Happiness and lard
First I talk about smoking cigarettes on the cheap, and now I’m advocating lard. Yes. Lard.
I have a deep and abiding loathing of margarine. It’s bad, unhealthy, the taste and texture is wrong, and it screws up recipes. Butter and lard are far superior. Lard more so than even butter in most cases.
Now, all 125 pounds of me can come out of the lard closet and explain why lard is better than hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Mainly because lard is not hydrogenated vegetable oil. It is a solid waxy fat that is washed of salt and rendered from porcine (aka pig) abdomen fat. It doesn’t have a distinct taste or smell, and when melted should be completely clear bearing a light gold color. The containers sold at Walmart and local grocery stores are usually Armour brand and should be avoided unless there are no other alternatives (as they are partially hydrogenated and a pure shocking white– newbie lard!)
While I’m not advocating any sort of diet, I will say that hydrogenated vegetable oil doesn’t seem to suck for baking goods until you compare those baked goods with those made with lard. Lard makes for lighter, moist breads and perfectly crisp flavorful cookies– hydrogenated vegetable oils don’t. If you prefer that lovely buttery taste in pie crusts and cookies, blend 1/2 butter and 1/2 lard– I swear the lard enhances the buttery flavor.
Lard also excels in price, about $2 less than Crisco per pound, $2.30 less than margarine, and about $4.20 less than butter. Also there is no need to refrigerate lard, so long as the container is free from contamination, it can be snapped closed and kept in the pantry or cupboard.
Lard was the cooking fat of choice right up until the 1940s and quite possibly the reason why most modern homemakers cookies and pie crusts don’t taste nearly as good as great-grandma’s is because with the advent of margarine we’ve forsaken lard.
The best proof will be your taste buds, buy some lard (not the newbie lard, go to the butcher and see if they sell prepared lard without the hydrogenation, if not check the farmers markets or check with your favorite search engine.) Then do a side by side comparison with your favorite cookie or bread recipe.
Filed under DIY, frugal shopping, recipes | Comment (0)Save money on your tobacco habit
Ultimately quitting a habit like smoking will save money and lead to better health, but addictions being what they are it isn’t reasonable to assume that everyone that wants to save money also absolutely wants to quit smoking. I say this without the least inclination of shame, get off my darned habit!
And if you’re nodding your head thinking “Right on sister!” then you too are a smoker. In that case continue reading.
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Oregon, cost of living outpacing wages
I just caught a blurb of this study on the radio. My friend Google News supplied the link.
“Living wages has gone up seven percent… Cost of living has gone up14-percent and the health costs have gone up 37-percent,” said Rich Rohde of Oregon Action.
Now, this definitely smacks of economic depression although unemployment (traditionally a major factor in a depression) was not addressed in the article. I don’t believe in fear mongering, but I do believe we should all have a realistic view of where we are, and where we might be heading. This is not the view I’d prefer to take,however I’d have to poke my eyes out to ignore it.
So what do we do? What are we going to do? How do we deal with this?
I know that having chickens in backyard and planting a smattering of corn is not ideal for everyone. I know sewing one’s own clothes or house linens is not for everyone. One man’s passion is another’s pain, and it’s very easy for some of us to forget that.
Filed under food, frugal shopping, home economics | Comment (0)Craft book secret
One of the best, and in some ways worst, sources of inspiration comes from extremely dated crafting books. And by extremely dated, if the colors recommended are gold, fuchsia and olive, it’s probably from the 70’s.
My frugal vintage craft book secret; local Goodwill outlets. The outlets are different from Goodwill stores in that all the stuff (except furniture and some appliances) gets dumped in huge bins. The advantage is that you purchase stuff by the pound, and books for about $0.50 a piece, magazines for even less. The disadvantage is that what you find is likely to be in pretty rough condition and you have to really sort to get to the treasures.
Some days the book bins will offer only a thin leaflet or two with cross-stitch patterns, but other days will give up an armful of books on soap making, knitting, embroidery, and Christmas crafts. Yesterday I found the proverbial armful, with some very vintage gems and even a full bag of spanish moss.
Some tips for enjoying the experience:
- Dress as if you are going to go to work at a recycling center, things get broken and spilled in the bins, many things are quite dirty, so leave the pretty clothes at home and wear something sturdy.
- Bring gloves with you. Again, things are a bit dirty and there can be broken bits of glass or plastic (although most of the time the employees are good about removing the most dangerous stuff.)
Be prepared for some competitive shoppers, many of the regulars stock antique and thrift stores with their finds and they are not always the most polite of people (however there are many more friendly people, it’s just that the rude ones are more noticeable.)
If I were buying the same books at a regular Goodwill store I would have spent about $30-35, at the outlet my total came to a whopping $5.15. If you have an outlet nearby it’s certainly worth the inconvenience or unpleasantness (after you’ve got your bearings its much more fun and exciting.)
Filed under DIY, crafts, frugal shopping | Comment (0)Kitchen: Cast-iron
For those of us that use cast iron cookware it’s unimaginable to switch back to copper bottom frying pans and Teflon coated cookware, aluminum is simply out of the question.
My cast waffle iron consistently produces perfectly formed and cohesive waffles with so little effort that switching to a Teflon waffle iron would be a clear sign of mental illness.
Cast iron offers an even distribution of heat throughout the cooking surface and sides, non-stick properties, durability, and lightening fast clean up when it’s cured correctly and properly cleaned.
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