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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Could Your Head EXPLODE?

August 31st, 2010

You won't BELIEVE what is happening to our healthy choices!

SOMETIMES Mother Connie is sure her head may explode!  Get a load of THIS:  There is an advertising campaign which takes baby carrots, packages them like junk foods-e.g. chips, cookies, etc-and trots them out to tempt children!

Oh, this is fraught with issues.  #1, it’s probably a clever concept and someone will likely be handsomely paid for thinking of it.

#2, I have serious issues with baby carrots.  Yes.  Baby carrots are NOT healthy, NOT nutritious and in some cases they are downright dangerous.

#3, is it kosher for people to appeal to kids in this way?  It makes me squeamish.

The reason why baby carrots are not good is that the clever food processing people take all the ugly, misshapen carrots and make them look perfect because after all, we eat with our eyes first.  Right?  Right.

The problem is that after they get them shaped just so, they dunk them in a vat of slush that purports to keep them sanitary.  That vat has CHLORINE in it in order to kill the bad guys that might be growing there.  Those carrots sit in that brine from the time they go in to the time you use the little critters.  Didn’t you ever notice how LONG those things keep and HOW SLIMY THEY ARE? Yuck!

The manufacturers can dress them up any way they like to sell more stuff.  But if you dress up a pig and put lipstick on it, IT IS STILL A PIG.

Does Mother Connie make herself clear, people?

Families who are managing their food dollars with the help of WIC or SNAP and an EBT,  need to have accurate information about the food they purchase.  For people who use Angel Food Ministries, for those who have items from a food pantry or use food commodities, these are important considerations.  If you have goods from a Farmer’s Market or are just plain frugal and you love food, especially comfort foods, you need to have good information about the food you and your loved ones consume!

Good food is good food.  It should be good FOR you, not just perfectly pretty.

If you have REAL carrots, with their imperfections and all, I want to share a prep tip with you.  And if you get your kids involved in shopping or growing or digging or cleaning the produce the chances of them EATING it are much, much greater.  Here’s what’s really good:

COOKED CARROTS

1 pound of real carrots, scrubbed, not peeled.  Do cut off the end pieces for your stock pot.

Cut the carrots the way you want them to look.  They can be grated, cut crosswise, chopped into chunks-however you like them.

Put them in a heavy saucepan and add some water and salt.  Bring them to a boil; reduce the heat to a simmer and allow them to cook till fork tender.

Drain them, add a spoonful of butter to them and let that melt.  Add 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  These will smell divine, taste so elegant and those kids will beg for second helpings!

DON’T EAT THE BABY CARROTS, NO MATTER HOW THEY ARE PACKAGED!

Mother Connie

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: Smile! It’s Marilyn’s Cucumbers!

August 22nd, 2010


Marilyn knows and grows cucumbers so she sent her favorite salad recipe for us to share!

Marilyn describes herself as frugal.  That pretty much says it all for all of us who hang out in the Clubhouse.  We are all about getting all we can from EBT cards from SNAP and WIC.  We do all we can with food commodities and what comes from the food pantry.  If we have goods from the Farmers Market or Angel Food Ministries, we make that stretch as far as possible.  And then, some of us, like Marilyn, are frugal and want to be good stewards.

She sent her favorite recipe for cucumbers:

MARILYN’S CUCUMBER MARINADE

4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons chopped dill
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper

Combine sliced cucumber with all other ingredients; cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Marinated cucumbers recipe serves 4 to 6

YUMMY, Marilyn!  Pretty similar to what we make at our house but with a bit of a twist.  It’s always fun to freshen the menu with new ideas and we appreciate your sharing!  Thanks so much!

We have  another great offering from our faithful contributor, Sandra.  She suggests this would be a perfect project for the weekend because it needs to simmer to marry the flavors.

SANDRA’S OLD COUNTRY SPAGHETTI GRAVY

3½ hours | 25 min prep | Yields about 24 cups of gravy.

4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

2 (28 ounce) can tomato puree

3 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1 (35 ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree or water (crush by hand when adding to the pot)

4 cloves garlic, crushed (or substitute 2 tablespoons garlic powder)

½ cup onion, chopped

3 – 4 tablespoons good olive oil (it should smell fruity when heated)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon Kosher or other coarse salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional)

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup dry red wine

5 cups water

In a large stockpot on low-med heat add olive oil and sauté onions for about 4 minutes, then add garlic powder and cook a moment longer. Then add remaining ingredients, being sure to mix everything very well. Cover and cook for 2½ hours. Taste and adjust seasonings, salt or sugar as desired.

So now we have the makings for a complete meal, except for dessert.  Maybe we’ll be too full for dessert?

Those of you who have entered your name and email address have received a series of cooking tips and we hope those have been helpful for you.  Occasionally, VERY occasionally, we send out messages that are germane to this site.  We never mean to intrude or overload your Inboxes.  We are tickled pink when new people join our gang!

We are also tickled pink to have comments and emails: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com will get your email to us.

If you are interested in health and wealth you might also like to see The Healthy and Wealthy You blog.  You might even like to look into having another stream of income or super dental care by clicking on some of the ads and links in this post.  No pressure; just great ideas to enhance your life if you like.

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: Patty Came to Dinner?

August 21st, 2010

Guess who came to dinner? PATTY!

Mom always maintained that if you did not get to the grocery store you’d just have to make do in order to put a meal on the table.

Chef Shawn Bucher recommends that most meals consist of protein, sides and dessert.  He also puts a high priority on sauces.

Today I satisfied BOTH of those folks’ requirements and felt proud as punch in the process.

Mother Connie is not a fancy-schmancy cook; has no formal training and certainly is no high priced expert when it comes to the culinary world!

I made a meatless ‘meat’ patty!  Here’s how I did it:

MOTHER CONNIE’S PATTY

2 potatoes, scrubbed and quartered.  I had 1 white and 1 red tater.

1 small zucchini, peeled and cut to match the size of the cut potatoes.

I covered the potatoes and the zucchini with water, sprinkled them with salt.  I brought them to a boil and let them simmer til the vegetables were fork tender.

While those cooked, I chopped a small onion and set it aside.

I combined 3 small eggs, 2 slices of bread made into fine crumbs, the chopped onions and 1 teaspoon of curry powder.  I salted and peppered the mix, as well.

When the potatoes and zucchinis were cooked I drained and mashed them, skins and all, and added that combination to the eggs, crumbs, onions and seasonings.

I was eager to see if my combination would be fit to eat, so I took a page from Rachel Ray’s book and made a teeny sample sized patty to fry.  When it had browned on both sides I borrowed a hint from Anne Burrell, who is big on QC  or Quality Control-as in TASTE.

Well, let me tell you:  I thought it was MOREish, which means there may not be enough! grin

While the patties browned in hot olive oil I made a beshemel sauce.  That’s only a fancy word for white sauce.  I used 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, a slurry of 1 teaspoon of corn starch in water and stirred it all together.  Before it thickened I added about a cup or so of milk.  When it came together I salted and peppered it and added about a half a bag of frozen peas.  I flirted with the idea of adding spinach but the peas were more appealing to me.

You can see for yourself that it made for a pretty dish, spread all over a luncheon plate.  I had some beets-they had sat in a rice vinegar brine for most of the afternoon so I sliced them and used them as a garnish.

Next time I make these goodies, I’ll hope to have celery and corn on hand.  Oh, and beans.  Mashed beans could replace the potatoes and help to bind the vegetables together.  Carrots, cabbage-any combo of foods would work well with this method.  And the curry is just ONE of many ways to season things.  That’s where the creative cook can shine.

Fooey!  Even young children or picky husbands who don’t like anything but chicken nuggets will enjoy these yummies!

Oh.  About dessert.  I hate to admit it.  We had green gelatin.  Well, like Mom said, you have to use what you have in the house…I have no idea why we have gelatin in our house because it has no redeeming nutritive value.  It does LOOK cheery, though.

If you are users of Angel Food Ministries, visit a food pantry or use food commodities; if you have an EBT card for SNAP or WIC, we hope “Patty” will be YOUR new best friend forever!  This is also true if you have food from a Farmers Market or you are just thrifty and pinching your pennies to make your food budget last through the month.

Leave your comment on our doorstep or shoot us an email at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  We ADORE hearing from you!

PS/We hope you have scoped out The Dinner Diva’s ideas, too! They are spectacular!

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: Sheila Went to Idaho?

August 16th, 2010

Sheila was responsible for the famed "Ben Bowl" we received so joyously. Now Sheila has traveled to Canada. AND IDAHO.

Sheila is another of our faithful Food Stamps Cooking Club members.  She’s been vacationing and eating well and wisely in the process.

Always eager to lend a helping hand to our Club Members, Sheila has offered this recipe on a post card she picked up in, as you might expect, Idaho!  Mother Connie jumped all over this because of the great crop of taters The Normanator has produced in this year’s garden.  And, not surprisingly, has put HER spin on this tasty dish.

IDAHO BAKED POTATO SOUP 

*Mother Connie says this translates as “comfort food!”


2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

7 cups milk

4 large potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed-approx 4 cups

4 green onions, sliced

12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

In large soup kettle, melt butter.  Stir in flour; heat and stir until smooth.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add potatoes and onions.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.  Yield:  8 to 10 servings.

***Mother Connie, in her quest to be thrifty, used 3 cups of potatoes and 1 cup of shredded sautéed zucchini.  Also, not having green onions, white onions from the garden were substituted.

Remember the Foccacia bread recipe we shared recently?  The leftover bread we had was cut into cubes, drizzled with olive oil and parked in the oven to toast.  That made for lovely, yummy croutons and we felt as if we were attending a feast!  We had a salad with Swiss Chard and tomatoes from the oven.  What a great meal!

Thank you, Sheila.

Users of EBT cards provided by WIC or SNAP; Angel Food Ministries users; those who frequent food pantries or use food commodities can appreciate the value and cost effectiveness of this soup, even in warm weather.  If you garden, if you have taters and no meat you could make this sans bacon and have a very nourishing meal.  For those who watch their food budgets closely; for those who yearn for comfort food-this is a wonderful menu item.

Your cards and emails and comments are priceless to us.  Thank you SO MUCH for your participation in this effort to help folks stretch their food dollars.

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: Favorite Perfume?

August 6th, 2010

Is anything so luxurious as freshly baked bread? And the aroma...DIVINE!

My dad always declared that home made bread was his favorite perfume!  He and I used to sit on the front porch with thick slices of Mom’s home made bread, smeared with butter and sprinkled with sugar!  The aroma of fresh bread baking takes me all the way back to being three years old!  What a journey!

It was an ordeal for Mom to bake bread.  This gave me the mistaken impression that it was a difficult task.  Bless Mom’s heart; she did not have YouTube videos or The Dinner Diva or many of the learning opportunities I have at my disposal.

It just so happens that I found a fabulishous, easy and inexpensive recipe for a good and rustic bread that goes really well with soup or salad!  Even though it’s hot these days and heating up the oven may not suit your fancy, I promise you that you’ll be glad to have this bread product.  Remember, bread is the staff of life.  Or is it the STUFF of life?  In any case, you must prepare this baked yumminess!

Chef Anne Burrell’s Focaccia Bread- Courtesy FoodNetwork.com

•    1  3/4 cups warm water
•    1  package active dry yeast
•    1  tablespoon sugar
•    5  cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
•    1  tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
•    1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm, not hot or cool, place until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, at least 15 minutes.


In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes on a medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it a sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.


Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface, then knead it by hand 1 or 2 times. Again, give it another sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.


Coat the inside of the mixer bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
Coat a jelly roll pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (Chef’s Note: This may seem excessive, but focaccia is an oily crusted bread. This is why it is soooooooooo delicious!).


Put the dough onto the jelly roll pan and begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. (Chef’s Note: Yes, this is strange. But when the dough rises again it will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia. If you do not make the actual holes in the dough, the finished product will be very smooth.)


Put the dough in the warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.


Liberally sprinkle the top of the focaccia with some coarse sea salt and lightly drizzle a little oil on top. Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool before cutting and serving.
Oh baby!

For those of you who have seen Chef Anne working in the kitchen you know she oozes personality and loves good food!  Her warm personality is surely expressed in this wonderful recipe.  We thank Chef Anne for this great offering.

NOTE:

If you, like me, do not have a mixer with a dough hook, worry not.  Work the mixture by hand.  It’s good exercise and this product is worth the extra effort!

We salute users of SNAP, WIC, food pantries or food commodities as well as Angel Food Ministries.  We understand your work to feed your family is not easy.  We also acknowledge those who just want to keep their food budgets in tow because they are frugal and thrifty.  Here’s hoping the material we share with you is helpful and helps to bear your load.  We understand you are tired and weary at meal time; we hope to be of help.  It’s not as if we are in your kitchen helping you to chop veggies but we do what we can from here!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing from you!  Our mailbox has been full of late.  Some comments and emails are not worthy to publish but each message is read and considered.  Comments which do not relate to preparing meals with food provided by public assistance, meal ideas, cooking tips or things food related will not be considered for publication.  They will be considered spam and not the kind you fry!

You may be interested to add a stream of income to your household.  If that’s the case you will want to check out the ads on the right of the blog and study  those opportunities.

We hope you are enjoying your summer!  Today’s recipe for Focaccia bread is going to be a great hit with the people who sit around your table!  ENJOY!

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: SNAP Users Are UP?

August 5th, 2010
The numbers of people in need is growing!

The number of people in need of food assistance is growing!

According to Boston.com  the number of people who are receiving public assistance for their food requirements is staggering and growing!  This comes as no surprise to your humble blogger.  As one who is acutely and painfully aware of rising food costs and works with those in need, this brings a tear to Mother Connie’s eye.

According to the aforementioned website, 19% more people in the USA are using SNAP.  Some of those are first time users.

If you stay with the article long enough to read the comments you realize how these facts incite anger in people. It would seem to be reasonable that there should be outrage that this need EXISTS.  No.  People who commented COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE RECIPIENTS!  Incredible!

To those insensitive commenters I would pose these questions:  “What about the behavior of greedy CEOs and stockholders?  Does that affect the price of food?  Has the fact that many American jobs have been shipped across the pond affect our ability to earn a living to feed our families?  As Americans, isn’t it our duty to help one another?  And what about all the VALUES we hear politicians brag about?  Don’t we value one another enough to see so everyone in this country is well nourished?   Shouldn’t each of us be responsible for his/her own behavior?”

So Food Stamps Cooking Club, hopefully, is a soft place for you to fall.  You have to eat, for heaven’s sake.  If you have children to feed it is imperative that you have help in doing so.

We love you unconditionally, dear visitor.  We want to help you learn how to stretch those food dollars as far as possible.  We understand you might be working long, thankless days for little pay and you are dog tired when you get home.  We hope to help you create meals and memories that will bond your family and help you along life’s way.

Here is an idea I pulled together yesterday that might be of help to you:

BEAN SOUP-AGAIN

Soak a package of beans overnight.  DO NOT SALT.  Drain and rinse the beans after they have soaked and cover them with cold water.  Set on medium heat, cover, bring to boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer.

In a saute` pan, put:

1  onion, chopped

2  carrots, chopped

3  ribs celery, chopped

After the vegetables are tender, add a pinch of red pepper flakes and add that mixture to the beans.  Taste occasionally to make sure you have great flavors.

If you have chicken broth, add some of that.  If not, no worries.

When the beans are tender, add salt and pepper to taste.

**For variety, add a package of thawed spinach after you have squeezed out the excess water.

***Another variation: Toss in 1/2  cup of toasted barley or 1/2  cup of rice.

This soup is very good when served with cornbread.  For dessert, if you provide a rice pudding, you have given your family  complete protein on a very tight budget!  You can stand back and be proud of yourself!

As for those complainers–they would complain about the price of a free dance!  Pay them no mind.  Now go hug your loved ones!

For users of SNAP, WIC, food pantries or food commodities, we invite you to sign up for our series of cooking tips and occasional messages.

If you are just frugal or thrifty, we extend the same invitation to you!

You are welcome to send your ideas and comments to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com or leave your message at the end of this post.

And please remember that you ARE loved and appreciated!

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: Pizza Pie by Sandra?

August 4th, 2010

Mama mia! Sandra has shared her pizza recipe! Preheat the oven and let's get rolling!

Food Stamps Cooking Club members are the most helpful bunch on the internet!  Sandra has graciously stepped up to share her pizza recipe; this was prompted by the post about tomatoes!  Thanks, Sandra!

SANDRA’S HOME MADE PIZZA RECIPE

Crust:
1  1/4 c. hot water
2  1/2 tsp yeast
1  T. sugar

Let yeast get foamy and then add 1  1/2 T. oil (I use olive), 1/2 tsp salt, and 3 cups flour (I use half wheat/half white).  Stir until it forms a ball.

Brush pan with melted butter or oil or spray with nonstick spray.  Roll out dough with rolling pin and then press into pan.  Prick dough all over with fork.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Take out of oven, add sauce, cheese and/or toppings.  Bake another 6-8 minutes.  Voila!  Tasty homemade pizza.

For the sauce I just use a can of tomato sauce to which I add salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings.  You could use spaghetti sauce if you have leftovers.

For toppings I usually do 1/2 pound of sausage or some pepperoni or pineapple.  But you could do anything you want!  :O)


Regarding her preference for peeled or non-peeled tomatoes, Sandra had this comment:  “I’m a non-peeler except for when I cook raw tomatoes into veggie fajitas – then I peel because the peeling gets bitter.”

Thanks so much, Sandra.  People who love pizza and use public assistance like SNAP or WIC or food pantry food; even food commodities or Angel Food Ministries food will appreciate this low cost make-at-home goodness!

SIDEBAR:  Have you SEEN the price of pre-made pizza rounds or store bought pizza?  HOLEY SMOKES!  It’s higher than a kite and now we learn that wheat prices will be rising AGAIN soon!  This recipe is going to help EVERYBODY and it will be fun to make!  END SIDEBAR.

Thank you so much to those who have directed their family and associates to the opt in box which gets you a series of cooking tips and occasional messages we think would be of interest to you.  We have a growing number of members and we are very pleased about that.

One thing we want to mention is that there is good kitchen help available from The Dinner Diva.  You might want to cruise by and scope that out.

If you are interested in adding another stream of income to your household you might find this link helpful: Automated Affiliate Formula.  It’s only an idea…just like window shopping, you don’t HAVE to make any purchases.  It’s just fun to know what’s out there that might help your family.

Let us know when you make Sandra’s Home Made Pizza and all the luscious toppings to used, won’t you please?  You are welcome to leave a comment on this blog or send your message to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com!  Thanks oodles!

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: Tomatoes Galore?

August 2nd, 2010

Here we have a snapshot of a Nebraska summer! Please pass the salt!

Are you in love with tomatoes?

One of my fondest childhood memories is watching my dad plant, nurture and harvest juicy, red, ripe tomatoes in his carefully tended vegetable garden.  He was partial to Beefsteak and Big Boys and never even imagined all the varieties available in today’s world.

One year there was a poor crop so Mom and Dad drove their 1938 Chevy 2-door to the local open market on 13th Street in Omaha, Nebraska.  The MARKET had run OUT of tomatoes!  This was getting to be a real crisis!  Later that day a man in a beat up old hoopy of a pickup truck brought bushel baskets to our door, offering them up for a handsome price.  Mom and Dad were thrilled-not so happy about the price, but that price did include delivery-and once again I dreamed of tomato sammies with home made bread and butter.   All our dreams were dashed when it was discovered that old man had put overripe fruit in the bottom of the basket!  What a stinky, smelly MESS!

SIDEBAR:  That was my first encounter with a scammer.  Sad to say, not my last.  END SIDEBAR.

As an older child, we lived in a place where I could take a salt shaker, go out to a massive garden all summer long, pluck tomatoes right off the vine and eat those juicy wonders to my heart and tummy’s-content!

Fresh tomatoes are hard to beat.  They are refreshing and pretty; they are easy to present and a joy to devour.

Foodies discuss at length about peeling vs leaving the peeling in place.  Mom used to peel them before she sliced them by dunking them in hot water til the skins split.  Then she would carefully remove the skins and slice them artfully and arrange them on a plate.   I found out after I grew up she did that because that’s how her best friend, Helen, did them.  Dad told me Helen peeled jillions of tomatoes because her husband, Jack, would not eat the peelings!  Isn’t it funny how things get started?

Well, at our house, we aren’t particular about the peelings.  In fact, we think that’s where the nutrition and enzymes lie so we are happy to have them aboard.  They get washed and sliced or chopped and maybe one day we will dunk them in a bath of brine-a mixture of any old vinegar with some salt and pepper.  I might even sprinkle in a tiny bit of sugar to bring out the sweetness of the fruit.   Maybe they will share that bath with some cucumber and thin slices of onion.

Of course, tomatoes are a staple of a cool, fresh, crisp  green salad.  The color contrast-not to mention the flavor-is delightful!

Sometimes, if there is an abundance of tomatoes, I’ll make a wonderful, fresh summertime soup.  Hot weather does not necessarily  invite hot soup but still, fresh tomato soup is nourishing, satisfying and pretty in your bowl.  It’s  quickly and easily prepared, too.

Canned tomatoes lined up on a shelf make a person feel really wealthy and give a sense of security.  Those canned goodies will work hard all winter to make chili soup, goulash, spaghetti sauce; all kinds of winter casseroles.

For users of Angel Food Ministries or food pantries; even food commodities, tomatoes-fresh or canned-can be a godsend.  For users of SNAP and WIC, tomatoes are the home cook’s good friend.

Here’s hoping the Food Stamps Cooking Club is your good friend, as well.  It exists to provide people who depend on public assistance or people who are simply frugal by nature with some encouragement and a few ideas.

We love YOUR ideas, too.  Shoot us an email at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  and make our day!  You are also welcome to leave your comment on this blog.

You may have noticed the link in this blog’s signature which takes you to the ToothSoap website.  Just so you know, using ToothSoap will save your teeth, your hard earned dollars, and save you money in the long run.  They even have an Affiliate Program you may be interested in that could provide your household with another stream of income.  You would do well to check it all out.

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: Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia?

July 28th, 2010

 

I HEART CHIA SEEDS...and these amaranth seeds, too!

No doubt you’ve heard that annoying jingle for the green and living Chia pets…what you may not know is that those little seeds are powerhouses of nutrition and flavor!

Renita, who is a frequent contributor and Club Member, turned us onto these beauties.  She found a recipe for Chia Pudding and the stampede to get these seeds was on!  We offer her recipe here and cannot overemphasize how delicious and nutritious it is.  PLUS-and this is critical for Food Stamps Cooking Clubbers-it is economical. Furthermore, it could become your family’s new favorite comfort food!

RENITA’S CHIA TAPIOCA PUDDING

2  cups almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk or fruit juice

1/2  cup Chia seeds

1/3  cup honey  *Or use 15-20 drops Stevia

1/2 – 1  teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

1/4 – 1/2  teaspoon cinnamon

Stir.  Use raw Cacao Powder for chocolate flavor if desired.

Keep in fridge and use for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks!

Here are some facts about Chia seeds you may find interesting:

  • Chia seeds are rich in Omega 3 – it has 700% more than wild salmon!
  • Soaked Chia seeds are gelatinous, so are ideal for adding to soups and puddings
  • Considered to be a Superfood, Chia seeds soak up 9 times their weigh in liquid.  Add 9 teaspoons of water for every teaspoon of Chia seeds you put into any dish.
  • For baking, make a gelatin and replace 1/2 the oil in your recipe with the equivalent…if your recipe calls for 1 cup of butter or oil, you would use 1/2 cup of oil or butter and 1/2 cup of the Chia gelatin
  • Chia seeds can be ground in a coffee grinder or food processor to be used to dredge meats before frying or baking.
  • Chia seeds have 500% more calcium than milk; 200% more iron than spinach; 1400% more magnesium than broccoli; and they are rich in fiber, protein, selenium and phosphorous!

Wouldn’t it be fun to make up a batch of this yummy-ness and pour it into ice cube trays so you could give your kids “cubes” of pudding? Kids are going to love this stuff and you’ll be happy to have them eating such a healthy snack!

For users of SNAP or WIC or Angel Food Ministries, this could really be helpful.  If you utilize a food pantry or have food commodities Chia seeds could help you stretch those food dollars.  If you are frugal and health conscious you will be delighted to have Chia seeds on your pantry shelf.

Boy, do we ever owe Renita for this one!  Thanks again, Renita!

We hope you will send your food ideas to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com because we love getting mail and we love, love, love getting your comments here!  Thank you for your participation!

Connie Baum

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Benevolent Gardener?

July 19th, 2010

 

We're getting into that season where it's important to lock the car to make sure no one stuffs zucchini into the back seat while you're out of the car!

 

A benevolent gardener left a neat row of organic cucumbers by the church door so anyone in need of the veggies could help themselves.  I was grateful to have a fresh, firm, good sized cuke to use in a salad I had in mind.

This morning I assembled my ingredients and set about to chop that cucumber into delectable, bite sized pieces.  I planned to pair it with the fat red tomato The Normanator had brought in from the garden.  Our garden has been less than spectacular so he’s been nursing this tomato on the vine for days, waiting for it to ripen.

You can only imagine my surprise when that cucumber “became” a zucchini!  So I did the most resourceful thing I knew to do:  I pretended it was a cuke and peeled and chopped it as if it WERE a cucumber.  Then I got the real cuke out of the fridge and did the very same thing with it.  These products were about the same size and shape, so they were well matched.  Then I chopped a small onion.

All this chopping gave me a fresh, aromatic pile of fresh veggies.  I splashed on the last of a bottle of white vinegar, added a splash of balsamic vinegar and sprinkled salt, pepper and a bit of sugar over the whole works.  I stirred.  I tasted.  I marveled.  O MY GOODNESS, talk about delishiousness!

Our bodies need vinegar to help us with digestion and acid/alkaline balance.  I can hardly WAIT for lunchtime!

If you are a user of food pantries, food commodities or if you depend on SNAP or WIC or Angel Food Ministries, I hope this experience will add value to your cooking and meal prep.  Even if you are frugal or new to culinary duties we hope to offer help and hope in dealing with meal making and being healthy.

What experiences or “almost oopsies” have YOU had that you could share with us?  We’d love to hear from you.  Leave your comment here on the blog or send your stories to our email address:  foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

The offline Cooking Class will be held on Thursday so we are super excited to share that with all of you!  Do stay tuned!

Connie Baum

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

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