Back Home
Buy tomatoes in bulk when they're in season or take advantage of an oversupply from your garden. Wash and throroughly dry the tomatoes, place the whole tomatoes in plastic bags, then freeze them for use in sauces. When the tomatoes are thawed the skins will slip off easily. And if you find you don't have time to wait for them to thaw, just run them under hot water, and this will help to peel off the skins.
Buy a canned ham; slice and freeze for use as breakfast meat. Ham is cheaper than bacon and shrinks less when fried.
Buy cheese according to the way in which you will use it. A chunk of cheese rather than slices is better for shredding or for serving as an hors d'oeuvre. Individually wrapped slices last longer but are more expensive. Buy chunk cheese and slice it, then wrap each slice individually.
Buy canned chunk lite tuna rather than solid-pack white tuna for use in casseroles. Chunk light tuna has the same flavor and provides the same nutrients at a lower price.
Substitute round or chuck roast for sirloin or rib roast. Sprinkle the roast with meat tenderizer, following package directions. Roast at 475F for 25 minutes to sear; reduce heat to 350F and roast 45 minutes to an hour longer, until meat thermometer regiestes rare or medium-rare. Slice thinly on the diagonal.
Wash and chop wilted celery, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and zucchini. Sutee in butter with onion and garlic for a quick mixed-vegetable dish. Or you can cook these vegetables in chicken stock until just tender to make chicken-vegetable soup.
Minimize trimming of leaves and stalks on fresh vegetables. Don't discard outer leaves of leafy vegetables; they contain vitamins and minerals.
Chop and freeze the unused portion of fresh parsley or chives before they have a chance to wither.
Extend the life of fresh herbs by setting bunches of herbs in jars with an inch or two of water; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Freeze chopped onion, green pepper or olives loosely packed in plastic containers so that you can take out small amounts as needed.
Freeze extra mushrooms when you have bought more than you need to use right away. Saute the extra mushrooms with 1 cup water. Cool the mushrrom mixture, then freeze in ice-cube trays. Place frozen cubes in a plastic bag and return to freezer. Add to sauces or soups as needed.
Make your own bread crumbs--it's easy! Place stale bread in the oven to dry at a low temperature for several minutes; turn off oven and let bread remain until it is dry throughout. Grind and use in place of commercial bread crumbs.
Mix 1 cup purchased plain bread crumbs or 1 cup homemade bread crumbs with 1/4 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon oregano and 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt for inexpensive seasoned bread crumbs.
Make croutons from stale bread (2 1/2 slices bread make 1/2 cup croutons). Spread 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil on each slice of bread. Remove crusts; cut bread into cubes; place on a jelly-roll pan or rimmed backing sheet. Bake at 400F for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, season with garlic salt, sesame seeds, Parmesan cheese or herbs. Use croutons in soups, salads and casseroles.
Make a substitution for buttermilk instead of buying a quart when the recipe calls for only 1 cup; Place 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon vinegar in a measuring cup; add milk to make 1 cup.
Make powdered sugar rather than buying a whole box when you need only a few tablespoons. Use your blender to turn granulated sugar into powdered sugar. A half cup of blended granulated sugar make a cup of powdered sugar, so measure accordingly.
Buy frozen concentrated orange juice; it is usually less expensive than canned or bottled orange juice. It is even cheaper than squeezing fresh oranges. To rev up the taste, reconstitue the frozen concentrated orange juice in your blender, using refrigerated water rather than tap water. The combination of the chilled water and the added air improves the taste enormously.
MAKING THE MOST OF LEFTOVERS:Add frozen or refrigerated leftover rice to soup or stir-fry rice with onion and thyme and serve as a side dish. Thaw frozed leaftover rice by placeing it in a colander and pouring boiling water over it; drain well.
Serve leaftover eggnog over vanilla ice cream
Slice extra baked potatoes and toss with salad dressing while they are still warm. Cool and refrigerate overnight for potato salad.
Freeze extra cooked spaghetti. Thaw by placing it in a colander and pouring boiling water over the spaghetti; drain. Toss with sauteed vegetables and soy sauce for lo mein.
Freeze extra cooked pasta in plastic bags. When you have enough for a meal, even though you have a variety of shapes, thaw and toss with sauteed Italian sausage, onion and green or red pepper. Heat and serve with Parmesan cheese.
Freeze small amounts of extra uncooked fish and shellfish in plastic bags. When you have a variety, thaw and use in seafood sauce for spaghetti or fold into cream sauce and bake in baking shells for seafood Thermidor.
Cook vegetables only until tender to minimize shrinkage and ensure peak flavor, color, texture and nutritional value. Use a steamer to cook more than one vegetable at the same time. Spinach and other greens can be cooked just in the water still clinging wo their leaves after washing. Use a tight-fitting lid and cook over low heat.
Stretch shrimp by splitting lengthwise. Split shrimp, which must be cooked very quickly, are expecially good stir-fried with vegetables.
Stretch a pie recipe that serves 6 to 8 and make a dessert for 10 to 12; Make mini pies in muffin tins or baking cups. Or use a no-bake cream pie recipe; Spoon cookie crumbs into baking cups, top with cream filling and chill, then spoon on your favorite fruit.
Save on your energy bill by heating bread or rolls on the lid of a simmering saucepan or skillet instead of using your oven.
Extend the life of many foods by refrigerating them; even if they don't require it. Some examples: raisins and other dried fruits, coffee, flour and nutmeats.
Get more nutrition for you money by serving fruit juices instead of soda or serve fruit juices mixed with plain seltzer. In hot weather, of course, iced coffee or iced tea is a low-cost alternative to serving soda or fruit juices.
Back Home
