Pickled Watermelon Rind

I'm so darned thrifty. I just hate to throw anything out that can be used.  Needless to say I was always intrigued with the thought of making something from watermelon rinds. After all, that's a lot of potential good eating going to the compost heap from just one good sized melon. I've looked at recipes for years and most call for large amounts of rind, pickling lime, and about 6 jars going to the canner. That's a lot of food and a lot of work. Not too crazy about that.
My problem is since it is just me and the hubby we usually don't eat a lot of watermelon at one sitting leaving me to think of a million and one ways to use watermelon before it goes bad. I did have a hankering for watermelon salsa and that left enough rind to make a jarful so I started scouring my cookbooks. Unfortunately to recipes I've found call for canning and I am just not in the mood to can. I know how but just don't want to. Besides, I'm only making 1 jar....a lot of work for one jar, so I came up with my own recipe. It's a bit like my Ice Box Pickles with a couple of differences. Here it is:

Pickled Watermelon Rind
You'll need about 2 cups of rind.
2 cups of sugar
1 cup distilled vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
4 or 5 whole cloves

To prepare the rind, cut the pink off leaving only the white...that's the rind. Pare the green off with a potatao peeler then cut the rind in 1 inch by 2 inch pieces. Place the rind in a saucepan and cover with water. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil. Let the rind cook at a medium boil for about 20 minutes. This step helps soften the rind. Drain the rind and set it aside.

While the rind is cooking, mix the vinegar and sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add cinnamon and cloves. Add the rind and stir carefully making sure all the rind is covered.
Place the rind in a jar or bowl and refrigerate.

That's it. The rind is refreshing and yummy, a great addition to a summer meal.

Thrifty Crockpot Cooking: Taters N Beans with Ham

I always look for ways to save a buck but still create good tasting meals and, because I am usually busy doing something, I try to use the crock pot as much as possible. This recipe is easy to make, cooks in the crock pot without tending to it, and tastes good.

One year I saved the ham bone after a celebration and, instead of making a pot of beans or split pea soup, I decided to try something a little different. I heard a friend talking about eating Taters n beans when he was a boy and it made me wonder what if I used green beans. Too easy. A few potatoes, ummm, and one ham bone. Not bad. Since then, I monkeyed around with the recipe. It  is still as simple as before but you don’t have to wait for Christmas or Easter dinner to make it.

To feed a family of four, you need:

2 cans of green beans (15 ounce cans)

3 or 4 pounds of new potatoes, scrubbed and cut in chunks (you can use other potatoes but little red new potatoes are pretty. Yukon Gold is good, too)

2 1/2 pounds of ham (buy a ham when it is on sale and have the butcher cut it in four big, thick slices with the bone. You can use a picnic, too)

Black Pepper to taste

Rinse the ham and place in the crock pot. Set the crock pot on low.

Place the potatoes in the pot with the ham. Add the green beans. Sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp black pepper and let it cook.

You can add more potatoes if you have hearty eaters. Corn bread, corn muffins, or biscuits go well with this dish.

            Drop Biscuits (you can use canned)

Pretty easy. Good alternative to split pea soup (I love split pea but I need variety) after Christmas or Easter dinner.

Cost: The ham was on sale at $1.48 per pound. I bought the smallest one, $14.34, and had it cut into four pieces.  $14.34/4 = $3.58 each. Two cans of green beans $0.60 each. 2 x 0.60 = $1.20. New potatoes were $0.40 per pound at the green grocer. I bought 2 pounds. $0.40 x 2 = $0.80.

Total: 5.58 or $1.39 per serving.

Enjoy!

Thrifty Chicken and Dumplings

Cup of Chicken and Dumplings
We eat a lot of chicken in my house. Lots. Sometimes I think I might grow feathers but I really like chicken. Reinventing the bird so we don’t feel we are eating the same thing everyday can be a challenge but I am not challenged enough to cook something too exotic. After all, it is a waste of time and money if no one eats or likes something. Well, the other day we made a roast chicken. A couple of days after we had open faced sandwiches. Today I made chicken and dumplings with the rest of that same chicken. I thought that would be a good thing to eat with the weather being so cold. I also thought since it is so cold in the rest of the country I would share the recipe with y’all. This recipe makes a good hearty meal perfect for cold days. It is a good way to use up leftover chicken and vegetables.
Ingredients:
Chicken (Traditionalists use all white meat but I am thrifty and use leftovers) 

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 teaspoon salt

2 cups Self-rising flour

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup shortening
Vegetables (frozen peas and baby carrots work real well)

Chicken and dumplings start with good broth. You can use ready made or just make your own with the leftover chicken. Put the leftover chicken in a pot with about 2 quarts of water and simmer over a medium fire. Add a little salt. You can also add a little (teaspoon) of chicken bouillon powder to make the chicken flavor stronger. Let the broth cook about an hour.

Carefully remove the chicken from the broth. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones, gristle, and skin. Put the meat back into the broth. If you are using frozen vegetables, add them just before adding the dumplings.

Making dumplings from scratch is like making biscuits. Place the flour in a bowl and add the shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour. It will get a pebbly texture. Add the milk a little at a time and mix in. The mixture should be soft, not wet or soupy. Add the mixture by spoon to the broth. These are called drop dumplings. Some people roll them out flat and cut them but it isn’t necessary. If you would rather have the roll out kind, just use more flour, roll them out, cut into strips, and then add the dumplings to the broth.

This is how it looks before the dumplings are cooked.
After you add the dumplings to the broth, bring it to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. It will create its own gravy. The vegetables will be tender. 

You can even skip the dumpling making step by using canned biscuits or frozen dumplings. Not bad, I just forget to buy those things.
A low fat alternative to homemade dumplings is flour tortillas, the kind used for burritos and wraps. Just slice them in strips and add them to the broth. The gravy won’t be as thick but it will still be good and have a few less calories.

Ready to eat. Not bad for a cold winter day.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff etsy and Goofing off Artfire.

Self Stitched September

Making your own or thrifting is a way of life for many of us. I have a hard time spending my hard earned bucks on poorly made clothes from China and would just as soon buy at my local thift shop, that is, if I can't make them myself. I know there are alot of people who feel the way I do. So here's the pledge. Try it, even for a few days. 'I, Eileen, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-September. I endeavour to wear at least ONE handmade item of clothing every day for the duration of September 2010. I will abstain from buying clothes for the entire month and rely soley on thrifted items I already own to complete my outfits.' Copy and paste the pledge and just put your name where mine is. Show off what you do!

Tin Can Flowers Tutorial

I have the hardest time growing flowers in my yard. Maybe it's the trees. I have lots of oak trees, big beautiful oak trees, that give shade and protect the house from the wind. The down side is there is a lot of shade, the ground is acidic, and the soil is poor. I've tried lots of plants, killed them really, no matter how much organic matter or water they get, they still die, so I got very excited when I found this book, Decorating Inside and Out from Leisure Arts, about tin can flowers. It is perfect for the recycler in me. I made them. They look whimsical and cute. All you need are tin and aluminum cans, tin snips, wire, paint, a hammer, 1 nail and paint. Here's how I did it: Save your cans and the lids. You can use any size. Remove the labels. Wash them well, but be careful and watch for sharp edges. Cut the cans from the end to the center using your tin snips. Curl the strips down so they form petals. Next, cut leaves from aluminum cans. Now's the time you need the hammer and nail. With you nail, put 2 holes into the end of the leaves and 2 holes in the center of each flower. Now, take your project outside or somewhere where it is safe to paint. Don't forget to wear a mask so you don't breathe in paint. I paint the centers first. For these flowers, I painted the centers black. When the centers were dry, I covered them and then painted the petals. Then I painted the leaves green. Here's what the flower looks like when the paint is dry. Now, take some wire (green Floral Wire is the best) and run the wire through the holes punched in the leaves and the flowers in the pattern that pleases you best. Now your flowering tin can vine is ready for the fence or anywhere you want some color. Just think, flowers that don't have to be watered, won't die, and will stay blooming right through the winter!

Goofing Off Art Supplies-- New listings!

Finally had the time to start doing the inventory on the shop. Some of the most beautiful dress patterns, wedding gowns that is, just left the shop but there is still a lot more. Wonderful stuff. More patterns to post, fun stuff for summer wear. Sewing your own is a great way to save money, especially in these tight economic times. Great to make something special and one of a kind. For you knitters and crocheters, I am destashing the stash. Too much stuff!! Beautiful boucle and fun fur yarn in jewel-like colors. Knitting needles, too. Save money and get the good stuff. Dan-the-Man just opened his own shop back in February called Metal Woods'n Water. It features the things he loves to do, being in the woods, on the water, and working with metal. So far, his shop has been a hit. People just love bones. Gives him a chance to show off his metal work, too. He was surprised people love the wrought iron quilt rack he made for me. Here's the links to our shops: http://MissEileen.etsy.com http://GoofingOff.etsy.com http://MetalWoodsnWater.etsy.com

Weddings in these economic hard times.

I have heard a lot on the news about the hard times people are having right now because of the economy. It is hard out there right now, people are being laid off and there are job freezes making it harder to find a job. In spite of this, there are those who are optimistic (I'm one of them) and in love. Lovers tie the knot no matter what the economy does but how they celebrate is different. I've been a thrifty person all my life so I thought it might be a good idea to give some advice to those planning a wedding without breaking the bank. I am making this a series because there is so much to be said. The first installment will be buying the ring.