21st Century Home Economics

 I watched my Momma buy a package of ground beef and divide it up into meal portion. When prices started to raise dramatically, I search the web on the best way yo freeze meat.  This is what I found. Freezer paper and freezer bags. I got these at Target because at the time that was cheapest place to buy them. I have the Redcard that pulls from my checking account and it saves me 5% on everything. But I digress.  I buy ground beef at the best price in bulk and divide into one pound packages ( yes I use my mailing scale). I use a permanent marker on the doubled over top layer to remind my self what I have. It thens put into ziplock bag and zipped closed. I do chicken the same way. I know what I’m making most of the time with the chicken so dividing it up is easy. Please note - be sure you get the meat and chicken as flat as you can, so it thaws easier.  

  I was blessed in my life to have a beloved Mother in law. We lost her in 2021. And it was a devastating loss. But she taught me a few things about cooking, that I will never forget. She was born and raised in the hills of West Virginia, she was taught at an early age to cook and I mean from scratch.  One of the things I love the most was her chicken and noodles. She tried for years to teach me to make the noodles from scratch, but I never came close to her recipe.  But after years f trying I came across these Reames noodle and they are closest I have ever found to the hand made ones.  I use these regularly.  Family loves these. Recipe is simple. Boiled chicken. Chunk it up. Boil the noodles and add chunked up chicken, let them cook to the time on the bag.  Add potatoes and a can of corn for a labor less meal. This is from tonight dinner. Enough for hubby’s lunch tomorrow and my lunch as well. 

 I know this a novel concept for some but yes the year is 2022 and not 1950.  With that said,  I felt the need to record some of my best hacks here. Who am I. I am a women first then a wife, mother, sister, daughter.  I am a boomer, so I lived thru the later part of the 20th century. When I went to middle school, even in my back hills town, girls had Home Ec all year long , the boys had shop class. I know who knew back then we were being stereotyped into sexes. Although in middle school, they swapped out the sexes for a period of time. High school saw Home Ec optional.  A lot of my hacks come from being raised in a backwoods town, a town, who through all my life was dry because the churches threw a fit. Through a lot of trial and error and 37 plus years of marriage plus 2 kids has taught me a lot.  There is no rhyme or reason to my post, they will be all over the place. Enjoy!