Archive for February, 2011

« Older Entries

Food Stamps Cooking Club: If You’re Living On a Dime…

February 25th, 2011

 

Tawra Kellam has some super cooking and shopping tips to share!

Those of you who have been coming to the Club House for awhile know that we cater to users of public assistance…many of you have signed up for our series of cooking tips-and we appreciate that, btw-but today I got a message from Tawra I just HAD to share:

“Cooking Tips To Save You Money!
by Tawra Kellam

http://www.LivingOnADime.com

Need a quick cooking tip? Here are a bunch of little things you can do to save a lot of money in the kitchen!
*Put flour in an old spice bottle to use when flouring cake pans.

*Unsure what a Dutch oven is? It’s just a 6-8 quart saucepan or large pot.

*Having leftovers again? Serve them by candlelight with tablecloths or place mats. A tablecloth and candles make even plain meals look special.

*This is an unexpected canape and a handy little finger food. Take your favorite cream cheese dip and roll about 1 teaspoon full into a ball. Press it between two walnut halves.  Lay on a platter to serve.

*Save dry cereal odds and ends to add to your Chex mix when you make it.

*Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting it in the fridge. It will keep much longer.

*When you have one hot dog, hamburger, sausage patty, or slice of ham left over, put it in a container in the freezer. Use these leftovers to make a meat lover’s pizza or to add a little more zip to a regular frozen pizza.

*Add a few of your favorite spices to a frozen pizza or add extra cheese and toppings.

Mix and match any of these:
Bread and honey butter. This is an old fashioned easy stand by. Place some soft, fresh bread on a plate and honey butter in a bowl for something that is good and couldn’t be easier. Make honey butter by mixing a little bit of honey into regular butter.
Sliced fruit of any kind. Cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, kiwi and others work well.
Sliced veggies of any kind. Try tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots or celery.
Sandwiches of every kind. You aren’t committing a sin by serving your family easy sandwiches on a hot summer day. Combine them with fresh fruits or veggies and you’ve got a meal.
Salads – Jello, fruit, veggie, pasta or potato salads make great summer fare.
Desserts – Ice cream, ice cream and more ice cream. Make it into floats, banana splits, brownie sundaes or regular sundaes, milk shakes, ice cream pie or ice cream sandwiches.
If you have leftover brownies or cake, add a few pieces to the bottom of a dish and then top with pudding and whipped cream.
Keep a bag or container in your freezer to store that 1 or 2 pieces of coffee cake, donuts or other baked goods that are sometimes left over, which doesn’t happen often in my house ;-) . Then when you get enough for your favorite bread pudding recipe. Hopefully one that is in the Dining on a Dime Cookbook; use them instead of bread.

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit  Living On A Dime.”

*THANKS A BUNCH, JILL AND TAWRA!  ~Mother Connie

We have all been in a spot.  We KNOW what it feels like to be living on a dime.  Been there, done that.  Even have the Tee shirt…if you are using public assistance like SNAP or WIC or if you have food commodities or frequent food pantries you can benefit from Tawra and Jill’s good advice.  If you have Angel Food Ministries bundles or you just appreciate a food budget that s t r e t c h e s…this blog and Jill and Tawra’s materials can really help a lot.

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly

4 comments »

Posted in Cooking, Guest Post, Tips

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Is Leanne Full o Beans?

February 25th, 2011

 

It's the end of the month...beans help us make it to the end of every month on full tummies!

One of Mother Connie’s own personal comfort foods is beans of any kind prepared in any dish.  Leanne Ely, The Dinner Diva, whose job it is to help us in Saving Dinner, has written about it and what she has to offer follows here:

“Dear Readers,

Are you tired of wasting money on canned beans?  Not sure what to do with dry beans? Want some quick tips to make it easier? Keep reading and you’ll learn a few things to get you started in the right direction. Then, be sure and click on the link to view my latest video. These are packed full of fun information to help you get dinner to the table! You won’t want to miss this article or video!

After breakfast comes lunch and then, it’s dinner time. Do you know what’s for dinner tonight? Find out with Leanne’s SAVING DINNER BOOKS HERE.

To Your Health–

~Leanne

If you wanna get down and dirty and really get cheap, you need to start thinking beans, legumes; the dried variety. Bean there, done that, got the t-shirt!   Sorry; couldn’t help myself.

Being the quintessential cheap eat and nutritional wunderkind that beans are, nothing beats a big batch o’ beans. They are easy to prepare and virtually foolproof to make, especially when you employ these tips:

#  The Presoak: After your beans have soaked overnight, give them a rinse and put fresh water in the pot for cooking. Some people may complain that you’re throwing away some of the nutrition, but honestly, you’re eliminating a lot of musicality of beans by doing this–if you’re following my lead.
#  The Salting. Wait until your beans are completely tender before adding salt. Salt can make the tenderizing process not happen.
#   The Water. If you have hard water, your beans may not soften. Use bottled water if that is the case. You can add some baking soda too (1 teaspoon per quart).
#   The Age. Old beans mean tough beans. Make sure you buy your beans fresh and that they’re from a market with a good turnover. Otherwise those beans may stay as hard as granite–even if you diligently apply all these fine steps. Beans are beans, but old beans are rocks.

Questions I invariably get asked but hate answering has to do with the “musicality” of the fine bean. Listen, there is no swift answer. If you ask enough people, they’ll all come up with their own remedy for fixing this indelicate problem. But the best one, believe it or not, is just eat more beans. Oh yes, more beans. Then your body becomes adjusted and you’ll be a little more discreet in the aftermath of your bean consumption. However, all bets are off that I’ll ever show up at your house while you’re going through the “adjustment” period!

WAIT…I almost forgot. Want a beanie kinda recipe? Here you go. This is my old faithful standby.  Gets me thru just about anything!

Crock Pot Mixed Beans and Turkey Ham
Serves 6

1 cup dry beans – mixed, your choice
Presoaked  *see above for instructions
3/4 cup carrots- Diced
3/4 cup celery – Diced
3/4 cup onion – Chopped
1 1/2 cups turkey ham Chopped
2 cans chicken broth – Or veggie broth
1 1/2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook beans on high for four hours in crock pot or until beans are tender.  After beans are cooked, add remaining ingredients and cook 2-3 more hours until done. Add more water as needed.

Per serving: 223 Calories; 4g Total Fat; 21g Protein; 10g Fiber; 26g Carbohydrate; 33mg Cholesterol; 1026mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain (Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:  Serve with cornbread and a big green salad.

VEGETARIANS:  Skip the ham and you’re there!”

Copyright (C) 2010 www.savingdinner.com Leanne Ely, CNC All rights reserved.

Here’s hoping you can find a moment to cruise by Leanne’s website and learn more about Saving Dinner in your own home!  Also, be sure to enter your name and email, if you have not already done so, on the box in the upper right hand corner of this page so you can receive our series of cooking tips and the infrequent messages we send along.

If you are new to the Club House, especially if you are living on a dime,  we welcome you with open arms and invite your comments and emails at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com !

We cater to those who use public assistance, such as food commodities, food pantries or have EBT cards for WIC or SNAP.  We find favor with those who are just plain frugal or those who love using Angel Food Ministries and/or Farmers Market coupons.  Everything we offer is meant to help the food budget while keeping everyone in the family as healthy as can be!

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post.  Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated.  Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline.  Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

10 comments »

Posted in Cooking, Guest Post, Recipes, Tips

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Brussels Sprout Are Saving Dinner?

February 22nd, 2011

Like little baby cabbages, these beauties are LOADED with goodness and flavor! Best of all, they are inexpensive!

When I saw what the Dinner Diva had to say about Saving Dinner I wanted to share her thoughts with all of you Food Stamps Cooking Club members!  Here is what Leanne had to say:
“Brussels sprouts look like “little cabbages” and considering that they do belong in the cabbage family, it’s a good thing! The main growing season is between January and October but you can get them year round as they are grown year round in California.

Brussels sprouts are both loved and hated throughout the world. In my estimation, the hatred comes from a childhood experience of eating overcooked Brussels sprouts. Or not eating them. I remember in my own household sitting at the table by myself with a glass of milk trying to choke those hideous things down. A lot has changed since then!B

Lovely Brussels sprouts are packed with like beta-carotene, vitamin C and folate.  A cancer fighting veggie and natural detoxifier and cleanser for your body, these veggies are delightful when prepared correctly.


Here’s Today’s TRICK:

If you’re cooking rice in your rice cooker pop in the steaming shelf and steam your Brussels sprouts that way. It’s one of the few veggies that will not be over cooked with this method. Stuff the steamer full as they do shrink.


Here’s a TIP:

When picking your Brussels sprouts pick the ones that are firm and bright green in color with clean ends and a nice, cabbagy smell. If they have too strong a cabbage smell, this means they’re older than you’d like and the flavor will be off.
And Your RECIPE:

Lemony Brussels Sprouts

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon sea salt salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup slivered almonds
Water

Boil one inch of water in a pan big enough for the Brussels sprouts (or cook in your rice cooker or other veggie steamer according to directions), place sprouts in boiling water, cover, steam for 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover pot, and stir. Recover pot and cook for five to 10 minutes, stirring twice, until fork tender. Drain. Combine ingredients other than almonds and toss with sprouts. Sprinkle with almond slivers, serve.

Tip: Zest your lemon before you squeeze it!

Mother Connie here:  Great info, isn’t it?  I was sure I would not like these green babies but once I took a bite, I was hooked.  With lemon they will be appealing even to the pickiest of the picky eater crowd!

Leanne likes us to remind you:

Copyright (C) 2010 www.savingdinner.com Leanne Ely, CNC All rights reserved.

This recipe and all the tips and tricks will be most helpful for all home cooks, but especially so for those who use  EBT cards for SNAP or WIC or food pantries or food commodities.  If you use Angel Food Ministries food bundles this will help you stretch your food budgets, as well.  Maybe you are simply frugal; it might be that you are living on a dime.   Maybe you have a THING for Brussels sprouts.  In any case, we all win!

Thanks to you who have signed up for the series of cooking tips and occasional email messages.  We are so happy to have more members in the Club House.  We love your comments and your messages to us, too!  Won’t you send your mail to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and make our day?

Our sponsors are  tickled to be a part of this so if you want to cruise by and give them your regards, that would be very cool.  Rapid Cash Marketing; ToothSoap; Living On a Dime and of course, Saving Dinner help to make this blog possible and we thank them sincerely.

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post.  Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated.  Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline.  Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

8 comments »

Posted in Guest Post, Recipes, Tips

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Neighbor Helping Neighbor Part 2

February 20th, 2011

Neighbors helping neighbors might call for a few garden sprouts...

Regular visitors to this page are well aware of the goodness of the hearts who gather here.  When called upon for ideas about how we could help one another as need is on the rise, they came in full force and gave the matter their best efforts:

From Paula:

There are churches in my area that host giveaways. The schedule varies on whatever each congregation can pull together. One church actually manages to do it once a week. These are all grassroots efforts.

The giveaway might be hand-me-down clothes, it might be personal care products, it might be groceries, it might be garden veggies. The available items depend on what the sponsors can arrange for. (Hint: a lot of these items come from shoppers who are able to pick up a little something extra for cheap or free!)

But one of the best kept secrets in my area seems to be the coupon swap boxes at the libraries. People can drop off their unneeded coupons, take the coupons they want instead, any time the library branch is open. Because of the swap boxes, anyone can collect a good selection of Sunday coupons even if they can’t afford a newspaper subscription.

From Carol

Paula, My Mom’s church in SC does just as you describe: a weekly “donation” of X supply for the parish shelves. those in need just take it, no questions asked.

I wish we had a coupon swap. Not too many use them here, locally that I have seen. I’d suggest it at the library suggestion box, if they had one. : (

From Rainy:

Everybody has great ideas here. I think that seed savers are great because it goes along with preserving or sustaining a standard of living. This is an important skill that many no longer are aware of.

Our church has an enterprising individual who picks up day old breads, rolls, pies, donuts and the like from local supermarkets bakeries that would be throwing them away.

This individual sets them up on a table near the entry way door at church and at the local Department of social services building. This helps so many people and it is free food that would otherwise be thrown away!

From Mikemax, formerly known as Maxine

First, the name thing. When I first came here as Maxine–my real name–I had no idea there was a Maxine already here! As the other Maxine can attest, we NEVER run into others with our name. So, in the future, I’d like to be known as mikemax, which I already use on at least one blog. I’ll use both names for a few weeks until we get used to it.

Mr. Max–aka Mike–and I have been discussing this for awhile. We have several apple and pear trees and do not take care of them. I usually use the fruit to make applesauce, but it’s a lot of work to cut out the worms. We’ve decided this year that we’ll prune and spray and thin them and harvest all of the fruit. What we can’t use ourselves, we’ll give to our favorite food bank.

We also have raspberries in desperate need of rehabbing. We’ll do the best we can with them this year and replant a new row from suckers for better/easier crops in the future.

How many of us here have trees we don’t take care of? I can’t be the only one. If you don’t have trees, how about your friends and relatives? What if you offered to take care of them and split the harvest? What if you gave away the excess to someone in need?

Our family spends a lot of time in Harrison, ID, pop. 267. The Baptist church maintains an informal food bank for the community, and it’s become my favorite charity. They don’t get any support except what walks in the door. Whatever’s on sale that week in Coeur d’Alene (the second-nearest town, 45 miles away) is what I donate, and not just canned goods. So far, I’ve given them potatoes, onions, oranges, apples, eggs, half a dozen 5 lb. bags of flour and sugar bought on sale, oatmeal bought in bulk, toothpaste and a variety of canned goods.

Since we spend so much time in Harrison, we can’t really take care of a garden here or there-and the deer would get it there.  However, I’m hoping to load down the food bank this fall with apples and pears from my trees. Anyone who wants raspberries will have to come pick them!!.

BTW, I have a close friend who is head of a food pantry in Oregon. He mentioned that fruit juice is in high demand. So, when apple juice is on special in the fall for .99 per half gallon, I buy a few and donate it.

Mother Connie here:

Anyone of you would make delightful next door neighbors and you are all so community minded that it warms my heart.  Thank you again for all you have done and all you do for others!

This just in from Rainy:

I am so geeked to get out in my garden and do and be busy getting this stuff started for this year and wouldn’t ya know it…we are slated for an onslaught today of up to 8 inches of fresh extremely wet snow followed by up to 1/2 -3/4 of an inch of ice.

Go figure…just when the heart says start preparing for the giving…those around me are going to get (snow & ice) in excess! ha I will just go deep into the planning stage of the effort of giving in my own way this year.

Mr. Mike – I too thought of trees…as we have several fruit trees that we don’t spray either (I hate chemicals).  However, I will investigate some organic methods and put them into practice this year. I will.  That also brings to mind nut trees.

Who among us has those?  Whooo hoo…I do! I have an OLD black walnut tree.  How many peeps would love that.  Usually, I just leave them lay…shame on me.  The husks are hard, green and smelly and they are hard to open; but, i just bet if I advertise that they are FREE someone would go through the trouble to harvest it for their eating needs. What do ya think would someone go through all that to use the walnuts to add to their food pantry?

Mother Connie again:  We are experiencing an energetic tsunami of love and creative ideas to help those who might just need a boost in life!  Thanks once again, all!

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

4 comments »

Posted in Club Member Comment, Message from Mother Connie, Tips

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Neighbor Helping Neighbor?

February 19th, 2011

Lined up on Mother Connie's kitchen counter are glass jars of dried beans, rice, sugar, mushrooms, noodles...oh, and cookies!

The challenge was put to the Club Members about how we could help one another to get our families fed in times of extreme need…what could we do to assist those who may not fit into the parameters of the SNAP or WIC program?  What about people who cannot, for whatever reason, access a food pantry or qualify for food commodities or do not have Farmers Market Coupons.  Some may have Angel Food bundles; others may be in serious need.

A good friend of the Club, Maxine-not the Maxine who wants us to cook from scratch but the Maxine who roves and keeps in touch by means of a laptop-has sent this suggestion, accompanied by her good thoughts and loving light:

“Connie, your call was wonderful!  I have been thinking of ideas: The idea I come up with is to make individual or small packets of beans, dried fruits and vegetable etc. that people could turn into healthy soup. While people prepare it they also smell the aromas and feel the love that is in it.

Yes, we will be going through different times…we have lived
in times of helping through government help but I often felt how much we were able to do the help vs helping the greed and dependence in us all.


I certainly would encourage gardening and community gardens and the drying of excess fruits and vegetables – soup and other eating.  I like President Obama’s “can do” as an absolute. I’m not meaning to be so hard but I so believe God NEVER gives us more than we can handle.

How we allowed this country to get so out of kilter is a mental thing a huge lack of spirituality.    I’m the first to say it won’t be easy but I know it will be fulfilling in the end.


Wild berries and anything else we find we need to honor and preserve to the best of our abilities.

I think the importance of getting each one of us to know it is up to us – not” them.”   We are all one and the Knowing of that One has within it Abundance for us ALL.

It’s easier SAID than DONE. “

~Maxine H.

OK, Maxine.  You see the jars of goodness lined up on the counter.  I have little bags I could put together some dry ingredients and share with people.  Maybe it could spark a “Soup Event” whereby anyone with a bag of beans and some rice could add their own creativity to it and make sure people who are in need have the fixin’s for at least the ‘soup of human kindness.’

Maybe people have some sprouts seeds to share.  Growing living food in a sunny window is good on so many levels and is a wonderful teaching tool for children.  We could make up little packs of sprouts seeds to accompany the soups!

Keep those ideas flowing, people.  One in 6 children in America is hungry.  How can this Club be of assistance?  How can we share our love and our supplies?

***These people posted comments but their messages are so powerful that I want to place them HERE as well.  The Food Stamps Cooking Club Members are the BEST people in the world!  Thank you, Lorraine and Carol!

“Connie…
I love this philosophy and try to live it myself.  We share excess eggs with people who know who can use them.  We also plant gardens and share.  Here is a way of helping someone long-term.

Why not gift them with vegetable plants so they can grow their own vegetables as well? If they don’t have garden space…pot them up a big salad bowl in a big container.

You could plant a tomato plant in the center, some green onion sets, leaf lettuce all around and maybe a cucumber plant trailing over the side, possibly even some radishes.

Also, when shopping…and the store has those buy one get one free sales?  Why not give the one you got free to someone in need.  This is a good practice to start.  You never know how this might help someone to feed their family.  Those are just a few suggestions!

~Lorraine

“Connie:
I love the idea of a “salad bowl” potted garden. Easy on the elderly, infirmed, appartment dwellers, etc.

Connie’s jars remind me of my own, filled with beans, peas, rice, etc.

What about gifting the rest of an opened package of seeds if your crop is now germinating and you won’t be planting again this season? While I try to save seeds for the next year, they don’t always carry over. If sharing my extras would bless someone, why not?


I also repurpose large coffee cans from Aldi’s (remove the outer label), attach a new label, place contents in a ziplock and then store in my new, metal container”

~Carol

JEEPERS…I’m waiting for Paula and Maxine S and Sandra and Working Poor to chime in….guys?   And other Club Members-I suspect YOU have fabulous ideas, too!  Share the wealth, gang!

On a slightly different note, have you been to Carol’s blog to take a look at her cookies?  O MY…you can ALMOST smell them.  Be sure to leave a comment for her when you pop in.  Carol’s blog has great money saving ideas!

Please visit our sponsors, if you have a moment.  Especially if you are Living on a Dime or have a yen for Saving Dinner!  You might like our sister sites, as well:  The Healthy and Wealthy You or SoapyTeeth or Mother Connie Sez. OF COURSE, as you may have imagined, we are always jonesin’ for comments.  You can email us, too:  foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

12 comments »

Posted in Club Member Comment, Cooking

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Plum Delicious?

February 17th, 2011

Stirred custard with plums

This plum pudding looks and tastes exactly like my childhood! Even the tablecloth is one my mother used!

What persuades us that “bigger is better”  and “more is better than enough”?

These questions came up because I’ve been cooking from my mom’s old cookbook, the TNT Betty Crocker Cook Book circa 1950-something.  The recipes for various dishes are considerably smaller than recipes in today’s world.

No wonder obesity is such an issue…but, I digress.

Someone asked me what to do with dried plums.  They make great lunchbox snacks, that’s for sure.  And you can “stew” them by letting them soften in water that’s brought to a boil and let them steep just like tea.

My mother used to do that to dried plums.  Then she would strain the liquid and save it for breakfast juice to be drunk the next morning.  Sometimes she would use dried plums WITH pits; Dad liked to chew on them! :)

I remember Mom making custard to pour over them, too.  She would often make baked custard but that has a texture that is very different from stirred custard.  Baked custard is firm; stirred custard is soft and goes well with fruits or as a filling for layered cakes.

Here is something straight out of my childhood you will enjoy.  Bear in mind that it makes enough for 4 modest servings.  I might have doubled the recipe but my double boiler would have been OVER full, had I fallen to my temptation!

HARRIET’S STIRRED CUSTARD

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2/3 cups sugar + 1 teaspoon

1  teaspoon flour  *I rounded my spoonful; the Kitchen Police did not storm the room…

2  1/2  cups scalded milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

2  teaspoons vanilla

Combine the eggs and sugar.  Add the flour.  Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly.  *I used a whisk.

Stir constantly as the mixture cooks.  You want the water in the double boiler to be HOT but you don’t want it to boil!  As soon as the custard is thick enough to coat a spoon it is ready for the salt and vanilla.  Chill in individual bowls with plums or plumped dried cherries or raisins.  This yields 4 delicious servings.

*If you want to have just plain custard, the Kitchen Police will not object and neither will those who share your table!  grin

This recipe is perfect for users of WIC or SNAP; it will be valuable for those who have food commodities or have food from a food pantry because it is simple and very inexpensive to make.  It is nourishing and it would surely classify it as a comfort food!

Have you had the time to cruise over to Living On a Dime or Saving Dinner yet?  Both are offering some interesting product sales if you are interested in saving money on your food and household expenses.

You might also like to jet over to Rainy’s blog to thank her for the interview she put up there for us!  She, like you, GETS the value of the Food Stamps Cooking Club and was eager to promote it!

Many of you have been promoting us on your own by encouraging those in your circle to submit names and email addresses in order to receive our series of cooking tips and occasional email messages.  We thank you for this.

We are equally grateful for messages that come to our inbox: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com hint/hint   grin

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post.  Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated.  Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline.  Always do business with those you trust implicitly.



8 comments »

Posted in Cooking, Recipes, Tips

Tags:

Lorraine Wellman and Connie Baum Speak About Food Stamps Cooking Club?

February 17th, 2011

14 comments »

Posted in Interview, Message from Mother Connie

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: The Word Is OUT?

February 16th, 2011

This woman could very well be one of our very own Food Stamps Cooking Club members, cruising in for some food stamps insights...

There is so much excitement at the Club House the roof is bobbing!  Well, almost.

The big news around here is that your humble blogger was interviewed today regarding this blog and the mission we are on to teach people how to stretch their food dollars and eat well and wisely even if they are funding their food budget with SNAP or WIC.  Even if they use food pantries or food commodities, they might find some tips or recipes or an idea that hits them like a brick!  People who use Angel Food Ministries and Farmers Market Coupons will find useful information, too, we hope!

Stay tuned!  The interview should be up soon!  Meantime, please sign up, if you have not, for our series of cooking tips, and the infrequent messages we send.  We also hope you’ll take a moment to make a comment.  We live for your comments and emails. Send your email message: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

You might like to visit our sister sites, too:  SoapyTeeth-you might have guessed it’s about dental care.  There is Mother Connie Sez, which currently features a piece about synchronicity.  On Rapid Cash Review there is information about adding a stream of income to your household.  As you may have suspected, we are jonesing for comments THERE, too!  grin

One of our sponsors is Living on a Dime. Another is Saving Dinner. Both of these sites offer help in the home for not much money.  Give them a peek, won’t you?  Please tell them Mother Connie sent you.

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

2 comments »

Posted in Message from Mother Connie

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Happy Valentines Day!

February 14th, 2011

These darling little boys are our great grandsons. Their mommy captured the moment they were about to display brotherly love with a smooch!

Since it’s Valentines Day we might not like to think of it, but the facts are cold and hard.  One in six children lives in poverty.  Even worse, many of the impoverished families live in “food deserts” where food is hard, if not impossible, to come by.

In our little town it is easy to jump into the car and drive to our local grocery store.  We could also utilize our shoe leather and WALK there and back, if need be.  We could even have the HandiBus come by for us.  We drive 20 miles just to collect our Angel Food Ministries order and we think nothing of it. Let’s face it:  we are spoiled.

What if we had to walk a distance, as some people do, only to find non-nutritive snack foods, non food items, and displays which did not include fruits or vegetables?  And what if we could choose dairy products, only to get them home to discover the expired containers are green with outdated contents?

This is the sad situation in many parts of our country.  Even those who qualify for or have EBT cards for SNAP and WIC cannot procure good food because they do not have access to it, unless by special arrangement.  When you are working more than one part time job or you have children to care for and maybe an elderly parent in the home, it is not easy to get to where the food is.

Those who use commodities may have issues with transportation, too.  People who depend on help from food pantries sometimes need to be clever about car pooling in order to manage their affairs and keep their families fed.

You might like to think on Valentines Day about offering to help a family whose circumstances warrant it.  So many people are living on a dime!   Who do you know who could use a trip to a grocery store or Farmers Market?  With whom could you  share a good, nutritious  lunch?  Maybe there is a Senior Citizen living in low cost housing who could use some Valentine friendship over coffee today.  It’s possible that there is a widow in your neighborhood who could use some greens–why not take her a “bouquet” of fresh produce?

Think of others with love on this special holiday.  Let us know how you facilitated circumventing that food desert and what you did to  make someone feel special!  Do leave a comment here and/or send us a message at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com , won’t you please?  Thanks so much.

And Happy Valentines Day TO YOU!

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post.  Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated.  Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline.  Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

4 comments »

Posted in Message from Mother Connie

Tags:

Food Stamps Cooking Club: Age IS a Factor!

February 11th, 2011

Age may just be a number but when it comes to food, we need to pay attention to age! This basil looks fresh and delish!

Next time you poke around your cabinets or refrigerator, pay close attention to product freshness.  Your family’s well being depends on it.

If you have goods from a food pantry, that food must be within the limits of the expiration date on the package.  Food commodities also need to be fresh.  WIC and SNAP goods, purchased with an EBT card is likely to be fresh at the time of purchase but if it hangs out in your kitchen too long, it could pose problems. Even Angel Food Ministries food carries a “sell by” date.

Here are some handy dandy tips in that regard:

According to Money magazine the average household tosses out an average of 14% of the food that is purchased!  Twenty years ago we tossed “only” 7%.

SIDEBAR:  SAY WHAT?!  Why are we THROWING AWAY  FOOD?  END SIDEBAR.

Let’s suppose you spend, for the sake of argument, $182.00 for a family of 4.  At the above rate, you have squandered $25.00 PER WEEK.  That adds up to $1,325.00 in a year’s time!  SHOCKING!

Herbs are expensive.  Fresh is one thing.  Were I you, I’d buy dried unless you can grow your own and that is not as complex as brain surgery.  You can store them in bunches.  Wash them, shake the excess moisture off and seal them in a zippy bag.  Put them into the freezer.  They’ll stay usable for a month and when they are dropped into a hot pot they will wither and be just fine.  Besides, they are much easier to chop when they are frozen.

Flour, rice and pasta stay in good shape for quite some time.  It takes 6 to 12 months for flour to degrade and pasta will keep up to a couple of years.  BUT, they are magnets for WEEVILS.  To keep them at bay, slip a BAY LEAF into your jar or storage container.  I guess those varmints don’t much care for the scent of the bay leaf.  This is said to be useful for barley, cornmeal, even oatmeal.  You might want to put a few of those bay leaves on your cabinet shelves.  It may help to keep away other unwanted “guests.”

Cheese will stay moist if you butter it!  Simply spread butter on the sides you’ve cut and this helps to seal moisture in.  Mother Connie does this and re-wraps the whole works in waxed paper.

Veggies go bad quickly because they get dry.  The easy way to handle this matter is to run really cold water into your sink or a dishpan and allow things to soak for awhile.  Maybe 30 minutes or so.  HOWEVER, leafy things, such as spinach or kale or lettuces do best when you LEAVE THEM DRY and keep them in an airtight bag.  You might like to wrap them in a dishtowel and put the whole business into a tightly closed plastic bag.  Spinach or lettuce will keep 5 days or more this way.

Salt needs to be kept dry so it won’t clump.  A few grains of dry rice, added the way my Auntie used to do,keeps the salt from getting so hard that it won’t come out of the shaker.  Be sure to check the salt shaker you keep with the good dishes-the one your company might have trouble with if that salt packs in!  OUCH!

Butter keeps really well in the freezer.  When it’s on sale, buy as much as you can afford, stash it in your freezer and let it thaw in your butter dish, one stick at a time.  When it’s frozen, little people will not overuse it!  That saves even more money!

Cottage cheese can turn on you if you don’t keep close track of it.  One way to dramatically cut down on spoilage is to store the container UPSIDE DOWN in your fridge.  This creates a vacuum that discourages bacterial growth.  Pretty cool, huh? This  tip will work just as well for sour cream.

Eggs can go bad in a heartbeat. Fill your dishpan with cold water and put your eggs into that water.  If they float, they are spoiled.  If they sink, they are quite fine to use.  Be sure to break each egg into a bowl to make sure it smells fresh, looks good, and has no eggshells with it before you use it in your cooking and baking.

Here’s hoping these freshness tips will be useful for you.  We must tip our hat to our faithful Club Member and contributor, Rainy, for she did the heavy lifting  on this project.  Thank you, Rainy!

Many of us are living on a dime; we need to make the most of our food budgets.

Connie Baum

The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post.  Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated.  Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline.  Always do business with those you trust implicitly.

8 comments »

Posted in Food News, Tips

Tags: