By Dee Ann Guzman
Day five
Take out a package of chicken. For breakfast-pancakes. Now I often make my own syrup by heating sugar and water on the stove and flavoring with either maple flavoring or vanilla. I also just love the recipe Laura Ingalls Wilder describes in Farmer Boy.
Stacked pancakes- Make small pancakes, and on each one add a sliver of margarine and a little brown sugar(she said maple sugar, but most people would not have that in their cupboard). Do this as you make them. These are excellent although very fattening!
This can be served with either bacon or you can take some thawed ground turkey, add sage, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and make your own sausage. Now this is a little better if you take a little of your salt pork and put it in your blender and add to it. 1 chub can give you enough for a couple of breakfasts. Apple sauce if you gleaned apples.
Lunch
Today have ramen soup with any leftover meats and chop a few veggies small. Cook the veggies with the seasoning packet and water, then add your noodles at the end. Also make your own crackers.
Crackers- Any recipe for pie crust
- garlic powder
- Italian seasoning or fresh rosemary chopped
- a little grated cheese if you have it
Mix all the ingredients together well. Roll out on a cutting board a little thinner than for pie. Now cut into squares and poke each cracker several times with a fork. Bake until crispy and golden brown in a 400 degree oven.
Dinner
Boil your chicken till it is falling off the bone. Take the meat off the bones. Cool the broth. Take a cup of broth and set aside. Make a double crust pie recipe. If you are smart, which I know you all are, you will do this at lunch when you make your crackers and pop the crust into the fridge. Line the a pie plate with half the crust. Now chop some veggies, or use some frozen veggies. It would be nice to use a potato or two, and some celery. Simmer the veggies until half done in just a little water. Mix with the chicken. Fill the crust. Place the other crust on top and bake. Serve this with whatever drink you prefer. See next page for drinks on a budget.
Simple cookies
- 1 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp. Baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon, or 1/2 cup peanut butter(take off half a cup shortening), or 2 tsp vanilla
- Handful of any nuts, dried fruit, or oatmeal in the house.
Cream shortening and sugar. To this can be added an egg if desired. Blend flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients blending quite well. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Serve these hot cookies for dessert.
Before going to bed take out two chubs of ground turkey. Place in the refrigerator.
I just love the end of the day. All the kids are in bed. Hubby is out like a light and it is just me and God. Read a good book. Read God's word and then off to sleep.
Day Six
Omelet
A good omelet is an art. However, with a little effort a couple of eggs can make a real meal. An omelet does not have to have cheese. However it does make it nice. With an omelet a little dab will do you. Fry a slice or two of bacon, and crumble it up. Dig in your fridge for any fresh veggies you can find. A little onion, a little pepper, even a few frozen veggies will do. Also just a little grated cheese is wonderful. The path to an excellent omelet is in the pan. Many people use a nonstick skillet. I am not fond of silverstone pans flaking into my food, so my favorite pan is a good, well seasoned iron skillet. You want just a small amount of oil well covering the pan. You also want the pan quite hot. When making an omelet, you want the eggs well beaten and you want to pour the egg into the hot skillet immediately after beating. Have a spatula close at hand. As soon as the eggs have begun to set at the edges just a little, you want to begin pushing the edges toward the middle and lifting them to allow the uncooked egg to seep under and cook as you tilt the pan to and fro. As soon as all of the egg is set(I scrape all the uncooked egg I can from the middle out to the edge), add your meat and vegetables, and salt and pepper, to half and fold the egg over. Add a cover and turn the burner off. As the egg rests, prepare your plates. Cut the omelet into portions(my 10 inch skillet feeds five or six), and serve nice and warm.
Lunch
Peanut butter sandwiches
Dinner
Tuna Casserole
- A package of egg noodles
- 3 TBS margarine
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- Seasoning packet from a package of chicken flavored ramen noodles
- 1/2 cup flour
- dash onion powder
- dash garlic powder
- dash pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 can of tuna or even two if you have lots
Cook noodles in water until al dente (I test mine by throwing a noodle against the refrigerator. If it sticks, it's done.) While noodles are cooking blend in a small bowl flour and seasonings. Heat 1/2 cup milk in a small sauce pan. Add remaining milk to bowl and blend well. Add the mixture in the bowl to hot milk and blend with a whisk stirring constantly until thick. Add tuna and blend well. When noodles are done, drain and add butter. Add tuna sauce and stir well.
Day Seven
Breakfast
Biscuits and gravy
I am going to share my biscuit recipe here handed down to me from my grandmother and probably from her mother to her. Now traditionally there is no written recipe to this. These biscuits are more about technique. However I will try to share a workable recipe here.
- 2 cups of flour
- 4 tsp. of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup shortening or lard
- 1 1/2 cups milk to which has been added 1 tsp of vinegar or 1 1/2 Cups buttermilk if you have it
Blend with fork or sift flour baking powder and salt. Cut shortening into flour until very small. I use my fingers for this. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour a little bit of the milk in the biscuits, stirring between additions, until flour is just taken up by the milk. What you should be left with is a ball of dough which looks neither too wet or too dry to handle. Pinch off small balls of dough rolling very gently between the hands into balls. Touch the dough as little as possible to do this(don't knead). Bake in a 400 degree oven.
There are many ways to make gravy. This is mine:
Bacon gravy
Fry some bacon. Take out bacon and add two cups of milk to fat. Crumble bacon and add it to milk. Take 1/2 cup flour 3/4 tsp salt and a little pepper and blend well in a small bowl. With a whisk, blend 1 cup milk into flour and pour into milk mixture in pan. Stir constantly adjusting spices.
Lunch
Egg salad sandwiches
Make a loaf of sourdough bread according to previous directions. Mold French bread style, and bake after rising.
Dinner
Spaghetti
Prepare spaghetti as you did last night's noodles. Take out chubs of turkey from fridge. Brown turkey with a little chopped onion. Absolutely great pasta sauce comes from two things: Tomato paste(not sauce), and sweet to acid balance. My basic pasta sauce is built around those two things. After browning meat(when you are not so poor use beef and Italian sausage), add either 1 can of tomato paste, and 2 cans of stewed tomatoes( I like the ones that come with the seasonings already in them) or 2 cans of tomato paste. Also add garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. And the secret ingredient is, about two tablespoons of sugar. Simmer and serve with pasta. It is great to have some parmesan around for this.
Well that is 1 weeks worth of meals. Part 3 is beverages.
