Pizza! Pizza!

Last weekend I was in the Atlanta area visiting relatives.   We went to a party on a country property way the heck  east of Athens.  Our host feted us with his own beef, tomatoes, corn, okra, peppers and figs!  Yes figs!    In our local supermarkets, if you can find them, they cost $3.00 for 8, not a frugal price.  I was persuaded to bring home a small container.  
Recently someone in our tribe had a fancy pizza with figs and prosciutto, so guess what I made?  Yup.  I had riccotta and mozzarella, and fresh baby spinach.  I had figs!  We bought the dough and a few oz. of prosciutto, and we made a pizza. 
Because there were only two of us, we ate it for 2 dinner and one lunch in an outburst of frugality.  It was good.   Doesn't it look yummy?  Those figs had quite a ride. 


The Cheeseparer

Five Minute Desserts

From late spring into the fall,  we are tempted with fresh fruit.  It's hard to beat a good fruit salad with a harmonious selection of fruits.  Add a spot of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.  We like to macerate a spoonful or two of Apple Jack with the fruit.


Only slightly more ambitious is a compote.  In Germany and Austria in the summer, you can eat a dessert call Rote Grutze  (Red Groats) everywhere.   Red berries and currants thickened with tapioca(?).  Make your own American version with rhubarb, strawberries, cherries, anything red including leftover cranberries you may have in the freezer.  Cook together with a very small amount of liquid (I like orange juice). Thicken with cornstarch or instant tapioca and of course sweeten according to taste.  Served with a bit of cream, this is delicious.


Only slightly more complicated is a country fruit tart.  Take one Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy case (they come two to a box in our area for $2.99 but can often be found on sale.) Put some parchment paper on a large cookie sheet with sides.  Unroll the crust onto the paper.  Pour a mixture of fruits (2-3 cups) sweetened with sugar and lemon juice with a bit of instant tapioca to thicken.  Any kind of fruit will do.  Crimp the sides around the fruit so that the fruit is still mostly visible  in the center of the tart.  Put into a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Cool on a trivet and eat.  Serves 4 or 6 people on a diet. 


The parchment paper keeps the cookie sheet clean.   Blueberries, strawberries, plums, cherries, peaches--singly or together.  Be creative.  Sprinkle with a tad of cinnamon or nutmeg is you like.  Not too much.  You want to savor the fruit. 


You can make your own crust for about $1.00 less, but that is more than 5 minutes, but not much with a food processor.  Any of these desserts are worthy of company.  Sometimes I sprinkle a few nuts into the fruit salad or over the tart, but make sure no one is allergic.


I hope your garden is planted and thriving and that you have lots of fresh herbs and veggies.   Don't forget to put out plants attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  It is easy to enjoy life when the weather is good.  Take time to do so.


Yours in frugality, taste and beauty,


The Cheeseparer             

Bean Soup and other Comestibles

We're been paring cheese like crazy.  Earlier in the week it was Chicken Tortellini Soup with spinach and mushrooms, and today I made bean soup from scratch.  So good, so cheap. 


I had planned to cook the beans with some turkey kielbasa which  I always get as a two-fer, but when the "kielbasa" thawed, it was a Chorico.  Thanks heavens it wasn't a banana.  I do freeze overripe bananas, and when I get three, I make banana bread.  Amazing the difference that extra banana makes.  It takes the bread to a whole new level.



The chorico made the soup even more delicious than usual.  Recipe was 3/4 lb. of navy beans, one large onion, chopped, 3 cloves garlic, 4 slices chopped thick-cut bacon, the chorico (about 12 oz) and 1 can low-fat low-salt  (14 oz) chicken broth and 1 14 oz. can garden vegetable broth.  I usually add carrot, chopped, but I forgot.  I added 1 t. dried thyme for more flavor. 


  I serve this with homemade southern-style cornbread.  This is a recipe, at least 200 years old, that calls for only corn meal (stone ground is best), buttermilk, egg, salt, shortening (your choice), baking soda and baking powder.  NO SUGAR.  It tastes so good and so wholesome and a little whipped butter on it just hits the spot.  Sugar in cornbread is a yucky New England tradition like flour tortillas that must be cast out.



We had a salad with the rest of the spinach bought for the soup, grape tomatoes and a good Caesar store-bought on sale dressing.  I've been saving between 20-30 percent every week at the grocery store and am psyched! 


It really helps to plan menus around the specials, especially the meat and the produce.  


Slowly, but surely, I'm getting caught up after the holiday.  How about you?  We ate the last of the frozen cheese twists on Monday.  So nice to have hors d'oeuvres in the freezer, and cookies, too.  I froze some of each recipe of the cookies I baked, and we had them well into January.  


The oven thermostat crapped out early in January, and we cooked on the stovetop for a few weeks.  The stove was 22+ years, so it did need to be replaced.  I got a fancy Kenmore with a nice warming oven (where bread can be proofed) and a convection oven and a fancy burner in the middle that takes a griddle.  We'll be cooking up a storm to figure out how everything works.  


I did pork tenderloin two ways right off the bat.  We get them as two-fers, and I made cutlets out of one and served them with a red currant/wine sauce (mega-yum) and stuffed the other with a bread stuffing mix left over from Thanksgiving.   Made a rosehip jelly sauce for that.  These cheap Ocean State Job Lot jams make good sauces, too.    A bit of broth, a little wine, some seasonings, and maybe a tablespoon of jelly make a great sauce.    Don't be afraid to experiment. 


Yours in frugality, 


The Cheeseparer

The Ham Bone, Symbol of Eternity

Is it weird to blog a ham bone? Not the dance, but the real thing? The photo shows the ham bone just beginning to cook in the pot of bean soup. This is a frugal meal. Note large sprinkling of black pepper. Zowza!

We had a ham for Christmas instead of the prime rib roast beef that we usually cook. Actually, it was half a ham. Cost $14.00 instead of the $40+ dollars the beef would have set us back.
2 main meals for 3 people, then a few sandwiches, then ham for breakfast. After a few days, there was a big meaty bone and I removed enough for a ham and broccoli casserole--made with a cheese sauce and quite yummy.

Cooked the ham bone with some pea beans, lots of onion, garlic, some carrot and celery and a little fat (my bad!) and broth I'd saved from the baking of the ham. Add more chicken broth and a few springs of fresh rosemary and some dried thyme from the garden. Lots of black pepper. Yum! Cut the meat off the bone (ate some in the process) and had so much I put some aside for ham and eggs (2 meals as things evolved) and back went the chopped ham into the soup.

Died and gone to heaven. 8 servings, plus two breakfasts, and the casserole still to come. 4 servings there. Have we lost count? That $14 just keeps on giving. Double zowsa!

I think I've counted 32 servings here, folks. I've also got a good ham, potato and broccoli casserole recipe, but since we are in quasi-diet mode, I'll skip the potatoes.

So living it up with the ham has been a cheeseparing activity.

A wag once described eternity as "two people and a ham." My mom never saw the humor in that. She thought two people and a ham was great.

As ever,

The Cheeseparer

The Bah Humbug Award

Boy, talk about cynical! Here is one person's opinion of the Worst Money Saving Tips. I agree with the booze, internet and walk stuff, but the store specials are another matter.

Here's the link:
http://americannonsense.com/?p=8749

And another link to some hints on summer vacation savings. I absolutely concur with the take your own food in the car. More nourishing, faster, cheaper and tastier. And you can plan fun picnics along rivers and in parks and have scenery for lunch.

http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/tips-and-tricks-for-saving-on-summer-vacations.html?id=2561427

Chicken Soup From a Nail

Not chicken soup for the soul, but rather a belly-warming nourishing soup for practically nothing.

I started with the reduced broth I used to cook some chicken breasts that had both bone and skin, so there was some substance to it. I always cook chicken breasts or pieces with aromatic vegetables for more resonance. I had a small piece of pork tenderloin that I chopped up and added to the chicken.

Apropos the chicken, I always have a cup or so of white meat "scraps" in the freezer. Bits and pieces not used in another dish. Could be trimmings or just extra.

O.K. Chop up something from the onion family. I used three scallions, but anything will do as well. I chopped up some carrot, celery, and one clove of garlic and set them to cook in a mixture of butter/olive oil.

I added some peas that that been defrosted and a few chopped grape tomatos. Then I added the broth and some thyme, marjoram, a pinch of rosemary and some dehydrated chives. A goodly sprinkle of sweet paprika. Salt and lots of pepper. Add chicken and cook until the veggies are tender.

In a separate pot, cook 1/3 cup of rice in some water. When the rice is done, add to the soup and cook a few more minutes. Correct seasonings and serve.

I made some biscuits from low-fat Bisquick and 2% milk. They were delicious, especially with softened whipped butter. Yum!

The taste is good and believe it or not, it sticks to the ribs. I made the soup from stuff on hand, bits and pieces. It was like free food.

We ate the leftover biscuits for breakfast with butter and honey. I love Bisquick. They have a recipe for "onion cheese supper bread" that is the best. Google it.

Regards from the Cheeseparer

Save Money on Groceries and Clothes

The resale shops are doing great in the recession. You can buy and sell. Such a deal.

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8254721

The grocery store sucks up lots of our dollars. Here are some useful hints about shopping smart as well as frugally.

http://www.news4jax.com/money/16102954/detail.html

The 10 Most Hated Money Saving Tips

I love this guy.

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2007/11/the-10-most-hat.html

At least he waffles a bit on the pet issue. Since I stopped smoking (20 years ago), I've always had money in my wallet. And that was before the cost of ciggies went through the roof. I have also saved on cold medicines, sore throat medicines, etc.

Used clothes are cool. Just have them cleaned.

The tip below is the funniest one I've seen yet.
Donate shirts to the Salvation army, then buy them back for 50 cents, already cleaned. Whooeee!

http://blog.andyblume.com/?p=513

Save a little or Save a lot

Household items: we all have to buy ‘em
http://www.moneyaside.com/10-tips-to-save-money-on-household-items

Save a million bucks:
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/04/10/money/doc47fed98810f4e040369549.txt

Cut Your Entertainment Budget:
http://www.moneyaside.com/10-tips-to-save-money-on-entertainment

Family Budgeting
http://www.businessrockford.com/biznews/x623552672

Earth Day is coming up. Give a thought to saving mother earth.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/save-money-save-energy-save-earth,348043.shtml

Today's Money Saving Tips

Above: Make good choices at the deli counter.

Bring your lunch to work: spend time at the deli-counter. There are always weekly specials. You can make your own tuna salad. Don't eat the icky thin-sliced turkey/ham loaded with nitrates, preservatives and water. Yuck. You can roast a turkey or chicken breast on the grill or the oven, have a main course, and take the leftovers to work. Buy (or make) decent bread. Create your own salad at home and carry the dressing and croutons to work in separate packages. You can eat healthy, cheaply and it tastes wonderful.
http://savesavesave.blogspot.com/2008/04/money-saving-tips.html


A blog that’s not exactly light-hearted, but one you should take to heart.

http://moneyning.com/money-tips/understanding-key-saving-more-money/

One of my shabby little secrets: dilute the dishwashing liquid. It will last 4-5 times as long.

You don't have to show up at the party wearing a barrel

Money saving tips on clothing:

The best way is not to buy anything. Most of us have enough clothes hanging in the closet to last for years. You might need socks or underwear or a pair of pj's.

Growing-like-a-weed kids are another matter.

Read on.

http://www.moneyaside.com/10-tips-to-save-money-on-clothing

Money Saving Tips Galore

For your Sunday morning perusal:

http://frugal1stopmom.wordpress.com/

University of Maine has some tried and true tips

Holy cow! I didn't know that universities still had "extention" programs just like in the old days. These tips have been around for a while, but as new generations need to know how to tighten ye old belt, these suggestions are good.

http://extensionnews.blogspot.com/2008/04/tips-for-saving-money-on-groceries.html

Planning menus and cooking for several meals makes a lot of sense and takes much of the work out of cooking. The food channel has a mid-afternoon program that gives details on how to do this.

Here are more grocery saving tips. Never shop hungry is some of the best advice. Take a list. Yada. Yada. You should commit these ideas to memory.

http://www.dchieftain.com/news/79070-04-02-08.html

Cook once, eat twice.

Tips for Organic Groceries and Everything Else

Organic foods tend to be a lot more pricey than "regular" foods, but sometimes the payoff is better. We have been eating organic carrots, and they taste so much better that we will pay the extra money.

The mom below can guide you through finding coupons for organic foods:
http://greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com/

Yum!

This blogger has, like the cheeseparer, collected tips from everyone. You should have enough saved to finance a cool weekend somewhere.
http://beingfrugal.net/2008/04/03/frugal-tips-to-survive-a-recession/