Stone Soup Rocks!

New development. Starting in August, we have been homeschooling around here. My newest hat is first grade teacher. There are many reasons why this made sense for us right now. I'm sure I will bore you with all of them soon enough. It is more demanding, but also more rewarding then I ever thought possible. So, a ladle of some of what I am enjoying the most? Those impromptu lessons that you can savor right out of books. Those connections from fresh food to fork. Using dangerous appliances and sharp objects. And watching some little boys cooking and taking ownership over that domain.

A few days ago the boys were begging me to read our antique copy of Stone Soup. Many versions of this story exist, but the one we have with the most comical illustrations is by William Furstenberg and Hans Wilhelm.

If you have never heard of this story it is a morality tale all about how all the people in the town are too greedy to share their surplus of food with some unexpected traveling guests because they fear those which they do not know. (Where else do we begin making peace then around our own tables?) The guests outsmart and guilt the greedy and piggish (pun intended) townspeople into bringing out all their stores of food from the ridiculous places they have hidden them, inside the cupboards, in the well, under the bed. . So one by one the concealed items are brought forward and plopped into the water and the cooperative effort ends up making, of course, soup.

My kids love this story. And it's a punchy lesson for grownups too. So on that day, THE KIDS decided to make up their own recipe for Stone Soup. (Mama helped, a wee bit). And it just so happens to be quite frugal, so we thought we'd include it here.

In a large crock pot add:
A handful of smooth well washed rocks (a crazy paranoid science mom, who checks those things, says don't include any of these... because I am sure that you keep piles of asbestos in your kitchen).

• 2 tsp of salt
• Pepper to taste, but leave out the pepper if you are seven 
• 3 Tbsp of rosemary ~ $0.50
• 4 Tbsp of oregano ~ $0.50
• half a cabbage ~ $1.00
• 4 diced carrots ~$1.50
• 1/2 a white onion ~ $0.75
• 5 diced potatoes ~ $1.75
• 1 lb of cured ham ~ $5.50
• 2 cups of whole milk or cream ~$0.74

Enough water to just cover all the ingredients. Set to cook on lowest temperature. When 30 minutes to hour is left add the milk or cream.

We just cooked our rocks in our soup. If you are sneaky or paranoid you can "magically" take the rocks out while the kids aren't looking and use a separate pot. My kids were really convinced they would, and rather disappointed when they didn't, melt. But, nevertheless, they still cooked and ate with atypical zeal!

For a yummy addition check out these honey breadsticks.

• water
• 3 Tbsp honey ~ $0.66
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil ~$0.20
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour$2.56
• 3 tsp of yeast ~ $0.50

Fresh homemade butter for serving: $2.25
Serves 8. Total = $18.41
or  $2.30/ person

Breakfast in bed, a jar of happiness

Remember those glorious B.C. (before children, as we like to call it) days of lounging in bed, sleeping in very late with your partner for hours on a weekend morning? No? Well, me either. Not really.

One of the greatest cruxes of our marriage is that one adores and the other abhors sleeping in. This, as you have probably already discovered, along with other essentials like what temperature you are going to keep the thermostat, who is going to take out the recycling, whether you are going to have an alternative fuel vehicle, is probably the real stuff that should be in prenuptial agreements. Fortunately, one of us is also warm bodied so the other reptilian soul is usually coerced into lingering a little longer. And nothing makes that quite as sweet as breakfast in bed, pulled together really quickly in your jammies, before your feet get cold.

I had these kind of romantic moments in mind when thinking what to give an old friend as a wedding present. So I gave her breakfast in bed, in jars. Some mason jar scones, homemade jelly. If you want to do more you could add some summer sausage or a sweet cheese like almond cheddar or blackberry wine cheddar or directions on how to make clotted cream, or a gift certificate towards a membership with the Oklahoma Food Coop. And if you like wrap it in an antique handkerchief or a blue ribbon. 

Mason Jar Blueberry Oat Scones

• 1 tsp baking powder $0.05
• 1/2 baking soda $0.05
• 3/4 cup oat or wheat flour $0.23
• 3 tsp Energ Egg replacer (not local) $0.12 (or omit this and just add 2 real eggs when making the recipe).
• 3/4 cup finely ground corn meal $0.75
• 1/4 cup sugar $0.36
• 1/2 c. powdered milk (not local) $1.92
• 1/4 cup of dried blueberries $0.82

 1/4 cup of water

• 4 tsp Scrumptious strawberry spread $0.90

Mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and egg replacer. (Energ egg replacer is a great substitute for eggs in most baked goods and is useful when you have run out of eggs, are cooking for friends with allergies, or trying to make a dry mix). Use a funnel to put this in the bottom of your sterile mason jar. Pack tightly down with a spoon. Then layer the cornmeal, next the sugar, next the powdered milk then the dried fruit on top, remembering to pack tightly after each dry ingredient layer. Put in a quart mason jar.

To prepare mix with 1/4 cup of water then add 1 tsp of water at a time till it is moist enough the dough can be shaped into circles or triangles but is not goopy. (Or if you add too much water just make muffins)!

Bake at 375 for 12-15 min.

Makes 6 large scones.
Total: $4.90

**********
Serve with:
3/4 lb Turkey sausage $4.49

Clotted cream 
3 oz fresh cream  $0.94
pinch of salt

I think that this cream from the Oklahoma Food Coop will work best because it is not ultra pasteurized and this allows the cream to clot better.

The night before put sausages in a crock pot and cover with water.

Then set a shallow baking pan with a lid on top. Add water to go up the inner pan halfway. This creates a double broiler. Pour your cream in the inner pan and cover with inner and outter lids. Set your crock pot on low all night. When you wake up to put the scones in the oven you should be able to scoop the buttery cream off the top (save the remainder for another recipe) for your scones.

Total: $10.63 or $1.77 each