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Resource Tue Jul 17 2007
Eat for Less at Home
One of the most difficult things about loving to eat is that often, eating well involves spending more money than is available. As much as a lot of us would like to indulge regularly at hot Chicago restaurants on the national radar, we tend to be tethered to spots that make it onto the cheap eats lists of local media.
Preparing food at home (for cheap) is how I save up for special trips to lavish restaurants. Two of my favorite resources for home-cooked meals that are easy on the bank account are Mennonite mainstays, More With Less and Extending the Table. The Mennonite principles of simplicity and responsible eating are revealed in wholesome bread recipes and side notes about how not to over-consume protein one sitting. Recipes usually call for less sugar and butter than you might find in other cook books, and every few pages there is a story behind one of the recipes.
Here's a recipe sample. It's for my favorite cake of all time, Oatmeal Cake. I love to make this into cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (just use half the sugar called for in the cake!).
Oatmeal Cake (from More With Less)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine and let stand for 20 minutes:
1 c. quick oats
1 1/4 c. boiling water
Cream together until fluffy:
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar (I always use a 1/2 c. of each. So it's more with even less)
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Add oatmeal mixture. Beat well.
Sift together:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
Add to creamed mixture and beat well. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 inch cake pan (or a muffin tin). Bake 35 minutes or until tests done.
You can alter this recipe to your liking. I like to add a bit of nutmeg. It's delicious with and without a topping.
