Cheap Eats

I am a second generation sourdough starter. Maybe third or fourth generation; I'll never know. I just know that my father, who was a displaced soul, implanted that culinary memory in my mind. Not a bad one.

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Sourdough starter is easy to grow. I feed mine weekly. It thrives better than my houseplants. Add a little flour, knead and roll out, fry in a dry pan, hit with a little olive oil and seasoning, and you have an awesome flatbread. Cost: almost nothing. Reaction of your guests (if you have them): priceless. My buddy Ted, the poet, was even impressed. That's saying something.

So, what to do with the flat breads? I'm going to lightly saute this Swiss chard I've been growing ($.95 for the seed pack, which will last all season) with a little onion and dress it with home made goat cheese. Do I figure in the vet bill in estimating the cost of this meal? Naaaaaaa (goat imitation). The onion was about .5 pounds = $.50. I'll use half of it. $.25. The milk is essentially free, as I volunteer for Faith's room and board, and gain more than I give from my goatie friends. I have two frozen skirt steak pinwheels, bought from a local organic farmer. I'll saute them in the same pan I'm using for everything else, and slap them into the flat breads. YUM!

Now, this is the part that tops it all. I cleaned out a basket of miscellaneous "stuff" that was in my way in the kitchen. In it, I found three shrivelled but otherwise viable apples. Not fit for eating raw, but otherwise OK. What to do? Apple head dolls? No time right now. Apple fritters! Dessert tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I cored and chopped those elderly beauties. The batter is just 2 eggs (free range, $3.50 a dozen), a little flour, more goat milk, a pinch of baking powder, salt and a little sugar; so, $.60 for the eggs, negligible amounts for the rest of it. I fried the whole mess in spoon-fulls in canola oil. I don't remember what I paid for the jug of oil, but they last forever, as I rarely fry. Dinner is served.

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You may notice that today was my first day of school. I won't be discussing that here, but it impacts on my home life in many ways, including my usage of time and the energy I retain for my personal activities. My interests often follow my lessons, so those ideas may surface here as well. But in the mean time: Bon Appetit! Cheap and healthy!