Text 8653, 134 rader
Skriven 2008-06-09 16:21:58 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
   Kommentar till text 8349 av Carol Shenkenberger (14459.cooks)
Ärende: Meat Balls, Mamma Mia!                                   [1]
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Hi Carol,

 >  CS> though.  Just fresh (often slightly wilting) ones.  If i use frozen,
 >  CS> it's from the soup bag of what was wilting and wasnt ready to use yet

 > I probably ought to start buying more fresh and using a soup bag as
 > well. Then, too, I'm so used to doing the bulk of my shopping once a
 > month..........it's easy to toss in several bags of frozen stuff. I have
 > ben buying a bit more fresh here & there, using it first, then going
 > with the frozen. The housing fridge doesn't give us very big crisper
 > drawers tho, another down side to buying a lot of fresh stuff.

 CS> Yes, I too shop less often now and am relying more on cans or frozen.
 CS> In Sasebo I was biking or walking by a market every day to get to/from
 CS> work.

And we live/Steve works on post.  He doesn't even go by way of the
commissary to go to/come home from work. We went shopping Friday and I
know I bought more fresh stuff than frozen.  Other than lemonade and
orange juice, I only picked up some frozen green beans and broccoli. In
fresh, we got some vine ripened tomatoes, a head of regular (green)
cabbage, one of bok choy, a bag of baby carrots a couple each of red &
green bell peppers, same of of zuchinni, cucumber, and anaheim peppers,
and an 8oz package of fresh mushrooms.  I think that was all the
produce.  Oh, and a package of mixed salad greens.

 >  CS> Ok, she had the basics there.  She'd serve it over pasta of whatever
 >  CS> type were handy.  Spagetti, egg, shells etc.

 > It usually has noodles mixed in so could be your mom's adaptation.

 CS> Possibly!  I think she did that some times too with a cassarole
 CS> cookery.

It's a good way to stretch a meal for growing kids.


 CS> (woof woof, workers just showed up for the back room).

Horray; I've read some of your reports on the progress.



 > My mom is over a day's drive from us.  She's quite computer phobic so
 > doesn't do too much on it. She still cooks like she did when we were
 > home, tho reduced quantities, and more reliance on convenience foods
 > than she used to. She hasn't gone the instant mashed potato route
 > totally yet but I don't think it will be too much longer before she

 CS> Well Mom doesnt have a phone line or a computer, but she uses the
 CS> local library access with internet.  It's free and she's happy to get
 CS> out of the house for a bit.

Good for her! My mom doesn't drive and the local library (where she used
to work) is too far for her to walk.  Dad has a room crammed with all
kinds of computer equipment tho.

 > kid might get both wings or 2 of us a wing and drum stick, the two
 > thighs would go one apiece to a kid. Some times when we were younger, it

 CS> Hehehe I can see this.  Lots of filler on the sides.

Very much so--and we couldn't have 2nds on meat unless we took 2nds on
the vegetable or potatoes as well. That is, if 2nds on any of the above
were available.

 > seconds.  Times were really lean when we were growing up; even after my
 > mom started work, the amount of food she cooked didn't increase very
 > much. What did help was first my older brother, then me, leaving home
 > for college and/or work.  That increased portion sizes for the kids left

 CS> Mom just scaled down how much she made when my sister moved to
 CS> California to live with Dad when i was about 14.

And you moved out of the house a few years later. My folks still had 3
kids at home when I went to college & got married. Mom scaled back a bit
then but not much--my younger brother has always eaten like there's no
tomorrow.


 > Sounds about the same. Only seasoning would be salt and pepper as a
 > general rule.

 CS> Skip the pepper for our house <g>.

We had it in moderation. My mom also bought onion salt & garlic salt; I
can remember one time when my sister made the spaghetti sauce.  She had
the ground beef pure white with all of the salt she put on it.


 >  CS> Oh I liked them but Mom really loved them so I'd limit myself on them
 >  CS> and grab a higher share of the bannana bits (which she didnt like as
 >  CS> much as me).

 > I'd probably have gone for the peach pieces.  More likely, it was dished
 > out and we had to take whatever we got, no trades or complaining.

 CS> This was a citrus blend and i don't recall peaches in there.  I do
 CS> recall the bannanas though.  Grapefruit, oranges, bannana and
 CS> marashino.  Not sure if there was anything else in there?  Maybe a few
 CS> bits of pear?

I was thinking of the fruit cocktail my grandmother used to use for
dessert at least one of the nights we would be visiting.  A couple of
regular cans would be split 9 ways (7 of us, my grandmother and my
aunt).  Another, lunchtime dessert was a box of Scooter pies split,with
the extra one going to my aunt after we left.


 >  CS> I am prone to one jar only here too, but am not upset to see two
 >  CS> different types open.  I tend to give a stern look at 2 grape jelly
 >  CS> jars at once though

 > I know; I would too. We generally have a couple of different varieties
 > open now.  Haven't bought grape jelly for years. (G)

 CS> I was thinking to make some but that one time the work doesnt really
 CS> match the cost and fun has it's limits.

I know; I don't work and would make some probably this fall if we knew
for sure we wouldn't be moving next spring.  As is, I'm not making any
jams this year so we can use up what I made last year (or most of it
anyway).

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly@earthlink.net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Nothing is ever lost. It's just where it doesn't belong.

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)