My latest book, Rockstar on the Run, and new series, Flintlock and Steel Rock Romance Series has a set of twin brothers and a large family, the Hunt family. If you read my Harrell Family Chronicles you know I like large families. I raised six children and even as a child I dreamed of having a large family like the Brady Bunch or the Waltons.

Having a large family today is economically difficult, not that it was ever easy. We scrimped and saved and got by with a little ingenuity and the help of friends who hunted or had gardens. My mom has often asked me how I did things or how I knew how to do things. I really didn’t have an answer for her. I’ve always enjoyed reading old recipe books and stories from different time periods. I’ve watched or helped my mother and grandmother in their kitchens, as well as learned from friends and neighbors. I think I just enjoy learning new and sometimes old things.

I was watching a YouTube video about tips and tricks from 1950s housewives, and it clicked. Many of the tricks I learned came from people who’d lived through the depression, World War Two rationing and the time when most families only had one-income.

My boys will tell you that hamburger sandwiches were a luxury. Even though at the time hamburger was cheap, to make individual hamburgers for six boys and two or three adults, plus buns, condiments and trimmings, wow, that was special occasion food. Hamburger was cooked with macaroni or rice, or potatoes, or mixed with oatmeal to make meatloaf or hamburger steak which was served with gravy and lots of side dishes. I learned to make my own version of hamburger helper because it would take 5 or 6 boxes to feed our hungry horde. Using spices, cheeses, a cream-based sauce, and a pound of hamburger I could turn out a meal to feed an army. All I had to do was add more pasta or rice or a few more potatoes. You can change it up with tomato paste, sour cream, different spices, different cheeses. I loved going to the dented can store just outside Washington. They had some of the neatest stuff for pennies. I could buy fancy food items to add to our regular recipes. For me, it was fun to come up with something different and tasty. I looked at it as a challenge.

Today, money is tight again. Prices are high and people are struggling to make ends meet, but meals don’t have to boring. You don’t have to feed your kids the same old tater tots and chicken nuggets. Find an old cookbook, preferably something from the 1950s or older, and pay attention to how they made budget friendly food. They saved everything. Nothing went to waste. Whether it was reusing a ketch bottle to make their own salad dressing or wiping the crumbs from the wax paper cereal came in to use for another day, a frugal homemaker learned anything could have a second life. So, save your bacon grease, don’t throw out that whip topping tub, and don’t forget to bring your reusable bags to the grocery store. Let us go back to a time when nothing was wasted and don’t forget to check out my stories. Happy reading.

https://books2read.com/How-to-Sabotage

https://books2read.com/Rockstar-on-the-Run

One of my personal favorite recipes is chicken noodle soup or chicken and ramen.

Ramen noodles chicken or vegetable flavored

a small can of chicken

a small can of mushrooms

shredded carrots and cabbage (I usually use some left over from making slaw)

sriracha sauce (if you like it spicy)

Boil some water, I often do this in the microwave, I’ll add in my carrots and cabbage to soften them but not really cook. Drain mushrooms (you can use fresh but I prefer to cook them first before using them in this.) Stir in some sriracha sauce to taste, use seasoning packet, crumble up noodles and soften, add in can chicken and stir. Makes enough for two good meals, three if you don’t eat much. You can use left over meats, vegetables and other seasoning sauces to make the ramen your own. You can even use the beef flavored with slivers of roast beef and broccoli for another delicious version of soup. A little imagination, a few left overs or can goods, and some inexpensive ramen can turn a boring meal into something fabulous.