“For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude.”
- Clarence E. Hodges

Today I would like to say thank you for having food enough to put out a feast for Thanksgiving. I spent the bulk of the afternoon and evening on Wednesday making all my sides so that on the big day all that was left to do was roast the bird, make the gravy, and heat everything else up.

Today I would like to say thank you for the gift of our friend Casey’s company for the holiday. It’s usually just the 5 of us, so it was a true pleasure to have another person to celebrate the day.

Today I would like to say thank you for being more than half-way done with my holiday shopping. I think I’ve once again been able to pull off getting the girls the things they want for the best possible prices. This is the one time of year that we spoil them a bit (OK some years more than a bit) but we are not ones to buy them video games and other pricey “wants” during the rest of the year for no occasion.

Today I would like to say thank you for the approach of 2011. I love New Year’s .. the hope it brings .. the chance it represents to start over. A whole year with no mistakes in it yet.

Blessings

Jia

Whether your wallet is feeling the pinch of a lost paycheck, the holiday season, or an unexpected bill when the time to trim your spending an easy place to start is your grocery budget.

“But wait?”, I hear you asking, “I can’t spend less at the supermarket! How am I going to feed my family?”

Sometimes it means trying new more frugal fare or simply thinking outside the box.

Kosheri is a great choice.  I have yet to serve it to anyone who doesn’t not only but like it, but fall in love with it.  Skip the meat and try our bean-based sloppy joes.  Adding a loaf of bread to the table can turn a side dish, like garbanzo bean salad, into a meal.  Serving breakfast for dinner, scrambled eggs and toast, can be both an inexpensive meal and a nice change of pace.

Sometimes it takes prior planning.

Making larger batches of food over the course of a few (or several) weeks and freezing some so you can skip a week at your local grocery store.  For example on Thanksgiving I made 2 trays each of mashed potatoes, candied yams, and my apple-sausage dressing.  After the holiday I was able to freeze 3 half-size aluminum trays.  In a few weeks I can pick up a couple of rotisserie chickens (I can buy them for $4 each at my local Top Tomato – as cheap as making them myself) and have ourselves a mini feast for less than $10 out of pocket.

Don’t have the time, energy, or freezer space to cook full meals ahead?  Start making a point of picking up a little bit extra during your usual shopping trips.  A can of beans, a can of crushed tomatoes, and some broth can make a simple soup.  A pound of pasta and a bag of frozen peas (with a little butter and seasonings) can be a quick and filling meal.

Sometimes, all it takes is digging through what you already have on hand and coming up with new dishes on the fly.

My friend Judy’s recipe for Stracciatella can be whipped up for pennies, in mere minutes.  And its easy to customize if need be.  Don’t have broth?  I bet you have bouillon in the house.  Worried it won’t be filling enough for your brood?  Serve it over pasta, or add some drained frozen spinach.

My friend Kris’ recipe, Pedro’s Special Casserole, might not be as frugal as an Italian egg-drop soup, but between your pantry and freezer you can probably go make this right now if you wanted too (remembering that you can easily substitute practically any fried salty chip for the Doritos).

Our Beef-Lentil soup came about from digging through my pantry and freezer, tossing what I had in a pot and calling it dinner.

By combining these strategies, I’ve been able to skip the bulk of my usual food shopping for the past two weeks!

Do you have any tricks for eating out of what you have on hand, rather than going food shopping, when money is tight?

Blessings

Jia

Image: Boaz Yiftach / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“There was beer in plenty, and a mighty dish of mushrooms and bacon, besides much other solid farmhouse fare.”

The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien“

It all started with a line in a book. A book that I am ashamed to admit I have yet to read all the way through. But that’s a post for another day.

During one of my attempts to get through The Lord of the Rings I read a scene in which a small band of traveling hobbits are served a dish of mushrooms and bacon. I stopped reading to consider this combination.

Mushrooms …. rich and earthy ….
Bacon … salty and smoky ….

quote from Young Frankenstein

Of course the recipe didn’t stop with just two ingredients. I made my Hobbit Mushrooms for Thanksgiving and finally have the recipe just right and will make them again for Yule/Christmas.

Ingredients

2 lb button mushrooms

8 oz bacon

2 cup red wine (I used Cabarnet Sauvingnon)

1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp each black pepper and thyme

salt to taste (1/4 to 1/2 tsp)

2 TBSP flour

1 TBSP butter, softened

Directions

Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel.

Slice mushrooms in half or in quarters, depending on size and set aside.

Chop bacon and fry in a non stick pan until crispy.

Remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add oil, and fry onions until soft and translucent, add garlic and saute for an additional 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are soft, brown, and reduced by about 50% in volume.

Add wine and mix well. Cook until liquid is reduced by half.

Blend flour and butter together with a fork, add to mushroom mixture, mix well to incorporate.

Return bacon to pan.

Allow to simmer on lowest setting for about 15 minutes to allow mixture to thicken.

Serving

Excellent as a side with roast poultry.

Should be a nice compliment to a spiral (or even a fresh) ham, especially if said ham is served with raisin gravy.

A bit too rich to eat alone with a chunk of crusty bread, but we bet you’ll be tempted anyway.

Variations

Trust me. Try them as is (dietary restricts allowed of course) before you mess with these. They are wondrous things. I think that Frodo, and perhaps even Bilbo himself would approve. Even if I haven’t read their entire tale yet.

Enjoy

Jia

This recipe was shared at Hearth and Soul Hop-Volume 39

Image thanks to homerepairnet