Here is a Black Bean Casserole that's ideal for your Sunday Best!
Beans have been a major topic this week and a recipe came to my attention for black beans I could not wait to share with you Club Members! Here it is:
2 cups chopped onion
1 minced cloves of garlic
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup prepared red salsa *The Kitchen Police will not arrest you if you choose green salsa. Use what you like.
1 fresh pepper-choose red or green or yellow
3 cups cooked black beans
3 cups canned whole tomatoes, juice and all
2 cups frozen corn kernels
salt, pepper to taste
2 cups water
*Prepared in a soup pot as as, you will have a delicious soup. For the casserole, just prepare as follows:
Add 3 cups cooked pasta. *The cook gets to decide what KIND of pasta: bow ties, elbow macaroni, rotelli would work well. Place in casserole dish, top with 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese and bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until it is thoroughly heated.
Besides being easy to prepare and easy on your food budget, this would travel well to a pot luck or to a neighbor who might need a meal because of a hospitalization. It’s appropriate for Sunday dinner when a van load of your cousins show up at meal time because it’s the end of the month, too!
This casserole is quite filling but you might want a little something sweet to polish off your meal. This is a rerun; I made up a bowlful this morning and boy was it yummy:
Chia Pudding
1/2 cup white chia seeds *Black ones work well, too
1/4 cup honey
1 can coconut milk
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla *or almond or mint or whatever YOU like
Mix together, cover and store in the fridge. If you leave it alone, the seeds will float to the top and stay there. You can stir it periodically to mix the seeds, but who has the time for that? grin
At serving time you can pair it up with canned or fresh fruit or berries as a topping, or serve it as is.
This recipe doubles or triples beautifully, depending on how many toes sit around your table. It makes a great snack and I’ve been known to eat it for breakfast, as well.
The mail continues to delight us: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and we welcome all the new members who have flocked to the Club House lately. ARE WE HAVING FUN YET? (yes!)
If you hold an EBT card for WIC or SNAP or if you are using Farmers Market Coupons; if you have goods from a food pantry or food commodities, this blog is devoted to YOU. We truly hope we are helping you manage your food budgets in this tight economy. Maybe you are just a frugal shopper/cook; we aim to help YOU as well!
What’s so interesting is that YOU help US more than we ever could help anybody. Your support, your comments, your emails, your links, your recipes–this is all so wonderful and we deeply appreciate every one of you.
One of the Club Members popped by yesterday and-bless her heart-she promised to get us the recipe for a BEAN CAKE that she says is amazing. Well, I’m down with THAT. Better get my baking stuff out…
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If you are talking BEANS, I am hearing BLACK BEANS!
The bean does not exist that Mother Connie does not love. I recall with fondness the many kettles of White Northern or Navy beans my mother cooked every Monday she washed clothes as she used the old wringer washer! Bits of bacon or ham went into the bean pot, as did shreds of carrot and pieces of onion. They soaked on the counter top every Sunday night and when supper time rolled around they were paired up with crusty cornbread! We could depend on eating beans and cornbread every wash day, which-of course-was traditionally Monday.
SIDEBAR: Could you live YOUR life, knowing that Monday was always to be laundry day? END SIDEBAR.
Through the years, Mom often cooked lima beans, even though my dad groaned his displeasure. She also made baked beans with weiners, back in the bygone days of CHEAP NATURAL CASING HOT DOGS! And of course, she was big on bean salads of every stripe and color.
Mom talked about a childhood that was-shall we say austere? She and her sister both remembered being hungry at bedtime on a regular basis. Wash day was not the only time they saw a plateful of beans! Grandma did well to have enough dry beans to make meals with, especially because meat-and money and food-was mighty scarce.
Neither Mom nor my aunt were never ill as youngsters, so what little food they did have to eat nourished them well. Mom was 86 when she made her transition…she still had her own teeth! Maybe mineral-rich beans were all right, after all!
Beans provide color and variety; fiber and texture. They are a staple all around the world.
My Inbox held a wonderful recipe for chickpeas and grains this morning. I was thrilled about it until I found out that recipe was not meant for sharing.
SIDEBAR: HUH? No sharing recipes? What’s that about? And if it is not for sharing, why was it in my Inbox? NO FAIR! END SIDEBAR.
Let’s just say again that beans and grains make a complete low cost protein and let that stand. If you and your family favor a certain type of bean and you have a favorite grain, I would strongly encourage you to mix and match and come up with your OWN recipe.
SIDEBAR: If/When you DO that, feel free to put it into our Inbox for sharing. The email address will appear below! END SIDEBAR.
Beans lend themselves to salads, side dishes, entrees and snacks.
Chef Shawn Bucher reminds us that RE-FRIED beans are really “smashed” beans. I found that comical. When I read that, my mouth watered and I pined for little tortillas with a dab of re-fried beans, topped with a dollop of sour cream.
Any variety of cooked beans-canned or home cooked-adds interest to stir fry dishes, soups, salads, or even sandwiches. Have you mashed any beans and used those “smooshed” beauties as a sandwich spread in lieu of mayo or butter? They can be run through the food processor, along with sandwich meat or eggs and flavored with a dash of vinegar, some pickle relish and a bit of salad dressing, oil, or mayo. Used this way, they can fill lettuce cups or be a sandwich spread. This is ideal for lunchboxes!
People who have food commodities are likely to have beans on the shelf in their kitchens. The same is true for users of a food pantry. If you have an EBT card for WIC or SNAP; if you have Angel Food Ministries foodstuffs or you are a coupon clipper, you are very likely to have a stash of canned or dry beans around.
On the other hand, if you just like being very careful with your food dollars you are very likely to have a variety of beans to make your home cooked meals interesting and economical.
We are eager to hear from all of you about the way YOU use beans. Just send your info to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com ! WE LOVE MAIL!
We also l0ve having new Club Members! We have a brand new batch, so treat ‘em all with love! Please make all the new kids feel welcome here.
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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!
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
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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.”
Hours of educational fun came right to my doorstep!
Let me begin by saying that I am NOT selling a darned thing and if you were to order something I’d never see a cent. Now you know this is NOT a sales pitch!
Some time ago, Chef Shawn Bucher and I had a 140 character conversation on Twitter. One tweet led to another and at one point we had a cheery telephone conversation. He expressed an interest in the Food Stamps Cooking Club and our offline cooking classes.
I was intrigued by his cookbook, First Timers Cookbook and thought it would be a good resource for our classes. I ordered it, thinking it would be just another cookbook and since I already know how to cook…silly me. Did I imagine I could not learn another thing? Foolish, wasn’t I?
When the book arrived I was elated! Long time Club Members may recall the post I made about it, showing off the copy Chef had signed in his own hand!
I follow Chef Shawn on Twitter and Face Book and of course I “Like” his Face Book page, First Timers Cookbook. I have become his #1 Cheerleader. Or at least one of his more vocal fans.
He surprised and delighted me by sending me a 2 disc DVD of his cooking series. I could hardly wait to watch them! I spent four glorious hours watching him show the fine points of table setting, explain tools of the trade, proper use of knives, and tip after helpful tip for preparing every food you could think of. Besides that, it was eye candy just to see his professional kitchen, replete with granite and stainless steel. Chef’s charming personality and keen sense of humor shone through, as well.
If you are struggling to think of a shower gift for a bride-to-be or if you have a teenager who would like to learn about food prep, this is really the ideal present.
When I reviewedFirst Timers Cookbook for my Book Lovers Club they all thought it would be ideal for their grandchildren. They were pleased as punch when their order came quickly and was so beautifully and simply illustrated. A good friend suggested she’d like to have some of those DVDs around for spur-of-the-moment gifts, too! Great idea and no gas guzzling drive to shop!
Users of Angel Food Ministries would be gleeful to have this set; those who depend on food commodities or food pantries will surely benefit. Maybe several families could pool their money and share a set? *Sounds like the basis for a Cooking Club, if you ask me, which of course you did not… Those who have EBT cards for WIC or SNAP will surely enjoy the tips and lessons, as well. If you are holding Farmers Market Coupons, you will learn much and be entertained as well as enlightened!
OK, kids. Next time we go back to hard sell mode. grin
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.
Another great gift from Mikemax appeared in our Inbox:
What you do when you don’t have time to cook, or aren’t feeling well, can have a huge impact on your grocery bill. At least 3 of our members TODAY are in exactly that boat.
Mother Connie and Carol M are both recovering from surgery. I have to be gone all day today, come home briefly, and leave again. Reasons like these—not to mention kids’ activities—are a prime reason we often succumb to takeout.
I’m not a fan of takeout. If I’m going to spend for restaurant food, I want to be served and have someone clean up afterward. And it’s expensive. Even a trip through a fast food drive-through will cost more, and take longer, than a steak dinner cooked at home. Which would you rather have?
I’m eating out of the bottom of my freezer this month. That means I’m eating the good stuff and the soup bones…there’s nothing left in between, LOL. Tonight, it’s the good stuff.
This morning I spent 5 minutes prepping a bone-in pork loin roast and figuring out how to set my oven so it will come on at 3:30 p.m. and automatically turn off at 5ish. I scrubbed some potatoes and put them into the oven to bake along with the roast. I didn’t peel them so they wouldn’t turn black. At dinnertime, I’ll heat up a canned or frozen veggie-or maybe make a salad, if I’ve got the stuff-and put the bowl of leftover applesauce on the table.
That roast, just under 3 lbs., was $1.98 lb. and cost $5.56. It will produce enough meat for two meals for my family of 3 adults. Dinner tomorrow—an equally busy day–will either be roast pork sandwiches or pork noodles made with Top Ramen, green onions and sliced hard boiled eggs—just like the Chinese restaurants used to make.
When I find a good deal on steak, I buy it and freeze it. Used to be, I could occasionally afford T-bones or rib steak on sale, and I’d keep around a few for nights when I couldn’t, or didn’t want, to cook. Prices have gone so high, I’m now buying boneless top sirloin, when I can find it for $4 lb. or less. With a baked potato and salad it’s cheaper than the dollar menu at the fast food joint. Faster, too…and nobody at my house ever complains about a steak dinner.
Now I’m going to turn this over to YOU. I’m curious what Connie is cooking as she recovers from cataract surgery this week. I already know what Carol fixed last night, because I read her blog, but maybe she will repeat here. She’s down to the use of one hand, and will be for awhile. What do YOU cook when cooking doesn’t seem to be an option? How do you handle nights when you’ve got to take 3 kids to a Little League game and there is no time to eat, let alone cook?
Nights like these can make or break your food budget. Let’s share ideas on how we handle them and help each other stay on track.
PS/You can find directions for the Timed Bake feature on your oven in the instruction book that came with your stove. With mine, I first set the length of time I want to cook, then I set what time I want it to come on, and finally I turn the oven dial to the desired temperature. Also, with a big piece of meat—like the pork roast—you can partially thaw it and let it finish thawing before the oven comes on. I’ve put completely frozen meatloaves in the oven in the morning and let them thaw until late afternoon, when the oven came on. Much faster and safer, too.
~Mikemax
Good GRIEF, Mikemax! You’ve got me drooling! What have I been cooking? Actually, when you live in a small town and your life has “issues” food arrives at your doorstep! *EG: instead of having eye surgery you wind up in an ER, making every effort to avoid having a stroke. Or, if you have a paper route and your wife is in the hospital you have TEAMS of people delivering those papers.
So cooking has not been much of a priority for the past number of days. When Mother Connie is back on top of her game, there will be recipes posted from the goodies that have been bestowed upon us! We are so blessed.
We also have been blessed recently to have an influx of new Club Members, as well! The newbies have found our opt in box in the upper right hand corner of the blog and the website so they have offered up their email addies in order to receive our series of cooking tips. YAY! And we have received lovely messages at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com. YIPPEE!
If you know of anyone who avails themselves of the EBT card supplied by SNAP or WIC or if you know folks who use Angel Food Ministries foodstuffs or food commodities or have things from a Food Pantry or use Farmers Market Coupons, feel free to share this blog with them. They may have great ideas none of us has thought of yet and they might share! Hector Pector! They might just be like Mikemax and Carol and me-FRUGAL to the core! They will love what we are doing here.
Let’s all cheer for Mikemax: All together, now, boys n girls: HIP HIP HOORAY for MIKEMAX!
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Greetings to all you precious Club Members and Guests! A GINORMOUS magnifying glass has been pressed into service because your humble blogger has been aching to get back into the game.
Because we are gaining new club members in DROVES-thanks to all the new people who have submitted their names and email addies-it felt important to share with you the information we got today from Leanne Ely, The Dinner Diva from Saving Dinner.
As you know, we are sending out a series of messages about cooking tips, including spices. Because of that subject matter we want you to have THIS, too:
“The Ultimate Spice Cabinet Clean Out by Leanne Ely, C.N.C
How many of us have professed to want to eat healthier, lose weight and get organized? It’s almost as if these three things are the ultimate trifecta! Believe it or not, one of the best ways to do all three of these things is to spice up your low calorie fare with herbs and spices.
But before you can organize your spices, you need to do a quick spice check. I’ve got this feeling we’ve got some OLD, ancient spices sitting in those cupboards! Let’s go on an archaeological dig and see what kind of fossils we can unearth. Here’s how you’re going to know you need some new spices–
You may need some new spices if:
*The date stamp on the bottom of the jar was from when you were in high school:
*The company who made the spice in the first place is out of business. Since 1980!
*The can is rusted and the label indistinguishable-you don’t know what’s in there.
*The label is missing so you smell it to identify it and can’t!
*The smell of the spice smells oddly like the garage on a rainy day.
*You mistakenly grab ground ginger for white pepper and it didn’t ruin what you were making because it had no flavor!
According to the website of McCormick Spice, if you still have spices in a tin can, you know the square and rectangular shaped cans with shaker and spoon out tops, they are seriously out of date-with the exception of black pepper-they have not manufactured the cans in over 15 years!!
The shelf life of spices is as follows:
Ground spices: 2 to 3 years
Whole spices: 3 to 4 years
Dried Herbs: 1 to 3 years
Great rule of thumb to figure out what to keep and what to pitch-if your spice is over a year old, it needs to be tossed. To keep your spices fresh and nice, you will want to buy only what you need and mark the bottom of the container with a Sharpie, indicating the date you purchased the spice.
I love buying my spices at the health food store (they are unbelievably fresh and cheap, because you buy what you need) and discount stores like Wal-Mart (2 for $1.00!). You can always have fresh spices when you get them this way.
Are you ready to spice up your life with some FRESH spices? Old Spice is cologne, not what should be hanging out in our spice drawers. Let’s get some fresh ones this week!
Now that you have all fresh and new spices, be sure and pick up a copy of our Ultimate Mix Ebook to create some spice, soup and sauce mixes of your own!
This information will be helpful for everyone who has a kitchen. It will be of particular interest to those who use SNAP or WIC; for those who get food from a food pantry or those who have food commodities. Many of our Club Members are simply frugal and careful with their food budgets. Users of Angel Food Ministries will benefit from this, too!
Your messages continue to delight the heart of your Webmaster…please keep them coming at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com !
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.
Home pantries can provide security in lean times...
“*Please be advised that when the cat’s away the mice will play!
Unfortunately, Connie has not left me the Keys to the Kingdom-that is, her blog, so once this goes up, we’ll hear nothing from Connie herself for a week or so. She is having cataract surgery in May and has to give up her contacts next week. No contacts, in Connie’s own words = “No blogging; no email; no reading. No cooking, NO DRIVING-have not been driving anyway-and whatever else.”
So, before Connie closes up shop here for a few days, let’s talk about my pantry.
Most people who see it have “pantry envy.” It’s a walk-in closet off of my kitchen with shelves on three sides and room for my upright freezer. We built this house ourselves, and I insisted on it.
Generally, the pantry is full of food. I have a “thing” for food. I grew up in a home where my mother shopped every day for whatever we needed to eat that day. There was never any extra food. If we needed to bring a batch of cookies to Girl Scouts, for instance, we not only had to buy the chocolate chips and brown sugar, but often the vanilla or flour, too. Or butter. Or “all of the above.” Baking thus became very expensive!
I had been married for about 9 months when we moved to Eugene, OR, for my husband to attend graduate school. A few weeks after we arrived–while our cupboards were still all but bare–we had the snowstorm of the century–48 inches in 48 hours. In those days, before electronic cash registers, the stores stayed open during daylight hours, even without power. We had one near enough to walk, because we sure weren’t driving–the town where we lived didn’t even own a snowplow. We didn’t starve. But I swore I would never, ever be without food again.
It’s come in handy more than once. I live in a cold climate now and there are days each winter when I don’t–can’t–leave the house. Years ago-decades, actually!-my husband and I were both unemployed at the same time for about two months, and I was glad to have my cupboards full of food. I didn’t have a freezer then. Money was tight for us last month so we lived out of the freezer and pantry.
Recently I noticed that my pantry was a mess. Because I have so much room, it can become a catch-all. Stuff like empty jars get piled in there, instead of put away in the garage. There were crushed-up crackers on the shelves. Overflowing plastic grocery bags had found their way to the floor. I even suspected I didn’t have much food left–by my standards, anyway. It was such a mess, who could tell?
Yesterday I started cleaning the pantry. To do the job right would take more time than I have to spare. But, I started straightening up shelves, recycling glass jars, picking up the plastic bags. Eventually, I’ll dust the tops of the packages, vacuum the floor and call it good. I’m about three-quarters done, and I’m shocked by how little food I actually have.
I also found a few things that had to go. Now, I was cooking long before there were dates printed on food packages, so I don’t get too hung up on them. Even I would not open a bulging can of tomato paste with a 2003 date on it! I also emptied some jars of homemade jam that were waaaaay past their prime.
As I sorted my containers, I checked the dates and put the oldest packages in front. I also made a mental note of stuff that was only slightly out of date, and I’ll be using those things in the next week or two. Obviously, if I see or smell anything odd when I open them, I’ll discard them without tasting–but I absolutely do not expect anything like that. Canned goods, stored properly, are good for about 5 years.
I found a few things we don’t really like that aren’t outdated. They are headed to the food bank.
If you are short on $$$ this month, be sure to neaten up your pantry and check what you do have. Chances are, you’ll find the makings for several meals.
I digress for a moment to mention one of my favorite blogs, The Frugal Queen. This one comes out of England, which seems to be a hotbed of frugality. This month she is trying to use up everything in her cupboards without shopping, and she turns out some mighty interesting-looking meals. I intend to start using up my outdated goods in exactly this way…and if you are low on funds, you might want to, also.
I also need to start rebuilding my pantry. I’ll do it exactly the way I bought the stuff to begin with–by purchasing in quantity whatever I can get for cheap. Quantity might be a case of something. It might be “limit 2.” It’s whatever foods we typically eat and up to a one-year supply.
What kind of deals can YOU expect in the next few weeks?
Think Easter. I’ll pick up an extra dozen or two of eggs. I’m looking for a deal on canned pineapple: .80 to .90 for a 20 ounce tin and I’ll buy a case–maybe two. I’ll put an extra ham in the freezer. And one of the stores here has Del Monte veggies on sale this week for .50 can. That’s a killer deal for the only brand of green beans and corn that I’ll buy. I noticed that I’m going to run out of beans before the fall case-goods sales, so I’ll pick up half a case to see me through.
Cinco de Mayo–May 5–is a good time to stock up on salsa, tortillas and other Mexican foods. While you are in the ethnic foods aisle, look for cellophane packages of spices used in Mexican cooking. They’re fresh, they’re dirt cheap and you’ll be surprised what you find.
The next big opportunity to stock up will be Memorial Day. Think picnics! Ground beef, buns, chips, condiments and soft drinks will be on sale. This is the time to stock up on ketchup, mustard and relish–and I will. Pork and beans, too. Ditto for the 4th of July.
During the summer, when people are canning, you’ll also find deals on sugar. The really good deals are usually “limit 1,” but you will see them often enough that, over the course of a few weeks, you can pick up enough to last all year.
The best grocery deals are in November and December…but I will write about them then.
I shop at a bread thrift store, too. Yesterday I bought 6 weeks’ worth of bread and rolls for a little over $15 and stashed them in my freezer. Note: hamburger and hotdog buns don’t freeze well, so never buy more than you’ll eat within a couple of weeks.
If you rely on food stamps or other benefits, I know it isn’t uncommon to run out of money before you run out of month. Even on a limited budget, you can usually pick up an extra bottle of ketchup, an extra dozen eggs, maybe even a ham–if it is cheap enough. Do this enough times, and you’ll build up a nice little pantry AND regularly eat at the lowest possible price. Try never to run out of anything–like those chocolate chip cookies, it will always cost you more.
Remember that coupons will make your EBT go farther. I mostly buy store brands, but I do use some coupons. If you aren’t currently couponing, give it a try…as long as it saves you money. If it tempts you to buy items you wouldn’t otherwise buy, or to pay more for a brand name, there is no saving.
There is good advice about coupons at Monroe On a Budget. Too bad nobody around here doubles coupons. BTW, I have coupons for Dole pineapple if it goes on sale! And if it doesn’t, I already know where I can get Del Monte for .88 can. This week is probably the only time of year I will see it on sale.”
~MikeMax
What would Mother Connie DO without her helpers? This world is a better place because of the community YOU PEOPLE have created. Mikemax has been a major player in this community building. Her wit, wisdom, and expertise are such valuable assets here. So are the comments from all the Club Members. We love the emails, too. As you know, emails can be directed to foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com!
Next week will fly by and regular posts should be no problem so do stay tuned after you get your pantry or cupboards straightened up!
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/Those who have goods from Angel Food Ministries; EBT cards from WIC or SNAP; those who frequent food pantries and people who have food commodities; even those folks who are happiest when they can practice frugality-whether they are living on a dime or not-can benefit from the ideas on this blog. Please feel free to share the information with those who sit in your circle. If you have not submitted your name and email address for our series of cooking tips and infrequent email messages, we invite you to do so. And we thank you for your participation in the Club!
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!
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?
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
You may have seen information on the web recently about some marketers who are offering a new product called “Real Guys. Real Money.” You may be wondering what on earth that has to do with SNAP or WIC or Angel Food Ministries. You might question how that relates to food commodities or food pantries. What could that possibly have to do with YOU saving money on your grocery bill, assisting you with s t r e t c h i n g your food budget…
I found an ad in our newspaper that just made me want to WEEP. The ad was full of hype about how all our favorite food combinations are on sale this week end. They fancy we should stampede through their doors and buy all this JUNK instead of real food. Real people need real food!
The sad truth of the matter is that people WILL flock to stores everywhere to get what they can afford to buy to fill the tummies of the people they love best. Here are just a few examples of what I mean:
Young mommies will buy soy formulas for their babies
Tired families will load their shopping carts with chips and crackers.
Working men and women will purchase plastic packages of lunch meats.
People of every size and shape will load up on soda pop.
Shoppers will fill their pantries with canned soups.
Hungry folks will buy peanut butter and cheese “food” that is filled with inedible materials.
People who are determined to cook at home will opt for “helper” products which are loaded with toxicity.
Those who do take time to eat breakfast will choose cold cereals that are devoid of nourishment.
Shopping lists will include non-foods like margarine.
Shoppers will not make these choices because they are bad people. They make these choices because they have become a habit, or they simply have not learned about the choices that would be better. They choose the foods in our example because they can afford them. AFTER ALL, THEY ARE LISTED IN THE SALE BILLS. They buy these things because they presume that since the items sit on a grocery shelf, they are automatically edible.
Not so.
Let me say that soy formulas, soy milk, soy products by any name are not good for human consumption because they interfere with hormonal function.
Chips and crackers are not good sources of vitamins or minerals, the fuel that makes the body go, no matter how good their advertising campaigns make them out to be. Baked not fried? No matter. They are packaged, processed. NO GOOD.
Soda pop and luncheon meats with all their toxic ingredients can ultimately lead to issues with the pancreas, neurological problems and dehydration. Weight management is nearly impossible if soda pop is ingested.
Canned goods of every description are loaded with MSG or hydrolyzed protein or “emulsifiers” which might very well be powdered U.S. currency! As Jack Paar used to say, “I kid you not.” Do you want your children eating toxic additives? I don’t think so.
“Helper” products are a losing proposition. The junk that is contained in those “cheap” boxes are not good for people. You can help the flavor of the foods you cook by adding salt and pepper and spices that do not cost a fortune. Even when helper products are offered at ‘Ten for a Dollar’ you have to know you are buying trouble!
Cold cereals are convenient, to be sure. But they are processed and so not nutritious. You can cook up a pot of hot cereal quick as a bunny if only you PLAN AHEAD. And you will save a king’s ransom!
Are you using margarine? It’s plastic. Cheap peanut butter has lard in it. Your body has no way of digesting margarine and lard clogs up all your plumbing. Butter is a much better option. Real peanut butter is far more preferable. In the long run, these items will be cheaper.
The bottom line is that real people need real food. Whole food. Fresh food, if it’s available. Frozen is acceptable; use canned if you must.
In 1936 our own government declared that the soils used for agriculture was depleted. How much more depleted must they be by now? It is really important that we grow as much of our own food as possible and where that is not feasible, we must find real food for our tables. Even then, supplementation is critically important.
It’s possible your grocery list has now been seriously affected. I hope you’ll consider these points and adjust your shopping list accordingly, because YOU are an important feature of the Food Stamps Cooking Club. We want you to be well and happy!
BTW, this post is sponsored by Real Guys Real Money. Maybe you can check them out after you put your groceries away? Tell them Mother Connie sent you…
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
If your breadbox is full to overflowing, Rainy has some suggestions for you!
One of the best things about this Club are the generous, creative members who pop up with wonderful ideas for food prep! Rainy has offered bits of wisdom, for which we are grateful:
“Got Bread Coming Out Of Your Ears?
At one time or another, we’ve all had bread piling up on the counter or in the bread box. “What to do with it?” you may wonder. Depending on your family composition…whether you have kids in the house, are a single person household…your bread needs may wax and wane day by day. Still, most households have bread sitting around waiting to be used.
In my house, the heels of bread are rejected…left alone sitting in the bottom of the bread wrapper. Now at certain times of the year, when it is more common for me to think of making stuffing; I will save them up in freezer bags to save up until I get enough to put together a nice sized dish of stuffing.
Those very same crusts of bread make great croutons for the tops of our salads when they are drizzled with a little bit of olive oil and dusted with some of my favorite spices and seasonings. I love homemade croutons because I can flavor them the way that I want, without all of those preservatives that purchased croutons have in them.
There have been moments when I confess to having gotten overzealous in purchasing loaves of bread, when they were perhaps on sale, or I over-estimated how much my family would use for lunches and for toast to go along with their quick morning breakfasts. This seems highly wasteful to have loaves of bread sitting in their wrappers going all stale and risking getting moldy.
Because of this…I have gotten very creative at saving loaves of forgotten bread. I have to confess, when I first got married my mother in law tried to convince me of the wonders of bread pudding. Can I just tell you that the way she described it to me turned me off right from the start? She said, “I just take all of the dried up OLD bread and the milk that is starting to turn bad and dump it into the bowl with some cinnamon, sugar and raisins. It tastes great!” That might be but, she needed to be a bit more creative in her descriptive skills. lol
I had never had it. She made it for me but I still wasn’t impressed. Over the years I have come to love bread pudding…but I had to experiment with it. For one thing, I love her dearly…but, her recipe seemed undone to me; it could have cooked a bit longer for my liking. Another thing, I have discovered that bread pudding can be made with whatever fruits that you love that make your mouth water. Bread pudding doesn’t HAVE to be made with raisins. Just this morning I made two batches with varying fruits. One of the dishes was made with blueberries and apples; the other was made with some left over canned peaches & pears. Yummy.
Ok, so you may not have whole loaves of bread sitting there staring you in the face. Maybe you only have a few slices. Why can’t you just whip up some egg, milk & vanilla or cinnamon and fry up some french toast. If you have extra…fry it up too and put it into freezer bags for those mornings when you don’t have time to cook. Just heat it up for a quick breakfast on the run.
Still not feeling the love for that lonely loaf of bread? How about a cheese strata? In a large greased cake pan lay down a layer of bread across the width of the pan. In a separate mixing bowl, whip eggs and milk. Pour egg mixture over the bread, sprinkle some shredded cheese (either whatever flavor you prefer) and sprinkle some garlic powder, salt, onion powder and some tumeric. Maybe you like some Italian spices or possibly some parsley…whatever seasonings you love sprinkle them over the egg mixture. Then, layer another layer of bread over the egg, milk and cheese…pour the leftover egg mixture and pop it into the oven. Bake until the Stratta is done when a knife is inserted in the bread and comes out clean…and the top of the strata is golden brown.
Always try to find veggies and/or fruits to have as a side dish when you are using bread as a main ingredient for one of your meals. The bread is great because it can be a wonderful filler for hungry tummies…but, the body needs its fruits and veggies too.
I hope I have given you some useful ideas. Maybe you have a few ideas of your own to share with the readers…please do. I love learning new ideas for dishes made with left over bread. Just because a family is limited on funds, it doesn’t mean that meals have to be stuck in a rut or boring, right? It is great learning from one another!”
Yes, of course those ideas are GRAND, me love. Thanks again! I do hope others will chime in with their great ideas, too.
Mother Connie Sez:
Here’s my two cents’ worth. I throw the leftovers-although we ‘fight’ over the crusts around here-into the food processor and crumble them til they look the way I want them to look. They go into a freezer bag and are laid flat. Whenever I need bread crumbs for a particular dish they are at the ready!
I can remember my mother slicing home made bread and lining it up on cake racks to sit overnight on the counter, draped with a fresh dish towel. She wanted it to be dried out so she could make French Toast the next morning! Some chefs advocate letting the bread soak overnight in the refrigerator in an egg/milk mixture. So go figure!
I have fabulous news to share! We have received more new club members this month than any month since we “opened for business” and it is thrilling to see the list of names growing! We are grateful to each one who has come by. We are excited to get comments and email messages: foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com. Thanks, boys n girls!
If you hold an EBT card for SNAP or WIC; if you use food commodities or a food pantry; if you utilize Farmers Market Coupons, Angel Food Ministries foods or you simply watch your food budget like a hawk, this site was created for you. We sincerely hope it is assisting you to S T R E T C H your food dollars!
Today’s post is sponsored by ToothSoap. Please cruise on over to their site and mention Mother Connie, won’t you? Thanks!
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
High Tech Health sells a water ionizer that cleans your tap water while simultaneously making it an anti-oxidant. The water is also guaranteed to fix digestive problems in 30 days.
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~Anita 
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