CUTTING THE CORD

There is much discussion these days about “cutting the cord”. 

Whether it is the TV cord or the phone cord, folks are looking for ways to be free of being tied to an electrical line and of course, saving money.

Back in the day, when Old Mother Frugal was a younger woman, cutting the cord was an endearing term used for fathers in the delivery room upon the birth of their newborn child. Their role in the birthing process was to “cut the cord”.

Fast forward into a new century and old phrases take on new meanings.

In Old Mother Frugal’s kitchen, CORD is an acronym not related to untying oneself from something or someone. CORD is “Clean out the Refrigerator Day”. It's done weekly and it does not mean throwing out food into the trash.

For a quick, economical and nutritious meal, cleaning out the refrigerator involves defrosting chicken stock from the freezer. Then, take inventory of what exists in the refrigerator. Combine a protein, leftover vegetables and a carbohydrate with some seasoning and soup is in the pot!

No two pots of soup will ever be the same because usually there are never the same ingredients that go into the pot of soup.

Any type of soup stock can be the base for CORD soup.

Bone soup comprises a bone or bones and enough water to cover the bones.

 

These can be beef bones, ham bone, pork bones or fish bones. No bones available? Try using vegetable peels. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for 45 minutes to an hour. Strain the bones/peels, allow the broth to cool before storing in the refrigerator. Skim off any fat and freeze. Refrain from seasoning, except for a bay leaf or two, until ready to use the broth for soup meal.

The combinations are endless and are as varied as your imagination. There will be leftovers for lunch the next day and can be paired with your favorite grilled sandwich! 

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to your bone soup will draw out the calcium in the bone for added nutrition in your soup! Serving soup before dinner will fill your stomach, leaving you and/or guests less hungry for the main meal. By serving soup first, you will be able to stretch your meal!

 

 

 

HAM I AM

HAM I AM

Old Mother Frugal has a founding frugal principle… never turn away free food. 

Around the holidays, there is an unspoken practice that the leftover ham bone never goes into the trash. It finds its way to Old Mother Frugal’s freezer.

It may take months to get from the cook’s freezer to mine, but as long as it’s been frozen, time is not an issue.

Frozen or fresh, it’s a good practice to scrape as much meat off the bone as possible. With the last bone that was donated to my freezer, almost 2 cups of ham meat was extracted from the bone.

The bone is a jewel of flavor, never to be used just once. The first use of the bone yields the most flavor however that doesn’t mean that future uses won’t be tasty. Oh contraire! Old Mother Frugal has used a ham bone as many as three times to extract flavor in various recipes.

The first round yields a lentil or a split pea soup. The second round is used to cook beans to give them additional flavor. The last round is used as bone broth. The broth can be used to cook rice or leafy vegetables such as collard greens or to soak cornbread that is not as fresh as when it is baked the first day. The broth is also useful when pureed beans are too dry and they need some liquid to moisten them.

Now the meat! There are so many tasty recipes to use ham bits. Need a breakfast waffle? Ham and cheese added to the batter makes a flavorful waffle. As an added bonus, homemade waffles freeze well and can be toasted or reheated in your microwave. Grab and go out the door in the morning on your way to work or to the school bus.

For a brunch, try a ham and cheese potato patty cake and serve with a fried egg. Another brunch menu item is ham and broccoli quiche.

Finely diced ham bits flavor a split pea or lentil soup for lunch or dinner with a grilled sandwich.

When meat is used as the “accent” and not the main feature, you will reduce your food costs and not compromise flavor of your meals while stretching your food dollars.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Need ham but don’t want to buy a whole ham and don’t have a ham bone? Consider a ham steak. With a coupon and a good sale, ham steak can be diced into small cubes to stretch your food dollars. Freeze leftovers for your next meal.

                                                 HAM AND POTATO CAKE WITH

                                                          FRIED EGG

 

 

CRUSTLESS HAM BROCCOLI QUICHE

 

HAM LENTIL SOUP

                          

                                HAM AND CHEDDAR CHEESE WAFFLE