Great Depression cooking with Clara

This is one of my favorite feeds on Youtube. From the description:

"91 year old cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Depression."

I've never tried her recipes, but I love hearing her talk about memories from the Depression while she cooks.

Food log: Monday August 31th

Cereals: from groceries

I'm really digging those organic cereals. Crunchy!


Banana and chaï tea from the bistro - free



Broad bean soup, English muffin, cheese and lemon bar - from groceries
Diet Coke from the vending machine: $1.25



Fig and tea from the bistro - free


Another snack, brought from home



Fizzy drink - from groceries



Otsu, made from scratch - from groceries



Now, this is one FANTASTIC dish. I found it on 101 Cookbooks  and could not wait to make it. I ommited the cucumber (didn't have one) and switched the honey for maple syrup. The soba is cold and the tofu is hot, golden and creamy on the inside, making for interesting textures. Everything is doused with a delicous sauce that fuses many flavors: lemon, hot pepper, ginger, sesame... As they say on the blog it's from, it's very soul-satisfying. There's also a ton of coriander and scallions in the mix, for that added touch of green. You garnish it with sesame seeds and hope for seconds.


The last lemon square, I swear

I also had a yummy peach. Or two.


Money spent on food today: $1.25

Waste less: tomato paste in a tube

Here's the scenario: you make a dish that requires 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. So you open one of those tiny cans and measure out what you need. Thinking ahead, you save the rest. "I may use it in a sauce or something" you promise yourself. The smartest amongst us will freeze the leftover paste, but most of us will just smack a piece of cling wrap on top on the opened can and call it a day.

Fast-forward to a few weeks later.

You are cleaning out the fridge. Behind the jar of dill pickes, hiding next to the box of baking soda, sits the wrapped can of tomato paste. You take it with a disgusted "eww!" and dare not look under its plastic shield to see what's going on. Out to the trash it goes. What a waste!

The solution is to let go of the cans and to buy tomato paste in a tube. 

You just squeeze out what you need, put the cap back on and voilà! No more waste. And no more breeding ground for bacteria in your fridge. It may look like it's more expensive than the cans, but you'll use it all. And in my experience, it's tastier, too.

Food log: Sunday, August 30th

OJ and cereals - from groceries




Groceries from Marché Maisonneuve - $47.27 

(Click on the picture to see details of items.)


The heat is on at the market and it's high season for canning and freezing. People are buying tomatoes by the bushell! I've vowed to get a stand-alone freezer ASAP but meanwhile, I'm gonna cram veggies in my fridge's freezer as much as I can.










Raw beet and feta salad - from groceries


The beets are sliced thin and the feta is crumbled and topped with scallions. The dressing is made with olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and hot pepper paste.

Dessert, same lemon sablé as yesterday





Diet Coke in the afternoon - from groceries





Broad bean soup made from scratch and cheesy toasts - from groceries


I made the soup this afternoon and I have a boatload. Guess I'm set for lunches this week.

More dessert - That's it, I'm taking the rest to work tomorrow.



Late night snack of toast and milk: from groceries



Money spent on food today: $47.27

Yummy Link

Have you ever looked into community supported agriculture?

Make it for cheap: chicken stock

Next time you roast a chicken, don't throw away the bones. Use them and leftover meat bits to prepare stock! It's easy enough and makes the house smell all homey-like. Just plop the bird's carcass in a big pot, add any veggies you have on hand - a few carrots, stalk of celery, leek, split onion - to flavour it and cover with water. I also throw any fresh herbs that is about to go bad in there - thyme is nice. Salt and pepper can wait. I let it all simmer for a few hours, skimming what foams up to the top if need be.



When it's done, I put the pot in the fridge overnight so that the fat solidifies and can be removed easily. I then pour the cold stock in small plastic containers and freeze it all. It's healthier and tastier than the salty canned stuff and since you are using stuff you would have thrown away (bones) it's pretty much free, save the few veggies used to flavour it.



You can defrost the stock in the microwave before using it. It's great for soups (obviously) for sauces, rissoto, to use in mashed potato instead of milk and butter... So stock up!

Attention beet lovers

This is just ridiculously funny.