I am not sure which blogger mentioned reading this but it sounded interesting so I got it on my kindle... then ordered the paperback. I took it in the car while we were running errands and going to visit his parents. Good conversation for us. I usually use my leftovers for lunch the next day, she remade her leftovers for another supper and used what bits were in the frig for her lunches. Even though she only spent $1 a day TOTAL for their food (her, hubby and maid or in this case her maid was her sister)... the line of planning is even correct for this day and age.
The other day we went to check on Hubby's parents. His mom who has mild polio insisted we come for lunch. His Dad went in to surgery today to remove cancerous tumor in colon. He did fine. We usually go to take them out or visit at non eating times.
His mom had bought three times the amount of groceries as she doesn't drive much and wanted to just tell one of the family she just needed eggs and milk, maybe bread while FIL recovered. The costs worried her as they haven't really stocked anything even during the pandemic as the store is around the corner maybe a half mile away. She is going to stock up some more because she doesn't think he is going to want to go out if it's really bad outside this winter. Stocking up she got away from while working in town. Just stop at the store on the way home.
She got a boneless whole ham that was on sale. She cut it into half slices so they could either eat it as a sandwich or as the main meal. Bagged most of it for freezer. Said it came out at $1 for meat at one meal.
She took the slices that she kind of messed up (her words)while slicing it with an electric knife and used the best ones for our meal. She took the end pieces, diced them in her small food processor. She pan fried the ham with a little oil (yes she knows it's cooked but FIL wants it fried) and put it in the microwave on 6 minutes on level 1 to keep warm while she finished the meal ...
Now I am thinking it's going to take more than 6 minutes to get this meal together.
She put the frozen veggies with a good splash of water in the pan and turned it on high. Turned the water for the instant mashed potatoes on high also.
She put the diced ham in the skillet she fried the other ham in, tossed it around a bit then mixed up flour and a bit of water to make a paste and put it in, lowered that heat on that pan while waiting until the veggies were boiling. Turned the potato water down to simmer. Turned veggies off, drained the water into the pan with the ham bits and rue to make gravy, stirred it, decided she wanted it thicker, added more rue paste and then a splash of milk, a healthy pinch of ground black pepper and had me stirring it while she finished the potatoes. Turned off the microwave that had a 30 seconds left. Put everything in serving dishes and sat down to lunch.
This 87 year old woman that could only make hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes at the age of 21 when she got married, now kicks butt in the kitchen. I made sure she knew it also and told FIL she was great in the kitchen.
Lesson, She didn't buy anything special for our meal, she used "scraps" to make the main dish, used veggie water (never have I thought to use that) for the gravy. She added cottage cheese and grape jam and a jar of pickles along with bread and butter to the table. Something I grew up with (well not cottage cheese or jam) but don't do myself. I always had bread and butter on the table when the kids were growing up but neither Hubby or I are much of bread eaters even though our doctor just told us to increase our grains (he knows I bake or we get our bread from the Amish)
She texted me the next day and told me they had ham sandwiches with apple slices and baby carrots for supper and she diced what was left of ham, added it to the bit of diced ham she didn't put in gravy, chopped up the leftover veggies and tossed it in water and when it got warm enough, she added the leftover mashed potatoes and leftover gravy and a splash of milk to make a cream soup to go with their grilled cheese sandwiches for their lunch the next day and sent the leftover soup home with her one grandson that is single. She told me she still struggles to not cook too much and toss it away as they don't have a compost pile like she did out on the farm.
I looked at Hubby and told him what she did. He said he noticed she used smaller pans for the 4 of us that we do for the 2 of us. I texted her to find out what size pans she used. I use 10 to 12 inch fry pans and 2-3 quart sauce pans. She uses 8 to 10 inch fry pans and 1 qtr. to 1 1/2 qrts sauce pans. UNLESS she is making spaghetti, then she uses the 3 qrts. sauce pan.
I call my 8 inch fry pan the egg skillet as that's the only I use it for. Going to be changing that.
Have a good week, stay safe
Prayers for peace
Blessed Be
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I have downsized pots and pans and I find that our smaller quantities of food taste better. It took me way too long to do that but you open the cupboard and grab out what you are used to using. I bought a smaller cast iron skillet because all of ours were huge. We have gone to leftovers being another supper as well. Leftover meatloaf used to be sandwiches but now it is another supper meal. It is amazing what little bits can become lunch. A few tablespoons of meat and other bits make delicious quesadillas. A dish I was raised on at lunch is a spoonful of leftover mashed potatoes, torn up stale bread and enough eggs to bind it together fried in a skillet. Us kids fought over it because we loved it so much.
ReplyDeleteI now make my meatloaf as patties, I spread it out on old cookie sheet and score it. Flash freeze it and then break it apart so it's square to fit our bread LOL
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea! I think I will do that with my hamburger steak mixture next time there is a sale on ground chuck.
DeleteTo be 87, she is cooking up a storm! Some people never learn to cook much. We always have leftovers for another dinner. Sometimes, we will have chicken on a sandwich. Tommy make wraps and adds things I cut or dice and put in the refrigerator. If I have salad fixings, I use bits of chicken in that.
ReplyDeleteI have not downsized pots and pans because I want leftovers and lots of them.
That is a neat idea about how you cook meatloaf.
Love this!
ReplyDeleteLots of lessons for me. Please thank her for the inspiration. :)
Perhaps you saw the book mentioned on my blog. I've mentioned it a few times over the last few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI love what you've shared about your mil and her cookery. A good example following right along with the book!
Probably was your blog. I normally write down where I see things like that.
DeleteI downloaded the book Living On A Little and really enjoyed it. I believe the author died around 1922 and the main character talks about wearing her long skirt so I imagine this must take place late 1890’s to 1910 maybe? They worked so hard and must have used so many dishes yet I kind of wish we sat down to such a nice meal three times a day as well. I wonder what $1 then would be today? And the idea of leaving the supper dishes until morning- oh my- but it makes sense! Melissa
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