Friday, July 22, 2016

Split pea soup

Last night I made split pea soup.   I used the insta lot recipe, but I didn't want to add ham because my daughter is vegan.    I think I should have added more vegetable stock.  It was really thick.  

Other than that, ot as good.   And really cheap.    Like about a dollar for enough to feed a family of four.   I added a dollop pfmsoirmcream to mine and I would add some homemade bread.   That would bring the meal to less than two dollars.    It cooked in 12 minutes in the pressure cooker.   I could have put it in the slow cooker yesterday morning,  

Having a select group of time saving appliances really helps cook more efficiently,    I haven't always had the appliances. I got them one at a time.   Al lot of gadgets are on the marketplace, most ofmthemyoumcan very well do without, they see as really just clutter mongers.    Concentrate on the basics .   A good paring knife, a good butcher knife.  A medium sized knife for debonong,.  A grater , spatulas.  Mesinplas bowls. Colander. Hot pads. Cutting board. Measuring cups and spoons, a good set of mixing bowls. Pancake turner and wish, slotted and regular spoons.   A lot of that can be had at the dollar tree amd Amazon,    Some web sites will alert you to when things are on sale cheap.    

I love my bread baker, food processor, and electric pressure cooker.   They are real time savers and money savers.  

I am starting to use the food dehydrated that we have had for many many ears.  It was so old that the trays were yellowing and disenegrating .  I purchased new trays and some mesh inserts so I could dehydrate vegetables.  Before this, my husband always just made beef jerky. Dehydrated foods can be very pricey.    Peppers keep a bog stock of the .  I don't want to go to that extreme, but I do want enough stock to carry us through in an emergency - anything from a real disaster to a miner one like the highway flooding so food doesn't get to market, to that ugly S word in the PNW.., or just as mind and as being down with the flu and not wanting to go to the store.  

Especially when  you are living paycheck to paycheck, it doesn't take much to upset the apple cart.  It osmhard,not to live paycheck to paycheck when that paycheck is already rock bottom.   They say to live below your means, but at minimum wage, that just isn't always possible,  

Groceries on the cheap is a food shopping plan that allows you to feed your family and stock for emergencies on a rock bottom budget.    We eat on three dollars a day.   That leaves up a dollar per person to stock food.    After a while, you can accumulate a pretty good stock.   Stocking is what gives you the opportunity to eat for less.    You almost never pay full price for your everyday food.   You buy inexpensive sources of protein, and buy the best quality of that protein you can find.    That is not to say that you are looking for food grown on Mars; but you are looking for quality,  

Something as simple as the way you buy your food anywhere you buy your food can make a huge difference.  

Back in the 70s I was a single mother.    I didn't get much child support from my ex.; the operative word there is ex.   LOL. Times were tough for everyone.  We had double digit inflation and o didn't get a raise for three years.  Almost 1/2 my pay went for rent, the other 1/2 for daycare.    I didn't get any welfare.  

The cost of a number 10 can of pear pieces was the same as a 14.5 ounce can of pears.  My dad asked me why we were eating pear pieces.   I made a very profound statement.  Your body doesn't know the difference if your ears are cut up or not, it's the same food value.  

Your body does not know of you ate four ounces of hambirger, or four ounces of steak.    It's the same food value.   You eat first with your eyes.   If you can make inexoemsove food look appetizing, you have it made.

I saw a u tube post where the lady had made her own hot dog buns and filled them with a sausage and carmakized onions.  They looked amazing,   She added a stir fried portion of su,mer squash.   Then, she added a portion of mashed eggplant that looked like the dog had just made a pile.   It ruined the whole plate for me!   You eat first with your eyes.

Setting a table with a little centerpiece and a cloth or place at, even of ot is a plastic one from the goodwill, makes a lot of difference.  Make dinner time pleasant.  Try to do dinner with candlelight ( fake works) at the table one night a week!    Your imagination at  a couple of dollars at the tree can do wonders.   I've been known to make a floral arrangement from twigs out of the yard.    A dollar vase and a dollar bag of rocks will last you forever and give you countless possibilities.   Kids can cut hearts for Valentine's Day or Suns for summer.  Make dinner enjoyable.
--not always an easy task when toddlers are at the table .  

I Digress .....











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