STRETCHING FURTHER

So when the crunch comes and we need to stretch our resources even further, what do we do?

Here are some kitchen ideas:

When planning meals, try choose those that only use ONE protein. Protein is usually the most expensive ingredient in our meals. Either use cheese,  meat, eggs, nuts or legumes - not combinations thereof. So rather than a ham and cheese sandwich, make a toasted cheese, or  a ham and mustard one. Make a pasta dish with a cheese sauce or a meat sauce, not both. Give quiches a break as they use eggs and cheese, or if you just have to have quiche, make it a vegetarian one. Try to get used to meals without cheese sprinkled over them. Be inventive with herbs and spices for extra flavour.

Meat can be stretched a long way if you are creative. Most people eat far more meat than their body needs. We only need a matchbox sized portion of meat in a meal - roughly 100g per person. Use your meat in vegetable rich stews, casseroles, soups and pasta dishes. This week I took one piece of smoked pork neck that my husband had intended to serve in fat slices for one meal and I used it to make eight meals  - Boston baked beans, pea and ham soup (four meals worth), broccoli and ham quiche, ham and spinach lasagna, millet broccoli and ham salad with  my own sundried tomatoes. I know that I broke my own rule of not combining proteins, but I was scoring so much in using one cut of meat in so many ways that it was worth it. Best of all, each of those meals were absolutely delicious and, rather than feeling deprived, my family really enjoyed them.

Bulk out minced beef with lentils, soya, beans, diced vegetables or combinations thereof. I have a basic mince dish that I cook up with all the lovely yummy additions and then freeze in meal sized portions. Later I use those basic mince portions to make many different meals.

Most people know about rubber chicken: One chicken feeds my family of four for three meals. The first meal is a roast chicken meal where we each have a portion of chicken alongside rice / potatoes and lots of vegetables. The second meal is where I take all the leftover chicken off the bones and use it in a pasta dish,  salad,  pie or something delicious. The third meal is a hearty chicken soup made from the bones.

Need I even say that it saves so much money if you cook everything from scratch. Steer clear of packet or bottled soups and sauces, pre-prepared meals, baking boxes, frozen pizzas, tinned food and such. Not only are they expensive. They usually contain unhealthy additives too. I make an exception for tinned tuna fish and tinned tomatoes when my frozen tomato harvest is all used up.

Better than boxed breakfast cereals is a steamy hot bowl of oats, or fluffy pancakes, or even eggs on toast. Boiled, poached and fried  eggs are a better breakfast choice than scrambled eggs and omelettes because each portion only uses one egg. Served with plenty of toast, homemade jam and a cup of tea, who would  even notice that Elastic Mom is at it again. In our case, the eggs are organic, farm fresh from the chickens  behind our cottage.

Eating out is definitely out when the piggy bank is looking skinny, and away go take-aways, including chips, chocolates and cooldrinks from the local corner shop. Instead we treat ourselves with homemade  baked goods using ingredients that we have in the house. Adding candlelight to an ordinary meal can make it special, so can sending the children to a friend for the night. Sundowners needn't be complicated. This week we have replaced our usual monthly date night restaurant outing with a sunset glass of wine (from our stash) and a packet of chips. So date night now cost us 4% of what we usually pay.

And when push comes to shove, water tastes just fine when you are thirsty.

I could go on, but I think I have made my point.....

Soft apples that are unpleasant to eat fresh, taste great baked into muffins.

... see what I mean....

Try to use what you have in your pantry before you shop for food.

... I really must stop....

Popcorn is a great between meal snack. I don't mean the microwave kind. Old fashioned popcorn that pops in the pot is fun to make and tastes great.

... It's your attitude that counts in the end.

On My Mind Today...

Poetry Tea

Memories of a delightful afternoon spent with my family. My children were invited by written invitation. They each used their delicate porcelain teacups that they haven't seen in over two years, recently unpacked since our move. Dad joined us unexpectedly. We read our favourite poems aloud to each other while sipping tea and not so delicately munching on spiced apple tea bread. 

Cost of the afternoon's entertainment - priceless

What is on your mind today? Take a look at Down to Earth to join in the Friday photo fun.

Recipe for Elastic Scatter Cushions

-

Start with one Elastic Mom
Add in one free Saturday afternoon and one recently dusted sewing machine.

Take one old, out of shape pink pyjama top that was in the scrap pile (mine)
Add some crocheted granny stripes that have been gathering dust for a year (my daughter's)
Cut the pink top and sew it to cover an old, ugly scatter cushion.
Cover the now-pink cushion with the cheerful stripes.

Then take some orange fabric that was intended for a school project and never used.
Add a serviette decoupage made in an art class four years ago. (my son's)
Sew the leafy print onto the orange  fabric and decorate it with yellow stitching.
Then sew it into another cushion cover.

Take a large square of moss stitch knitted five years ago...

using unraveled wool from an unfinished baby jersey (my son's) that was started 12 years ago ...

using leftover aran wool from a  jersey (my husband's) knitted 17 years ago, 

and sew it onto a piece of unbleached cotton bought 18 months ago.

Sew up a creamy cover for another scatter cushion.

Make button holes and use three cream-coloured buttons cut off an old tatty cushion to decorate the back.

Continue in this fashion until your weekend runs out.

Send the stripy cushion to your daughter's pink bedroom. Keep the blue and red cushions on the couch.
Arrange some of your Autumnal cushions on your bed along with the fluffy blanket knitted by your daughter for her daddy and the beaded cushion from your sister.

Smile.

On My Mind Today...

Sore-throat-soothing, lemon, ginger and honey rooibos tea made in an almost empty honey jar.

SHAKING JARS:
My mother taught me to save every last drop of whatever's in a jar, by shaking up the dregs in the jar with something a little more liquid.

So I ...

... make tea in almost empty honey jars
... shake up mayonnaise jars with milk to add to a salad dressing and sauces,
... shake up tomato sauce and chutney bottles with vinegar or water to add to soup or stew,
... shake up relish and chutney jars with salad dressing to add an extra zing to salads,
... shake up jam jars with water or milk to use in porridge, or baking,
... shake up Marmite jars with hot water for gravies and soups,
... shake up shampoo bottles with hot water and pour them in my hair,

Shaking jars adds extra flavour to my cooking and in true Elastic Mom style,
USES IT INSTEAD OF LOSING IT.

P.S. My son loves farm lollipops - teaspoons with the last bits of honey sticking to them.

Rhonda at Down to Earth inspired this Friday On My Mind post.

Crazy Quick Quiche

I have a stash of versatile BASIC recipes that are quick and easy, and most importantly, ADAPTABLE. This Crazy Quick Quiche is actually a savoury tart masquerading as a quiche.

Remember, as the Queen of Leftovers, I absolutely adore any recipe that uses up those little bits of meat or vegetables that are lurking in the fridge, or a recipe that successfully handles a glut of vegetables from the garden, and this is one of them. This is creative cooking at it's best. The art is in finding the tastiest combinations of ingredients. I go by the philosophy of FOOD FAMILIES. There are just some foods that are meant to be put together -





like chicken and broccoli ,
or how about butternut, feta and toasted sunflower seeds,
or straight sweetcorn and tuna,
or even bacon, mushrooms and tomato with italian herbs,
or pumpkin, walnuts and leeks,
or what about olives, tomato and pesto,
or bacon, peas and potato,
or try going mexican with cooked beans, green pepper, tomato, chili, cumin and oregano
or standard spinach and feta with a sprinkling of nutmeg...

... the combinations are as endless as your imagination.

Today I am using broccoli, sweetcorn and sliced jerusalem artichokes. I often only use vegetables in my quiche as there is already plenty of protein in the meal thanks to the eggs and cheese. This saves any leftover meat for another meal. Yep, Elastic Mom streeeeeeeeetching those resources again.

Another flavourful idea is to shake up some milk in an almost empty jar of chutney, mayonnaise or relish  and use it in this recipe. This uses up every last tasty drop from the jar, making washing up easier,  and adds zing to your quiche. Today I cleaned out a yummy jar of coriander chutney.

CRAZY QUICK QUICHE
Heat the oven  to 180"C or 350'F depending on where you live.
Take a casserole dish and grease it well.
Fry up an onion and put it in the bottom of your dish.
Cover the onion with your exciting combination of chopped vegetables - fresh or cooked.
broccoli /sweetcorn/ spinach / mushrooms, asparagus / butternut / potato / tomato ....etc.
Add in any bits of meat - bacon / chicken / tuna / nuts or whatever takes your fancy.
Sprinkle grated tasty cheese over the top.

In a separate bowl whisk together:

6 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 t mustard - powder or paste
1/2 t salt
2 c milk (sour milk will also do, as will leftover yoghurt, buttermilk or cream.)
1/3 c oil
some herbs or spices to compliment your tasty combo.

Pour this mixture over your veggie combo.

Bake until set and golden. Serve hot or cold with some bread or potatoes on the side and a fresh salad or cooked vegetables depending on the weather.

I hope you enjoy giving this recipe a try. Keep a lookout for more of my BACK TO BASICS recipes over the next while.

Crying Over Spoiled Milk?

When the milk starts to smell a little on the sour side, do you pour it down the sink? Do you feed it to your dog? Well, in the spirit of Elastic Mom stretching precious resources, here are some excellent sour milk user-upper ideas:

Bake it into anything.... cakes, breads, puddings, muffins and whatever else you can think of. I most often substitute it for yoghurt in my basic bread recipe. Or how about some bread and butter pudding. Spread slices of bread with butter and jam and arrange them in a baking dish. Beat the milk with some eggs and sugar. Pour this over the bread and leave to soak for a good hour or so. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake until puffed and golden. Yummy.

Instead of serving the baked or roast potatoes you had planned to make for dinner, mash them up with the sour milk, a bit of butter, crushed garlic and some seasoning.

Warm your family's tummies with a nourishing soup made with whatever meat and veggies you have, and of course that darned milk. How about making a basic white sauce with it and then adding fried onions, some stock, sweetcorn and tuna or chicken. Topped with cheese it makes for a delicious chowder.

Speaking of white sauce. Any slightly soured milk makes great cheese sauce for pasta dishes.

Serve oats porridge cooked up with half water, half milk ( the one you're getting rid of), some raisins, a cinnamon stick, grated apple, and nuts if you like. Served with honey on top your family will think you are spoiling them and not realize you're really swindling them.

As the cliché goes: Prevention is better than cure. USE IT BEFORE YOU LOSE IT.  If I have vast quantities of milk that is not being used up fast enough, then I try to make yoghurt with it before it goes sour. Otherwise, I plan a dessert that needs generous helpings of custard. And then there is always milk tart - a traditional South African Dessert - baked custard flavoured with cinnamon.

I could carry on until the cows come home. Speaking of cows. What do you do with your leftover milk?

Thanks Aesop

All Summer and Autumn long, as I busily scurried harvesting, jamming, pickling and preserving, stocking up for Winter, I was spurred on by Aesop's ant who was wiser than the grasshopper. She made the most of the harvest and smiled through Winter, while the fun-loving grasshopper played the Summer away.

Now, as my frosted vegetable patch is yielding just a few salad leaves, some herbs, a few radishes and carrots, I too am smiling. A lot of our current meals are painless and fast, the nearest thing to take-aways around here. I just defrost a tub of broccoli soup base and fiddle it a bit for a delicious meal, thaw some tomato sauce for a pasta dish, spread sweet jam onto hot scones, slap some delicious pickles on a toasted cheese, toss some pesto into a salad, stir-fry an assortment of my prepared frozen veggies, or toss them under a chicken that is roasting...

 Today I am under the weather, mom-down in bed, yet there is plenty of food for my family thanks to the hard work during the warmer months. Last month I was also able to plan meals and feed my family for two weeks just using food that I had stored up in the freezer and pantry.

So this cold season is my chance for rest and comfort. I am settling into the rhythm of the climate here. I have picked up my crochet with renewed enthusiasm. This is a time for warm fires, stories and movies, creative hands and comfort food. What is more comforting than effortless, nourishing food on the table.

Lately I have even been seen soaking the occasional warm rays on my tiny patio as I read a magazine, cup of tea close at hand, kitty on my lap. Best of all, there is no guilt as I enjoy my rest. I darn well earned it.

So thank you Aesop for the motivation.