Thrifty Treats and other musings . . .

What is it with scraps/leftovers? It seems that every time I get some new fabric, I tend to come home and create a new quilt primarily out of scraps I already had on hand. Some of my best quilts come from my ever-growing scrap boxes. Having to work with less seems to ignite my creative spirit to see how far I can stretch things. Yes, the new fabrics eventually get used but that just renews the scrap boxes and . . .

The same goes with my cooking/baking. My most memorable meals or baked goods have come from those before pay day weeks when I have to make do with what I have on hand. I guess it just shows that no matter how little it seems I have on hand, you can come up with a warm meal or a warm quilt!

I read about a man who loved to quilt. It was during either the Depression or a war so he had to be extremely thrifty in his use of fabric. He would cut postage-sized pieces of fabric and come up with the most beautiful quilts. A yard of fabric in his hands certainly went a lot further than it does in mine . . . even with my scrap collection.

I suppose that idea of thrift and care for what we are blessed with seeped into my ideas about cooking/baking. I enjoy the times I have to forage through the freezer and cupboards to produce a meal. Knowing that the lean times do arrive rather frequently, I watch my use of food in the 'abundant' times!

We love roasted chicken but I never throw away the carcass. It goes into the freezer and, eventually, makes a great pot of broth. The same goes for roasts and pork bones. Sometimes, I have an extra boneless chicken breast left. It is amazing how a pot of soup comes together with the broth, the finely chopped up chicken leftover, a few carrots, and some pasta or dumplings. Thrift and love . . . they seem to come hand in hand when it comes to providing for the family!

One of our favorite, thrifty snacks was 'invented' by my husband.

4 cup all- purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Enough cool water to form a workable dough
Enough oil for frying

Stir the yeast into about a quarter up of cool water. Add this to the flour and salt. Mix in water gradually until you have a workable dough. It shouldn't be too firm but you don't want loose and sticky either.

Roll out pieces of the dough and cut into strips. A pizza cutter works great. Drop them into the hot fat (I use a large, heavy frying pan for this) and fry until golden. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with either powdered sugar or a cinnamon/sugar mix.

Out of the mouth of babes . . .

My 18 year old had an interesting and somewhat profound view on the recent back and forth with the funding from Susan G. Komen to Planned Parenthood. He said that it seemed to him that if Komen had taken a stand and stuck with it, he'd have more respect for their group than the obvious caving in of their decision in the face of opposition. He said that backing down the day after making such an announcement seemed to show to him that they really have no solid ground of belief either way on the subject otherwise they wouldn't have wavered at the first sign of disagreement.

When the whole story broke initially about them stopping funding to Planned Parenthood, I mentioned that it would be a nice gesture to send Komen a donation in thanks. My son said to wait because it didn't seem like a done deal in spite of the publicity. He was correct and I wa fortunate to not have thrown my money into an organization of which I wasn't entirely in agreement.

We were talking with our pastor this morning and he said that, yes, Planned Parenthood would abide by the limitation of use on the funds and not use it for abortion.  However, by giving them money to go only towards 'women's health', it frees up their other money to go towards abortion. This happens all the time in business practice and it's legal . . . but legal, in this case, doesn't necessarily make it right.

Cheddar Bratwurst Soup

The weatherman promises us some cooling temperatures this coming week and a pot of this soup comes to mind. It's like having a cheese sandwich in a bowl with the addition of some decadent protein. Not the fare of the diet-minded but worth a splurge. After all, doesn't shivering in the cold burn off extra calories? Think about it . . .  We can stretch a point and call this an exercise soup! I like the fact that we usually have the ingredients on hand. If the Bratwurst isn't available, just cheddar soup has it's benefits, too, especially if it is before payday and it tastes so rich in spite of the budget.

Cheddar Bratwurst Soup

3 Bratwurst, sliced and browned
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (½ cup)
1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded (½ cup)
½ cup finely diced celery
6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup all-purpose flour

In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and slightly brown but not burned.

Add stock, milk, chili flakes, and pepper to onion mixture. Bring to a slow simmer. Mix the shredded cheese with the flour to coat. Add the cheese/flour to the pot, stirring until cheese melts and blends in. Keep on low heat as boiling might cause the mixture to lump up or separate. When the soup is thickened, stir in the prepared Bratwurst and serve.

Ideas . . .

Make some croutons out of rye bread and scatter on each serving. (Cube bread and brown with a bit of butter and garlic powder)

Have some tortilla chips on the side for crunching into the soup or dipping.

Fresh, warm tortillas go well with this.

Some Funny, some too close to home . . .

"Humor is always based on a modicum of truth. Have you ever heard a joke about a father-in-law?"
-- Dick Clark

"Always get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted a whole day."
-- Mickey Rooney

"Of those who say nothing, few are silent."
-- Thomas Neill

"A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing."
-- Alexander Hamilton

Getting particular about the free food . . .

The freeloading cats on our front porch are all front and center each morning and evening for whatever we might want to offer them in the way of food. We usually keep dry cat food on hand and a few cans of the 'good stuff' as a treat. Last night, we had leftover rice fritata and put that out for them. The two gray cats immediately dug in happily. The Siamese came over, tasted a bit and wrinkled his nose in distaste. Thinking it might be just that corner of the dish, he jumped over one of his friends, pushed him aside, and tried from there. Didn't like it. Howl the Siamese did this a few times until he gave up in disgust and just glared at the other two who were obviously enjoying the treat.

We did note that the mixed vegetables in the fritata were not to anyone's liking. The smaller, gray cat would take in a big mouthful of food, chew, swallow, and then spit out pieces of carrot and green bean. Given their age in cat years, typical teenage reaction to good food!

*A fritata is a cooked mixture of rice, mixed vegetables, egg, cheese, and herbs fried in a big 'pancake' in the frying pan - a favorite of my children - kid and cat friendly! :-)

Chick's Exciting Day . . .

Ever since the stray cats have taken up residence on our front porch, Chick has been desperate to give them a good doggie snuffle, a chance to smell exactly what the critters are and would she like them. Yesterday, I had the door open a crack and one of the cats was standing right there. Chick came up behind me and immediately pushed her nose into the door opening. The cat glanced up, stopped to stare, and then went right up to Chick's nose and sniffed it. Chick snorted in delight. The cat jumped back. I closed the door and Chick went back to gazing out the window happy in the knowledge that she now knew what that animal smelled like . . . and still not sure exactly what it was.

Cheer Up Stuff . . .

"An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it."
-- Jef Mallett

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious."
-- Brendan Gill

"If one sticks too rigidly to one's principles, one would hardly see anybody."
-- Agatha Christie

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
-- Charles M. Schulz

The Liberal Mind Set . . .

I don't understand liberals especially when it comes to abortion. A year or so ago, in Miama, FL, a late-term baby was delivered alive before the clinic could 'take care of matters'. The baby was put into a trash bag and thrown away - alive, effectively killing the baby. According to the article, even some of the pro-choice people were taken aback. Uh, if the abortion had gone to plan, the baby probably would have been dismembered or partially delivered, stabbed in the back of the head - alive, effectively killing the baby. Why do the liberal abortion factions see a difference here? They got the same result so why the consternation?

I don't think any of us could take on even a fraction of the pain this must cause the Blessed Mother when she sees the life her Son sends so brutally treated. Doesn't say much about us as a civilized society. Scary to think what further indignities the future holds for us and the fragile unborn.

Something to think about in this world of ours . . .

“I will see the hand of God in all that happens to me, attributing nothing to individual people, who are but instruments used by Him in the work of my sanctification.” ~Blessed Raphaela Mary