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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Cheap Comfort Food?

February 22nd, 2012
Dumplings!

 

When our kids were little tykes they introduced us to a whole new vocabulary; a new language, really.  We called it “Kidnese.”   One of the words they gave us was “dumps” –this was their gleeful acknowledgement that their grandma was making her famous dumplings!

One of our most faithful Club Members loves dumplings as much as we do.  They are oh, so easy to whip up; they cook quickly and they fill tummies even if you are living on a dime- or less!

Here is Rainy’s offering.  We present it here with our sincere thanks:

 

CHEAP COMFORT FOOD:  CHICKEN DUMPLINGS

During this time of year, money is tighter than normal for many folks…it is tax season, after all, and the cost of gas and groceries seems to climb higher with each shopping trip.  Knowing how to stretch what you already have in your pantry and fridge is a great way to help keep those higher costs at bay just a little while longer.  One of the best ways I know to fill up empty tummies with great tasting food is to make chicken and dumplings.

What if you don’t have chicken or it is a bit too pricey for your pocket book on any given day?  Do you skip this great tasting nutritious dish for some other option?  You don’t have to, IF you happen to have the fore-thought of freezing left over chicken bits from meals gone by…or you have some chicken stock on hand.  If that happens to be a stretch too, you can use canned chicken…or on those really lean times…use chicken bouillon to build the base of your broth.  The flavor will still be strong and wonderful.

Depending on the number of your dinner companions…pick a pan that will give you room to simmer your dumplings and goodies with room to spare.   Fill your pan will water and chicken bullion or chicken stock if you have it; add chicken if you happen to have some on hand.  Add to the pot some onions or onion flakes, some garlic, a little parsley and some salt and pepper. Bring this to a boil while you mix your batter for the dumplings.

Your batter will consist of flour, eggs water and salt if you desire it.   In a large bowl whip your eggs (the number is up to you).  Add a cup of water to this and your salt if you want it.   Blend it well…then start adding flour until your batter gets stiff and holds a shape.    Once that happens, drop it into your boiling broth by the fork or spoonful.   The dumplings will sink to the bottom and you will want to use a long slotted spoon to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  The dumplings will need to simmer for 20 minutes or so once you have dropped them into the broth.

If you have it on hand, you might like to add veggies to the pot to add extra nutrients.  I often add carrots, celery and sometimes corn…but you can add what you like and what you happen to have.  If you have fresh, add fresh…or  canned.   Frozen works just as well.

Spices add layers of flavor…you can add bay leaf, garlic, sun dried tomato flakes, basil, Italian blends…etc.  This dish is really about bringing flavor and comfort to your family meal.  Make it your own…but be prepared for the compliments.  This is a big family favorite. 

Add a side salad or crusty bread rolls and you have a complete meal.   Enjoy!

~Rainy

Mother Connie here:  That inspires me for tonight’s dinner, Rainy.  I have a bowl full of veggies I roasted and set aside to be morphed into another meal.  I love “dumps” as much as my children did when they were tiny and you said it all when you called it COMFORT FOOD!

People who depend on SNAP are doing all in their power to make those EBT cards work hard; WIC users are doing the same thing.   Many of our club members depend on food pantries and food commodities.  This idea will no doubt appeal to them and for cooks who are just plain old fashioned frugal–this is a true winner! 

We trust our mission to help the 40 million Food Stamp users is a real assistance.

Do YOU have a tasty, money saving menu item to share?  WE LOVE MAIL:  foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

Connie Baum

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

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Honeymoon Hash for Food Stamps Cooking Club

January 28th, 2012

Alice, everything but the kitchen sink?

Sometimes, when you cook,  do you feel as if various recipes call for so many things it’s dizzying?  And overwhelming?  Does it just make you want to forget meal prep altogether?

Judy came by today and, as we always do, we discussed food and food prep.  And rising grocery prices.  She mentioned Honeymoon Hash and I was intrigued.

Here’s the thing:  You can make Honeymoon Hash from leftovers or you can make a fresh batch.  I love using leftovers but this would be very tasty as a new entree AND IT’S CHEAP AND QUICK TO MAKE!  Thank you, Judy!

Honeymoon Hash

1# ground beef or ground turkey or ground chicken

1 medium onion

1 potato for each person at your table, peeled and chopped **This will come together more quickly if you scrub the taters and leave the skins intact.  More fiber, more nutrition, as well.

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced

1 carrots, washed and sliced  ** Note the instructions for the potato

1 can hominy, drained

1 or 2 bouillon cubes + 1 cup water  **Use leftover gravy, if you have some on hand

Garlic to taste **This is optional; use whatever your gang grooves on…the Kitchen Police will never know.

Brown the meat in a good sized skillet, when it looks the way you like it to, add the veggies and the bouillon.  Salt and pepper to taste.  When the veggies are tender, your meal is ready!  Now, how easy was THAT?

Here’s hoping you’ll toss together some fruit for a salad, or crisp greens.  That will round out your meal and satisfy everyone’s hunger.

**Here’s a tip for frazzled cooks:  While you are cooking, offer the children a big plate or bowl of salad with lettuce, cabbage, celery, onion, peppers, carrot or any combination of those.   Also, have them drink tall glasses of water with their pre-meal treat.    They will load up on nutrition and consequently will need less of your main dish.  It might help your grocery bill, as well as your medical bills.

If you are a user of SNAP or WIC EBT cards; if you are a bargain shopper; if you have food commodities or depend on a food pantry for your family’s food needs, this recipe is meant to help you S T R E T C H those foods and food dollars while providing good nutrition.  Our goal at the Food Stamps Cooking Club is to help you.  We think YOU have better and more creative  ideas about food than we do so we encourage you to contact us:  foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com 

You  have been telling others about us–we know this because we are seeing more and more names of people who have signed up for our series of cooking tips.  THANK 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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Dill Pickle Soup for Food Stamps Cooking Club?

January 19th, 2012

It sounds odd, but Dill Pickle Soup is really tasty and satisfying!

After parting company with a tooth recently, all my menu called for was soup.  No problem; soup is one of my comfort foods.  When I was offered Dill Pickle Soup I was intrigued.  Now it is my new favorite soup.  Best of all, it’s easy and quick to make and it is really inexpensive.

Here is the list of ingredients and how I tweaked them:

DILL PICKLE SOUP

2 tablespoons butter or oil

1/2 cup flour

7 cups chicken broth *Make your own broth to save the big bucks; use bouillon + water if you have no broth

1/2 cup very finely chopped dill pickles  *I used the food processor

2 tablespoons dill pickle juice  *add this as  you process the pickles

2 tablespoons + 1 pinch white sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce  *Remember, the Kitchen Police will not arrest you if you do not have this in your pantry!

2 teaspoons minced garlic  *I used garlic powder and nobody died

4 teaspoons onion powder  *I know; it sounds excessive.  It’s perfect.

1 teaspoon curry powder  *Raise your hand if you ever had curry powder on hand…grin…

1 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2  cups warm milk

Melt the butter in a large soup kettle over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook til it becomes pale and light brown.  May take a coupla minutes.  Whisk in chicken broth until thickened and smooth.  Crank the heat to medium high, add dill pickles, juice and all; add sugar, W. sauce, garlic, onion, dill, curry  and pepper.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium LOW and simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in warm milk.  This will serve 4 people.

***Mother Connie prefers a soup that is a bit thicker than this recipe made.  To accommodate this, I used some of the liquid from the soup pot with a spoonful of cornstarch, stirred it well, and added that back into the soup.  I whisked the whole business until it was the soupy consistency we prefer.  I could also have added leftover mashed potatoes or instant potato flakes.

The fun of cooking is the opportunity to be creative.   And devouring what you create!

I did not calculate the cost of this soup but I know it’s way less costly than most soups.  It will go really well with your favorite sandwich and a piece of fruit.

If you are a user of food stamps from the SNAP program; if you utilize food commodities; if you love dill pickles and enjoy being frugal, this will be ideal for you!  Those of you who depend on food pantries will find this recipe useful as well!

Drop us a line about your experience with this creation: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  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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I Heart Cooking and I Heart Food Stamps Cooking Club!

July 18th, 2011
My, but it’s been a long time since we were all in the Club House! You all have been sorely missed!

Oh, my!  It feels SO GOOD to be back as your humble blogger.  Technology is wonderful when it works and when it doesn’t–well, let’s just say it can interrupt the flow of life! 

Things have been happening at breakneck speed while the blog was quiet...we have so many new members to welcome and thank!  We are working feverishly on an offline cooking class and recipes have been pouring in!  WE LOVE IT ALL!

That we have so many fresh new faces around the Club House tells me that a need is being met.  People who use EBT cards from WIC or SNAP are getting some valuable assistance; those who have food from commodities or a food pantry are looking for help in creating interesting, low cost dishes for their families and those who are frugal by nature are coming to share ideas and offer their wisdom.  It is so wonderful to have all these souls coming together for a common cause!  Thanks, EVERYONE.

The Normanator and I are extremely grateful for Angel Food Ministries.  We feel that we are doubling our food budget dollars by using this valuable service that is open to EVERYONE, regardless of your situation.  They also welcome those EBT cards from SNAP and you can order online.  Point, click, save!

Before we were so rudely interrupted by electronic glitches we were on a rant about BEANS.  While we were down a wonderful recipe arrived at the Club House door by one of our most faithful charter members and I want to share it here.  I am warning you:  IT IS DELISH!

Pork and Bean Cake

Yes, pork and beans; that is not a misprint!  ~Mother Connie

1  15 oz can pork and beans

1  8 oz can crushed pineapple, juice and all

Beat well until beans are pureed.

Add 2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat well for 2 minutes

Add 2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat well.  Pour into large UNGREASED jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

When cool frost with this mixture:

1  6 oz pkge cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

The finished product will remind you of spice cake and you will be delighted!

Thanks to KIM for this offering.

Do you have something “beany” to share?  Shoot us an email:  foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com   We appreciate you and your ideas.

We will be keeping you all in the loop about the upcoming offline cooking class, so do keep your eyes open for that.  Those of you who do not live in SE Nebraska will have access to some of that information because we plan to video a portion of the presentation.  EACH OF YOU IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS GATHERING OF LIKE MINDS! 

Gardens around town are bountiful now; there are some tremendous ideas to share about TOMATOES so if the computer behaves itself, those ideas will be forthcoming.  grin

Connie Baum

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


 

 

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Black Bean Casserole at the Food Stamps Cooking Club

June 24th, 2011

 

Here is a Black Bean Casserole that's ideal for your Sunday Best!

Beans have been a major topic this week and a recipe came to my attention for black beans I could not wait to share with you Club Members!  Here it is:

2 cups chopped onion

1 minced cloves of garlic

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup prepared red salsa *The Kitchen Police will not arrest you if you choose green salsa.  Use what you like.

1 fresh pepper-choose red or green or yellow

3 cups cooked black beans

3 cups canned whole tomatoes, juice and all

2 cups frozen corn kernels

salt, pepper to taste

2 cups water

*Prepared in a soup pot as as, you will have a delicious soup.  For the casserole, just prepare as follows:

Add 3 cups cooked pasta.  *The cook gets to decide what KIND of pasta: bow ties, elbow macaroni, rotelli would work well.  Place in casserole dish, top with 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese and bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until it is thoroughly heated.

Besides being easy to prepare and easy on your food budget, this would travel well to a pot luck or to a neighbor who might need a meal because of a hospitalization.  It’s appropriate for Sunday dinner when a van load of your cousins  show up at meal time because it’s the end of the month, too!

This casserole is quite filling but you might want a little something sweet to polish off your meal.  This is a rerun; I made up a bowlful this morning and boy was it yummy:

Chia Pudding

1/2 cup white chia seeds  *Black ones work well, too

1/4 cup honey

1 can coconut milk

dash of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla *or almond or mint or whatever YOU like

Mix together, cover and store in the fridge.  If you leave it alone, the seeds will float to the top and stay there.  You can stir it periodically to mix the seeds, but who has the time for that?  grin

At serving time you can pair it up with canned or fresh fruit or berries as a topping, or serve it as is.

This recipe doubles or triples beautifully, depending on how many toes sit around your table.  It makes a great snack and I’ve been known to eat it for breakfast, as well.

The mail continues to delight us: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  and we welcome all the new members who have flocked to the Club House lately.  ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?  (yes!)

If you hold an EBT card for WIC or SNAP or if you are using Farmers Market Coupons; if you have goods from a food pantry or food commodities, this blog is devoted to YOU.  We truly hope we are helping you manage your food budgets in this tight economy.  Maybe you are just a frugal shopper/cook; we aim to help YOU as well!

What’s so interesting is that YOU help US more than we ever could help anybody.  Your support, your comments, your emails, your links, your recipes–this is all so wonderful and we deeply appreciate every one of you.

One of the Club Members popped by yesterday and-bless her heart-she promised to get us the recipe for a BEAN CAKE that she says is amazing.  Well, I’m down with THAT.  Better get my baking stuff 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: OLE`!

April 8th, 2011

 

OLE`! Anita has shared a turkey taco soup recipe! Can you say, “YUMMY”? And “Thank you, Anita”?

Our little town gathers every Thursday through Lent to worship and have lunch.  This week the Methodist ladies served a chicken noodle or chili soup in deep bowls, accompanied by sandwiches that literally melted in our mouths!  Everyone at our table was raving and we agreed that the weather almost demanded soup for lunch!

At our house we eat soup year around and we’ve even had it for breakfast. WE HEART SOUP.  Anita, one of our faithful and contributing Club Members has shared a soup recipe I think could easily become a year around favorite.  It’s delish; it’s cost effective; it’s comfort food at its finest and it is an easy thing to make!  That is a winner, for sure!

Here is Anita’s offering: We present it with our thanks!

Turkey Taco Soup recipe


Things you need to get:

2 lbs ground Turkey
4 cup of chicken broth
1 to 2 can(s) of Rotel : canned tomatoes
1 can of Kidney beans(undrained)
1 can of Pinto beans(undrained)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of or frozen corn (1 cup)
1/2 cup of diced onion(sauteed with turkey)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic power
a package of Taco Seasoning
Fritos or tortilla chips
Sour cream
Cheese

You would need to brown the turkey with onions…with salt, pepper and garlic pepper. Add chicken broth, beans, corns, Rotel, tomato sauce. Stir and add taco seasoning. Check and taste how much you want it… add a bit more salt and pepper. Let it simmer for a bit before you serve.

When ready, serve with fritos, cheese and sour cream! Voila!

I personally think it tastes better than ground beef and also you don’t taste the grease from beef. We really like it!! Also chicken broth adds a lot of flavor as well. I would rather to use chicken broth over ranch mix. ;)   ~Anita

 

Mother Connie would like to add that the Food Police will not invade your kitchen if you do not use that particular brand of tomatoes. People like Carol and Rainy, for example, will want to use the tomatoes they grew and canned on their own.  And, as you know, turkey and chicken are quite interchangeable.  If you use chicken in a turkey recipe, no one will turn you in to the Kitchen Police, so you are free to use whatever you have on hand.  grin

People who are at the mercy of the food pantry or use food commodities; folks who have EBT cards for WIC or SNAP will love this frugal meal.  Users of Angel Food Ministries can work this into their menus quite easily, too.  And those of us who just like to save the big bucks on our food budgets will appreciate having this soup to serve to those we love any time of year.   Maybe we will even have it for breakfast a time or two!

Today’s post is sponsored by the good folks at ToothSoap.  We hope you can pop in on them and give them the once over.  They are nice people; be sure to let them know that Mother Connie sent you their way.

Thank you to all the folks who have recently joined the Club!  We are having way too much fun sharing low cost ideas for feeding our families health supporting meals with little muss or fuss or cost!  Let us hear from you by sending us a message at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com , won’t you please?

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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Food Stamps Cooking Club: So Much to Tell; So Little Thyme…

March 11th, 2011

 

Simple. Really inexpensive. DEElicious!

The Club House has been BUZZING!  There is a lot of news to share; let’s begin with last evening’s dinner…

The Lincoln Journal Star always features food on Wednesdays and yesterday was no exception.  Lynne  Ireland published a recipe for cabbage that caught my fancy and made me drool.  Cabbage is cheap, forgiving and keeps well in the fridge so we most generally have some on hand.  Immediately I determined this dish would be on our menu for the evening meal.  The odd thing about it was that we had already agreed to have WAFFLES.

We have no problem compromising around here.  The Normanator made the waffles-and they were scrumptious-and I rocked out the cabbage dish.  I think I’d prefer to team it up next time with chicken or pork.  Fish would also be an ideal complement for it.  Here is the recipe as Lynne printed it and precisely as I made it:

ETHIOPIAN CABBAGE AND CARROTS

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 carrots, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1 cup frozen peas

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cabbage and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric and ginger.  Cook another 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly caramelized.  Stir in frozen peas for the last couple of minutes.  Serves 4.

This DOES make enough for 4-our leftovers will be morphed into soup and I think that as those flavors marry and deepen it should be some yummy soup!

On a completely different note, it’s important to bring you up to speed about Community Gardening!  This is excellent info for anyone anywhere but it is particularly meaningful if you are struggling with the cost of food while using EBT cards for SNAP or WIC…or food pantry food…or food commodities.  Even those who are living on a dime or those who procure Angel Food Ministries or plain ole frugal folks will be thrilled-we hope-to learn that there WILL be a community garden in little ole Tecumseh NE this summer!

Reverend Crist from the Methodist Church was happy to inform us today that the wheels of progress are grinding toward the goal that was set last year. This is VERY exciting news, for FAMILIES will be encouraged to play in the dirt, fellowship, learn about gardening and themselves in this very worthwhile project.

Somehow people got away from gardening.  High food prices are chasing us out to the garden patch now, in the hopes of growing our own food and preserving what we cannot immediately use.  MMMM, I can almost TASTE those red, juicy Nebraska grown tomatoes NOW.

Mother Connie dearly hopes every visitor who comes by here has access to a garden, community garden, neighbor’s garden…any place where food is grown.  EVEN A FLOWER POT can be a garden on a sunny porch step!

The other piece of business is the matter of Babble’s contest to find the top 100 food blogs of 2011.  Because of YOU CLUB MEMBERS we have been propelled from #225 to #48 at last note!  This is incredibly satisfying to Mother Connie…this began as a help to those who use public assistance and may not know how to cook or what to cook or ways to save money and build health.  So to be recognized thus is immensely gratifying.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.

As you know, we are always jonesin’ for comments and emails.  Our email address is foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and we note with glee that there are new members climbing aboard every day!  WOW.  How much fun IS there, anyway?

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

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