Posts Tagged ‘food stamps cooking club’

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Roasted Garbanzo Beans and the Food Stamps Cooking Club

May 16th, 2012

Roasty, toasy flavor with oodles of protein and crunch! Mmm...

When I opened the food section of the Lincoln Journal Star today I was thrilled to see something different and  wonderful that I could share with the  Club Members!

We at the Food Stamps Cooking Club are all about helping you S T R E T C H your food dollars.  It does not matter whether you are simply a frugal shopper or you lean hard on that EBT  card from SNAP or WIC.  Whether you get food from a food pantry or accept food commodities; it makes no difference–we all  have to eat and it’s tough stuff,  this living on a dime!  It’s important to pack  as much nutrition into every meal as possible and it helps to be creative and clever at getting everyone at the table a meal they would actually enjoy!

One of my most favorite food editors is Lynne Ireland.  Today she wrote about roasting chickpeas.  I must have been living under a bushel for my whole life, because it had never occurred to me that chickpeas/garbanzos could be roasted. 

SIDEBAR:  Roll your eyes HERE.  END SIDEBAR.

That phase of Mother Connie’s life is history.  Just scope out this EZ do idea:

Roasted Chickpeas

*This appeared in May 16, 2012 Lincoln Journal Star and is taken from WeightWatchers.com

Olive oil cooking spray

2  cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/4  teaspoon garlic powder

1/8  teaspoon red pepper flakes

OR

Any seasoning, such as chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, seasoning blend,  cumin, lemon pepper, Cajun spice mix or Tabasco sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees – or 425 for more crunch in less time.  Lightly coat rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Spread chickpeas on baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder and red pepper; toss to coat. 

Roast on bottom rack of oven, shaking pan about every 15 minutes until browned and slightly crunchy, about 45 to 50 minutes.  25 to 30 minutes at higher temperature. 

The chickpeas still will be soft at lower temperature, more crispy if cooked at higher heat. 

Cook until desired texture is reached,  cool before serving. 

*Yields about 4   1/2 cup servings, equal to 3 Points Plus value for Weight Watchers.

Food Editor Lynne Ireland suggests using these as an alternative to cocktail nuts,  croutons for a salad or as a healthy snack when others might choose to open a bag of chips.  Mother Connie can imagine using them as topping for pasta, too.

There is plenty of room for variety with this because you can pick and choose the flavorings to suit your current fancy!  How can it get any better than this?   grin

Your comments on this blog mean the world to Mother Connie and judging by the mail we get, you are appreciative of them, too.  So click on the comments and let us know what you are doing with garbanzo beans or whatever else is making your kitchen smell like home and makes your heart sing!  Thanks, guys.  Please know that you are loved.

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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Big Box Stores and Food Stamps Cooking Club

February 24th, 2012

Do big box stores have little price tags on their merchandise?

We have some food for thought and a treat from our blogger pal, Tawra Kellam today!  Tawra graciously offered a Guest Post, written by Jill Cooper, about saving money, which is what she is all about.  She gives us some really sound advice.  See what hits YOU like a brick…

Before I share her thoughts with you I want to remind you that 40 million of us are using food stamps or SNAP.  Many more have not applied for that sort of help, even though they might qualify. There are children in our own country who are going to bed with empty tummies.  Others who are living on a dime-or less-lean on food pantries, food commodities and whatever other help is out there.  Our purpose here is to help you stretch those food dollars to get the very most you can from your food budgets and feed your family well to keep them healthy.

Now let’s give Jill the floor: 

 Are Warehouse Stores Wearing Out Your Wallet?

 *Do they save you money or just create more work?

by Jill Cooper from Living On a Dime

It’s Saturday morning. With grocery list in hand, you drag a very unwilling family out to the car where you proceed to take them on a mega shopping spree at Sam’s or Costco.

Marching down each isle you tell your family members “We need 3 cases of corn, 4 cases of green beans and — Oh! That’s a good deal on peanut butter so let’s get 3 gallons. Of course Susie, your can get a bag of cookies. They are so cheap! …and Billy you can have a few bags of your favorite chips! Yum! Oh look — samples! These taste great. Let’s get some! What a great buy on chicken – we need 20…”

At the dog food aisle the excitement mounts as each member of the family grabs a corner of the 50 lb. bag of dog food to stack on top of the basket. (We won’t mention you only have 1 toy poodle at home.) After waiting in line and waiting in line and waiting in line you push your agonizingly heavy and overloaded baskets out to the car. Getting everything into the trunk of the car makes putting together a 1,000 piece puzzle seem like a breeze but, finally, home you go.

After you lug everything into the house, it’s time to spend the next few hours repackaging things for the freezer. You double wrap your 20 chickens (they could be in that freezer for quite a while) and frantically try to find places for everything else in your cupboards and pantry. By the time you are done, you are so exhausted that you couldn’t begin to lift a finger to cook, so you all go out to eat.

A few weeks later you gingerly sniff the gallon of half used peanut butter as you try to decide if that strange taste is because it has gone rancid or simply because you are sick of peanut butter. You threw out that partially used gallon of maple syrup yesterday because it had sugared and was looking really strange. You still have ten of your chickens left but if you bathe them in some spicy sauce you are pretty sure your family won’t notice the freezer burned taste. In spite of having to throw out most of the 50 lbs. of dog food (after a growing family of mice had invaded it), you’re sure you saved money because “they” said you would.

People constantly ask me, “Can you really save more money at warehouse stores?” I usually answer, “Not any more so than at other stores.” I have checked prices at various stores on many different occasions and factoring everything in, I haven’t found any exceptional savings at warehouse stores.

Here are some tips to help you decide if a warehouse store is for you:


  1. Do your homework and compare prices. Buying in bulk is not always cheaper. You can really save by checking and comparing prices. I was at Costco one day where there was a display of two Clorox one gallon bottles for $1.98 AFTER rebate. I stood there amazed as people frantically grabbed this “great deal.” I knew I could get that same Clorox for $.98 a gallon at my regular discount store and I didn’t have to mess with a rebate, pay postage or lug two gallons of Clorox shrink wrapped together to my car.
  2. Don’t buy impulsively just because it sounds like a good deal. Say you can get 12 bottles of sunscreen for a great price. Think it through before you buy. If your family only uses one bottle of sunscreen a year, that means you will be storing sunscreen for 12 years, not to mention that most of the sunscreen will expire long before then.
  3. In most homes, one quarter of the food people buy gets thrown away. If your family of four eats pancakes once a week, that gallon of syrup is going to last you a VERY long time. You might also consider that unless dry goods and freezer items are very carefully stored, they will go bad or get bugs in them. Remember to buy the size that is appropriate for you.
  4. You need to be very well organized to buy in bulk. Finding places to store everything and then carefully keeping track of what you have is critical if you want to use it all before it spoils.
  5. Most people usually spend more than they originally planned on things they don’t need. This never saves money. We taste samples and so often end up buying. If this is you, be careful. Maybe sampling is a bad idea (unless you’re making lunch of it)!

If you have ten kids, run a day care or are buying for an organization then you almost have to buy in bulk. If you have a small or average sized family, you will probably save as much shopping for sales at your regular grocery store or discount store. The key is to do the math and evaluate your practical needs. You have to decide for yourself if buying at warehouse stores actually saves you money or just creates more work.

-Jill

Good info, Jill and Tawra!  Food Stamps Cooking Club Members, if you liked this article, you can find more of the same on their website Living On a Dime.  Cruise on over and scope out “Dig Out of Debt“.  There is a plethora of good ideas there and Dig Out of Debt is one of their best offerings yet!

You  are all welcome to offer YOUR best ideas by contacting us at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  WE LOVE MAIL.

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 Guest Post, Shopping

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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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Freezer Meals at Food Stamps Cooking Club

April 11th, 2011

 

Filling your freezer may be easier than you might imagine!

Are you living on a dime?  Do you yearn to turn OFF the TV, turn ON mealtime conversation, in the quest to do your part toward saving dinner?

If you use SNAP or WIC’s EBT cards or food commodities, food pantry food or Angel Food Ministries food, you may find the following information helpful.  Perhaps you are just plain old fashioned frugal; in any case-we hope to offer you ideas you can take to the bank!

Leanne Ely sent out a message earlier today that hit my hot button.  I thought about it as I prepared our noon meal and with her ideas in mind here is what I did:

I sliced a couple of good sized onions and caramelized the thin rings in some oil.  I sprinkled some salt and pepper over them as they cooked.  Then I laid 4 thin slices of beef liver over the soft onions and drizzled chicken broth over the whole works .  I covered the skillet and slid it into the oven, which was set at 300 degrees.  That parked there for about 90 minutes and smelled divine!

While that did its thing I made a white sauce with a chunk of butter, a spoonful of corn starch and a splash of milk, adding water and more milk to get the consistency we like.  When it began to bubble I added a frozen package of spinach I got ON SALE and allowed it to thaw right in the gravy.  I seasoned it well.

As it cooked, I remembered the potatoes I had baked for Sunday dinner.  I chopped two very small potatoes and dropped them into the gravy.

We could never eat that much food at one sitting-even a meal so tasty as that!-so I was delighted to put our leftovers into flat plastic freezer bags.  We now have a very nutritious, really quick, super easy, PAID FOR meal, waiting in the freezer for us to reheat.  Simple?  You bet.

Leanne thinks along the same lines.  Here is what she had to say this morning;

Secrets to Preparing Delicious Freezer Meals

by Leanne Ely, C.N.C

A few years ago (quite a few years ago, actually), a new cooking trend was born – Once A Month Cooking – OAMC for short. The whole idea was to spend a day cooking, freeze what you make, they reheat it as needed; sort of DIY Stouffers concept.

Great idea, soggy delivery. The proponents of this type of cooking said it only took a day to make a month’s worth of meals and you had “great” dinners that you could reheat anytime. The problem was that most of these dinners took on the watery characteristics of reheated casseroles and the flavor of the food was as lukewarm as their presentation. The other issue is time – a whole day for heaven’s sake! Who can literally take a day off from life to do this?

In the early 2000′s, a new version of OAMC was born and the result was dinner assembly franchises popping up like ground hogs in the spring. Everywhere you turned in suburbia you could find several types of these storefronts.

The idea of these places goes like this: come into their store, spend two hours or so assembling 12 to 15 meals from their already chopped veggies and pre-prepared ingredients, so all you have to do is put them together raw, label and freeze for cooking at a later day, thus removing the OAMC twice-baked casserole deal. The problem is it doesn’t come cheap.

So what’s a time stretched harried homemaker to do? Do it yourself, of course! There is a way to do this. Here’s how:

Find meals that can be assembled in their raw state, defrosted successfully, then cooked freshly. A good example of this is meatloaf. All you have to do is make your meatloaf mixture, shape it, then put it in a freezer zipper bag, mark the bag and date it, then on the day you want to use it, defrost it and bake it. You will never know that your meatloaf was previously frozen!

Here is a recipe that we have on our very first Twenty for the Freezer, a downloadable menu with 20 recipes that you assemble all at once, freeze and cook later as needed. When you have a freezer full of meals like this to choose from, you will say good-bye to the drive thru forever!

In a 1 gallon plastic freezer bag, mix and blend well together:

Mega Marvelous Meatloaf
Serves 4

2/3 cup dried stuffing mix
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 1/3 teaspoons garlic powder
2/3 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup ketchup
2/3 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Seal the bag and blend the mixture together by squeezing and kneading the bag. Unseal the bag, starting at the bottom of the bag, roll the mixture to force out any air then seal the bag again. Insert this bag into a gallon sized plastic freezer bag and place a copy of the recipe into the 2nd bag as well and seal it. Place your label on the bag or write the name and date on the bag and place in the freezer.  ~Leanne Ely, C. N. C”

In the interest of full disclosure, I ordered Leanne’s freezer meals menu.  I am very pleased with it and it is full of wonderful recipes, ideas and tips for not a lot of money.  Leanne and the Food Stamps Cooking Club share the philosophy of helping people eat well with little money.

Oh!  I’d be remiss if I did not mention the CONTEST they are having at Saving Dinner.  It’s all explained on their site in a video starring Leanne herself!  And as you may have suspected, today’s blog post is sponsored by The Dinner Diva herself, Leanne Ely, whose mission in life is Saving Dinner!

We love mail!  Send us your thoughts at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com.  Thanks, everyone!

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, Guest Blog, Tips

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: The Word Is OUT?

February 16th, 2011

This woman could very well be one of our very own Food Stamps Cooking Club members, cruising in for some food stamps insights...

There is so much excitement at the Club House the roof is bobbing!  Well, almost.

The big news around here is that your humble blogger was interviewed today regarding this blog and the mission we are on to teach people how to stretch their food dollars and eat well and wisely even if they are funding their food budget with SNAP or WIC.  Even if they use food pantries or food commodities, they might find some tips or recipes or an idea that hits them like a brick!  People who use Angel Food Ministries and Farmers Market Coupons will find useful information, too, we hope!

Stay tuned!  The interview should be up soon!  Meantime, please sign up, if you have not, for our series of cooking tips, and the infrequent messages we send.  We also hope you’ll take a moment to make a comment.  We live for your comments and emails. Send your email message: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com

You might like to visit our sister sites, too:  SoapyTeeth-you might have guessed it’s about dental care.  There is Mother Connie Sez, which currently features a piece about synchronicity.  On Rapid Cash Review there is information about adding a stream of income to your household.  As you may have suspected, we are jonesing for comments THERE, too!  grin

One of our sponsors is Living on a Dime. Another is Saving Dinner. Both of these sites offer help in the home for not much money.  Give them a peek, won’t you?  Please tell them Mother Connie sent 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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Posted in Message from Mother Connie

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: More About Turkeys?

November 10th, 2010

Maxine has us ALL excited about turkeys! These guys' days are numbered and we have more info about their preparation!

Ready or not, Turkey Day is coming!  We know and understand about celebrating and giving thanks when food budgets are as tight as they are for users of EBT cards for WIC or SNAP; we know how frugal folks and users of food pantry goods or food commodities appreciate all the information available about getting the most for their food dollar.  Our pals at Living On a Dime have done a good job of covering the subject and we are featuring them today:

“Thanksgiving for Less
by Jill Cooper from the website Living On A Dime

It’s really hard to find ways to save on your Thanksgiving dinner because, let’s face it — It doesn’t get a whole lot cheaper than a turkey dinner! Still, I have found some ways that you can save and today I’ll pass them on to you! ;-)

For starters, the larger turkeys are usually cheaper so buy the largest one you can. I hear some of you groaning now about what to do with all those leftovers because you really don’t need a 22 pound turkey for 6 people. Not to worry — just don’t bake the whole thing.

I discovered one year by accident that my butcher (at a regular national chain grocery store) would cut the turkey in half for me. Even if it is frozen, he can still cut the turkey in half. This discovery really changed my life.  That sounds dramatic, but I was really having a problem becoming “one” with my turkeys.

I suddenly had the revelation that I didn’t have to deal with the mounds of leftover turkey that haunted my post-Thanksgiving menu for years. I had just enough for a good old turkey sandwich and some soup. I mean Thanksgiving really isn’t Thanksgiving without a few leftovers, is it?

It was so much easier to handle and prepare an 11 pound turkey rather than to manhandle a 22 pound one. Getting the turkey cleaned and into the pan was a breeze and getting it in and out of the oven was just plain simple.

Just wrap the other half and freeze it to use for Christmas. I’ve often made ham for Christmas just because by Christmas we are so sick of turkey that we don’t want to think of preparing another one — ever! By not creating so many leftovers, your family might not mind having turkey again. That’s also potentially one less thing to buy for Christmas dinner.

If you still don’t want to have turkey for Christmas, save it for some cold day in January. If you have a large enough crockpot, cook the turkey it the crockpot. If not, cook it on very low in the oven so that it slow cooks all day. Do you know how delightful it is to come home to the yummy smell of slow cooked turkey?

Save money by making your own pies instead of buying the expensive pre-made ones. If you are daunted by the thought of making pie crust, just buy a ready made one. They are usually on sale for very little around Thanksgiving.

It really isn’t that hard to make the filling for most pies. Often they are easier to make than cakes or cookies. If you like the traditional pumpkin pie, most cans have the recipe on the back.

If your family and friends aren’t fussy about having the traditional pumpkin pie, then you can make banana cream, chocolate, or butterscotch pie. Just take a box of banana pudding, mix it and pour it into a baked pie crust. Cover with sliced bananas and whipped topping. For the chocolate pie, use chocolate pudding with chocolate chips in it and cover it with whipped topping. For the butterscotch, use butterscotch pudding, whipped topping and sprinkle with butterscotch chips. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

You don’t have to make so many pies that you could open a bakery. I have found that most kids are just as happy with a platter of cookies. Don’t overdo it. You’ll just wear yourself out! If you have time, make the cookies in the shapes of pumpkins and turkeys.

Save on your relish dish. Buying ingredients for a relish dish can get expensive, especially where we live. One year I paid more for my relish dish items than my turkey. If you’re having this problem, only use 3-4 veggies on it instead of 10 and cut out on the more expensive veggies. For example broccoli and cauliflower are very high priced for us so I would probably use carrots and celery. I fill the celery with cheese or peanut butter or cut them into fancy shapes. On this occasion, the turkey is the star and most people won’t even notice that you cut back on the relish dish.

Don’t make so many side dishes– Like I said the turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes are more important than everything else. By the time everyone stuffs themselves with those, they only eat a token amount of the side dishes. Why? –Because, of course, everyone wants to save room for dessert!!!!!”

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 LivingOnADime.com

Thanks oodles, Jill.  All the Food Stamps Cooking Clubbers need help in getting the turkey on the table without raiding the bank account!

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 Guest Post, Tips

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Does Sandra Have a License?

August 13th, 2010

Sandra bakes bread for a song...

Sandra, who is a regular contributing Food Stamps Cooking Club Member, really resonated with the post that went up about the growing use of public assistance for getting food and making those food dollars stretch.  She sent such delightful offerings that I’m wondering if she should procure a Blogger’s License?

Actually, I take that back.  Some Federal official will see it and think it is a wonderful idea for raising revenue.

Suffice it to say that Sandra has either thought this through very carefully or she has lived through a time which taught her a great many good lessons.  See what she sent us:

“Dear Mother Connie,

There’s no doubt that that money will be put back but we all still have to worry about those rising food costs especially when it comes to things like produce.  There are a lot of things we do to save money on the grocery bill.

1. Bake your own bread.  You can make bread for around 40 cents per loaf.  That’s much cheaper and healthier than store bought.

2. Eat pancakes, oatmeal, eggs, muffins, or French toast instead of boxed cereal.

3. Make your own pancake/waffle syrup.  There’s a great product called Mapleine on the market.  It comes in a blue and white box and is maple flavoring.  While the bottle costs around $3.50 per bottle, it takes only 1/2 tsp to make a pint of syrup.  It takes one cup water, 2 cups sugar, and 1/2 tsp Mapleine.  Much, much cheaper than store bought syrup.

4. Buy chips, treats, and cookies only for special occassions.  You can make your own treats much cheaper and healthier and with less packaging.

5. Don’t drink fruit juice.  While it seems economical, it really isn’t.  A serving of fruit is more satisfying to the appetite.

6. Eat meat only in very small portions.  You really don’t need a lot – just a few ounces per day fills your protein requirements especially if you eat eggs and dairy.

7. Eat more vegetarian meals.  Eggs, pasta, grains, etc can provide variety at a lower cost than can meat.

8. Don’t buy storebought mixes.  You can make your own more cheaply.

9. One of the biggest things we do is to follow the pantry principle.  We try to keep our pantries stocked with basic ingredients all the time so that we don’t run out of things and have to make extra trips to the store.

10. Make your own salad dressings.  This really can be cheaper and healthier and once you have a few basic ingredients, you can make different kinds.

11. Learn to like beans.  Seriously, beans are one of the most nutritious and frugal foods you can eat.  They store well too.

Mother Connie, I have a lot more ideas, but this is a very good start.  I hope this can help others.  :)

–Sandra

We were thrilled with that list.  But Sandra, ever the thoughtful Food Stamps Cooking Club member that she is, sent a follow up message, too:

Oh, a word about produce.  Learn to keep veggies and fruits that keep for a long time such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage, celery, and apples on hand for main use.  Then buy a few veggies or fruits that don’t keep as long.  Use those first and then rely on your staples.

Keep in mind that if you have bananas going bad and you aren’t ready to bake with them, you can freeze them and save for the smoothies or baking later.

If you are willing to go to farmer’s market or produce stands near closing time, you can often get reduced prices.”

–Sandra

Sandra, I baked some Foccacia bread this morning.  I eyed the pan of leftovers and pondered what great bread pudding that would make.  Now THAT will save us some moola…and I am known as the Bean Queen around here so you and I are pretty much on the same page! Why, we could be roommates.  Well, you know what I mean.  grin

If people use Angel Food Ministries,  food pantry food or food commodities; if they have an EBT card for WIC or SNAP they will most assuredly appreciate the worth of your thoughtful ideas, offered most generously.  You are a very wise woman, and we appreciate you very much.

We are delighted to hear from any of our Members. All emails can go to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com  and please leave your comments here.  We love those, too.

Our goal is to help you, because we care about your situation and we care about people-neighbors, people on the net-whoever we might assist.

Pass the word.  The series of cooking tips are fun and we don’t hammer you to death with messages till who laid the chunk.

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 Guest Post, Tips

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Tomatoes Galore?

August 2nd, 2010

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

Are you in love with tomatoes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connie Baum

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



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Food Stamps Cooking Club Salutes Mothers

May 8th, 2010

Kudos and roses are precious little to offer all the mothers who are Food Stamps Cooking Club members...

Our hearts go out to honor every mother today.

We understand that you wear a lot of hats, you are greatly gifted and sometimes feel burdened.  There are a good many demands on your time and attention and you are doing the best job you know how to do.

Many of the mothers who are Food Stamps Cooking Club members are single parents.  Yes, we have single dads, too, but their big day is coming up next month!  Some of the mothers who care for their brood are also working outside the home.

Motherhood is no walk in the park.  It’s hard work. The hours are terrible.  The monetary pay is lousy. The rewards are so far down the road that it is difficult to appreciate that rewards will come.   The demands and pressure of motherhood are incredible…

But so are you mothers incredible. You are the brave, courageous and loving first teachers of the next generation.  We are proud of each of you for your contribution to mankind.  We thank you on behalf of your children.

We wish every mom everywhere a wonderful Mother’s Day and we hope you know that your important role as a mother is appreciated every day of the year.  May God bless every one of you richly and abundantly.

Hugs,

Mother Connie

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Food Stamps Cooking Club: Spice Things Up 4 Flavor?

February 19th, 2010

 

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

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

 

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

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

Now we return to the blog’s main message:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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