A Vegetable That Makes Me Feel Guilty

Photo by Sam Mills

At this very moment I have three major league zucchini staring at me on the kitchen counter.   There used to be four.  I put one out of its misery by slicing it up and frying it for a few minutes in butter.  Zucchini seem impervious to rot and if not cooked would probably last forever.

I didn’t buy these zucchini.  They were a gift from Kenny, a softball buddy of Bart’s.  I can barely grow cherry tomatoes in my pathetic garden (a gaggle of pots on my deck), but Kenny, who lives just a few miles away, raises baseball bat-size zucchini and then gives them all away.  Kenny doesn’t cook.

Mom Cooking Tip 4

Can’t face another dinner of leftovers? Instead of tossing them in the trash or shoving them to the back of the fridge and waiting for the mold to grow, divide them into one-person portions. Transfer to freezer bags or wrap each portion in foil, attach a label of the contents + a date and pop into the freezer. In a few weeks, you’ll be thrilled to discover a pre-cooked meal waiting for you. Just don’t wait a few years to defrost it.

See all my Cooking Tips!

Mom Money-Saving Tip 3

Every week grocery stores have sales on select items like these: whole chickens for 99 cents per pound, 8 ears corn for $2, 3 8-ounce cans tomato sauce for $1. Shopping these sales can save you considerable money over time. But some stores quietly offer daily sales of perishables—meat and fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and bakery items—if you know where to look. They’re usually hidden in some obscure corner at the back of the store. If the expiration date is close at hand, you can pick up items at half-price or less, although you will need to cook or freeze them within 24 hours.

See all my Money-Saving Tips!

Soup As a Meal

Bean, Vegetable and Sausage Soup (photo by Andy Mills)

I used to associate soup with being sick.  I’d be lying in bed, and my grandmother would bring me a bowl of homemade chicken soup.  I’d slurp it up and feel better.

Actually, I think this is a false memory.  My grandmother lived too far away to bring me soup, although whenever we visited her chicken soup was invariably on the menu.

Mom Cooking Tip 3

Is your dinner tasting blah? Want a quick fix? Add a few dashes of soy sauce. This trick is especially good with tomato-based sauces, but you can put it on just about anything. I wouldn’t try it with a chocolate dessert, though.

See all my Cooking Tips!

Mom Money-Saving Tip 2

When you go to the grocery store, the best way to save money is to have a list and buy only what’s on it. Don’t be tempted by the cookie aisle. No ice cream today. Unfortunately I don’t always listen to my own advice. Just yesterday I noticed cans of black beans on sale for 50 cents each. I could barely carry my 10-can purchase to the car.

See all my Money-Saving Tips!

Need Something New to Cook?

Days go by when I’m on autopilot in the kitchen.  It’s roast chicken one night, followed by chicken fajitas the next.  If there’s still chicken left, it becomes chicken salad. 

Then I turn to spaghetti for a night or two, and after that, lentil soup and salad.  Veggie burgers or turkey burgers might pop up occasionally, and I try to keep a bag of frozen shrimp handy.

What snaps me out of this routine