Odds and ends of quick thrifty recipes

One of the quickest ways to jack up the food budget is to buy ready made anything. In most cases,cooking from sctatch is a lot cheaper than ready made. In some cases, the labor involved justifies the expense. But most of the time when you figure the difference in price and the labor involved, you are being paid well for your labor.
This is a concept that some people cannot grasp. If the money is not in their hand, they don't think they are being paid. Lol.

If making your own salad dressing takes you an extra 10 minutes, and the salad dressing
Costs 1.00 and the bottle of dressing cost 3.50, you are saving 2.50.
2.50 times 6 (there are six units of 10 minutes in an hour) is 12.50 or you are being compensated 12.50 per hour for your time.

Now if you make tortillas from scratch, the amount earned hour is not enough to make it worth your while.


Raspberry Vinegrette

3 T seedless all fruit raspberry jam
1/3 cup vinegar
Dash of salt and pepper
1cup of vegetable oil

Whirl in blender until blended.
Put in jar or plastic with lid .
Shake before using.

This Is good on field greens with fruit :oranges, blueberries, strawberries or any combination.

Greens are in box at Costco. If heads of leafy lettuce are less than 1.35 a head, they are cheaper.

Vinegar is 3.00 and change at Costco. If you steep washed organic nasturtium flowers ,in vinegar. It makes a peppery vinegar good in salad dressings and on cucumbers. Put a couple of flowers on a quart of vinegar on a stainless steel or enamel pot. Bring almost to a boil, turn off the heat, and let steep for a 1/2 hour or so. Strain into a bottle.


Spinach Pesto

1/2 cup walnut pieces
2cloves garlic
1/2 bunch of parsley
3 cups packed spinach leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup shredded parm
Dash of salt.


Zap walnuts in microwave for two to four minutes, stiring 1/2 the way through.

Peel the garlic and drop in food processor and whirl, add washed parsley , a little at a time. Washed spinach is next. Process in batches. Add olive oil in a stream, then the lemon juice. Add the parm and process the walnuts.

Lasts 3-4 days. You can freeze it in plastic lined muffin cups 1/4 of a cup each.
Put in freezer for two days and then pop into plastic bag. Lasts 2 months. Label the bag.

Next time, what to do with it.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane