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A post after my own heart! We rarely have convenience foods, with the exception of take-out Chinese once in a great while.

I fed a family of six (three teen boys, two adult males and me) for $175.00/month for a decade just by shopping Loss Leader sales, planning weekly meals, cooking from scratch and using coupons.

As I’ve said before, I’m ready for The Revolution. Got a clean well, plenty of land to grow food, we have laying hens for eggs, fruit trees, berries, and I can shoot a rabbit when I need to. I know how to butcher venison, and bake my own bread. I know where the wild Morel mushrooms live, and the wild asparagus and all the wild grapes and blackberries a body could want for jelly. ;)

Now I just need to mill my own flour and find a way to make sugar (sugar beets?) and I’ll be all set. Oh, and I want a milk cow, but DH will only go as far as getting a goat, which I can’t stand, having tended them in the past. Never again.

My Mom still gives me a hard time because I was, “never going to be the ‘Susie Homemaker Type’ when I I grow up!” LOL!

I’m still really not; I just know the value of a dollar and I prefer to keep as many of them in my own pocket as I can. :)

Well, I will throw in my recipe fondly known as “garbage soup”! When I cook I take all the left over bones and skin from chicken or steak or whatever, and throw them in the freezer. I also add the glace from the bottom of the pan... the meat juices that have cooked down and are full of flavor. I add a bit of water to disolve them and add that to the baggie. Also any bits of left over gravy or mashed potatoes.

Last night I cooked a chicken in the crock pot with celery and carrots and some white wine (it was delish!) The leftover bones and veggies and wine juices went in as well. Last time I had about 2 cups of left over stew that went in. I stuffed some tomatoes last night, so the innard will go in as well. I avoid things like broccoli or cabbage as they have too strong a flavor and it will overwhelm the other things.

When I have a big bag worth I will throw it all in my 20 quart pasta pan with the insert in. I add water to cover and cook all the rest of the flavor out. The pasta insert makes it easy... I just lift out all the bones and stuff and let it drain. The resulting broth is stupendous! Just add some chopped onion, carrot and celery, a little rice or pasta and some left over meat and you have the best soup in the world!