Grocery Diary Middle Of January & Thoughts on Panic Buying Before a Snowstorn

I started keeping a grocery diary to track how my shopping has changed since I began raising and canning much of our own food, and since I resumed stocking up as a part of preparedness. I don't have to shop as often, and spend far less when I do go to the store. It also takes less time to shop now that I only have to walk around the perimeter instead of up and down every aisle! :-)

Mema's Potato Salad and Brand Name Memes

Christopher at "Word Around the Net" has an interesting post musing about the brands of products his family uses, and why they use them. I commented, and it got me thinking about all the day to day brands I rely on. I'd not ever describe myself as a "brand snob" but I do have my favorites. Many are brands my grandparents used, and I think about them briefly if i think about why I buy the brand. Come join the conversation and share your favorite brands.

Daddy and his ladyfriend - a lovely lady that we like a lot - came over today, along with my step-sister and her son, for Father's Day. Paul cooked burgers on the grill and tried a new seasoning from Fiesta Brand (we like their spices) "Uncle Chris' Gourmet Steak Seasoning". It is excellent! He melted Kroger's house brand cheddar cheese on them and put them on Sunbeam buns.

I made my grandmother's potato salad. I guess my grandchildren will think of me when they say "Mema's Potato Salad", but each member of the family will make it their own with small variations. Nick made it a couple of weeks ago, and I meant to post the recipe then.

Here's how:

2 to 3 pounds of potatoes (Russets are good but any irish potato will do), peeled, boiled, drained and mashed. Cool to room temperature.

Put in a large bowl and add:
1/2 cup chopped dill pickle (we use Claussen's Kosher Dills - Mema used her own homemade garlic dills)
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle (we use Best Maid gerkins or Mt Olive sugar-free Sweet Relish)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup diced red onion, more or less to your own taste (the color of red onion is really nice in this but if not available substitute Texas 1016's or Vidalia's or even green onions)
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped coarsely (in fairly large pieces)
1 large (4 ounce) jar of sliced pimentos, drained (we use Dromedary Brand)
Salt and black pepper to taste (go easy - best to slightly under-salt this)

1/2 cup to 1 cup Miracle Whip - start with a half cup and mix it in before adding more. Sometimes you'll need a little more, depending on how creamy you like your potato salad.  If you only have mayonnaise, add 2 Tablespoons of vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sugar to the mayo and mix well before adding it to the potatoes.


Stir it all together well, and put it into the serving bowl or container you'll be taking it in. Smooth out the top and decorate with 2 more boiled eggs, cut lengthwise into quarters.

Sprinkle over the whole top generously with paprika. Paprika is a spice that, like cinnamon, has different nuances depending on where it is from. We love Hungarian Paprika - it is sweet and pleasantly bitter. Very nice.

Cover with clear wrap and refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy! 

Big Grandmother's Home Made Chicken and Egg Noodles

Big Grandmother (Mema's mother, the boys' Great-great-grandmother) taught me how to make chicken and egg noodles. She cooked from scratch even for herself, and this was one of her favorite dishes. This is what our family made instead of dumplings.

They are easy to make, and require few ingredients. They do require a little time, and they are best if you can let them dry for a few hours before dropping them into the boiling chicken broth.

I always used to roll mine out and cut them by hand. Now that I have a snazzy little pasta machine (inherited from Thelma) I use it instead, but you do not need one. Hand rolled and hand cut are even better, I think, because they are a lttle thicker.


Take 2 cups of flour, and add 1 tsp (teaspoon) of salt. Add a sprinkle of black pepper, and mix together well. Then add about 1/4 cup of shortening or lard, and mix it into the flour with your hands until it has a uniform crumbly texture.


Make a well in the flour and add two eggs. Mix them into the flour until all the flour is a very stiff dough. If necessary, you can add a little water, only one Tbls (tablespoon) at a time, to get all the flour incorporated. This takes a little muscle to do: just keep working it. The dough should be stiff but not sticky by the time you are done.






Flour your board and rolling pin, and sprinkle flour on the ball of dough. At this stage, you don't have to worry about "too much" flour. You want to be sure it doesn't stick. Roll it out very thin - this is sometimes easier to do if you divide the dough in half and roll and cut one half before
doing the other half.



When it's rolled out, sprinkle generously with flour again and cut into long strips about 1/2 inch wide and as long as the dough.



When they are all cut, lay them out on newspapers or cuptowels to dry for a while. I usually try to let them dry for from 2 to 4 hours - just depends on how much time you have. Over time, you'll find the right amount of time for your taste.



While they are drying, put a whole chicken (with the skin on) into a large pot with a lid, cover with water, add a couple of tsp (teaspoons) of salt and stew it (simmer) until done. This usually takes an hour or so. If starting with a frozen chicken it will need a couple of hours. Add more water if needed.



When done, remove the chicken onto a plate or large bowl and set aside to cool enough so that you can remove the meat from the bones.

Bring the broth to a boil. Toss the noodles with more flour and add them to the broth a handful at a time, stirring after each addition. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the chicken meat.



Remove the skin and discard it with the bones. I like to leave the meat in large pieces, just as it was torn from the bones. The breast meat might need to be torn into smaller chunks.

Add the meat back into the broth with the noodles. The excess flour that was on the noodles should have thickened the broth nicely.

If needed you can add thickener. How to make thickener: Take a couple of tablespoons of flour and mix with cold water in a cup or jar. In a cup, stir with a fork or whisk until you have a slurry. In a jar, you can put the lid on and shake like crazy until it's all mixed up. Then add the
thickener to the broth, stirring at the same time.

The reason you don't just add flour directly to the broth is that it causes lumps. By mixing it with a little water first, you prevent lumps. this works with making gravies or sauces of any kind too.


Simmer the noodles for about 40 minutes to an hour. This keeps well, and is even better leftover the next day, so it makes a good Sunday Dinner for those who try to keep the 4th Commandment and have Sunday as a Day of Rest (Exodus 20:8-11). It is perfect on its own, or you can serve with bread and butter on the side.

A fun way to serve it is in the milk glass covered hen dishes - just be sure to warm them first by rinsing with hot water so the hot broth won't crack them when you ladle it in

"Not By Bread Alone"

I buy Sunbeam bread because it is very very soft, which is a requirement in white bread, and also because it is reasonable in price. I was touched by the image of Little Miss Sunbeam praying - and then I was stopped in my tracks by the unobtrusive phrase on my loaf of bread. Click the picture to enlarge it enough to see it. It quotes our Savior, who answered temptation by saying "It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

Little Miss Sunbeam was drawn from life by artist Ellen Segner in the early 1940's, according to the back of the package. That would have been within the WWII era. What a hopeful image and message this company is sharing with us still today.