The Tightwad's Guide to Cooking from Scratch

[savingdogs]

Soup is my big success story with cooking. I'm not a great cook but I make good soup. And you can really stretch your food by making soup, both with using up things that are turning as well as stretching the proteins to make as many inexpensive meals as possible.

 

[freemotion]

I'm sure everyone here knows this, but using bacon fat instead of butter or olive oil (and subbing lard for some of your butter in pie dough and biscuits) is very cost effective.

I mix a tablespoon of bacon fat in a cup of homemade Greek yogurt (usually made from cow milk, sometimes a mix of goat and cow milk) with herbs from the garden and teeny bit of dry mustard or cayenne, and some black pepper- this is one of the few homemade dressings that EVERYONE, even six year olds, eat with gusto.

I ran out of butter one night and my infamous bacon/feta popcorn was born. All saved bacon fat from our pastured pigs was quickly used up once I made this delicious discovery.

I have GOT to try that dressing!

 

[Leta]

One night in snacking desperation, DH made popcorn only to realize that all our butter was frozen hard as a rock and he couldn't even cut off a chunk to melt until it had thawed for a while. So he put bacon fat and parmesan cheese on the popcorn instead.

We don't put butter on popcorn very often anymore.

 

[Wifezilla]

Mmmm...bacon


Really want to save money AND help your health? Learn how to properly prepare beans. Stopped eating the canned stuff.
"Legumes or pulses, such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, peanuts and cashews, have nourished mankind for centuries. Throughout the world, they have served as the poor man's meat. The combination of pulses, whole grains and a small amount of animal protein and good quality animal fat is the ideal low-cost diet. Legumes are rich in minerals and B vitamins. Recent research indicates that legumes contain several anticancer agents. All contain both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Kidney and pinto beans are high in omega-3 fatty acids; chickpeas are high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Traditional societies whose cuisines are based on legumes prepare them with great care. Beans are soaked for long periods before they are cookedsome varieties in acidic water and some in neutral or slightly alkaline water. The soaking water is poured off, the beans are rinsed and, in the case of chickpeas, the skins picked off. As the legumes cook, all foam that rises to the top of the cooking water is carefully skimmed off. Sometimes water is replaced midway during the cooking process. Such care in preparation ensures that legumes will be thoroughly digestible and all the nutrients they provide well assimilated, because such careful preparation neutralizes phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and breaks down difficult-to-digest complex sugars."
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

 

[freemotion]

Oooo, we've saved a small fortune over the years by cooking dry beans....properly. I make large batches and can or freeze them for future recipes. We LOOOOVE beans!

 

[savingdogs]

Oooo, we've saved a small fortune over the years by cooking dry beans....properly. I make large batches and can or freeze them for future recipes. We LOOOOVE beans!

We do, too. We are from southern California so eating refried beans in tortillas is a staple in our home.

 

[Britesea]

I've been gradually learning how to make a lot of the convenience mixes like my homemade "Bisquick", which cost less than half what the commercial stuff does... and it rises better too.

 

[miss_thenorth]

My son, 15, has decidee that aked beans sre the best snck food, so I have been preapering them, infact hace some soaking right now, cheasp, easy nd nutritrous.

 

[abifae]

That's great! I was always in charge of the family cooking. One of the weirdest moments in school... in home ec, the assignment was to plan a family food budget.

The teacher flunked me because "no one could eat on that little money" even though I included coupons and recipes.

HAH!

She said no one could cook from scratch every night with a single dad and I told her *I* cooked every night. From scratch. Still flunked me.

 

[Leta]

Yah, canned beans are like salty, slimy, notverygoodness.

Cooking from dry is where it's at. And if you have a just a little fatty meat, like brisket or almost any piece of pork or some duck, and you put that in with the beans, you get all that flavor but a meal that's full of fiber.

I like to take leftover beans and rice/corn/whatever and sautee veggies (often just onions, garlic, peppers and mushrooms) in the cast iron, top with leftover bean dish, cover with shredded cheese and bake until warmed through and the cheese is melted.

Then I go to my trusty standbys, greek yogurt and fresh herbs, combine the two for "sour cream", cut up a couple tomatoes and open a jar of pickled peppers. This is a very easy meal for me since I virtually always have that stuff around, it's fast because almost all the prep work is done ahead, and it's incredibly cheap.

Also, lentils are the bomb. I've never liked bolognese, but we sub part lentils in other ground beef things, and I like sloppy joes and chili much better with lentils than without. And, mujaderra? Mmmmm!