Although I always have been frugal when buying food, the present high prices have made me more so. I don’t know how young families with children can prepare less expensive meals. My suggestions, which I’m sure most already know, are to buy store brands instead of “name” ones and get on sale and BOGO items when possible.
One advantage of having many old cookbooks, church and women’s clubs spiral-bound recipe booklets, plus boxes of family recipes is I often discover an inexpensive meal. Recipes during the “war years” usually mention oleo or margarine, not butter. And, many of the church booklets have recipes that use canned instead of fresh because commercially canned fruits and vegetables were relatively “new.” I remember as a child when someone brought a dish to an event that she was proud of because she’d used canned rather than making something from scratch.
In one of these booklets, I discovered an interesting recipe that we tried and liked. So, I’m sharing it below. The kielbasa I used was the store brand that cost less than $5 for 14 ounces.
1 14-ounce link of Kielbasa
¼ cup mashed potatoes – I use leftovers or make instant
3 teaspoons thinly sliced scallions
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
This serves two.
1. Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Cut 14-ounce link into 4 equal pieces. Slice them lengthwise, but not through. Mix mashed potatoes with scallions and pack each split link with 1 Tbsp. of mixture. Put in baking pan and cook for 25-30 minutes uncovered. Once heated through, remove from oven and top each with 2 Tbsps. cheese. Return to oven for 1-2 minutes to melt cheese.
3. Serve hot with a salad and your favorite beverage. It’s an inexpensive tasty lunch or dinner.
Enjoy and stay safe!
If you have any suggestions or questions for this column, please contact me directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.
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