Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
5. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8. 1 pound seedless European or Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced crosswise
9. 6 large red radishes, thinly sliced
10. 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
11. 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, lemon zest and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and let marinate for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, stir in the cucumbers, radishes, onion and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

* Cooking spray
* 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
* 1 (16-ounce) package light smoked turkey sausage (such as Hillshire Farm), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
* 3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and turkey sausage to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar, tomato paste, dried thyme, freshly ground black pepper, cannellini beans, and bay leaf. Add ground red pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over bean mixture, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

* 2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 small red onion, chopped*
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper*
* 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper*
* 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper*
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 cups fresh or frozen sliced okra
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp soup**
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 3 cups cooked long-grain rice
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* Garnishes: quartered lemon slices, fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

Preparation

Peel shrimp; devein, if desired.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in okra, lemon juice, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in soup and next 4 ingredients until blended. Pour into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Garnish, if desired.

*1 (10-ounce) package frozen onions and peppers may be substituted for fresh onion and bell peppers.

**1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup may be substituted for cream of shrimp soup.

Note: Unbaked casserole may be made one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking as directed. To freeze unbaked casserole, prepare as directed, omitting Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly, and freeze. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

* 1 rabbit, cut into serving pieces (see How to cut up a rabbit)
* Salt
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 2 large shallots, chopped
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 cup grainy country mustard, like Dijon
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Method

1 Salt your rabbit pieces well and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.

2 Heat the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan with a lid. Pat the rabbit pieces dry and brown them in the butter. Do this at a moderate pace – you don’t want the butter to scorch – and don’t let the rabbit pieces touch each other. Do it in batches if you need to.
Once the rabbit is browned, remove it to a bowl. Add the shallot and brown it well. This will take 3-4 minutes.

3 Pour in the white wine and turn the heat to high. Scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the mustard and water and bring to a rolling boil. Taste the sauce for salt and add some if needed.

4 Add the rabbit pieces, coat them with the sauce, then drop the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. You want the meat to be nearly falling off the bone. It might need more time, but should not need more than an hour total. Wild rabbits sometimes need more time.

5 When the meat is ready, gently remove it to a platter. Turn the heat to high and boil the sauce down by half. Turn off the heat and add the cream and parsley. Stir to combine and return the rabbit to the pan. Coat with the sauce and serve at once.

Serve this dish with crusty bread and a big white wine, such as a white Bordeaux, white Cotes du Rhone blend or a buttery California Chardonnay. If you prefer beer, try pairing this with an unfiltered wheat beer.

* 1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb. ) whole chicken
* 2 celery ribs, cut into 3 pieces each
* 2 carrots, cut into 3 pieces each
* 2 1/2 to 3 tsp. salt
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, pressed
* 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
* 2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder*
* 3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
* 12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

Preparation

1. If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken.

2. Place chicken, celery, carrots, and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

4. Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

5. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*1 tsp. chili powder and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper may be substituted for Mexican-style chili powder.

Lightened King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Reduce butter to 1 Tbsp. Substitute reduced-fat cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup for regular and 2% reduced-fat cheese for regular. Prepare recipe as directed through Step 4. Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Substitute 1 (2-lb.) skinned, boned, and shredded deli-roasted chicken for whole chicken, 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips for corn tortillas, and 3/4 cup chicken broth for cooking liquid. Omit celery, carrots, and salt. Prepare recipe as directed, beginning with Step 3.

* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 8 slices rye bread
* 4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
* 8 ounces smoked turkey, thinly sliced
* 2/3 cup sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
* 1/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing
* 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided

Preparation

Spread about 3/4 teaspoon mustard over each bread slice. Place 1 cheese slice on each of 4 bread slices. Divide turkey evenly over cheese. Top each serving with 2 1/2 tablespoons sauerkraut and 1 tablespoon dressing. Top each serving with 1 bread slice, mustard sides down.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan; top with another heavy skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden; remove sandwiches from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and sandwiches.

These conveniences can be a great time saver when you’ve had a busy day at work and don’t want to face the task of putting a good meal on the table for the family and it seems to be a simple choice.

But when you consider the extra expense these take home meals add to the weekly food budget and tally it with the normally smaller food portions, and the unknown ingredients and food additives brought to the table, you’ll no doubt sharpen your pencil and red line these purchases as nothing more than the extravagances they always have been.

In the new economy and for the health of our planet, it may be time to reconsider the value of home cooking from scratch, using whole foods and unprocessed ingredients and locally grown fresh produce. Wise cooks have always known that when we have someone else do part or all of the cooking or food preparation, the sacrifice will be either in extra cost or diminished nutritional value; what is gained in time savings may not always outweigh these costs and might not turn out to be a good bargain when all things are considered.

The ideas for economy which we will offer here in the coming months are not to be considered hard and fast rules suitable for everyone’s schedule, but feel free to pick and choose those which fit your lifestyle; adapting as your days and free time permits. Some of us can devote part of our weekends to cooking meals for the freezer or to refrigerate for the upcoming week; others, without a work schedule, may be able to save the most on our food budgets by taking the time to cook from scratch daily, and by shopping often to take advantage of “Manager’s Specials” and sales at the supermarket.

Those of us who are dedicated to a lifetime of eating foods devoid of chemicals and harmful additives meant to preserve shelf life at the expense of nutrition will adopt the methods of, and relearn the skills and kitchen arts of our grandmothers and great grandmothers. We will learn, as they did, how to choose fresh foods and prepare these foods at home to make tasty, wholesome meals for the family in the most economical ways possible. In this capacity, we have an advantage over cooks of the past; the cook of today has, at her disposal, tools of convenience which can help make cooking from scratch rival the simplicity of preparation offered by many convenience foods. So, even when we are on a tight budget, the biggest savings in the kitchen may be the purchase of some of these tools. And remember, when purchasing kitchen tools, quality is not an option and cheap tools are not a bargain, since they will not stand the test of time and might not even do their job at all.

There are tools which are basic, such as a good quality chef’s knife and paring knife, and others which will help save money on food purchases directly.

The Stand Mixer

A stand mixer will aid in the preparation of home baked breads, fruit cakes, soufflés, muffins, pastas, pancakes, biscuits, scones, waffles, crackers, pastries and so many other bakery staples – all of these (and many more) prepared using a small amount of skill and a bag of flour!

Extra accessories may be purchased for the stand mixer to help prepare purees (such as tomato sauce, pie fillings, jams and jellies, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies and vegetable soups) and don’t forget a meat grinder attachment so that tough roasts and economical meat cuts may be ground into the freshest hamburger possible. Meatloaf, meatballs, home-made sausages, pork patties, ground veal, turkey, fillings for stuffings (raviolis, cabbage leaves, peppers, empanadas, to name a few) can then be made at home with an hour of well-spent time. A meat grinder (or even a food processor) is also wonderful tool for transforming leftovers.

A grain mill is available for the stand mixer which can be an advantage if you enjoy baking from scratch and using whole, fresh grains. It may also be used to grind your own cereals (such as cream of rice or cream of wheat) or grind your own corn meal, corn flour or fresh whole wheat or rye flours. This is the one way you’ll know for sure what the ingredients are in that loaf of bread.

A pasta attachment can be obtained for some stand mixers to enable the making of pasta, lasagna and ravioli from scratch. There are rollers for cutting lasagna, angel hair, and fettuccine; or just leave the pasta in wide strips to make ravioli or manicotti for stuffing.

Pasta Makers

Free standing pasta machines are also available; some have rollers with crank handles and may be bought for under $50; still other, more elaborate machines for extruding pasta shapes by pressing dough through brass or plastic disks and these also work very well.

There is a small learning curve to making pasta at home, but the skill, once learned, will bring you the confidence of knowing that you have the ability to feed a large family with style and nutrition for just pennies!

Money Saving Tips

Here are some easily implemented tips for shaving dollars from the monthly grocery tab.

First, and foremost, keep it fun. Decide at the onset that you are embarking upon a new culinary adventure and that having a smaller budget in the kitchen is not a burden but an opportunity. This will be a new start, and when you emerge at the other side, you will have acquired valuable new skills and expertise which will be useful to your time spent in the kitchen and at the supermarket for a lifetime. Extra time spent in the kitchen will be time well spent when time is what you are rich in.

Not all of these steps may be practical in your own situation and so we encourage you to read through this list and adopt only those elements of the plan which you feel might be helpful. Some ways to save money at the checkout require extra preparation time in the kitchen; if time is what you are rich in, then these extra minutes spent in food preparation may prove to be a boon to your budget (and often a beneficial upgrade to your diet and nutrition). Otherwise, skip past the fresh groceries aisle; we trust you will still find a few tips here you can use to save on your next shopping trip.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Clean as you work; be considerate of the dishwasher (often yourself!) and try to use fewer dishes. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher as you work, or wash up small items while waiting for the various stages in the cooking process to complete. Measure ingredients over the sink or a sheet of wax paper to avoid having to clean up the inevitable spills. Rinse and re-use the same measuring cups and bowls.

Save time by cooking several meals at once when you have an afternoon free. Prepare large meals on weekends and freeze or refrigerate well-labeled portions. Weekends are also a great time to prepare lunch box meals and snacks for the upcoming week, freezing in tightly wrapped individual serving sizes, ready to pack. Whenever possible, cook double batches and freeze half.

At The Supermarket

The first thing and most important thing to remember when shopping is: Convenience Costs. For every step of food preparation that you can do for yourself, you will usually save money, gain nutritional value, and benefit from improved freshness and flavor. When trimming the food budget is important, it helps to steer clear of the prepared foods sections (both frozen and fresh) and the deli. When purchasing items from these sections of the store, your grocery budget is being spent not only on food, but on food preparation and an extra profit margin for the store. You can easily prepare food at home and serve fresher, more flavorful and nutritious meals for a far better price than can be found pre-made at the supermarket.

Read the supermarket flyer before your shopping trip. Schedule trips to local supermarkets during sales and plan, whenever possible, to shape the general menu around foods which are in season.

Make a list of what’s on sale and for the meals you’re planning, but keep it flexible. Don’t feel as though it’s imperative to stick to the list. If you see a good buy that you didn’t expect when consulting the sales flyer, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the deal and adapt your menu. As in any plan, be flexible and allow for variability. If, while at the supermarket, you come upon Manager’s Specials, markdowns, or other unexpected opportunities to cut costs for items you can use but which are not on your list, feel free to modify your menu and your shopping list on the spot.

Purchase the local newspaper on those days when food sections are published (Sundays and Wednesdays in some areas). Clip coupons for items normally used and keep them handy at the store. Find local stores which allow for doubling and/or tripling of coupon values. If you use products which frequently offer rebates (such as disposable diapers), save boxtops, UPC codes, points and labels for those products and keep them filed away. The next time a rebate comes up, you’ll already have what you need!

Take advantage of seasonal values. Foods that are in season (many of which are locally grown) are often the best value.

Buy the foods you use most often in larger quantity. Some foods store well; others don’t. Let that be your guide. For example, potatoes, which can be purchased most economically in 50 pound bags can be stored for many months under the right conditions (a cool dark cellar). Onions, apples, and eggs can also be stored for longer periods of time. Rice, grains, white flour and dried beans can be kept indefinitely in a cool, dry environment in tightly sealed plastic storage bins. These easily stored goods are a much better value whenever they are purchased in bulk.

Plan to make more frequent trips to the local supermarket to pick up highly perishable items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, but limit yourself to the outer aisles (usually the meat, fruit, and vegetables are located there). When at the local supermarket, avoid the center aisles containing the processed foods whenever possible; you’ll save money and add nutrition to your diet whenever you choose fresh fruits and vegetables instead.

Frozen vegetables are the best value in 5 (or more) pound bags if you’ve got the freezer space. The added convenience of having the vegetables ready to prepare is usually not had at extra cost since freezing vegetables for transportation is a convenience for the packer (they absorb the extra cost in order to be able to ship in quantity over a wide area), so take advantage of this “Convenience Costs” rule breaker. If you have the time for the extra preparation required using fresh vegetables, they are always a good value and a great nutritional choice.

Don’t shop hungry. Shopping hungry leads to impulse buys and the purchase of foods which are generally not a good value. Don’t let your purchases be influenced by hunger, so eat a good meal before heading out to the supermarket. Shop early and shop often to take advantage of Manager’s Specials. Check out the dented and surplus can sections – avoid cans with sharp dents because corners may be a place where leakage can occur, but slight and rounded dents and corner pings can be a good deal. Use dented cans right away.

Be Your Own Butcher

Cut up your own chicken and turkey and you’ll often find that you’ll be paying just for the breast portions, while all the other parts are had (for free) for the equivalent price of the “boneless-skinless-breast” version at the supermarket or butcher shop. Even if you don’t particularly care for the rest of the chicken, since they are yours at little extra cost, it pays to use them to make a flavorful broth that will be the starter of the gravy to serve alongside the chicken breast dish you’ve planned.

Slice chicken or turkey cutlets from the breast portion, use them for breading or stuffing and keep the rest for soups or chicken salad or to stuff ravioli, pierogi or empanada. Use the sausage stuffing attachment of your meat grinder to make chicken or turkey sausages, or season it well with herbs and spices and make meatballs or patties.

Pork, beef and veal may be combined when making meatballs, meatloaf and meat fillings. If you are running short on meat for the number of people you are feeding, the budget may sometimes be stretched (depending upon the dish you’re making) by adding eggs, bread crumbs, crushed cracker crumbs, oatmeal (whole or ground in a processor), grated cheese, cooked rice, herbs, spinach, chopped onions, mushrooms, or peppers, or even TVP (texturized vegetable protein – a soy extender and meat substitute).

Learn Knife Skills

A butcher knows how to wield a knife, but you don’t need to be your own butcher to have a need for knife skills. The first rule of saving money in the kitchen is to buy the best knife that your money can afford. And the second rule is to spend time learning how to use it. The more comfortable you become in using a knife in the kitchen, the more food you’ll be able to prepare in less time, while saving on costs associated with ready-made and processed foods. In order to be proficient in preparing fresh produce and meats for different dishes, knife skills are a necessity.

Start with one 6-8 inch chef or Santuko knife, one 3-4 inch paring knife (ceramic works well as a paring knife). For cutting up meat you’ll need a longer slicing knife; for chicken, use an old knife to slice between joints in separating pieces. A filet knife will help make boning chicken and filleting fish easier but is not absolutely required. A sharpening steel will help keep an edge on these tools, so that you’ll always be working with the sharpest knife in the drawer.

To some extent, a food processor may be used to supplant knife skills, but a good cook will often prefer the use of a sharp knife, even if it takes a little longer to get the job done, just to avoid the extra dishes that require washing after the meal preparation is complete.

Be Your Own Food Processor

If you have the proper canning equipment and the time, put foods by. You’ll need a pressure cooker to can meats, broths, and low-acid vegetables, but a very large water pot can be used for making tomato sauces and salsas, jams and jellies, pickles, flavored vinegars and other gourmet treats with bushels of fresh local harvest.

As an alternative to home canned jellies, there are natural products available that make it possible to make your own jelly using fruit juice. Some specially marketed pectins don’t require processing in a boiling water bath because they are stored in the refrigerator or freezer. These products have their place when preparing small batches of jellies and provide an exceptionally fresh fruit taste. Pectins of all types may be found in the canning section of your local supermarket. (Of course, jelly may be made without any pectin, but that is a subject for another article!).

When shopping for canning jars, be aware than some canning jars (usually straight-sided) may also be used in the freezer. Canning jars are also good for storing dry items such as beans or even coffee and can be used with some vacuum attachments for sealing out air without canning.

This is an excellent way to store beans, coffee, grains and other items that need to avoid exposure to humidity in the environment.

We also use the smaller 1/2 pint straight sided freezer-type jelly jars for preparing individual puddings to take along on picnics and for baking small cakes to pack in a lunch.

One of the most valuable skills you can acquire for kitchen economy is how to bake. If you’ve had your share of fallen cakes and tough cookies, remember that in the past there were no alternative ready-mades easily available (Grandma didn’t often run out to buy a bag of cookies or box of brownies). This meant that Grandma would try and try again until she had reached her goal of edible perfection. And thus, the skill of baking was learned. The same holds true in baking as it does in the acquisition of all other culinary skills: Practice makes perfect.

Have patience with your failures and don’t be set back by them. Soon, and with practice, your baked creations will be a great improvement, and so much fresher and more nutritious than their store-bought counterparts. We will explore creative ways to re-purpose failures and discover what causes them in future issues of this section.

Be Your Own Bakery

Practice Makes Perfect! Here are a few Quick Tips for dealing with baking failures: Process dry or stale cookies in the food processor to make no-bake pie crusts or the bottom layer of bars.

For years, bakeries crumbled yesterday’s cakes and tossed them into today’s cake. Crumbled brownies, cakes and cookies make great ice cream and other dessert toppings, too (nobody will know those were cookies that didn’t turn out). Crumble a fallen cake and bake it at the bottom of a pudding, refrigerator cake or Apple Betty. Process day-old bread along with fresh herbs in the food processor to make stuffings for stuffed peppers, stuffed artichokes and cabbage leaves, Shakin’ and Bakin’ (shake and bake) breadings for cutlets and buttered toppings for casseroles and baked mac and cheese.

Did you prepare a cake but the right size pan wasn’t available, leaving you with too much batter? Add a little milk or buttermilk to thin it out and use it to make pancakes or waffles! Or pour it into foil or silicone cupcake liners or aluminum mini loaf pans to pack in a lunch or to wrap up for freezer storage.

Go Back

There were times, when fast food places were not on every corner, when it was common to pack a lunch, take along a thermos filled with steaming coffee, hot soup or pasta, or just pack up the kids and go on a picnic. Thermos’ have come a long way since those times, and now there are even versions which will cook your meal in a few hours (similar to using a slow cooker). This is a great energy saver, and is a convenient way to pack a lunch for a picnic (it will be ready in time if you pack it in the morning). It can even be used for cooking pasta. The long, slow, cooking tenderizes lean, tough cuts of meat and makes for wonderful soups with that long-cooked goodness.

Go back to your mother’s old recipe file (or to ours!). Many older, and authentic recipes which have been handed down from generation to generation were borne of the necessity to conserve tight financial resources in tough times. A good number of recipes from the Great Depression still survive as family favorites today. Numerous dishes with ethnic roots make frugal use of meats, substituting quality proteins such as eggs, grains and beans in order to stretch the meat budget. These long-time favorite recipes are big on flavor and easy on the pocketbook and thus have remained popular with cooks and their families over the years.

To stave off sudden fits of hunger before the days of fast food and pizza deliveries, Grandpa often kept a hearty soup or pot of beans simmering on the back burner of an old black stove. When the need arose, a handful of rice or a pot of pasta could be conjured up and the soup stirred in for a quick meal. Then came the era of canned soup. When canned soup was introduced to the market, it was a novel and economical way to put food on the table in record time. At only 10 cents a can when introduced, canned soup became an affordable staple found in every pantry, ready to dress-up casseroles, gravies and stews. At today’s price which sometimes approaches $3.00 and up, it will pay now, more than ever, to acquire the knack of the art of creating home made soup and broth.

Go Ahead

Grandma didn’t have a lot of gadgets and would have been amazed at all those new-fangled small kitchen appliances. But if you have these sitting in the attic, take them down and learn to use them for those quick lunches and snacks which tempt you to run out to the fast food joint or supermarket deli. If you’ve lost the manual and the recipes for these gizmos, have heart; many can be Googled and found with a few minutes of searching. Or, be brave and invent your own recipes (and share your inspirations with us at Cooks.com). These appliances can help bring the fun back into the preparation of a quick lunch or snack. It’s an easy way to incorporate leftovers and keep meal making fresh, using real ingredients without additives (and as an extra benefit, save gas and time by staying home).

Don’t hesitate to plan a meal around your food processor, blender, stand mixer or other time-saving appliance. Plan to process foods that can be simply rinsed out of the processor bowl first (without using soap) and line up the appliance for a second and third use, keeping the messier foods to process for last. For example, in a food processor with a slicing blade, slice vegetables first, then blend the ingredients for the sauce by removing the slicing disc and fitting in the chopping blade. Rinse out the bowl and process a batch of cookies or a one-bowl snack cake.

And, speaking of easy clean-up, make use of aluminum foil for lining baking pans to save on cleanup costs (use less hot water and soap). Aluminum foil packets make flavorful, moist fish and poultry dishes packed before baking with a few sprigs of fresh herbs and chopped vegetables as a side (cooked right in the same packet). Cleanup is a breeze – just eat right out of the packet and dispose when done. This is a streamlined solution for take-along lunches, picnics and barbeque cooking (cook right in the packet).

Parchment muffin liners can be purchased in larger quantities at restaurant supply stores for great savings and easy cleanup. Sometimes, a bargain will be had when disposable aluminum pans are purchased by the case. Some disposable foil pans may be reused if they can be easily washed, but discarded if scrubbing is required. Silicone bakeware makes for easy cleanup when baking. Single silicone cupcake cups make it easy to prepare one muffin at a time in the microwave (you can make up a batch and refrigerate them until ready to use).

Buy in Bulk

Whenever possible, buy foods which store well in bulk, or larger quantities. Find a wholesale food club or restaurant supply outlet in your area, and plan a monthly trip to save on staples which can be purchased and stored in bulk such as rice, potatoes, butter, onions, eggs, flour, dry beans and grains, pasta, beverages, cases of canned foods, etc. If you have a large freezer, frozen foods may also be purchased in 3-5 lb bags for great savings. (Be careful, however, in dividing them into smaller freezer bags for storage as this can become expensive and your savings will be lost). Pack frozen vegetables in a cooler (with ice, if possible) to keep them from thawing on the trip home.

Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, garlic, and ginger together. Mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.

Cook the spaghetti per instructions. Drain then return to the pan along with the chicken, bell peppers, carrots, green onions, and the sauce; toss until the noodles, chicken, and vegetables are evenly coated with the sauce. Remove from the stove then add the basil and cilantro and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

* 2 pounds flank steak
* Salt
* Olive oil
* Black pepper
* 2 pounds mixed mushrooms (if you can, make sure the assortment includes some shiitake mushrooms, they’re especially flavorful), cleaned, rough chop
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup minced shallots (or onions)
* 1 cup red wine (or beef broth)
* 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary

Directions:

1 Salt the steak well and let it come to room temperature.

2 Dry sauté the mushrooms. Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan, as is (no butter or oil). Stir the mushrooms occasionally, and shake the pan a bit. You should hear the mushrooms squeak when they move in the pan. Continue to cook until the mushrooms release their moisture. Add a large pinch of salt and stir to combine.

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3 Add the butter, rosemary and shallots. Stir to combine and sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the red wine (you can substitute beef broth) and boil until the sauce has reduced by half. Turn off the heat.

4 While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the grill for high direct heat. If you are using a gas grill, turn it on, cover it, and let it heat up for at least 10 minutes. (You want the grill to be very hot, which can difficult to do on a gas grill if the grill hasn’t pre-heated long enough.) If you are using a charcoal grill, get the coals very hot. The grill is hot enough when you put your hand about an inch over the grill and you can only hold it there for 1 second. When the grill is hot, clean the grill grates with a wire scraper and then moisten a paper towel with vegetable oil. Using tongs, wipe down the grill grates with the oil-soaked towel.

5 While the grill is heating up, massage olive or other vegetable oil into the flank steak. You want the steak well coated. When the grill is hot enough, place the flank steak on a hot part of the grill. Sear for 4-6 minutes without moving. If you want a cross-hatch pattern of grill marks, about halfway through grilling, gently lift up a corner of the steak to check for grill marks, if you have them, pick up the steak with tongs and put it back down on the grill at a 90° angle (a quarter turn) from where it had been.

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6 Turn the steak over. touch it to test for doneness (see the finger technique for checking for doneness). You might only need a couple minutes on this side, depending on how thick your flank steak is. Flank steak is best rare or medium rare; it becomes tough if it gets too well done. Try to undercook the meat just a little, as it will continue to cook a bit while it is off the heat resting. When the flank steak is almost done, take it off the heat and let it rest. Grind black pepper over it.

7 Finish the mushrooms. Turn the burner on high and boil down the liquids almost to a glaze. Add any meat juices that have accumulated with the resting flank steak. Taste for salt and add any if needed.

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8 If you have a large steak, it may be easier to first cut it in half along the grain of the steak fibers. Then slice it thinly, on an angle, against the grain. Serve immediately with the mushrooms.