A new-to-us green: salad burnet

One of our neighbors gave us this plant last summer, but I didn't use it until this spring. I planted it in the center of our vegetable garden with other herbs. This spring, and now summer, I've been using it regularly.

Technically, salad burnet is an herb. However many people use it as a leafy vegetable, in greater quantity per dish than would be used by most herbs.

It is perennial and overwinters in the garden in zones 4 through 10, but can survive lower temperatures (zone 3) with a leaf mulch. Salad burnet can also be grown as an annual. It prefers cooler weather, making it a great addition to spring and early summer meals and beverages in my area.

It's habit is a rosette form comprised of thin stems with multiple toothed, coin-sized leaves along each side of the stem. It's these small leaves that are used in cooking.

Salad burnet has a mild cucumber flavor and is used in salads, mixed into cottage cheese, blended with cream  cheese or butter to use as a sandwich spread, mixed with plain yogurt, sour cream, and/or mayo for a dip, in cold soups, in flavored water, and in herb vinegars. Its delicate flavor is best preserved when used in the raw form. However, it can be added to hot dishes like soup or scrambled eggs, just at the last minute. I've used the whole leaves in salads, but the leaves will impart more flavor to spreads and dips if chopped.

I've been using it primarily in salads. We like it in leafy green tossed salads. Tonight I also used a large handful in potato salad. 

To use, you pick whole stems, then pluck off the individual leaves and discard the stems.

Nutritionally, salad burnet contains bioflavonoids and polyphenols like quercetin and caffeic acid. It is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. And it also contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and some of the B vitamins as well as iron and potassium.

Plants can be started from seeds or cuttings. My neighbor started a flat of salad burnet from seeds for a garden sale and gave me one of her leftover plants. It did well last summer and could have been used, but I didn't yet know how to best use it. We did taste it, however, and thought the cucumber flavor was pleasant.

Like other herbs, salad burnet will eventually flower then go to seed. I've been removing the flower buds this month to prolong the production of leafy stems. 

A good-to-know thing -- it's not invasive, but will spread through self-seeding.

I wanted to share about salad burnet because it's a lesser known garden addition, but one that my family is enjoying.

Rhubarb Slab Tart

Part slab pie, part pop tart 

slab tart just out of the oven and before cutting into 12 equal squares.

If you remember, one of my summer budget activities was to bake more fruit pies. I think this qualifies.

Saturday was a very rainy day. There was no chance I would be able to work in the garden or even want to. So I chose to spend the day in the kitchen. One of the foods that I made was a 5-crust batch of pie pastry. I froze 3 portions in 5-inch diameter disks and used the other 2 portions in this rhubarb slab tart.

While the pastry was chilling, I quickly (and briefly -- I didn't want the rhubarb to fall apart) cooked 3 fat stalks of rhubarb, diced, in some water, then added cornstarch to thicken and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to sweeten. After cooling, the thickened rhubarb filling was ready for the pastry. I used a shallow baking pan, about 10 X 13 inches. The pastry was sealed along the edges, but I didn't do anything fancy with crimping. I baked the tart until it looked lightly golden.

This is a breakfast version of pie, like having a healthier pop tart. It's lower in added sugar than pie -- just over 1 teaspoon of added sugar in each serving. And I made the pastry with part whole wheat flour. Despite this good stuff, it does contain a fair amount of fat in the pastry and could possibly be made lower in fat with less pastry. 

As a dessert, each serving is less fat and calories than a standard slice of pie, as my two-crust slab tart was divided into 12 portions after baking. I know in our house, we never cut a regular pie into 12 wedges.

It's been a tasty breakfast treat and dessert item in our house, and another good way to use garden rhubarb surplus. Who would say "no" to a piece of pie for breakfast?!

How I saved big money this week

Both automobile and homeowner insurance have risen substantially in my area over the last year. My agent tells me this is due to more people (percentage-wise) filing claims combined with an increase in cost for repairs, replacements, and materials. (We know first hand the increase in cost for materials from last year when we put a new roof on our house.) When I opened our latest homeowner insurance paperwork a month ago I was flabbergasted.

I went through the details thoroughly and found two errors. I phoned the agent and asked to have these corrected, plus I asked her if there was anything further we could do to lower the premium, We went through our coverage and the details of our home that affect the cost of insurance. She, then, corrected the errors I found and submitted our current information to the underwriting department. While I was recovering from my surgery, she took some time to refigure various changes to our policy. This week she presented me with the options. 

With the errors corrected and altering our coverage slightly, we were able to shave about $2000 off of the annual premium! That's a substantial savings. All because I thoroughly looked through the details of the policy and then asked what else we could do to reduce the premium.

We've been loyal customers for many years. Our agent has been good about helping us in the past. I wasn't sure if there would be much more we could do to reduce the premium. But I asked, and she did her part.

What I'm saying is it never hurts to ask. The answer may be there's nothing they can do for you. But then again, there may be a whole lot they can do. 

have a great weekend, friends!

The Buy Only These 20 Items At the Grocery Store Video

Here's another video review. I was finishing up my walking indoors this afternoon and this one came up in my recommended videos. The title was something like Buy Only These 20 Items At The Grocery Store. That intrigued me, so I watched.

His aim was to suggest foods to build healthy menus, economically, which I think is what our group tries to do.

Here are the items the youtuber selected:

1-Olive oil
2-Garlic
3-Onions 
4-Whole chicken
5-Ground beef
6-Lentils or beans, canned or dry
7-Eggs
8-Canned fish
9-Salt
10-Fresh veg like carrots & celery
11-Frozen mixed vegetables
12-Canned tomatoes
13-Pasta
14-Rice, brown
15-Flour
16-Milk
17-Butter
18-Cheese
19-Peanut butter
20-Fruits -- apples, bananas, citrus were his mentions

Overall, I liked his list. It aligns with my own tendencies when grocery shopping. I buy basic ingredients that are budget friendly, and then cook and bake from those items. I also keep a basic shopping list in my notepad app. I use this as a springboard for developing my grocery list each week, adding some items and taking some off the list, as needed .

There were a few foods that I really think he should have included, rolled oats, yeast, sugar, and mayonnaise. Granted you wouldn't need to buy mayo every week, but making sure you always had some on hand to bind ingredients in sandwich fillings like egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad. I would also alternate whole potatoes with brown rice or pasta on a weekly basis for variety. And I would include both whole wheat and all-purpose flour in the flour entry. 

If money was especially tight and I could only choose a couple of types of fresh vegetables and fruits each week, I would alternate what I bought on a weekly basis. For example, week one, buy carrots, celery, and cabbage. Week two, buy a bundle of whatever dark leafy greens were budget priced, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Week three, buy celery, winter squash, and fresh green beans (if in season). I would buy either carrots or celery every week, as these veggies make good raw snacking or additions to meals, especially appropriate for lunch boxes. I would do something similar with fresh fruit, buying an in-season fruit like oranges in winter and spring, or melons in summer, or apples in fall and winter plus always fresh bananas. (Bananas remain steady in their price year round and can be eaten as is, go in smoothies, oatmeal, top pancakes, or baked into muffins or quick bread.) I would keep in mind that we need a source of Vitamin C each week. So in winter and spring I would buy plenty of oranges. In summer and fall I might make sure we always have fresh veggies to eat raw that are a good source of Vitamin C, such as raw cabbage or raw broccoli.

Otherwise, I think you could make a week's worth of varied meals that would satisfy both children and adults alike.

In thinking through a menu using just these items, I was considering what foods a kid might like, or not be embarrassed to have in their sack lunch. There's no point in going to the effort to make a healthy lunch of rice and lentils for a child's school day lunch if that lunch never makes it out of the bag to be eaten. Ditto on strange concoctions for breakfasts and kids who may not want to even take a bite.

So I set out to make a kid-friendly menu suggestion list, using just these above ingredients (plus my additions of oats, yeast, sugar, mayo), and the basic seasonings and baking necessities you might already have in the cupboard, items like baking powder, vinegar, and spices and herbs. 

Breakfast ideas:

smoothies using fruit, milk, peanut butter

muffins using flour, eggs, milk, sugar, spices, dices of fresh fruit, butter or oil

homemade banana bread using bananas, flour, egg, sugar, butter, baking powder

granola and milk using oats, sugar, spices, butter

homemade granola bars using oats and a binding mixture made of peanut butter, sugar, water, spices, salt cooked on the stove then poured over oats and pressed into a pan

hot oatmeal and milk

biscuit, egg, and cheese sandwiches

breakfast burritos using homemade tortillas from flour, oil, water and filled with egg, cheese, and spiced beans

pancakes with a fruit topping using flour, egg, oil/butter, salt, baking powder, milk

homemade pop tarts or hand pies using flour, oil/butter, salt for the pastry and sweetened cooked fruit for the filling

French toast using homemade bread, egg, milk with fruit topping, fresh sliced or cooked and spiced 

I think that all of those ideas would appeal to many or most kids and be welcomed by adults in the household too.

Lunches (lunch bag type for school)

Lunches get a little more difficult, as kids are very aware of what their peers think of what's in their lunch. But I think with some creativity, school lunches could be made appealing. Here are some suggestions:

Sandwiches on homemade bread using flour, yeast, salt, sugar, oil/butter -- cheese (grilled or cold cheese), peanut butter (in schools that allow peanuts), chicken salad (using leftover cooked chicken), egg salad, and tuna sandwiches.

Any of the above fillings could also go into a wrap sandwich using a homemade tortilla in place of bread. A batch of tortillas can be made and frozen separated by double sheets of waxed paper to be taken out of the freezer to thaw the evening before using. 

Leftover cheese pizza --when all my kids were in school, I made extra pizza each week. I would cut the extra pizza into slices, wrap separately and freeze to pull out to thaw one at a time as needed for their lunches. They had access to a microwave most years, but also told me they often ate the pizza cold.

Sides and desserts for the lunchbox:

pieces of fruit, either whole or cut

homemade granola bars

carrot or celery sticks

homemade peanut butter, oatmeal or sugar cookies

homemade hand pies

slices of banana bread

At-home lunches

Kid friendly lunches to be eaten at home are so much easier and there is so much variety that can be achieved. Here are some suggested lunch items:

scratch macaroni and cheese

homemade chicken noodle soup

homemade tomato,  vegetable or minestrone soup

grilled cheese sandwiches

jo-jo potatoes or oven fries

bean and cheese burritos with Spanish rice

chicken and rice casserole

rice and lentil pilaf

spaghetti, with or without meat in the sauce

cheese pizza making a scratch crust from yeast, flour, salt, oil, sugar, plus homemade sauce using canned tomatoes, topped with cheese

homemade fish cakes to be put on buns for a fish sandwich or eaten as is with homemade tartar sauce

sides of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, plus cookies, hand pies, or homemade snack cakes/quick breads

Dinners:

All of the lunch suggestions, plus:

roasted whole chicken and all of the subsequent meals from the leftovers (plus stock made with the bones)

meatloaf or meatloaf burgers

Salisbury steak

burrito bowls using beans, ground beef, onions/garlic, rice, tomatoes, cheese, seasonings

tuna casserole using canned tuna, pasta, white sauce binder from butter, flour, milk, and salt, celery, cheese and bread crumbs

chili con carne using ground beef, beans, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, seasonings

shepherd's pie using ground beef, frozen mixed vegetables, potatoes, and some flour top make a gravy

quiche or frittata using eggs, onions, vegetables, cheese, and pastry ingredients if making quiche

shirred eggs 

My take-away from this little exercise in coming up with meal ideas while sticking to a streamlined grocery list is this: you can make tasty, healthy, economical meals to please even the pickiest eaters using basic whole foods.  

Sometimes chores just all work out well, even without a grand plan

I didn't plan for this to turn out as it did. It all just happened this way. We had completely run out of bread and were eating rice, oats, grits, and potatoes for many meals. I needed hot dog buns for our cook-out on Sunday. I wanted to make a special breakfast bread that would last the weekend. And Friday night is our usual scratch pizza night. 

So. . .

I mixed my usual amount of dough for making sandwich and toast bread, enough to make 3 loaves. Instead of making all three loaves in bread pans, I took one section and made hot dog buns. So our hot dog buns were part whole wheat. (Actually, all of our bread products this week were part whole wheat.)

My daughter was making our Friday pizza, so I asked her to double the dough and save half for me. I used the extra half of pizza dough to make scratch cinnamon rolls.

At one point I had 2 loaves of bread dough, 

1 pan of cinnamon rolls, 

1 pan of hot dog buns, 

and 1 baking sheet with pizza dough stretched out on it, all at the same time.

This all worked out so well for baking, too. The loaves of bread went into the oven first. As soon as they came out, the hot dog buns had risen enough to bake. So in they went. Then the pizza was ready to top and bake. In it went. And finally, while we were eating our pizza, the cinnamon rolls were risen enough to bake. The oven only had to preheat once and I could chain bake all of those bread products.

I love it when my work just all lines up like that. We needed 4 different bread products, and without any major additional work, we were able to make them all in a short time period.

It's the little things in life that make me happy.

How my weekend budget meal plan went, and what changes I made last minute

Since life never goes exactly as we plan, I thought I'd share with you how we modified the plan as the weekend ensued. Some meals did go as planned, but several were changed in small ways.

Friday Dinner:

Scratch Pepperoni Pizza

Sautéed Turnip Greens and Onions

Applesauce

Change: Needing some orange vegetables for the day, we swapped out applesauce for carrot sticks.

Saturday Breakfast:

Scratch Cinnamon Rolls

Microwave Eggs w/ Spinach and Cheese in Custard Cups

Change: We enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, but everyone got their own protein --yay! less work for me!

Saturday Lunch:

Peanut Butter and Jam on Homemade Bread

Apples

Carrot Sticks

No changes

Saturday Dinner:

Homemade Beef and Bean Burritos in Scratch Tortillas

Fresh Tomato Wedges w/ 1000 Island Dressing

Frozen Corn

Change: Swapped out the tomato wedges for radish greens and onions from the garden. Radishes were all pulled up on Saturday. And I added garden-fresh strawberries, as we had a small bowlful that were ripe.

Sunday Breakfast:

Microwave Oatmeal Topped w/ Fruit and Milk

No changes

Sunday Lunch:

Leftover Mexican Beef and Bean Burritos

Tangerines

Leftover Corn Reheated  w/ Salsa

Change: Reheated all the Mexican leftovers (beans, meat, corn) and set up a buffet. No burritos -- we ate all the tortillas on Saturday. In place of the tortillas, I found a container of cooked rice in the fridge, so added that along with a jar of homemade salsa to the buffet. We had lunch on the deck before doing all the prep work for the evening.

Father's Day cook-out dinner went as planned. My son and daughter-in-law brought tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole to add to the meal. I picked up beverages that I didn't mention in the meal plan, sparkling water and some nectars and pomegranate juice to mix with said water. As we sat around the fire ring after dinner and dessert, we also decided to roast marshmallows. A fun evening of conversation and food, sharing what's been going on in our lives since we saw each other last. 

Although we made changes throughout the weekend, it was still very budget-friendly and easy on the cook.

For tonight, we'll be eating all of the leftovers from last night. An easy cooking night for me!

The Weekend Budget Meal Plan For Father's Day Weekend

Father's Day weekend is here. Friday night we'll have a pizza and movie night. My husband gets to choose the movie. I have cleaning, gardening, and some prep-work for our Father's Day gathering. Weather permitting, we'll play croquet in the backyard before gathering around the fire ring.

Here's our menu plan for the weekend.

Friday Dinner:

Scratch Pepperoni Pizza

Sautéed Turnip Greens and Onions

Applesauce

The pizza crust is homemade. I buy the pepperoni in bulk at the deli then divide into plastic bags and freeze. The pizza sauce is made from tomato paste, water, and seasonings. 

The turnip greens are the leaves from plants that didn't form roots. I'm pulling up the plants this week, using the leaves as a vegetable, sautéed in reserved bacon fat along with onions.

Saturday Breakfast:

Scratch Cinnamon Rolls

Microwave Eggs w/ Spinach and Cheese in Custard Cups

When I make the pizza dough Friday afternoon, I'll double the recipe and make up half the dough as cinnamon rolls. 

The microwave eggs are quick to make. I use frozen spinach, thawed briefly before adding to the egg and cheese. I do these as scrambled eggs so I can stretch 3 eggs for the 4 of us.

Saturday Lunch:

Peanut Butter and Jam on Homemade Bread

Apples

Carrot Sticks

Super simple. I just set it all out on the counter for everyone to help themselves. Saturdays are busy workdays for all of us, each doing our own thing.

Saturday Dinner:

Homemade Beef and Bean Burritos in Scratch Tortillas

Fresh Tomato Wedges w/ 1000 Island Dressing

Frozen Corn

I'll use a pound of ground beef for these burritos, which makes enough filling for 2 meals. The leftovers will be for a quick Sunday lunch while I'm putting together the Sunday dinner and dessert.

Sunday Breakfast:

Microwave Oatmeal Topped w/ Fruit and Milk

Sunday Lunch:

Leftover Mexican Beef and Bean Burritos

Tangerines

Leftover Corn Reheated  w/ Salsa

I'll be busy putting everything together for the cook-out later today. So I needed a quick, but inexpensive lunch to put out for everybody. Tangerines, although well over $1/pound right now, are still a frugal fruit, in my opinion, as they're so small and no one eats more than one at a time. Even this time of year, my cost per tangerine is around 20-25 cents. 

Father's Day Dinner:

Hot Dog Cook-Out

Scratch Buns and Toppings

Potato Salad

Watermelon

Tossed Salad

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bars

Ice Cream

Walmart carries a store brand of hot dogs that are very good and a good value, Marketside. The Angus beef ones easily compare to Hebrew National, but even better, as they are uncured. I also bought a pack of chicken and apple sausage (also Marketside) which are uncured. So, we'll have two kinds of dogs to choose from. I make my own buns when I have time, as I know there will be no additives in my homemade buns, and they're easy to make once you get the hang of it. 

I'll use whatever greens we have ready in the garden for the tossed salad, along with a tomato and some sliced celery, all in a scratch vinaigrette. As I've said before, watermelon is about the least expensive fruit per pound in summer. At WinCo the other day, they were under 50 cents per pound.

The peanut butter-chocolate bars are so decadent. These use crushed graham crackers, smooth peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and chocolate chips. They're no-bake and take about 15 minutes to make and another hour to set up for cutting into squares. The ice cream is leftover from birthdays. We didn't open this container.

What's on your menu plan for this weekend? Will you be hosting a Father's Day gathering?

Hyper-Consumerism and Me

How is it that we're avoiding the hyper-consumerism that seems to be plaguing current culture? I think about this from time to time. How is it that I don't feel the need to do or buy some of the things that my peers do and have?

Here are my thoughts.

I don't spend a lot of time on social media. I don't watch TV or go to the latest movies. I don't live in a wealthy neighborhood with extravagant Joneses to envy. I'm not into celebrity gossip, or reading People magazine, or watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I guess I'm somewhat checked out from today's celebrity culture. I don't shop at non-food retail establishments very often. In fact, I really don't enjoy window shopping as an activity. 

These are all "don'ts."

The answer to my question may have just as much or more to do with my "dos."

I have productive hobbies that don't require much shopping, such as gardening. I buy seeds, a few select plants, fertilizer, slug bait, and potting soil every year. But I only enter the store (Fred Meyer or Home Depot) through the garden part, and avoid the rest of the store unless I'm after something very specific. The majority of time spent gardening is either active in the yard or online reading up on how to address specific problems. My other productive hobbies include baking, cooking meals (I know many don't think that's a hobby, but it sort of is for me), mending (again, many folks think this is a chore -- I kind of like mending), and creatively refurbishing items we already own. I have non-productive hobbies as well, which I think of as entertainment.

I like to make things last as long as possible. I wash plastic bags not only because it will save us some change as we buy less plastic wrap and bags, but also because I like to make those plastic bags last as long as they can. They won't break down in a landfill for many years, so I like to add as few of them to the landfill overall as possible. I like mending my socks not only because I can keep from replacing those socks for a while longer and save some money, but also, it seems wasteful to me to not mend holes and throw away a whole sock because of a couple of holes near the toes. I can sew those up in a couple of minutes and have a perfectly good sock again.

I like to dress modestly and not draw a lot of attention to myself. I'm more of a person who likes to sit back and watch everyone else. I don't want to be watched myself. Flashy jewelry and really trendy fashion seem to draw a lot of attention that I don't want. Modest clothing, jewelry, makeup and hairstyles are "me."

I prefer to feel "smart" about spending. Buying a brand spanking new car right off the lot doesn't seem smart to me. That new car loses a chunk of value the minute you sign the papers. Instead, I prefer to buy good condition used cars. I feel "smart" about that sort of decision. I like feeling smart.

I'm horribly, boringly responsible. Unless it was very necessary, I'd feel irresponsible if I bought a lot of stuff on credit without a way to pay the whole bill off at the end of the month. 

I somehow have escaped FOMO, for the most part. I like my life as it is. I don't think the grass will be a shade of green that I like more on the other side of the fence. My life is good. Social media influencers don't have lives or things that I envy. 

My dream life is a simple one -- strong faith, a loving family, good home-grown food from a large garden of fruits, vegetables and flowers and maybe chickens, pets to love and care for, peace, warmth, laughter, and sunshine. 

This is not to say that I don't want some nice things or experiences. I just don't want them as often or in the abundance that would typify the excessive consumption that we are seeing in the West.

My List of 20 Budget Summer Activities

It's another stay-cation summer for us. I don't mind. In my area, summer is the best tome of the year, the only time we can almost count on sunny day after sunny day. Despite loving our summers, I still want to punctuate these months with planned activities to celebrate summer, and that don't break the bank. So, I've come up with a list of 20.

In our own yard and home

• Stop and smell the roses. Well, our roses don't have much fragrance, but I want to take a moment every day to really appreciate the summer flowers in our garden. 
• Cut flowers and make bouquets for the dining table a few times this summer. 
• Press flowers and fern fronds.
• Cut lavender buds and sew a sachet.
• Eat watermelon, lots of watermelon. Watermelon is the least expensive fruit in summer for us. And in summer, it's at its best. I plan on having a lot of watermelon all summer long.
• Make gourmet popsicles.
• Bake lots of fruit pies.
• Make root beer floats at home. Ice cream parlors are expensive for what you get. The last couple of summers we've bought a two-liter of root beer and container of vanilla ice cream. On hot summer Saturday afternoons (when everyone is around), we find a shady spot and enjoy root beer floats. Doing our own at home is a bargain summer treat.
• Host hot dog cookouts around the fire ring, followed up with s'mores.
• Host Sunday afternoon barbecues.
• Sit outside after dark and check out the stars. My husband is a fount of information when it comes to stars and planets. (I'm more the expert on the moon.) Every summer, he identifies everything in the sky for me and helps me find them on my own. Around August 9 to 13, the Perseid meteor shower will be at its peak.
• Read a fun adventure novel from our local library.
• Sew some summer pajama pants. I have the fabric, pattern, elastic already. All I need to do is make the time.
• Keep a photo journal of my summer, taking one photo per day that sums up the best of summer.

Go places for free

• Take picnics to the beach more often.
• Take a picnic lunch to a nearby, really lovely and peaceful park.
• Visit the farmers market.
• Go hiking on a local trail.
• Visit a local (and free) arboretum.
• Visit the local art galleries in my town. (Again, free to visit.) 

My purpose in making out this list is to give me something to refer to if and when I begin to take summer 2025 for granted. I aim to savor every minute of this summer.

What would you put on your budget summer activity list?

Using Every Bit of Your Produce: Tips From WWII

This is from an article titled "Make the Most of Every Leaf" in the April 1944 booklet Health For Victory: Meal Planning Guide. 

"We can't do our best to make Food Fight for Freedom unless we make sure we use every edible bit of food. And that applies to fresh vegetables and fruits as well as to any other type."

This article goes on to suggest various ways to use the parts of produce items that some folks are in the habit of throwing away. 

Outer leaves from a head of lettuce -- leaf, Romaine or iceberg 

• wash and shred into bowl salads (as opposed to wedge salads)
• serve wilted with hot bacon dressing, much like a spinach salad. Here's a recipe for a hot bacon dressing that can use reserved bacon fat from cooking bacon, While you're free to add some bacon bits to the salad, this recipe appears to only use the bacon grease for flavor.
• cook with green peas to retain a bright green color of the peas -- braise with a little chicken stock and some green onions for flavor. Check this recipe 
• shred outer leaves and add at the very last minute to the soup pot.

Outer leaves of cabbage 

• shredded and added to slaw. Years ago, one of you friends (Lisa) made a suggestion for a Curried Pea and Peanut Cole Slaw. Click on that link for my rendition of that salad. My family loved it, and we make it several times per year now.
• chopped/shredded in soup. Cabbage Patch Soup is one of our family's favorite autumn soups. It's a tomato-based soup with carrots, celery, onions, cabbage, meat and seasonings.
• to make easy cabbage rolls. Peel the outer leaves carefully off the head of cabbage and wrap around leftover meat balls, steam and serve with a spicy tomato sauce.

Wilted green onion tops

• chop into green salads, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, soups and fried potatoes.

Leaves surrounding a head of cauliflower

• cauliflower leaves may be diced, cooked and served in a cream sauce as a separate vegetable. [The core/stem of a cauliflower can be finely sliced or julienned to use in a curry, such as this one.]

Beet tops 

• cooked and served as greens. The tops of the early beets are especially tender. [We add tender young beet leaves to salads.]

Grated lemon or orange rind 

• Grate the outer surface of the whole fruit. If you don't grate too deeply the fruit will keep a day or two until used for juicing. [My add to this, if you won't be using the juice within a couple of days, freeze the juice and also save the "shells" in the freezer to use to freshen mechanical garbage disposals or to stuff into a whole poultry with other aromatics. ]

There are obviously more types of produce that one can use almost all of. Watermelon comes to mind. I make watermelon pickles from the white part of the rind. This portion can also be sliced and used in stir fries. And of course, there are some parts of produce items that can't be eaten, apple seeds come to mind. However, you can make apple cider vinegar with apple cores.

Anyway, I really relate to the idea of trying to use as much of our produce items as possible.

"Dinner's Got to Be Quick and Easy": A Day of Recipes from WW II

Here are the wartime recipes from the menu I posted yesterday, a quick and easy menu for a busy day, all three meals.

Stewed Rhubarb (breakfast)

1 1/2 lbs rhubarb, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar or honey (sweetening may vary with kind of rhubarb)

Place rhubarb and water in covered pan. Bring to a boil then turn to simmer for 10 minutes. Add sweetening, and continue simmering for 5 minutes.

English Monkey (lunch)

2 cups dried bread crumbs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter or fortified margarine
1 cup soft mild cheese, cut into very small pieces
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt

Soak the bread crumbs in milk for 15 minutes. Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Add soaked bread crumbs, eggs and salt. Cook 3 minutes. Serve on toast or toasted crackers. Serves 6.

Carrot-Raisin Salad (lunch)

3 cups shredded carrots
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine carrots, salt and raisins. Add mayonnaise and mix lightly. Serve on crisp lettuce. Serves 6.

Soya Bread (lunch)

2 cups soya flour

11 cups sifted all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

1 cup lukewarm water

5 tablespoons sugar

5 teaspoons salt

5 tablespoons shortening

2 cakes yeast

The soya flour in this recipe is not sifted before measuring. Stir flours together, and proceed as follows: Scald the milk and add it to the sugar and salt. Dissolve yeast with 1 cup water and add to it 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. When the 4 cups of milk have cooled, add dissolved yeast to milk mixture. Next add flour and the softened shortening. Mix well and turn out onto a floured board. Knead until dough becomes elastic and does not stick to board. Place in a greased bowl, cover, allow to rise until double in bulk. Remove brad from bowl, punch down, and cut into nfour equal size loaves. Shape, cover and allow to stand 20 minutes on baking board.

Then flatten out each loaf and again reshape. Place in greased pans. Allow to rise until double in bulk, or until, when pressed with a finger, the imprint does not disappear. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 1 hour. This recipe makes four 1 1/2 lb loaves.

Note: To get a browned, softer top crust sprinkle top of unbaked loaves lightly with lukewarm water. To prevent a soggy bottom crust and to protect texture, remove bread from tins at once. Cool on wire cake coolers.

Bologna or Weiner Carrot Sandwich Filling (lunch box)

1/2 lb bologna or weiners

1/4 cup chopped pickles or relish

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons minced onion

Dash of Tabasco

2 Tablespoons pickle juice

1 cup ground carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

Grind bologna or weiners and mix well with the other ingredients. Makes 2 2/3 cups, or 7 to 10 sandwiches. 

Peanut Butter "Pep Up" Sandwich Filling (lunch box)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1 cake compressed yeast. 

Mix well.

Barbecued Cube Steak (dinner)

4 tablespoons catsup

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons meat drippings, melted, but not hot

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cube steaks

(toasted buns with mustard butter is substituted in menu for the bread and shortening)

4 slices bread

3 tablespoons shortening

Combine catsup, vinegar, drippings, water, Worcestershire Sauce, and salt. Heat. Pour over steaks and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving sauce. Place steaks on broiler rack, 2 inches below broiler unit. Broil 5 minutes on each side, basting each side with sauce. 

Spread bread with shortening and brown on broiler rack while meat broils. Place steaks on bread. Serves 4.

Parsley Potatoes (dinner)

New potatoes are best to serve this way. Either scrape or peel thin and boil. Just before removing from saucepan, pour melted butter or margarine over potatoes, and shake kettle vigorously to distribute butter/margarine. Chop parsley fine, and sprinkle over potatoes in serving bowl.

Pennsylvania Dutch Spinach (dinner)

2 slices bacon diced

3 cups chopped raw spinach

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup hot water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 hard-cooked eggs

Fry bacon until crisp; add bacon to spinach. Add flour to drippings and blend, add hot water and cook until thickened. Add sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over spinach. Stir until well mixed. Garnish with sliced hand-cooked eggs.

Mustard Butter (for Toasted Buns -- dinner)

1/4 cup butter or fortified margarine

1 1/2 tablespoons prepared mustard

Cream butter/margarine and mustard together. Use as a spread for buns under the broiler or on meat sandwiches.

Broiled Grapefruit (dinner)

Prepare half a grapefruit in the usual manner [halve crosswise, use a knife to section and cut around edge between segments and white pith], removing the seeds. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Broil in oven until the sugar melts and the grapefruit is well browned.'

Applesauce (alternate breakfast)

10 medium size cooking apples

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Wash, pare, remove core, and quarter apples. Add water. cover, and cook slowly until soft. Add sugar and simmer long enough to melt sugar. 7 servings.

Rarebit (alternate lunch)

1 tablespoon butter or fortified margarine

1/2 cup evaporated milk

few grains cayenne

1 egg

1/2 lb soft cheese, grated or cut in small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter/margarine on high heat, add seasonings and cheese and turn to low heat. As cheese melts, add milk gradually, stirring constantly. Add slightly beaten egg. Two tablespoons of tomato soup, added just before serving, improves flavor and color. Serve on toast squares or crackers.

Cheese Fondue (alternate lunch)

3 eggs, separated

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or fortified margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat egg yolks until lemon colored. Cook cheese, bread crumbs, milk, butter/margarine and salt over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Add beaten yolks. Beat egg whites until stiff, fold into cheese/milk/egg yolk mixture. Pour into a well greased, 2-quart casserole.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve at once. Serves 6.

Pimento Sandwich Filling (alternate lunch)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon butter or fortified margarine

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 egg, well beaten

1/2 cup coffee cream or top milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1 package cream cheese

1 tablespoon grated onion

3 tablespoons chopped pimento or diced green or red pepper

Cook sugar, butter/margarine, flour, vinegar, beaten egg, cream and salt on low heat until thick. Remove from heat and add chopped eggs, cream cheese, onion and pimento. Place in fruit jar and keep in refrigerator. 

Dried Beef Gravy (alternate dinner)

1/2 lb dried beef

1 qt milk

4 tablespoons drippings

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Heat drippings in skillet. Brown the flour. Add shredded dried beef. Allow beef to brown and become well coated with flour. Use Medium heat. Add milk. Stir to prevent lumping.. Serve on brown rice, toast or crisp cereal.

Victory Hamburgers (alternate dinner)

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup soya meal

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup water

6 slices onion

2 tablespoons shortening

6 slices bacon

Add salt, pepper, and water to soya meal and mix thoroughly with the meat. Pat this mixture into n12 thin cakes. Spread onion slices, which have been browned in the shortening, on half of the meat cakes. Put the remaining cakes on top as a meat sandwich. Press edges together. Wrap each with a strip of bacon and fasten with a toothpick. Broil on each side for about 10 minutes or until brown.

Fried Ham and Eggs (alternate dinner)

1 1/2 slices ham, cut 1/2 inch thick

eggs

Slash edges of ham about 1/2 inch deep about 4 inches apart, to prevent curling. Grease hot pan lightly with ham fat. Brown ham on both sides, using a Medium heat. Remove from pan. Break eggs into hot fat. When eggs begin to set add 1 teaspoon water, cover tightly and cook until desired hardness. Place eggs on hot ham and serve immediately.

Stewed Tomatoes (alternate dinner)

1 can tomatoes

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

Place tomatoes in 2-qt covered saucepan. Turn heat to High to bring tomatoes to steaming point. Then simmer for 5 minutes. Add butter/margarine, salt, pepper and sugar. 

Variation: Bread cubes or cracker crumbs can be added for thickening.

My thoughts:

I make stewed rhubarb and carrot-raisin salad all the time. Both are cheap and easy side dishes for my household. I don't measure with either of those, but add ingredients to taste.

The English Monkey sounds interesting. Maybe I will give that a try. The soft cheese could be cheddar. As I mentioned yesterday, this was a recipe popular during the Great Depression. It is sparing with eggs (for 6 people), but generous with cheese, and stretched with dried bread crumbs.

Soya bread must have been a recipe designed to contain more protein and other nutrients than standard wheat or white bread. That's quite a lot of milk in the recipe. But it would be a way to get additional calcium and protein into daily meals.

I'm not a fan of bologna or hot dogs straight from the package. Blending the ground meat with ground carrots does sound interesting, though. This might work with ground ham, for a ham spread. Has anybody here had deviled ham? My mother used to buy small cans of ground ham to make this. I imagine making the carrot bologna sandwich filling with ham might actually be good.

That's interesting that the recipe for "Pep Up" peanut butter spread would call for ordinary compressed yeast. I know brewer's yeast is used as a nutritional supplement to boost immunity and energy levels. It's high in B vitamins and many minerals. I would try the "Pep Up" sandwich filling made with brewer's yeast. I also think I would enjoy the pimento cheese spread. It looks fairly easy to make.

In the dinner menu I especially like the sound of the spinach and the mustard butter for toasting buns. Both sound flavorful and like the kind of thing I would enjoy. I would choose the Victory Hamburgers over the Cube Steak, as bacon is always good!

I can appreciate that these recipes call for basic ingredients, for the most part. And the recipes themselves sound easy to follow. The most time intensive of all of the recipes is the Soya Bread.

If it were 1944 and you had a busy day to day life, which of these recipes might be something you'd try?