Too Much Month Left At the End of the Money

Ten weeks of house guests can eat into the food budget.  Worse yet, when the quarterly months roll around, there are property taxes, health insurance, life insurance and newspaper (we read a lot of papers) bills to pay.  All this can lead to, well, diminished cash.  There are, of course, option:  credit cards and dipping into savings are two.  This only aggravates the problem.  We decided to make do on the ridiculously small amount of available cash.  It worked pretty well.  Coupons!  Remember coupons!  I had a $5 cat food coupon.  The kitties have to eat, too. 
The piggy bank, alas, had been raided the prior month.  There was, however, a treasure trove in the freezer.  Meat for a week, and then . . . mystery meat.  What might it be? 

We found out.  Create recipes and meals from what's on hand.  This is when a well-stocked pantry is your best friend.  There were turkey cutlets, which we gussied up with capers, white wine and lemon juice.  There was chicken which was made into a delicious salad.  A couple frozen pizzas, small ones.  Dr. Oetker's.  Have you tried Dr. Oetker's pizza?  Kind of pricey, but we buy it with coupons when it's on sale.  Very good and just right for two people for lunch or a light dinner.  

The garden  gave us fresh herbs, tomatoes and cukes.  Lots of salads and the wonderful appetizer, Insalata Caprese, with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, olive oil and salt and pepper.  This can be lunch if you have some bread.  Oh yes, the mozzarella was dirt cheap, made fresh in one of our local supermarkets and totally delicious. 
Yeast and flour?  Bake a loaf or two of bread.  So tasty. 
 We found a can of corned beef hash left from the winter stores.   We ate it with some found-at-the-back-of-the-fridge English muffins.  Even stale bread tastes o.k. toasted.

Walmart had wonderful big fresh heads of iceberg lettuce for $1.14.  They (and Trader Joe's) have cheap bananas, too.  Just because every meal is a scrounge doesn't mean you can skip fruit and veggies.  Of course you read the weekly fliers for bargains.  We even had some blueberries. 

We discovered the "mystery meat" was half a small round beef roast and two (count 'em, two) short ribs.  They made two wonderful meals when cooked up with onions, some oldish celery, two big freshly purchased carrots, and red wine and garlic. (Home grown).  I cooked them for hours.  Served with some barley that has been in the cupboard for ages.   Cucumber salad, natch! 

At the end of the week, the freezer was bare, really bare.
 I also made lemon-lime ice milk, because we had bags of lemons and limes.  Bought a small container of heavy cream and we had delicious desserts.  Again, a well-stocked pantry.              

Some money finally arrived, and we went shopping, because by now, there was really no food in the house, the canned soup having been consumed for lunch.  I could have eeked another meal with pasta, bacon and tomatoes, but that wasn't necessary.  Before winter comes, I'll stock up on some Spam and corned beef and canned soup.  You never know when a power failure will hit for a few days.  We have a gas stove, and can cook on the stove top, and a Weber kettle for grilling (and baking).  Our parents and grandparents knew how to "make do."  Do you?  

This was a busy summer and I haven't posted.   How do YOU "make do?" 

Summer meals

On hot days like today, I raid the freezer for ...whatever looks easy and cool.  Shrimp salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, salads with veggies and fruits and grains.  We ate at a Lebanese restaurant on Friday, and enjoyed tabouli salad.  With the grill and a salad, it's hard to go wrong.  Last night, we skipped the starch part of the menu and had grilled pork chops, grilled onions, broccoli and carrots.  You haven't lived until  you've eaten grilled vidalia onions.  A large one is enough for two people.  Pork chops are delicious on the grill.  I   just used salt, pepper,  grated lemon zest and a bit of olive oil and minced garlic.

Here is the recipe for the onions, from the disgraced Paula Deen, but this recipe makes you want to forgive her.
 Grilled Vidalia Onions in Foil


It's strawberry season and I went all out and made a strawberry shortcake  with a sponge cake instead of a biscuit recipe.  To Die For.  Well, see for yourself.

Strawberry short cake with whipped cream -

The recipe is right here: Strawberry short cake with lemon pepper syrup

The tablecloth, so summery, is an old one from the Simon Pearce outlet in Quichee, Vt.  It's so old and soft that it barely needs ironing, a good thing.  Made in India, by the way.

The garden is gifting us herbs for cooking:  chives, thyme, rosemary,  sage, parsley, and huge batches or oregano.  Basil, too.  Can't wait for the tomatoes.  I already ate the first Insalada Caprese.    Summer is wonderful.  The farm down the street has "Pick  your own strawberries."    I'm taking two young ladies along next week.    We will probably eat as much as we pick.  My grandmother had a huge strawberry patch, and by the end of the summer, I was actually tired of them, although now I cannot conceive of such a thing.

What do YOU like best about summer foods?             

Swiss Steak in an Iron Skillet and other delights

Swiss Steak chez Cheeseparer

My mom used to make something called Swiss steak.  All I remember is that she pounded round steak, browned it after dipping the steak in flour, and did something with onion and tomato and simmered the whole business for a while.  Served it with mashed potatoes and a salad.

As a bride, I tinkered with the recipe a bit, first browning the onions (one large) and removing them from the skillet (note cast iron--ugly but so cook for serious cooking).  Brown round steak, floured, pounded, and seasoned (lots of salt and black pepper) in  fat.  I usually use canola oil and a bit of butter, but all oil is  all right.  When the meat is browned, smother it in the sauteed onions, sprinkle with dried marjoram, and pour an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce over the whole business.  Cover and simmer until tender.

Eat and enjoy.  Don't know if I've ever seen a recipe for Swiss steak.  Round steak is fairly lean (cut off extra fat) and fairly cheap, and has a good beefy flavor.  Oh, I usually saute a garlic clove or two with the onion.  A green vegetable like broccoli, beans, or even Brussels sprouts goes well.

Did your Mom make this, too?  

Old Time Swiss Steak


This is very close to my mom's recipe.  Enjoy!

When the power goes off

The woods behind the house

We live in New England, a  locale subject to hurricanes and snowstorms and alas, power outages when nature gets mad.  Our first experience was  not long after we moved here.  I actually drove downtown to work the day of the hurricane, to find the office closed and the doorman telling me to go home.  We survived the storm, although a huge paper wasp nest was dislodged from the maple in front (we didn't even know it was there.).  After the storm the neighbors came out and walked around and a little boy came by and (as little boys will) kicked the nest.  Ouch!  The worst was that the power went off and stayed for four days.  My neighbor had just filled her freezer with hors d'oeuvres.  We had a camp stove and a Weber kettle and  as stuff in the freezer defrosted, we ate it.   We had some really weird meals, but nothing spoiled and we were fed.

When we moved further out into the 'burbs, we bought a place with a gas stove, gas hot water heater, and it had, like our earlier house a wood-burning fireplace.  We've had two major power outages here and life has not been too bad.  The first was Hurricane Irene (3 days w/o power).  We can cook on the stove top if we light to pilot light, bypassing the electronic ignition.  And  we still have our Weber kettle, so as usual, we cook and eat the food as it thaws.  Showering is done in one bathroom, because the other has no windows, and gee, it does get dark.

In the big storm a year ago October, with a foot of snow before the leaves fell, the branches broke and hit the power line.  That was  4 days with no power.  It got dark early and it was cold.  We had the fire place going almost 24/7 and it heated the living room.  We could cook (Weber kettle was buried in snow) on the gas stove top and shower.  We always have candles, battery powered lanterns, kerosene lanterns, (ancient) and flashlights.  I have a special little light for my Kindle.  Our sons left us with two down sleeping bags.  It never was so cold that we couldn't wear heavy pjs to bed and nestle under the down duvet, but had it been, the sleeping bags in front of the fire would have been toasty.

During the blizzard of 2013, we didn't lose power, nor did we during Sandy.  Truth be told, it's a pain in the ass, and it takes all one's wits to cope, but you can cope.  We always have a few days worth of food in the house, winter and summer.  If a big storm is forecast, for heaven's sake make sure you have staples and things which will help you see in the dark.  Don't forget pet food. 

We visited libraries of various towns that did have power to read email, and there was always Starbucks or Panera.  Neighbors help neighbors.  And you'll have some good stories.   Be prepared.  

Do You Shop the Weekly Specials?

With newspaper flyer or online flyer, do you shop your favorite supermarket's specials and plan meals around them?  Do you shop several local (gas is still pricey) stores?  If not, you may want to reconsider. 

We're in the enviable position of having new Trader Joe's and Walmart within easy driving distance. The Walmart has an expanded food section, and I'm quite pleased with it.  The salad offerings are fresh;  the Polish ham is cheap; bananas are cheap, too.  Bread at $1.68 a loaf!  When was the last time you saw that price?  Dairy is also good, and I'm crazy about the Triscuit, the Shredded Wheat and Bran and the granola bar prices.  

Walmart doesn't have everything.  Cheese selection is poor.  Not a lot of organics (salad excepted).  You probably won't find radicchio and fennel.  We like Trader Joe's for cheese and dairy, wine, and the odd delicacy or frozen item.  When I asked whether the peppercorns could be removed from the peppermill they came in, the clerk demonstrated  by opening it up that they could.  

What is it with peppercorns?  I have two pepper grinders that I LOVE, and do not, repeat, do not want to buy pepper in a grinder, but that seems to be the latest thing.  I had to return a jar that didn't indicate except in small print that it was only a grinder.  One could not open it.  Phooey!  

Yesterday, we shopped the specials, spent $79.00 and saved $ 29.00.  These savings add up fast.  We don't buy a lot of heavily processed food, so I'm pleased to find avocados, strawberries, pears, pork chops, pasta, orange juice and cheese marked down.  Pizza dough!  Never see that on sale.  Good prices is the dairy aisle always welcome.  Savings on laundry detergent and seltzer.  BTW, I don't like seltzer but other family members do. 

We had a dynamite vegetarian stuffed shells this week.  The shells were stuffed with fennel, radicchio, red onion and ricotta bound with egg.  Somehow, this turned into a meaty concoction that was extremely satisfying and I am not always "satisfied" by vegetarian food.  I bought the pasta, and eggs and the cheese at Walmart, the veggies at Whole Foods, sort of the Yin and the Yang of grocery shopping.  The veggies had to cook forever,  but was the dish ever good and it made enough for 4 meals, which makes it economical even with the trip to Whole Foods.  The recipe came from Food and Wine.  

What are you making for the SuperBowl?  Meatloaf is out traditional  offering with bean dip and chips to nibble during the game.  Maybe Brussels sprouts and baked potatoes as sides.  It has to be something easy to eat in front of the TV, although we can usually time dinner for half time.  Everyone in Boston is bummed that the Pats lost to the Ravens, but whatchagonna do? 

It got so cold this week that I had to haul my ancient sheepskin coat out of the cedar closet.   It must weigh 10 pounds and is as warm as toast.   Patriots fans can be  glad the playoff was last weekend in mild weather rather than this weekend in the freezer compartment.  

Latkes with sour cream and apple sauce make a delicious cheap vegetarian meal

What do you eat on Superbowl Sunday?  Significant Other doesn't like chicken wings, or I would make them.   We have to journey to Stop and Shop because it's impossible to find Bean Dip anywhere else.  Some things just don't make any sense.  

Shop well and you'll save a bundle.  Now that's sensible!  


The Cheeseparer  

Cabbage and Sparerib Soup

Forget all those other recipes out there.  This is the one that rocks!  Cheap, too.  Soooo tasty.  My only changes.  After the rub, I saved the garlic and some of the rub that didn't adhere and cooked it with the cabbage and onions.  I can't tell you how delicious this soup is.  Just try it.    Don't cook ALL the garlic but two or three cloves, otherwise, you'll have garlic soup. 

We like it with rye bread, a salad and some fruit for dessert. 

New York Times recipes seldom let you down.

Cabbage and Sparerib Soup from the New York Times

Vegetarian Entre

This is a great vegetarian dish that doesn't call for 16 ingredients, take all day to fix, and leave you with a pile of dishes.  It's a roasted garlic/cauliflower/pasta dish with pepper flakes, lemon juice and lots of Parmesan cheese.  You roast two bulbs of garlic in a hot hot (500 degrees oven)  in foil, then remove the garlic and roast the cauliflower, coated with olive oil and cut into 1/8ths in the same pan in the same 500 degree oven.  
Meanwhile you have toasted 1/4-1/3 cup walnuts. Chop after they cool.  Cook the pasta, make sauce of the garlic, lemon juice and hot pepper flakes and mix everything together and add plenty of Parmesan and serve with more Parmesan. Garnish with walnuts.
 I'm making a salad with iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes and avocado to add some green to the menu.  Sounds good, doesn't it?   Avocados on sale lately.  Good healthy oils for you in the winter.  

We had tacos last night with all the trimmings:  bean/pepper/onion for the vegetarian guest and ours likewise, but with some sauteed and cut up tri-tip steak.  I serve lightly sauteed corn tortillas, salsa, sour cream, grated cheddar, lettuce, tomato, avocado, scallions and cilantro to make as we like.  And we sure as hell like.