Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the cook who doesn't want to put a lot of effort into meal prep

So another easy week of meals around my house. I must sound like the laziest cook around! Not lazy, just prioritizing other things over cooking, for the time being. I'm writing this from memory and I can't remember what Sunday was.

Saturday -- curried vegetables and chickpeas over fry bread, blackberries
Monday -- hot dogs over a fire, potato salad, cole slaw, strawberries, s'mores
Tuesday -- lentil soup from the freezer, garlic toast using hoagie rolls, cauliflower and mushroom saute
Wednesday -- egg salad sandwiches, pasta salad, green salad, fruit cup
Thursday -- meatball subs (using frozen meatballs and marinara sauce, in hoagie rolls), frozen green beans and applesauce

Tonight? Hmmm, I'll be out all day, with one of my daughters. Dinner will need to be fast and easy. I bought a 15-dozen case of eggs a week ago, so I think I'll do an egg-based supper. It might just be scrambled eggs and toast, with bananas and frozen peas.

One of my daughters and I are exploring business possibilities. So today is fun research. I don't want to talk about it too much, just yet. We need to firm up some ideas first. But I can say this much, today will be a very fun day for the two of us.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and you are out of range of Irma, where ever you may be. If you happen to live in the hurricane's path, stay safe, and may God protect you. I'll be praying for you.

Using cores and leaves of cauliflower

Because I've had to buy a lot of vegetables this summer, my grocery costs have been higher than normal. To address this, I've made sure that nothing is wasted.

Last week I bought a head of cauliflower. A lot of folks just use the tender flowerets. The cores and leaves can also be used in cooking. They tend to be tougher, so need some special attention, but nothing too complicated.

To use the leaves, thin slice them and chop fine. To use the cores, slice them into thin "coins," then julienne the coins into slivers. With both the leaves and cores sliced/chopped thin, you can saute these pieces to add to stir-fry. To ensure they are tender, add to the stir-fry early in cooking, and cook completely, with a little liquid, if possible.

The other night I stir-fried cauliflower (flowerets, leaves and core) along with sliced mushrooms, to which I added garlic and soy sauce. It was a delicious side dish and no one was even aware that I had used the core and leaves.

Cores and leaves of cauliflower are fibrous. The key is to slice across the fibers, reducing the length of each fiber significantly, and you'll have a tasty, edible extra portion of cauliflower that might have otherwise gone into the garbage.