Cheerful Frugality Cooks From Afar
Just a quick post from sunny vacation! At Like Merchant Ships I mentioned that I'd be bringing along some meal starters , so I could treat the in-laws to a couple of meals.
This seemed only natural to me--I'm a mom, feeding people is what I do! I tossed a few pantry items in my suitcase (Ziplocked, natch) so I could whip up a couple of easy dishes on the go.
- 1 small bag of orzo pasta makes a giant bowl of cold salad. Add whatever fresh chopped veggies you have on hand and season with a quick vinaigrette. Great side dish to contribute to the family cookout.
- 1 gourmet jar of Greek olives, peppers, and feta works 2 ways: drain the flavored oil for a grilled chicken marinade, then toss the good stuff with a spinach salad or couscous. Even better? Each jar marked down to $1.99 at Harris Teeter.
- 1 bag of Monica's best brownie recipe, dry ingredients only, took me less time to measure at home than a trip to the grocery. Just add 4 eggs, oil, and bake!
- 1 can evaporated milk to chill, whip, and combine with fresh limes and sweetener. Freeze over a nut crust for a thank-you-Lord-something-cold dessert.
- 1 box of Barilla Pasta Plus spaghetti noodles and a pouch of Bertolli sauce (with coupon). Bonus: novelty value and sure-fire kid appeal.
Heather from Home-Ec 101 raided her freezer for quick vacation foods for her busy family.
Even if you're not so extreme as to fly groceries with you (!), you might consider jotting down a couple of good recipes before leaving home. There's nothing worse than being away from the comforts of your own house, hot, and pregnant...except all of the above AND no stable internet connection.
Miss you!
10 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality Cooks From Afar”
June 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Meredith, this is a great idea just in time for my two-week trip to visit my mom. I love to cook for her when I visit, but I’m always scrambling to figure out what to fix because I don’t have my recipes. I’ll photo copy some of the best and bring them along – then I can leave them with her to make herself if there’s something she really liked!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
What great ideas! I love how you used the entire jar of olives/peppers. Too clever!
June 30th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Great ideas, Meredith! Hope everyone enjoys the brownies!
June 30th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
We miss you, too! Hope you’re having a good time!
July 1st, 2008 at 5:00 am
I just pull our favorites out of the recipe box, copy them and take the copies with me in case of loss. We cook from scratch even on vacation, but we usually don’t bring more than snacks for teh road with us.
July 1st, 2008 at 6:22 am
For our upcoming overnight out of town mini-vacation I’m planning lunch en route at a picnic park – sandwiches, chopped veggie salad, mint tea, lime sugar cookies. We’ll have dinner out and then breakfast the next day in our room. Our room won’t have a fridge or a micro, so we’re planning on recharging our cooler’s “coolness” with hotel ice to keep stuff until breakfast. Right now I’m figuring on home made granola bars (recipe from Allrecipes.com), tea (the room does have a coffee maker) and whole fruit.
I’m not one for bringing appliances long with me, for many reasons (which I will not detail because, oh my, the discussion of cooking appliances in hotel rooms is so incredibly contentious in frugality discussions) but I’m not adverse to one (or more) large coolers and a smaller in-car version. I also have been known to bend my at-home rules about fake food and get a few “just add hot water” things to make at least one meal a little easier. It’s not ideal – but, hey, it’s vacation!
July 1st, 2008 at 10:24 am
I’ve missed these heated discussions about appliances in hotel rooms–what is the big deal? I’ve done a crockpot myself. Sounds like you had a place to actually COOK, which is even nicer.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 am
QoC – The world of vacationers divides into three groups: 1) those who will take small kitchen appliances with them (to save money, to better accommodate dietary restrictions, because of plain old pickiness, etc.) and 2) those who will not (because they vacation to get away from their stuff in the first place, they don’t intend to “work” while on vacation, etc.) but don’t care if others do and 3) those who will not and don’t think anyone else should either (it’s tacky, smelling other people’s cooking smells is gross, it’s adding power cost to lodgings that others pay in their room fees, it’s exposing others to potential fire hazards without their consent, etc.)
I’ve done time on a few board discussions on this topic and IMO the real fire hazard is in how passionately the topic is addressed! Seriously, people feel very strongly about this topic. Strange, but true.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:30 am
I had to try that brownie recipe…yum! I’m always looking for a good fudge brownie recipe, instead of cake like brownies. This is a good one also because it uses cocoa instead of baking chocolate. We can’t get baking chocolate here, but we can get cocoa powder! Thanks!
July 5th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Meredith, I’m just curious….Since it is YOUR vacation and you are a busy MOM to two little ones, not to mention you are PREGNANT…please, tell me that you are being pampered and cooked for, too! I remember the time we visited my in-laws when I was four months pregnant. MY mother-in-law did not even have any milk for me to drink at her house! So hubby and I set about getting our own food, and his mom teased me about having to eat every couple of hours like I was a baby. Please tell me you’re having a better time than that! Love & Blessings.
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