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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Breakfast and Recipes Galore!

March 31st, 2011

Dear Visitors:  please be advised that there are new entries for

“What Did YOU Have For Breakfast?” which can be accessed from the title at the  the top of this page-there are a coupla doozees on there!

and

Carol was kind enough to send us her crustless quiche recipe.  Here’s hoping you have the ingredients on hand to make that because it will make you hungry just to read about it!

Carol’s recipe appears on the “Recipe Page” which also can be accessed from the top of this page.
In addition to all those goodies, Tasha Halpert sent a few of her Household Tips along…Check above where it says, “Household Hints” and you will find her great ideas.

We are so happy to be able to provide this service to those who use EBT cards for SNAP or WIC; those who have Angel Food Ministries foodstuff; those who use Farmers Market Coupons or food commodities.  If people have food that came from a food pantry, we are delighted to be of service there, too!

We continue to welcome new Club Members who offer up their name and email address so we can get a series of Cooking Tips to them.  We are just tickled pink to have new faces around the Club House.  We are excited to see what they send along! We have some OUTSTANDING contributors and commenters.  This is just what makes our hearts sing with joy!

Enjoy your time here and hurry back for a real blog post tomorrow…Mother Connie must hurry off to the Lenten Luncheon today!

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Speaking of Breakfast…

March 30th, 2011

 

Kids need a good start for the day after a good night's rest. So do adults! Even on a budget, it's quite do-able!

It’s MikeMax’s “fault” that we are discussing breakfast this week.  She got us all thinking about what we can eat for breakfast when we have more month than money.  She even inspired the creation of a new page, as you no doubt have noted.  In case you missed it, we are calling it “What Did YOU Have for Breakfast?”  which is not only clever, but self explanatory.  And Mother Connie is grinning…

The candor there is refreshing and the ideas just make us think of other things we can do to make the first meal of the day interesting, quick and CHEAP.

I read something the other day about breakfast that I’ve been wanting to share and today is the day.

It seems that Americans have broken out of the ‘toast n coffee and hurry out the door’ mold by including different, perhaps healthier choices as day starters.  Oatmeal, it seems is coming into its own again; chocolate is being included more-especially the dark chocolate, thought to be healthier than milk chocolate.

Juice choices are going beyond standard issue OJ to include other bottled juices and even the “designer” juices that are available online.  I dunno about YOU, but we had designer juices every time my mom mixed the last of the grape juice with the last of the apple juice to use up what was in the fridge!  She was also big on adding apple juice to prune juice. Mother Connie is fond of running home canned tomatoes through the food processor and straining that into a pitcher.  The residue that is left in the strainer makes awesome thickener for spaghetti or pizza sauce!

Eggs are expected to make a big comeback on the breakfast scene.  This is good news to your humble blogger, for eggs are a whole food that nourish bodies of all ages and they are easy to digest, in most cases.  Not only that, eggs are generally affordable.  During the Lenten season and through Easter they are likely to be specially priced. While eggs do not keep indefinitely, they do keep quite well and can be used in jillions of ways besides breakfast fare.

People who use WIC or SNAP’s EBT cards or Angel Food Ministries or Farmers Market Coupons can see the wisdom in using eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  People who depend on food commodities or food pantry food lean hard on eggs to make meals stretch and stretch their food budget as far as possible.  If you are just frugal you are wise to use eggs as a wonderful source of protein in lots of different ways.

It is patently obvious that Food Stamps Cooking Club members are clever and creative.  It will be great fun to hear what you have to say about eggs for breakfast!  Send your comments to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  or post them at the bottom of this post, won’t you please?  Thanks oodles.

As we think about breakfast and hot cereal Mother Connie has stern warnings about the use of microwave ovens.  You have to understand that microwave ovens are dangerous, no matter what the manufacturer or the feds tell you.

Making hot cereal in a pot on the stove is a no brainer and takes very little time.  If time in the morning is an issue, think ahead.  Measure the water and salt and cereal before you go to bed and let it all hang out on the stovetop.  As you run the coffee through and pour some juice or cut some fruit the cereal can be bubbling and if you stir it occasionally it will not stick to the bottom of the pot.  Very soon it will be ready and your family will  have a good, hot breakfast.  Change it up by adding raisins or other dried fruits, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg.  For special mornings, like Mondays, as an example, get the gang going by letting them pour chocolate milk over their cereal. Not that chocolate milk is so wonderful; it’s just a special treat if it only happens on Mondays!

Another note about the nuker:  Don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s OK to use for thawing meats or heating water for tea or whatever else.  THEY ARE HAZARDOUS TO HUMAN HEALTH.

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


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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Breakfast is Served?

March 29th, 2011

 

Breakfast, with a bit of planning, can be a great day starter, even on a frugal budget!

Food Stamps Cooking Club has a brand new page!  Stop by there and leave YOUR morning menu there for us to see, won’t you, please?

It was Mikemax’s idea to start this  new page. She, like many of us, has come through a long and expensive month.  Having a good breakfast is important and even when you are squeezing your nickels until the buffaloes bellow, you can eat well and wisely.

Users of Angel Food Ministries, those who watch every penny of their food budget to s t r e t c h their food dollars, holders of EBT cards for SNAP or WIC, consumers of food commodities and food pantry food, lovers of comfort food and foodies in general can get good help from the new page.  Everyone will be welcome to GIVE good ideas, as well.  You may leave your comment on the new page, on this post, or you could send an email to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  and make our day!

You have been spreading the word, it seems, about this little blog.  For one thing, we have been nominated for Babble’s Top 100 Food Bloggers for 2011 and currently sit at #41-THANK YOU-and you have sent your pals to submit their names and email addresses in order to receive our series of cooking tips and infrequent email messages.  THANK YOU AGAIN!  And WELCOME to all the new Club Members!  It is great to have you as part of our foodie family!

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

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Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Cooking, Message from Mother Connie

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Real People, Real Food?

March 26th, 2011

 

What’s on YOUR grocery list? Real food?

You may have seen information on the web recently about some marketers who are offering a new product called “Real Guys.  Real Money.”  You may be wondering what on earth that has to do with SNAP or WIC or Angel Food Ministries.  You might question how that relates to food commodities or food pantries.  What could that possibly have to do with YOU saving money on your grocery bill,  assisting you with s t r e t c h i n g your food budget…

I found an ad in our newspaper that just made me want to WEEP.  The ad was full of hype about how all our favorite food combinations are on sale this week end.  They fancy we should stampede through their doors and buy all this JUNK instead of real food.  Real people need real food!

The sad truth of the matter is that people WILL flock to stores everywhere to get what they can afford to buy to fill the tummies of the people they love best.  Here are just a few examples of what I mean:

  1. Young mommies will buy soy formulas for their babies
  2. Tired families will load their shopping carts with chips and crackers.
  3. Working men and women will purchase plastic packages of lunch meats.
  4. People of every size and shape will load up on soda pop.
  5. Shoppers will fill their pantries with canned soups.
  6. Hungry folks will buy peanut butter and cheese “food” that is filled with inedible materials.
  7. People who are determined to cook at home will opt for “helper” products which are loaded with toxicity.
  8. Those who do take time to eat breakfast will choose cold cereals that are devoid of nourishment.
  9. Shopping lists will include non-foods like margarine.

Shoppers will not make these choices because they are bad people.  They make these choices because they have become a habit, or they simply have not learned about the choices that would be better.  They choose the foods in our example because they can afford them.  AFTER ALL, THEY ARE LISTED IN THE SALE BILLS.  They buy these things because they presume that since the items sit on a grocery shelf, they are  automatically edible.

Not so.

Let me say that soy formulas, soy milk, soy products by any name are not good for human consumption because they interfere with hormonal function.

Chips and crackers are not good sources of vitamins or minerals, the fuel that makes the body go, no matter how good their advertising campaigns make them out to be.  Baked not fried?  No matter.  They are packaged, processed.  NO GOOD.

Soda pop and luncheon meats with all their toxic ingredients can ultimately lead to issues with the pancreas, neurological problems and dehydration.  Weight management is nearly impossible if soda pop is ingested.

Canned goods of every description are loaded with MSG or hydrolyzed protein or “emulsifiers” which might very well be powdered U.S. currency! As Jack Paar used to say, “I kid you not.”  Do you want your children eating toxic additives?  I don’t think so.

“Helper” products are a losing proposition.  The junk that is contained in those “cheap” boxes are not good for people.  You can help the flavor of the foods you cook by adding salt and pepper and spices that do not cost a fortune.  Even when helper products are offered at ‘Ten for a Dollar’ you have to know you are buying trouble!

Cold cereals are convenient, to be sure.  But they are processed and so not nutritious.  You can cook up a pot of hot cereal quick as a bunny if only you PLAN AHEAD.  And you will save a king’s ransom!

Are you  using margarine?  It’s plastic.  Cheap peanut butter has lard in it. Your body has no way of digesting margarine and lard clogs up all your plumbing.  Butter is a much better option.  Real peanut butter is far more preferable.  In the long run, these items will be cheaper.

The bottom line is that real people need real food.  Whole food.  Fresh food, if it’s available.  Frozen is acceptable; use canned if you must.

In 1936 our own government declared that the soils used for agriculture was depleted.  How much more depleted must they be by now?  It is really important that we grow as much of our own food as possible and where that is not feasible, we must find real food for our tables.  Even then, supplementation is critically important.

It’s possible your grocery list has now been seriously affected.  I hope you’ll consider these points and adjust your shopping list accordingly, because YOU are an important feature of the Food Stamps Cooking Club.  We want you to be well and happy!

BTW, this post is sponsored by Real Guys Real Money. Maybe you can check them out after you put your groceries away?  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

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Posted in Cooking, Message from Mother Connie, Shopping, Tips

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Is YOUR Breadbox Full?

March 25th, 2011

If your breadbox is full to overflowing, Rainy has some suggestions for you!

One of the best things about this Club are the generous, creative members who pop up with wonderful ideas for food prep!  Rainy has offered bits of wisdom, for which we are grateful:

“Got Bread Coming Out Of Your Ears?

At one time or another, we’ve all had bread piling up on the counter or in the bread box.  “What to do with it?” you may wonder.  Depending on your family composition…whether you have kids in the house, are a single person household…your bread needs may wax and wane day by day.  Still, most households have bread sitting around waiting to be used.

In my house, the heels of bread are rejected…left alone sitting in the bottom of the bread wrapper.  Now at certain times of the year, when it is more common for me to think of making stuffing; I will save them up in freezer bags to save up until I get enough to put together a nice sized dish of stuffing.

Those very same crusts of bread make great croutons for the tops of our salads when they are drizzled with a little bit of olive oil and dusted with some of my favorite spices and seasonings.  I love homemade croutons because I can flavor them the way that I want, without all of those preservatives that purchased croutons have in them.

There have been moments when I confess to having gotten overzealous in purchasing loaves of bread, when they were perhaps on sale, or I over-estimated how much my family would use for lunches and for toast to go along with their quick morning breakfasts.  This seems highly wasteful to have loaves of bread sitting in their wrappers going all stale and risking getting moldy.

Because of this…I have gotten very creative at saving loaves of forgotten bread.  I have to confess, when I first got married my mother in law tried to convince me of the wonders of bread pudding.  Can I just tell you that the way she described it to me turned me off right from the start? She said, “I just take all of the dried up OLD bread and the milk that is starting to turn bad and dump it into the bowl with some cinnamon, sugar and raisins.  It tastes great!”  That might be but, she needed to be a bit more creative in her descriptive skills.  lol

I had never had it.  She made it for me but I still wasn’t impressed.  Over the years I have come to love bread pudding…but I had to experiment with it.  For one thing, I love her dearly…but, her recipe seemed undone to me; it could have cooked a bit longer for my liking.  Another thing, I have discovered that bread pudding can be made with whatever fruits that you love that make your mouth water.   Bread pudding doesn’t HAVE to be made with raisins.  Just this morning I made two batches with varying fruits.  One of the dishes was made with blueberries and apples; the other was made with some left over canned peaches & pears.  Yummy.

Ok, so you may not have whole loaves of bread sitting there staring you in the face.  Maybe you only have a few slices.  Why can’t you just whip up some egg, milk & vanilla or cinnamon and fry up some french toast.  If you have extra…fry it up too and put it into freezer bags for those mornings when you don’t have time to cook.  Just heat it up for a quick breakfast on the run.

Still not feeling the love for that lonely loaf of bread?  How about a cheese strata?  In a large greased cake pan lay down a layer of bread across the width of the pan.  In a separate mixing bowl, whip eggs and milk.  Pour egg mixture over the bread, sprinkle some shredded cheese (either whatever flavor you prefer) and sprinkle some garlic powder, salt, onion powder and some tumeric.  Maybe you like some Italian spices or possibly some parsley…whatever seasonings you love sprinkle them over the egg mixture.  Then, layer another layer of bread over the egg, milk and cheese…pour the leftover egg mixture and pop it into the oven.  Bake until the Stratta is done when a knife is inserted in the bread and comes out clean…and the top of the strata is golden brown.

Always try to find veggies and/or fruits to have as a side dish when you are using bread as a main ingredient for one of your meals.  The bread is great because it can be a wonderful filler for hungry tummies…but, the body needs its fruits and veggies too.

I hope I have given you some useful ideas.  Maybe you have a few ideas of your own to share with the readers…please do.  I love learning new ideas for dishes made with left over bread.  Just because a family is limited on funds, it doesn’t mean that meals have to be stuck in a rut or boring, right?  It is great learning from one another!”

~Rainy

Yes, of course those ideas are GRAND, me love.  Thanks again!  I do hope others will chime in with their great ideas, too.

Mother Connie Sez:

Here’s my two cents’ worth.  I throw the leftovers-although we ‘fight’ over the crusts around here-into the food processor and crumble them til they look the way I want them to look.  They go into a freezer bag and are laid flat.  Whenever I need bread crumbs for a particular dish they are at the ready!

I can remember my mother slicing home made bread and lining it up on cake racks to sit overnight on the counter, draped with a fresh dish towel.  She wanted it to be dried out so she could make French Toast the next morning!  Some chefs advocate letting the bread soak overnight in the refrigerator in an egg/milk mixture.  So go figure!

I have fabulous news to share!  We have received more new club members this month than any month since we “opened for business” and it is thrilling to see the list of names growing!  We are grateful to each one who has come by.  We are excited to get comments and email messages: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  Thanks, boys n girls!

If you hold an EBT card for SNAP or WIC; if you use food commodities or a food pantry; if you utilize Farmers Market Coupons, Angel Food Ministries foods or you simply watch your food budget like a hawk, this site was created for you.  We sincerely hope it is assisting you to S T R E T C H your food dollars!


Today’s post is sponsored by ToothSoap. Please cruise on over to their site and mention Mother Connie, won’t you?  Thanks!

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Squash the CleanUp?

March 18th, 2011

Squash as a pasta with no cooking? Sounds like a PLAN!

Do you use an EBT card for WIC?  Do you have foods you bought with SNAP funds?  Do you despise the cleanup aspect of the dinner hour?

How about Angel Food Ministries goods?  Or food from a pantry or food commodities?  Do you have those? Well, there’s still clean up whenever you prepare food…

In cruising around the web Mother Connie discovered a great idea for a no-cooking meal.  This is a great notion for the mom and dad who work all day and come home just too exhausted to cook and clean up the  mess!  The best part for me, though, is that this is an extremely healthy and delicious  meal.

From Living Frugally on LearnVest 3 18 11 by Allison Kade:

Healthy Squash “Pasta”

And Spinach-Parsley Pesto

5 to 6 large zucchinis and yellow squashes
1 ½ oz. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup blanched almonds, chopped (these can be found ready-chopped)
About ½ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
About 4 cups spinach – dried well and chopped
About 1 cup fresh parsley – dried well and chopped

With a vegetable peeler, peel the all of the zucchini and squash into thin strands. This easy step should take about twenty minutes, and you can actually eat the result as is. The zucchini and squash “noodles” have a pleasant, crunchy texture, and are heartier than a simple salad.

Combine cheese, garlic, almonds, and 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a food processor. (If you’re low on time or you don’t want to deal with a food processor, marinara sauce or pre-made pesto works well too.) Pulse briefly, until a paste forms. Add salt and pepper. Pulse a few more times, and then add in the greens. While the processor is on, add the rest of the olive oil. Make sure not to over-process the greens.

Spoon the pesto over the “noodles” and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Zucchini and yellow squash make great companions!

This will be a wonderful summertime dish, too, because “no oven” preparation will not heat the kitchen.  Squashes are more plentiful and gentle on the food budget in the summertime, as well.  We are grateful to the folks at LearnVest for sharing that great recipe.

We continue to be amazed at the new Club Members joining our ranks; we can’t WAIT to see what they have to offer us in the way of comments!  You are encouraged to comment here or you are welcome to email us here: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.

Are you living on a dime?  Do you yearn to add additional income to your household?  If either of these is true for you, it might be wise for you to scope out a couple of our sponsors:  Living On a Dime and Rapid Cash Marketing. We have other sponsors, too.  We hope you pay today’s sponsors a call and let them know Mother Connie pointed you in their direction.

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

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Foood Stamps Cooking Club: Erin Go Braugh?

March 17th, 2011

 

Soda bread is as Irish as it comes and it is o so delicious!

Everybody’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day!

Users of WIC or SNAP’s EBT cards are Irish, just as holders of coupons for Farmers Markets and users of food pantries, food commodities and Angel Food Ministries.  Everyone who is frugal is Irish today so we offer a traditional Irish goody: “Irish Soda Bread.”  We must have had the wind to our backs, for we spied a great find on All Recipes. com from Taste of  Home and June DeWeese, whom we thank profusely!

Irish Soda Bread
from June DeWeese  and Taste of Home

4  cups  all-purpose flour
3  tablespoons sugar
3  teaspoons baking powder
1  teaspoon salt
3/4  teaspoon baking soda
6  tablespoons cold butter
1  1/2 cups raisins
1  tablespoon caraway seeds
2  eggs, beaten
1  1/2 cups buttermilk

Method:
1.   In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds. Set aside 1 tablespoon beaten egg. In a bowl, combine buttermilk and remaining eggs; stir into crumb mixture just until flour is moistened (dough will be sticky). Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead about 10 times. Shape into a ball.

2. Place in a greased 9-in. round baking pan. Cut a 4-in. X, 1/4-in. deep, in the center of the ball. Brush the top with reserved egg. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if top browns too quickly. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

***Please note that the Kitchen Police will not be on duty today if you have no caraway seeds or if your gang picks out every raisin.

**If you have no buttermilk, just measure out the 1  1/2 cups of sweet milk and add a tablespoon of vinegar to it.  Stir. Now you have fake buttermilk.  The Food Police will not notice, nor will they care.

Another item for our consideration is that we heard from one of our sponsors, Living On a Dime, this morning.  She suggests we look into this if we are interested in saving  $$$ on our groceries.

Dear Friends,

With the current economic conditions many of us are having more difficulty making the money we have cover all of our expenses. The good news is that there are hundreds of ways that you can reduce the strain on your budget and save money so you can keep more of that money for the things that are really important to you.

With the rise in the price of groceries, we have decided to offer a
“Savin’ O’ The Green” special, a helpful series of e-books
including the Grocery Shopping on a Budget e-book set and the Menus On A Dime e-book set along with 5 great bonus items to help you stretch your grocery budget. Even better, this week you can get this Savin’ O The Green 15 e-book package for $17, a 73% discount off of the regular price of $63.70 for these e-books!

You’ll be amazed how easy it is to trim your grocery bill! To go
take advantage of this special offer right now, go to Living On a Dime.

The e-books that are included in this offer are:

Grocery Shopping On A Budget e-book
Money Saving Meats e-book
Saving On Cleaning Supplies e-book
Eating Healthy On A Budget e-booklet
Is Eating Out Eating You Up? e-book
224 Meals In A Hurry e-book
Grocery Savings e-book
Menus That Make Cents e-book
Plan Ahead Leftovers e-book
Quick Dinners e-book
Menus On A Dime e-book
Kids Recipes e-book
Crock pot Recipes e-book
Quick And Easy Cooking e-book
Blue Ribbon Recipes e-book

Get your grocery budget under control today! For more information on this exciting offer, visit Living On a Dime.

Boys n girls, I own some of these e-books.  They are super and you’ll enjoy them if they are within your reach. ~Mother Connie

Dance a jig and enjoy your day, all you Irish people!  grin

*When you visit our esteemed sponsors, be sure to let them know that Mother Connie sent you!  And by the way, there are some exciting things in the works with some of our sponsors so be on the lookout for announcements from them!

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Fruit Roll?

March 14th, 2011

 

Any of these fruits would be suitable for a fruit roll for the teacher!

The Normantor, The Bird and I were having our second cup of coffee in the Club House this morning when the subject of Fruit Rolls came up.  The Bird giggled when asked if he recalled taking oranges for his teachers.  The Normanator had never heard tell of such a thing.  Then it was The Bird’s and my turn to giggle.

In case you are in The Normanator’s camp and unfamiliar with this long standing tradition from Mother Connie’s childhood, allow me to enlighten you.  The word would be spread among the kids at school that there would be a Fruit Roll for Teacher on such-and-such a day.  Each child was to bring a piece of fruit and keep it out of Teacher’s sight.  During class time, someone would stand and cry out “Fruit Roll!” and everyone would roll their offering on the floor, along the rows of desks, arriving at the Teacher’s feet.  She would pretend to be surprised-grapefruits are hard for first graders to hide- and everyone would clap and holler, “YAY! Teacher!”  Sometimes it would be to welcome the instructor back from an illness or birth of a baby or simply to honor them at the end of the school year.

Mother Connie teased The Normanator that since he is MUCH older-she has remained 33 but he just observed another birthday last week-this tradition of rolling fruit is something for the younger generation.

SIDEBAR:  The Normanator did not buy that story. END SIDEBAR.

Now treats called fruit rolls can be purchased in boxes by the dozens.  That is a completely different kettle of fish…

When Mother Connie’s kids were little, drying fruit was a popular activity.  Dehydrators came along and fruit or any food could be dried and preserved relatively easily.

Dried fruits are wonderful because they keep well and they are so sweet that it takes a very small amount to satisfy a sweet tooth or make a hot cereal more interesting.  They are great snacks for lunchboxes and after school or road trips, too.

Fruit leathers...

I think these things can be made in an oven but I’m no expert, nor do I have a dehydrator.  So let’s toss this one to the Club Members.  They are THE most clever people on the planet, very cost conscious and creative.  It will be great fun to hear from everybody.

You can leave your ideas and recipes in the Comments section or send them to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

If you are using an EBT card for WIC or SNAP, you are no doubt looking for ways to trim the cost of your groceries.  If you use food commodities or a food pantry, you are eager to learn ways to s t r e t c h your food budget.  If you use Angel Food Ministries, Farmers Markets Coupons or you are simply a thrifty sort, you are ready, willing and able to do whatever it takes to make the grocery money match the month. Anyone who is living on a dime can relate to this need!

We want to welcome the new faces who have signed up for our series of cooking tips and infrequent email messages.  It’s great fun to have you come aboard and participate in all the fun around here!

Cruise on over to your sponsors, if you have the time.  We are propped up by Living On a Dime, Saving Dinner, Rapid Cash Marketing and ToothSoap.  They’d love it if you popped in and let them know that Mother Connie sent you!

If you would like to see our sister blogs here is the list:

Mother Connie Sez, where you-know-who rants and raves about health and healing and other assorted random subjects.  The Healthy and Wealthy You explores, of all things, health and wealth-big surprise, eh?  And SoapyTeeth is the most fun of all, offering state of the art dental care ideas.

OK, boys and girls.  Let us know about your dehydrator recipes!

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.

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Posted in Cooking, Message from Mother Connie, Recipes, snacks

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: How LONG is a Month?

March 12th, 2011

 

Mikemax says March is going to be a very long month. What can be done when there is more month than money?

Oh, bless Mikemax’s heart.  She is asking for our help, so let’s all reach into our own bags of tricks and see how we can help her      s t r e t c h her money to match her month.

“March is going to be a lonnnnnng month at our house.

We pay our bills in full every month, but this month they were more than I expected.  We had an unexpected medical bill, and other big ticket bills to pay.  I budget for most of this stuff, but—as you can imagine—I’m coming up short. Waaaaaaay short. I often say that people run out of money before they run out of month. Oboy, does that apply to me right now!

I’m cutting expenses everywhere I can.

  • The first thing I did was to inventory and organize my freezer and take note of all of the canned and packaged food in my pantry. I probably have enough meat to see me through the month…so long as nobody gets tired of turkey and bean soup!
  • Because I want to use up leftovers as I go, I didn’t write detailed daily menus. However, I’m making a point of deciding a day ahead what we will be eating the next day. This helps make sure I actually cook it!
  • The only groceries I am buying this month are bread, milk and produce. I will make do with the rest, which will surely include some substituting. I hope to find myself near the bread thrift store soon–but at $3.51 a gallon for gas, I won’t be making a special trip.
  • Saturday, I found myself at Rite-Aid with coupons and a list of good deals that I’d been carrying around all week. I wrote the list before that $1,000 bill rolled in  and I’d expected insurance to cover it.  I immediately crossed everything off the list that wasn’t a necessity right now. Saved me about $20. It’s all stuff we’ll eventually need, but no non-food purchases until April.
  • No soda, not even on sale. I’m making iced tea. We don’t drink, so I won’t miss beer and wine.

I’m sure some readers are thinking, “So what else is new? Now she knows what I go through every day of every month!” And, yes, that’s true. Although I grew up in a family that lived payday to payday-and always came up short-I’ve been more fortunate as an adult. I’ve been this broke before, but usually not with almost the entire month stretching out in front of me. Fortunately, I’ve always cooked cheap.

But even cheap cooks need help sometimes. I’m asking for your advice.

One of the things I found in the freezer was an 8 lb. bone-in turkey breast. I cooked it for dinner Sunday with homemade mashed potatoes, leftover gravy from the freezer, winter squash cooked and frozen last fall and homemade cranberry sauce. I didn’t have any canned, but I had half a bag of frozen berries. Great dinner!

However, I’m looking at a LOT of turkey leftovers. I also have two turkey halves in the freezer, and may cook one near the end of the month. We ate a lot of leftover $.99 pork roast last week, and I hope not to duplicate last week’s menus with turkey.

Any ideas, fellow Club Members?

To further complicate matters, my daughter and I are dieting. We are more or less following the old Weight Watchers Points plan, which is low fat with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Now do you have any ideas? Please post them in the comments section!

In addition to the turkey breast, I’ve got a little bit of beef, including a forgotten pot roast!-some pork, cubed ham, no bacon, a couple of old dead chickens and a 20 lb. turkey that’s been cut in half. I have a can of pink salmon. I have most of the basic ingredients on hand, but not much in the way of fancy groceries. I do have a can of coconut milk I’d love to use up, if this rings a bell with anyone. I have low fat Swiss cheese, but can only eat small amounts of it. I have rice, pasta and a bag of potatoes, but again, amounts are limited by our diet. We can have ½ cup pasta or rice, no butter or gravy.

Oh, I got two dozen uber-fresh eggs at the farm stand today. Good egg ideas/recipes where you can really taste the freshness would be super. Eggs like these are a big treat for us and a cheap thrill. It’s been awhile, but the girls are laying again. Woo-hoo!

In addition to your good ideas, I’d love to have your recipes, too.”
~Mikemax, formerly known as Maxine

Now, those of us who are well acquainted with this very same issue-stretching the food to match the month-and are using EBT cards from SNAP, WIC … those of us who use food pantries and food commodities and Angel Food Ministries and all the tips we’ve come up with just from living on a dime should be well able to help Mikemax.  It’s the least we can do for all the posts she has given us!

Use the comment section to let us know how YOU stretch the food money to fit the month.  And you can email us at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com . It will make our day.

You have been sharing the news about us – we know this because of the voting  for the Top 100 Mommy Food Bloggers on Babble.com and all the new members who have been coming to the Club House.  YAY, YOU!  Incidentally, the blog was listed as #43 at last check.  WOW.

Be sure to give our sponsors a shout out.  They are really important to the well being of the Club.  Today’s post is courtesy of Living On a Dime.

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.

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: No-Pressure Cookery?

March 12th, 2011

 

If you are pressured about getting dinner on the table, you might like Mikemax's ideas for using a pressure cooker!

It makes no difference whether you have a trust fund for your grocery budget or you are living on a dime, staying within the parameters of  your EBT card for SNAP or WIC.  Even if you have goods from a food pantry, use food commodities or Angel Food Ministries…you still have to put a meal on the table night after night after night.  Most of us have to do it after a tough and tiring day at work; some of us have little people underfoot as we do so.

Being the faithful Club Member among MANY faithful club members that she is, Mikemax, formerly known as Maxine, has come to our rescue with just the remedy we are ready to have!  Here’s what Mikemax has to say in Part 2 of her latest generous offering:

 

A microwave isn’t the only way to cook fast. Pressure cookers were the original fast cookers, and they work as well today as they did 75 years ago. Better, in fact—now they come with pressure relief valves, which means you’d really have to work at it to blow one up.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”—Franklin D. Roosevelt.

That’s a line from his first inaugural address, but he could have been writing the instructions for Eleanor’s pressure cooker!


“Don’t worry—be happy”—Bobby McFerrin.

I inherited my first pressure cooker, a circa-1948 Presto Model 60, from my mother. After my husband lost it,- Don’t ask! -I bought a Mirro at Kmart about 10 years ago for $16. The cheapies only cook at 10 lbs. pressure, but that works fine for almost everything.

Within the last year, I found a Model 60 in pristine condition at a thrift store for $4.50. I couldn’t resist! It’s a little bigger than the Mirro and cooks at 5, 10 and 15 lbs. pressure. Woo-hoo!

With a pressure cooker, you can make many homemade soups in only 10 to 15 minutes. Chili and stews in 15 minutes. Chicken and dumplings in less than 30 minutes. Pot roast in 45 minutes. You can use it to cook meats, rice, vegetables and desserts. And, of course, dry beans cook best in a pressure cooker, and cook time is only 10-20 minutes (depends on variety) after soaking.

If you need an instruction booklet, go online. Don’t worry about the exact model—there isn’t much difference between brands and all cook the same way. Try the Presto website.

Whether you are cooking in a Crock Pot or a pressure cooker, the thing to remember is that meat and veggies don’t necessarily cook at the same rate. If you are making pot roast, for example, you’ll probably be happier if you cook the meat until it is tender, then add the veggies and cook until done.

Just a reminder–save time for tomorrow’s dinner by making at least twice as much salad as you intend to eat tonight. Add dressing and croutons only to the amount you are serving tonight. Cover the remaining salad, refrigerate and it’s all ready for another day.

The less I have to cook in the hour before dinner, the better we eat!“

~mikemax, formerly known as Maxine”

*PS/If you need an instruction booklet, go online. Don’t worry about the exact model—there isn’t much difference between brands and all cook the same way.    Here’s a website with a lot of information, including cooking times:

http://fastcooking.ca/pressure_cookers/cooking_times_pressure_cooker.php

*Mother Connie here: NO ONE HERE benefits if you click on the above link and a purchase results.  We are more interested in your getting information than we are in taking money from 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.

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