Self Starting "Old Fashioned Girls" by Choice!!!

[Boyd]

what I did starting out is ask myself, what did my great grandparents and grandparents cook and what was it? My great grandparents lived into their very late 90's, and my grandparents are in their late 70's and as healthy as can be.

I know the urge is there to grab something that you can toss into the oven quickly.. but I can also get into a rant of pre-packaged msg laden foods and I don't think you want that

My best advice to you is like what you eat, and cook what you eat. Once you get a recipe down, think of ways to jazz it up and make it yours. Now a days I hardly use a recipe and it frustrates my daughters to no end. They want to know how to cook a meal where they can pop it on a tray, turn the oven on 375 and wait x amount of time and say DONE!

My way is too slow.. I taste, season, cook, add onions or garlic by dribs and drabs.. pull the meat out of the crock pot and fry it in olive oil and re-season it before adding it back into the stew... All for the name of taste and flavor...

PS, cook with beer. You'd be surprised how well it jazzes up veggies and rice!!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Wow thanks everyone keep them coming!

I am not southern, nor a woman.. But... can tell you just about anything you want to know about old fashioned living..
We are about 80% self sufficient.. We raise two kids and live well on under 20K a year

Wow that is exactly what I am aiming for! We're on a pretty darn tight budget now, don't know what I could do to lower it even more, but I will check out that site you listed, thank you!




Oh and recipes can be posted here so everyone can share.

 

[geepy]

I just got done eating soup I made from scratch.
5 cups chicken broth (home made)
okra
onion
stewed tomatoes
sausage
1 head cabbage
1 rutabaga
baby limas
cream corn
All the veggies came out of the garden. I think this was the best soup I have made in a long time.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

One of the things I am still surprised that I use as often as I do: Cornstarch

I use it constantly for a lot of different asian dishes, all kinds of sauces, and ANYTHING that calls for breading. Basically, I have never been able to put too much cornstarch in my breading flour for fried chicken. THAT is what makes the breading like it is in the restaurants, only better!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Awesome! I just got done making fried chicken and was wondering how to get it like the restaurants!

 

[Dar]

Curried Rice


1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Cup Chopped Green Pepper
1 Cup Uncooked Rice
2 Tablespoons Butter Or Margarine
½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
½ Teaspoon Curry Powder
2 Cups Of Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley



1. Cook Onion And Green Pepper In Butter In A Large Sauce Pan Unitl Tender
2. Add Rice, Pepper, Turmeric, And Curry; Brown Slightly
3. Add Chicken Broth; Stir Well Bring To A Boil
4. Reduce Heat, Cover And Simmer 15 Minutes Or Until Rice Is Tender And Liquid Is Asorbed
5. Remove From Heat; Stir In Parsley

 

[gallinamama]

Quote:
Wow that is exactly what I am aiming for! We're on a pretty darn tight budget now, don't know what I could do to lower it even more, but I will check out that site you listed, thank you!




Oh and recipes can be posted here so everyone can share.

Pasta is a great way to cut down on grocery expense. With all these beautiful eggs.. get yourself a pasta machine...they are not very expensive.. and it makes it much more easier than rolling and cutting the pasta yourself... In Italy a lot of women do not own pasta machines.. but I myself find it much easier.

and do not look at all these fangle dangle ways of making pasta.... My rule is one egg per person.. so if you have 5 people for dinner use 5-6 eggs. Flour, eggs and water... that is all... and I learned this from my mother in law... from Italy.. you can try the semolina thing... but personally I have been making fresh pasta for 36 years.. and never ever used it...
make the pasta dough firm... the firmer the better...you also get a good arm workout... haha..

out of this dough you can make... linguine, spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, cannelonni, all sorts of different dishes... white sauce, tomatoe sauce, clam sauce, vodka sauce, etc....
you also can make gnocchi... made out of potatoes, flour and egg....... I never measure I just go by the feel of the dough. once you learn and make it all the time... I can make fresh pasta and have it on the table in 20 minutes. I had four children and a mother in law to take care of... my husband worked... so to cut down on costs.. I made my own bread and made everything homemade...
You are on the right track... it is a lost art... cooking... with all the fast food now days... We need to get back to the basics. I think alot of people are finding out that living the way we have for years has gotten us into a mess... time to get back...

If you need specific recipes...I can try to post them...On one of theses sites .. I was telling them about my stuffed cabbage... people never thought about adding a bit of Italian sausage to the ground meat for more flavor... You add your own spiin on these recipes.. and make them your own...good luck

 

[artsyrobin]

if you can, look for a cookbook called More with Less, it is great for simplifying - i grew up in san diego- where are you at?

 

[Pelican49]

Hey Snow: I do know what you mean about not learning how to cook at home when young. I did grow up with a Mother, but my Mother's idea of cooking was to open a can of veggies; green beans or corn, boil a potato and fry a piece of meat until it's close to jerky. LOL. I grew up in Minnesota. But when I graduated from HS I moved to California. It was the 60s and it was the place to be, my parents were not amused.

When I got married at 20, back in the 60s I didn't have a clue. We lived in Santa Ana. The first time my husband asked for things like Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower eggplant & avacadoes, I went to the grocery and had to look at the little signs above the produce because I didn't know what they looked like. Pityful. I had bought an old Betty Crocker cookbook at the swap meet. That's how I started to learn. Then we moved to Oklahoma and I met my new MIL who had 4 sons and always wanted a daughter. I was her first DIL. Lucky me! She taught me to cook, sew, crochet and knit. I wish we'd had more time together, but she died quite young so I only had her for 9 years.

My favorite utensil in the kitchen is my Mother-in-law's old biscuit cutter, which she got when she was married in the 1930s. I use it all the time. My other favorite utensil is much more modern. The apple pealer, corer, slicer from Pampered Chef. I love that thing. It sure makes apple pies easier!, and we have tons of apples on our trees right now.

The things I'm requested to make most often are potato salad, strawberry/rhubarb pie & cheesecake. My son called one day and asked for my "recipe" for potato salad. Recipe? I kinda do it on sight and taste. So the next time I made it I actually measured things.

Sewing & gardening have become 2 of my favorite things over the years. With sewing it has just been a matter of following the directions on the pattern. Early on there were many mistakes. Now I make Renaissance dresses. It just became a favorite hobby so lots of practice. My daughter has only recently developed an interest in learning how to sew and she's in her 30s. Better late than never. I'd like to try quilting.

This is the Halloween costume I made my Grandson last year...

And my daughter's wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Renaissance wedding complete with music by bagpipers.

A few years ago I started trying my hand at cake decorating. This is for my daughter's last baby shower.

If you're interested in any of the recipes, just say.

I spent most of my life living in the 'burbs to be close to work. A few years back I was laid off after 28 years. I decided to just call it retirement. This past April I bought 36 acres in the sticks. My daughter and the 2 Grandkids are living with me now. We're starting with chickens and a big garden. We'd like to progress to a milk cow or 2 and goats. Maybe pigs on down the line. If you're a young woman count your blessings. I'm in my 60s and wish I could have started living like this decades ago. My daughter is thrilled with the country life at 36. My Grandkids will grow up out here. We have a lot to learn, but we'll get there together.

ETA: I make Bisquick biscuits all the time. Nothing whatever wrong with cutting corners. I make the rolled biscuits, not the drop ones.

 

[GRAM49]

Congratulations on you new way of living! I have been married 40 years and have a ton of cookbooks, but the very best is one I got as a shower gift from my mother is the "Better Homes and Garden Cookbook" (red/white checked). It has probably been upated many times, but it had the most basic, sensible recipes. It is still my "go to" book when I want to know how cook something I am not familiar with.