Here is a great Dollar Stretcher article I found a few years ago--don't have the author's name for proper credit.
The Great Depressin Pantry
- a bag of flour
- a bag of potatoes
- a dozen of eggs
- a bag of onions
- butter and/or oil
- milk
- salt and pepper
Meal #1: Potato Soup Put a
little butter in a large pot. Place diced onions in the pot and saute until
onions are clear. Add a little salt and pepper. Add a few cups of water and a
few peeled and diced potatoes. Boil until potatoes are soft when poked with a
fork. At this point, you can either serve and eat as is or add a few cups of
milk for a cream base soup.
Meal #2: Eggs and Potatoes In
a pan, put a few pats of butter or oil and some peeled sliced potatoes. Saute
until potatoes are soft when poked with a fork. In a bowl crack a few eggs,
pour in a bit of milk and add salt and pepper. Stir vigorously to break yolks and
thoroughly mix milk in. Pour over potatoes and cook stir turning bottom
frequently to prevent browning on bottom of the pan. Serve as is or saute diced
onions in butter and place them on top.
Meal #3: Potato Pirohi-Perogie Dough:
In a bowl, mix a few eggs and a bit of water. Add enough flour to form a stiff
dough. Filling: Peel and boil a few
potatoes, drain off water, add salt add pepper, and mash.
Fill a large pot half full with water and put onto the stove to boil. Place
a large frying pan on stove and place a mixture of butter and oil along with
diced onions and saute until onions are clear.
On a flat surface sprinkled with flour roll out dough. Using a knife or
pizza/pastry cutter cut into 3-4 inch squares. Place a small spoonful of the
filling in the center of each square. Fold over a corner of the dough to the
opposite corner to form a triangle. Pinch edges together. Drop Pirohi into
boiling water. Remove when they float and place into butter/oil and saute
lightly. Serve and enjoy. These are very
versatile. They can also be filled with sauerkraut or browned ground beef. Or
you can fill them with cheeses or sausage for homemade ravioli (just skip the
saute) and top with spaghetti sauce.
Meal #4: Dumplings (European) or Gnocci (Gnocchi)(Italian) Dough: In a bowl, mix a few eggs and a
bit of water. Then, mix in a bit of mashed potatoes and add enough flour to
form a stiff dough. Fill a large pot
half full with water and put onto the stove to boil. On a flat surface
sprinkled with flour, roll out dough thick. (There are many methods used to
form these.) Using a pizza/pastry cutter cut into 1/2-inch strips and cut
pieces off about 1 inch long from each strip and place into boiling water.
Remove from water when they float to the surface.
Meals made with dumplings or gnocci:
Gnocci - Top with spaghetti sauce and serve.
Chicken and dumplings - Great for that one piece of leftover chicken.
Shred chicken meat and place in a pot with water and chicken bouillon or broth.
Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. (You can add celery, carrots,
onion, and peas to this. Just cook until vegetables are soft.) In a cup, mix a
bit of water and flour together and add to chicken mixture. Cook until it
starts to thicken. (If gets too thick, just add a bit more water). Add prepared
dumplings and serve.
Sauerkraut and dumplings - In a pot, empty a can of sauerkraut, add
pepper and dumplings, and serve.
Fried sauerkraut and dumplings - Open a can of sauerkraut and drain.
Put a bit of oil or butter in a large frying pan and heat. Add sauerkraut and a
bit of pepper. Saute for a while and add prepared dumplings and cook a while
longer. Serve.
Fried cabbage and dumplings or Halushki-Haluska (European) - In a
large frying pan, place a bit of oil/butter. Slice cabbage and add to pan. Cook
until cabbage is soft. Add dumplings and cook a bit longer. Serve or wait a day
(better the second day).
