Posts Tagged ‘Recipes’

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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: Spice Things Up 4 Flavor?

February 19th, 2010

 

A snowy February day makes us all long for spring and gardening season!

WE PREFACE THE MESSAGE ON THIS BLOG TO BRING YOU  CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOOD INFORMATION:

 

“For everyone who wants to keep up on how they slip aspartame into our foods, drugs, vaccines (yes, vaccines), OTC meds (especially child products), aspartame has a new name of AminoSweet. Since aspartame has gotten such a bad name (as it should), Ajinomoto has renamed this toxic chemical sweetener.   Start double checking your labels.“

Thanks and kudos go out to Rachel Kincaid, who gave us the heads up.  Thanks, also to Business Week  and Shaun Weston from FoodBev.com for providing great information to help us consumers protect ourselves.

Now we return to the blog’s main message:

You Food Stamps Cooking Club members are to be commended for your quick response to any post that hits you like a brick.

There was a delightful message from Max and here is what Max offered us:

“Just a couple of my own tips, learned from experience, to help stretch food dollars even more when it comes to dried spices and herbs.  I have found that the baking aisle is an excellent start to shopping for these products, but you can often find them additionally in the ethnic foods areas of many supermarkets, and other less-thought-of resources.

For many varieties of spices and herbs, those little red-capped bottles are kind of non-budget price, but if you go to a different aisle, you may find it more within your budget if you look under a different brand name, and sometimes in different packaging such as a cellophane packet.

I buy spices at the dollar store.  I find some things such as dried dill weed, at Ikea, if you live near one, in a very large paper/foil packet (look in the marketplace among the kitchenwares).  There is a large Asian supermarket near my home, I recently bought a large bottle of ground coriander for $1.69 there.  They also have many other varieties as well, paprika, cumin, ginger, even lemongrass powder.  Hispanic markets are another great source, as are Middle Eastern shops for even more variety.
One last thing: I have read that spices and herbs are past their prime when they no longer have a fragrance, but I find that if you can rub it in your hands and still have fragrance, it is still going to flavor your foods well.

I do think you should have specified whether you were talking about dill seed or dill weed; it’s the dill seeds that are used in pickling.  But it’s the dried or fresh dill weed that “makes” the dishes you mentioned.  I also sprinkle dried dill on the top of creamy tomato soup, and it goes into the pot when I make homemade chicken soup.

Can you tell I use lots of spices and herbs lol?  I hate boring food.  I have gourmet tastes on a food-stamp budget.  Also, I simply do not have the budget to allow me to dine out as often as I’d like, so I try to recreate different tastes at home.”
See?  Now THAT’S the kind of neighbor you wish you had if you do not live next door to Max!  Can you just imagine the wonderful aromas that waft from that kitchen?  Mmmmm…

For people who utilize SNAP or WIC funds; people who depend on food pantries and/or food commodities; for people who use Farmers Market Coupons and Angel Food Ministries; and for those who simply pinch pennies wherever possible to stretch their food budgets this is helpful information.

We are so happy and grateful to have the Maxes and the Sandras and the Rainys who are so faithful to share their kitchens and cooking ideas!  KEEP them coming, kids! Here’s where to direct them: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.

Are you something of a health nut?  You might like to visit

Do you need more income in your household?  These sites have ideas to help you with that, if you are inclined:  Rapid Cash Marketing and Work At Home Freelancing.

Our intention is to be helpful.  We are far more effective in that endeavor because of YOU, dear Club Members!  THANK YOU.

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

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January 27th, 2010

 

WIC offers good news for mommies and babies!

 

You may be aware of the recently implemented program for Women Infants and Children-WIC-last fall.  They have amended their food package to include fresh fruits and vegetables.

This is tremendously good news for families!  Fresh fruits and vegetables are the fuels needed to propel growing little bodies into becoming healthy, productive, happy people!

There is an educational program to go with this in order to help people wring every advantage from the new program.  Mother Connie, with the Food Stamps Cooking Club and all the dear members who are so generous with their time and ideas, hope we are contributing to the educational process in our own small way.

If you receive WIC benefits, you are likely to know about these changes.  If you would like more information about all the good things they are doing, just inquire at your local level and some very nice people will answer all your questions.

Someone who sits in my circle is a real FAN of WIC.  She raves about how wonderful it has been to have enough milk for her little one.  Now since vegetables and fruits are available to this little family there is a sense of security in place that satisfies Mommy in ways food cannot.

Maybe your family does not need or does not use WIC.  You may be a SNAP user; you may visit food pantries or receive food commodities.  Perhaps you grow your own food or are a Senior Citizen using Farmers Markets or living on a tightly fixed income.  You might even be a penny pinching foodie.  In any case, the Food Stamps Cooking Club is the place to be for ideas about good eats!

If you are a fan of Angel Food Ministries, you know how their menus can stretch a food budget like rubber, too!  We’d love to hear from happy Angel Food users. 

Here’s something we found, courtesy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County, Nebraska:

VEGETABLE RICE SKILLET

One 15 oz can kidney, black or garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

One  14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes

2  cups mixed veggies, frozen

One cup water

3/4  cup brown rice

1/2  teaspoon dried thyme or dried dill weed

One  10  3/4  oz can tomato soup

Hot sauce – optional

Cheese – optional

1. In a large skillet, stir together beans, tomatoes, veggies, water, rice and thyme or dill.

2. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 – 25 minutes or til rice is tender.  Stir occasionally.  Add more water if mixture seems to be too dry.

3. Stir in tomato soup.  Bring to a boil.  Let simmer 2 or 3 minutes or more.

4. Serve with hot sauce and cheese, if you choose.

This makes me want to race to my pantry shelves to see if I have the fixings so I can make this recipe on this very day!  YUMMY!

The chances are very good that if you like what you read here, you would like what’s on Mother Connie Sez or The Healthy and Wealthy You.  Cruise on over, if you like.  She’d love to have your comments, there, as well as here.  (She has no shame, when it comes to asking for your comments.)

You are welcome to contact Mother Connie: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

You are welcome, also to visit our sponsors.  Be aware that we have a vested interest.  You can read our disclaimer below…before you post your comment.  grin

Thanks so much, kids, for coming by.  I hope you remembered to give us your name and email so you can begin to receive our infrequent messages.

Connie Baum

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


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Food Stamps Cooking: Easy Eats?

January 6th, 2010

 

 

Potatoes: easy on the budget, easy to prepare, and easy on your palate!

Potatoes-easy on the budget. easy to prepare and oh, so yummy!

The mail is always so much fun!  Look at this great tip about potatoes we got from Jessica Mc!  Thank you Jessica, for taking time to share!

“Here’s a tip for baked potatoes.  Restaurants put salt on them for a reason!

We ” x” ours and rub them with oil.  Then roll them in kosher salt.   It makes the skin crisp but the inside stays nice and soft, and gives it a little flavor.”

This will make for great twice baked beauties and those skins will make for great snacking!  I’ve always done the oil thing but never thought to use the salt!  I can’t WAIT to try that, Jessica!

Renita came through with an interesting CHILI RECIPE and I want to share that with you:

“Yesterday I made yum-yums and heated up some pork ‘n beans for dinner.   Last night I pulled it out for supper because I didn’t have time to do anything else and when I put it on the table to prepare to warm everything Jerry was sitting there.  He said, “Couldn’t you put those together for chili soup?”  After a moment I said, “Ya, I guess I could with adding some tomato soup and water.  So I did that and added soe chili spice and put it on the stove.  We had Chili soup!  It was good and easy.”

Wow, Renita!  Yankee ingenuity!  By the way, for those who do not know, Renita is the main character with the not-for-profit organization “That’s It!  I’m Going To Grandma’s!”

Now here is my idea: Bake up some spuds and smother them with chili. You have a couple of new ideas and you can get the kids involved for some good, wholesome food and family fun!

We are always eager to have your ideas and suggestions and tips, people, so send them along to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  and we’ll make sure the other Club members get the information.

Some of you have asked about additional streams of income and for all of you who may be interested, you are invited to visit Rapid Cash Review or The Healthy and Wealthy You to enter your name and email address there.  The latest message to go out from those sites had to do with Video Skinning.

For all of you who use Angel Food Ministries, I would like to remind you that the orders are due by January 11.  If you are using  SNAP or WIC funds, Angel Food Ministries food will absolutely stretch your food dollars and make your food budget look fat!  For those of you who are using food pantries and food commodities, we are eager to hear from you to learn more and better ways of using those products.

The beauty of this site, as I see it, is that we can all share and make it better for everyone else.  Now tell us all, ‘What’s cooking in YOUR kitchen?’

Connie Baum


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Food Stamps Cooking: In the Clubhouse?

November 21st, 2009

Living in the Food Stamps Cooking Club House, we had a special treat tonight! We had help making dinner! It was a thinly veiled cooking class which felt like we just had the neighbors come for a dinner of comfort foods…cuz that’s what we DID!

You would enjoy having your neighbors over for dinner, too. We will grow this friendship over shared menus and recipes. That makes my heart go pitty-pat.

Oh.   I almost forgot to tell you that we used Mom’s good dishes-yes, I know they are mine now-AND we had ‘critter’ plates for the little people.

If you know people who are managing their food budgets with the help of SNAP or WIC; if you know those who depend on Food Pantries and/or food commodities or if you are acquainted with people who use Angel Food Ministries supplies you might like to duplicate the project we had so much fun with tonight!

We are so glad you came by and you are welcome to leave your comments. WE LOVE COMMENTS!  We are thankful to have each one. If you’d like to send us a message you are welcome to write to us at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com!   WE LOVE MAIL.

Please stop by our partners if you have the time; they love comments, too! As do our sister sites: Mother Connie Sez and The Healthy and Wealthy You.

It’s really close to Turkey Day. Here’s hoping you have much for which to be thankful. WE ARE THANKFUL FOR EACH ONE OF YOU.

Connie Baum

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Cornstarch Pudding?

November 16th, 2009

Who doesn’t love dessert?

Desserts can eat up your food budget.   No doubt you’ve noticed.  When you are doing your best to feed your family with SNAP or WIC funds; if you have things from a food pantry or you are using food commodities this is a real issue.  Even those who avail themselves of Angel Food Ministries or people on fixed incomes have to pinch every single penny.

I found my mother’s recipe for a dessert she made often when I was a child.  A BOX of pudding mix, however handy, costs about twice as much as this does.  And this has that delicious and satisfying home made, made from scratch flavor. I hope you’ll try it.  It’s easy as anything and whips up quick as you can say ‘Jack Robinson!’

Harriet’s Butterscotch Pudding

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup brown sugar

Dash of salt

1/2 cup COLD milk

1  1/2 cups scalded milk with 3 tablespoons butter added

1  teaspoon vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt.  Combine with cold milk.  Gradually add hot milk.  Cook in double boiler. Stir until thick; cover and cook 15 minutes.  Add vanilla.

SIDEBAR: If you have no double boiler, use a saucepan with water and set an oven worthy bowl atop that.  Make sure it is secure!  END SIDEBAR

When the pudding is cooked, you can pour it into individual dishes and eat as is or you can spoon it over peaches, apricots, applesauce or berries.  You could even spread it over cake or use it as a filling between two layers of cake.

This makes enough to serve 4 people so you are free to double the recipe or use portion control!

For variation, you can leave the butter out, and use white sugar in place of brown sugar.

This is a wonderful recipe to use when showing children how to cook.  Just be sure your kitchen is a safe environment for learning and supervise children carefully.  Cooking together with family members is a wonderful way to make delicious memories that will serve the family for generations to come.

Things are popping in the Food Stamps Clubhouse!  The cook from SENCA-Southeast Nebraska Community Action Center-has graciously accepted our invitation to chat about her work in the SENCA kitchen so that will be coming your way SOON.

The word is out that help is available for those hoping to stretch their food to the end of the pay period so there will be a little impromptu cooking class happening this week!  DON’T TELL THE FUN POLICE, OK?

I see you have been visiting The Healthy and Wealthy You and Mother Connie Sez and I want to thank you for that, especially if you were moved to leave a comment behind.  We are always begging for comments; haven’t you noticed?  And emails.  We hope foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  is in YOUR address book!  We think YOUR mothers have recipes you’d like to share.

If you think of it, you might like to check our Rapid Cash Marketing to see how you can boost your income in a hurry…

And while you’re at it, I hope you are not fretting over your Thanksgiving preparations but enjoying family and friends as the time approaches!

Connie Baum




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Are You IN THE SOUP?

October 29th, 2009
Do you feel as if YOU are in the soup and don't know what to cook?

Do you feel as if YOU are in the soup and don't know what to cook?

Day in and day out we must come up with something to eat to put before those we love.  It’s gratifying but to be sure, it’s a challenge.

Add to the monotony of daily food prep the fact that we are tired, we are rushed, we are stressed AND we are making every effort to save cash in the process and you have a dilemma.  Plus, you still have to make dinner!

Poor baby.  You need a nice cup of tea and a steaming bowl of soup!  That will set things right again.

It’s a pity you cannot smell the soup that’s simmering in our kitchen right this moment…it’s a rich soup because of the chicken bones and all that lovely broth.

Broth is easy to make and it saves a ton of money while adding oodles of flavor.  All you need to do is save your vegetable scraps as you prepare the vegetables for the soup.  I like to trim the carrots and celery and onion and cut them into slices.  All the “waste” is clean so it goes into a pot.  I add salt and pepper and a bit of water and allow it to simmer while the vegetables saute`.   I strain the potful into a container and save any broth I do not use for making gravy later on.

SIDEBAR:  Because I was working with chicken, today I added a generous amount of poultry seasoning to the mix.  Rosemary would be ideal for this, as well.  END SIDEBAR.

As the soup reduces, I can add that broth to the pot and add flavor and character to it.  The funny thing about soup is that it is delish to day but tomorrow it will be more delicious!  How’s that work?

I like to put a covered pot  or large casserole, lid and all,full of soup into the oven.  I place it on a tray just in case there are drips and let the oven “babysit” while I do other things.  Today the soup that occupies the oven is full of onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, corn and green beans.  All of these came from The Normanator’s garden! Tomorrow, when the pot is not so full, I’ll add some home canned tomatoes.  That creates a whole new flavor treat and I won’t have to watch it–it can slide back into the oven while I look for more recipes to share with the Club Members!

Are you watching your food budget carefully?  Do you use an EBT card from SNAP?  How about WIC?  Angel Food Ministries? Do you stock your pantry with help from food commodities or a food pantry?  This Club was created with YOU in mind and we have so much fun figuring out ways to help you manage those food dollars while keeping your family healthy and content.

Our mailbox has had some mighty interesting finds in it and boy, howdy, are we ever glad!  You can send your goodies to  foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.

You have let it be known that you are visiting our sister sites and that delights our hearts!  Those would be Mother Connie Sez and The Healthy and Wealthy You.  If you are interested in adding some income to your household you might like to visit Rapid Cash Review for ideas about that.

Connie Baum





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Low Cost, High Nutrition Can Be Yours!

May 31st, 2009

Eating from our yard has been a wee bit controversial.  Some folks report they love it; most others seem to have an aversion to the idea.  Honestly, the violet salad and the dandelion-aka “daisylion”-dishes have been some of the best eats to come out of our yard/kitchen YET.  My experience with the  whole  concept made me feel pretty lonely.

I began to wonder if Kay Young and I were in a major minority!  I was utterly delighted to discover, through my network of peeps, there is a man in Maryland who is totally on the same page!  His story has been found on the pages of the news in Fulton, Maryland!

Dr. James Duke, is a former USDA researcher and expert on edible weeds.  The crumbling US economy has inspired him to identify 70 edible kinds of weeds on his property in Maryland, which is 6 acres in size.  Duke admonishes folks that they need expert advice when grazing.  He recommends you have someone with his expertise because there are poisonous plants that look like edible plants.  He warns that mistaking one for the other could be a lethal error.

Dr. Duke advises that weeds are higher in nutrients and lower in water content, proportionately, than what we grow as veggies.  He complains that people spray every single dandelion and then rush to a store to purchase expensive bottles of vitamins.  He is perplexed that people don’t recognize that by spraying, they just kill off some of the richest sources of vitamins A and C, as well as the minerals present in weeds.

The whole idea of weeds as food has caught on.  People have been willing to pay up to $9.00 per bunch for the gourmet delicacy.  People have begun to grow weeds for their livelihood and are making displays at Farmer’s Markets around the country! Is it possible that this is a silver lining in this crippled economy?

Not every weed is delicious.  Some are bitter, which is indicative of anti-inflammatory or antiseptic properties.

Dr. James Duke and Kay Young, who wrote “Wild Seasons” can speak the same language.  Oh, how I would love to have BOTH of these authors tour our virgin prairie and timber land in Southeast Nebraska!  “Guide to Healing Foods” is the book Dr. Duke recently published.  It presents natural remedies to treat 80 ailments.  He is planning to offer tours of his property to people who want to learn more about eating from nature’s bounty.

Anyone who depends on SNAP-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food commodities or food pantries would be very wise to access this food source.  I can promise you it would increase your health and lower the cost of medical care over time.

Here is an interesting, LOW COST, HIGH NUTRITION recipe from Dr. James Duke:

Recipe for Dandelion Greens with Balsamic Vinegar and Almonds

2 large bunches dandelion greens
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/3 cup unsalted toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 T butter
hot sauce to taste
fish sauce to taste

Remove the roots of the greens. Wash the greens thoroughly. Cut the stems in pieces roughly 1-1/2″ – 2″ long and leave the leaf-ends about 5″ – 6″ long.

Sweat the garlic and onions with a little olive oil until tender but not browned, around 10 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the greens in water just sufficient to cover. Maintain a moderate simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes — until the stems are cooked but still slightly crunchy. Drain and return to the pot. (If you want you can reserve the cooking liquid to make broth for another use. Otherwise, discard it.) Mix in the sautéed onions and garlic, season to taste with balsamic vinegar, fish sauce and hot sauce. Mix in half the chopped almonds.

To serve, mound in a shallow bowl and top with the remaining chopped almonds.

I am drooling as I post this!

As you are aware, we are sincerely devoted to helping you be healthy on a budget.  We deeply appreciate your comments at the bottom of these posts and we love getting your mail at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

The Team at Rapid Cash Marketing is sincere about helping you have a healthy cash flow. Here’s hoping you will benefit in the areas of food and nutrition AND your income needs. If this hits your hot button, CLICK HERE


Rapid Cash Marketing


Connie Baum

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Are Dandelions Really Daisy Lions?

April 23rd, 2009

One of the sure signs of spring are the little yellow flowers that have popped up wherever there is dirt and grass!  Dandelions abound! 

Kids can have fun with them.  My children used to call them “daisylions” and that name has STUCK.  Even THEIR GRANDCHILDREN refer to dandelions as “daisylions.”  When I was a little girl I cut “daisylions” and pretended to cook them in my playhouse.  I pretended they were delicious and served them to my dolls, who also pretended they were gourmet items.

Thank goodness I grew up, even though I’ll deny that fact.  I learned from my good friend, Kay Young, author of “Wild Seasons” that “daisylions” are indeed delicious and they ARE gourmet items.

In her book, Kay talks about how someone taught her as a small child that she could eat the little yellow flowers and the leaves and she felt grateful and comforted, even as a youngster, that she knew she would always have food to eat.

Here’s a “Cooking Tip” taken from what transpired when I harvested some “daisylions” from our yard:

I was comfortable about bringing the greens and the blossoms into the kitchen because I am certain there have been no sprays used in or near our yard.  I dug some plants out of the earth with a small knife.  It was fun to pluck off the cheery yellow blooms and twist them away from the stems.  The leaves were dark and tender with bits of red color near the root end. 

The crop was brought into the kitchen, rinsed with good water.  I used reverse osmosis water and let the blossoms and leaves rest in the water for about an hour.  When I looked at them again, some debris had fallen to the bottom of the bowl so I emptied the bowl and strained the goods.  I then separated the flowers from the leaves and placed them into covered refrigerator containers to keep them fresh in the fridge.  I let the leaves dry on a paper towel until I put them into a covered container and slid them on the shelf beside the flowers.

I planned to create a gourmet meal last night, but then life happened, as life is wont to do!

Today I put the yellow goodies into scrambled eggs, along with a bit of bacon and some chopped chives we’d gathered from the yard.  Oh, but that was delish!  The yellow of the blooms enhanced the yellow of the fresh eggs and it was a feast of abundance for sure!

As for the leaves, those were added to leftover green veggie salad.  They were very tender and sweet and with a dressing of rice vinegar and a teeny drizzle of bacon drippings we had the perfect lunch.  Dessert?  Applesauce-made from apples we picked from the tree in our yard-with a sprinkle of cinammon and barley powder.

Now, the eggs had been given to us. The lettuce was left over from another meal.  The chives and “daisylions” cost nothing. The apples cost nothing, as well.  The only expense incurred was the cinammon, barley powder, 3 strips of bacon, a drizzle of vinegar and the heat to cook it!  BUT THE BEST THINGS are that everything TASTED DIVINE and FILLED OUR TUMMIES.  We left the lunch table feeling full and well nourished. 

If you participate in the SNAP program-using food stamps, food commodities or food pantries, this menu notion may be of value to you.  If you are a foodie and have not learned how tasty “daisylions” can be this may pique your interest as well.  Everyone likes to save money and most folks like to learn new ways of doing things.

Kay Young has more uses for “daisylions” in her book.  I’ll review some of them for you soon.

Meantime, I hope you are gleaning some good and useful information from our partners.  Their banners and ads adorn this page.  They may not work with “daisylions” but they can help you with your bottom line!

BE SURE TO SEND YOUR IDEAS AND RECIPES TO foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and feel free to post your comment on this very blog.  All comments must be moderated but that’s no problem.  WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS.  If you have signed up for information from http://www.foodstampscookingclub.com  you should have received a message in your Inbox today.  Here’s hoping you’ll benefit from that!

Connie Baum

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The Best-Laid Plans?

December 18th, 2008

Today I woke up early, knowing it was my BIG EXCITING DAY!  Thursday, December 18 has been marked on the calendar for some time now, hailed as the day for Session #2 in our series of six cooking classes: Shopping and Chopping; bring your favorite knife for Show and Tell. 

Incidentally, I feel I must remind you that there are 7 sessions in our series of six…I never was good at math.

Well, to begin with, the weather forecast was gloomy at best.  Ice, snow, wind and cold meant that the more senior among the class might balk at getting out of their warm homes just to watch Connie chop veggies.  Then one pupil expected a phone call she MUST not miss.  Suffice it to say that we had one brave student who dutifully brought her favorite kinfe.  You’ll be interested to know it was a little paring knife with a plastic handle and she cannot keep house without it.

I was elated not to be alone in the kitchen!  I poured  a cup of fresh coffee and a tall glass of water for the two of us and began with a demonstration that would made pros on the Food Network and The Dinner Diva sit up and notice! 

On the SHOPPING side of the curriculum, we discussed the sale circular from our local Tecumseh Central Market.  We talked about which sale items would contribute to our good health and which ones would be better left alone.  We are thankful that in this little town we have a market that caters to us budget minded food shoppers.

Considering the CHOPPING half of the lesson, I showed off my ability to sharpen knives.  We chatted about WHY our faves are in the kitchen drawers and I demonstrated the cut for the ingredients for our menu. 

Oh, the menu!  Be still my heart!  Considering that many people are preparing soups in this wintry weather and that lentils are very high in protein content, are a readily available, inexpensive choice, we ‘built’ a big pot of lentil soup!  And it was divine.  The recipe will be available for you below.

As we shared our lunch and participated in lively conversation about cooking and food and memories of dishes gone by, we bonded and looked to the NEXT session: “Cent$ational $killet $uppers”  She can hardly wait!

We hope the weather man is more benevolent next month!

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Here is the recipe for the WINTER LENTIL SOUP:

2 cups lentils, rinsed and soaked (I soaked these overnight)

1 tablespoon oil

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

6 to 8 cups water, or vegetable broth, or chicken stock (I used chicken stock today)

2 Roma or Plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped.   If you prefer canned tomatoes, use a #303 size can and you may use the juice and all.  Add these the last 10 minutes before you are ready to serve so they will not become mushy

In a large skillet, heat the oil.  Add the sliced onions, salt and pepper and sautee.  When the onions are transparent, cover them.  Reduce the heat and allow them to carmelize.  This will take about 20 minutes.  When they have become brown and sweet, add them to the lentils and simmer together with the broth.  Add the cumin and allow everything to cook together until the lentils are tender. Ten minutes before you serve the soup, add in the fresh tomatoes.  The whole process should take about 45 minutes.

We like to pour this soup over slices of crisp bread toasts.  With a little salad and a cookie for dessert, this makes a very satisfying winter lunch.

*VARIATION: you could add chopped carrot and/or celery to the onions and let everything carmelize together.  This adds more nutrition and fiber to the dish.

**VARIATION #2: Chop bacon slices and fry in a separate skillet.  Drain.  Add the bits in when the onions are added to the lentils.

*NOTE: This soup lends itself well to crockpot cookery.  Leave the tomatoes until the last, though, so you do not have a mushy product.  Made today for tomorrow, these flavors will marry and the soup will be even better than freshly made.  If you wish to freeze it, you can put in into a large plastic bag, cool, then freeze flat.

We made a large enough batch that this is ONE of the few nights we won’t need the services of The Dinner Diva !

For more great ideas, cooking tips, recipes, help with your food shopping and meal preparation ON A BUDGET, please consult: Food Stamps Cooking Club !

Connie Baum

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