Posts Tagged ‘comfort foods’

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Microwaving & Soup at Food Stamps Cooking Club

March 4th, 2012

 

WARNING: Microwaves ARE dangerous!

Mother Connie has been taken to task for going overboard with respect to microwave ovens.  She was called out for being radical.  Mother Connie is one tough ole broad and can take criticism, but this is not about MC.  IT IS ABOUT YOU BEING SAFE AND HEALTHY.

Mother Connie, as you are well aware, is passionate about helping people.  People are not helped by microwaving their foods. This is not merely opinion; this is truth.  Please direct your attention to this article, which ‘splains the dangers more eloquently than your humble blogger: Microwave Ovens: The Proven Danger

‘Nuff said about THAT.  Let’s find something fun to discuss.  How about FOOD?

People who sit in my circle know how I love to cook so Santa brought by a daily calendar put out by The Food Network.  Each day there is a new delight to peruse and use.  Most of the dishes I find are a bit “high end” for those of us who fuss over our food budgets or use EBT cards from SNAP or WIC.  However, there is a doozee of a crock pot soup that is ab-so-toot-ly DELISH.

 

Slow Cookers are safe to use! They make life simpler, even!

 

SLOW COOKER BEAN AND BARLEY SOUP

1  cup dried multibean mix or great Northern beans, picked over and rinsed

1   14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes w/their juice

3  cloves garlic,smashed

2  ribs celery, chopped

2  medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2  medium onion, chopped

1/2  cup pearl barley *Mother Connie toasted hers before adding it to the soup but the recipe did not call for that step

1  bay leaf

2  teaspoons dried Italian herb blend

1/2  oz died porcini mushrooms *optional  Good thing; I don’t keep those on hand…do YOU? grin

Kosher salt and pepper  * The Kitchen Police did not object to my use of sea salt…

3  cups baby spinach *I used frozen, chopped

1  cup grated Parmesan cheese

1  tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Olive oil, for drizzling

METHOD: 

Put the beans, 6 cups of water, tomatoes and their juice, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, barley, bay leaf, Italian herb blend, mushrooms 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and some pepper in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low until the beans are quite tender and the soup is thick-about 8 hours. 

Stir in the spinach, cheese, and vinegar.  Cover and let the soup sit until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with a bit of olive oil.

Thank you, Food Network Calendar!

In the Club House, we like to spoon most any kind of soup over crusty bread.  The Normanator baked bread with a bit of almond flour and this made us a great lunch.  Since there are just the two of us there was plenty left over to freeze for a quick meal on a busy day.  We also had a green salad with our bean/barley soup.  We were well nourished and we both had happy tummies!

Soup is a great comfort food on cold, blustery March days.  If you are struggling to S T R E T C H your food dollars it’s a good way to feed your family.  If you know anyone who is living on a dime-or less-you may want to share this link with them.  We are all about helping people here.  Maybe you use food commodities or know someone who does.  You might frequent a food pantry…this page is for YOU.

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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Making Gravy at Food Stamps Cooking Club

February 27th, 2012

Gravy is one of my comfort foods…bread n gravy; taters and gravy;  gravy as a base for cream soups…I really love to make it and I really really love to eat it!  My mother used to talk about how her mom would make “flour and water gravy” and that would be their meal.  No meat, no veggies.  Just gravy.  Wow.  They did not have SNAP or WIC in those days.  What a shame.

Some folks pay good money for packets of gravy mix.  Well, they are free to spend those EBT cards as they see fit but I am way too tight fisted with my grocery money for packets.  This little video shows you how quick, easy and cheap it is to make your own gravy.  Incidentally this is a “re-run” from last fall, so if it seems familiar, that’s the reason.

Easy peasy, don’t you think?

The mail has been such fun!  You folks are talking amongst yourselves and passing the word that we here in the Club House are passionate about helping you s t r e t c h your food budgets while using whatever you have on hand and making meals that keep your gang in tip-top health.  You no doubt have ideas to share.  You are more than welcome to send them to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com   Oh, how we love hearing from you members!

If you or someone in your sphere of influence uses food commodities, goods from food pantries or if you have anyone who wants to save as much as possible when buying food, we hope we are helpful to the cause.

You may have noticed that Mother Connie was using a cast iron skillet in this film…stay tuned for a piece about cookware. to be seen SOON at a computer near you.

Are we having FUN yet?

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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Dumplings Are Everywhere at Food Stamps Cooking Club!

February 23rd, 2012

Dumplings ARE everywhere...and they are comfort food on the cheap!

Our mailbox is always fun.  We never know what we might find there.  Today I found a cutie named Polysammo who has a most interesting blog that shares NOT just about dumplings but that dumplings appear in every culture.  Polysammo explores all manner of “dumps”-a reference from yesterday’s post-because she reads a variety of cookbooks from every corner of the earth!

Polysammo graciously offers this easy, low cost “no recipe” way to comfort.  I can’t wait to try this for The Normanator and me:

EGGS POACHED IN VEGGIES

This is another comfort food non recipe. It is also a really easy quick recipe when you are too tired to think about what to eat.
You could serve this with buttered bread, tortillas, rice or pasta.  I like buttered bread.
I have made this for people who thought it sounded odd and then Loved it. I am craving it now and will see if I can get into the kitchen this week (with some help) and make it.    
Bonus is that is is so healthy and adjustable for food allergies/preferences.

Ingredients:
Veggies  (as many or few as you want : onions, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, celery, broccoli, beans, spinach )
Spices (depends on what style you want  Italian garlic, oregano, rosemary Mexican garlic, cumin, chili powder  )
1 Can diced tomatoes
Eggs
Cheese

In a large fry pan sauté the veggies & spices in a tiny bit of Oil.

When they are not quite soft, add the can of tomatoes and cook for 5 or so minutes on MEDIUM heat.  

When the tomato veggie mixture gets thick make little holes and break an egg into each hole (my pan holds 4 -6 eggs).

Cover & cook for a few minutes. Check the eggs when they are almost the way you want them sprinkle on the cheese and cover for another minute.

~Polysammo

Mother Connie here:  This sounds and looks to be so full of deliciousness that my mouth is watering and I’m tempted to cancel my dinner date with The Normanator just to try it!  Thank you so much, Polysammo.  We really appreciate it a lot.

Polysammo sent her message to us by using foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  YAY, Polysammo! And thank you once again!  Here’s hoping all our Club Members cruise by your cute site and scope out other great ideas!

We are also aware of a burgeoning list of Club Members.  There are a great many people using EBT cards from SNAP or WIC and many more depend on food pantries and food commodities for their daily sustenance.  It is our mission to help people, including those who are simply frugal, to s t r e t c h those food dollars and food budgets to the extreme while feeding your families good nutrition.  If you are living on a dime-or less-this is critical.  When our members offer helpful ideas to the whole community, everybody wins!

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: 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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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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Creamy & Dreamy for Food Stamps Cooking Club

June 13th, 2011

 

Looking yummy…could ANYTHING make this dish more appealing?

It feels soooo good to be back in the Club House with all of you!  Thank you for your patience in the absence of your fearless leader and welcome to all the MANY new Members!

During the break that was mine I had occasion to discover a new product.  Being the daughter of a grocer gives me a healthy curiosity about any new item.  Those of us who stocked shelves greeted new products with delight but shuddered to figure out where anything new would FIT.  We already had more products than shelf space!

SIDEBAR:  Sound familiar?  I know our kitchen cabinets groan sometimes…END SIDEBAR.

The new kid in town is “cooking cream.”  I was suspicious the moment I saw the colorful packaging.  My very first thought was, “And just WHY would I need cooking cream?”

When I did some grocery shopping I looked for the stuff in the dairy case.  Sure enough, EVEN IN OUR TINY TOWN, it sat among the cream cheese and there were 3 flavors.  I looked at the cute package and perused the label.  Yes.  Just as I suspected.  JUNK in that trunk!  Nothing in the ingredient list struck me as necessary to the new “Plate Graph” the USDA just released.

Then I canvassed the pros.  I asked Chef Shawn and Chef Josh what they thought about cooking cream.  I could not hear them laugh via email but their amusement over such an unnecessary product came through loud and clear.  These two are all about good food for little money so they were not shy about saying that we need not use the silly stuff.

So, kids, the bottom line is this:  if you think your dish needs  something creamy, think of sour cream or a home made white sauce, with or without cheese.  Don’t stoop to using non-nutritional, costly packets or cooking cream or anything else commercial.

Our email account has been busy: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com, for which we are grateful.  WE LOVE MAIL.  We do not love spam. :(

Since June is in full swing, our attention is beginning to turn to the offline cooking class!  We eagerly welcome your ideas.  This IS YOUR CLUB, after all!

With warmer weather here to stay we hope you are eating big salads with lots of home grown greens and other veggies from your gardens or Farmers Markets.  Carol has a dynamite suggestion for shopping Farmers Markets…she only shops with ONE vendor.  She and the vendor have a relationship based on loyalty and trust and she gets great value for her food dollars.

Maybe you use food commodities or food from a food pantry…If you are shopping at a Farmer’s Market or using Angel Food from Angel Food Ministries or you are an EBT card carrying user of SNAP or WIC – or if only you love to be frugal and s t r e t c h your food budget dollars as far as possible, we hope this cheery little spot in cyberspace is helpful to you and yours.

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.

PS:  In case you missed Mikemax’s comment here it is again!  This is VERY exciting news!

“My friend Mary is visiting. Her husband is president and weekly volunteer at a community food pantry in Oregon. She told me about a cookbook a young girl wrote for her Girl Scout Gold Award (similar to Eagle Scout for BSA). It features low cost recipes using products typically available at food pantries. She tested every single recipe and Mary says they are good! She is going to try to get me a copy and I will share the recipes and any words of wisdom therein.”

YAY, Mikemax!  YAY, Mary!  Good on YOU!

***

 


 

 

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

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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: Easter Ideas?

April 1st, 2011

 

The Easter Bunny will soon make his appearance...Tawra has some great ideas for getting ready for his arrival!

Tawra Kellam has been kind enough to provide us with a Guest Post today!

Users of SNAP or WIC, take note!  If you have food from Angel Food Ministries or Farmers Market coupons; food commodities or things from a food pantry…even if you just want to stretch every food dollar in your food budget…you can appreciate these clever ideas.  EVEN IF you do not have little people in your home any more, you will enjoy reading what Tawra has sent to us about observing the Easter Holiday:

“A reader asks:

Got any inexpensive ideas for Easter gifts for the kids? Also, do you have any ideas that would focus on the real meaning of Easter and not just bunnies and eggs?

Easter is a great time of the year to celebrate, especially if you have the hope that comes from Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Here are some ideas for Easter gifts. Try some of them and if the creative juices start flowing, make up some of your own!

If you don’t have Easter baskets, you can also use:

  • Plain wicker baskets
  • Baskets spray painted an Easter color
  • A cute straw hat
  • A pail for the sandbox
  • A bowl wrapped in tissue paper
  • Paper sacks that the kids decorate. Cut out pictures from magazines or use stickers. Glue or stick them on and then paint or color around them.
  • Any sort of plastic storage container. These often can be used later for storage.
  • For a “family” Easter basket, set a nice plate on the table with Easter grass and goodies arranged on the plate or platter. This is great when you have older kids.

Fillers for Easter Baskets:

  • Buy candy after Valentine’s Day at half price and keep to fill Easter baskets.
  • Make Easter cookies in the shapes of bunnies, eggs, crosses or any other Easter shape that comes to mind and decorate.
  • Popcorn Balls or Rice Krispie Treats colored in pastel colors.
  • String Froot Loops onto yarn and tie to make a necklace.
  • Don’t fill baskets. Instead put jelly beans and candy in plastic eggs so the kids can fill their own baskets. You can also put nickels, dimes, toy soldiers, bugs, stickers, barrettes or hair ribbons in the eggs. Hide them outside or in the house if you live in a climate where it’s usually cold on Easter.
  • Make coupons for getting out of chores, staying up late one night, having a friend over for a sleep over or a special dinner that they like.
  • Include like new books purchased at garage sales or thrift stores.

 

  • Homemade slime, play dough, sidewalk chalk, bubbles or the ingredients for crystal gardens.
  • Wacky crayons- Crayon pieces melted together in a muffin tin to make a “big” crayon.
  • Flower seeds that the kids can grow
  • Mini-stuffed animals purchased at garage sales or on clearance the year before.
  • Paper dolls or coloring books. There are many available on the Internet that you can print yourself.
  • For teenagers, put these items in baskets: lotions, soaps, suntan lotions, fingernail polish, movie tickets, tickets for getting out of a chore, ticket for $5 worth of car gas, clothes purchased on clearance and of course lots of candy!
  • Leave a trail of jelly beans or candy kisses from their rooms to their Easter baskets.
  • Easter Kisses

Put some Hershey Kisses or chocolate chips in a plastic bag and attach the following poem:

This cute little bunny has hopped all day
Been delivering baskets for the holiday.
His paws are so tired and his little nose itches.
He left you something special-something to fill all your wishes.
These cute little hugs and Easter kisses.

  • Put 1 Pound Jelly Beans into a bag and attach this poem:RED is for the blood He gave.
    GREEN is for the grass He made.
    YELLOW is for the sun so bright.
    ORANGE is for the edge of night.
    BLACK is for the sins we made.
    WHITE is for the grace he gave.
    PURPLE is for His hour of sorrow.
    PINK is for our new tomorrow.
    A bag full of jelly beans colorful and sweet,
    Is a prayer, is a promise, is a special treat.
  • Easter Carrot TreatsBuy disposable plastic decorating bags and fill them with orange jellybeans or cheese balls. Then stick some green Easter grass in the top of the bag (leave some hanging out) and secure the bag with a rubber band and then ribbon so that it resembles a carrot.

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

Many thanks to Tawra!

Connie Baum

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Breakfast is Served?

March 29th, 2011

 

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

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

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

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

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

Connie Baum

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

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Is Leanne Full o Beans?

February 25th, 2011

 

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

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

“Dear Readers,

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

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

To Your Health–

~Leanne

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

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

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

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

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

Crock Pot Mixed Beans and Turkey Ham
Serves 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connie Baum

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