Tag Archives: at home

Smart Home Economics – Stretching It; Stretch It Good.

April 20, 2023at home, cooking, essay, home economicsat home, cooking, home ec, home economics, homemakingThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

Without doubt, no matter where you live, life continues to present various challenges, and with the ridiculous inflationary reality all of us are experiencing, it can become one heck of a trial to maintain your household on a sensible budget. Here at The Oasis of Four Queen Palms, we work diligently to maintain a sensible household budget, without sacrificing nutrition and quality. With the ever-rising cost of groceries, using every bit of food, and wisely buying provisions, is a key to a sensible household budget. My “waste not, want not” motto works comfortably in this economic climate. Not only is it smart to follow for everyday home resources, but it is also a practical, wise, and economical way to get the most out of food and leftovers, so why not wisely stretch meals and create light lunches or suppers, while keeping the cost of food as reasonable as possible?

So far, I have shared with you my tips on making scones and pies, tempting chicken stew, stretching relatively inexpensive cabbage, making shepherd’s pie with leftovers, and creating soups. In this essay, I’ll share some of my ideas on stretching linguini and chili, too.

When it comes to cooking and baking, I prefer making as much as I can from scratch. It really is hardly any extra work, it takes about the same time as opening a box of mix, and it’s much healthier than processed foods.

I took a recipe I found for spaghetti with garbanzo beans and tailored it a bit to match the taste of my family. This was so simple to make and inexpensive. I used cooked linguini (although any type of pasta will work). I took a half cup of dried garbanzo beans, soaked them overnight, then cooked them. Afterwards, I drained and dried them before sautéing them in olive oil. Meanwhile, I cooked the linguini. Next up, I took a fresh lemon, juiced it, and mixed it into the drained pasta. I mixed in the sautéed garbanzos until thoroughly blended. A bit of oregano, basil, and thyme and about a cup of fresh spinach finished the preparation, and it was ready for the table. We liked it, and by adding so many garbanzos to the dish, it helped to stretch the meal.

The weather got a little cool one week, and Best Friend and I had a taste for homemade chili. Out came the slow cooker. I put a pound of fresh ground beef, mixed in a cup of fresh beans that I soaked overnight, stirred in leftover corn, and sprinkled in cumin, chili powder, onions, and garlic. After mixing it well, I poured in a can of no salt added diced tomatoes and about two cups of water. Ten hours of slow cooking, and lunch the next day was superb! I baked a few flour tortillas cut into strips and threw in a dollop of sour cream. Besides, I had enough left over chili to freeze for another couple of lunches.

Note: The dried beans will expand as they soak and cook, and I like using quite a bit to make the chili more of a bean meal with a touch of meat.

Dried beans and lentils are still relatively inexpensive, so by using them in cooking helps to stretch meals and keep them healthy.

As ever,

Smart Home Economics – Scones and Pies.

April 13, 2023at home, baking, books, cooking, current events, home economicsat home, baking, coffee, cooking, home ec, home economics, homemaking, rhubarb pie, scones, teaThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

From time to time, I write essays outlining my practices and procedures for stretching the grocery dollar in this horrendous inflationary economy. Without doubt, this era presents challenges, and with the ridiculous inflationary reality all of us are experiencing, it can become one heck of a challenge to maintain your household on a sensible budget. Here at The Oasis of Four Queen Palms, we work diligently to maintain a sensible household budget, without sacrificing nutrition and quality. Therefore, with the ever-rising cost of foodstuffs, using every bit of food and wisely buying provisions, is the key to maintaining the household on a sensible budget. My “waste not, want not” motto works well. Not only is it a good practice to follow with everyday home resources, but it is also a practical, wise, and economical way to get the most out of food and leftovers. So why not wisely create light and healthy scones and pies, while keeping the cost of food as reasonable as possible?

It can be done.

So far, I have shared with you my tips on making chicken stew, stretching relatively inexpensive cabbage, making shepherd’s pie with leftovers, and creating soups from simple ingredients. In this essay, I’ll share some of my ideas on two of my favorite desserts: scones and rhubarb pie.

At the beginning of Lent 2023, I took on a project to make several batches of miniature scones. I used the scone recipes that are found at the King Arthur Flour website, and from there I modified the “fillings” to my family’s taste. The basic dough remained the same, but by adding dried fruit such as apricots, raisins, cranberries, apples, and dates, Best Friend and I have good choices of sweet scones to have in the morning with coffee, or in the afternoon with tea. I also made savory scones by taking the basic dough and adding bacon, ham, onions, chives, and herbs. Either way, by blending, for example, bacon with dates, I had a batch of savory-sweet scones. Scones with apricots are a taste sensation. Even a simple batch of scones with ham and cheddar cheese are a delight to eat. Using leftover filling ingredients is a smart way to use up what you have without throwing it out when there isn’t enough to make a full meal by itself.

Pies are another way to stretch your dollar. I make my own pie crust. The fillings? Well, I sometimes really go to town on that. If I have a little bit of this-and-that (raisins, an apple, a peach, or any other little bits of fruit), I mix them together for an interesting “harvest pie.” A few weeks ago, I found fresh rhubarb at the grocery store at a good price; so just by itself, I baked a tart rhubarb pie that was a hit.

And pies don’t always have to be sweet. Using the same principals, if I have leftover or small amounts of vegetables like corn, peas, carrots, and broccoli, I mix them together with or without chicken or beef and create a savory pie good enough for company.

So, by using a little savvy, some creativity, and smart planning, you will find that stretching your grocery dollar can be fun, and it just might take your mind off of the challenging economy.

As ever,

Gracious Holiday Living – Part II.

December 8, 2022at home, dining, etiquette, holidays, mannersat home, dining, dining at home, entertaining, good china, good silverware, holidays, homemaking, linen napkins, setting a tableThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

One of the things that I enjoy doing is homemaking. Yes, honest-to-goodness homemaking. And that includes preparing and presenting meals at home.

I always held the belief that eating at home should be just as elegant as dining out at a nice restaurant. For that reason, most of the meals at home are on a properly set table, with our good china and silverware, nice napkins, crystal wine glasses, lit candles in crystal holders, and perhaps a flower centerpiece. This arrangement goes for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Sometimes we’ll tune into a Mantovani or a Tony Bennett CD for some mood music. It’s all covered.

Now, sometimes when Best Friend and I are eating light and having only a simple thrown-together sandwich, we might eat it off of paper plates, although those paper plates are invariably good quality and the seasonally decorated ones (not the flimsy boring white ones), with matching paper napkins.

Yes, the two of us eat at home with all the class and decorum of hosting a dinner with invited guests.

We generally put aside our technological devices at the table. I admit that sometimes I will have mine nearby out of horrific habit, but I am getting better at not using it as some awful crutch. We might quickly use a device to clarify a fact of some sort with the conversational topic we are having, but other than that – no devices at the table.

This set-up of eating at home in an elegant manner is a year-round tradition in our home, not just for those special occasions and holidays. Each day is extraordinarily special in our book. Think about some of the characters on the program, The Office, who ate lunch together at work once a month, eating off of good plates, using good silverware, and holding intelligent conversation. It’s easy to do if you try it, and you will find that you will feel good about eating like a civilized person.

I do recommend it for everyone, even for the singles who live alone. For the time I lived by myself, I ate my meals at my dinette table with good dishes and well-made and well-presented meals. If I stopped on the way home from work for an Italian beef sandwich, when I got home that sandwich found itself on a real plate on my dinette table, along with a good napkin and silverware. If I also brought home something to drink, I poured that drink in a good glass – no drinking directly from the bottle or can! (Would you drink straight from the milk jug in the refrigerator? Hmmmmm?) And I did not eat while watching television. One enjoys the taste of the meal better when fully engaged. (I did not, in fact, watch television for years, and the only time I turned it on was to watch an old movie on TCM, and that waiting until I was done eating.)

I cannot imagine dining at home in a helter-skelter and sloppy manner, when it is so easy to eat like a civilized person.

Make your holiday season classy.

As ever,

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