How Single People Can Use an Extra Freezer

There are people I know that wonder why I, a lady who lives alone, has an extra freezer. I cook more at home than some folks do but food doesn't come packaged for singles or if it does, it costs way more.  Recipes make more than one serving.

Yesterday, I was shopping in our local Wal-Mart store and spotted ground pork in one pound packages for a dollar. Well, its been a long time since I've seen meat that cheap! Being the bargain shopper I try to be, my mind started thinking of ways I could use ground pork. I remembered that there are recipes that call for ground pork and ground beef. Then I figured it would work well in chili and I could make pork cutlets. A recipe for homemade breakfast sausage shouldn't be hard to find. So I loaded up with 8 pounds!

A quick Google search landed this recipe for sausage on www.cooks.com.

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE WITH SAGE Printed from COOKS.COM Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,161,150187-251196,00.html Content Copyright © 2012 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 2 lbs. lean ground pork 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. sage 1 cumin pepper 1/4 tsp. ginger 1 bay leaf Combine all ingredients in large bowl; mix well, shape into 12 or 15 patties. Brown for 8 minutes on each side in skillet. May wrap patties in foil and broil over charcoal. I quickly made this recipe and rolled it into some waxed paper and put in in the freezer.  In a couple hours, I will unwrap it, cut it into sausage patties and store in a freezer bag. When its time to cook sausage, I'll just need to take out what I need and reclose the bag. So easy! Then I made patties with three more pounds. I put them each into a sandwich bag, sealed them up and put the bags into a freezer bag. Now, I can take out the number I need when I need them. I'm thinking I can grill them in the George Foreman as a pork steak or bread them and make a chicken fried cutlet. Who knows, I may come up with more ideas as time passes! With the remaining packages, I just divided them and put roughly a half-pound of meat in a sandwich bag then into the freezer bag. This is the meat that I will use in recipes. That's meats for lots of meals for a mere $8!

Wedge Salad

I've fallen in love with the wedge salad that is served in restaurants. While I enjoy eating out, I don't want to eat out often. One of these salads can cost $11 or so. I finally figured out that I can make one at home that is easy, quick and for much less.

I collected the ingredients:

Head of lettuce - $1.14

Chunky Blue Cheese Salad Dressing - $1.99

Bleu Cheese Crumbles - $2.37

Cherry Tomatoes from my Garden

Two Strips of Bacon (not pictured) - approximately $0.40

As you can see, I spent much less than I would have paid for one salad at a casual dining restaurant and will have enough for several salads!

Time-saving tip - cook the entire package of bacon and freeze. It's ready whenever you need it!

Because I eat alone, I decided to chop my lettuce. It is easier to eat than cutting the wedge while I'm sitting with a plate on my lap!

It takes a few minutes to make and oh so good!

 

Rag Rugs

I have discovered a new relaxing project! I am crocheting rugs from strips of old sheets. I thought I'd share.

The first step is to make the "yarn." Currently, I am using old sheets but any cotton or cotton blend woven fabric would work just fine. (Think old clothes.) Keep in mind that woven fabric will tear in a straight line - it is much faster and more even than cutting. I tear off the hems and selvage edges of the sheets and discard. To start the first strip, I cut about and inch down and then start tearing. The width of the strips are about an inch or so - there's no need to be exact so I just eyeball it!  I like to tear down the long side of the sheet to get the longest run. Stop tearing about half an inch from the end. Move over and make a cut to start the next strip. This will allow a continuous run rather than needing to connect each strip. If you miss and tear all the way, just tie the ends together and keep going.

Just keep tearing in this manner until you have a pile! I am tearing outside because this process produces tons of dust! It makes me sneeze so I got some dust masks. Unfortunately, they made me feel like I was breathing extreme heat and were extremely uncomfortable. I seemed to feel better working outdoors.

Now its time to start rolling the "yarn" into balls. I will usually make two balls from a sheet because trying to do just one makes a ball that is difficult to handle.

I love working on the deck in the early morning! I have a great view and the birds sing and I can hear the breeze through the trees.

Now I have my yarn, so it's time to construct the rug. I been doing simple rectangles in a single crochet stitch using a huge plastic hook. I'd tell you the size of the hook but it's not labeled. I cast on 30 stitches to start but you can experiment and make it the size that works best for you. I can barely crochet myself so I'm not thinking I could teach you to do it! Luckily, there are wonderful tutorials on the web as well as great books for folks learning to crochet.

I just keep working rows until it is the size I want to be. To give you an idea, one sheet makes a rug that is a good size for a doormat or small bathroom rug. I also make round rugs. I often mix  different coordinating colors to add interest.