Frugal Mama » Food & Drink

How to Plan Your Grocery Trips to Save Money

Amy — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:33:13 +0000

When we spoke about why planning your grocery trips will save you money, I promised to tell you how I plan my trips.

Before I explain how I plan my trips, I must confess: I spend the least of all when I send my husband with a list.

Lists are powerful.

“If you ever walk into a store without a plan,” writes Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar, “it’s highly likely you’re going to walk out the door with something you didn’t intend to buy.”

Do you think it’s any accident that grocery stores place the bakery section — with its pink-frosted doughnuts and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in see-through containers — at the entrance to the store?

Strategic placement could also be why staples like milk, bread, and eggs are at the far end, according to Technorati’s 5 Ways Grocery Stores Get You to Spend More Money.

Here are the ways I plan my trips to help keep things simple and organized, save time and stress, and spend less.

1. Keep a running grocery list in the kitchen

As you run out of things — or if your kids happen to say, “Mom, when are you going to buy some more kale?” — jot them down immediately.

2. Lock in a grocery trip on the same day every week

We set ourselves up for cook-at-home failure if we don’t have enough food in the house. Grocery shopping, like exercising, is not my favorite thing. But if it must happen every week on a set day, I am much less likely to wriggle out of it.

I actually order my groceries online every weekend. Ask me about online grocery shopping — I love it!

3. Bulk up the list with weekly sales

It’s just too hard to pick up the sales flyer as you’re entering the store and expect to take advantage of even a tenth of the deals.

Review at home your favorite store’s sales flyer — online or via the circular that comes in the mail or with the paper. Write down foods at a good price that your family likes or you would like to try. This is a great way to vary your diet and try new things.

Keep in mind that some foods always costs less and are unlikely to ever be on sale, such as cabbage, rice, bananas, beans, and eggs. Of the meats, pork, chicken, and ground beef usually cost the least.

4. Check your pantry and fridge to fill in any gaps

Here is where you want to think about not overbuying fruits and vegetables that can go bad, while making sure you have enough food for snacks, breakfasts, and packed dinners or lunches, as well as any events where you are required to bring food. All this is so you won’t be tempted to buy prepared stuff — the silent budget-buster.

If you’ll need other ingredients to complete recipes, make sure you write those down too.

And that’s really it! Some people use coupons and meal planning, and we can talk about those too. But grocery planning is a super simple routine that can do wonders for cutting our food bills and keeping life organized.

What about you? Do you plan your trips? What makes you call the Pizza Guy?

Photo credits: list, doughnuts, oranges.

17 Reasons Why Planning Your Grocery Trips Will Save You Money

Amy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:26:25 +0000

As I work with participants in the Frugal Mama video series challenge for TLC.com, I realize how easy it is to wing it with groceries, and how difficult it can be to resist the ‘come hither’ of take-out.

There are now five times as many fast food joints as grocery stores in America, according to this New York Times essay by Mark Bittman, Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

One way of helping ourselves to save money by eating at home is to plan ahead to eat well. Making grocery shopping into an organized outing can seem daunting, but is actually a big relief. The satisfactions are huge for our tummies, our wallets, and our relaxed time together as a family.

So here are my top reasons on why having a game plan is a good idea.

1. Use What You Have

By checking your pantry and fridge before making a trip to the store, you won’t end up with too little salad and too many canned bottles of vinegar. (A good excuse for ordering Chinese.)

2. Strategize with Sales

When you check out the sales ahead of time (via circular or online) and structure your list around items that cost less, you’ll see huge savings in your bill. I consistently save 30 to 40% just by spending an extra 15 minutes on the sales flyer.

3. Eliminate “Quick” Trips to the Store

If you like to plan out your meals for the week, you can make sure you buy all the ingredients you’ll need instead of wasting time, energy, and gas in last-minute trips.

4. Love-Hate Doughnuts

When you have a plan, you won’t be (as) tempted during drive-bys of seasonally appropriate cupcakes.

5. Avoid Supermarket Meltdowns

Shopping with young children can feel like a triathlon. If you know exactly what you want and need, you can get in and out much more quickly. Making shopping more pleasing, makes the whole cooking thing more pleasing, which means you’ll do it more.

6. No Empty Cupboards

If you have everything that you need to make meals all week, you can’t use the bare fridge excuse for calling the Pizza Guy.

7. Simplify Decision-Making

If you’ve planned out every meal ahead of time (there are plenty of online services that can help you do this), you are much more likely to stay on track and not go out when you feel tired.

8. Efficiency Fuels Frugality

If you know what you want, you’ll have more focus in the store, and you can spend more time comparing unit prices (to really get the best deal).

9. No Spoiled Stuff in the Trash

Americans waste about 30% of the food we buy. If you plan your grocery trip based on what you already have and can reasonably eat in one week, you’ll be much less likely to throw anything out.

10. Prep Ahead

With all the ingredients in hand, you can prep some items on the weekend (chop onions, make rice) and freeze them for busy weeknights. Or make huge batches of soups and casseroles and freeze them in dinner-size portions.

11. Don’t Be Caught Unawares

A planned grocery trip can accommodate food needs for special events like school parties or potlucks so you won’t be tempted to just pick up a box of fried chicken or a an appetizer plate.

13. Make Grocery Shopping Non-Negotiable

If you build a grocery trip into your routine (every Saturday morning, for example), it will become less of a chore to be weasled out of and more of an automatic action.

14. Find the Fun in Simple Things

Planning a grocery trip online using the store’s weekly specials is actually quite relaxing. Instead of watching a show, do your shopping in your pajamas. And then reward yourself with something even more relaxing.

15. Coupons Require Planning

If you use coupons (I usually don’t), you can write down items you have coupons for in the order you would find them in the store, and even try to match them with sales.

15. Commit to Quality of Life

Running out at the last minute to grab the ingredients you need to make dinner waste precious family time and makes life even more hectic.

16. Quick Takes its Toll

Fast-food is addictive. The more we cook at home and adjust our bodies to simple tastes, the more we appreciate the goodness of whole foods eaten together as a family.

17. Trickle-Down Effect

Being organized and knowing we have everything we need is a big stress-reducer. If we are more relaxed and feel more in control of our lives, we are happier and less likely to spend impulsively or to throw money at foods that seem like they will make our life easier.

So there you have it. I know I touched on some themes more than once, but it can help to hear something said in different ways.

I am the first to say that grocery shopping is not my favorite thing. But I find ways to enjoy it, or at least make sure I do it regularly, because I do like cooking and I know that eating at home saves us big time (and makes us feel better inside).

I am having a lot of fun working with real people with real problems in the Frugal Mama Makeover series, and I feel privileged to have been invited in to help. If you live in the Maryland, Virginia, or D.C. area, consider sending in your story for this continuing series. The first video will air on November 4 on TLC.com — I’ll let you know when it’s up!

Next time, I’ll talk about how I plan my grocery trips.

What about you? How do you help yourself get the shopping and cooking done?

Photo credits: bowls, eggs.

3 Ways to Make Home Cooking Super Fun

Amy — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:11:46 +0000

On the way home from my girls weekend, I met a guy on the plane who was telling me about how much joy his wife gets from cooking.

And how they make it fun together. You can read about their game and more in this post I wrote for Parentables: 3 Ways to Make Home Cooking Super Fun.

Here I am at our family reunion making six pans of our favorite pizza. Yummm.

How are you all doing with cooking? Hating it? Loving it? In the middle?

I enjoy it the most when I have the time to spend on a recipe that I’m really looking forward to eating. (Although after making a weird smushy moussaka for a dinner guest — I’ve learned that there are good times — and not so good times — for trying new recipes.)

What about you?

The Best Chocolate is from Belgium and … California?

Amy — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:10:59 +0000

I love that I don’t have to go far — or spend a lot — to experience cocoa bliss. I wrote about it today at Parentables.

That a San Francisco company with an Italian name makes one of the best dark chocolates in the world was a joyous discovery for me.

I love chocolate. But I am a frugal mama. Domestic chocolate that tastes as good as pricey imported? Yes, please! Read more.

Homemade Pizza is Not a Big Deal — Seriously

Amy — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:08:36 +0000

Sometimes an evening calls for a rip-open-a-box kind of dinner (and for that I recommend Target’s frozen pizzas imported from Italy), but everyone is more happy when the house fills up with the sweet, tangy perfume of this handmade pizza.

I went 10 years married to an Italian before I even attempted to make pizza. Then our friend, Michelangelo, came to visit this winter and showed us how doable pizza really is. He was good at just eyeballing ingredients, but I needed more security, so I turned to my favorite food writer, Mark Bittman, for a no-nonsense recipe. He didn’t disappoint, and I’ve been making pizza almost every weekend since.

So here’s how to make best pizza you’ve ever tasted.

Basic Pizza Dough

adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

Even though a food processor makes the fastest dough, you can easily make this dough by hand or with a standing mixer. I doubled the recipe, since we like to pig out on pizza and have left-overs, but you can cut the quantities in half.

Makes 2 large pizzas

6 cups all-purpose or bread flour
4 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast (1 packet)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups water

Mix the dry ingredients together in a food processor, then add the water and oil through the feeding tube. In less than a minute, the dough should form a sticky ball. If not, add a tiny bit of water until it does.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball on a floured surface. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and keep in a warm, draft-free place for 3-4 hours or until the dough doubles in size.

If you want to make it ahead of time, you can let it rise more slowly in the refrigerator (6-8 hours), or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw in a covered bowl.

To make by hand:
Combine half the flour with salt and yeast and stir to blend. Add the water (increase the quantity by 1/4 cup) and oil and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour a bit at a time. When mixture becomes too stiff to stir, begin kneading, adding as little flour as possible — just enough to keep the dough from becoming a sticky mess. Knead until smooth but still moist, about 10 minutes.

To make with a standing mixer:
The machine must be fairly powerful or it will stall. Combine half the flour with yeast, salt, water and oil. Blend with the machine’s paddle. Slowly add the rest of the flour until the mixture has become a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (Switch to a dough hook if necessary.) Knead for a minute by hand.

No-Cook Tomato Sauce

Made with raw tomatoes, this saucepan-free sauce is both bright-tasting and easy.

Makes enough for 2 large pizzas

1 large (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

After draining the tomatoes in a strainer, crush them in a food processor or by hand. (If crushing by hand, try squeezing the tomatoes inside a plastic bag held closed by the other hand to avoid squirting.) Stir in the salt and sugar and set aside.

Toppings

We love to use the moist Italian mozzarella for this pizza (Belgioioso is a good brand), but Mark Bittman uses regular American mozzarella (shredded) so I’m sure that would taste great too. You can put any toppings you desire, but it really tastes fantastic plain. We’ve tried fresh basil, and for my husband, I sometimes put on anchovies. (The things you do for love.)

Makes enough for 2 large pizzas

1 log (16 oz.) fresh Italian mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Baked Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

After the dough has risen, here’s how to put it all together.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. If you’ve made enough for 2 pizzas, divide the dough with your hands into two parts and form into balls.
With a rolling pin (or wine bottle), roll each round into a flat rectangle, lightly flouring the surface and dough as necessary.
Lift dough onto oiled baking sheets (mine are 11 x 17), and gently press out the dough to fill the entire sheet. If the dough is not stretching, let it rest a few minutes to relax it, then try again.
Drizzle with olive oil, then spoon on the sauce. Sprinkle with oregano and top with cheese.
Bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted, usually 20-30 minutes.

Here we are eating it last night. Luke, the baby, has figured out the smell by now and will screech until someone gives him a piece to gnaw on.

The main thing about homemade pizza is planning ahead so the dough has time to rise. But it’s a great kitchen activity for kids — kneading and rolling out the dough, spreading the sauce with the back of a spoon, sprinkling on the cheese — and a weekend treat everyone looks forward to.

I hope you try it and love it too!

Gourmet Italian Pizza at — Target?

Amy — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:01:22 +0000

Did you know that you can buy frozen pizza baked in a wood-burning oven in Italy for $4.99? And pick up some batteries and laundry detergent in the same trip?

You can. Target’s upscale food brand, Archer Farms, is now importing Italian handmade pizza to a store near you. And let me tell you, they are delicious. Even my Milano-born husband agrees.

Read more at Parentables, where I blog twice a week.

The Fast-and-Healthy Method to Saving Money at the Grocery Store

Amy — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:34:16 +0000

If aren’t an extreme couponer, and you prefer not to stockpile, invest in industrial-sized jugs of ketchup, or drive to six different stores, don’t fret.

There is a quick and simple way for you to seriously cut your grocery bill and feed your family whole fresh foods. Read more at Parentables…

How I Save $1,183 a Year with Homemade Latte

Amy — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:06:41 +0000

Poor Starbucks. It seems like every article, post and news story about budgeting attacks the luxury latte, as if it were the source of all evil.

It’s not evil, but let’s say the $4 coffee is just another curlicue on the gilded pillars of the last few decades.

And by the way — I’m not going to tell you to stop buying your cappuccino. If you get great pleasure from it, you should buy it. Budgeting, after all, is about defining your priorities, loves and hopes, and then spending accordingly.

Protect Your Wallet, Feed Your Coffee-Loving Soul

Here are my weapons in this mission:

A Krups mini espresso machine, and
a can of Bustelo coffee.

OK, the machine you get, but Bustelo?

Mining the Black Gold Market

As I wrote in Explore the Ethnic Aisle to Save Money at the Supermarket, I had a hard time finding a budget brand that compares with the chocolatey taste and aroma of pricey Italian coffee, until I tried Bustelo, a Cuban-style espresso.

Bustelo costs one-fourth as much as the upscale Illy, and you know what? It tastes just as good. And — in case this matters — it’s hip now too. (The New York Times Style section reported that Bustelo, long a bohemian staple, has now made it into the young and trendy party scene.)

I was curious: how much does making my coffee at home every day save me, over buying it at a place like Starbucks?

If you want to hash out with me all the nickels and dimes, see The Math, but here’s the kernel:

In Ten Years, Buy a Car with Coffee Money

Coffee made at home for my husband and me — a double-shot latte with no foam and an espresso macchiato — cost us $0.39.

We save $3.24 every day over buying similar drinks at Starbucks.

One year savings = $1,183
Ten year savings = $11,830

We just bought a used car for about that amount. It’s amazing to think that, over the 10 years of our marriage, we paid for it by drinking homemade coffee.

Why I Love Making my Coffee at Home

Coffee shops are still a great place to hang out and meet up with friends. But I’m going to stick with my daily grind. Besides the savings, here are some more reasons why I love making my own coffee:

The promise of drinking it helps me get out of bed in time.
It’s less wasteful — no paper cups, sugar packets, stirrers, or plastic lids.
Both my husband and I prefer the tactile pleasure of drinking out of ceramic cups.
Did I already say I can drink it as soon as I get up? In my pajamas.
The aroma fills my house in the morning.
I can make it in less time than it takes to order, wait and pay for a Tall Cafe’ Latte with Whole Milk.

Three Lessons Learned

1. Black coffee drinkers are frugal.

Milk costs more than coffee! (See The Math.)

2. Small changes make a difference.

As J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly explains in his core tenets, big changes are not the only answer. Small amounts matter.

3. Start doing it for money. Keep doing it for love.

So many of our family’s habits have been shaped by our tight budget. But over time, I’ve realized that they’ve made us happy, and who we are.

Photo credits: cappuccino, smiley coffee, glass cup.

How I Saved a Fast 45% on Fresh, Healthy Food

Amy — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:00:52 +0000

After I heard how Syracuse mom Kara Riedl spends only $200 a month at the supermarket, I knew our grocery bills were much higher than they needed to be.

Yes, it’s true we just had a fourth child and I’m still getting to know the system here, but I knew I could do better.

So when anchorwoman Megan Coleman of the NBC news show, Today in Central New York, asked me to do a weekly money-saving segment — starting with a trip to the grocery store –- I knew it was time to get back in the game.

Here’s how I did it, and how you can too.

1. Peruse the Store’s Weekly Sales Flyer

Find it in the Sunday paper, at the store, in your mailbox, or online; usually valid from Saturday to Saturday.

When you have some downtime at work or the kids are tucked in bed, take a minute to jot down good deals on foods that you like or would like to try.

Most supermarket websites will let you make up your shopping list just by clicking on sale items.

2. Focus on the Deepest Discounts

Select as many “Buy One, Get One Free” offers as you can.

Then focus on deep sales ($4 off per pound vs. 10 cents off).

Keep in mind that most stores do not require you to buy 10 items to take advantage of a “10 for $10” sale, but check your store’s policy.

3. Spend 10 Minutes (At Most) on Coupons

To be done well, couponing requires the time and energy of a part-time job. But you can still slice off a few quick dollars if you focus on high-value coupons right there in the flyer.

My store, TOPS, offered four $1 coupons that would double the value of $1 manufacturer’s coupons.

So I went to Coupons.com and quickly printed out four $1 coupons for hummus, canned tomatoes, sliced deli meat, and eggs, saving me a pretty painless $8.

And that’s it.

I paid $82 for $147 worth of groceries.

I saved $62 or 45%.

The time I spent?

About 20 minutes on writing down a shopping list based on the sales flyer and printing out 4 coupons.

The food I bought?

Navel oranges
red grapefruits
cherry tomatoes
colored peppers
potatoes
mangoes
pre-washed salad
baby carrots
brie
Tilapia filets
frozen shrimp
New York Strip steak
all-natural sliced deli turkey
Italian bread
vitamins
canned whole tomatoes
mixed nuts
popcorn
hummus
frozen mozzarella sticks, and
eggs

Do you have ideas about saving money quickly on good food? Let me know in the comments section below.

Potatoes: Cheap Yet Full of Richness

Amy — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:19:37 +0000

This article is a guest post by Jennifer Moore of Indulgent Health.

The poor, maligned potato. Thrown out like the baby with the bathwater in the “no carbs!” and “no white foods!” crazes of the last two decades.

Point of clarification number one: all fruits and vegetables are carbs, it’s the refined ones that are nutrient-poor and calorie-dense.

Point number two: it’s the aforementioned refining that strips otherwise good foods of their nutrients. Potatoes are indeed carbs and many varieties are white, but please know that they are nutrient dense, high quality, tasty and filling good food.

The flesh and skin of the potato are full of vitamins C and B6, copper, potassium, manganese and fiber. They’re rich in antioxidants. The nutrients they contain can help lower blood pressure, build healthy cells, and maintain healthy heart function.

Bonus, most everyone loves to eat them. They’re versatile, easy to prepare, they store well and they’re light on the wallet to boot!

Following is a handful of ways to serve potatoes. No need to peel, just wash well.

Garlic Mashed: Boil chopped potatoes, drain and puree with roasted garlic and olive oil.

Parmesan Roasted: Toss cubed potatoes with parmesan, salt, pepper and parsley. Bake on a sprayed sheetpan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, turning once.

Rosemary Roasted: Toss cubed potatoes with rosemary, parsley, salt, pepper, granulated garlic and olive oil. Bake on a sprayed sheetpan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, turning once.

de Provence Roasted: Toss cubed potatoes with herbs de provence, lemon zest, salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake on a sprayed sheetpan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, turning once.

Avocado Sauced: Bake whole potato at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Split open and serve hot, drizzled with a sauce made by mashing together one avocado and 2 T olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Colcannon: Saute kale and onions in olive oil. Add boiled potato cubes, mash well, season with nutmeg, salt, pepper, a pat of butter and a splash of milk.

Palak Aaloo: Saute diced potato and cauliflower florets in olive oil. Sprinkle in one teaspoon each of cumin seeds, turmeric, salt and chile powder. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stir in chopped tomato and serve with fresh cilantro.

Jennifer Moore is a Holistic Health Counselor and former chef based in Alexandria, Virginia. She teaches mindful eating, balanced living and guilt-free self care. Check out her website at www.IndulgentHealth.com, and learn how you can reclaim your health and happiness by breaking free from cravings and emotional eating.

Photo credits: heart potato, market potatoes, red potatoes.

Quick Chocolate-Covered Toffee | print & make version

Amy — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:05:13 +0000

I decided to publish a short version of this recipe when I tried to print the original demonstration and, with all the photos, it would have been 19 pages! We’re making this candy this week to include in a few care packages. We’re also busy making hot chocolate mix, and wading through 52 weeks of digital photos (did I really have to take so many?) to compile our annual book. Are you making anything this year?

This crunchy, salty butterscotch topped with creamy chocolate is a cookie exchange favorite. (In Minnesota they call it Lutheran Church Basement Toffee.)

It’s so fast and simple that my second-grader and I made it together in about 30 minutes with ingredients from our pantry.

For an extra-delicious experience, use Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, which got top billing from a Cooks Illustrated blind taste test.

Fills one 10″ x 13″ cookie sheet; makes about 70 two-inch toffee squares

4 oz. (1/4 of a 1 lb. box or bag) of saltines or pretzels
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 12-oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line one cookie sheet (10 x 13” works well) with aluminum foil. Grease the foil by rubbing with a stick of slightly-softened butter or by spraying with cooking oil.
Crush crackers or pretzels and spread over the cookie sheet.
Place butter and sugar in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, untouched. The sugar and butter must be completely blended together into one bubbling mix. Pour evenly over cracker mixture.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, and immediately sprinkle the cracker-toffee with the chocolate chips. Use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate evenly. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.
Chill in the fridge or freezer for at least 15 minutes. Remove the foil and then cut into 2 inch strips. Cut again crosswise to make 2 inch squares. (If frozen, the toffee may become brittle and break into uneven pieces, but that’s okay too.) Store in a cool place between layers of wax or parchment paper.

For a photo illustrated version of this recipe, see How to Make Easy Chocolate-Covered Toffee.

If you make it, please come back and tell me how it went!

4 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Dishes So You Can Enjoy the Day

Amy — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:08:57 +0000

Whether we have little kids underfoot, a full-time job, or just the general holiday pile-up, preparing for Thanksgiving can be overwhelming. Regular life is full enough — that’s why we need a bit of strategy to tackle turkey day with a smile.

I’ve made Thanksgiving dinner on my own for years now. We don’t have relatives nearby and we often end up inviting friends over. So I don’t wake up Thanksgiving morning in a panic and spend the rest of the day running around like a headless turkey, I know one of my best tactics is to get as much done ahead of time as possible.

Side dishes like potatoes, green beans, cranberries, and stuffing can be done days ahead. (Instead of also fixing dinner on those days, treat yourself to something out of the freezer.) Then on Thanksgiving day, all you’ll need to do is wrangle that turkey, get the house ready, and bake those sweet-smelling pies. (The pumpkin and pecan pies we make are so easy that I save them for the day of, so I’ll have something to do!)

The recipes I’ve listed here are simple yet classic. With Thanksgiving coming just once a year, I find that it’s hard to get tired of the traditional dishes. And whether you’re orchestrating the celebration or just playing a part, there’s always room to simplify.

Traditional Turkey Stuffing

If you have a food processor to do the chopping, now is the time to pull it out. If not, why not delegate? That’s why in our family this recipe is lovingly referred to as Dad’s Turkey Stuffing. With the chopping and sauteeing done ahead of time, all you have to do on Thursday is mix the bread stuffing with the spiced vegetables.

About 25 servings

1 bunch celery with leaves, chopped (4–5 cups)
2 large onions, or 4 small ones, chopped (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
2 sticks butter
5 large mushrooms, chopped (1⁄2 pound)
1 bunch parsley, chopped (1⁄2 – 3⁄4 cups)
1 tablespoon tarragon
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sage
1 1⁄2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 can chicken broth
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 12-14 oz. bags plain unseasoned bread stuffing
1 12-14 oz. bag cornbread stuffing, unseasoned if you can find it

Saute celery, onions, and mushrooms in butter. Add spices. Store in a cool place for up to a week.
When ready to stuff the turkey, toss the vegetable-spice mix with the bread stuffing in a very large bowl until blended. Fill the inside of the turkey with stuffing and bake according to turkey instructions.
About an hour before eating, toss about half of the stuffing (the rest is for leftovers) with a beaten egg and enough chicken broth to moisten. Heat in a covered oven-safe dish until warm all the way through. Serve.

Skin-On Smashed Potatoes

(adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

Most people agree that mashed potatoes need to be made right before serving to keep them light and fluffy. But with timing the turkey, making the gravy, and wanting to be with my guests, I don’t love the pressure of whipping up perfectly smooth potatoes at the last minute.

Even though my family has always made them with a hand mixer, the cooking gods claim that only a potato ricer or a food mill (tools that most people don’t have) will avoid gumminess. (I still think yours are the best, Mom!)

So here is a recipe for smashed potatoes: much less controversial and they work well made ahead. Plus, keeping on the vitamin-rich skins makes them both fast and healthy.

About 10 servings

5 lb. bag of potatoes (any kind will do: russet, Idaho, Yukon or red-skinned)
1 stick butter
salt & freshly ground pepper

Scrub the potatoes well. Place the un-peeled potatoes in a large, deep pot and add enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.
Keep the water at a rolling boil for about 30 minutes. Potatoes are done when a sharp knife inserted into one meets with almost no resistance.
Drain the potatoes. (If you really want to peel them, give them more time to cool before slipping off the skins.)
Drop a stick of butter into the still warm pot, plus some salt and pepper. Dump in the potatoes and smash roughly with a fork or potato masher, leaving lots of lumps. Add more butter if desired, and you’re done. (Refrigerate for up to five days before reheating in the microwave.)

Classic Cranberry Sauce

We’ve always used the simple recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray package of fresh cranberries. It’s unbelievably easy, and equally as delicious. If you want to mix it up, add a few orange slices for color and variety.

Makes 2 1/4 cups

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate for up to a week before serving.

Buttered Green Beans

Try to find the freshest green beans possible. Ideally they should snap when broken in half. Trimming is fast if you only have to snap off the stem end, or if you recruit your kids to help!

About 10 servings

4 lbs. green beans, washed and stem-ends snapped off
4 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring to boil a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt. Drop in the beans and cook for about 5 minutes or until bright green and as tender as you like them. (Taste one.)
Drain the beans and then drop them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days.
When about ready to serve, place the beans in a microwave-dish. (Since the stove and oven are usually busy at Thanksgiving, I like to use the microwave when possible, but if you prefer you could also saute’ the beans in a skillet.) Top with about 4 tablespoons of butter.
Heat in the microwave (about 5 minutes) until hot all the way through. Toss with the melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Shopping List

Things You Might Already Have

tarragon
salt and freshly ground pepper
sage
paprika
nutmeg
sugar
1 egg

Things You Might Need to Buy

1 bunch celery
2 large onions, or 4 small ones
5 large mushrooms (1⁄2 pound)
1 bunch parsley
4 lbs. green beans
5 lb. bag of potatoes (any kind will do: russet, Idaho, Yukon or red-skinned)
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
4 sticks butter
1 can chicken broth
2 12-14 ounce bags plain unseasoned bread stuffing
1 12-14 ounce bag cornbread stuffing, unseasoned if you can find it

There’s so much more to do at this time of year, I’m starting to get panicked myself. How do you manage it all?

Photo credit: cranberries

Wow your Family with these Incredibly Simple Gnocchi

Amy — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:33:18 +0000

I love Mark Bittman. When I didn’t know how to cook anything, he taught me How to Cook Everything. Well kind-of. I admit I still consult this Joy of Cooking for the Generation X to figure out complex operations like how to boil eggs.

Last night my daughters and I made Bittman’s ricotta cheese gnocchi, and they were — true to his style — simple, classy and delicious.

Normally you hear about potatoes being used to make gnocchi (pronounced YNO-ki), a rich Italian dumpling eaten with simple sauces. Even though my sister and her Argentine husband make them without a shrug, I’ve always been intimidated by making fresh pasta.

But when Bittman claimed that these cheese gnocchi were quick and easy, I believed him. And he didn’t disappoint. I wanted to share the recipe with you because my Italian husband and children (aged two to eight) gobbled them up and asked for seconds. Then again, what kid doesn’t love pasta made with cheese, flour and butter? (If yours get squeamish about green things, just remove the sage before tossing with the gnocchi. Its flavor will have already infused the butter.)

My second- and third-grade daughters got great satisfaction from helping me cook. They dropped the gnocchi batter by the tablespoon into the water, watched them rise to the surface, fished them out and lay them into the sage butter. “They’re so good!” Sofia exclaimed, when we tasted our first sample. ”And they’re homemade!” Bingo.

I doubled Bittman’s recipe so we would have enough for leftovers. This amount would work great if you have guests for dinner. To make just enough for four people, just half it.

(Just for fun, you can also see a two-minute video of Mark Bittman making the gnocchi.)

Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi

Adapted from The Minimalist: Ricotta Gnocchi Are Sticky and Lumpy (and Just Right) (October 27, 2010) by Mark Bittman

Makes 8 servings

Salt
One 32-ounce container ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
6 tablespoons butter
bunch of sage leaves (about 20)

1. Bring to boil a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Combine the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan and 1 1/2 cups flour in a large bowl (or food processor), along with some salt and pepper. Add more flour until the mixture forms a very sticky dough. To make sure it will hold its shape, take a rounded tablespoon of batter and, with another spoon, gently scrape it off into the boiling water. If it falls apart, stir in a bit more flour to the ricotta mixture.

2. Melt the sage in the butter in a large skillet over very low heat.

3. Drop the ricotta mixture by the rounded tablespoon into the boiling water working in batches of six or so at a time so as not to overload the pot.

4. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet (if you plan to eat them right away) or to an oven-safe platter (if you plan to serve them later). When all the gnocchi are done, gently toss with the sage butter (or pour the butter over the platter of gnocchi), taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately.

Do you have a favorite gourmet dish that is deceptively easy to make? Please share your secret recipe in the comments section!

You Won’t Believe How Little this Mom Spends at the Grocery Store

Amy — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:00:50 +0000

Two hundred bucks per month. And I swear she’s a real person: I’ve met her, and she breathes and laughs and has birthed three adorable kids.

Kara Riedl, co-founder of our local chapter of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), wanted to take care of her children full-time when childcare costs rose as her family grew. So she and her husband sat down and figured out how much they would have to cut back so that she could quit her job. Her efforts on reducing the grocery bill put this frugal mama to shame!

In a talk she gave to a MOPS meeting called Eating Well on a Budget, she laid down how she did it. You can read all of her tips on her blog, Just Simply Live, but here are some of the highlights:

1. Open a separate bank account for groceries

Put a set amount in each month, so you don’t go over and you don’t have to keep track of your grocery spending. If you find you can spend less, deposit a smaller amount the next month. (Many banks will do automatic transfers.)

2. Plan your meals for the week

Kara reminded us that 27% of the food available for consumption is thrown away. How often do we toss moldy bread, spoiled milk, or green cheese? Sticking to a plan and a list helps eliminate wasted food and thus wasted money.

a. Make a master list of:

your family’s favorite meals
healthy meals
meals you want to try

b. Choose a meal from the master list for each day of the week.

c. Write up your grocery list (while you are in the kitchen so you can check what you have). Add breakfast, lunch and snack items.

3. Stick to your list

In this meal-planning system, if we veer from our list we risk overstocking or making impulse buys (usually on snacks or sweets that can prevent us from cooking and eating healthier foods that spoil if not used in time).

4. Don’t go to the best supermarket

Do you have a beautiful, delicious and overall wonderful grocery store in your area? Don’t go there. Here in Central New York, we have the blessing (or curse) of having one the country’s most highly-praised grocery stores, Wegman’s. Kara hates it.

All the gourmet, international, pre-prepared, organic and luxury choices can do major damage to your will — and your budget. If you have a choice between an upscale store and a down-home one, observe your shopping behavior in both. If you find you are a better person when you are presented with fewer temptations, maybe you can save the sushi aisle and olive bar for special occasions.

5. Make your own food — and we’re not talking about dinner

I was all proud of myself for cooking meals almost every night until Kara revealed all the things she makes from scratch: bread (see her recipe below), yogurt, granola, fruit leather, trail mix, smoothies, kefir, and peanut butter. She buys the raw ingredients (like flour, nuts and dried fruit) in bulk at an Amish store to save even more.

Plus she cans and freezes in-season fruits and vegetables. She makes blueberry and strawberry jam, apple sauce, pie filling, butter, pickles, sauce, and salsa. And she freezes veggies like beans, carrots and corn.

What the $200 Does Not Include

A lot of meat. Kara’s husband is a no-meal-is-complete-without-meat kind of guy, and his brother runs a farm. So the family buys an entire cow, which lasts about a year and a half, as well as a pig occasionally, which also lasts a good while. (They store the meat in an extra freezer.)
Farmer’s market stuff, where she is known to buy gallons of honey (remember, buy in bulk) or baskets of cucumbers to make pickles.
Milk. Kara buys raw milk which is delivered to her house by a dairy and she pays cash (about $22 per month or less if she doesn’t need to make yogurt).
Toiletries. Since non-food items are usually more expensive in a supermarket, she buys them from a separate account at Target.
Honey Do. Last minute trips to the store where hubbie has to pick up some ingredients for dinner.

I’ll let that final piece segue into a point Kara made over and over in her talk to our group of moms. No one is perfect. Even her! Sometimes the plan will be for chicken parmesan and she’ll heat up chicken nuggets. Just because. Sometimes she throws out boxes of stale Triscuits. Sometimes they do McDonald’s drive-thru. Most weeks she spends $50 per week on groceries, but sometimes she goes over. Sometimes she goes under.

As Meagan Francis notes in The Happiest Mom about extremely simple meal planning, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.

Kara’s Bread (or “The best whole wheat bread…EVA”)

Cost: $0.50 per loaf

Yields 3 loaves

2 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar (raw if you have it)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)
3 3/4 cups warm water
6 cups wheat flour
3 cups white flour (I use a high gluten flour and occident flour blend)
More flour for kneading

In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let sit for a few minutes (it will get a bit bubbly). Then add remaining ingredients except the flour. Combine well. Add flours slowly and form into a ball. Knead for 8-10 minutes on a floured surface, adding flour to eliminate stickiness. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel. Let rise 1 hour until doubled.

Punch down and divide into thirds. Place in 3 pans and let rise until doubled (about 30 mins).

Heat oven to 375 degrees, and bake 30-35 minutes.

Do you know how much you spend on groceries? What are your strategies for keeping costs down? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Photo credit: bread. All other photos from Kara’s blog, Just Simply Live.

Explore the Ethnic Aisle to Save Money at the Supermarket

Amy — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:11:44 +0000

Imported food often comes with gourmet price tags. Not so in the grocery’s international section, where food can be had for less than better-known brands. An added plus: no special trips or coupons.

In an article this week at Buttoned Up, I talk about how to Explore the Ethnic Aisle to Save Money at the Supermarket, including finding delicious espresso at a fraction of the cost.

See you at Buttoned Up!

Bon-bons: Our Family’s All-Time Favorite Cookie Recipe

Amy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:56:47 +0000

These cookies have been a family favorite ever since I spotted them in a Betty Crocker cookie book my mom gave me when I was a pre-teen. (My mom kept the famous cookie book and it’s now in my possession, as you can see.)

The whimsical look and buttery taste of these cookies are irresistible.

You can double, triple, even quadruple this recipe.

Healthy it up by substituting part of the flour with whole wheat flour. The last time I made a quadruple batch for my daughter’s sleepover party, I substituted one of the six cups of flour with wheat germ and they were just as delicious (and I didn’t feel quite as guilty downing five bonbons in one sitting).

Bonbon Cookies

(adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cookie Book, 1981)

Makes 2 dozen

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Work in flour and salt until dough holds together. (If dough is dry, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.)
For each cookie, shape dough by tablespoonful into a 1 inch ball. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake until set but not brown, 12 to 15 minutes; cool.
Dip tops of cookies into glaze. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.

Tip: If you accidentally overcook the bonbons and they become dry and hard, put them in a sealed container with a few apple slices. The moisture from the apple will seep into the cookies and make them chewy again.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat all ingredients until smooth and of desired consistency (thin enough to slightly run down the sides of the cookie, but thick enough to stay there).

Do you have a cookie recipe that you come back to time after time?