Archive for food

Cooking with sour milk

There is a difference between sour milk and spoiled milk.  There’s no need to toss milk that has gone past its date or developed bit of a sour smell or taste.  While you might want to avoid using it in eggnog or pudding, you can still use it in a myriad of ways. Changing recipes [...]

Posted by: kimc on Saturday, June 11th, 2011

All Things Considered

Leafing through the pages of the book I had just purchased as part of a wedding gift, I couldn’t help but wonder if I too might benefit from this approach to bread baking. Slated to be sent to a newly married young couple seeking to be make wise lifestyle choices, this book of healthy artesian [...]

Posted by: DL on Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Being Prepared for 2011

Thinking how best to comply with Husband’s request, I decided to do a bit of internet research. Being concerned with some reports he had read, Husband wanted me to use some emergency funds to provide a hedge of protection for our food budget. He’s far from a “doomsday prophet,” and I take his concerns seriously. [...]

Posted by: DL on Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Frugal Flavors

Scanning the multitude of ice cream flavors to make a choice for a dessert for guests, I realized that I always seemed to be drawn to vanilla.  Wanting to expand my horizons a bit, I checked out some of the more “exotic” flavors.  Finding one I deemed to be a bit more exciting, yet safe, [...]

Posted by: DL on Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

Does cooking from scratch cost more?

Cooking from scratch isn’t always cheap. When I was first married, my husband brought me home to a classic bachelor pad.  The cupboards held nothing hot dog buns.  The fridge held beer and bratwurst – oh, and a bottle of mustard. On my first trip to the grocery store, I had two choices.  I could [...]

Posted by: kimc on Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Chicken Soup

It started out to be chicken soup. While putting ice back into the freezer, I had seen a chicken carcass in a Ziploc bag. Dumping the contents of this bag into my crockpot and quickly covering with water, I turned the temperature to high and added the lid. Continuing to rummage in my freezer, I [...]

Posted by: DL on Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Making My Plan Work

Holding calendar in hand while checking freezer and pantry shelves, it seemed like a good plan.  With some special celebrations in the beginning of the month and houseguests expected towards the end of October, my idea had been to eat some creative and resourceful meals in the weeks between, using the resources on hand. This [...]

Posted by: DL on Thursday, October 14th, 2010

How to can raw meat in a flash

It’s easy, I promise.  You need little more than a pressure cooker/canner, jars and lids.  Oh, and raw meat.  Plan on using ~2 lbs./quart, or a little more if it needs trimming. We buy boneless skinless chicken on sale for this, though you can do it with nearly anything.  Preseasoned fajita meat is delicious this [...]

Posted by: kimc on Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

If you must eat out…

Do it like this.  Be sure to read the fine print, but even with fine print this is a great deal!  I found some of our favorite restaurants listed in my area, and others that we would like to try but didn’t want to pay full price.  Stock up for date night, for gifts, and [...]

Posted by: kimc on Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Outsmart the grocery store

I just wanted to take a moment to share a worthwhile link.  I consider myself a reasonably savvy and experienced grocery shopper, feeding 12 on a very modest budget, but I learned a few things from this list: 50 Sneaky Grocery Store Tricks That Trim Your Wallet and Pad Your Waistline My favorite: Sale items [...]

Posted by: kimc on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Summer Salad

Here’s a salad you can make without going shopping for the ingredients- although you might need to take a walk.  As always, be careful and be sure of your plant identification: Lettuce- grow this in an ice-cream bucket of compost or potting soil.  Sprinkle with lettuce seeds, sprinkle with dirt, keep damp and set in [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, July 2nd, 2010

All Food Budgets Are Not Created The Same

Yes, hers was a weekly budget, mine a monthly.  Her family was smaller, but I had figured that into my calculations.  I knew we had made some different food choices and that definitely was a factor, but why was I so far off from the bottom line? Reading frugal blogs was most helpful to me [...]

Posted by: DL on Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Frugal Eats On Road Trips

I tried to count the number of road trips our family has taken, but I really just can’t. I have no idea. And when I talk about road trips, I am talking about trips we have taken of several days duration, sometimes weeks, and, a couple of times, road trips that lasted over a month. [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, May 7th, 2010

Food Spoilage Table: how old is too old?

You probably realize just how un-frugal it is to let food rot in your fridge.  No matter how good the price was, you waste money when you waste food. When it comes to leftovers, we usually draw the line at 1 week or when it doesn’t taste or smell quite right – whichever comes first. [...]

Posted by: kimc on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Feed A Crowd For Less

Our church hosts a fellowship brunch one Sunday a month. Various groups take turns cooking food for 100 (give or take)–and naturally, this requires some frugal planning. Last month, my group baked the equivalent of 8 ham and potato casseroles to serve with a make-ahead green vegetable salad and fruit.  Along with 100  bran muffins from scratch, [...]

Posted by: MerchantShips on Monday, February 22nd, 2010