| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Bellepepper |
Posted - May 02 2009 : 12:56:54 PM
We had over night guest last week. He makes wonderful sausage gravy for breakfast. So when he and Ole Ron went out to shut up the chickens, I ask them to bring in some sausage and a pound of butter from the freezer. Our guest ask if we had any Grands biscuits, I said No, I would make biscuits. They came in and our guest said that he could not eat hot sausage (all we had). I told them to go back out and get out a package of pork country style ribs. I would thaw them out, guind them up and make sausage. Our guest said, Oh no, we'll run to town and buy sausage and get some Grands biscuits at the same time. You know something? It never entered my mind to go to town at 8:00 in the evening to buy something for breakfast. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Lanna |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 6:37:45 PM
I'm still working on the from-scratch thing.
It's just so hard to learn when you almost never saw it growing up (my mom was the sole breadwinner/parent and my dad was basically another child, there was lots of premade food at our house growing up).
Half of my impetus for making so much from scratch is that the kids can't do artificial dyes/excess sugar, I'm mildly allergic to preservatives, and HFCS is just evil in my opinion. So yeah, that cuts out a bunch of the grocery store from our options.
*****************
Lanna, mama to three little monkeys and growing a new little sprout |
| prairie_princess |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 10:27:43 AM
sharon - allrecipes.com is the main one i use... on their homepage, above the search box, you'll see "ingredients"... just go there to type them in or use this link:
http://allrecipes.com/Search/Ingredients.aspx
http://www.recipezaar.com/ - this site also has an option when searching to click on an "ingredients" button; from there it can narrow down your search a ton and give many options!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 09:30:42 AM
The cupboards are pretty limited at the Lynch house (payday this week!) so after my dh threw a little pity party for himself on Saturday morning (we don't have any breakfast food! I'm going to drive to McDonalds and get us something to eat), I said, "no, because we don't have any cash to waste on that sortof thing..." so I said, take $10.00, get some milk, some cheese and breakfast sausage or bacon and we'll make something wonderful." And we did. Yesterday, when he griped there wasn't anything to snack on, I grated the last of the pepperjack cheese and opened a can of black beans, and made cheese and black bean quesadillas. To rave reviews. Ugh!
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| tziporra |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 09:25:40 AM
The "use up what is in your pantry" idea sounds great! I'm going to start that challenge myself.
The story reminds me of when my brother came to stay last winter. I offered to make him some french fries (his favorite food) and he asked, "do you have any french fries or will you have to go buy them?"
I held up a potato.
He laughed pretty hard at himself for asking such a silly question.
Best,
Robin |
| Rivergirl_2007 |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 8:50:30 PM
Melody I am going to make a real effort to find that book. It sounds like something I would REALLY like to have in my collection. My first search will be eBay. I looked for a book called "In a Pickle and a Jam" for 15 years. A friend of mine went to eBay and got it for me for $2.75.
On another note, my second and last freezer started acting up and some of my beef thawed completely. The rest of the meat and vegetables still had ice crystals and we were able to save them. Anyway, I spent today cutting, cooking and canning beef, in addition to my regularly scheduled canning. Even though the chicken had ice crystals, I may can what little I had. |
| Cabinprincess |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 7:12:57 PM
In the 70's (oh don't let me age myself) when I was a baby (well I was LOL), they published a book called "Better Than Store Bought", by Helen Witty. Our moms had always cooked from scratch but the store shelves were filling with processed foods full of preservatives. It is just full of recipes for foods most don't know we can make at home. It has mustard, ketchup, bouillon cubes, sour cream, marshmallows just a whole book of meats, dairies, breads, condiments, candies and lots of other stuff. If anyone can get their hands on a copy of it, will wish they knew about it years ago. Oh and they give the instructions on canning the things in the book.
Smiles, Melody June
God's gift to you are your talents, your gift to Him is how you use them. |
| Calicogirl |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 3:33:12 PM
I gree with the Biscuits and Gravy. Homemade Biscuits and Sausage w/Gravy. I wouldn't pass n that!
Elizabeth, what websites do you go to for reference in typing in ingredients?
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
| prairie_princess |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 3:01:16 PM
i LOVE making do! DH and i make bets on how long we can last between shopping trips... we're down to only going once a month, but right now i'm going on almost 6 weeks since our last trip! it's fun finding recipes online where you can punch in the ingredients you have on hand... people just don't realize how easy it is to make simple meals from a few ingredients. especially when you must stock up on groceries and have a freezer. i'm making so many meals from my garden veggies, i don't know if i'll need to go grocery shopping anytime soon!
and who in their right mind could possibly pass up homeade biscuits and gravy?!!! i don't put any meat in my gravy and it tastes delicious! but pork sounds wonderful...
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
| Thistle Cove Farm |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 08:47:34 AM
It never enters my mind to go to town to buy "grands" biscuits! I feel sorry for your guests, they are severely limited and narrow in vision and could have eaten REAL food instead of preservatives. Love those cat head biscuits with home churned butter AND apple butter -grin-.
Sandra @ Thistle Cove Farm ~ God's blessings on you, yours and the work of your hands & heart ~
www.thistlecovefarm.com
www.thistlecovefarm.blogspot.com |
| campchic |
Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 07:12:28 AM
Our extra fridge/freezer died on us this last week. So now our chest freezer is FULL. We've been trying to "eat out of our freezer" anyway. My hubby is going on an elk hunt in Oct. so we need the extra room in the freezer. This just puts me behind a little. I guess it's time to be creative!
Erin
Farmgirl #190
www.concrete-and-grace.blogspot.com |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 03:35:15 AM
C R A Z Y!
This person obviously doesn't appreciate the finer tings in life such as FRESH sausage and home made buscuits.
Geesh. Folks around here practically fall at our feet when we bring something to them from the farm. Grands....gross!
That person was pretty rude too
Their loss
And we are the same way, after dark we are in for the night and out only to take the dog to pee and close the coops. |
| Lainey |
Posted - Aug 27 2009 : 10:12:47 AM
No Jonni I don't have that cookbook, but it sounds like a good one.
Farmgirl Sister #25
http://countrygirldreams.blogspot.com/
An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.' |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Aug 27 2009 : 08:34:01 AM
Lainey, do you have the Fannie Farmer cookbook? It's a great all purpose cookbook and that's where I got my recipe from. I used the blender...you can do it by hand, but the "emulsion" part is a bit of a pain that way. The blender works nicely, though there is a difference in the eggs you use.
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| ceejay48 |
Posted - Aug 27 2009 : 08:33:03 AM
I USED to use canned biscuits until we had some leftover and they sat on the baking sheet for a while. After I saw the BIG puddle of grease they were sitting in . . . well, I said there would be no more of that. Homemade biscuits from now on!!!
CJ
...from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado |
| Lainey |
Posted - Aug 27 2009 : 08:27:07 AM
I'm loving reading all these ideas and tips. I'd never thought of making my own mayo or ketchup before, but my grandmothers used to. I'm going to look up a recipe for the mayo. We are a 'make do' kind of family too.
Farmgirl Sister #25
http://countrygirldreams.blogspot.com/
An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.' |
| aunt boby |
Posted - Aug 27 2009 : 07:15:00 AM
I have had to make life altering changes in the last 6 months. DH took a new job where he gets paid on the 1st of every month. So toward the end of the month impulse shopping is not an option anymore. I decided to make monthly menues and try to do the majority of the grocery shopping at the beginning of the month. It has worked out pretty good. I try to stretch two meals out of one. For example, I'll plan pork roast one night then a couple nights later we'll have pork tostadas with the leftovers. And I'll look at my calendar and plan crockpot meals on a hectic day since I have 3 boys in soccer and football right now. I still do have to make emergency trips to the store once in awhile and will go if there is a really good sale on something but it is not nearly as much as before. Since I started making the menues I don't think we waste as much food as before either.
POOR IS THE MAN WHO CANNOT ENJOY THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE- anonymous |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Aug 27 2009 : 06:26:15 AM
Hi Alee I am great! enjoying being a mom!!
last night I looked in the fridge and made a veggie stew.....it is getting cold here so I felt like stew. i put all kinds of veggies and a hanful of lentils and some leftover ham bits. YUM! even Oliver like it!
"we must be the change we wish to see in the world"
farmgal #150 |
| AngieB |
Posted - Aug 26 2009 : 6:48:49 PM
Oh my goodness, Jen I know what you mean! I want to do so much more but it's hard with children and homeschooling and everything else to do. I make trips to the grocery store too many times to admit. You ladies are a real encouragement to stop doing that!!! |
| FL_farmgirl |
Posted - Aug 26 2009 : 06:23:59 AM
Reading all these posts has made me laugh, and re-evaluate some of my "practices"...the grocery store is too far away from my house, so I try to make as few trips as possible, however it is so tempting to grab things off the shelf that are solely for convenience...I've decided to double up on my staples my next trip out and not buy any boxed cake mixes, brownies, etc. I already always make biscuits and some bread from scratch, but want to forgo buying bread at all...
Sometimes it seems daunting to do all that cooking and baking with 5 kids to teach and a house to keep clean, but then I remember that's what women used to do all the time...and with a lot more kids and responsibility than I have :)
Thanks ladies
Jen |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Aug 25 2009 : 08:31:21 AM
Well, I'm not much for leftovers, either, so when I do make something that has a lot left, I freeze it for the winter months. I'm much more inclined on a cooooold night after work to pull something out of the freezer than make something up!
We do "make do" with what we have on hand, though. A few months back, we had an ice storm and couldn't get out of the house. Jus wanted tuna salad, but our mayo was a hundred years old. So I made my own and that's the only way we have mayo now. I think if you have a well stocked pantry, you can do anything. I try to do that--3 kinds of flour, sugars, spices, eggs, milk, cream, etc...learning about substitutions is a wonderful thing, too. If you don't have oil, you can use applesauce in cakes for moisture, or mayonnaise. I have this little church cookbook (one of those fundraiser kinds?) that was my Great Aunt's, and it has all those little tips in there. Nice reference to keep on hand (for an ice storm) or when your friend comes to visit who can't eat spicy sausage and only likes Grands biscuits 
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| Rivergirl_2007 |
Posted - Aug 25 2009 : 07:58:17 AM
It sounds like most of us came from the same cabbage patch. I have a friend who's husband refuses to eat leftovers, so their refrigerator always looks empty. Mine, well it is stacked at least two layers deep. One night a week, we have pickit for dinner. I open the door and say pick what you want. I then combine leftovers or just reheat several different things. |
| vintagediva1 |
Posted - Aug 24 2009 : 11:07:59 AM
Who in their right mind would choose grands over homemade biscuits??????
Michele
www.2vintagedivas.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.etsy.com
Love that good ole vintage junk |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 23 2009 : 8:07:49 PM
Melanie!! How are you!! I haven't seen you on here for forever!! :D *hugs*
We always like to use up what is on hand. I hate going grocery shopping so I tend to buy big amounts and then wait until we are eatting the same thing 2-3 times a week before I go back to the store! LOL
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Aug 23 2009 : 2:58:38 PM
I'm trying to use up what is in my freezer ....there is sooooooo mcuh in there!
"we must be the change we wish to see in the world"
farmgal #150 |
| Peg Graham |
Posted - Aug 23 2009 : 1:53:51 PM
I'm a 'make-do' kind of gal also. Biscuits are best homemade.
Today I actually made up a recipe with some ingredients I already had in my pantry.
I made Crockpot Lentil Chili. I am trying to eat less meat and substitute to non-animal foods.
The Chili isn't done yet...has 1 more hour to go, but smells yummy!
miles of smiles~
Peg
http://thelavenderfairy.blogspot.com/ |
