Not done yet… the Chicken Backs!

Nov 14, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: food, Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money

We love the wings, the legs & thighs and the breasts are probably the most loved by people and so versatile.  I wonder if  gals don’t cut up their own whole chickens because they don’t know what to do with the chicken backs. I  look on these as 2-3 free meals! Read more »

Canning Apples

Jul 6, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll

Last week I got a really good price on apples so I bought 20 kilos or 44 lbs. I made apple pie filling which will be used both for pie and turnovers, apple sauce, both chunky & smooth and some with and without spices. I canned 49 jars in all and it should last us the year.

The price I paid was 0,65 euro cents per kilo or 83¢ USA cents per kilo or 37¢ per lb. I do keep a price book to register all  the best prices, so I generally know when to stock up.

Here is the photo of my work:

Canned Apples

Jalapeño Peppers

Feb 2, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Gardening, Grocery Challenge, recipes, Spain

New Seeds to plant

It´s time to start my Jalapeño peppers indoor! Our friends Tom and Jeanne, sent me this fantastic seed catalog and offered to send me seeds. I chose 2: peppers and kale (see photo). These peppers are extra large and good for canning, which is my intention. Since  hot peppers and not available in Spain, I would like to can them and also can enough Mexican salsa to last 1 year.

Roasted Red Peppers

Jan 27, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Canning/Preserving, Gardening, Grocery Challenge

I bought 3 kilos of really nice red peppers for a good price in Madrid then roasted and canned them. Here are the results:

About 20 large red peppers rendered 16 jars of peppers.

Canning Beef Stew

Jan 6, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Canning/Preserving, recipes, saving money

Beef Stew

After Christmas Anita and I went to Makro (the Spanish version of SAM’s Club or COSTCO) so she could buy Read more »

Canning for fun & frugality

Dec 30, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    3 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Bobbie's Store, Canning/Preserving, saving money

Anita and I did some canning over the Christmas holidays.  Above is the photo of some meatballs and bolognese  sauce I made; 22 jars of one and 17 of another. I also canned chicken, butter beans, & taco soup (with ground beef, hominy etc). It’s funny to say that it’s fun and work at the same time! I even think it’s relaxing/satisfying…go figure! I guess that’s what hobbies are all about! The pressure canner that I use is on the carousel below.

Canning Turkey

Dec 15, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    3 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Canning/Preserving, Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money

Please leave your comments.

One of my favorite things to do is can meat. It relaxes me and gives me a sense of satisfaction when I see all the jars lined up on the shelves.

canned turkey

I always know when it’s time to can when I have a shelf of empty jars, so I start making my plans. This week I hope to can about 10 quarts of goulash. I’ve never canned this before but it would be nice to have it on the shelf. My sister-in-law, Vanita sent me spices as couple of months ago and it’s perfect for this. I’m also running low on my Spaghetti Meat Sauce seeing that I only have  2 jars left on the shelf.

The one of the things I would like to can is lamb, which would be excellent for Shepherds pie but I need to find it at a good price first.

Anita (child #5) will be here next Monday and we hope to squeeze some canning in for her too. Nice to travel down with empty jars and take up full jars of  food and meats. They are very handy. I can have most every casserole ready in just a few minutes, no thawing of meat, just open the jar and add the already cooked meat to the other ingredients. Easy!

* please leave your comments

Day 15 My Grocery Spending Plan

Nov 4, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, saving money

Day 15:

Still my total for spending the last 15 days is: 19,50€

Spent today: $0

I’m still pretty weak and tired from having the flu this week but well enough to starting thinking about preparing food again. We’re finishing up with the last of the  casserole and other leftovers but am looking at making some macaroni & cheese with that piece of ham in the fridge. I think I’ll try to make it tomorrow when we arrive in the village for work.

I had cleared my schedule these past few days but I have a meeting tonight  and one tomorrow before we leave.

I may spend money tomorrow on hamburger & ground pork because I want to can (preserve)  while I’m in the village. It’s handy for me to have preserved/canned meat on the shelf since we lead such a busy life. My dear sister-in-law Vanita sent me some spices that I can add to the jars before I pressure cook/can them. Canning meat & chicken is one of my favorite things to do.

My Pantry

May 14, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Canning/Preserving, Gardening, Grocery Challenge

It’s been busy around here! As you’ve already read, we had family for a visit, then another young woman came from France for 4 days and finally this weekend, we will have another gal in one of our ‘guestrooms’.

Work is busy, church is busy and our house is staying full! In spite of all of the activity, I’ve found time in the evenings to do some canning. These past 2 weeks I have canned 10 kilos of pork cubes (some with Chipotle seasoning), 10 kilos of potatoes and I ground, seasoned, made and canned 10 lbs of sausage patties.

My PANTRY is filling! It’s sure nice to have a jar of ground beef ready to pop open (I use reusable canning jars) and add to a casserole. This week when I was rushed for time due to work and meetings, I opened a jar of beans, & one pork cubes to make nachos for lunch. I add some fresh lettuce, scallions and cilantro from my garden, some salsa and cheese over chips.

I sure look forward to the summer tomatoes, peppers and onions for making enough salsa that will last us a year.

These are my 3 shelves of canned food. The photos are slightly overlapping each other and you can get a ‘larger’ view by clicking on the photo.

The benefits of canning for me:

1. fresh food canned with the seasoning I want and use
2. I buy at the cheapest prices to stretch my grocery money
3. I always have food on hand when we travel or have friends over
4. I enjoy the process and like to see the pantry full of options for meal times

The downside of canning for me:

1. my hands & nails have taken a beating
2. I have to be careful not to strain my wrists
3. I’m usually up pretty late at night getting it all done

Taking advantage of seasonal food

Feb 21, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, recipes

Upon returning  home from Chicago, I found that there were several opportunities to buy fruit and vegetables at really good prices.

• a 5 kilo bag of carrots @,45 “euro cents” a kilo
• apples for ,69 cents a kilo
• plums for ,69 cents a kilo

I also brought back 2 ½ pounds of fresh jalapeños from Chicago. Our daughters, Jesseka and Jerusha have access to a wonderful ethnic market. They have great prices and foods from all over the world. I’ve not been able to find jalapeños in Spain. As I have mentioned before, Spaniards are not accustomed to eating hot or spicy food.

I’m so glad that our granddaughter, Abigail was here to join in on this fun activity. Here are some photos: (for a larger view, run your cursor over the photo and ‘click’).

We made:

• Applesauce
• Apple Maple Jam (really good stuff!)
• canned jalapeños
• pickled hot carrots & jalapeños
• plum jam
• canned carrots for soups and stews

We are adding good food, at excellent prices to our larder. I’m planning that after 1 full year of taking advantage of all the sales and seasonal food, I’ll have a little bit of everything, all the best prices, thereby stretching diminishing good dollars.