IT'S THOSE LITTLE THINGS

When Old Mother Frugal’s “One and Only” Mother’s Little Helper was seven years old, she wanted a food item at the grocery store. It was explained that Old Mother Frugal had spent all the grocery money and she’d have to wait before we could buy more food. She was assured there was plenty of food in the house and she’d have to make another request, one which was already in the pantry. Those of you that are monthly grocery shoppers most likely can relate to such a conversation.

A few days later, “One and Only” Mother’s Little Helper came home from school with a stack of cookbooks from the school library.  It was a 2^nd grader’s contribution to the food situation at home.  There was bound to be something in those cookbooks that Old Mother Frugal could use to make her something special to eat without spending money at the grocery store.

It’s a favorite memory.  So thoughtful. It’s those little things that mean so much.

It’s also those little things of food items that can be made so much of as well.

Old Mother Frugal has a passion of no food waste.  

The problem…those little items in the freezer can easily get lost and unused which defeats the entire purpose to re-purpose!

Today that changed…all those little things came out of the freezer and into cooking appliances for re-purposing.  A small container of chopped spinach, leftover homemade ricotta, marked down pizza down will transform into a calzone or pizza.

Packages of cooked chicken bones and cooked turkey wings with some veggie scraps and leftover vegetables into the largest crock pot in the kitchen for a low and slow stock.

Scraps of pork from pork loins and Italian sausage went into a large pot of homemade red sauce and three loaves of stale bread into the oven to dry for homemade bread crumbs. 

Yes, all these years later and it’s still those little things that can amount to so much!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s Tip:  Take inventory of what is in your freezer by writing the items down on an index card and tape to the inside of your freezer.  As you add/remove items, update your list.  It serves several purposes.  First, you will know what you have on hand. Second, instead of having that dazed, "deer in the headlight look" of “what should I cook for dinner”, a quick glance of your inventory may spark an idea or two!