Basic home economics have always told me that making it myself, from scratch is always more cost efficient that buying it ready made.  But there is another side to that coin, since homemade foods do take longer to prepare and not everyone has the luxury of time on their side.  My personal food budget would be much higher if didn’t make so much from scratch, and I have to say that in my case, I’d rather be home making things from scratch than working outside the home and paying someone else to do it for me.  No matter what your personal thoughts and circumstance on working, cooking from scratch and eating well, everyone can benefit from a little old-fashioned philosophy once in a while, economic food stretchers that don’t take a lot of time, money or know how to put good food in your belly.

When I go to thrift or antique shops, I usually am easily absorbed into the world of vintage cooking pamphlets and books if I’m lucky enough to find them.  I try not to buy too many, but sometimes the illustrations and content are too good to pass up.  A few years ago I found this one published in 1947 by the Waring Blendor (yes, intentional misspelling of the modern word blender there…).  In it, I found validation of a favorite childhood spread that I still enjoy on sandwiches:  leftover ham that is finely chopped with pickles and mixed with mayonnaise.  Growing up, we called it “Ground Pickle and Bologna”, since my mother used to ...  more