Mouse Kitty

It's raining like crazy here in Ohio - so it's Canning Day! This morning - Strawberry Jam and Raspberry Jam This afternoon - meatless spaghetti sauce.

MY library doesn't carry The Civil War Cookbook! Must find this book... !!!!

Westbrook - Thanks for the recipe, and the link for the donuts - I think the Bisquik mix recipe you listed is slightly different than the one I've used before, so I'm anxious to try it out. If I recall correctly, the one I have uses shortening instead of oil, and only 2Tbsp. Baking powder. Have to try this recipe out!

Amishway Homesteaders - THAT is what I was thinking! (That it sounds like a good meal!) I never think of this kind of eating as *poverty* eating - I see it as one more meal towards Financial Independence!

Originally Posted By: MommyofSeven I had also wanted to add, that I make many pantry items myself. I also keep Bisquick on hand, but it's home made. Stores just fine for quite awhile in plastic storage bags. I also make ranch dressing mix, brownie and cake mix, seasonings, etc to have on hand. That six pounds of bisquick I can make for a buck and change. We go through a LOT of ranch dressing mix so that saves us a tremendous amount of money. We use bisquick for biscuits and pancakes, also saving tons of money, considering how much of that we go through. Mo7 Like you, I make many of those things myself - I just wasn't savvy enough back then. Boy, I sure wish I knew it then! I could have saved even MORE money, and added a little diversity to those meals! I've been trying hard to stay away from alot of prepared foods, but something like a Bisquik mix is indispensible, I think. ONe of the BEST cookie-in-a-jar recipes I've ever used, uses Bisquik (or its equivalent) as a flour base. Good stuff!

Originally Posted By: Amishway Homesteaders And seeing you are posting today I guess you didn't pass away from eating it. Well.... according to DH, he isn't the man he should be to this day because of that early *malnourishment*!!!

Originally Posted By: Cricket Wow! How resourceful for a young bride to find so many uses for Bisquick! errr...ahhh.. actually...I can't take credit for that strategy! Good ol' Mom taught me most of that while I was growing up. If dad wasn't on strike, he was off due to an injury- stretching and improvising was a way of life for her, I think! Bisquik items were not the only thing we ate, but in recalling those really tough times, that was the strategy I remembered. Most often we had many other things already in the apt that I could add or stretch with it. And... Cricket.... Two cans make you giddy, eh? Have you ever just thrown all caution to the wind and thought about making something with THREE cans?

Let's see.... poverty cooking/eating.... I'd say the first year we were married (1988) would definitely qualify as a crash course for the 18 year old I was then about poverty and making do with nothing at all. A double box set of 6lb. Bisquik boxes cellophaned together, a 5lb. box of dried milk, a large bag of rice and two cheap stewing chickens could quite literally feed us for two weeks. (Add in stick margarine which is usually STILL found for 48 cents a lb or less.) We usually got these items from Sam's. We would make Chicken and dumplings. Pancakes or biscuits for breakfast. Biscuits with creamed chicken over them. Many nights we had pancakes (butter with no/little syrup) for dinner. Trust me - a thick, heavy Bisquik pancake for dinner can fill up even a hungry man very nicely. There was also a recipe on the back of the Bisquik box about making a breakfast casserole with Bisquik, eggs, milk and cheese. I don't remember what it was. But if I could afford or had the eggs and cheese I would make that and we would eat on it for two days or more. We also used to make a Bisquik-like shortcake (almost like a drop biscuit, really) and add a can of cheap pie filling as topping for a treat. For some reason I could almost always find a dented can of pie filling for next to nothing in the sale bins. Creamed chicken (if any was left) went well over the rice, or sometimes we saved some of the chicken after boiling for dumpling broth and made a rice and chicken baked casserole. Sometimes I had some sugar or brown sugar to make one of the other coffee-cake-like items listed on the back. They were always plain, but very filling. Let me stress that I made different Bisquik recipes according to whatever else I might have on hand or could afford - cinnamon, etc. In today's prices according to my pricebook: Costco - ONE 6lb. box of Bisquik - $4.35 (x2 = 8.70) Aldi's - ONE 5lb. box of dry milk - $7.95 Chicken - varies by store, but ranges from .49 -.99 a lb for various cheap chicken parts- I'll go overkill/protein-heavy and say spend 10.00 on chicken. Rice - medium bag for $2.50 Margarine - $1.00 for 2 lbs. Total - $30.15 There wasn't much variety, that is true, but we sure didn't starve. I STILL keep Bisquik on hand - I know I can make the same thing from bulk ingredients, but it's great in a pinch to have on hand. Sorry for the long, wordy post!