This evening my home is filled with that distinct aroma of burnt garlic bread. Without thinking, I was going to toss all of it in the trash, but my husband reminded me of the fact that it might not be an option for someone trying to stretch their grocery budget as far as they could. So, we salvaged the best pieces (the ones in the picture) and scraped the rest. Inside I felt defeated. The garlic toasts were the one thing that I was really looking forward to for dinner and they were ruined all because in keeping in step with this challenge and my commitment to abandon all of the “luxury” items in my kitchen I chose not to use my timer. Thankful this was not a dire mistake, but it did made me realize how important it would be to pay attention to what I was doing. In a real case scenario, one burnt meal could easily send someone to bed hungry especially if the item could not be salvaged and nothing else afforded. Almost as bad, would probably be the need to Read more…
Food Stamp Challenge, Live Well for Less
dinner, eat cheap, recipe
The day is flying by and thankfully our shoe string budget for breakfast carried us through the morning with out feeling hungry. Hopefully, I can say the same for lunch…
In researching, planning, and shopping for a menu and grocery list that could accommodate a poverty level grocery budget, it was lunch that seemed to be the most difficult to afford. Taking into consideration that many of the working poor and struggling families may not have access to refrigeration throughout the day and would not necessarily be able to store leftovers at work, half of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich with half of a banana was the healthiest meal I could come up with. Yes, I really did mean half of a banana! Read more…
Food Stamp Challenge
eat cheap, lunch, recipe
*Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it is typically the meal that most often skipped in a rush to get out the door. By taking a few minutes to prepare and eat breakfast you can help keep your energy level up and your blood sugar from dropping. I particularly chose eggs because they will help you stave off hunger pains. We prefer them scrambled and added a little bit of cheese and salsa for flavor. A hearty whole wheat bread with 3 grams of fiber was chosen simple because it is a complex carbohydrate. Although I am not a dietitian and no more then a home cook, I do know if through nothing but experience, that complex carbohydrates are far more satisfying and offer a much better source of energy then their often less expensive, overly refined, and processed counter parts. The 8 oz glass of orange juice was chosen to replace my passion for fresh fruit for breakfast. Although it could not compare with the vitamins, nutrients, and fiber found in a serving of fruit, it is high in vitamin C and help to round out this meal. The Texas Pete Hot Sauce was on stand-by because we were a little bit suspicious of the Read more…
Food Stamp Challenge
breakfast, eat cheap, recipe
As I sit here at my laptop, and look around at all of the modern conveniences that life in this century has afforded me, I can not help but wonder if my great grandparents would recognize most of them. If they were to be able to travel through time and space for a visit, how would my everyday existence appear to their old world eyes and sense of accomplishment? Would they be impressed with the fact that my home and life is stuffed to the gills with time saving gadgets which free up my time, only so it can be over scheduled and filled up with a million other distracting tasks, preventing me from savoring the moment at hand? Above all, could they comprehend the fact that living green and practicing sustainability is something I am learning and not second nature? Yes, these are questions that make me wonder about who I am and what I can do to leave something more behind me then an enormous carbon footprint in this world… Something that would make them feel proud of the legacy they have left behind them as well…
At the moment, the steps I am taking still seem small and insignificant to me, but all of them have enriched my life, giving it a deeper sense of value, and purpose. In my journey, towards eating local, living greener, and incorporating more sustainable practices into my life, I have found that Read more…
Ceres' Recipe Box
breakfast, canning, farm, homemade, pick your own, recipe, strawberries, sustainability
If you have been reading my blog then you may have already noticed a trend, that I am a huge fan of quick and easy techniques that make “Living the Good Life,” simple and easily attainable. There are many reasons for this, but for the most part it is merely a reflection of how I live. Life is busy, it gets hectic, sometimes chaotic, and like the average person, the list of what I would like to do and what I will actually will get around to doing might as well exist in two entirely different lifetimes. Still, I don’t like the idea of life passing me by without being fully immersed in its beauty, depth, and complicity either…
For that reason, I am adding a new category to Ceres’ Secrets called “Simple Pleasures.” If you only have a moment and are searching for a way to indulge in something decadent with the most minimal amount of complication, stress, and active involvement time, then this is the place to look. The posts that reside here will offer effortless solutions for making those never ending “Every Days” seem a bit more special. It is my greatest wish that you will find something manageable among them that will help you savor the quiet unhurried moments in life that often slip by unannounced while awaiting the grand ones.
With that thought in mind, it only seems fitting that I should share one of our favorite simple pleasures first, Read more…
Simple Pleasures
chocolate, recipe
This soup has long ago earned a permanent place in my heart. When I am not too busy, I like to begin each season with a personal ritual of making a big batch of it to store in the freezer. We do not get sick very often, but I find it is like pure liquid gold the few times that we do. I often bring large containers of it to family and friends during cold and flu season or after a hospital stay and it has Read more…
Ceres' Recipe Box
recipe, soup
I have a great affinity for just about anything that you can eat from a bowl. During the Winter we tend to live on hearty hot soups and stews finding comfort and warmth in the bottom of our pottery bowls. As the days grow longer and Spring unfurls into Summer, soups are very much still in our repertoire, but they are aways cool, light, colorful, and refreshing. Unlike their winter counterparts that often simmer or braise for hours, these fresher soups are simple to prepare and require very little active time in a hot kitchen. I have a collection of them that I rely on during those warmer months, but this one is probably one of my favorites. Read more…
Ceres' Recipe Box
recipe, soup
Now that it is Spring, I find that I just can not seem to get enough time outside. My first cup of coffee is sipped in the garden before the morning dew has even had the time to evaporate. Lazy afternoons are spent under a tall shady tree with an ice cold glass of homemade lemonade. If I am lucky, my evenings are spent unwinding on the patio with a glass of wine, my journal, and a book or two as my toes wiggle their way into the cool green grass. My winter’s hibernation, of long naps, heavy reading, endless internet surfing, late nights watching foreign films, occasional crafting, and attempts to master new culinary techniques have, by this time, long been forgotten…
It is during this long awaited season that I find myself gravitating towards Read more…
Ceres' Recipe Box, Simple Pleasures
homemade, recipe
Yesterday, during The Kentucky Derby, we sipped on Mint Juleps and cheered for our horses. Today we woke up to left over Mint Julep Syrup, a few handfuls of fresh mint, a tiny bit of bourbon, and a bowl full of perfectly ripened fruit. Together they made the very best “Day After The Derby Breakfast.
The recipe is simple…
Fresh sliced fruit, a drizzle of Mint Julep Syrup, and a splash of bourbon tossed gently in a bowl.
Plate and serve with fresh mint leaves.
Of course, you may always chase this down with another Mint Julep…
Ceres' Recipe Box, Simple Pleasures
recipe, salad
Our Easter weekend was ice cold and blustery. Other then venturing out to Holmes County (home of The World’s Largest Amish Population as well as The World’s Largest Buffet) for canning supplies, we stayed home cringing in horror as last week’s perfect green grass and shivering little yellow dandelions were periodically buried under a light dusting of snow. We also mourned the Hyacinths outside our door that had been reduced to limp little stems lying defeated on the ground as their fragile purple flowers bowed down in defeat to winter’s last hoorah…
The ten years we lived in Florida had long ago Read more…
Ceres' Recipe Box
appetizer, asparagus, canning, homemade, recipe, tips
