as long as we have power, we could go quite a few days if need be.

I certainly hope the forecasters are wrong and we don't get that much snow. I am glad we have the convenience of modern heat and cooking. Those folks in log cabins and mud houses were made of stern stuff!

The state of Illinois in a lame duck session, voted a new income tax in and yesterday's paycheck was the first time they took the additional tax.

It was sizeable. Like over $50. My last paycheck had me paying $12 more in federal tax. No, I didn't get a raise. I'm not really sure why I am paying more in federal tax and everyone I talked to said their pay was different too.

I get the purpose of taxes and normally I don't complain. But, what worries me is if the state doesn't handle the new tax any better than they handled what they previously had, will I be forking over even more in a few years?

Come on government officials...you have to do better! Fortunately I can handle less pay even if I don't like it, but I know there are people out there who can't. For some, that might be the money they are putting back to save and now it's gone. I'm beginning to think the government isn't helping people save money for themselves. What do you think?

Ah...satisfaction! I told my husband that it was nice to open the fridge and it is full. There's something gratifying about knowing I'm ready for this week with some meals ready to heat and eat.

I did my usual put the chicken in the Crockpot thingy Friday night. Saturday morning I had a cooked chicken with rich broth. It's cold here and cold air bothers my asthma so other than a quick run to the grocery store for a few items, we were home and I spent most of the afternoon fixing things.

I baked bread with rice flour. I like having different breads when we have supper and I hate to spend gourmet prices for stuff you can make for a lot less. I heat it a few slices when we are ready to eat and it usually tastes pretty good.

I am trying a new recipe. I was looking through a Paula Deen cookbook and saw this recipe with rice.


Chicken and Rice Casserole


2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans green beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (6-ounce) box long-grain wild rice, cooked according to package directions
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
Pinch salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.

Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving

I'm going to admit that I didn't fix it exactly. The cookbook said to use a whole box of Uncle Ben's rice. I used the rice I had on hand.

I also used different vegetables. I roasted a big pan of celery, carrots, onions, zucchini and potatoes to put in a chicken pot pie so I used part of that. I like green beans, but I thought I'd use what I had. Why spend more than I need to? Hope Paula won't mind.

I also substituted the whole can of cream of celery soup with a half a can of cream of chicken (again, I used half of it for the chicken pot pie) and made up with it with plain yogurt. Sorry, Paula. I not only want to save some money, but cut out some of the fat.

I also shredded bits and pieces of a couple of cheeses that I had in the fridge. So, this is no longer a purebred recipe. Hope Paula understands!

I look forward to trying this recipe. As cold as it is, a nice hot casserole for supper will be yummy, and far more reasonable than going out! I just hope Paula Deen won't hate me forever!