The homemaker has a heavy load to carry these days in tough economic times. When many people reminisce about the Great Depression, a common thread is that they don't remember really going hungry. I am sure though that times were very tight. My family on both sides were farmers, so food was ample and other things were in short supply.
But I suspect that the person who was running the kitchen had many tricks up her sleeve to make foods stretch and maybe added a little whimsical touch now and then to lighten things up. There are many good posts on this blog and many others about cutting back on various things, but I want to go the other way and throw out some ideas about what to do with what you have, when you feel you can't cut back anymore.
Scratch cooking takes some planning and a well stocked pantry, but even the homemaker who doesn't work needs to save a little time now and then. I have found if I have components of meals made ahead it frees me up for some creative thinking at meal preparation time. Like pennies, little things add up.
This year for our Christmas meal, I wanted to concentrate on using up what we had in the pantry instead of splurging on meal items. A quick look at the freezer inventory revealed a pork tenderloin that needed using. It seemed to be a perfect fit, and my daughter wanted to try a recipe that she had seen on a blog. So we made Pioneer Woman's pork tenderloin with cranberry sauce. It was fun to break tradition a little, be more creative with the holiday fare, and make do with what we had on hand. We saved money and had a great time doing it.
Even though I am a SAHM now, I work at home, most days outside, so I still don't have the time to leisurely work on meals. Habits I started while I still worked full time off farm stand me in good stead these days too. Hash browned potatoes are daily breakfast fare, so I try to keep boiled potatoes on hand. That way they are ready - jackets and all - they will cook as fast as the eggs, and a farm breakfast from scratch is ready in minutes!
And while the rules here state that lunch is a fend for yourself kind of deal - the person behind the apron still has to make sure the lunch supplies are available. I keep cooked beets on the ready too. I know beets aren't usually considered a snack food, but in the winter months, when the roots are at their best, a quick beet salad tossed with olive oil, orange juice and seasoned to taste is a delight. A small treat of citrus with my peasant fare beets. Yum, I don't feel like I am going without at all, and with the beets already cooked it is just minutes to mealtime. Slow food, fast.
And, I find even though I get a little down, from the weather or just the realization of my work load, if I make others around me happy, it is contagious and I am happy too. It doesn't take much to bring a smile to someones face - yesterday I made sourdough muffins, and when no one was paying attention I used a star cookie cutter to cut out a few muffins. The stars and I had a secret. The little stars looked like they were making snow angels in the corn meal, and shrouded under a dish cloth to raise, no one was the wiser.
When I started to cook the muffins, I placed a star in the middle of the array and waited for a response. I knew the smell of fresh muffins would bring the troops close to the kitchen, and the reaction I hoped for followed. Muffin munchers were delighted and it really didn't cost me anything to just add a little touch of whimsy to brighten our day.
These are just a few things that came to mind today from my kitchen. But other things we do for each other can really make bleak times seem a little brighter. My daughter did my afternoon chores for me yesterday without being asked, and it was a blessing as my errands in town took longer than expected. I have a friend whose husband saddles her horse for her before they ride out, all small gestures but so meaningful.
Please share your tips and tricks with us, thriving while being thrifty never goes out of style!
29 comments:
I love doing thing like this too. After reading this post, I'm inspired to keep adding whimsy to our meals every week, not just during the holiday season.
Here were some of our previous creations. My source of fun food inspiration is Lunchbox Limbo.
Even though I have a round biscuit cutter, I almost always use my heart cookie cutter instead.
Yes, some remember the Great D as not so nice ... my dad's family were sharecroppers, with a cow, a garden, and sweet potatoes on the share. When he was ready to go out into the world and look for work, he had one pair of shoes. They wore out during the job hunt, and rather than show up to apply for work with rags wrapped around his feet, he joined the Army. All his brothers wound up doing much the same, and the meager bits of their paychecks that they sent home pulled their mama through.
I keep a butternut squash, or potatoes, or beets in the dutch oven on the wood stove in rotation, and they become ingredients for various meals throughout the week. It take a day and a half to get the potatoes done this way, so I'm learning more and more about thinking ahead. Thank you for a lovely post.
I think making things my family loves to eat is key. If I make something only my husband and I like then the kids have to fend for themselves(baked potato, fried eggs, sandwiches) and it isn't satisfying for them. A homecooked dessert now and then helps too, like the from scratch German Chocolate cake I made Thursday.
Yesterday I cooked country style(nearly boneless) ribs in the crockpot for our gametime meal(we're huge Cowboys fans). I wanted to make sweet potato fries to go with but we got home too late from our errands and everyone was starving.
I ended up making some frozen broccoli and a box of couscous(with drippings from the ribs). This helped stretch the meal so we had lots of meat left over for today's late lunch.
Planning in advance, I made coleslaw at halftime last night for our side dish. All I had to do today was heat the rib meat with bbq sauce. My daughters love this more than the ribs! Hubby had his as a baked potato topping but the kids and I had ours on hamburger buns. Nobody feels deprived when we're eating tasty meals!
I love being able to cook once and eat twice. This time there are enough leftovers for another round of sandwiches or baked potatoes, maybe tomorrow's supper! And, if I make the sweet potato fries it won't matter if the sandwiches have less meat than usual in the event there isn't as much left as I think.*G*
Molly
Whenever we have new potatoes, we cook extra so I can make potato salad. When we have mash; not just spud but parsnip, celeriac, carrot, sweet potato or squash mixed in, I try and do extra so I can make potato cakes, with just enough flour to let the mash into cakes. I always make enough of a dessert to do two days, as well, although that's quite easy for just two people. Attila
We live in a very "small" cottage. I don't have any room in the kitchen for cabinets - so our pantry is a two door cabinet that must house everything I need to cook meals from scratch.
Because I don't have any room, I only have what is necessary but from the necessary, I have been able to create great meals that stretch and stretch.
My freezer is always stocked with full chickens and a good roast.
From there, I can make many meals for the week.
I am a SAHM, so I also make lunches from scratch - they tend to be eggs or leftover meats from the night before turned into a sandwich.
My family is not from the USA, so the Great D. did not affect us, but I have learned so much on making everything I have stretch.
Thank you for a great post.
maria
And adding fun and whimsy to fussy kids meals helps them eat better too... amazing how my 4 1/2 yr old gobbled up her mixed mash (pumpkin, sweet potato and potato) the other night when I'd made it look like a cats face with a tiny bit of sauce and some cheese!!
I'm a full time graduate student so I cool large portions of main dishes from scratch a few times a week (usually a soup, pasta dish, stir fry etc.) and alternate portions for lunches and dinners.
Although I now live in the UK, my family is from the US; my grandmother remembered having to eat food quickly because, if you didn't, the dust blew into the house and covered the food. Her mum raised 13 children alone during the depression (her husband died of appendicitis) raising money solely by the amazing cakes she baked for everyone for miles around. Tough as nails, that woman, and amazing in the kitchen.
My son is a very picky eater, and so he rarely will eat anything new or different, though he has started showing interest in carrots and potatoes nowadays. Usually, I spend so much time worrying about him that I don't cook for myself and just grab what I can or go without. Nowadays, I cook my main meal for lunch when he is at school - soups, casseroles, and so on. I then eat a few leftovers for tea-time, and the rest goes into the freezer for when I just don't have time to cook. This means I am now certain to eat something during the day rather than skip meals.
Could you write a post about how to cook hash browns? I love them, but mine never turn out right.
I agree with Rachel - could you share how you do your hashbrowns? =)
We cook oatmeal with raisins for breakfast. If there is any left in the pan I will put this in bread that I bake. I think you could do this with other grain like millet, or quinoa as well.
Once every couple of weeks I cook a big pot of beans. I then portion these out and freeze them. This way I can make veggie burgers, a quick rice and beans, or have some to throw into a quick soup.
We save bread ends and freeze them. I use these to make croutons, bread pudding or bread crumbs.
We lived on a company compound in the jungles of Indonesia when my kids were small. Although we were making plenty of money at the time, there was no place to go and nothing to spend it on. We had only the most basic of supplies available, and yet, my kids look back on that as the most magical time in their lives. Why? Because necessity is the mother of invention, and a mother of invention is a necessity! When there's no TV or fast food restaurants with playgrounds, one is forced to get very creative when it comes to entertaining the kids, throwing birthday parties, celebrating holidays, etc. It truly was a magical time - for all of us!
My grandmother and grandfather never really talk about having gone hungry in the Great D -- but if we had to eat that way now, I think most of us would be very unhappy. My grandmother (around 10 years old) had several jobs, including taking care of the boarders her mom took in, scrubbing other apartments hallways and stairs with lye, and watching the family businesses until they moved. Her parents were from Spain, so the food they ate was not what most other people would eat -- they ate all the organ meat, brains, etc. Things that were cheaper and made the budget stretch, normal food in Spain. So they could still eat much of their traditional fare. When she was 14, her father took her out of school and she went to work in the local hat factory. Education was what was missing for her, not food, and she has always mourned the loss.
My grandfather grew up on a new england dairy farm that had been in the family for 100s of years, but they had to sell the farm, as did most cousins and relatives. Now it is a resevoir. Their mother's idea of a dinner was to throw a bone, a handful of meat and an onions into a huge pot of boiling water. This fed the 7 kids each night (my grandmother was not amused.) My grandfather fell in love with my grandmother as much for her cooking as for her beauty, I think...
Well, it's hardly depression era advice, but yes, most of us could start out by using what's already in the pantry. I've actually found some good recipes online by googling a few ingredients I happen to have and the word recipe--go figure.
I try to keep my bread baking on a cycle--and do fairly well with that. I also stretch fresh ingredients like spinach or veggies by mixing half cooked veggies, half pasta and topping with a tad of cheese--it's a cheap, easy meal that let's you cook incorporate whatever is on hand.
By the way, your sourdough muffins look awesome. . .I feel inspired to get out my starter.
I've been reading this blog forever, just wanted to drop in and say thanks for all the great tips! I gave up soymilk and switched to homemade almond milkusing the recipe I found here. Thanks!
One frugal food I found my family LOVES is liver...yes, L.I.V.E.R. I buy it frozen then cut it into strips like bacon, toss it in flour and fry it crisp. With a baked potato and some veggies its a cheap, filling winter meal. Your beet salad sounds good--may have to try it!
I love your star muffins! And great idea about breakfast potatoes. I am not a big breakfast eater, but my husband is and this will make it easier to nudge him towards healthier options.
The main thing that I do is fairly standard - huge batches of soups, stews and chili that can be frozen and then defrosted in a pinch. You can also pre-make and freeze enchiladas and burritos. All you have to do is dump on some salsa and cheese and pop them in the oven. As you said, "slow food, fast."
Love this post!
My doable thing this week is making the menu plan for the rest of the month. I'll shop tomorrow and not go back until February except for a quick stop for fresh produce one more time. I have everything planned to use up supplies we have and to make sure nothing goes to waste while still have yummy and healthy food. I even planned around special nights I won't be home to cook. Duh! But how often I forget...
Oh my goodness, what a great collection of stories and creative ideas in these comments! I was away from the computer for a day and what a pleasant surprise - Thank you all for sharing your ideas and making this post one I will bookmark.
Rachel and AnneM - the big hashbrown question in my mind is what do you consider hashbrowns that turn out? My method is pretty simple, I have boiled potatoes on hand. Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in cast iron fry pan or skillet. Grate potatoes over the pan, spreading the potato out evenly and not too thick in the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat several minutes or until brown and flip. Cook several minutes more until brown on the second side. To add flavor sometimes I saute onion in the butter before adding the grated potatoes.
Note: If your potatoes do not brown in the pan it may be that you are a victim of modern times. It seems that pototo growers wait with bated breath to see if their potatoes will meet the criteria of McDonalds! Potato starch turns to sugar when frozen and brown fries are a no-no, so many many acres of potatoes are grown just for the fast food market, and the variety list of industrial potato varieties is quite limited compared to what home gardeners grow. So if you buy from the market, you may be getting stuck in the pale fry conundrum :) I think the brown looks a little more appetizing myself.
Here's what our hashbrowns look like:
http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/sunny-side-up/
Thanks again for all the great comments!
I just did a frugal post on how to save money eating locally. We are a no paycheck household so trying to be careful with money and just keep finding ways to cut expenses month after month.
http://www.sustainableeats.com/2010/01/10/saving-money-by-eating-locally/
I've been making our lotion, soaps and cleansers from pantry staples & essential oils too which is a huge savings!
Your post has inspired me! =) Please share about the boiled potatoes and hash browns - do you just grate and cook?
I forgot to check the follow comments, so I had to repost for that here. =)
I am a vegetable farmer, so we have plenty of veggies for fresh eating in the winter. I can and freeze to preserve them for winter eating, so we can eat our own garden foods all winter.
I made soup by the stockpot-full and freeze it in gallon bags to pull out on days when I don't feel like cooking a full meal.
Almost everything we eat is from-scratch, it's great!
My blog has lots of recipes & ideas:
http://all-natural-mama.blogspot.com
Annette, yes just grate and cook. It only takes a few minutes!
It's interesting what Healingreen said about organ meats. I am Mexican and grew up with Grandma in the home. We always ate the stuff no one wanted and she cooked it up in a very tasty manner. Of coarse, we never wanted for rice and beans with freshly made corn torts. Nowadays, here in CA, rice and beans are still a staple in our home, but buying those cuts of meat cost an arm and a leg. Thanks for your words of wisdom. They ground us in this strange world of flour tortillas.
Felicia, that is funny about the organ meats, I didn't mention it, but I love the organ meats, probably because with our own animals, we always ate the whole animal - liver, heart, tongue, jowls, sweetbreads were and are a delicacy since there is so little to go around from one animal :)
My sister married a Mexican and his mom made the best flour tortillas I have ever had - it's been years since she passed, and I never thought to ask why flour not corn?
I love this post, Nita :)
It's the little things that make family and friends feel loved and those fun touches that make us feel our cup overflows. I have a friend from the past who would always greet anyone who entered her house by asking if they would like a beverage (that's the word she used), and she always had things ready at hand...tea, lemonade, etc and it didn't matter if it were the electrician or best friend, you got a beverage and plenteous refills.
I love the feeling of having plenty. That feeling can be present no matter how many items are in the pantry. For me, I love fresh herbs when I have them...they really dress things up with flavor and beauty and make even the same dish unique just be varying things a bit. I also love having our dog...for some reason it makes things seem more of a home. We either have a crockpot of chicken/bone broth or soup going most of the time, or a kettle of hot water waiting for repeat mugs of tea. We have a ragtag collection of mugs and teacups and everyone gets their favorite. I also keep a secret chocolate stash so that if we want something a little sweet but don't need or have a dessert on hand, a hot drink offered with a couple squares of chocolate is still a great treat.
I love your star cutouts :)
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