Photo from Shorpy.com

It took the media a while to tell eaters what we already know: Food prices are rising. Last month we saw the biggest jump in over 30 years! Remember, that the 3.9% increase is an average. Some prices went up a lot, some stayed relatively flat, and other went down. For example, beef and pork prices are roughly 10% higher this January than they were in January 2010. Butter prices were 20% higher. But non-carbonated juices and drinks, prices are 2% lower than they were last January.

It’s also important to note that if you live on the west coast or in the northeast, your rate of inflation is higher than the midwest and south. Again, 3.9% is an average and you may be experience differences where you live.

Remember you can have a big impact on your food budget. My Saver’s Kitchen podcast is still available online. With over 20 brief episodes, the podcast will give you some great tips and good ideas about where to start saving.

Please come to my class! The response to “Taming Your Food Budget” has been very positive. If you live in the Portland metro area, feel free to join me at these *FREE* community events:

May 21 @ 10:30am– Sherwood Public Library
May 24 @ 6:30pm– Canby Public Library
June 8 @ 6:30pm– Beaverton Public Library

Please pass my information along to others that may have interest in my blog or podcast, having me speak, or conduct a workshop. They can contact me at kati at (insert the name of my book) . com

Did you notice all the cookbooks that came out last year that offer an international twist on slow cookers? Michele Scicolone’s, The Italian Slow Cooker, has my attention right now. Last night I prepared her Lemon Chicken and Potatoes. I served it with a nice green salad and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. What a great way to end the workweek.

Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken legs, thighs, or breasts, skin removed
(I used all bone-in chicken breasts)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (I used only one)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium lemon, sliced and seeded

Scatter the potatoes in the slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until nicely browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Place the chicken on top of potatoes.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring it to a simmer. Pour the mixture over the chicken and potatoes.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours. Tuck the lemon slices around the chicken pieces and cook for 1 hour more, or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot.

The segment isn’t very long, so check it out when you have a few minutes. My favorite part is when the host eats an 8 year old pork chop. Amazing!

Lots of us make resolutions to ring in the New Year. Especially when food prices are going up (they are), we look for quick ways to trim the food budget quickly.

One of the easiest ways to save money is to cut down on eating out. The latest Consumer’s Expenditures Survey, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports that the average American household spent around $2,700 in 2008 on Food Away from Home. That’s a lot!

So great, you turn to the frozen food aisle to save money, but what about those resolutions you made to eat more healthfully? How do frozen entrees from the fit with those goals?

Fortunately, the publishers of Nutrition Action Health Letter’s December issue rated a few brand-name meals from the frozen-food aisle. Their article compares several lower-sodium products, but also compares calories and vitamins for them too. The article is called, “Say Freeze: What’s New in the Frozen-Food Aisle.” It’s worth a read. And will give you some tips for healthier eating from the freezer section this year.

Happy New Year!

Happy 4th of July!

I’ve received many emails recently about cooking clubs. Keep them coming! Literally within days I heard from cooking clubs in Alaska and Tennessee! I love knowing that even though these clubs live on opposite sides of the country, they are still sharing the same experiences of food and friendship. Thanks to Jodi and Christine for sharing their stories and emailing me.

Jodi, from Alaska, sent pictures even! Now in the interest of full disclosure, Jodi is my cousin. Her Dad and my Mom are siblings. She flew in for a visit last October. I think it was the first time in a decade that we’d seen one another. Our cousin Amy came too and we had a great time touring Portland and cheering Jodi on in the Portland Marathon.

Check out the pictures of Jodi and her cooking friends in Alaska! Thanks ladies, for agreeing to let me post them on my blog.

This is Jodi (above) sporting her onion goggles. Can you see the resemblance? No? Here are some clues: we’re both slaves to fashion eyewear, site our coffee makers front and center in the kitchen, and have huge plates of Pumpkin Muffins on the kitchen counter. Love it!

Here’s her cooking club! I’m hoping to meet them and lend a hand during one of their cooking sessions when I visit (hopefully next summer).

Here’s how they mark the mailbox so the club can find the right house. A pink chef’s hat–what a cute idea!

No need for coolers in Alaska!

Teamwork! Thanks again, Jod. Luv ya!

I finished cafe curtains for my laundry room over spring break. Each panel is of an old flower seed packet. I purchased the 12-pattern set from Crabapple Hill studios a few years ago. Included with the pattern-set were instructions for a wall hanging, which I modified to make cafe curtains instead. Here’s one of my favorite seed packets, Hollyhocks. What do you think?

Here they are together on one panel.

No doubt, it would have been cheaper to buy cafe curtains from the store. But I tried to keep my expenses down by incorporated as many used, or handed down fabrics as possible. The denim was a pair of my work jeans that had become old and ratty looking (even by today’s standards).

What I saved money-wise, I spent ten-fold in time. I’m not the world’s greatest stitcher or seamstress! But I enjoyed every minute of it. And I’m pleased with how they turned out.

On the other hand, my pepper and cucumber crop was pathetic.

One the secret to my tomatoes was starting them inside on February 15th. I have one growing light that is set on a timer for 12 hours a day. It worked well, as I was able to transplant 10 of them into the garden in the middle of May.

I decided to stick with the same variety of tomato this year: Martino’s Roma, but was a week late getting hem going this year. So far so good. Here’s a picture:

If you look closely, you’ll notice newspaper pots. I start my seeds in the newspaper pots and then transplant the most healthy seedlings into standard nursery pots once they get “leggy.”

What you can’t see in the picture are my broccoli starts. I planted 3 broccoli plants near my tomato patch. According to my gardening resources, broccoli and tomatoes are NOT good companion plants. Even so they were nearby. I cut a few florets but let the broccoli plants flower. It happened the same time that the tomatoes flowered and, as a result, I had many pollinators visit our yard. I think that was another secret to my successful tomato crop. I’m repeating this pattern this year to see if I get the similar results in my new garden.

Our March Recipe of the Month is Sun-dried Pesto Chicken–only $2.10 and available until April 2nd. The recipe is a baked dish, that our family enjoys with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, from Fix, Freeze, Feast, and steamed broccoli. But feta scalloped potatoes and a green salad would be fantastic too.

The review from my testers was, “WOW!”

And we agree: it’s definitely a keeper.

Next month I’m featuring Navajo Green Chili. It costs out at around $7.00 per entree, which serves 4-6. And it’s delicious when served and reheated too.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here is what they look like partially sanded:

Once they were sanded, I stained them the darker color I wanted. The poor fellas at Sherwin-Williams took one of my freshly sanded practice boards and mixed up several samples for me. At one point we joked that they were going to sneak out and put a GPS tracker on my car so they would know when to hide and shut out the lights when I was headed their way! They were such good sports. I still haven’t figured out why my initial stain didn’t take as well as it should have. But we found the general color I wanted.

Here is the inside of one cabinet door:

After staining, I put two coats of sanding sealer on them. Next I will sand them lightly and finish them with a couple of coats of satin polyurethane. Then clean up the hardware, reinstall them, and they’re ready for dishes.

I’m pleased with how they look so far. I admit that I considered getting all new and sending them to the landfill. I’m so glad I went the cheapskate route.

I plan to paint the top cabinets a light yellow color. I’ll try to keep posting pictures along the way.

Here’s a funny one of me with all of my respirator and ear protection on:

Our “new” house was built in the 1970s and needs some updating and remodeling. So far we’ve built up the sunken living room floor, taken down walls, put up sheet rock, removed all common area flooring, and all kitchen appliances. And painted. Lots and lots of painting. I’ve been a busy girl!

Today I’m working on cleaning and painting the pantry. Next week I’m moving on to the lower kitchen cabinets.

Check it out. This checkerboard vinyl was under the floating floor my husband removed. Do you think we should leave it?

Happy New Year!

I came upon this recipe for Greek-Style Lemon Potatoes in the February 2007 issue of Sunset. I’m kind of on a Mediterranean kick lately. I guess the thought of warmer, sunnier locals is more appealing when it’s below freezing here!

I’m going to try it this week, served as a side with baked salmon (wild caught and cleaned by my cousin, Jodi, who lives in Alaska) and a light green salad. I’m looking forward to trying it. If you try it, email me and let me know what you think.

Greek-Style Lemon Potatoes
Margee Berry, Trout Lake, Washington
Makes 6 servings

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon oregano leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt (Kati’s note: I will only use 1 teaspoon, as the feta will have plenty of salt for our family’s tastes)
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, toss potato slices with lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, lemon zest, garlic, and salt. Layer slices in baking dish.

2. Pour 1 cup boiling water over potatoes and bake, uncovered, until most of the water has evaporated and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Top with feta and bake until golden, about 15 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Meatloaf
Take a bite out of those winter doldrums with a culinary adventure to the Mediterranean. This recipe only has 10 ingredients and is simple to make. Featured flavors are sun-dried tomatoes and Pecorino-Romano cheese.

This recipe makes 4 meatloaves, 4-5 servings each. The instructions direct you to freeze the meatloaves right in the loaf pan. This is great for cooking co-ops and meal swap clubs. But if you don’t have 4 loaf pans on hand, don’t want to tie them up in the freezer, or don’t care to purchase 4 foil pans, simply place the finished portions in individually labeled, one-gallon freezer bags. Then thaw and shape each meatloaf into your loaf pan before cooking. Easy!

As you know, the Annual Cookbook highlights all-new recipes that use Costco products and ingredients. This year 7 of those recipes were developed by me. They’re fresh (not frozen) recipes which feature many different fruits and vegetables. How does Spiced Mango Galette, Balsamic Grilled Vegetables, or Pineapple Ham Roll-ups sound? Good, yes? Then don’t miss this cookbook!

Non-Costco members, you can view the cookbook online! Look for the 2009 Costco cookbook and recipes at www.CostcoConnection.com after Thanksgiving.

So far we’ve made: Monster Eyeballs, Chocolate Spider Clusters, Witches’ Knuckles, Monster Cupcakes, and Chocolate Mice. For our final meeting next week, we’re making Caramel Apples. They’re having a blast!

I’ve found the recipes are easy enough for the girls to follow and make with little assistance and supervision. I particularly appreciated the instructions for how to melt chocolate in the microwave and in a double boiler. We opted to use the microwave which was a nice lead-in to my lesson on microwave safety.

The one drawback is that the girls have chocolate everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE! I know the mess is par for the course when cooking with kids. But these recipes definitely call for older clothes and aprons. Yowza!

If you’re looking for a little fun in the kitchen with the kids this Halloween, check out Ghoulish Goodies.

That’s key to remember. When the new recipe becomes available on the first Friday of every month, the previous one will come down. And it will stay down for at least a year. Probably longer. So be sure to come by and pick up the recipes you want, while they’re available.

I’m kicking off the Club with a free recipe called, Zesty Flank Steak. This recipe was originally published in our first book, The Warehouse Gourmet. It has not been published since. But Zesty Flank Steak was my top seller at Make and Take, my meal assembly business. It’s delish! And a perfect cap on the end of the grilling season.

On the first Friday of November, I’ll be posting my Lemon Blueberry Strata recipe. It will be available via PayPal for $2.99. My testers liked the Lemon Blueberry Strata so well, they asked me to create an 8×8 version to enjoy all year round! For the holidays though, I’m sticking with the large, 13×9 version. That way, if your guests don’t eat it all, there will be leftovers for you to reheat and nibble on. I like it best with Grade A maple syrup. What a treat!

Come on by the forum I’ve set up to download the free recipe. While you’re there, feel free to sign up and become a member or read the FAQ (frequently asked questions) to learn more about my Recipe of the Month Club. I’ll see you there!

But now, I can go online and download the sample pages to my home computer. Then I can try out recipes, look at the table of contents, and read reviews when it’s convenient. No pressure! And THEN visit the bookstore (virtual or otherwise), when I’m ready and have time.

I think I’m hooked!

I made this recipe for Hickory Barbecued Pinto Beans for a party this weekend and it got “two yums, way up!” from my husband. It takes some time to make, but is was very easy and economical. Many of the other guests enjoyed its tangy flavor.

Hickory Barbecued Pinto Beans
from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker: Recipes for Entertaining
sample pages available on Scribd.com for free download

1 pound dried pinto beans
8 cups hot water
2 medium-sized yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
3/4 cup hickory-flavored barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar (Kati: I used light)
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
A few dashes of hot pepper sauce or pinch of cayenne pepper (Kati: I used 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes)
Salt to taste

1. Place the beans in a colander and rinse under cold running water; pick over for damaged beans and small stones. Place in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker (there must be plenty of room for the to bubble without spilling over) and cover with cold water by 3 inches; soak for 6 to 12 hours. Drain and return to the crock.

2. Add the hot water, onion, and chili powder to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 hours. The beans need to be covered with liquid at all times to cook properly. When done, they will be tender and still hold their shape.

3. Drain off all the cooking liquid, then stir in the barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, ginger, and hot pepper sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 2 to 3 hours. Season with salt and serve hot.

I downloaded it last week and quickly finished it. Some of his recommendations seem a little unorthodox to me. But other exercises he suggests, particularly about how to analyze expenses and after-work activities, provide a useful framework.

And if anything, I finished reading “Plan Z” even more convinced that discernment and rational thinking are critical in these tricky financial times.

Enjoy!

The tip I liked the best is from Barb Cluff from Washington. Here’s how she encourages her picky eaters:

We created food “passports”: small booklets with our daughter’s photos and blank pages. The kids earned “stamps” (actually stickers) for their passports by trying new foods. For every 3 stickers they collected, they would get a small prize (such as a new pack of crayons), and after the earned 15, we would take a trip to the dollar store. It wasn’t long before they were begging for items to try so they could build up their passports.

What a clever idea! We have a buffet restaurant here called, Sweet Tomatoes, and whenever we go, everyone has to try something new. But I never considered doing it at home. But why not enjoy a little adventure?

Just one more reason to stock up on crayons and other school supplies.

On my last podcast, I talked about the 10 Tips: Meal Planning to Save Money article I was working on. I enjoyed writing this article because I believe meal planning is the cornerstone to eating healthier AND saving money on your food budget.

Everywhere I turn, I see saving experts (and novices) offering advice on how to save on groceries. Cut up a chicken, clip coupons, use less expensive cuts of meat, etc. I feel, and maybe I’ve missed it (see busy life above). I feel like the suggestions have missed this critical element.

I hope you find the suggestions in my article helpful. I’ve placed links to other blog posts, recipes, and podcasts in the article wherever possible. So when you have the time, and want more information about how to put these ideas into PRACTICE, you can follow the links and find more in-depth information. It’s all there waiting for you.

Don’t hesitate to download and share this free article with friends and family that are trying to save money too. Contact me if you’d like permission to reprint it in your mom’s group newsletter, church bulletin, or online site. I don’t charge for this, but I do enjoy getting acquainted with readers and hearing about groups that find the article useful.

Finally, remember that many people are feeling anxious about their jobs, bills, and economy. Behind that perfect facade, could be grief and turmoil. So be kind. Be a resource. Be a support to others. It is more important now than ever.

Recently, I rediscovered it and tried a couple of lentil recipes. Lentils are both economical and nutritious. They are fantastic low-fat sources of folate, fiber, iron, and protein. Plus, they are widely available in the bulk-bin section of the grocery store, so you can buy just what you need. This is a good practice if you have never tried lentils before and aren’t sure you will like them.

Lentil Salad
Kati’s Note: A lovely little chilled salad. Add a couple slices from a whole grain baguette for a healthy lunch. I will make this again for grownup lunches, especially.

2 cups cooked and drained lentils (I prefer French Green Lentils b/c the don’t get mushy)
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans

Marinate lentils in vinegar, oil, and salt mixture overnight. Combine with other ingredients and chill thoroughly. Serve over cold cooked rice or on a bed of salad greens.

Lentil Rice Soup
Kati’s Note: Reduce the salt by 1/2 if you’re sensitive. I made this recipe with water and used the full amount of salt, which is still too much according to my salt sensitive eaters. That was the only complaint! Not too shabby, right, since it’s easy to fix. Now, I add only 1 teaspoon to the soup and set the shaker on the table. I haven’t tried to put this in the freezer yet, but intend to soon. Ah, there are those good intentions again…

1 1/2 cup lentils
6 cups stock or water
2 teaspoons salt (see note above)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup long-grain brown rice
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter

Rinse lentils and place in a large soup kettle with stock, seasonings, and rice. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes or until tender. Saute onion in butter and stir into soup just before serving.

If you are trying to trim the food budget by eating less meat or want to add more whole grain to your diet, you might enjoy this book. It has over 200 recipes that include lentils, barley, millet, spelt, etc. Enjoy!

Please DO email this article, in it’s entirety, to your circle of friends who are looking for money saving tips.

Please DON’T republish, reprint, or scan and post it without attributing it to me or asking first.

If any of your groups (MOPS, MOMS Club, women’s ministry, etc) want to republish this article in their newsletters, please have them contact me for the .doc file. Ditto if you’re a blogger and want to post this as a guest post from me on your site. The referrals really make my day. I expect to have more of these free articles coming out later this spring, so would like to know where they land. That way, I can make sure to let them know what’s hot off the press. Thanks for your understanding.

Enjoy!

Fortunately, I caught them all. But if I hadn’t, I’d be out about $10.00. Not a huge sum, but every little bit does add up and we’re not that far in 2009 yet.

To avoid getting ripped off:

1) Have any coupons ready. Do NOT fish around in your purse for loose coupons while the clerk is checking your groceries because you might miss a register error. Have all coupons together and handy before you begin unloading your cart.

2) Let the clerk know you have coupons or a store club card. He’ll say, “Hello. Did you find everything okay?” To which you might respond, “Yes, thank you. I have some coupons here for you as well.” Present your coupons as soon as he has his full attention on you. He may take them from you right then or ask you to set the coupons down. Either way, don’t act shy about it or embarrassed. He is in the business of taking your money and you are in the business of saving yourself money. It’s that simple.

3) Group multiples of the same item together. This is helpful even if you don’t have a coupon. Say you’ve decided that the “3 for $5.00,” or “10 for $10″ are good values. Be sure to group them together on the belt so that the clerk can scan them one after another. This makes it easy to spot errors.

4) Place those screaming deals on the belt LAST. Chances are that you will have emptied your basket and will be waiting for the checker to finish. When you put those hot deals on the counter first, and then finish unloading your basket, you’re sure to miss errors. Instead, save them for last so that you are not distracted.

5) Ditto for items to be weighed. Often the clerk has to hand-key the produce or bulk bin code. These codes are easy to confuse. If weighed items are among the last items to be scanned, you will spot mistakes. (I forgot this step recently and got charged $3.00 more for an entirely different product. I noticed it after I had finished paying. The checker couldn’t fix it at that point, so I got to spend another 15 minutes at the customer service desk. Not good!)

6) Shop without kids. I’ve compared my receipts from trips with and without kids. And I can tell you that, on average, I spend about $35.00 MORE when they’re along. Included in this expense are the little treats I offer to reward good behavior. These treats get doled out when we’re in the checkout line, which distracts me from the transaction. If this scenario sounds familiar, consider shopping alone.

7) Scan your receipt for mistakes before you leave. Despite your best efforts, distractions sometimes happen. Magazine covers catch your eye, you run into a friend, or zone out after a long day of work. You’re only human, right? Take a few seconds to review your receipt to ensure things are in order. Look for doubles; sometimes items get scanned twice. Then look at product names for anything unfamiliar. Get discrepancies taken care of before you leave the store.

2009 Copyright Kati Neville

I must tell you that I have been impressed by how willing the girls are to try these foreign dishes. I’ve read that children are more likely to eat foods they help make. And I was wrong to doubt it, because it really works!

Here are a few pictures of the recipes we made from The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa.

The first photo is Doro Wett, an Ethiopian chicken stew. The second photo is Berbere, a spice mix the girls hand mixed in my mortar and pestle. We used 1 tablespoon of the Berbere in the Doro Wett, which gave it that amazing red color. The one ingredient not shown in the Doro Wett photo is hard boiled eggs! That was an unexpected twist for me. And most of the girls liked it too.

I suggest you check out this cookbook if you are looking for an adventure. The girls are learning all kinds of new cooking skills as we explore different parts of the world too.

Here’s the Berbere recipe we made. Try to find a store that sells spices in bulk. It will make this recipe much more economical.

Berbere
From The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Food and Flavors of Africa. Use in Ethiopian cooking or as a rub for beef and lamb.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Makes 1 cup.

And 2009 is shaping up to be even busier, if that’s possible. I decided last year that in 2009 I would teach more. And that’s exactly what’s happening. Funny how that works, huh?

In addition to teaching in nearby West Linn, Oregon, I’ll be teaching classes for Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District. I enjoy these programs because they offer quality recreational opportunities for families AND scholarships based on need. Everyone gets to participate if they want to, regardless of ability to pay. I hope you’ll consider taking one of my classes this year if you live in the area.

I’m also expanding my classes for private groups and nonprofit clubs in 2009. You can find more information about all of my classes, and my teaching schedule for the first half of 2009, at KatiNeville.com. I will do my best to keep it updated throughout the year.

I know that Lindsay already has several speaking engagements scheduled too. I always look forward to hearing what the good folks in Bellingham are up to!

For our work together, Lindsay and I will continue to share money and time saving tips two times per month on The Saver’s Kitchen podcast. If you have a portable media player, you can easily subscribe. But you don’t HAVE to have one. You can also listen directly on our website.

And this spring we will be throwing the doors open at Freeziki.com–the online recipe sharing wiki site for our community of readers. You are welcome to go visit now. Many of you have already been poking around and that’s great! We have had that site developed for a while, but we really want to post a few of our NEW recipes to kick it off. We’ll let you know when we’re ready and hope you’ll come by to post favorite “warehoused” recipes from your stash. So stay tuned.

As always, please keep writing in to share your stories and pictures with us. Your notes always make our day.

Happy New Year!

Jan, Nancy, Shari, Peggy and Laura

These women are some of the staff at Fairhaven Middle School. Two of their
colleagues are battling breast cancer and another is also ill. On a
blustery Saturday, with a sky threatening snow, they gathered at Nancy’s home to prepare several entrees spanning six different recipes.

Lest you think this is simply an endorsement of our own book, it is not!
Of the six recipes the group used, only one is ours: Chicken Broccoli
Bake. The rest were from various sources, Scallop Chowder,
epicurious; South of the Border Quiche, recipezaar; Apricot Chicken, Don’t Panic it’s in the Freezer; Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork, an internet source not cited; and Basic Marinara, Cooking Light.

Besides their compassion, what I loved about this group is how well they
adapted - several decisions had to be made about adapting a recipe or
ingredient and they took it all in stride. When they discovered they had
no cider vinegar, they substituted balsamic and rice wine vinegars. Yum!
The quiche recipe had an odd assembly technique; they modified it so the
filling and crust were frozen separately rather than try to transport and
freeze the filling in the crust (what a mess that could be!). The chowder
recipe had a redundant and unnecessary middle step that they forfeited
altogether. This is exactly the kind of thing that encourages Kati and I
so much when we hear about it. We were happy to give detailed description
about our method when we wrote our book, but we never want it to be so
prescriptive that cooks don’t feel like they have room to adjust. Good
work, ladies!

I was thrilled that this group would allow me, a virtual stranger, to come
in and hang around while they worked. Thanks to these generous women,
three Whatcom County families will have an easier time feeding their
families this holiday season. As Nancy said, “there isn’t anything we can
do about their illnesses, but we can cook for them!” I commend these women for their hearts of compassion and the blessing they have brought to their friends.

Merry Christmas!

Of course when I told my husband about my turkey turmoil at the store earlier that day, he immediately went into Seinfeld mode: “It appears this store can TAKE the reservation. But it has trouble KEEPING the reservation.” Apparently so.

Lucky for me, I had the ingredients on hand to make Lindsay’s Chicken Curry. I substituted turkey for the chicken. I’m sure it will be just as delicious.

But because of this unanticipated holiday expense, I spent the next few days scouring my cookbooks for ultra-inexpensive recipes for the family. I found a good one: Texas Corn Chowder. I pulled some of the ingredients from the pantry, but I think it cost me less than $5.00 for the meal. I also managed to save the left overs for one lunch too.

This recipe comes from a new book by Kathleen Hanna, The Good-to-Go Cookbook: Take-Along Food, Quick Suppers, and Satisfying Snacks for On-the-Go Families. I’ve emailed Kathleen and we’re going to coordinate schedules so she can join us on a podcast or have a guest blog in the new year. So stay tuned!

In the meantime, enjoy her recipe:

Texas Corn Chowder

1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can creamed style corn
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat; simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Kati’s note: I substituted regular diced tomatoes and added 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning. As Kathleen notes, this soup can be topped with diced green pepper, jalapeno, or sour cream. I used sour cream and cheddar cheese. Green onion would also be nice.

*************************************************************************************

Last week, Christina Katz and I went on a book signing tour. Christina is the author of two books: Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids and Get Known Before the Book Deal.

I’ve read them both and am a better writer for it. If you’ve ever thought of becoming a writer, put these books on your holiday wish list. Ditto for established writers who want to “sharpen the saw.” Good stuff.

Here’s a photo of Christina and me outside of Powell’s in downtown Portland.

First we drove up to the Borders and Barnes and Noble stores in Vancouver, Washington. Then we headed back through downtown Portland, stopping to sign books at bookstores along the way. Here’s the list of stores in the Portland Metropolitan Area that have signed copies of Fix, Freeze, Feast:

Barnes & Noble, Vancouver, WA

Borders, Vancouver, WA

Powell’s Books in Portland, OR (downtown)

Border’s in downtown Portland, OR

Powell’s Home & Garden Store on Hawthorne

In the second week of December, Christina and I are heading back out to visit more area bookstores. This time we’ll travel west to east from Beaverton to Clackamas. I can hardly wait!

Those of you who aren’t in Portland or Bellingham that would like signed bookplates for your copy of Fix, Freeze, Feast, please send us a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Fix Freeze Feast Bookplate
c/o Kati Neville
PO Box 451
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Be sure to tell us whom the book is for and to print clearly. We will send you the free, signed bookplate as quickly as possible.

I’m definitely feeling overextended lately. To manage I’ve been eating down my freezer inventory. It’s time for a big cook fest.

Speaking of cook fests, Stacy a reader from Minnesota sent some fun, inspiring photos from her family cooking event. Early this year, Stacy succeeded in recruiting her family members to come and cook with her for a morning.

Her dad, sister, and brother were initially skeptical of Stacy’s proposal. But now they’re regularly cooking together. She even sent photos! Check them out:

It’s fun to look at Stacy’s pictures. And you’ll be amazed by what her family accomplishes together. Here’s what Stacy wrote:

“We ended up doing 30 meals (10 for each family) in less than 4 hours. Since the manicotti recipe and the lasagna make 4 the extra was our lunch after a morning of hard work. We were all home before 1 and had the rest of our day to ourselves.

Thank you again for creating such a great cook book. My parents tried the pork goulash for the first time this week and called me right away to tell me it was wonderful. I’ve tired other freezer meals but yours have such great flavors. You’ve inspired us to try some of our own family recipes in the tray pack method.”

I haven’t checked in with Stacy in a few months. But I’m looking forward to an update to hear how it’s going. Thanks for sending me your photos, Stacy!

I’ll tell you one thing is for certain though: the price of maple syrup at the warehouse clubs managed to shock me right out of my election week haze! Since I priced it last spring, pure maple syrup has gone up 70%. Yikes!

I’m sure you’re noticing that prices on many products continue to bounce around quite a bit. Lindsay and I connected briefly by phone last Sunday and she’s noticing the same thing. Here are some of our observations:

–Pork prices are easing. The price for chops and loin have gone DOWN twenty cents per pound.

–Chicken and beef prices have increased. I think ground beef went UP another fifty cents per pound this fall and chicken twenty.

–Organic milk prices have gone way UP and are now 11% MORE than I pay elsewhere.

It’s important to check and compare prices at your own stores and not take our word for it. These are trends we’re seeing at our local stores and things may look differently where you live.

Even so, please remember that finding the best price on every purchase isn’t realistic. A better strategy is to track prices on ingredients you use most frequently or in the greatest quantity. Because by getting the best value on the ingredients you use most often, you end up saving the most over time. And the beauty of make-ahead meals is that when you do discover an incredible price, you can lock it in for months to come.

A: Because they’re selling our book this holiday season! Yes, we have it on good authority that Fix, Freeze, Feast will be available in all Costco Canada stores very soon. How cool is that? So email, call, and write your Canadian friends and tell them to check it out. And be quick about it, because Lindsay has already told ALL of her family and friends!

Q: When is your next book giveaway?

A: Be sure to listen to our podcast on Sunday. Lindsay will outline how to enter to win: 1 signed copy of our book, Fix, Freeze, Feast and one copy of Cookie Craft by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer. We’re working on more book giveaways that feature other authors from our publisher, Storey Publishing, too. So be sure to sign up for our blog and subscribe to our podcast. And tell a friend too. The more subscribers and listeners we have, the easier it is to get giveaway goodies.

Q: When are you going to be on Facebook and MySpace?

A: Recently I described myself as, “charmingly 20th century.” But guess what? Fix, Freeze, Feast has pages on Facebook and MySpace now. So come be a friend… er, fan… er, ummmm… check it out!

Q: Are there any upcoming book signing? I really want to get a book signed to give as a gift.

A. Yes, we are both working on scheduling signings in our local areas for the holidays and will post details on our site as they become available. But for those of you that don’t live in Bellingham, Washington or south of Portland, Oregon, we have just received book plates. Simply send us a self-address, stamped envelope to:

Fix Freeze Feast Book Plate
c/o Kati Neville
PO Box 451
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Be sure to tell us whom the book is for and to print clearly. We will send you the free, signed book plate as quickly as possible.

I wasn’t in 4-H growing up in Iowa. Isn’t that strange? I was a Camp Fire Girl. But I think the fond memories from Camp Fire are what have made my experience leading the group last year so much fun. The kids were having fun. It’s true that at times they were downright crazy and out of control.

But, they were learning stuff not taught in school. You know, the fun stuff you have to try hard NOT to like.

Last year’s group had 5 kids in it, plus 2 tag along siblings. Officially, I had 3-first grade boys and 2-upper elementary girls. Then in the spring we took on two more first graders.

This year, I’m dividing the group and expanding both. So now I will be leading two 4-H groups–one Adventures group with my friend Heidi. And the other, Junior group, on my own with a half dozen tween girls (and several volunteer parent helpers).

I’ve spent most of October planning what each group will do in the coming year, managing the paperwork, and dividing the club money. My younger group is going to do a canned food drive, learn to identify a few native plants, and then work on another chapter of the Junior Master Gardener curriculum. Oh, and they’re insisting we have another party with these huge potato sacks.

My tween girls are taking a virtual culinary trip to Africa. We’re spending one meeting on each of 5 countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, and Morocco. I am very excited about this “trip.” I’ve developed the curriculum myself, and have been trying to pick representative recipes from the country that can also help the girls learn basic cooking skills, terminology, and technique they can use after we “return.” A benefit for me, is that I have never explored African cuisine so I will be learning right along with them.

Then finally, the girls will be doing a unit on photography starting in the spring when the rain and gloomy Oregon skies begin clearing and we have more hours of light. In theory, anyway. One can never count on sun in Oregon.

I plan on posting picture of the cooking the girls do sometime after the holidays. But until then, wish me luck! It’s going to be another busy year with all my 4-H kids.

Next week is National Chemistry Week and the American Chemical Society has put together a bunch of simple, FREE, downloadable science projects for kids to do at home.

I was looking at the activity called, “Heat Up to Some Cool Reactions.” It takes a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, yeast, vinegar, baking soda, and a thermometer. All of these are basic things I have around the house that are inexpensive.

Don’t miss the homemade art supply recipes. They might be fun to try. The recipe for “Playtime Paint” looks like a great way to use up those broken, left over sidewalk chalk ends at the bottom of the bucket.

Each activity includes a paragraph about chemistry in language kids (and parents) will easily understand. There is also a “Youth Activity Patch” the children can send away for when a certain number of activities are completed. Perhaps this would be a fun unit for a Scout, Camp Fire, 4-H, or youth group. It’s definitely a website worth exploring.

Households tend to look at food expenses first, I believe, because it is a variable expense. Because food isn’t a “fixed” cost–like a mortgage or car payment, rent, insurance premium, etc.–food expenses are among the first to be scrutinized when times get tough.

Fortunately, food magazines are snapping to attention. Have you noticed an increase in articles that offer groups of recipes and menus that help you cook once, and eat twice? These recipe combinations are designed specifically to use your left overs. Lindsay calls them “planned overs,” because you intentionally plan how to use up your leftovers. She’s so smart!

In Fix, Freeze, Feast, we promote this idea with our “Second Generation” recipes. Be sure to check those out if you are looking for recipe ideas that stretch your food dollar.

Here are a few articles to give you more ideas:

Grill Once, Eat Twice: Double Duty Dinners in Cooking Light’s August 2008 issue. It has several menus to choose from and is available online.

“Lunch Break: Turn recipes from this issue into five weekday lunches” in Everyday With Rachael Ray Magazine’s October 2008 issue. This article is not online, so you may want to check your local library or ask friends to borrow it.

I don’t recall how I learned about the Fruit Loop. But we always go the weekend Kiyokawa Family Orchard has their “Desserts Galore” event. That’s my dad, Ralph, in the white baseball cap.

Each year they have a dozen desserts made with freshly ripe apples, pears, and peaches available for sampling. My favorite this year was the Pear and Almond Tart. Yum!

You can purchase the recipe booklet at the event for a quarter, which covers the cost of printing. Or you can download it online from their website for free. They have both 2007 and 2008 recipe booklets available online.

After we filled up on dessert, we headed out to the field to pick some Galas and Ginger Gold apples. I paid 59 cents per pound. I haven’t compared the price this year yet, but last year the pick-your-own places had the best value. On some varieties I saved over $1.00 per pound (and I picked 75 pounds!).

One of my favorite varieties, Honeycrisp, was not ready for picking. The season is a couple of weeks behind due to the cool August weather we had. But I still might make a point to call the orchard direct and order a box. They have booths at several farmer’s markets, so I might see if I can save the gas and have them bring me a box on their next trip to Portland.

If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday with your family, you might see if there’s a u-Pick orchard or farm in your area. It’s a great way to directly support local food producers while saving a little money too.

I’ve written some about which plastics to avoid purchasing for the freezer, but this article goes further. Their tips for identifying worn out plastics were top notch. As are the replacement suggestions.

The refrigerator efficiency article was quite brief, giving you 3 simple tests to check and enhance the energy efficiency of your refrigerator. If your tests and budget agree that it’s time to purchase a new refrigerator, you might enjoy the article “Out with the Old.” It profiles several appliance types with specific guidelines to keep in mind as you shop for the best deal.

One point I felt this last article missed, however, is that many state Departments of Energy and local utility companies provide rebates for taxpayers and customers when they upgrade their appliances. When I purchased my front loading washing machine several years ago, I received a tax credit from my state, a rebate from my power company, AND one from my water company. So when I factored these discounts in, the price of the washer was much more competitive with the less efficient models. And over the life of the washer, we will end up saving hundreds of dollars.

Remember, if your budget doesn’t have a few extra to invest in magazines, try your local library. If they don’t carry it, kindly ask that they start. Most libraries have a simple process patrons can use to request new items for the collection. What do you have to lose?

I guess I’ve been a broken record. And while it is true that Lindsay and I believe that the clubs offer the best prices day in and day out we also know that you can beat their prices.

Case in point: tube yogurts. On my latest podcast about school lunches, I noted that tube yogurts are a better value at the club than the no-frills grocery store. You’re going to save 3 cents per tube. Not a huge savings, to be certain. But then again, I’m just as likely to drive a little farther to save a couple cents on a gallon of gas too. For me, all those shiny pennies add up.

This week’s glossy coupon section had a coupon in it for 75 cents off 2 boxes of tube yogurts. By using it at the no-frills grocery store I could bring the tube price below the club price by 2 cents.

Now for some of you, the 32 cents I could save by clipping coupons isn’t a good trade-off. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It takes time to know prices, time to flip through the glossy. You have to do the actually clipping and keeping track of it. And then there’s remembering to actually use the coupon. So it’s a legitimate question to ask if it’s worth it to YOU.

So is it? Is it worth it to you? Do you use coupons? News articles are noting that coupon use is way up. Have increased food costs changed your mind about coupons?

I’m scoping out a pro/con podcast and would love to share your experiences and tips with our other readers and listeners. We’d love to hear from you.

And they’re great recipes too. Like Lindsay’s Honey Cider Pork Chops. Which I had just last night for dinner, by the way. Or my all-time best seller: Zesty Flank Steak. Plus a few others.

We chose to leave these gems out of Fix, Freeze, Feast as a “thank you” to our early supporters. Talk about the wind beneath our wings! It’s amazing for me to sit and reflect upon this journey with our last printed copy in hand.

We won’t be printing another addition of The Warehouse Gourmet. So if you’d like to purchase the our last copy, you can order it here.

Now I gotta go get a tissue.

Update: The last copy sold tonight. Thanks, Samantha! I’ll ship your book Monday.

I have several bags of peas, and now carrots, in the freezer which I look forward to adding to stir fries this winter.

If you have an opportunity to get to the farmer’s market, u-pick field, or roadside produce stand, don’t be afraid to buy and freeze a little extra for the winter. Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen with much less effort than canning.

The savings from using your home frozen fruits and vegetables can be substantial. For example, green bell pepper and fresh herb prices are out of sight in the middle of winter. That’s why I freeze them at the height of the growing season.

There are many “how to freeze” resources on the web. I stick to advice from a state extension service or university, because they will have the most updated, accurate information. Consider bookmarking this interactive list of foods by the National Center for Home Food Preservation for quick and easy reference. It’s quite helpful.

I first read about Ms. Walter’s book in Publisher’s Weekly magazine. Then I looked it up online, found it was well reviewed, and decided to check it out.

And am I ever glad I did!

I’ve tried three recipes so far: Favorite Vanilla Muffins, Sweet Potato Biscuits (to accompany Dave’s Skillet Hash from Fix, Freeze, Feast), and Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. All three of these recipes are freezer friendly. In fact, many of her recipes are suitable for freezing. It’s been great to sneak a few muffins into the freezer as I prepare for back to school.

One drawback is that the recipes are exacting and some have many steps. I bypassed the instruction to use the no. 16 ice cream scoop “with a spring-release, cog-regulated blade for portioning muffin batter.” A large spoon works just fine for portioning my batters.

Don’t miss a chance to try the recipes in this book. The extra attention and time are well worth it. The velvety texture achieved is something to behold. And each recipe is tasty too. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
From Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight. Kati’s note: This recipe is a great way to use up overly ripe bananas. I purchased a can of Spanish peanuts as directed, but I believe the muffins would not suffer if regular salted peanuts are all that is available in your area.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup fresh dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 1/2 medium, very ripe bananas)
1/3 cup medium chopped salted Spanish peanuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
4 teaspoons sparkling sugar (I omitted)

1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. heat the oven to 375F degrees. Line fourteen muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners. Kati’s Note: I used my silicone muffin pan and managed to divide the batter among the 12 cups.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. Combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Add the brown sugar, then the granulated sugar, and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute.
5. Combine the yogurt with the banana. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt/banana mixture, dividing the flour into three parts, and the yogurt mixture into two parts, starting and ending with the flour. Do not overmix.
6. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the peanuts for garnishing. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining peanuts and chocolate chips into the batter.
7. Portion lthe better into the prepared pans. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of peanuts and about 1/4 teaspoon sparkling sugar (Kati’s note: I omitted the sparkling sugar step).
8. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown. To ensure even baking, toward the end of the baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Did you get all that? Now you can see what I mean: exacting instructions; tasty, tasty recipes.

I know, I know. We’re in a “global marketplace.” We’ve just added 2 billion people in China and India to the global economy who all want to heat and cook with natural gas too (and drive cars, and buy washing machines and dishwashers, etc.).

I get it.

Facing the prospect of a rate increase, I started doing some research. My first step was to pluck the book, The Home Energy Diet from my bookshelf. It’s a handy book I encourage you to check out. Several pages in it are devoted to cooking. So for example, you can compare the energy used and costs associated with operating a toaster oven compared to your microwave or gas oven.

What interested me was the data on cooking with slow cookers. Compared to my gas stovetop, crockpot cooking uses less energy and costs less too. So now I’m working on expanding my proficiency and recipe file with slow cooker recipes.

Yesterday I challenged myself to use up the green onion and petite French green lentils in the pantry. Last time I cooked with brown lentils and was not satisfied with the result. They always seem to get mushy, so I’ve avoided them altogether.

But the writing is on the wall. Everyone is saying that meat prices are going to keep going up. Even the Wall Street Journal noted this week that experts anticipate food prices to keep accelerating through 2011.

In response to higher energy and meat prices, I’m starting to look for more meatless recipes that use the slow cooker. Suddenly, those French green lentils rose to the top of my list. Several resources I consulted suggested French green lentils are a much better choice than brown lentils, because they stay firm after cooking. Not mushy and not crunchy, but firm.

And that’s exactly what I found. I made this Lentil Soup recipe in my slow cooker with petite French green lentils and enjoyed it. Try it and see what you think.

Lentil Soup

Adapted from Colette Rossant’s, Memories of a Lost Egypt: A Memoir with Recipes. Aside from the slow cooking instructions, my changes are in italics. She calls for 1 teaspoon finely chopped, fresh thyme to cook with the lentils and then 2 teaspoons fresh chopped mint for garnish. I omitted both and still enjoyed the soup. By all means, add them if you wish.

1 large onion, peeled (or 5-6 green onions, white part only)
1 clove garlic, whole peeled (or more to taste)
1 bay leaf
1 pound French green lentils, rinsed and cleaned of debris
8 cups (2 - 32 ounce containers) chicken stock
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons butter

1. Place onion, whole clove garlic, bay leaf, lentils, and stock in slow cooker. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours, or until lentils are soft.
2. To serve, remove the onion, whole garlic clove, and bay leaf. Add minced garlic and 2 teaspoons butter.
3. Optional: Ladle one half of lentils into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add puree mixture to soup remaining in slow cooker and mix until combined. Serve immediately. Or, cook completely and store in refrigerator 3-4 days for low-cost lunches through the week.

I shared with him that I’m very glad that Russell and I spent a few spring weekends clearing enough space in the garage to fit the cars inside at night. That with $4+ gas, I think more people will be out siphoning. He shared that local police are noticing siphoning kits more and more often.

Not a week had passed before I received my Costco Connection magazine. In it was the article: “Gas thieves can drain you dry.” Here’s the link to the magazine home page. You can click on the current issue and then read the article on page 11. I was shocked to read that because of tank locks, thieves are drilling through the tank UNDER the car. I had no idea. I was just thinking about the gas, but now you have to worry about the added cost of a new tank, and what happens if there’s a spark? Yikes.

If a little clutter is what is keeping you from parking in the garage, now might be a good time to clear it away. Sell it. Freecycle it. Donate it. Or take it to the dump. If it’s not worth more than a new tank AND gas to fill it, then it might be a risk not worth taking.

My husband and I had a great time touring the farm, sampling new varieties, and learning about the agricultural and food science research taking place.

Did you know that the potato disease that was responsible for the Irish potato famine is still around and kicking? The research team at OSU has a field that they planted late to induce that same fungus to grow. They were cleared to engage in this research because western Oregon is far enough from Idaho and the eastern parts of Oregon and Washington State–big potato producing areas.

They plan to pick infected plants and manually walk through the field, brushing those infected plants all over the entire crop, getting it all good and diseased. Then, they will wait to see which plants survive. These survivors are the plants they’re interested in studying and, presumably, propagating.

Beyond the potatoes, they are creating new varieties of berries. Here’s a picture I took of the latest blackberry soon to be released to market. It’s not named yet, but they think it will be called Onyx.

The whole table had these little bowls full of blackberries, black raspberries, and red raspberries. It was interesting to taste all the different flavors. Some of the blackberries had a smoky flavor while others had a citrus flavor, almost like pineapple.

While I was busy sampling the berries, Russell (my husband) was chatting with the man who cares for the pear genebank. They have over 1,000 varieties of pear trees growing on the farm, in an effort to preserve the genetic diversity of the pear. We received a list of the ripe varieties and were encouraged to go walk to field and sample the pears straight from the tree. My favorite was the Junsko Zlato, a yellow early ripening pear from Yugoslavia.

There were pears of all different colors and sizes. And the foliage and tree characteristics were interesting too. Check it out:

We were curious about these colorful tents (see last photo). Turns out they cover organic cherry trees and the colorful covers aren’t just for fun. Researchers are studying how increasing the blue or red wavelengths in light, impact organic cherry tree growth and yield. The research will take 2 more years to complete.

There was a lot to see that day and I’ll definitely head back next year. We arrived a little too late to see everything. We were impressed by the friendliness of the staff and the variety of projects going on. I especially want to visit the blueberry genebank next year and sample as many varieties as I can. Yum!

Have you checked out her site? It’s very fun to look at her pictures and read what life is like on her Oklahoma ranch.

As ThePioneerWoman notes, this recipe is very flexible. You should feel free to use herbs and seasonings your family likes. I made my potatoes with oregano, basil, but less salt. I’m rosemary-ed out lately, so decided against using it. But added a sprinkle of feta.

I’ll definitely make these again at my house. The last crash potato that wasn’t eaten is in the fridge right now. Tomorrow I think I’ll have it for breakfast with a scrambled egg and a slice of toast. Yum!

In our first “quickcast” we share an email from Ginger, a reader from Maryland, that wrote in to tell us all about her new cooking club. She even gets down to the nitty-gritty of meal costs and how they structure their group. Thanks Ginger!

Lindsay and I have many money and time saving tips to share beyond freezer cooking and make-ahead meals. We hope you’ll check out our podcast and write in to tell us what you think. Is there something special you’d like to ask? Do you have a money or time saving tip to share with the rest of our listeners and readers? Please send us a note. Be sure to let us know how to contact you and if it’s okay for us to quote you in the podcast.

And don’t forget: you can subscribe to our podcast feed so that you’re automatically updated when a new quickcast comes out. You can find The Saver’s Kitchen on iTunes, Podcast Alley, and other podcatchers soon. We’re only planning on short 3-7 minute segments about twice a month. For now. Probably.

Subscribe to The Saver’s Kitchen podcast now!

My warehouse club frequently offers coupons on boxes of Ziploc brand plastic freezer and storage bags. And whenever I see one of these coupons, I clip it right away. They are a fantastic deal. Remember, I buy only national, name-brand plastic food products because they have all pledged not to use Bispherol-A, or BPA.

So two weeks ago, I took advantage of the $2.00 off coupon on Ziploc quart freezer bags my warehouse club was offering. I bought a large multi-pack box for $6.89, after the coupon. The large box contains 216 bags, which brought my per bag cost to 3 cents each. (And truth be told, I bought the coupon limit. Since oil is going up and plastic is a product derived from oil, I figure it’s only a matter of time before prices increase.)

Next I checked out prices at the no-frills grocery store. There, the largest box of Ziploc brand quart freezer bags was $4.73 for 40 bags. If i used my “save $1.50 on 2″ coupon, each box would cost $3.98 or 10 cents per bag.

Next I checked out a local supermarket that allows double coupons. Their 40 bag box retails for $5.99. With my coupon, that box would be $5.24. Adding the double coupon (up to 50 cents face value), brings the final box cost to $4.74, or 12 cents per bag.

A new coupon book for my warehouse club arrived in my mailbox recently with a coupon for gallon freezer bags. Because these bags are 3 to 4 times MORE expensive at the grocery store, even after I factor in coupons, I will be stocking up. You may want to also.

Here’s my review of the article: BUY IT.

Buy the July/August 2008 issue of Cooks Illustrated so you have a copy for yourself. If you don’t have the money, see if your library carries it and make a photocopy. This is the best article I have seen on how to take advantage of the microclimates in your refrigerator.

Another great tip on how to store fresh tomatoes is on page 30. Tomatoes are a few months away, but I’ll certainly keep their advice in mind.

Finally, as you read the article and think about your refrigerator, give some thought to the best spot for those leftovers. Mine are now on the very top shelf, toward the back in the “cold zone.” Because using leftovers also helps s-t-r-e-t-c-h that food dollar.

A. You can usually save between 20-50% on most food items. I dislike giving a range like this, but depending on where you shop, your savings will vary a lot.

For example, last week I bought the 5 pound bag of shredded Cheddar cheese at my warehouse club for $12.39. Divided out, it yields (roughly) ten 8-ounce bags that keep well in the freezer. My per bag my cost is $1.24.

I even got the camera out and took a few snaps to show you what I mean and what I did. I’m no Ansel Adams, but hopefully they get the point across.

I was able to compare my packages to the same size, same brand package of shredded Cheddar carried at 2 local stores. One store is a no-frills establishment, where you bag your own groceries and rarely see a clerk floating the aisles, assisting customers. Their price for the same 8-ounce bag was $1.98.

The second store is a one-stop model, where you can purchase groceries, clothing, hardware, toys, etc. Their price was $3.49. See what I mean about price variations?

Is that incredible or what? So depending on where I shop, I can save anywhere from $0.74-$2.25 PER bag. Now multiply that by 10 and you see that by buying in bulk and dividing the package myself, my savings range from $7.40 to $22.50.

Remember, if you don’t have the freezer space for 10 bags, seek out one or more friends that are willing to split it with you. The money you save will make the effort well worth while.

I flew out from Portland on Friday and bunked at my aunt and uncle’s house in St. Cloud. On Saturday we had a family gathering and I saw cousins, second cousins, first cousins once removed, and great aunts and uncles I hadn’t seen in the decade since my grandfather passed.

My mom’s cousin, Joann, hadn’t seen me since I was 5 years old! Amazing. Needless to say, I’ve changed a little.

Another highlight of the trip was Sunday afternoon coffee and pie at grandma’s. Nothing can beat my grandma’s apple pie. It’s my all-time favorite! This year grandma is 90 years old and she still cooks, lives on her own, and is active in her church. I was pleased to see how well she is doing and to have the time to visit.

My cousin, Amy, picked me up at the airport, drove me to the TV station on Monday, and helped prepare and set up for the segment. So a BIG thanks and many hugs to her.

What a great way to kick off my summer!

Last winter a copy of Fix, Freeze, Feast landed on the desk of a food editor at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. The editor contacted Kati and I about developing recipes for a column that would follow the Fix, Freeze, Feast style. We were delighted to get back into the kitchen and develop brand new recipes but hit a snag when we learned the key ingredient for the first column was to be an ingredient Kati is allergic to - shrimp. So I tackled the first assignment alone and found that while working within the parameters of a magazine project is very different from what we are accustomed to, it was a lot of fun and very rewarding. And another bonus - all the shrimp my family, friends and neighbors enjoyed eating over Christmas time while I was testing the recipes!

On newstands now, the June/July 2008 issue showcases three delicious ways to use the big bags of frozen raw shrimp from the warehouse store. Beginning on page 83 in the Save Big column, you will find recipes for Shrimp and Spaghetti in Coconut Broth (a Thai-style shrimp and noodle dish), Skillet Shrimp and Sausage (like a jambalaya), and Cheesy Shrimp Tortillas (shrimp and gouda quesadillas).

I am thrilled with these recipes - they are easy and tasty! The editors at the magazine did a beautiful job with the column; I couldn’t be happier about the layout and photography. Go get yourself a copy of the magazine…it is a double summer issue chock full of great recipes and tips and will be on newstands a bit longer than usual. But don’t wait too long, there are a bunch of great grill recipes you’ll want to try right away.

As always, thank you for your enthusiasm for our work and for sharing your stories and encouragement with us. If you buy the magazine and use the recipes, let the editors know. Your feedback is an important piece of our ongoing success.

p.s. Kati and I just wrapped up another project for the magazine which is due to be published this fall. It’s top secret until it’s in print, but we’ll be sure to let you know when you can find even more of our recipes in Every Day with Rachael Ray!

No. More. Sweets. Thank you very much. I don’t want to eat them and I certainly don’t want to MAKE them. Ugh!

So I strolled my cookbook shelf and pulled out Jennifer Chandler’s, Simply Salads. Each of Jennifer’s recipes start with 1 bag of pre-washed salad mix, commonly available at the grocery store. And then you add additional ingredients or hand-mixed dressings to complete each creation.

I served four salads at Bunco that night from Jennifer’s book: Confetti Chip Salad; Mixed Lettuces with strawberries, red grapes, and almonds; Cheese Tortellini Salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette; and, Pink Lady Apple Slaw.

In addition to the salads, I served 3 different breads and several cheeses. What a delicious adventure!

All were extremely good. But the Cheese Tortellini Salad earned top honors. I encourage you to check out Jennifer’s book. Enjoy!

Cheese Tortellini Salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
From Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler
Makes 4 dinner salads
Note: The vinaigrette recipe follows.

Salad:
1 package (9 ounce) fresh three-cheese tortellini (in refrigerated pasta section)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bag (10 ounces) Italian Blend salad mix
¼ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
5 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to package instructions, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drizzle with the oil and toss to evenly coat to prevent sticking.

Tear the Italian Blend into bite-size pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Add the tortellini and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss with the vinaigrette (recipe below), to taste, until coated. Garnish with basil.

Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
¼ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and garlic in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Gradually add the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While the Real Simple article advises to buy staples in bulk, don’t forget about other items too. Here’s a grocery receipt and blog posted by Erin from Manic Mommies. Erin bought many items that day, but let’s focus on a few and start with cinnamon.

Now, Erin probably doesn’t want to buy cinnamon in the warehouse quantity that’s why she bought it at the store. It’s likely that the cinnamon will lose it’s potency before she can use it up, she probably doesn’t want to waste it, or have it take up prime cupboard space for years. As I mentioned in the recipe header for my Very Vanilla Snickerdoodles, cinnamon is one of the few ingredients that I recommend people NOT buy at the warehouse club for all of those reasons just mentioned.

But those little containers of spices from the spice display are NOT a good value either. Note the receipt lists the little container for $3.49. Ouch! That’s as much as a gallon of gas!

So we need a third option here: grocery store bulk bins. There you’re likely to find herbs, spices, grains, flours, nuts, and granolas that are sold by the pound, not by the container. This is the self-serve section of the store, which is one reason you’ll save money. You grab a bag and fill it with just the amount you need. Some people find that bringing their own, pre-weighed containers from home works great. In any case, it’s wise to write the bin number and product name on the bag directly or on a twist tie so that you, and the checker, can identify it later.

Beyond the cinnamon, there are many other items Erin might consider buying in the bulk aisle too. She could price the oatmeal, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips to evaluate the savings potential on these items. My bet is that she will save enough to make it worth her extra effort. And with today’s increasing prices, every little bit helps.

Special thanks to Erin for being a good sport and letting Fix, Freeze, Feast readers take a peek at her grocery receipt!

Take a few minutes this weekend while you’re in the cupboards to find a few things to give. Are there remnants of that flat of pasta, cart of canned soups, or basket of boxed dinner that the family will no longer eat? What else is in there that is still unopened and unused that could be donated?

This NALC food drive is the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Last year letter carriers collected 70 million pounds of food to help the estimated 35 million Americans that are chronically hungry or food insecure. If you’ve been reading the national papers, or have been tuned into local news, chances are you’re aware that our food banks are struggling to meet demand.

According to the Postal Service website, here’s all you need to do to participate: “customers are asked to place non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before their letter carrier delivers the mail on the day of the drive. The letter carrier does the rest, taking the food to the Post Office where it is sorted and delivered to an area food bank or pantry.” It’s that easy, folks.

Remember, Saturday May 10 is the day to “Stamp Out Hunger” in your community.

Our readers are concerned too. We received a note from Stephanie, who shared her thoughts about plastics in our book. Thank you, Stephanie, for bringing this up. I always appreciate the opportunity to chat with readers! Here’s what she said:

Great book and recipes. The only issue I have is environmental. I’m concerned with encouraging people to use plastic freezer bags. Have you considered containers? This obviously takes up more room but we ALL need to reduce or stop using plastic bags entirely. Please consider this as you tour and present your recipes/methods.

I share many of Stephanie’s concerns. As I mentioned in the email response to her, the question of plastics use did come up, it was discussed at length, and was a difficult resolution.

Unfortunately, the reality is that plastic bags are the most reliable, convenient, and economical way to store your food in the freezer for most recipes. Even now, I hesitate to offer other container solutions because of the increased risks of freezer burn and entire meals going straight to the landfill (which is not optimal environmentally or ethically, for that matter, given the current global food crisis).

As I mentioned to Stephanie, because plastics are derived from oil the market incentive for widespread plastics recycling is building. Here in the Portland, Oregon metro area, I recycle all of my plastics–everything from my rinsed freezer bags, to broken plastic lawn chairs, to old baby pools. Be on the lookout in your area too.

In the meantime, please consider these 5 tips:

• Stick with the national brands of freezer bags and do NOT cut corners by purchasing less expensive store brands. Unless they say they do not use BPA in their products, that is. We first advised readers of this 2 years ago (phew, am I glad!).

• Switch to reusable glass containers. But be sure that the size fits the portion to be frozen well and the seals are tight. Aim for 1/2 inch head space (the area between the rim of the container and food surface). I’ve noticed that Lindsay’s Chicken Curry fits perfectly in medium-sized Pyrex brand containers. The lids are not tight enough to prevent freezer burn, however. So consider using a layer of freezer paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap to enhance the seal.

• Store reusable containers on the lower shelves of your freezer. They are heavier and tend to be a solid block. If dropped from higher shelves, they will shatter, crack, or break. Not to mention really hurt your toes :)! Also, plan for these blocks taking longer to thaw in your refrigerator.

• Do not wash plastics in the dishwasher. Experts caution, that the detergents and temperatures weaken the plastic, thereby increasing the risk of chemicals leaching into food. I’ve noticed the plastic does become weaker and breaks easier (see above). It’s just as easy to wash them by hand with hot soapy water.

• Reuse plastic containers when appropriate. DO NOT reuse old cottage cheese or margarine tubs in the freezer. The plastic and seals aren’t designed for it. Buy containers meant for the freezer. DO refill clean plastic milk jugs (3/4 full) with water and place in your freezer. The back corners of shelves are good places where they can’t easily fall out. A full freezer doesn’t use as much energy or work as hard to keep cold. And if you have a power outage or your freezer stops working, they will help keep everything cold longer.

Please keep writing in! Lindsay and I do our best to respond and always enjoy hearing from readers. And many thanks to Stephanie for her email.

I encourage you to check out the many recommendations for “Proper Food Prep” in the issue. Here are three points that cannot be overemphasized:

• Refrigerator thermometers are important. Please make that $5.00 investment. “The USDA says you can refrigerate raw meat at 40 degrees for three to five days before cooking it, but if you plan on waiting longer than that, freeze it,” advises the article.

• Food thermometers are vital because color is not a reliable indicator that your food has cooked long enough. I use my food thermometer all the time and recently purchased a new digital model that retails for $17.00. Your investment will range from $10-$20.00. The Green Guide reminds us, “Cook foods until interior temperatures are high enough to kill bacteria.” And to be able to tell, you will need a food thermometer. Check out what the FDA advises are safe temperatures for different meat types, specific cuts, and leftovers.

• Leftover life. The time span for viable leftovers has shortened from what I recall from my Food Safety Manager class. But let’s all get on the same page now. Consider using the “2-2-4″ rule which recommends, “refrigerating or freezing leftovers within two hours of cooking, storing them in containers no deeper than 2 inches to allow for speedy cooking, and eating them within four days.” Sounds like a good strategy to me.

There are many research-based recommendations for safe food handling, cooking, and storing. All of them, together, are a sound defense against food born illness. Be advised that it’s still good to take a few moments each year to refresh your memory on them.

It’s also wise to be open to adjusting your everyday routine to incorporate new recommendations. Scientists often discover new strains of bacteria that require further research. Sometimes their research results in changes to safety recommendations. If changes are needed though, it’s a lot easier when you’re already using an array of good food safety practices at home.

*Go local. I know, I know, local is trendy right now. But it’s true that dollars spent at farmers’ markets go directly to support local jobs, local businesses, and local economies.

*Variety is the spice of life. Lots of local producers can grow and experiment with new varietals that you just can’t find at the regular store. Think of heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and the flowers grandma used to grow in the yard.

*Freshness. Many producers pick the same day as the market. Some have workers, literally in the field, picking more to bring to the market. This means that the produce you buy hasn’t sat on a truck for days and hasn’t been ripened with chemicals. Fresh, folks. Fresh.

*Natural and Organic minus hefty price tag. Lots of small producers can’t afford to pay the fees associated with organic certification. But that doesn’t mean that they’re dumping tons of pesticides on their crops either. In fact, many of them grow their crops sustainably and are willing to tell you what they use, where, and when. Last year I was looking for organic raspberries and phoned several local u-picks. One farmer was able to tell me which rows he had sprayed and at what time. He got my business.

*Fun. Those who choose to linger at local markets can also see the work of local artists, craftspeople, and hear local musicians play. Sometimes it’s a good way to chat with local political candidates too (this may or may not qualify as fun). Hands down, it’s a great way to immerse yourself in the place you call home.

*Exercise and Fresh Air. You get to walk around, outside. When you’ve had a hard winter, that’s reason enough to go.

If you’re not sure where the nearest farmers’ market is, contact your local chamber of commerce or visitors’ information center. Or, do an internet search starting with your state’s name and then, “Farmers’ Market Association” after it. My search would be: Oregon Farmers’ Market Association. Lindsay’s would the the Washington State Farmer’s Market Association.

Each association’s website usually has a listing of markets across the state. Some even have hours, links to individual market websites, lists of producers/booths, and entertainment schedules. I’m going next weekend to check out the vegetable starts. It’s still a little early but last year I bought an heirloom Amish Paste Tomato plant that did great in my patio container garden. I didn’t bother to save the seeds. After all, I knew I’d be back this year to buy another.

Whether you’re looking for something fun to do on the weekend, or are searching for some unique heirloom vegetable varieties, local farmers’ markets can be a great way to kick off the growing season.

I normally don’t repost recipes, but this one is worth it! Recently my daughter had an event with her Brownie troop scheduled over dinner. It happened that I had planned to make this on the night she was to be gone but she begged me to serve it the following night so she wouldn’t miss it. Does this happen at your house? It doesn’t at mine. Until now, anyway. She didn’t disappoint me the next night either, by turning her nose up at–she ate 2 by herself and claimed the sole remaining pie for her lunch the next day. No seconds for dad (so sad, was he). So if you have leftovers, this could be a great way to use them up.

New Individual Chicken-Ham Pies

Makes 6 individual pies.

An eye-catching way to use up your left over chicken. If you don’t want to invest in a set of small pans, try looking for 6-inch paper baking molds from World Cuisine. They are about $0.50 each. When you decide to invest in permanent pans, I recommend Martha Stewart’s Cast Iron Au Gratin for this dish. Though more expensive, they will last for years and, because they are cast iron, can be passed down. NOTE: Turkey or ham leftovers will work well too.

Rice Crust (below)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons Fox Point Seasoning
2 cups cooked chicken (Urban Garlic or Mediterranean Chicken from Fix, Freeze, Feast work well)
1 (6- to 7-) ounce package sliced ham, diced
1/2 cup reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and Fox Point Seasoning and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 7-10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and add chicken and ham.

Spoon chicken and ham mixture into rice-lined gratin or paper baking molds. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve in gratin or baking molds.

Rice Crust: Combine 5 cups cooked white basmati rice; 4 egg whites; 1/3 cup unsalted butter; 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the rice over the bottom and sides of greased gratin or baking molds. NOTE: On Saturday I only had 3 eggs on hand, used the whites, and the crust turned out just fine. Do what you think will work best for you.

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My friend Kathryn came by for a morning visit over coffee yesterday. We always have a grand time catching up. I had 2 of these Almond Poppy Seed muffins in the fridge so we warmed and enjoyed them. Kathryn suggested I share them with you because she actually liked them better than the Costco muffins. They’re more dense and less cake-like, in addition to having more fiber (and likely fewer calories though I haven’t run the numbers). These muffins are a variation I make from the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin recipe in Bob’s Red Mill Baking Book. Both variations freeze well and would be perfect for brunch. Check for whole wheat pastry flour in the bulk foods section of the grocery store. You might save money and shelf-space by buying just the amount needed.

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Makes 12 muffins.

1 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix together flours, wheat germ, poppy seeds, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar. In a separate smaller bowl, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and almond extract. Pour the egg mixture into the larger bowl. Stir and mix with the dry ingredients until moist.

Divide the batter among the muffin tin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and eat, or freeze for later use.

DD: Mom, I would like to learn to cook.

Me: Wow, I’m impressed! That’s great. I know just the person who can teach you. Guess who?

DD: Lindsay????

Now, you can imagine my bruised ego. Here was my daughter asking to be taught to cook. Of course she would think I could do it–I cook for our family every night, pack their lunches nearly every day, and have co-authored a cookbook! I tried not to be offended though and let it roll off my back. It was funny and she meant no insult.

Me: Oh sweetheart, I’m sure Lindsay would love to teach you how to cook. But she lives 6 hours away and is busy teaching her 3 daughters how to cook. Me. I will teach you how to cook. How does that sound?

DD: Good.

I really have been impressed. She actually does want to learn to cook. I was expecting to be greeted with “No thanks, Mom” or “I’m too busy right now,” when I make request for nightly dinner assistance. But when I’ve asked, she’s been a willing assistant. It’s been kind of fun for me to make suggestions, explaining why I make the choices or take the steps I do, and then give her to room to make her own decisions and mistakes. Certainly she will become proficient enough to teach me a few things one day.

And yesterday I was even more impressed. Every month her school teacher assigns the children an oral book report on a particular genre of reading. They’ve done fantasy/sci-fi, humor, and last month it was “How-to.” The children needed to read a book and teach some portion of it to the class.

When she first announced that she wanted to show the class how to make her favorite chicken from Fix, Freeze, Feast, I took pause. How was I going to explain to her that the ingredients in Tequila-Lime Chicken aren’t allowed on the school premises? Creative parental guidance was needed (the kind that doesn’t illicit, “Why mom? How come Mom? Well, when I’m President, Mom, I will…”). Somehow we got by that part and she decided on PB&J Breakfast Cookies.

She did great managing the whole process (mostly) on her own. Well before the presentation, she found a copy of the book and recipe, wrote down the list of ingredients, crossed off the ones we already had, went shopping with me for them, filled up the food processor with the “wet” ingredients. I then plugged it in and blended it. She helped me fill up the basket to take to school so she could show how to mix the “dry” ingredients.

During the presentation, she picked students from her class to help measure the ingredients. Audience participation was a key element of the children’s grade. She began pouring the wet into the dry and mixing. It does make a large batch and takes some muscle, so I took over mixing from there. Of course I did the baking and clean up. I was so proud of her!

Next school year, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a small convivium of little girls who want to learn to cook. Our state 4-H program (I’ve already got one 4-H group going, a cooking group would be my second), has a activity guide to help leaders expose children to international flavors. Before yesterday, I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for such an endeavor. But now I am.

First though, we are encouraged by the reviews of Fix, Freeze, Feast from The Spokane Review, Eugene Register-Guard, Charlotte Observer, and most recently, The Washington Post’s ReadExpress. My hometown paper, The Oregonian, also did a piece about the book in our neighborhood circular. It ended up going out to half of my Metro area! If you think your community would benefit from our book, feel free to contact your local newspaper and suggest they review it. Typically, newspapers have sections called “Lifestyles.” Or, if it’s a large paper, a section devoted to food. It never hurts to give those folks a call with your story ideas.

Now, on to TV, radio, and podcast events:

On February 6, Lindsay will be talking with Shelley Duffy, Lifestyles editor for KDKA radio in Pittsburgh. Shelley makes meals ahead and has 2 daughters. Since Lindsay is a make-ahead cook with 3 daughters herself, I think these ladies have a lot in common! If you’re in Pittsburgh, tune in.

Mid-month we’ll be taping a segment with Better.TV. This is the new Better Homes and Gardens television and streaming internet media venture from Meredith Corporation. I am very excited about this opportunity. Check your local listings and tune in if Better.TV is in your area. Or visit them online.

And late in the month, we’ll be chatting with working moms and podcasters, Erin and Kristin, over at the ManicMommies. These ladies are from the Boston area and are really focusing in on the challenges facing modern families and mothers. We are looking forward to chatting with them.

Bellingham, Washington’s Village Books will kick off our March events. They have graciously invited us to their store to have a book signing on March 6 at 7pm. Lindsay and I have not seen one another to sign any (not ONE) book since it has come out. So those who attend will be the first to get their copies signed by not just one, but BOTH, of us. If you don’t already have a copy of the book, Village Books, will have copies on hand for purchase. Why not bring a friend, go for coffee, or have dinner, and come by for a unique Girls’ Night Out?

Hope to see you there!

Just because we call for the basics, though, don’t forget to add personal touches to these recipes. Make them with ingredients you like! Last weekend I experimented with Lindsay’s Granola. Now I must say, despite owning several pair of Birkenstocks, I am not a granola eating gal. Ironic, isn’t it?

The granola recipes I’ve seen all seem to have shredded coconut and dates–two lead balloon ingredients at my house. So for years I avoided granola. Last weekend though, I decided to apply my own advice to Lindsay’s granola, tailoring it to our tastes and nutritional goals.

One nutritional resolution I’ve made is to increase the good Omega fats in our diet. Much has been written about Omega-3s and Omega-6s of late. I won’t rehash that information. If you aren’t up to date on the latest, check out this piece from the Harvard School of Public Heath on these important nutrients.

These 2 goals together helped me tailor the Granola:

1) Substituted 1 C. flaxseeds and 1 C. flaxseed meal for the 2 cups toasted sesame seeds. Flaxseeds are rich in Omega-3s;

2) Substituted 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup walnuts for 1 cup almonds. Pecan we like; walnuts are rich in Omega-3s;

3) Chose Canola oil as the vegetable oil. Canola is also high in Omega-3s.

4) Left out coconut completely.

5) Added 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds for a little color and fun. I read at Wikipedia that in ancient lore sesame seeds prolonged beauty and vitality. I guess that assumes you have both in the first place. Even so, I’m sure that little tablespoon will do just the trick!
The Granola has been received well by my family. It’s handy to have available for snacks. Have you noticed those granola fruit parfaits at stores and coffee shops for sale that layer fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola? I have been making these at home. They’re so simple! Here’s one I put together this morning. It serves 1. Simply repeat for additional servings.

Strawberry Granola Parfait

4 frozen strawberries, softened and sliced
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons Granola

Spread strawberry slices in the bottom of a bowl. Top with 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt. Do not cover the strawberries completely–let some color through. Sprinkle with Granola.

Serves 1.

You can make this with other types of fruit also. I’ve used raspberries and bananas. It’s a great way to use up your less than perfect looking fruits and clear out those frozen berries to make room for this year’s crop. My kids are fussy about even the most minor blemish on a banana, but I can sneak it past them in these tasty, nutritious parfaits.

Don’t give up on recipes just because of a few ingredients. With a little creativity, you can tailor and transform most any recipes into a family favorite.

I’ve also had time to consider how 2007 ended up and what I might like to explore and blog about this year. One thing I keep on noticing is how much prices are rising. I kept meticulous receipts my gasoline expenses this year and it’s price rose again by 20%. In 2006, it rose 28%. Next year pundits are predicting a rise of only 10%.

Some prices have stayed stable, like pork and sugar. Other prices for the basics, like wheat flour, I noted rose over 10% in 2007. I could hardly believe my eyes this holiday season when I saw an 8×8 pan of cornbread with a price tag of $4.99. And a baguette with a little garlic or Parmesan costing $5.00 too. A salad entree with grilled chicken strips at my local sit-down restaurant is now $10.99, up from $8.99 earlier in 2007. And I could go on and on.

It won’t surprise you that I believe the best way to control escalating food costs is to eat more at home, planning and making meals ahead. After all, Lindsay and I wrote a book about it! But beyond the freezer, there are many more ways to extend your food dollar.

The best budget stretchers PLAN TO USE LEFTOVERS. Leftovers get a bad rap but they can be delicious. Have you noticed what you throw out? One recent study done in England noted that in the average household, 1/3 of food purchased is thrown out. And, half of that is still edible.

Were food waste to be studied here in the US, I would expect higher numbers across the board. But let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that we’re the same. If the average American’s annual spending on food at home is $1347.00, as it was in 2004, then that means that $400 dollars worth of food goes out with the trash–$200 of which could be saved and eaten. Multiply $200 by the number of people in your household to calculate your annual savings. For my family, that’s $800.00 a year. Now we’re talking about real money!

So what do can a person do?

1. Over one week, make notes about what you are throwing out. Are the bananas rotten? Does that leftover broccoli go untouched? How about that diced onion you chopped but didn’t use? What about that 2 cups of leftovers from the Mediterranean chicken you made? Jot down a few notes.

2. Buy less. Sometimes you can just buy and cook less of those food that go unused. For example, if you’re always tossing out bananas, buy fewer of them. Cooking less of an ingredient can help too. Maybe 1 1/2 cups, rather than 2, would be a better quantity for your family. Remember the first rule of waste reduction is REDUCE, reuse, recycle. Buying less will save you money.

3. Start a leftovers recipe binder. Organize your binder by ingredient and try to gather 3 recipes for each. Don’t just focus on dinners: recipes for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks will be helpful to have on hand too.

This winter I’ve committed to finding 3 recipes for each of the foods I want to use up. For example, I noticed that anytime I cook one of the whole chickens from Fix, Freeze, Feast, I end up with 2 cups of pulled, cooked meat to use in leftovers. So I started the search for recipe ideas and ended up pulling out my old cookbooks and scouring them for ideas to use it up. Many older cookbooks offer tried and true recipes that you can easily update to fit our modern tastes. One such heirloom recipe (below), I cooked for my family and my daughter asked me if we could have it once a week! If you plan ahead, leftovers don’t have to be bland or boring.

4. Freeze it! In your leftovers binder, make a note of ingredients that can go straight from the cutting board to the freezer without blanching or further processing. It drives me crazy when a recipe calls for 1/2 a can of tomato paste or 1 chipotle chili. It’s tempting to throw the rest of the cans away but their contents can be frozen, thawed, and used later. So can the extra onions and peppers you diced; the 1/2 cup of cheese you shredded but didn’t use; or, that 1/2 eaten banana from the kids’ lunch.

5. Organize your cupboards or pantry. I made a bold move in September and reorganized my cupboards by type of cooking. So instead of having a all of my spices, all of my oils, vinegars, and canned goods together, I assigned cupboard space by cooking genre. Now I have an international shelf, which contains the spices, vinegars, oils, and canned goods I frequently use in international dishes. I have a baking section with my oils, extracts, flours, sugars, and baking spices. Finally, I have devoted the prime cupboard real estate (those I don’t need a step ladder for), to my most frequently used spices, canned goods, etc. The items I use less often have been given a spot in the nosebleed section.

These changes have really worked for me. I was able to see that I had 3 bottles of rice vinegar and 2 bottles of toasted sesame oil, to name a few. Some of them I was able to combine into one bottle, thereby freeing up shelf space. Others I have targeted to use up. I’m now down to only one of everything. Keeping your kitchen storage spaces functional and organized will keep you from buying ingredients you already have.

HEIRLOOM RECIPES–

This recipe is from Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook, published in 1965. The original is listed first, as written in the book. The second recipe shows my change that reduce the fat and sodium. Both recipes are to make and eat the same day. I am continuing to work on this recipe though and hope to come up with an easy freezer version later in the year.

(Heirloom) Individual Chicken-Ham Pies

Rice Crust

3 tblsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 tblsp. chopped parsley

2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 c. diced cooked chicken
1 c. diced cooked ham
2/3 c. grated Cheddar cheese

Melt butter; add flour and blend. Add chicken broth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixtures comes to a boil and is thickened. Add parsley, salt, pepper, chicken and ham.

Pour into rice-lined tart pans. Sprinkle the reserved cup of rice mixture over tops of pies. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in a moderate oven (350F) 20 minutes. Serve in tart pans.

Rice Crust: 5 c. cooked rice, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 c. melted butter, 1 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper. Reserve 1 c. mixture. Pat remaining rice mixture over bottom and on sides of 6 greased 6″ tart pans.

New Individual Chicken-Ham Pies

An eye-catching way to use up your left over chicken. If you don’t want to invest in a set of small pans, try looking for 6-inch paper baking molds from World Cuisine. They are about $0.50 each. When you decide to invest in permanent pans, I recommend Martha Stewart’s Cast Iron Au Gratin for this dish. Though more expensive, they will last for years and, because they are cast iron, can be passed down.

Rice Crust (below)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons Fox Point Seasoning
2 cups cooked chicken (Urban Garlic or Mediterranean Chicken from Fix, Freeze, Feast work well)
1 (6- to 7-) ounce package sliced ham, diced
1/2 cup reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and Fox Point Seasoning and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 7-10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and add chicken and ham.

Spoon chicken and ham mixture into rice-lined gratin or paper baking molds. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve in gratin or baking molds.

Rice Crust: Combine 5 cups cooked white basmati rice; 4 egg whites; 1/3 cup unsalted butter; 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the rice over the bottom and sides of greased gratin or baking molds.

Before this year, my only exposure to handcrafting anything with yeast was limited to beer and mead, brewer and champagne yeasts, respectively. As assistant brewer to my husband, I left all that fermenting stuff to him. I wanted no part of it. I offered purely logistical, moral, and taste-test support.

I bought myself a stand mixer to aid my baking adventures last December. A KitchenAid Professional 600, 575-Watts of power, 67-point planetary mixing action, 10 mixing speeds…at this point, many people ask me if I’m going to start grunting like Tim Allen on Home Improvement. I tend to get a little carried away

Now, not everyone needs to have a stand mixer. But Shirley, as I have named my mixer, has been a good investment for me. So below is a recipe that I have adapted to my families tastes that you might enjoy. I get RAVE reviews on this recipe, even from people who enjoy baking and the kids of people who bake a lot (perhaps the most severe of critics).

This month of December while everyone else is baking cookings, I have one last goal: French Bread. It’s been on the list but I haven’t devoted the time. But need to do so before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st and 2008 begins my Adventures with Grains. Last week, I was listening to a podcast and they mentioned heirloom wheat and grain varieties that are making a comeback. The recipe below uses white whole wheat flour, which is said to be a newer wheat variety that is lighter than standard whole wheat flour. I use it almost exclusively now in place of standard whole wheat flour.

3 Wheat Pizza Dough (*For Stand Mixers)
This recipe was adapted from Bob’s Red Mill Baking Book. The original recipe was a little heavy on the whole wheats for my family’s tastes. So I reworked the flours and revised the instructions for my stand mixer. This recipes is very well liked by my kids and their friends. I like to divide the dough into 6 pieces, roll out each piece to 6-8 inches in diameter, and flash freeze them. These mini-pizza crusts make great gifts for friends with children who are having new babies, surgeries, etc. And when I have play dates for the children that extend over mealtimes, these crusts are handy to have on hand. The children get a kick out of making their own pizzas together.

1 1/4 cups warm water (between 105-115 degrees)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola)

In your stand mixers bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water. Let it stand for a few minutes until it begins to foam. Attach the dough hook. Measure the unbleached white flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and oil into the bowl with the yeast mixture.

Adjust the stand mixer bowl to ready position and set to #2 speed. The dough hook will mix the ingredients and then knead the dough. This takes approximately 1 1/2-2 minutes to mix and knead. The dough will form a ball and will be slightly springy to the touch.

While the dough is mixing, lightly oil or spray treat, a medium bowl. Place the kneaded dough into the bowl and turn it over a few times to coat it. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm area of your kitchen (such as in the oven or on the stove top).

After the dough rises, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out into desired shape. One dough covers 1, 16-inch pizza round. Or the dough can be cut into 6 pieces and rolled out into individual sized crusts. Dough freezes well.

But what about for those of you who already own The Warehouse Gourmet? Is it worth buying Fix, Freeze, Feast as well? We say yes! There are over 60 brand new recipes spanning several new catergories, new information about adapting your own recipes and correcting mistakes, and the price is lower than we were able to offer The Warehouse Gourmet for. So think of it as a sequel

Here is a comprehensive list of all the new recipes so you can see for yourself:

Added to Chicken Main Dishes:

Cherry Skillet Chicken, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken Rolls with Crispy Almond/Rye Breading, Swimming Rama, Sweet Chicken Tostada Filling, Mini Chicken Pot Pie

Added to Beef Main Dishes:

Beef and Bean Burritos, Classic Lasagna, Spanish Rice, Steak Skewers with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

Added to Pork Main Dishes:

4 Bs Grilled Chops, Cajun Braised Skillet Chops, Turkish Pork Loin Chops with Bacon, Austrian Pork Goulash,  

New Category: Meatless Mains, Sides and Soups:

Asian Market Marinade for Portobello Mushrooms, Caesar Portobello Mushrooms, Maple Portobello Mushrooms, Asparagus and Potato Frittata, Rice Pilaf, Feta and Spinach Lasagna Rolls, Spanakopita, Thai Red Curry with Vegetables, Wild Rice and Nut Bake, Manicotti, Vegetable Lasagna, Apples and Cheddar, Cream of Asparagus Soup, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Baked Potato Chowder, Black Bean and Vegetable Chili, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Tomato-Basil Soup, French Onion Soup

Added to Sauces, Marinades, and Flavored Butters:

Chipotle Roasted-Tomato Sauce, Gorgonzola-Pecan Butter, Gorgonzola Lemon-Pepper Butter, Chili-Lime Butter for Halibut

New Category: Breakfast, Snacks, and Sweets

Breakfast Burritos, Cheese Biscuit Mix, Cheese Bites, Granola, PB&J Breakfast Cookies, Zoo Day Snack Mix, Pumpkin Muffins, Strawberry Smoothies, Tropical Fruit Smoothies, Beach Day Snack Mix, Five-Spice Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut and Mango, Ginger Cookies, Lemon-Lavender Butter Cookies, Very Vanilla Snickerdoodles,

New Category: “Second-Generation Recipes” (This category is a clever creation of Kati’s - she uses one of the entrees from an original recipe and shows you how to make a variation to cook fresh one meal at a time. These recipes are interspersed throughout the book.)

Dave’s Skillet Hash, Dave’s Barbeued Chicken Pizza, Chicken Salad with Port Barbecue Sauce, Chicken Pizza with Port Barbecue Sauce, Cinco Layer Bake, Sweet Chicken Tostada Crowns, Pork Ragout Lasagna, Fresh Vegetable Stir-fry with Asian Marinated Tofu 

Once you have your copy of Fix, Freeze, Feast and are experiencing all of the new ways to enjoy make-ahead meals, let us know what you think by commenting on our website or providing a review with an on-line book seller.

Another new series of recipes in Fix, Freeze, Feast is called “Second-Generation Recipes.” This is an avenue my own cooking has taken since food prices are going up quite noticeably. Pork Loin Ragout is one of the recipes that has a Second Generation companion: Pork Ragout Lasagna. The base recipe yields 3 entrees that will be delicious if simply made and serve as directed. But now you can enjoy the variation, Pork Ragout Lasagna, in which one of those 3 base entrees can be cooked and used in two lasagnas. So if you only made the Pork Loin Ragout as directed, your yield would be 3 entrees. If you use each of those 3 entrees in the lasagna recipe, you’ll end up with 6 lasagnas.

In the new book, you’ll find several new sets of recipes like this. If you are looking for ways to stretch your food budget, these Second Generation Recipes will be helpful. I’m excited about this concept, because it will really gets me thinking about new ways to use my entrees to create more variations. For example, right now I’m working on making a south of the border version of Lindsay’s Urban Garlic Chicken which will be cooked and used in Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chicken Empanadas. I’m really looking forward to exploring this concept more in the future and sharing my progress!

We are in the process of letting all of our past customers know about the new book. We’re sending out post cards, fliers, and soon an email to you. Since Lindsay and I are committed to finding you the best value on our book, we’ve found that Amazon.com has the best deal right now. That could change, certainly. But right now, you’ll find the book there for $10.17. Plus, it qualifies for free shipping with a $25.00 purchase. Our publisher was able to produce the book as a hardcover–so you’re getting a hardcover cookbook for $10 bucks! It’s a fantastic deal in our opinion. Why not grab a few for holiday gift giving? Or put it on your wishlist?

If you do purchase at Amazon, we hope you’ll take a moment to rate the book and give it a review. The better the book does online the more people will see it, which increases its chances for success. It’s an exciting time of opportunity for us! We hope you will help us spread the word about how easy Fix, Freeze, Feast makes it to fill the freezer.

NOTE: As of 11-14-07, Amazon.com decreased it’s discount substantially on our book. The next best value today can be found for members at Barnes & Noble for $10.76. Those of you who live in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area may also consider supporting your school by using script at Powell’s.

This year I noticed National Good Neighbor Day is scheduled for September 23–this Sunday. It’s so easy to get caught up in our busy lives that we forget the importance of expressing gratitude for our good neighbors and actually do something to BE a good neighbor to one another.

So why not take some time to do something special this year? To express gratitude for a good neighbor, why not take a take them a meal or invite them to share your table? Maybe take a stunning fall bouquet or snack cake to your child’s teacher, your pastor, or the office? Perhaps your family can splurge and go out to breakfast at the locally owned bakery or frequent another local business owner to express your gratitude for their presence in the community. There are many ways to show neighbors in our communities that we appreciate them!

Good Neighbor Day is also an opportunity to think about how to be a good neighbor. I know it’s PollyAnna-ish to think that even little things, like neighborliness, matter in this era of globalization. (In my opinion, the world is way short on PollyAnna’s right now, but that’s a topic for another time!) But we can all benefit from one day of mindfully living as a good neighbor–no matter how small the contribution! So if your children share a bedroom or just a bedroom wall and argue constantly, how about this Sunday they call a truce? Or maybe your children are already angelic and would be willing to go on a walk around the neighborhood (or around your place of worship or school) to pick up litter with you. Let your creativity go wild!

Lindsay and I are so fortunate to be among all of you. The emails and stories you share about how you have used our recipes to provide meals for friends and families with new babies, elderly parents, and starving college students, warm our hearts. Those of you who have committed to teaching friends and teenagers how to cook–your patience inspires us. Thank you for being good neighbors, even when it’s not Good Neighbor Day!

A. I made the comparison for two reasons - cost and convenience. While it can be more economical to cook a month of meals at once, it is also much more labor intensive. For the best combination of economy and labor, we suggest the Tray Pack method.

A. I always just dump the beans in, liquid and all. I know some people like to drain and rinse the beans but I’m too lazy for that Either way will work just fine in chili.

In the final weeks of the school year, the mother of one of my son’s friends let me know she was having knee surgery in early July. After determining that she had the first week after surgery covered, I offered to have their family over for dinner during her second week of recovery. It just happened that the night we picked coincided with a record breaking heat wave.

It all turned out just fine, as I had been watching the weather forecast since the weekend. It seemed pretty evident that it was going to be too hot to use the oven/stove and too hot to grill outside. But I was determined to pull it off. Here’s the menu for 4 adults and 4 children I came up with:

*Pulled Pork Sandwiches (from 3 lb. pork loin), cooked in crockpot; rolles baked night before.

*Memphis Mustard Cole Slaw, from Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler, sugar cut by 1/3.

*Black-eyed Pea Salad, from Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler, served without spinach bed.

*Watermelon

*Blue Corn Chips

I was pleased with this meal because so much of it could be prepared ahead of time, didn’t require cooking, and was very casual, summer fare. The southern theme fit right in with the weather too and I even overheard one of our guests ask my husband if one of us is from the south (we aren’t).

If you have the opportunity to check out Simply Salads, I highly recommend the book. Each recipe uses a bag of prepackaged greens as a shortcut to many wonderful salads and slaws. Several of the salads would make satisfying and healthy sides for any main dish recipe in our cookbook. Explore and have fun with this one!

Lemon Garlic Broccoli Saute

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried lemon peel (or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 cups broccoli florets

Heat oil and lemon peel in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and broccoli and cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until crisptender. Note: For extra lemon flavor, try a lemon infused olive oil!

Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese

3 cups fusilli pasta, uncooked

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Grana Padano cheese (check in your club’s cheese case)

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a separate medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour; mixture will be like a thick paste. Slowly add 2 cups milk and stir and cook until thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Add cheeses; stir until melted. Pour cheese sauce over drained cooked pasta; combine. Note: Both of these cheese are available at the warehouse clubs and freeze nicely. For added convenience, measure cheeses into a one-quart freezer bag and store in the freezer. To save time, I make up several packages at once so there’s always one handy.

But when I sat down at the computer, I quickly became aware of a 5.7 MILLION (yes, million) pound ground beef recall for possible E. coli contamination. As I surfed the web to learn more, I found out that Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. is recalling 440,000 pounds also. According to the press accounts, both of these recalls are for meat sold in over a dozen states and in stores such as Sam’s Club, Trader Joes, Safeway, Albertson’s, etc.

Hopefully you are all aware of this recall by now. If not, I encourage you to check out the links above to see if any products you have purchased are part of this recall.

I also encourage you to purchase a meat thermometer if you have not already done so. If you own a thermometer that you don’t use regularly, please make a point of it now. Ground beef is not safe to eat until it is cooked to 160F degrees. Many digital brands are easy to use and are pre-programmed for beef, chicken, pork, and other food items. What a great gift idea for Father’s Day!

We made Chicken a la King, Cheese Steaks, Honey Cider Chops, Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs, Sticky Ribs and Sweet and Sour Meatballs. According to the estimations in our book, this would have provided 22 entrees but the way we divided things she got 25 instead. We had a few of the ingredients on hand (curry, salt and pepper, mustard, soy sauce and the freezer bags) but she bought the rest - about $89 at Costco and another $7 at the grocery store. It only took a few hours including the break we took for lunch. 

Even though I have been doing this for years, I am still impressed at how it works out so well!

As we wandered the aisles, loading the cart, we talked about the different items we each buy for our families and how we prepare them. We each came away with some new meal ideas.

The next time you are feeling like it is time to mix up your menu a bit, take a friend to the grocery store and exchange ideas as you shop!

And don’t even get me started about gasoline. At the end of January I paid $2.20 per gallon of regular unleaded. This weekend I filled up at $3.26 per gallon, a price increase of 48% in 3 1/2 months!

Other moms are noticing these price increases too. Unfortunately, I think inflation is only going to get worse where food is concerned. I just don’t see any macro trends on the horizon which will make these prices more affordable. Everything from the farmers planting corn for biofuel to the loss of pollinator bees, will probably decrease supply and further accelerate prices.

One strategy I’ve been considering is to create a menu around the more expensive warehouse ingredients to save money and reduce waste. Take for example, honey. The cost of honey at the warehouse club is quite a bit cheaper–2 to 4 times less–than my grocery store.

Yet, accompanying that great price, is a great amount—96 ounces, or six pounds at our local wholesale club. Instead of passing up the value or having most of the bottle go unused, why not select several recipes to make which use that large amount of honey? Since we know that 1 cup of honey is about 12 ounces (by weight), then one 6-pound container yields about 8 cups. These 8 cups can be used to fill your freezer with: Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips, Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs, and Honey and Spice Pork Skewers. Together, these recipes use over half of the 8 cups in our 6-pound container.

Smart shoppers can do this with other ingredients as well. Why not make Lindsay’s basic Italian Red Sauce for several recipes instead of buying jars of marinara sauce? How about selecting a group of recipes that use green peppers to make and freeze at the end of summer when prices are the best?

Once you get the hang of our Tray Pack Method™, you can begin making groups of recipes that use similar ingredients. This will allow you take advantage of warehouse club pricing to maximize your food budget while also reducing waste.

A. As we say in the introduction to our book:  (there are)…recipes and tips for everyone from the novice to the advanced cook, the bargain shopper to the person with money to spare, and the time-starved to the leisurly scratch cook.

If your goal is to have simple and quick to prepare recipes before going in the freezer, you’ll find them here.  If your goal is to have entrees that are simple and quick to prepare at mealtime, you’ll find those, too.

Back to cooking: As with any new endeavor, there have been baking colossal flops. Frankly, I expected as much. But out of those failure, come much learning, growth, and determination that I can become a competent baker.

This morning my little girl brought one of my baking cookbooks to me and said, “Mommy, make something yummy please? How about muffins.” And so I opened that cookbook (and cupboards and oven door) with a glad heart: I seem to be making progress. I hope you enjoy this subtle, but not overly sweet, scone:

Maple Walnut Scones

This recipe is from Simply In Season: Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-With-Less. Perfect for using up any nuts you have leftover from holiday baking that are not stale.

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (or other nut)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, chilled

1 cup milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Combine flour, walnuts, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in milk and maple syrup and work into a soft dough, kneading half a dozen times or so. Roll into a 7 inch (across) circle approximately 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 12 wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook 15-18 minutes.

The books listed here grace the shelves of our own libraries. Indeed, in many cases they are “go-to” resources we have been using for years. In a few cases, we’ve added some newer gems to the list that, like our own book, update common-sense approaches to daily living in our modern age.

Lindsay and I provide a review on each book on this list so that you can get a feel for what WE like about a particular book. We’re only featuring books which save time, money, and offer simple, practical wisdom. NO FADS. Just excellent books written by those in the trenches of family life, just like us.

So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a stroll through our bookshelf. Happy Cooking!

A. We’ve written each recipe keeping optimum quality in mind. Whatever will yield the best flavor and texture for each recipe is what we’ve called for.

Some of our recipes are assembled and frozen before cooking (many of the chicken breast, chops and steaks in marinades), some are cooked entirely before freezing (Curry Chicken, Salisbury Meatballs) and some have one componant cooked (the sauce for Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs or Port Barbecue Chicken).

It is nice to have some choice about cooking time when choosing an entree from the freezer - some days there will be time to grill chops and some days a quick reheat of a precooked dish is all the schedule will allow.  Whatever the case, you can be sure we designed each recipe to give you the best product at dinner time.

More information on the name Major Grey Chutney. No one really knows who Major Grey is, if he is even real; but the story has it that he was a British Major who loved the chutneys of India and developed this mango style to suit his palate. I mention it because the chutney you are looking for may not actually say ‘mango chutney’ but may be called Major Grey (or Major Grey’s) instead. Same thing!

A. Mango Chutney is sometimes called Major Grey Chutney. It is a mango preserve with ginger, garlic and spices - yum!

You should be able to find it at your local grocery store - but where exactly inside the store can differ from location to location. One of my local grocers places it in the Asian section and another places it in the condiment aisle with other chutneys and relishes. The size I have most commonly found is 12 ounces and costs between $4-5. This makes it one of the more expensive condiments in our book. Our Mango Cranberry Chicken recipe calls for 2 cups which is more than you will get in one jar - you will need one jar and some of another. If you don’t want to buy two jars, you can use just one. Or buy two and save the remainder of the second jar to be used with another whole jar the next time you make the recipe. I believe mango chutney can be found in larger, more economical sizes at some supply stores such as Cash and Carry (Smart and Final) but not all, as my local Cash and Carry doesn’t have it.

Indeed, the last half of 2006 has been an eventful year for food safety professionals around the US. Earlier this year we heard about bad spinach. Then the east coast had several illnesses at a major fast food chain. Green onions were the suspect but were later absolved by the FDA. At the same time, several people in Iowa became ill as well, at a different fast food chain. And most recently, Indiana has joined the spotlight, with over 300 people becoming ill at yet another major food chain restaurant.

Science Friday, a radio program on NPR, hosted a program on food safety recently. Part of the program featured a new study of harmful bacteria in whole chickens, done by Consumer Reports. The results of their analysis has astounding implications for those of us in charge of selecting and preparing food for our families: more than 8 of every 10 fresh, whole fryer chickens “harbored campylobacter or salmonella, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease.”

Properly cooking and handling raw chicken products is something we can all review as we’re thinking about ways to “do better” in the coming year. Consider investing in a couple of thermometers. Purchase one for your refrigerator (they can be as little as $5.00) and another thermometer with a probe to check food temperature. Chicken should be cooked to a temperature of 165-170 degrees. Your refrigerator should be kept at 40 degrees or less (be sure to check the temp on different shelves to make sure your fridge is operating correctly).

The article from Consumer Reports offers several other good tips as well:

*Don’t return the cooked chicken to the same plate which held it raw. So for example, when you take the raw chicken to the grill and cook it, place the cooked chicken on a clean plate–not the same one that touched the raw chicken.

*Avoid cross contamination. For example, say you are going to fry some chicken breast and have it sitting on one end of a cutting board as some garlic and onion is cooking. You decide to slice the carrots for your fresh salad on the other end of the same cutting board. The raw chicken juices get on the carrot, which goes on your fresh salad…you get the idea. Be sure to use separate cutting boards and wash them promptly and throughly in hot, soapy water!

*Pack the chicken on the bottom, in its own plastic bag. Place the chicken package in a clean plastic bag. Be aware of how the checkout folks are packing your groceries and how you place them in the fridge. Small tears in packaging can occur. You don’t want chicken juice to leak out of one of these tears onto your other food. To be safe, place the chicken on the bottom–below the beef, the pork, the vegetables, etc.

*Never reuse plastic bags which have contained raw or cooked meat.

*Wash hands. During one of my cooking sessions recently (35+ pounds of pork!) I was in the middle of processing one of the 8-pound loins and needed to take a break. Before returning to the pork, I washed my hands twice: once in the bathroom and then again at the kitchen sink, before returning to the meat.

These tips can substantially reduce your risk of foodborne illness. You will find more tips on the FDA’s website.

Happy Cooking!

A. Yes. As with the slow cooker recipes (Q&A posted December 3), we gave you directions in the book that we felt would produce the best results. But many cooks will bake or broil items that would otherwise be grilled and report great results. One thing to keep in mind is that the flavors of sauces and marinades are often mellowed by the grill - so if you decide to bake an entree, you can count on the flavor or heat to be stronger.

A. These meatballs are good! They are definitely a favorite of many customers. The biggest factor in keeping the cheese inside and the meatballs from sticking is to use ground beef that is not too lean (just avoid the very leanest ground beef and you’ll be fine). If there isn’t enough fat, the meatballs crack and cheese spills out and they are more likely to stick to an ungreased pan. I usually roll mine about the size of a whole walnut in the shell. The size doesn’t seem to be much of a factor to cheese leaking out. One other thing to consider how long these bake - there have been times when I left them in the oven a little long and some cheese leaked out. The nice thing about mozzarella is that it still clings to the meatball even if it is on the outside!

Q. I made the Urban Chicken recipe in my slow cooker and it was delicious and ready when we all got home at dinnertime. Have you prepared any other recipes in your book in the slow cooker with success? I’d love more ideas!

A. Recipes for the slow cooker really depend a lot on personal taste. I have one friend who puts everything in the slow cooker whereas I am more particular about what I make in the slow cooker.

• The recipes in the book with slow cooker instructions are:  Beef Barley Soup, Cheese Steaks, Ginger Beef, Apple and Cranberry Baked Pork Loin, Garlic Studded Pork Loin and Pork Loin Ragout.
• Page 36 describes a great way to use the slow cooker to cook whole chickens in advance and the Urban Garlic Chicken recipe has a note about slow cooker preparation (as you mentioned)
• I also use the slow cooker to reheat any of the meatball recipes (on low for Salisbury).
• If you try the fajitas with pork loin, I’ve been told they are fantastic done in the slow cooker.
• A great time saver with Cam’s Ribs and Sticky Ribs is to have the ribs cooking in water in the slow cooker all day and then putting them in the oven with the sauce right before dinner.

There were other recipes we tested in the slow cooker but didn’t put the option in the book because we decided they weren’t the best that way. We do encourage our cooks to experiment with what works best for them, though. Keep in mind that with slow cooking, a lot more moisture is retained than with baking. This is great in the case of a whole chicken (tons of delicious broth) but not so great in a recipe where the sauce is supposed to reduce and get thick or sticky.

I made the Gooey Fudge Cake for the combined birthday party of several family members in November. We topped it with real whipped cream flavored by vanilla sugar. Delicious! After one bite, I let everyone know that this is the cake they can expect will be served at my birthday.

With the holidays upon us, I thought you might like to try it. So here it is:

Gooey Fudge Cake
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder, divided (I used Dagoba brand)
1 cup milk
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla (I used double strength, also called “double fold” vanilla)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup pecans or hazelnuts, chopped (I used hazelnuts)
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
2 cups boiling water

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 13×9 baking pan or dish, or line it with parchment paper. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, sugar, and half of the cocoa. In another bowl, combine the milk with the butter and vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat the milk mixture and the honey into the flour mixture. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Combine the remaining cocoa with the brown sugar and sprinkle it over the batter. Drizzle the water on top. Bake for 40 minutes [uncovered], or until a tester comes out without bits of flour. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Sort of. I sort of get my kids involved in the cooking process. Truthfully, I envy the mothers who are not bothered by kids underfoot, spilling ingredients on the floor, too short to reach the sink, and generally being a nuisance when there is work to be done. Who are these women who take it all in stride and accept the extra work and mess as the price to be paid for teaching kids to cook? I am ashamed to admit I’m not one of them. Sure, I let my kids in the kitchen - to set the table! Okay, I do have them help, but I’m not always enthusiastic. So add that to the list of things my kids can talk about in therapy one day!

Certainly it is much easier to do the job myself, quickly and efficiently. But I can’t raise three daughters who don’t know what to do in the kitchen, and then turn them loose on the world. That would be remarkably unfair to them. In my business I often encounter young women who don’t have the confidence and/or skill to prepare meals from scratch for their families. Some of them don’t want to, but most of them have not yet acquired the necessary skills. How can we include our daughters and sons without sacrificing the efficiency we value?

My new approach goes like this. The girls (ages 13, 8 and 6) and I sat down one day and brainstormed all the make-ahead meals they would like us to have on hand. They each chose their favorites and we whittled the list down to a workable size for make-ahead sessions. For me, a reasonable number of recipes to do in a day is 10, but I wouldn’t recommend that for everyone. We made two lists - one a ‘chicken session’ and one a ‘pork and beef session’. Good, okay, I got them involved in the first step.

Then I made an ingredient/shopping list for each session. Yes, I did that part myself. I could have had my second grader add up all the fractions for practice but I’m easing myself in slowly!

I usually have at least one child with me on shopping day, so I am trying to include them more and more in the conversation; having them compare prices, read labels, and help make choices.

My oldest daughter is capable of helping out on the big cooking day and eventually I’ll get the little ones more involved there, too. Already they are great meatball rollers! For now I am doing most of the work getting the meals into the freezer myself.

We took out the calendar and assigned each daughter alternating weeks of the month. During her week, the assigned daughter is the designated kitchen helper. She will help choose the evening entree (with some coaching from mom, of course…she may need help deciding that a pork roast isn’t a good idea on tennis lesson night). Because the meals are all assembled and in the freezer in advance - the messiest part done - she can easily help with the final preparation and cooking each afternoon. She is also responsible for helping choose a fresh vegetable side dish, preparing it, setting the table, and anything else that goes with the territory.

So far it seems like a great way to teach the girls a thing or two about cooking (they are so eager to cook at this age!) and about responsibility (less eager to clean up; oh well).

The biggest hurdles so far have been: homework for the 13 year old, the engrossing activity the 8 year old is invariably immersed in, and the general fatigue of the 6 year old that time of day. I’m going to keep at it and I’ll let you know how it’s going a little further down this path. In the meantime, let me know what you are doing to get your kids involved in the kitchen. One of your ideas may be just what another customer is looking for!

Even though it’s a different economy today, I too love the quest to get the best deal around. Many people who shop at warehouse clubs assume that warehouses ALWAYS offer the best deal. Saavy shoppers quickly find out that supermarket sales can beat the warehouse. Here’s an example:

A few weeks ago my supermarket had a special “Buy 10 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios (R) for $15.00 and get $5.00 back.” With the instant rebate then, I was able to purchase 10 boxes of cereal for $10.00, or $1.00 each.

This brand of cereal is available also at my warehouse, where their 49 ounce box sells for $6.79 (or $0.14 per ounce). Yet at the supermarket sale, I was able to by ten 14 ounce boxes for $1.00 each (or $0.07 per ounce). That’s a savings of 50% without using a single coupon!

So when you get your supermarket ads each week, be on the lookout for these mega deals. Notice the products they list which also are carried at your warehouse. Then, next time you go to the warehouse, take pen and paper to record the per unit price so you can compare the club price to the supermarket price. I don’t strive for meticulous, exacting recordkeeping and books devoted to price watching (though I’m sure great-grandma did). The point is to take enough notes to get a general idea of costs per unit. So that when the right sale comes along, you’ll be able to recognize it and act with good sense, or cents, as the case may be!

Peppers and onions right now offer a perfect illustration of what we mean. Throughout the spring and even now in late summer, warehouse club prices for peppers and onions have been constant. These prices have been highly competitive, sometimes even beating, prices at the grocery store.

That relationship, because of the season, has just flipped. Prices for peppers and onions at most grocery stores are beating the warehouse price right now and will for the next couple of weeks or so. All produce prices are up this year. Yet, it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of these best prices and put away some peppers and onions in your freezer for use within 6 months.

Neither peppers nor onions need to be blanched. I chop both and place them raw into pint freezer bags in 1 cup portions. I find I use them regularly in cup increments. Once these little bags of onions and peppers are frozen, I place several of them in gallon storage bags. This way they are contained, quick to find in the freezer, and easy to see when my supply has been depleted. Best of all, when I need green pepper during the middle of winter and they’re $2.50 each at the grocery store, I can stroll right on by.

Here’s where my enthusiasm takes a hit  - the commercially prepared pepper jellies are colored a bright green or red with food dye.  As we mention in a note in the book, one way to avoid the dye is to prepare homemade pepper jelly or to look for dye-free versions in specialty shops or farmers’ markets. 

For example, I found one such offering at a farmer’s market while on vacation in Canada last summer.  I met Karen Pattison and she introduced me to her homegrown business, Bite-Size Specialty Foods.  Karen prepares all types of pickled vegetables and pepper jellies - natural and dye-free.  I love a bit of the Peach Habanero Pepper Jelly on a cracker with cream cheese!  I’m anxious to try Apricot Jalapeno Jelly and Raspberry Pepper Jelly, too.

Karen not only sells at her local farmer’s market, she supplies many shops and restaurants around Vancouver Island and the rest of British Columbia.  Fortunately for me, she now sells her product on-line - www.bitesizespecialtyfoods.com - so I don’t have to travel any further than my computer to stock up. 

This was my experience last weekend.  I over extended myself and needed to be done - fast!  I had to come up with some quick repackaging ideas and at least one of them proved quite useful.

If you don’t have time to cook all your meatballs according to the recipes in our book, try this:  divide the meatball ingredients among one-gallon freezer bags instead of mixing the whole works together in a bowl (into four one-gallon bags will go 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 3 T milk, 1 egg, 1 T minced onion, 1/2 T minced garlic, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper).  Seal each bag and massage with your hands to mix the ingredients.  Label and freeze.

When you want meatballs for dinner, thaw the ground beef mixture (as per safe food handling methods!) and roll into meatballs.  Cook and serve. 

It may not be as fast as having the meatballs and sauce all ready when they come out of the freezer, but it beats doing all the work at dinner time!

One customer, Joan, recently traveled to Colorado to visit her niece who just had a baby. Before she left she mentioned her trip to a friend who said “Why don’t you take The Warehouse Gourmet cookbook and cook for her while you’re there?” So that’s exactly what Joan did. Here’s the scoop in her own words:

My sister Janet and I were in Glenwood Springs, Colorado helping her daughter, Anne, who had a brand new baby as well as 2 other children ages 5 and 7. We made our choices from your book, wrote out a detailed shopping list and then hustled off to Safeway (no Costco there) and came home with mounds of food. We spent one day and part of an evening stirring and chopping and cooking and it was fun!! We put 26 meals in Anne’s freezer. It was a great opportunity to tangibly help Anne and her family and we had a delightful time doing it.

Isn’t that wonderful? Here is a picture of Joan and Janet in action.

Thanks for sharing your stories - please continue to let us know how you are using The Warehouse Gourmet. I am thrilled to have customers who are such gracious, generous people!

I had all kinds of problems that morning. I should mention that had I decided to make jam on any other day, it likely would have progressed more smoothly. I was clearly overscheduled and hadn’t allowed proper time. “It’s just jam,” I said. “It’ll be a snap. How hard could it be? How long could it take?” Famous. Last. Words.

While trying to find some solutions to my various challenges on the web, I ended up at Homecanning.com. This site is sponsored by the folks who make Ball and Kerr jars. There’s lots of great information here, ranging from recipes to basic canning FAQ and troubleshooting. And it, along with my various trusty extension service pamplets, did help me through the ordeal.

As I was browsing their site again later, I noticed they company has posted a list of the Sam’s Clubs which are carrying 18-count cases of regular pint jars. I’m sure it’s a great deal. Unfortunately there isn’t a store near me on this list. If any of you have a chance to check out prices, I’d enjoy hearing how the Sam’s price compares to your other local retailers.

These jars are handy to have around for home jam-making and canning. I also use them for storing extra dry goods, such as nuts, rice, and beans. If you’ve ever bought the huge packages of dry goods at the clubs, you might be interested in using a FoodSaver and its jar sealer accessory. These tools can greatly extend the shelf-life of these dry goods and keep them from going stale. I enjoy these FoodSaver items and will share more about what works for me next time.

Also, don’t forget to mark your calendar the week of July 31-August 6. The coupon for boneless chicken thighs is “buy one, get one free.” Early August is a great time to stock up the freezer with familiar, kid friendly meals, like our Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs. It’s amazing how a calm dinner hour can help everyone adjust to their new routine, while also giving you time to focus on all that’s new with the kids.

Happy cooking!

Picking up a used freezer can save you hundreds of dollars. Here are some tips:

1) Inspect all seals. Any seals that are falling away from the door, compressed (and not completely sealing), or stiff and cracking, can cause problems in the long run.

2) Consider the year the freezer was made. Newer models can be more energy efficient and have better design.

3) Take temperature readings on various shelves and racks to make sure the freezer is able to maintain a reading of 0 degrees or lower. Continue to check these temperatures regularly, as changes in readings from one time to the next, can signal your freezer may fail. And as Lindsay can attest, it’s no fun to throw everything out when the freezer dies*.

4) Check the return policy and/or warranty. Some appliance stores that refurbish used freezers offer warranties. This is valuable information to consider while making your purchasing decisions.

5) Finally, if you are purchasing a freezer from a newspaper ad or garage sale, ask the owner the reason for letting it go. When was the last time he checked internal temperatures? Does she know if there are any problems with it? Or any warm areas? How old is it? Where did she purchase it? Before you write the check, consider the costs of disposal. Your local waste hauler can give you an estimate. The seller may grant a partial discount based on this disposal fee–especially on older models.

Spring and summer are good seasons to be on the lookout for a used freezer. More people are moving, cleaning out the garage, and making decisions to upgrade, or downsize, depending on how the household is growing and changing.

*Linsday mentions 34-40 degrees as the “safety zone” in her blog. This is for regularly refrigerated food, not food in the freezer. If you know you’ve been in your freezer within the past couple of days but now it’s reading a temperature within this range, you can still use the food within a day or so if those temperatures are maintained. If it is over 40 degrees though, consider it spoiled and throw it out. Better to be safe than sick!

Now if you are a person who bleeds green when cut, this may upset you. “Kati,” you may say, “but the Energy Star website says that qualified models are 40% MORE efficient than 2001 models. That’s something.” And that’s true: it IS something. It’s just not enough, when I crunch the numbers, to make me want to replace my freezer.

Let’s take the upright, self-defrost model preferred by Consumer Reports, the 16.7 cubic foot model from Frigidaire. And let me just note here, that I could not find any self-defrost freezer that is Energy Star qualified. If you want Energy Star qualfied you have to a) buy manual defrost (no way), or b) buy a chest freezer (double no way–in all of my years of teaching and working with women, if ever there was a problem with bags breaking during defrosting, becoming unsealed, or meals getting lost, 99 times out of 100 it was a chest-freezer issue.)

What was I talking about again? Ah yes, the Frigidaire. This model uses 682 kwh per year at a cost of roughly $55.00. So let’s say I could find an Energy Star model, that means I would only save an additional $25.00 per year in electricity. ONLY $25.00. Frankly, if a single meal in the freezer saves me from going out to eat with the family for just one time I’ve already saved $25.00 right there. (Ok, maybe if we did take and bake pizza, it would take two meals from the freezer, but you get my point.)

So here’s what I’d do: BUY USED! More on that in my next blog…

P.S. If you are in the market for a new appliance, are on a budget, and want to get the most bang for your energy buck, consider buying an Energy Star washing machine. The new front-loaders are energy AND water efficient AND will make a noticeable impact on the bills. By making this change, you can save between $125-150.00 per year! Be sure to contact your local power company, water company, and state energy office to see if there are any tax credits or rebates that can reduce the purchase price. It really will make a difference over the years!

Yes, of course you do…just like the rest of us! Trust me, it is the rare cook who is conjuring up new and exciting recipes for his or her family all the time. Almost everyone I know who is in the parenting trenches or who works full time (or both!), cycles through the same few favorite recipes.

For those who aren’t big fans of cooking or are generally uninspired, it is an easy trap to think that making the same few meals over and over is a sign of culinary imperfection. The reality is that even the best cooks rotate through the same menu favorites. (Celebrity cook Rachael Ray excluded, perhaps; I just saw her book called 365: No Repeats. Phew, who needs that kind of pressure?)

Why do we do it? Because it is easy to do what we know. It is faster and more convenient. It is tried and true. Most of us feed our families that way. It is not a measure of domestic prowess!

Chances are the same few meals you are cycling through now are different from those you did when you first began your family. Or your winter meals are different from your summer meals. You probably have more variety than you give yourself credit for. In any case, you can add more variety if you want to. Just do it a bit at a time to avoid a mealtime revolt from the rest of your family, who probably prefer the routine. (Just ask me about my mother’s infamous venture into health food, and the family joke about lentil burgers!)

As you fill your freezer with make ahead meals, don’t be bothered if you have many of a few different things. As you build up your inventory, you will add to the variety. When you are tempted to feel guilty about preparing the same recipes over again, think about the rest of us who are doing the same!

This is where I sign off. I have to go pull out some meat sauce from the freezer. Its spaghetti night…again!

While I can’t comment on the advertising practices of Whole Foods, I will tell you that there are many good points made by the writer about how the organic foods movement may be straying from original intentions to promote “social and environmental ethics.” (Notice that the author leaves the health benefits unchallenged.)

One main criticism is that by choosing internationally grown organics over local conventionally grown produce, organic consumers fail to support small family farmers and end up wasting more energy than organic farming saves. (As you may know, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers contain oil and gas derivatives and take a lot of energy to produce.)

And she’s correct on this point: it is very important to buy food grown or ranched close to home. Obviously buying food from the town next door is better than imports from China, Chile, or Mexico. The closer the better (unless you actually live in China, Chile, or Mexico, that is).

Having grown up in Iowa during the 1980s, I can attest to the importance of purchasing your produce from local farmers and ranchers. Buying local means your food will be more fresh, also retaining higher vitamin and mineral content. And it keeps your dollars in the local community, thereby strengthening it and keeping jobs.

So how does a person navigate the organics vs. conventional, small family vs. corporate farm, local vs. regional vs. international? I can’t decide that for you. But here’s what I do (in order):

1) Buy organic produce on the Foodnews list, regardless of who produces it and where. This is an issue of health for my family.

2) Buy produce as close to home as possible. I’ve joined a CSA (community supported farm), attend farmer’s markets during the growing season, and seek out u-pick farms whenever possible. I enjoy the freshness, seasonality, and personality I have found at all of these venues; and,

3) Buy food items that are from companies committed to doing business according to your values. For example, since I prefer buying my dairy produced on small farms or by dairy co-operatives, I rely on organizations that do research and make available consumer scorecards. This scorecard from The Cornucopia Institute was a great find (hat tip to the gals at MoreHipThanHippee for it). But if you cannot find any information on the web or the store personnel are not helpful, call the manufacturer directly and ask.

In my next Greener Freezer blog, I’ll share my research on the top energy-efficient (Energy Star) upright freezers with some more smart consumer tips. It’s a real barn-burner, as we used to say in Iowa (hmmm…maybe they still do!?). Stay tuned…

One great tip Sarah shared is this: when she pulls out her Warehouse Gourmet cookbook to make a recipe, she slips it inside a one-gallon freezer bag. Any drips or spills are easily wiped off. Terrific idea! I made Chicken Broccoli Bake that afternoon and I tried this tip right away. It was so nice to have the book right there in the midst of all my sauce making and chicken cutting and not have to worry a bit about mucking it up.

Thank you, Sarah, for your gracious, giving heart and your tip, too!

Several concerns about plastic bags have been brought to our attention in the last week, since this article came out in the New York Times. It suggests research is showing that chemicals are leaching out of plastic bags and into the food.

Specifically, the article mentions the chemical BPA (bisphenol A) and pthalates. Both of which researchers are linking to “endocrine disruption.” In an interesting research finding recently, BPA was also linked to insulin resistence in laboratory animals. And the beat goes on…

Bag manufacturers are beginning to dislose to consumers the compounds used in their plastics. Ziploc cites on its website (click on FAQ):

SC Johnson does not use BPA in its plastic products, Ziploc Brand bags and containers, and Saran brand wraps.

Our goal here isn’t to alarm you but rather, to share what we learn so you, as a consumer, can make the best choices for you and your family. I am digging and doing more research on BPA, plasticizers, and PVC. I will be testing products which do not contain (or contain less of these) compounds to see how they compare.