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Small Potatoes?

July 31st, 2009

Potatoes!

Potatoes!

Sometimes we are blessed with things we don’t know how to be grateful for!

Canned potatoes might fall into that category because we are so accustomed to scrubbing and peeling or wrapping and baking that we just can’t put potatoes into a new paradigm!

I pondered to myself: “What if I were given another box from a food pantry-one saved my life once and I still get weepy when I remember the generosity of those people-and it contained canned potatoes?  What would I make with them?”

Well, there’s always potato soup.  If you’d be fortunate enough to have an onion, a rib or two of celery and a couple of carrots, those could be sauteed and the potatoes, juice and all, could be added in with some milk-powdered, canned, or fresh-and that would be some mighty fine soup.  When it’s late summer, though, you can’t be overly thrilled about hot soup.  What about using canned potatoes with a can of veggies-any family favorite would do-and creaming them?  Yesterday we had new potatoes and garden green beans.  I made a cream sauce from a little bit of butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper and love and it was divine!  The dish was filling, cheap, and tasty.  What more could a home cook want?

Guys are always jonesin’ for meat and potatoes.  Golly, if you have some ground beef you could brown it with some onions and garlic.  Then you could drain the canned potatoes, dice them into smaller pieces or slice them and fry them up in the same pan. Any time you can save a cooking pot, you’ve done a good thing! A palm full of dried dill scattered over the top before it goes to the table would really make a gourmet offering of it!

If you find yourself looking at a can of white potatoes, wondering what in thunder you will do with it, I hope you remember where you found this idea!

As is our custom, we invite you to leave your fingerprint on this post with your comment; we encourage you to email us at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and we sincerely thank you for visiting Food Stamps Cooking Club to become part of our list and for visiting our partners!

Connie Baum

Potatoes!

Potatoes!


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Chopped?

July 30th, 2009

Some of us “foodies” like to follow what’s cooking on the Food Network.  If you have ever seen an episode of Chopped you know that four chefs compete for a cash prize and the competition gets pretty interesting.

All “foodies” are not likely to be professional chefs.  Most are busy working people with crazy schedules and kids.  We are striving to thrive in a difficult economy and some of us are dependent on outside sources for our food:  SNAP, Angel Food Ministries, food pantries and food commodities.  This time of year we may be eternally grateful for the abundance of garden goodies our neighbors share with us and we may be picking out produce to use with our Farmers Markets Coupons.

Just for fun, let’s pretend we are BigWig Home Cooks on our OWN television show.  We have just been given a basket with-oh, let’s imagine FOOD COMMODITIES, just for an example.  We might find farina, salmon and canned milk.  Let’s take this drama one step further and imagine we have access to items from WIC.  Oh, LOOK!  We have eggs and a can of grape juice!

What shall we do to prepare a meal our family will actually EAT? Let’s take an inventory of what we might keep on hand.  Is there some onion around?  How about celery?  Do we have some bottled lemon juice or even a real lemon or lime?  Surely there is salt and pepper.  We might even have some dried dill around!

Sometimes family members complain about fish because it tastes “fishy.”  Well, HELLO?  It is FISH!  But you can minimize the strong flavor if you simply put your fish-in this case, salmon-into a strainer and gently pour cold water over it, right out of your tap.  This takes away the liquid and some of the fishy flavor that offends some people.  Then carefully remove the large pieces of bones that are not appetizing and toss that into your compost pile.

When you mash the salmon with a fork, you will crush the fine bones and they will vanish into the flesh of the fish.  Then you can mix an egg or two-depends on their size-some farina and chopped onion and celery together.  If it seems to be too thick, add a bit of the milk.  If your mixture is too thin it’s easy to sprinkle in a little more of the farina.

SIDEBAR:  Farina is the ‘filler’.  If you have no farina, you can substitute whole grain oats or barley flakes.  You could crush boxed cereal or use the “crumbly” stuff that’s left in the last of a box of cereal.  Making a salmon mixture is a good way to use up the “heels” of bread or you might use crackers.  We find soda crackers too spendy for our own budget, so that is not an option for us.  END SIDEBAR.

By adding onion and celery you are adding texture.  The onion also helps to diffuse that fish flavor; lemon will balance and enhance the fish flavor.  Adding a bit of acid to it gives it a nice balanced taste.  Lemons and limes make nice complements but each will be different from the other.  Dill is famous for being great with salmon.  Some people use both but I prefer one or the other.  Your family will be vocal about what their preferences are!

Well, in this TV show that has not been aired, were you a winner?  You were if you created a salmon patty or salmon loaf your family ate and enjoyed!  Your ratings just went up!

Bringing these posts to you on a regular basis is great fun for your Webmaster!  We hope you’ll find a moment to drop us a line at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  It is so much fun to find you in our Inbox each day and we thank you for your kind words.

You have been faithful to send those in your sphere of influence to Food Stamps Cooking Club so they can opt in for occasional messages.  We also note that you have found The Healthy and Wealthy You and are visiting our partners.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Connie Baum


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Food Pantry Foods Make Summertime Simple?

July 29th, 2009

Do you find yourself staring into the cupboard when it’s time to make a meal?  You look at the cans of food and you know there’s something there that will nourish your family but you have not the first clue how to turn those cans full of ‘stuff’ into menu fare that your gang will appreciate.

We hope the Food Stamps Cooking Club can come to your rescue!

Let’s use BEANS for an example.  Beans are a really inexpensive source of protein.  To be a complete source, though, you need to pair those beans with a whole grain.  My first thought is beans and rice.  Or rice and beans.  But to make them INTERESTING and appealing to your family you can dress them up with some other ingredients.

Most households have onions around.  Hopefully you have some celery, too.  You can create a salad by using some greens-any type of lettuce; cabbage; tender beet tops-whatever you have on hand.  Tear them or snip them into ribbons with shears or a knife and add in the drained beans.  ANY KIND OF BEANS WILL DO FOR THIS; IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL.  If you have some leftover cooked rice, add a few spoonsful into your mixture.  Some chopped onion and celery, maybe even a can of corn will go nicely into this dish.  Season the whole works with some salt and pepper and drizzle some oil over the whole works.  So now you have a whole new recipe:

CANNED BEANS SALAD

COMBINE IN A LARGE BOWL

1 CAN OF ANY KIND Of BEANS, RINSED AND DRAINED

ONION, CHOPPED

CELERY, CHOPPED

1/2 HEAD LETTUCE OR OTHER GREENS, TORN INTO BITE SIZED PIECES

1 CUP COOKED RICE * VARIATION: COUSCOUS OR MACARONI OR ORZO

Salt and pepper to taste

DRIZZLE OF OIL TO MOISTEN

*OPTIONAL: ONE CAN OF CORN, DRAINED

Good summertime options for variations would be to add in chunks of zucchini or tomatoes or cucumbers. Fresh corn would be good if it’s available.  Adding hard cooked eggs or a flat can of drained tuna would amp up the protein, too.  Canned salmon, with the bones removed and the liquid drained, will help this dish to satisfy more appetites!

Voila!  You have an inexpensive hot weather dish the whole family will love.  Serve some pudding or fruit for dessert and you are free from kitchen drudgery!

All this talk about beans reminds me of the bean sandwiches my dad used to make for late night snacks.  He would open a can of beans, dump it into a flat bowl and mash the juice, beans and all, with Mom’s potato masher.  All the juice would mix with the beans to make a sort of mush.  Then he would spread that on white bread, put a slice of onion between two slabs of bread and devour what he considered to be a gourmet sandwich!  Sometimes, if there happened to be pickles in the fridge, he’d add those and sometimes he’d put on a dab of mustard.

I had no faith in this “recipe” until I tried it..  IT IS DELISH!

Bean sandwiches give low cost eating a whole new dimension!

If you are eating beans from SNAP or food commodities or even a food pantry, we want to hear from you.  If you are learning great and interesting ways to use foods from using Farmers Market Coupons or Angel Food Ministries we hope you’ll send us a hey.  Just send your messages to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com .   We appreciate that you are sending people in your circle to Food Stamps Cooking Club so everyone can receive the messages that go out from time to time.

We invite you to visit our partners and we thank you if you have already stopped in to pay them a call.  They are grateful, as well.

You are welcome to leave your comments here as well as sending them to our gmail address!  We always appreciate hearing from the Club members!



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Flax Snax?

July 24th, 2009

A small jar of flaxseed graces the center of our table, along with the salt and pepper shaker, butter dish and toothpicks.

Most of the guests who visit over mealtime either pay no mind to this detail or they are curious and wonder why there would be such a thing within reach.

Flaxseed is one of my favorite things to add to soups, cereals, salads, whatever blesses my plate.  It is inexpensive, highly nutritious and adds texture to any food.  It’s very rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids and that means it makes sure you stay healthy!

Natalie Elliott, a Texas nutritionist, has made this list available for using flaxseed:

  • Sprinkle GROUND flax on cereal, salads, yogurt *Mother Connie offers that it need not be ground to be included
  • Mix flaxseed into meat loaf, meat balls or meat patties
  • Ground flaxseed is a good addition to pancake, muffin or cookie batter and piecrust
  • Coat fish or chicken in ground flaxseed and oven fry it
  • Toss salads with flax oil and vinegar

Natalie shares her “famous” NAT’S FLAX SNACKS here:

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup ground flax

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups crisp rice cereal

Mix together the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth.  Add the rice cereal and stir.  Pour contents into butter 9 X 13 inch pan.  Press to flatten.  Cool and cut into 8 bars.

When I saw this recipe I got excited because this will be ideal for families who want to be healthy on a budget!  To be practical, you can easily see how using store brands will reduce the cost of making it.  This is especially important if you are using Angel Food Ministries, food commodities, food pantry items or the SNAP program to fund your food costs.  No doubt you’ll want to stir this up for the weekend!

We are so pleased that you have been to Food Stamps Cooking Club in order to sign up for our little messages we offer from time to time.  Thanks for sending your friends and family there, too.  We are getting interesting mail at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com, too!  Thanks oodles, guys!

If you have a little time to browse our partners, their banners are featured on this page and they are always happy to have you stop by and look them over, too!

We hope to hear about the interesting ways YOU use flax–maybe you have your own version of  FLAX SNAX!

Connie Baum

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Garden Variety Food?

July 22nd, 2009

Yesterday was an embarrassment of riches at our house.  Thank goodness our food budget is not dependent on food pantries, food commodities or SNAP.  We have not procured coupons for the Farmers’ Markets, either.  Angel Food Ministries, while in our area, is not providing this family with something to eat.  BUT OUR GARDEN IS!

The Normanator brought in a fine array of beans, beets, peas, zucchini, potatoes, corn and onions and we proceeded to feast like royalty!  And the tomatoes are big, fat, red and juicy.  They just INVITE me to the garden with a salt shaker in hand for snacking!  They really ARE glorious.

The joy of having garden goods is not limited to flavor.  Oh, no.  There is power in creating a strong healthy body that can come ONLY from nutrition.  Phytonutrients, anti-oxidants, enzymes–all the goodness inherent in real, whole food just cannot be duplicated in a lab or processing facility!  We truly ARE what we eat and what is assimilated.  When we eat well and wisely we can be our best selves and raise ourselves to a higher standard of living and being.

Putting wholesome foods on our dinner tables need not be an extravagant expense.  It need not strain your brain, either.  Simple foods are easily combined to make interesting, inviting plates that beckon even to little children.

I looked at a plateful of brightly colored cooked beets and thought, “If only I had some skewers, I could make Beet Lollipops.”  So skewers found their way to my shopping list!  There are still a few beets left to pull!

Ah…  Life is sweet!

Please know that we deeply appreciate your comments on this blog and your messages to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  We are THRILLED when you send your recipes and ideas.

We are preparing for our September Cooking Class.  This class is available at no charge to those who are using SNAP, or any other food assistance program BUT YOU MUST RSVP  by September 1 by email to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com in order to be assured a spot for the class.  Just put “SAVE ME A SPOT” in your subject line.

Thanks to those of you who have popped by Food Stamps Cooking Club to get your name on our list!  We send little tidbits out from time to time and we want everyone to feel included.

Our partners have indicated you are stopping at their “shops” as well.  We appreciate that, as do our partners!

Connie Baum


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Food Stamps Cooking Club Basics and Zucchini

July 20th, 2009

All the members of the Cooking Club are busy.  We have jobs, children, gardens, church and community activities.  Not only that, we must prepare meals-sometimes on the fly-and we’ll be using help from the SNAP program, food commodities, food pantries, or Angel Food Ministries.  This time of year we may be blessed to have Farmers Market coupons.

In any case, it would be very helpful to have a Master Mix on hand in the pantry so we can have a leg up on food prep.

Commercial mixes often have very bad ingredients in them and they can be costly.  I did find a buy on cake mix at our local market:  99 cents for a name brand product.  But this was a rare find and even more rare that I indulge, letting go of my food dollars in such a manner!

Assembling a home made mix can help you prepare low cost, interesting dishes your family will appreciate as much as your wallet will!  From just this one master mix you can prepare biscuits, muffins, breadsticks, zucchini bread, pancakes, coffee cake, banana bread, even tortillas!  The recipe I have for you today is included in the cookbook put together by the good folks at Wyoming University’s Cooperative Extension Service.

MASTER MIX

8 cups unsifted, enriched flour   *Mother Connie advises store brands shine here!

1/4 cup baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon iodized salt  *Mother Connie uses sea salt

1 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk powder

3/4 – 1 cup vegetable oil

1.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and dry milk powder.

2.  Drizzle oil over dry mixture; cut in with pastry blender or fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

3.  Store in covered container in refrigerator.

YIELD: 10 cups.  Keeps 3 months in the fridge.  NOTE: To measure MIX for recipes: stir lightly, pile into cup-do not shake-and level off with a knife.

USING THIS MASTER MIX:  Zucchini Bread

2 eggs

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup zucchini WITH THE PEELING

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 cups MASTER MIX

1/4 chopped nuts *optional

1/4 cup raisins *optional

Beat eggs and sugar together in a bowl until well blended.  Add soda, cinnamon, vanilla, zucchini, and water.  Add MASTER MIX and stir until dry ingredients are well coated.  Fold in nuts, raisins.  Pour into greased 9x5x3″ loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes or until brown.  Makes 1 loaf.

*This zucchini bread recipe could easily be doubled.  Just make sure you measure correctly!

This will make a highly nutritious summertime snack for school kids and it’s great to have around for coffee breaks for the grown ups, too!  Best of all, it’s economical to make, particularly if the zucchinis are growing as prolifically for you and your neighbors as they are in our town!

Thanks to every one of you who visited Food Stamps Cooking Club and put your name on our list so we can send out little tips from time to time.  We appreciate that so much.

We are equally grateful to each of you for your messages to our email address: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

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Save Your Fork!

July 17th, 2009

Raise your hand if you love dessert!

Preparing summertime desserts need not heat up the entire house, nor do they need to devour your entire food budget!

For people who fund their food budgets with the help of Angel Food Ministries, SNAP, food commodities or food pantries, this is a serious consideration.  And it’s equally serious for those who simply pinch every penny to make their food budget stretch as far as possible, no matter how it’s funded!

Hardly anyone turns down dessert so today I would like to bring you a dessert from a Food Stamps Cooking Club faithful:

ANITA’S QUICK AND EASY DESSERT

One box angel food cake mix + 1 #303 can crushed pineapple, juice and all

Mix together til well blended

Pour into 9×13 UNgreased pan; bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Top with whipped cream; add a few strawberries if you want.

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Just THINKING about this dessert makes my mouth water! What a pretty serving that will make.  After all, we DO eat first with our eyes!

Anita made this dessert for a special occasion and it won rave reviews!  YOU can do the same thing for your family and friends!

The Food Stamps Cooking Club has announced the date for the Cooking Class:  September 19 at 10 AM.  There will be no charge for the class but you MUST RSVP to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com for all the particulars.

We offer a big, loud round of applause to those of you who have come by to see what’s cookin’ and we especially want to thank you for sending your friends, too.  People who put their email addresses in to Food Stamps Cooking Club will receive a series of tips and ideas.  We hope never to intrude on their Inboxes.

Our partners are tickled to have you look in on them, too.  Thanks, guys.

We hope you leave us a comment…you know the drill.

Connie Baum

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Gourmet Cooking in PRISON?

July 14th, 2009

It is my good fortune to be a part of a Toastmasters club at the state prison just outside our little town.  We meet on Mondays and each week we are treated to a variety of speeches on topics ranging from soup to nuts.  Last night Phil did a “TV segment” as he taught us the fine points of cooking in prison.  IT WAS HILARIOUS!  But every guy in the club assured me that this is truly one of their favorite treats.  They make them regularly and highly recommended to me that I try it.  SERIOUSLY.

Here’s how Phil makes PRISON P’ZONES:

*Please note that Phil shops in the prison canteen so his package sizes will vary from the choices we have using SNAP,  Angel Food Ministry choices, food commodities or food pantries!

1 package of 6 tortillas

1 package of pepperoni

1 package of cheese

1 small jar of jalapeno peppers

He uses one paper towel per P’zone and lays each tortilla atop a paper towel.  Using a standard issue protractor as a cutting tool, Phil divides the cheese into very small pieces and arranges them on one half of each tortilla.  Then he divides the pepperoni accordingly and places that on each tortilla.  He then folds each tortilla in half, taking care to keep all the ingredients inside at all times.  Then, using a second paper towel on the top, he IRONS with the iron that is chained to the wall, each P’zone until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is nicely warmed.  He recommends for those of us on the streets we would find it easier to use our George Forman grills!  Phil eats the jalapeno peppers separately -the way I might enjoy chocolate chips!  I guess we can use our own discretion when it comes to jalapenos!

Incidentally, Phil’s speech evaluator was gracious; he did share his disappointment, however, that Phil did not furnish the club with samples of this delicacy!

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Phil is not alone in his culinary prowess.  I once attended an event at the prison where someone made nacho cheese dip IN A 30 CUP PERCOLATOR!  It was delicious!

Creativity seems to bloom when funds are scarce and kitchen equipment is absent.  Think about how YOU might create tasty, interesting dishes for the people you love even though you may not have a tricked-out gourmet kitchen and a ginormous food budget!

Your comments have been coming in at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and we deeply appreciate that.  We note that people are signing up for tips and information at Food Stamps Cooking Club, too!  Thanks for getting the word out!

Connie Baum


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Cooking for a Crowd This Summer?

July 13th, 2009

The mail always amuses and delights me!  I’ve been hearing from the faithful.  Most of the visitors who stop by here regularly are watching their food budgets with great care.  Some use Angel Food Ministries, some get their food from a food pantry sometimes, and others use the SNAP program or Farmers Market coupons.  Others just want to squeeze every penny’s worth out of their food dollars.

People who have large families or folks who entertain family who visit during the summer vacation season all have strategies for feeding the faces around their table!

One such visitor, a thoughtful reader who frequently comments here, told me about her “famous” taco salad.  She described all the ingredients and she mentioned how she had people in her crowd who ‘hate’ this food or that, and she explained how she deals with that.

SIDEBAR:  She deals with it lovingly by being very patient and taking great care not to include the offending foods in the main bowl of salad!  END SIDEBAR.

It gave me an idea for making any summer meal.  Why not make up a “DIY-do it yourself-Salad Bar?”  That way no one can complain they did not like the food because it had their hated food in it!  Everybody wins!

Here’s how Rainy builds TACO SALAD for her gang:

Iceberg lettuce (Rainy’s family chomps through 4 heads, but to be fair she makes up enough salad for more than one meal.

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 packets of low sodium taco seasoning *WARNING:  SEASONING PACKETS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR HARBORING TOXIC MSG!  CHECK THE INGREDIENTS CARFULLY!

8 oz package of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

8 oz package shredded taco flavored cheddar cheese

“several” chopped tomatoes

canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 Vidalia Sweet onion, chopped

1 large package nacho flavored chips

“some” homemade salsa

8 oz container sour cream

1 can sliced black olives, drained

Rainy puts things in one bowl, reserving the items the “food haters” will reject or pick out and uses the chips as a garnish so they won’t be soggy for the second appearance of this dish.

I think we should all put our toes under Rainy’s table for this!  Thank you, Rainy!

This delicious sounding salad gave me an idea for making any summer meal.  Why not make up a “DIY-do it yourself-Salad Bar?”  That way the food haters who frequent our tables would not be offended!  Everybody wins!

We could set up a ‘buffet line’ where each ingredient is in its own separate container.  Line it all up so people can choose what they like and pile it onto their plates!

This would be a good plan, too, for those events where people who have food allergies could know that they will not go into anaphylactic shock because something that could cause problems was included!

Baked potato bars would be good candidates if there is a crowd coming!  And a fruit bar in the summer would keep the cook out of a hot kitchen.  Line up choices of fresh fruit and let the guests feel free to pick and choose!

Keep your ideas flowing, people!  It was such fun to “peek” into Rainy’s busy kitchen and see how she manages while cooking for a crowd this summer!  Leave your comment on this blog or send them to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com !  THANKS!

We appreciate, too, that people are popping by the Food Stamps Cooking Club to get in line for our occasional messages!  We are always scouting around for good ideas to share with all of you.

Finally, we thank you for the attention you pay to all our partners.  We appreciate every one of you and hope YOU are enjoying a wonderful summer season!

Connie Baum

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Food Commodities in YOUR Cupboard?

July 13th, 2009

Each day when the first wave of emails hits my computer I am always eager to see what’s cooking!  I am blessed to receive a number of messages from recipe sites.  Today I found something suitable for these hot muggy days but it was way to ‘chi chi poo poo’ for us commoners!  So I thought I would trot out one of my mother’s old standby favorites for a cold dish on a hot day:  Salmon Salad.

As you know, we are landlocked here in Nebraska and the closest we come to having anything seaworthy is the Nebraska Navy.  We don’t have access to fresh seafood on a tight budget-many of us are using food commodities, food pantries, the SNAP program and maybe even Angel Food Ministries.  Even the coupons for the Farmers Markets do not gain access to salmon, for crying out loud!  My mother always used canned salmon but she also made this dish with tuna.  She even used ground beef.  She also subscribed to the theory you can cook once and eat twice.  Cold ground or roast beef in a salad is quite tasty.

Here’s how Mom made her SALMON SALAD:

1 package of pasta.  Mom was partial to shell macaroni.  Use what YOU like: Bow ties? Elbows? Rotini?  Cook it according to package directions, rinse with cold water and drain.

1 medium cucumber, washed and rough chopped-the goodness is just under the peeling.  This time of year people are BEGGING folks to help them use up their zucchini squashes from the gardens!  Great substitute!  Or, use both.

1 can salmon, drained and mashed with a fork-Mom always removed the bones

1 tomato, roughly chopped

1 rib of celery, finely chopped

*Optional: 2 or 3 rings of red onion-white or yellow will work, if you have some on hand

1 pepper, rough chopped-red is pretty but green are cheaper and plentiful in the garden these days

Salt and pepper to taste

I can still see Mom assembling this mixture into the big yellow mixing bowl and tossing it ever so lovingly.  She dressed it with mayonnaise but your family’s favorite will work just fine.  She used to put lettuce leaves or cabbage leaves on the “good dishes” to make lunch or supper feel like a special occasion!  When she made this dish for guests, she added just a sprinkle of celery seed.  Sometimes she would arrange hard cooked eggs on the top of the serving bowl and pass the dish at the table. She often served lemonade with this salad because of the balance of flavors between the salmon and the lemon.

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No doubt YOU have family favorites that were simple and budget friendly.  We would love to have you share those.  Just drop us an email at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com;  it will make our day!

You are always welcome to post your comment on this blog, too.  We remind you that comments must be moderated so they do not always appear instantly!  If you are shy, you may remain anonymous.

All of you have been generous to share the Food Stamps Cooking Club website with your networks and we so appreciate it because when folks visit that site and enter their name and email address they are able to receive the little messages we send to our people.  We never mean to impose but when we find something worth sharing we can give our people a shout out!

Our partners are very pleased that you have paid some mind to them, too.  Thank you so much, everybody.

Plans are in the works for the event sponsored by SENCA later this month here in Southeast Nebraska, as well as our second round of  Cooking Classes!  Watch for that date to be announced!

Connie Baum



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