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Could YOU Live on Food Stamps? Take the Challenge with Our Mahogany Chicken Thighs Recipe and a Day of Frugal Foods

November 4, 2011 in Frugal Tips

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Mahogany Roasted Chicken Thighs

I just realized that I am lucky. Very lucky. I have the luxury to be able to dash to the grocery store frequently and rarely think of the cost of groceries, unless I’m splurging on an item like crab or shrimp. But a hunk of Parmesano Reggiano? No problem – just grab a hunk and head home.

So when I saw a news article recently advertising a “Food Stamp Challenge,” I was intrigued. Only $4.00 per day per person??? Could I really live on cook delicious food with that??? Not just live on drive-thru food-like substances, but make real, healthy, delicious, actual food?

I decided to take the Food Stamp Challenge and find out. Next week the state is challenging folks to try to eat with the same amount of money as folks who live on food stamps November 8 though 14. That’s $4.00 per person per day. It almost goes without saying that this is incredibly hard to do. Even chicken thighs, a very frugal cut of chicken, are about 75 cents per thigh, which is half of the allotment for one entire meal.

It was hard – very hard – to come up with even one day’s menu – let alone come up with a week – or, Heaven Forbid, a lifetime – of menus that fit the challenge.

My heart goes out to all the folks who live this as a way of life and not just a limited and obviously artificial challenge – especially the single moms who work hard, nurture kids, pinch pennies and deal with all the stress that comes with poverty. Years ago a very close lifelong friend of mine had a period of extreme poverty with an unemployed husband and five small children. She said to me “When you’re poor, you can’t do anything else but Be Poor – all your energy, your whole being is focussed on survival, and you have room for little else in your life.”

Here is a touching account by a single mom that moved me to tears and should move us all to want to reach out. And check out food blogger Diana at Dianasaur Dishes and her fabulous post.

So, here is my small token of empathy – a day’s worth of meals with a recipe for Mahogany Roasted Chicken Thighs – at approximately $4.00 per person per day.

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Easy Never-Fail Pie Crust Recipe that You Don’t Roll – You Just Pat in the Pan!

September 23, 2011 in Frugal Tips

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I have hated making pies my entire life because of one thing: pie crust. Believe me, I have tried all of the “tricks” – which contradict each other, by the way- – - Keep the water ice-cold. Use boiling water. Don’t touch the crust with your hands. No, no – Use your hands to smear the butter into the flour. Whatever you do NEVER use a food processor. NO, no – Whatever you do ALWAYS use a food processor. Use vinegar. Use vodka. Use egg yolks. Use egg whites. Use only butter. Use only lard. Use only shortening. Use only oil. Use a combination. Freeze the fat. Freeze the bowl. Freeze the flour.

Oh. My. Gosh.

No matter what I tried, my crust never turned out. Until now.

I watched America’s Test Kitchen make a pie crust that looks and feels like play-dough and IS NOT rolled, but you just pat it into the pan. Yes, you read that right. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ROLL OUT THIS CRUST!  This pie crust works because the large amount of fat plus a little dairy keep the gluten from toughening the crust.

Yes, I know. This is not a low-fat recipe. My advice: IF YOU WANT SOMETHING LOW-FAT, DON’T MAKE PIE. Make a salad or some broccoli. But if you’re going to make pie, put lots of fat in the pie crust and then savor every bite.  As The New Cookie Monster says, this is a “sometimes food.”

These days, if you come to my house for the holidays, you must eat a piece of pie. The crust will be perfectly soft, perfectly seasoned and flavorful. If you don’t believe me, come on over to my house. Or, try this crust recipe.

Either way, it will change your life. Or at least your pie making.

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Roasted Tomato Sauce for the Freezer: Enjoy the Summer’s Bounty in February!

September 5, 2011 in Frugal Tips

Freezer Tomato Sauce Square

Roasted Tomato Sauce - for the freezer

Tomato plants in are in high-production mode and they are calling out to me from my garden: “HEY! We’re Ripe! Do something quick!”

Of course, I have made a few gallons of salsa to bring to work and pass out to friends, neighbors and co-workers. They don’t call me the Salsa Fairy for nothing!

But, still more red ripe tomatoes! What to do?

I decided to make a tomato-basil sauce that can be frozen and then thawed in the dead of winter to savor the days of eating fresh tomatoes right off the plants – brushing off the dirt first, of course!

This method is ingenious! You roast the tomatoes, and while they are still hot, you add in the garlic and basil, which cooks them just enough but still retains their freshness. Genius!

Now I will have a reason to smile in February!

Happy End-of-Summer Harvest, Everyone!

– posted by Donna

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Fab Frugal Friday: The Ultimate Foraged Frugal Food Source

April 1, 2011 in Frugal Tips, Oh My!

Even in our highly industrialized, largely factory-farm-dependent world, plenty of people still crave venison and hunt for deer. One of the most classic, beloved forms of paella includes rabbit among its myriad meat ingredients. And the delicacy we usually refer to as “squab” is, essentially, pigeon.

So why let a plentiful food source go to waste, just because the source happens to be accidental in nature? Foraging for plants has totally made a comeback, whether it’s wild herbs, mushrooms or other vegetation, so why not, in essence, “forage” for meat? I propose a revival of an overlooked classic. Roadkill Pie- it’s not just for hillbillies anymore!

Let’s start with this simple delight, just to get you started on the concept, adapted from a recipe by Rita Van Amber.

CREAM FRIED SQUIRREL

1. Soak pieces in salt water; drain.
2. Add fresh water and boil until tender.
3. Fry in heavy cream and season to taste.

I say wrap that up in some dough and you’ve got yourself some Roadkill Pie! What could be cheaper? Read the rest of this entry →

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Fab Frugal Friday: Grow Your Own . . . Eggs!

March 18, 2011 in Frugal Tips

Checking out the goods at Portland's Urban Farm Store

It’s no great revelation that growing your own food is by far the most affordable thing to do whenever possible. Most of the time, when this comes up, people are talking about gardening, of course, but there’s an ever-growing trend that takes it a step further: that of the backyard chicken.

 

Chickens may be par for the course for people who grew up on or around farms, but for us urban and suburban types, we take it for granted that we get our eggs from the grocery store, turning a blind eye to the significant markup in price as well as the less than optimal source, in terms of health and humane treatment. (Even with eggs labeled “free-range”, your mileage may vary dramatically.)

So, one of the very best things about moving to Portland is the abundance of urban chicken husbandry! Among my close friends, three out of three households all have chickens in their backyards, eating their kitchen scraps and providing free, healthy, beautiful eggs! Also? Great toddler entertainment. (Lily literally says “Hi chickens! How’s it going?” every time we go out to see them.)

Hey, chickens! Come back here!

 

 

They don’t lay nonstop year-round, and the chickens at my own place belonging to my good friend/landlady (The Urban Luddite) are just now starting to ramp up their production, but still, just imagine, for most of the months of the year, your eggs are basically free, with the cost of a little upkeep. There’s some startup involved, of course, with buying a coop and possibly a run, plus the feed and such, but wow, does it ever pay for itself and then some.

The flavor and vibrancy of the couldn’t-be-more-fresh, couldn’t-be-more-local eggs is just beyond compare. And I love that my daughter gets to see for herself exactly where her food is coming from, and will grow up with a direct experience of that.

Free-range parenting

 

 

Do you have backyard chickens? Have you ever thought about it? What have your experiences been?

 

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Five Ingredients. Five Minutes. Fabulous Flavors. Weeknight Chicken Saute Recipe with Beets, Walnuts and Pea Pods

February 17, 2011 in Entrees, Frugal Tips, Gluten Free

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Five Minute Recipe - Chicken Saute with Walnuts, Beets and Pea Pods

I am lovin’ our Fab Five dishes! Our challenge to ourselves is to find dishes that are frugal, fabulous and on the table in five minute or less with a minimum of processed foods. Here’s our latest – a huge hit with my family. My husband was raving and licking his plate – I just let him believe I had slaved for hours – I did not dare tell him it took only five minutes.

Rotisserie chicken is one of my favorite grocery store buys. I love them. I buy a couple of them every month for use in entrees, sandwiches, late-night grab-a-bite fridge snacks.

I came up with this simple saute just throwing five of my favorite things in a saute pan. This is a fab food combo – such great flavors! And the canned beets are delicious and so very handy. You can serve this with or without a starch – we are watching carbs at our home these days, so did without. I added a dash of vinegar at the end, which mingled with the sweet beet juices and added wonderful rich flavor.

This will become one of my go to quickie meals.

And don’t worry – we’ll keep these fab five-minute miracles comin’!

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Fab Fast Food – Pesto Pita Pizzas Recipe for Our First ‘Fab Five’ Feature

January 28, 2011 in Entrees, Frugal Tips, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

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Real life sometimes involves “grab-and-go” eating when you’re running out the door.But, we ask: Can that food be healthy and affordable and fabulous at the same time?

We here at FFF know the reality of busy lives. Anne is a busy mom of a preschooler. Enough said. I myself have a stressful 50-plus hour a week job as a prosecutor handling child abuse cases and sex crimes, plus volunteer work that takes about 10 hours a week and adult children and a hubby that regularly need my time and attention. Not to mention co-blogging on two food blogs. Whew!

Yes, we are slow foods advocates here at FFF. We love the luxury of leisurely cooking, hopefully with a loved one. We try to do this as much as humanly possible. I believe strongly deep down in my bones that cooking and eating together regularly as a family is one of the most important things we can do for our well-being – physically, emotionally, spiritually.  But. There are times when you just need to get something into everyone’s mouths pronto.

Today we begin a new feature- Fab Five. We take on the challenge of making dishes that use only FIVE ingredients and take only FIVE minutes from grocery bag to table. And, here’s the real challenge: with healthy ingredients and as few processed foods as possible!

These pita pizzas fit this bill perfectly. You just throw them in the oven right on the racks slathered with a three cheese mixture and then drizzle pesto on top. Fabulous in Five. What’s better than that?

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Cooking from the Super Foods List for a Healthy New Year – Easy Recipes and Tips for Getting these 10 Nutritional Wonders into Your Life

January 8, 2011 in Contests and Carnivals and Roundups, Frugal Tips, Healthy Fare

This is the time of year when I am maxed out on candy, sugar and rich holiday foods. These days I am craving grapefruit, poached eggs and celery! My body is screaming out: “Feed Me Something Healthy!”

Luckily for us all, America’s doctors have put together their Top Ten Super Foods List and I am excited, because I love every single one of these foods! There are lots of “super foods” lists out there, and they are pretty similar. Long on green veggies. Short on meats and fats. Martha Stewart’s people could only narrow their list to 38 super foods. The foods that have made the doctors’ “List” are on there because they are healthy in multiple ways. I like that approach – nutritional multi-taskers. They are lower in calories and carbs than many foods, and they are nutritionally dense. They also are heart healthy and anti-oxidant rich (think “anti-cancer!”).

So, my fab frugal friends, here are some of our favorite tips for making these 10 nutritional wonder foods an easy and delicious part of a long and healthy life.

1.  YOGURT

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Festive Christmas Treats: Christmouse Cookies “Not a Creature was Stirring, Not Even a Mouse. . .” for Fab Frugal Friday

December 17, 2010 in Desserts, Frugal Tips

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Christmas cookie exchanges are something I look forward to each year. I love to see everyone’s creations. This year, I thought about making those reindeer cookies — you know, the kind where you use broken pretzels for the antlers. But, I wanted something different, something no one had seen before. Something fabulous and frugal AND unique. So, I thought – what about a mouse instead of a reindeer — you know, a la “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse . . .”

You can use any cookie recipe that will hold its shape well while cooking, or use my recipe below. A sugar cookie dough that won’t spread flat. You roll the dough into egg shapes and then roll them in cinnamon sugar and bake. Then, take them out of the oven and, while still hot, insert the almond slices for ears, the mini-chocolate chips for eyes, the small red candy for a nose and a thin licorice rope for a tail.

These were a HUGE hit at the party I went to, and some people even laughed out loud. They look so cute on a platter of assorted cookies!

Happy Hollydays to All!

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Gifts from Your Kitchen: Frugal Spiced Holiday Chocolate Sauce Recipe for Fab Frugal Friday

December 10, 2010 in Desserts, Frugal Tips, Oh My!

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Spiced Holiday Chocolate Sauce in Pretty Gift Jars

You can’t go wrong with chocolate as a holiday gift. Hey! It’s the holidays! No dieting allowed!

I decided to try a frugal version of chocolate sauce, so I decided to go with cocoa powder. Dutch processed is the best because it is less bitter. To add richness, I added a little dark cocoa powder to the regular Dutch cocoa powder.

This is a beautiful, rich sauce that is full of flavor. Just a few spoonfuls is all you need to top brownies, ice cream or to drizzle over your favorite desserts. My hubby added a spoonful to hot milk and made a delicious rich hot chocolate drink.

The last few years I have also loved adding a little spice to chocolate recipes to “wake up” the taste. The beauty of this recipe is that you can choose your own flavors to pair with the chocolate. I like southwest spices, so I used chipotle, cinnamon and almond. You could try orange zest or extract. Peppermint is always a perfect chocolate pairing, too!

I say be creative! Go wild! The choice is yours!

Most Wonderful Season’s Eatings To You, My Fab Frugal Friends!

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