Low cost meal idea

I have several elderly friends on very limited budgets trying to eat well and also pay for medical necessities. Many are going hungry, eating unhealthily, or having to budget very carefully because they simply can't afford to make ends meet. I also am friends with young women with growing families who are trying to make ends meet with limited budgets.

This was shown on social media as costing less than $5 per meal.

1 1-pound bag of pinto beans 1.98 per pound @ Walmart, .77 a pound bought in bulk at Sams Club. (Ask a friend with a membership to add them to their order and you can pay them back. I would happily do this for someone.)

cornbread homemade from scratch (cheapest) or 62 cents a box @ Walmart

collard greens (grown at home = nearly free) 99 cents a bunch at our local FoodLion

chopped roasted potatoes 4.98 a 5 lb bag @ Walmart

One person or a couple could eat more than one meal from this. I would add fat to the beans to add flavor and make them more filling. 

If you need a helping hand and live locally, please don't hesitate to ask. I have not quite adjusted from cooking for a large family to cooking for just half of us, so there is always plenty to share. My love to all!

80 Quarts Butternut and Snacks

just a few of the seeds before I added seasoning

After the work was done, we put up 80 quarts of butternut squash which will probably last us two to three years. I held some of the butternut and other squashes/pumpkins/gourds back to roast in the oven. 

I like to slice the butternuts in half from top to bottom, open the halves, sprinkle salt and pepper, and add a little butter. Then, I roast them in the oven until they are tender.

We also saved the seeds from all of the pumpkins and butternut squash. I saved a few for planting. The rest, we will eat. Not only are they edible, they are nutritional. They will make nice healthy snacks.

The thin peelings from where we peeled the butternut were dehydrated for winter chicken feed. The pulp was given to our hogs and ducks. I love it when there is nothing wasted.

Jalapeno Poppers

Our family LOVES jalapeno poppers, so I try to keep some in the freezer.

I go ahead and bake them so they just need reheating.

Then I set them on a foil sheet and place another foil sheet on top.
Then I roll the edges closed which you can see in the packaged jalapenos at the top of the picture.

For a small packet of jalapenos, I might do 6 poppers and use one sheet folded on itself.
I can get a couple of dozen poppers in one package IF I stack some on top of each other.

I buy jalapenos 5-7 pounds at a time and make them all at once. I've been making them for years. When I first started ordering that many jalapenos at one time, they would call me and ask me if I was sure I wanted that many. Now, they know I do.

Time to Fill Them Up Again

I still have a few in the freezer holding meals and treats, but it is time to fill these up again. To make my investment into these tools work the hardest for my budget, I have to do my part to keep them filled. There are so many things you can fill these with from gelatin-based treats to hearty meals. Brownies bake up wonderfully for me. Chicken Cordon Bleu Puffs are delicious. To find recipes to put your silicone liners to work, internet search "muffin tin recipes" and "egg muffins."

My love to all!

Stock up: Cooking Oils and Cream Cheese

Restaurants Diversify Cooking Oils and Optimize Operations as Prices Soar

NYC Bagel Shops Suffer Cream Cheese Shortage As Supply Chain Issues Continue: Report

Comparison of two dehydrators... and a couple of tips

Both of my square Nesco dehydrators lost their heat function, so I started researching different models. 

Tip: Through that, I learned that modern models have a timer and instructions to allow a two-hour cool-down period. Clint can repair the square Nesco dehydrators I have, and I will see if I can keep them running using this information. I think running them longer than this was causing the heating elements to fail.

Tip #2: I do not recommend the very cheap round dehydrators. The plastic used in those becomes quite brittle to the point they will fall apart in your hands as you rotate the trays. If you do buy them, store them inside your home vs attic, storage unit, or storage shed where the heat will make them degrade faster. I've gone through quite a few of these over the years. The two square Nesco dehydrators I own have held up (one since early to mid-1990s) and has been stored in the attic. 

I still wanted another dehydrator...

The Excaliber model I was looking at had 10 trays and was $500. I did not want to pay that for something I would only use part-time and end up in a box in storage most of the year. 

For 99% of things I purchase, the brand name does not matter to me as long as the item is well made, performs reliably, and is durable. I see through the "brand loyalty" game and instead do research. This exposes me to new brands with high quality products and saves me some cash. Dear Consumer, you WANT more brand competition so prices will come down. 

I set a budget for $100 for a new dehydrator. I did not like the options I had at that price point, so I changed that to $200 to $250. I spent about an hour comparing the specs on different models. 

I wanted a stainless steel cabinet, 10 14" trays, 1200 watts of power, up to 165 degrees F, and a built-in timer. I also wanted the fan/heating unit to be at the back (vs top) where it would pull heated air over all of the trays equally. This will speed up drying times and eliminate the need to rotate the trays. I ended up with two contenders that fit my requirements. If you look closely at the images, they are practically the same.

The STX International was $328. It had everything I required. 

The Yescom was $209 with a 5% off coupon. It also had everything I needed with two distinctions. It says only goes to 155 degrees F and the metal on the cabinet is just a tad thinner. With it having the same wattage, I did not blink too much at the temperature difference. Many people are saying that the pricier models are not reaching the stated temperatures. They are proving this with thermometers. The Yescom I purchased is getting to 165 F in my kitchen (which is closed off from our living areas when I am doing anything that generates a lot of heat), or 10 degrees warmer than it claims, so I am plenty happy! I do not know if it will reach this temperature in winter as my home is kept fairly cool. Even with the metal being a bit thinner, the unit weighs 38 pounds. 

For the new home food preserving friends I have been making, do a search in the blog for pressure canning, dehydration, tallow or lard rendering, water glassing, etc. That should get you started on some happy adventures. May the Lord bless you as you take care of your households.

Camping Gear

Sorry for the broom!
I like to keep dirt out of the tents.

Large Family Camping = Need Space

These are two 10 x 20 cabin-style tents that allow us stand up straight inside. They divide into three rooms and are quick set up tents. They can be set up in around 5-15 minutes each depending on who is helping me and how windy it is. Each comes with two dividers so they can have three separate rooms if wanted. There is even a panel for an air-conditioner and a special hole for extension cords for those who use them. The closest I could find to them today are here and here.

When our children were younger, we put the children in one tent with boys in one room and girls in the other. The middle held their belongings. Clint and I slept within talking distance in the other tent. The other two-thirds of our tent had gear, a folding table, and plenty of empty space for our chairs in case of rain.

Now, our younger girls sleep in the "children's tent," and most of our adult children have their own tents.

Staked down properly and weighed down with some of our gear, these tents have held up very well in 45 mph sustained winds with 50+ mph gusts. One time, we were staying in a "rustic cabin"* and had only a few pieces of lightweight gear in the tents (less than 50 lbs in each). We only staked four corners because no bad weather was expected. Well, a thunderstorm popped up. We had 70+ mph straight-line winds that took down three trees around us. Yeah, that was something! Our shower tent was completely ruined from the wind. One of the tents you see above collapsed on itself. The other was lifted and rolled three times into a grassy field. It received a tear on the corner which is attached to a support pole and a few holes in the mosquito netting. I'll share how and what I used to make the repair in another post.

To the left is a swing grill. To the right is our folding camp grill. We also use a tripod triangle. With these, we can cook almost anything we want. For one of our meals on this trip, we baked salmon with sundried tomatoes and asparagus. We also had blueberry muffins baked in orange peel halves.

We bought the table holding the water cooler back in the mid-1990s. It was around $40-45. Today, a similar table is around $100. Even at that price, I would purchase one because it makes it easy to clean up after our family of nine plus guests. It has received very heavy and long-term use. Once, we left it in place for four months of extended use. It showed a little more wear afterwards, but it held up just fine! 

I recommend a large tarp be used as a rain fly over your camp kitchen if you are going to be camping for more than a few days. This shades your area and will allow you to leave things out if it rains.

Lightweight folding tables and plastic storage containers are a must to keep your food and other belongings clean and secure. 

The water cooler provides "running" water to rinse dishes, wash hands, etc. If we are filling it with potable water, we also use it to cook and brush our teeth. Sometimes I will fill the water cooler with stream water, but we will not drink or brush our teeth with it.

I love Fat Max! This rolling toolbox with a telescopic luggage-type handle has earned its original price many times over. Max holds medium-sized pots, plastic plates, eating and cooking utensils, kitchen linens, zipper bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, nonstick spray, seasonings, lighter fluid, matches, and so much more. I load "Max" up using every bit of available space. He has held up to at least 15 years of large family abuse.

We own two of these heavy-duty folding wagons which we found at our local Sams Club years ago. This one carries 150 lbs with no problems. When not in use, we keep food (like fruits and snacks) in it set between chairs so we can use the cup holder/table. Keeping the food in it allows us to quickly roll them under a table in case of an unexpected rain shower. We also have a smaller light-duty wagon and a heavy-duty aluminum hand truck we take with us. These make it easier to get our gear to our walk-in campsite.

Asbell Quarantine Rice and Beans

Tuesday evening, Bethany and I decided we'd do a "throw and go" in the pot and come up with our own recipe using our food storage. It came out very tasty and was even better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Asbell Quarantine Rice and Beans

9 cups uncooked long grain rice

2 15.5 oz cans red kidney beans

4 lbs sausage

2 29 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 quart homemade gourmet chicken broth

2 tbs salt

2 tbs pepper

2 tbs oregano

2 tbs thyme

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

1/2 cup chili powder

Easy Bread Recipe

For my "other" children... 

Try this recipe for "pan bread" as we called it back in the day. You don't need an oven. It will cook on a stove top, hot plate, or electric skillet. It's easy and even you "non-cooks" should be able to figure it out. We ate it with molasses which has health benefits. No molasses? Use honey. No honey, use jelly. No jelly, use butter. No butter, use cinnamon and sugar. No cinnamon and sugar, you better head on over with your blankets and pillow. 

a big smile and all my love, 
Mama Asbell/Aunt Wendy/(fill in the blank)'s Mom

https://www.food.com/recipe/fried-bread-135931

Hamburger Soup

We pressure canned 93 pints of hamburger soup!

Canning Turmeric Chicken Soup

I love canning this soup because it is so easy.

I've done 90 pints of this soup so far.

I am switching back to Wendy's Chili soon.

Pressure Canning Can Help You Practice Good Stewardship

I also pressure can leftovers from other meals preps. 

I purchased too many collards for us to eat at one time.

The mixed veggies were leftover from the roast beef meals we pressure canned.

Pressure canning leftovers like this keeps food from being wasted and saves valuable freezer space. 

When the freezer is getting too full, I start pressure canning to reduce the volume. This allows me to continue to take advantage of the sales in stores.

Dear Reader, not everyone can pressure can, and that's OK. Everyone can look for ways to be smarter about resources. What ways do you practice good stewardship in your own life? Where are you doing well? Where do you need to improve? How do you encourage others to be good stewards in their own lives?

Regrow

Did you know you can easily regrow some vegetables 

like romaine, green leaf, bok choy, celery, etc?

I do this to help offset feeding costs for Little Jo.
It works better in cooler weather.
I just stick the ends in a glass of water 

and stick it near a window that receives light. 

I pull off dead leaves, rinse off the plant, 

and change the water as needed.

Don't Throw It; Regrow It!
has over 60 kitchen scrap plants you can start.

Filled it Today

I filled my vintage 1970s Carlton cookie jar with freshly baked cookies today.
There was a plate of extra cookies beside it too.
The plate is gone, and the jar is over half empty now.
I don't think there will be any left by morning.

I've been asked to make sugar cookies tomorrow.

One of My Favorite Kitchen Tools

I'm feeding nine in a hurry, so it being perfectly round isn't something I have time to care about.

This is called a "fish turner" because it can get under delicate fish and turn it without breaking it up. I absolutely love mine and use it for so many things like pancakes, eggs, bacon, cookies, for lifting cakes, and so on. It is very thin and flexible so it can get under those things that want to stick to the pan and pull them right up without damaging them. I use mine with my cast iron and take it with me when we go camping. These make great gifts for those who love to cook. Good tools make cooking fun!

Kitchen Knife Sharpener Recommendations

I was asked what I recommended to sharpen kitchen knives.

I purchased and tossed out many knife sharpeners, wasting money, looking for one I liked. I learned about this one from a fabric shop. A clerk was sharpening her scissors on one. I asked her about it, and she told me it was great for scissors and knives. I found one like it on Amazon, and the rest is history. It also works to sharpen our game cutlery. I have three of them total. One is in my sewing kit for my scissors. The other two are in my knife drawer. I have two in that drawer because one was misplaced by a family member for a while. This little tool offers a lot of value for $10, and I highly recommend it. There are instructions with pictures on how to use it lower on the product page.

Quick Breakfast Ideas

Keeping breakfasts quick and simple is one way I save myself time and frustration on busy mornings. Many of these ideas are very adaptable to use whatever you have on hand or to change to your family's tastes and preferences. Many of these can be made ahead of time to keep mornings easier.

Here are some breakfast meals I incorporate into our routines:

• Eggs, fruit, and toast 75% of our breakfasts include eggs and lots of them. I buy the 15 dozen boxes of eggs from Sam's Club.
• Crock pot oatmeal cooks overnight-many different variations of this online
• Breakfast casseroles I buy the 50# box of potatoes and shred my own hashbrowns in under three minutes with this powerful food processor. I make more than one casserole at a time so I can keep put one or two in my freezer for later. I get up to turn it on in the middle of the night if in the crock pot, or thaw it the day before and cook it in the oven first thing in the morning. Our family likes the Mexican version.
• Hot ham and cheese sandwiches, or sausage patty and cheese, or egg, etc.
• Breakfast tortilla pizzas many variations, quick if prep work is done the night before
• Egg muffin cups 
• Peanut butter on toast served with fresh fruit
• Grits
• Pumpkin or Sweet Potato pancakes/waffles precooked and ready to heat and serve
• Fruit Smoothies with whey protein
• Breakfast tortilla wraps roll up your favorite foods in a tortilla
• Breakfast muffins cooked ahead of time makes it quick and easy
• Yogurt with fruit (make your own in a crock pot or cooler far cheaper)
• Sausage gravy over canned biscuits I admit this is not my idea of healthy, but we only make it a couple of times a year. This is super fast and easy for those hectic mornings when nothing has gone well, nothing is prepared ahead of time, and your time and patience are limited. I add 2 pounds of frozen pre-cooked Jimmy Dean Sausage to satisfy our children longer.

We cook bacon in cookie trays in the oven. It works great!

One thing our family really enjoys is having a "Big Breakfast." I make all of the traditional breakfast foods on Saturday. Sunday morning, we heat it up and invite everyone to come join us for a buffet style meal. The rest of the week, we finish up what is left over. I only mess up the kitchen once and we have a nice morning meal followed by very quick to serve meals later in the week. Our children request this quite often.

Note: A better sized slow cooker for a large family is a Nesco Classic Oven. This is similar to the one I use.

Simple Meal Ideas (Free Kindles)

A crock pot is a busy mom's ace in the hole!

Grab these quick because prices can change hourly.

Baked Donut Recipe

Amanda made these for our family with different toppings. They are very tasty! I plan on making them again, but plain, and serve with almonds for a fast Sunday breakfast.

Cinnamon Baked Doughnut Recipe

Cooking on the Woodstove Season!

Yes, you can cook on a regular wood stove. You can raise and lower the temperature by using cast iron trivets or even by turning another cast iron pot over and cooking on that. These are the trivets I have for this purpose.