I believe in thrift; in not being wasteful, in making do, and using up. I don’t know if it comes from the way I was raised—in a family with six kids on the mission field, or from the 13 months I spent in the Philippines—a poor third-world country, or from twenty-five years as a wife and mother learning to make do through some lean years with my own family. Probably a bit of all three.
Today I’m pleased to say I outdid myself in the kitchen. While I was preparing food for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner at my sister’s home I made my mother-in-law’s turkey dressing (come to think of it is was HER mother’s recipe . . . does that make it my grandmother-in-law’s recipe?) and made too much to fit in the roaster pan. So I put the leftovers in a casserole dish, sprinkled shredded cheddar on top, and tucked it in a warm oven. When hubby came home at noon we ate it for lunch with a side of yogurt, and it was good! I also made chocolate chip brownies but ran out of chocolate chips so chopped up a bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate. Looks a little different but tastes the same as always.
For tonight’s dinner I decided to make a beef stew in the slow cooker. Rummaging around in the fridge I found a few ounces of leftover broth made from chicken bones, plus a small Tupperware of tomato paste and the last drips from a bottle of barbecue sauce. I used leftover water from the sweet potatoes I had boiled for tomorrow’s mashed sweet potato dish (I figure the water was full of vitamins that shouldn’t be wasted) and mixed it with all of the above in the crockpot. Then I browned the meat and sautéed some onions, celery and garlic and added it. Also peeled some potatoes and carrots and added them. The stew has been simmering for hours and smells divine, and I say, "Thank you God for ALL your provision."
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