Thirty Days of THRIFT

This is it. Do or Do Not, there is not Try. You might have noticed that Week Three was 8 days long. So, to wrap up the month we only need a few more days of challenging ground beef menus. Do we start to repeat? Snog on the store-bought hamburger patties? Find an excuse to head over to the Lamplighter pub for a break?         I Still have not done Spanish Rice, Sloppy Joe's, or Cabbage Rolls, Sweet n Sour Meatballs, chillidogs, tortiere, shepherds pie,various casseroles and hash. ...so this may never end. Wow, the meal was MUCH better than it looks here. Sweet n'Sour meatballs in a crockpot served over pasta. I had issues with the recipe found on the internet, but persevered. It created a minimal level in the crockpot that created a lack of sauce, But we have no complaints with this meal and the leftovers. The secret to Sloppy Joe's , I think, is toasting the bun until crusty. I also don't enjoy using Tomato Paste as it is too acidic. Not like it stil...

Still eating CHEAP... We ALWAYS try to have homemade frozen S PAGHETTI on hand. So that will be for day 1 and day 2 this week. I also remembered to take a picture before the plate was given to the cats to clean. People get pretty hyped about 'their' spaghetti recipe, but to me it is just common sense. Start with a jar or can of bought sauce, add cooked ground beef, maybe a can of diced tomato, and fry up some onion and sweet peppers, etc etc etc (its the etc that really makes it excellent) Steve can't stop saying how much he likes the Meatloaf I made!!! and I must admit that it turned out pretty yummy. Worth having THREE DAYS IN A ROW yummy with creamy mashed potatoes, broiled Italian bread slice, and frozen veggies. This was a feast. FULL CONFESSION: we cheated again and had ONE night of pork chops with mashed potatoes and frozen veggies tossed with a smidgen of balsamic vinegar. We found a chunk of meat in the freezer labelled as 2016.... it was an act of kindnes...

Okay, this video is from a few years ago- when I set a challenge to knit at least 2 rows on some socks every day for a month. It was July, my husband was on a motorcycle trip, I was sure i'd waste time if I didn't set myself a challenge. I had planned to get 3 pairs of socks done to give as Christmas presents, but knew I usually procrastinate until the last minute. Happily, I did finish all the socks before my deadline of December. a pair for my sister, a pair for my daughter, and a pair for me. Part of the Challenge was to knit in different locations. It was fun and I took a picture to prove my commitment every day. And here is what was created from my efforts. I figure I can include this as part of my THIRTY DAYS OF THRIFT because homemade crafts are a great way to make economical happiness for the giver and receiver.

Wow! This week I'm still  licking my plate clean .... and Then I remember that I didn't take a picture!!!! Stir Fry with Chow Mien Noodles lasted 2 nights and I must admit, I didn't use a recipe. It was very edible... but probably better if my husband had been the cook. Fry up your beef, fry up some peppers and onion and whatever else is in the fridge that needs to go, like tomatoes, then add a sauce like Spicy Thai Chili (but this was too sweet). Prep some chow mien noodles to serve under the stir fry. So far this one was my least favourite ground beef attempt. I feel like I cheated again with Salisbury Steak . It was a memory from summer camp when I was 12. I loved it and was amazed to learn this perfect meal was so easy, yet I had never had it at home. Mmm mashed potatoes and a veggie side. Toss a few pre-made frozen burger patties on the bbq. Spoon some gravy over the mashed potatoes and beef patties. Okay, I admit that Steve referred to this meal as 'de...

For the First Three Days I made CHILI. Just a basic recipe with a can of tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce, 3 lbs of browned ground beef, onion, yellow pepper,  a half can of beans, chill powder and other spices such as salt and cinnamon, oregano, etc. I left it in a slow cooker for hours and served with bread or buns. YES it lasted 3 days but I nailed the heat and flavour so it was really Great. I managed to provide a photo of Chili here but not the same one we ate during this first week - this one was made by Diane for a potluck lunch (thanks Diane, it was yummy!) Next was BURGERS! a pound of beef made 4 lovely-sized patties and very filling so this lasted us 2 nights. Cooked all on the BBQ the first night and they warmed up fine as leftovers in the microwave. My only warning is that my husband created the patties. Lovely and juicy... but the recipe probably will never be repeated. All he tells me is that he stuffed some onion in a blender, a couple slices of tomato,...