Posts Tagged ‘cooking with zucchini’

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Facebook Friends + Food Stamps Cooking Club

August 6th, 2012

 

Sofrito is something one of our Facebook friends posted. It made my mouth water, just to see the recipe and see how easy it is to prepare!

 

Summer has savaged us this year.  It has been too hot to eat lately, much less cook.  If you cook on a shoestring, it’s even more daunting.  A Facebook friend, who is also a foodie, shared this recipe and I think it’s a winner.  Here is Loren’s recipe as it appeared on Mother Connie’s timeline:

SOFRITO

‎2 green peppers, cored and diced in chunks
1 red pepper, cored and diced in chunks
4 onions diced in chunks
3 medium size tomatoes, diced in chunks
25 cilantro leaves
3medium heads of garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon of pepper.
Put everything in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. I freeze mine in ice trays, so I can use one at a time and it does not have to be cooked unless you use it in stews, roasting meats, etc. Enjoy!!
Thank you, Loren.  I’m sure we shall!
Another way to prepare an inexpensive summer meal is to use zucchini pesto.  Goodness knows the zukes are still coming and when you top pasta with pesto you have a quick, affordable meal that will tantalize the taste buds of everyone in your family!  This is DELICIOUS!
Another Facebook friend and foodie from across the pond in the UK offered this treat!
Zucchini Pesto
2 medium zucchinis, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic
Approx 1/2 cup fresh basil or other herb  *MC here:  Use dried if that’s all you have.
Scant 1/4 cup sunflower seeds with no shells
Heaping 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan *MC again:  I bet the Kitchen Police will have nothing to report if you use whatever Parm you have available.  Unless you’re close to Italy, that is.  grin
Heaping -although oil doesn’t heap well- 1/4 cup olive oil *MC once more: Don’t mention to the K.P. if you have no olive oil and wish to substitute another veg oil.  I’ll never tell, either.
This a very quick and easy prep and can be made in 5 minutes from start to finish.  Pop your zukes, seeds, garlic, and cheese into the blender and process until chunky.  Start adding the oil in a slow and steady drizzle.  Continue to puree into the mixture is smooth.  Add salt to taste and you are ready to eat!
A zucchini pesto tastes like summer and since you can get it ready in mere minutes, it makes the perfect after-work al fresco dinner!
~Debs Parkes
Debs, thank you very much.  I’m sure our Members will appreciate having this summer specialty!
Are you holding an EBT card for WIC or SNAP?  Do you visit a food bank or food pantry?  Are you using food commodities?  Do you s t r e t c h your food budget as far as you dare month after month?  Are you living on a dime?   If any of these describes your situation, you may feel as if you are never listened to or never heard.  The good news is that someone does care.  The Food Stamps Cooking Club is loaded with people who are in the same boat AND you are invited to submit your story to people who want to know about it.
In our last post, we introduced you to Meg Cramer.  She is associated with the Public Insight Network.  She and her colleagues are really interested to hear from anyone who has received public assistance, so please share your story, if you are so inclined.  It’s quick, painless, confidential and there is nothing to buy.  In order to participate in this important activity, just click on the links that say “Meg Cramer” and “Public Insight Network“.  If you have questions, she welcomes your  email Meg at cramer.net@gmail.com .
If you have scoped out the blogs we have mentioned recently, you know how delightful they really are.  It’s noteworthy that most of the bloggers who receive comments are kind enough to reply to those comments.  You don’t often find that kind of attention to people who take the time to comment; how refreshing!  Again, we invite you to visit Creative Savv or CT On a Budget, as well as  Poor to Rich a Day at a Time.  Be sure to mention that Mother Connie sent you!   If YOU find blogs you think we’d appreciate, please feel free to share!
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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Savory Pie? At Food Stamps Cooking Club?

July 18th, 2012

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What IS that lovely aroma coming from the kitchen? It can’t taste good if it’s zucchini!  Or can it?

Here in Nebraska we have to be very careful to lock our cars at all times from now until the end of zucchini season.  If we don’t, we’ll find bushels of zucchinis filling our back seats!   grin

It’s summer; it’s hotter than Haides and  not only are you hungry, you are tired.  It’s the back half of the month and money is tighter than a new pair of dress shoes.  Still, dinner has to be made.  What’s a family to DO?

Mother Connie is excited to share a dish that is just great and uses some zucchini in a new (to me) and interesting  way.  We can thank a shy contributor who did not want any credit for her offering.  Thanks, anyway to her for graciously sharing for our benefit.

Zucchini Pie 

~  Compliments of  “The Cook”

Saute 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini + 1 cup chopped onion in 1/2 cup butter or oil

Add 2  tablespoons parsley flakes + 1/2  teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper + 1/4 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, basil,and oregano.

Separately, blend 2 beaten eggs and 2 cups grated Mozarella cheese.

Combine everything and pour into a pie crust you have spread with prepared mustard.  Bake in a 350* oven for 20 -30 minutes.

*COOK’S NOTES and cooking tips:

  • You could double the veg without loss of quality.  You might also vary the veg with mushrooms, green/yellow/red peppers, leeks, or summer squash.  Combining colors makes for a pretty pie.
  • The cook uses stone ground mustard
  • Fresh herbs can be used in place of dried…
  • For the crust, you might use home made pizza crust, dinner roll dough, or refrigerator rolls
  • For a crowd you can make a double or triple batch by using a sheet pan.  With a bread-type crust, warming this in the oven is a cinch.
  • You might like to dust the top with shredded parm or asiago cheese in the last 5 minutes of baking time.

Do you find yourself Living on a Dime?  Are you frugal to a fault?  Do you avail yourself of food commodities or food pantries?  Are you a holder of an EBT card for WIC or SNAP?  If so, this idea might help you stretch your food dollars a bit while you make something yummy and nutritious for those people you love.

According to the news reports that have been on the airwaves some changes are in the wind for the Farm Bill, which includes SNAP and WIC.  WIC also has made some changes, according to our last local newspaper.  Keep your eyes peeled for changes that may affect you and make sure you have loads of low cost food ideas.  We hope we are helpful to you in this regard.

Several cute blogs with new ideas have come our way lately.  You might like to cruise by some of them and do the name-dropping thing by mentioning that Mother Connie sent you.  Here is a partial list of Mother Connie’s  faves:

Tomorrow there will be some great LOW COST food ideas, too.  Summer is  a great time for simple food ideas!

Please remember you are loved and appreciated and again we thank you for the kind remarks and emails you have so graciously sent to us.  We hope your trust in us is well placed!

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/Did we mention how we ADORE your comments on this blog?  Oooooh, yes.  We do.  grin

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Celebrating Rice at Food Stamps Cooking Club

June 25th, 2012

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No matter what rice you have, you can make a meal fit for royalty!

It’s the end of the month.  The cupboard, despite your best efforts has a hollow echo.  The refrigerator looks a little on the empty order, too.   The  need to turn up your creative juices has never been more necessary.  What is a SNAP user to DO?  And if you are using an EBT card from WIC…you might be feeling a wee bit desperate.

Those of us who hang out in the Club House GET that.  That’s why we are here. 

There is always the ‘rice and beans; beans and rice’ meal.  And you no doubt are weary as can be of that routine.  Mother Connie stumbled on an idea that may be helpful to you:

Zucchini Over Rice-With a Kick

2   tablespoons vegetable oil

2  medium onions, peeled and sliced or chopped-your preference

1  medium zucchini, peeled and chopped

1  can canned red or black beans, drained  *If you have cooked beans on hand, use 2 cups

Salt and Pepper to taste

1   1/2  teaspoons curry powder  *None on hand?  Improvise with chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, coriander, ginger, cloves, turmeric or any combination of these.  Taste test your unique combo to make sure it’s something your gang will enjoy.

1  teaspoon cumin

Method:

In a heavy skillet , heat the oil gently as you prepare your vegetables.  Saute the onions until they are tender and fragrant.  Add the chopped zucchini.  Then sprinkle the spices over the top and gently stir them to incorporate them into the entire mixture.  Cover them to let the flavors marry and turn the heat to very low. Stir occasionally so they do not stick to the skillet.

If you have cooked rice, you can reheat that in a separate skillet or saucepan.  If you need to cook your rice for this dish, use ONE CUP of rice to TWO CUPS of water or broth.

SIDEBAR:  Mother Connie discovered how delicious it is to mix brown rice with basmati rice-because there was not enough of either, so they were combined.  What a pretty potful that made!  END SIDEBAR

After everything has cooked through, spoon the rice onto the plate, top it off with the vegetables for a beautiful presentation that smells wonderfully aromatic!

VARIATION:  If you have frozen peas on hand, add those just before serving to thaw them to add color and flavor to your dish.  You could also use the combo of frozen peas/corn.  If your family fancies corn, you could use that, as well.  Canned veggies will work but they should be drained first.  Zucchini has a lot of  liquid in it and it could be too soupy if you do not drain the veggies.

VARIATION #2:  Use red peppers for more color.  Green peppers would add color and flavor to the mix, too.

This makes a meal that is loaded with nutrition for VERY little money and has complete protein so it satisfies hunger well.  Anything that’s tasty, filling AND budget minded at the end of the month has got to be a good thing!

I made this for lunch today and there was a small amount left over.  That will become soup as soon as I add broth and vegetable juice to these yummies.  I may even toss in some cooked bow ties from another meal that need to be used.

What low cost meals do YOU make when it looks as if there’ll be more month than money?  Let us know by commenting on this blog.  WE LIVE FOR YOUR COMMENTS.  grin

We hope you have been enjoying the messages of our partners, Living On A Dime and Saving Dinner.  We are so proud to be associated with them.   They offer lots of great ideas and some really good values if you are interested to have their products.  They’ve been around for a long time and they know their stuff!

Our hearts are delighted with all the new members who have signed up recently for our series of cooking tips.  Thank you so much for sharing this site with those in your circle!

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: Is It ALL About the Money?

August 31st, 2010

Everywhere you look, people are fighting for the money it takes to survive!

According to USA Today there is grim news.  According to an article that appeared yesterday-thanks to Sandra for bringing this to our attention-more than 40 million people are using an EBT card for SNAP to feed their families!

I can tell you for certain that there are also people who NEED this assistance but for whatever reasons they do not qualify for benefits.

People who have Medicare-50 million of us-may have those benefits but paying the bills not covered by Medicare can leave the food budget in a shambles.

Hopefully this page will help you to hone your survival skills, particularly if you  use public assistance OR NEED IT; if you use food commodities or visit a food pantry.  Mother Connie wonders seriously and aloud if the Soup Kitchens of the 1930s will soon reappear.

Someone asked me this question yesterday:  “Why do you wake up every day?”

People who need help with feeding their families propel me out of bed every day.  Scouring newspapers, cookbooks, newsletters, articles online and speaking with neighbors and friends to pick their brains in order to help families manage their food dollars and keep their dignity intact is my main push.

There are a great many factors at work in the world.  Politics, greed, fear, natural disasters and of course, the stinking economy.  It doesn’t matter WHY the issue exists; what matters is that people can feed their loved ones and be well!

Bringing you food ideas, recipes, tips and including you in our circle is critical to all of us.  We want to teach your children the best ways to create meals as well as memories.  We want to help you learn better and better ways of preparing foods in order that you can be well and happy and do it all within your means, no matter how meager.

We cannot do this alone.  We need one another in this Club.  We must have one anothers’ backs in order to bring out the best in everybody.

Today is the last day of the month.  If your house is anything like ours, your cupboard might be looking bare.  Your canisters may be low or empty.  The fridge sounds hollow; so does the freezer.  It is so easy to run out of food dollars before the end of the month.  I want to share a simple dish we turn to on EOM (end of the month) days:

Eggs with Zucchini

1 small onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

Saute these in a bit of oil in a skillet until the veggies are “sweaty”.

Add 2 cups of peeled and grated zucchini.  Be sure to squeeze out excess moisture before you add the zukes to the other vegetables.

Let these hang out in the skillet until the zucchini is soft.

Add 1 cup of cooked rice, quinoa, oatmeal or barley

Stir well until everything is heated thoroughly.

Add 4 beaten eggs and cook on medium low heat until the eggs are cooked.

As soon as the eggs go into the skillet, season the whole shootin’ match with salt, pepper and curry powder (or whatever else your gang likes best!)  to taste.  It won’t take much of any of it.

If you have toast and jelly to go with this dish, you have a total meal and everyone will be too full for dessert!

Speaking of dessert, it’s apple season around here.  Find yourself a neighbor with an apple tree.  They are most likely to be happy to share the bounty.  If you HAVE an apple tree, please look for someone who could benefit from your harvest. You might even make some new friends under the apple tree!

This horrible economy and all our serious needs could really turn out to be a blessing in disguise, people, as we come together for a common cause and help one another in every way possible.

And, club members, if nobody has TOLD you yet today, please understand that you ARE loved and you ARE appreciated!

Connie Baum

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


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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Patty Came to Dinner?

August 21st, 2010

Guess who came to dinner? PATTY!

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

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

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

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

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

MOTHER CONNIE’S PATTY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connie Baum

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


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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Sandra Discusses Cukes and Zukes?

July 20th, 2010

Do you recall the “almost oopsie” Mother Connie had with using veggies recently?

That post prompted one of our faithful Members to send this comment.  We chose to offer  it here as a mini blog post because it is so comprehensive and valuable.  Thanks, Sandra.  We appreciate that you are so generous with your ideas!

“Wow!  Mother Connie, that sounds wonderful!  I usually just roast my zukes in the oven with some salt and pepper.  But I have a friend who marinates hers and then dehydrates them.  So they turn out like chips but are healthier.  Imagine some zukes chips flavored with italian dressing, balsamic vinegar, or even bbq sauce.  Yum Yum!  And zukes are so easy to grow.  :)

I also love to use zukes in veggie fajitas a few times a summer.  I just cut zukes and yellow squash in long strips and saute them with onions, peppers, and peeled tomatoes.  Then I serve them in tortillas with some sour cream and cheese.  Yummy and healthy!  :) “

Even though we just pushed ourselves away from the dinner table, these ideas are mouth-wateringly appealing!

Thanks again, Sandra!

Anyone who is frugal, anyone who uses WIC or SNAP or Farmers Markets; even users of Angel Food Ministries can benefit from these helpful ideas.  If there are folks reading this blog who simply yearn for comfort food, want to better manage their food pantry food or food commodities, we hope this is a helpful place to come.  Whether a person loves to cook or hates to cook, we hope to offer some assistance.

A message was sent out today about cooking with beans.  Here’s hoping you found that beneficial, as well.

I’m guessing YOU ALL have better ideas than Mother Connie…I surely hope you’ll all take a page out of Sandra’s book and share with the whole class.

Another point to consider:  Chef Shawn Bucher and Chef Joshua Stokes left comments for us on the post that featured their work!  (We were as excited as teenagers being invited to a Prom!)   They were also kind enough to send personal messages via email.  No doubt they like having Food Groupies…grin

The offline Cooking Class will be happening on THURSDAY!  We will keep you all in our loop!

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 affairs online or offline.  Do business only with those you trust implicitly.


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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Benevolent Gardener?

July 19th, 2010

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connie Baum

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

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Whole Grain Rotini?

April 12th, 2010

 

Whole grain pasta-fusilli in this case-can be easy on your mid month budget and soooo delish!

 

Here we are, way too close to the middle of the month and you peer into the freezer, the fridge, the cupboard and wonder once again why the month, the money, and the food don’t all come out even?  Are there middle-of-the-night GREMLINS getting into your supplies? It makes one wonder, all right.

Just when we thought there were no more pasta recipes to be had,  The Normanator spied an interesting one on the empty bag of rotini.  As you know, we are big on cooking once and eating twice (or more) so a big pot of rotini will be convenient.

ROTINI WITH ZUCCHINI AND OLIVES

1 and 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes, chopped

1/2  cup red onion, chopped

2  cloves garlic, minced and mashed with 1 tsp kosher salt

DON’T GET WEIRD!  The Kitchen Police will not arrest you if you do not use kosher salt and do use whatever salt you use in everything else you cook!

2  tablespoons red wine vinegar  **APPLY ABOVE ADVICE to the vinegar

1/4  cup olive oil

1  1/2 lbs zucchini cut into thick slices

2/3  cup kalamata olives   *I know; our market didn’t have them either so I used black olives.  Not to worry.

6 oz feta cheese

1  1/2 cups fresh basil

1lb whole grain rotini

In a large bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil.  Brush one side of zucchini slices with extra oil and season with salt and pepper.  Heat a well seasoned grill pan over moderate heat until hot and grill zucchini, oiled side down, in batches, brushing tips with more oil before turning.  One to two minutes on each side, or til tender but not soft.

In 4 – 6 quart pot cook passta in salted boiling water for 13 to 15 minutes.  Drain but do NOT rinse.  Add hot pasta to tomato mixture and toss well.  Stir in zucchini, olive, cheese, basil, salt and pepper to taste.

With fresh fruit for dessert, this would make a guest-worthy dinner meal!

This may be may 4 hours ahead and kept covered at room temp. Serve warm or room temperature.

For those using Angel Food Ministries food or supplies from a food pantry or food commodities this meal idea will be helpful, we hope.  If you used Farmers Market Coupons or SNAP or WIC or if you fell heir to somebody’s fridge contents cuz they were moving this could be advantageous to you.

We love hearing from you Club Members.  You are sending those in YOUR circle to join; it’s as easy as putting your name and email into our box in the upper right hand corner.  We have a little series of tips and we send out what we hope will be informative info for you once in awhile.  Your comments on the blog mean the world to us; they encourage other members AND your emails are just the best.  Please keep sending them to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com .   THANKS.

Just so you know, we are in contact with Chef Shawn Bucher, author of The First Timer’s Cookbook. He will play a pivotal role in our offline cooking class but we want EVERYbody to benefit so do stay tuned for all the latest updates!

Connie Baum

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

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Food Stamps Cooking: 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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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Ready…Set…COOK!

September 17th, 2009

We are getting our ducks in a row!  Preparations are underway for our Cooking Class scheduled for Saturday!

Someone suggested we do as the French: lay out all the ingredients, measured, chopped, whatever might be required.  Then each item could be added in order and no errors would cause problems.

Sounds good to me.  You could easily check to make sure you have all the necessary ingredients on hand.  You would know whether you needed to make substitutions before a crisis arises!

When our Class members arrive, they would have everything ready to work at their stations, too!  I think that’s how we should proceed!

On a different subject:

Have you fallen heir to end-o-the-garden goods but you aren’t sure what to do with them?  I know I’ve run out of freezer space for zucchinis and the garden still yields oodles of the silly things!  How much zucchini bread can we handle?  And how many potatoes can we “hide” zucchini in?  Is there enough cheese in Johnson County, NE to cover the zucchini we have grown?  grin

It isn’t that we don’t feel grateful.  We ARE grateful to have such an ample supply of food.  And if you are using SNAP or WIC or Angel Food Ministries you know exactly what I mean!  If you have picked up food from a food pantry or have been blessed with food commodities, this makes perfect sense to you.  Even the Farmers Markets Coupons can only handle so many zucchinis!  I’m watching our food budget like a hawk and I still have TOO MANY ZUCCHINIS!

Maybe you also have an abundance of cabbage now.

My first thought with cabbage is to make slaw.  When there is a large head of cabbage and only two pairs of toes under the table, that slaw can get to be pretty boring after awhile.

I would make sauerkraut.  Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with that but my good Czech friend does.  Maybe I can inveigle her to teach me about that soon?

There is creamed cabbage, boiled cabbage, roast chicken and cabbage…and polish sausages or ham simmered with cabbage.  Our gang likes “kraut kruders” which is a cabbage and ground beef filling wrapped with dough then baked to a golden brown.  I know that caraway seed enhances cabbage; maybe I’ll see if I can add that into the food budget ASAP!

What do YOU do with cabbage?  We would love to hear your ideas about the different ways you use it in your kitchens.  Leave your comment or email us at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com .

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Connie Baum


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