A real substitute for cream of anything soup.

I have tried more cream of anything soup substitutes than you can shake a stick at. No, really I have. Of them all, I have found this one to be the perfect solution. It measures properly, that is that it is precisely the same volume as one can of Campbell's. It tastes divine and is not loaded with preservatives or sodium. As I tend to so often say, it does have a problem though. That being the bouillon powder. I have yet to find a good alternative to bouillon powder. The flavor simply cannot be substituted for a price that I am willing to pay. That is not to say that there are not good recipes for making your own. There are. For prices that make me cringe.

OAMC/Freezer Meals Tip: Keeping go-to meals ready for any moment.

As I said in an earlier post, the goal behind OAMC and Freezer Meals is to have a dinner ready to go in a flash. For those with freezer space issues, the whole OAMC thing is impossible.

That said, so long as you have at least a standard sized freezer, you can still have go-to meals waiting for the just in case moments.

How to make your own stock, for cheap.

I once was online looking at how people make their own stock at home. There is something to be said that most recipes these days require broth, and though I've found there really is no flavor difference in stock or broth, the price is still too much. I once made a grocery list and was shocked when I realized I needed something like 6-8 cups of broth. That's just outrageous! So as I said, I was looking online to see how people made stock and was very disappointed in the result. Once I did the math, I found it would be cheaper to just buy broth.

Then one day I read a post by what I thought was a pure genius. I read it again and again, then decided that THIS was the answer I was looking for and I couldn't help but wonder why I never thought about it myself!

Solving a Few Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) or Freezer Meal Issues

At the time of this writing, you will not find these tips on the web elsewhere or at the very least I can't find them. I don't know why. Maybe people are too germaphobic or paranoid, but these are strictly tips resulting from my own trial and error. I see all kinds of tips that are repeated everywhere on the web and in the end, they are really no help at all but common sense. Hopefully these tips will give you newer insights in how to approach common problems. Now let's get to it!

On the subject of the supposed United Nations.

Taking Aim at U.N.

All I can say is, it's about time! The U.N. is nothing but a headache. What started out as a good idea has turned into a sad example of finger pointing and bad decisions.

Get rid of it, it's no longer working.

Should you even bother trying to diet?

Live a healthier you, eat right! That is the health claim that we most often see. We are told that by eating right, we will live longer. Besides the fact that it is a lie, because it only is a probability and no guarantee, it also doesn't tell us the rest of the story.

Let us pretend for a moment that it is true, and that I personally will live to a ripe 90-year-old. Why would I even want to do that? Today I live on a fixed income, I live paycheck to paycheck. There is nothing left after I pay the bills and buy groceries. If I want to eat right, then I need to add a higher percentage to my grocery bill. That much is an absolute fact. Ground beef is considerably cheaper than fish and chicken, as just only one example.

So now that I'm eating what the "experts" believe I should be eating, my funding is even worse. In fact, I may even be in the hole, but let's pretend that I am at least breaking even (however doubtful that would be). How exactly am I supposed to live after 65 then? There is absolutely NO money to put into any retirement. What I have spent on food to make me more healthy, now matters not. I will die of starvation instead.

Foxnews Glitches (NOT news)

Today's complaint stems, sadly, from the only big trustworthy news source. It's not about the articles, but how the site is run.

Foxnews.com is the most difficult pain in the ass, I've just about ever seen. I must again make it clear that I'm not talking about their content or news stories. Liberals hate them for that, but they're narrow minded anyway, so don't count. I'm talking about how many glitches the web site has and all its little "features" that do NOT work.

Collards

I went to the grocery store today and thought for a change I'd make some collards. I found that at my Walmart, they had some prepackaged pre-sliced collards (UPC 6-88962-00100-8)
made by a company called Rawl's. It was a full 2-lb. package and I said to myself, "Self, you should try this it might save you a lot of time, but be sure to look around in the package first." I know too well how pre-packaged green anything comes usually with a lump of rotten in it. Especially when you're dealing with the dreaded Walmart. So! I searched the bag and I saw no rotten bits. I also looked to see if I could see any stems, which would be cheating. The bag had a lot of print on it, but I felt confident enough that all was well.

So I get home, smack some pork bones in the pot with a lot of other yummy spices then go to open the collards and low and behold. I was met with quite a few, very thick, stems. I was very upset to say the least. It's almost as if Rawl's planned to deceive you because they were inside all the greens, so hidden from the outside.

This is very disappointing. I wanted to post a "review" at the Walmart site, but no fresh vegetables or vegetable companies are listed. That's too bad.

Anyway the lesson learned: Do it myself next time.