Down Home Cookin'
By, Cheryl Harwell Bailey

                                                                           

“Come Lord Jesus be our guest, and may our meal by thee be blest”. 
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

"The kitchen is the hub of the home, and the heart.
 This is "always," where everyone ends up, at my house, and yours too!" 
Cheryl Harwell Bailey

Cooking at home, has become a lost art in our busy world.
 People with a passion to cook always will.

 During this financial crunch, you and your family can save money
 if you prepare your meals at home. In the past, we had no choice.

 Only folks with big bucks ate out every week.
 I thought it was a big treat to eat out with my parents,
 especially getting a hamburger at the drive-in.

Food is so expensive now,
 but eating out cost 3 to 4 times more
 than preparing your own meals.

Here is the practical breakdown:

  At restaurants like Chilies or Denny’s 
the average meal cost is $8.00 to $10.00 dollars per person.

 A meal prepared at home is on average about $2.00 to 4.00 dollars per person.
 And the leftovers can be used for lunch the next day.

 Last evening I cooked a  delicious pot roast with vegetables, 
French onion soup and yeast bread.
 (Frozen yeast loaf from the grocery store can proof
 all day and bake when you arrive home).
 Pumpkin pie for dessert.
 The roast cost $10.00,
 the vegetables $4.00,
 the bread and homemade pie $4.00,
 total $18.00. 
It was a feast for 6, with leftovers
.
 That equals about $3.00 per person. 
That equals $1,095 per person yearly.

 At $10.00 per person at Chilies 
it comes to $3,120.00 per person yearly.

That’s a savings of $2,025 per year.

With a large family you can save thousands of dollars.
 I admit I have a passion to cook. That helps.
 But you may become passionate about cooking as you save money honey. 
It also tastes so much better, and it's better for you health wise.

Cooking secrets can save time and money. 
Women all know how to cook for the most part,
 but it helps if we share our cooking secrets. 
Today it is easy to prepare most dishes.
 Remember, the most important ingredient is LOVE! 

1. One of the best pie crusts,
 " Pillsbury" pie shells in the dairy case, at most grocery stores.
 Sometimes I buy the generic ones right next to the  "Pillsbury,"
 they are cheaper, and taste good.
 Spray your pie pan with Pam or the like.
 Put the crust in the pan and pierce bottom lightly for air. 
You can make any kind of pie. Main dish, like chicken pot pie,
 deserts such as apple or fruit pies, even cream pies. 
You can make little rectangular fruit pies,  fried pies and little potpies.
 The list is endless, I don’t have time to make pie crusts any more
 and my family loves pie, especially pumpkin.

2. Crock pots.
 Most all dishes can be made in a slow cooker and taste better cooked slowly.
 No more "working girl blues!"

3.  Make a monthly menu.
 I put my ingredients out every evening for the next day meal.

By, 8 year old, Michael Harwell

4. Make a few dishes even better with a secret ingredient.
 Your chocolate pie; cake, candy, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon sugar, etc.
 will taste better with a dash of “salt."

5. Keep it simple!
 Everyone loves sitting at the family table and eating a home cooked meal.
 Turn off the T.V. and no phones at the table!

1954 "The Harwell's