The Emporia Gazette

November 20, 2009

• Headlines
• Sports
• Weather
• Classifieds

• Help
• Log in
• Home

• E-mail story to a friend
• Comments on this story
• iPod friendly version

I’ve been working on different ways to help cope with the cost of food these days. I started asking around for ideas to stretch food while still having a tasty, nutritious meal. Becky Conrade was recommended as an expert at this.

She has to be! With a family of eight, things need to be quick, easy and plentiful. Becky has shared some tried and true tricks that her family has been using for years.

HOT DOG SOUP

1 pkg. wieners

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 small onion chopped

1 (21 oz.) can pork and beans

1 lb. can diced tomatoes

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. parsley flakes

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. sugar

  Chop the wieners into bite-size pieces. Get even more flavor by using the water to rinse out the bean and tomato cans. Combine everything in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

 Becky says, “I serve this with my favorite cornbread recipe and sliced raw vegetables.” This next recipe so easy, and can be modified for different effects, such as using seasoned canned tomatoes or adding diced chilies. Again, use the water in the recipe to get all the seasoning out of the two tomato cans.

TACO SOUP

2 lbs. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 can pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1 (14-oz.) can corn, rinsed, drained

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

  In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and onion, then drain. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, water and beans, corn and seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce heat; simmer for five minutes. Serve with shredded cheese and corn chips.

 Here’s are two easy casseroles that you could take to potlucks, too.

GRAND GROUND BEEF

1 container (7.5 oz.) biscuits

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 (10-1/2 oz.) cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup catsup

  Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Combine softened cream cheese, soup and milk (Use the milk to rinse out the soup can). Add catsup and mix with the beef mixture. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Place biscuits on top to form a crust, and bake another 20 minutes.

    TATER TOT CASSEROLE

1 lb. hamburger

1 pkg. tater tots

1/2 package of onion soup mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar

cheese

  Brown hamburger. Layer in bottom of a 9-x-13-inch pan. Sprinkle soup mix over hamburger. Mix soup and milk together and pour over hamburger. Sprinkle on cheese, top with tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Crock pots can be great timesavers, and they tend to hold a lot of food! If you don’t have eight mouths to feed, you can put half of whatever you cook in the freezer for later in the month.

PULLED BEEF

SANDWICHES

1 boneless beef roast (about 3 lbs.)

1/2 cup water

1 small can diced chilies

1 envelope Italian salad dressing

12 hoagie rolls

  Place beef in crock pot. Combine water, chilies, and dressing mix. Pour over beef. Cook on low for nine hours or until meat falls apart. Remove beef and pull apart with forks. Place meat on rolls. Use leftover juices to dip sandwiches in, or refrigerate to use as beef broth in another recipe.

 Becky says, “Another idea we use when money is tight is a “potatoes bar” night. These are great for the end-of-the-week when you have a lot of little leftovers. We love to do this if we have left over chili or soups. They are filling, good for you and the kids can top them with whatever their favorites are.”

Waste not, want not! Those are great ideas, and I want to thank Becky for sharing them.

I’ve dug up some other ideas from the Internet. Just type “frugal” in the “Google” and you won’t believe how many hits you’ll get.

• Recipes calling for ground beef can be stretched by adding a can of beans or a cup of cooked rice. Hamburgers can be enlarged by mixing in oatmeal or crumbled crackers.

• Stretch expensive mayonnaise and sour cream with inexpensive plain yogurt.

• Make your own snack mixes using the generic brands of cereals. You can control the level of salt and fat, and choose your favorite combination. Store in a large airtight bin.

• Look for recipes that have five ingredients or less. If you only use nutmeg once a year, just borrow some from a friend.

• Buy shelf-stable foods that you use regularly in the largest size available, as long as the “price per pound” is cheaper than the smaller sizes. Measure out some in a container for your pantry and store the remainder until needed.

• Save the water from cooking pasta, potatoes or dried beans for up to a week in the refrigerator. Use it to rehydrate condensed soups, or in place of meat stocks.

• Take advantage of “loss leaders.” But don’t buy anything other than what is on special reduction when you go to the store.

• Make your own party crackers by adding garlic powder, fresh herbs and/or cheese to a pie crust recipe. Roll out thin, cut into shapes, and bake. Sprinkle with salt if desired.

• Use up small amounts of leftovers by incorporating them into an omelet.

  Do you have some great meal-extending ideas? Send them in to Murphy’s Menu, 517 Merchant, or murphysmenu@yahoo.com and I’ll share them with everyone.

What’s on sale this week? Well, Price Chopper and the two Country Marts have some good Salvation Army specials that Gary and Nancy arranged especially to help us help the pantry. Look for the Always Save spaghetti or elbow pasta (2 lb. package); cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and tomato soups; Best Choice spaghetti sauce (26 oz.); rice (1 lb.); and powdered milk (8 quarts). They’ve got them at bargain prices!

Also at those three stores: Best Choice sugar, 4 lbs. for 89 cents; Always Save flour, 5 lbs for $1.59; Always Save cake mixes, 82 cents, and muffin mix for 50 cents.

Dillon’s “things for a dollar” sale has lots of stuff that would be great for the Abundant Harvest pantry: Pillsbury rolls, Kroger frozen corn or peas, Bar S baloney, and 8-count hamburger or hot dog buns. A dozen Kroger eggs is only $1.22. Salvation Army could do with the bread, too, and the Kroger Value sugar or corn flakes.

Aldi’s is featuring fresh fruit in their sale paper, which would benefit Abundant Harvest. For 99 cents you can get grapes, strawberries or cantaloupes, while peaches, plums and nectarines are 29 cents each. Each night that Abundant Harvest serves dinner, they set out things like that that are leftover from cooking the meal for the guests to take home with them — what a great idea! Absolutely no food is wasted over there, I can tell you.

• The Salvation Army is open for donations between 9 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday; 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and then 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 327 Constitution, back door.

• Abundant Harvest takes donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday at 1119 Whittier. That’s just behind the K & S Eastside Conoco on East 12th Avenue.

• Country Mart North, 1020 Merchant, has a donation shopping cart right next to the checkout area. How convenient!

• The Emporia Gazette, 517 Merchant St. We’re open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Just bring it in the front door and we’ll take care of the rest!

Advertisements

• © Copyright 2006 The Emporia Gazette. All rights reserved.
• Customer Service
• Contact Us
• Privacy
• Advertise with us
• Subscribe