New books stretch eating cheap a long way

It's not yet Halloween and already my boys are talking about Christmas. They're paging through catalogs and memorizing TV commercials as they compose their wish lists in their heads.

I don't want to make them sound greedy, but with the gift-giving holidays just two months away I'm already fretting about how to afford it - not just the presents, but the tree and the trimmings, the butter for baking, the ham and all the fixings for the family feast.

So I'm looking for ways to trim the household budget and build up a holiday fund. Since groceries comprise a good portion of our monthly spending, it seems an obvious place to start in my quest to scale back.

Stretching our food dollar is hardly a new concept, yet it gains followers every time the country hits economic turbulence.

In her 1942 book, "How to Cook a Wolf," M.F.K. Fisher navigated the tricky culinary territory that marked the end of the Great Depression and the start of World War II, when for many families the wolf was, indeed, at the door. At a time when rationing was de rigueur, Fisher suggested creative economizing. To save energy and time, she'd cook twice the amount of rice or pasta needed. The energy cost of cooking a double batch is about the same as a single, plus you have leftovers on hand for easy meals later.

She even suggests saving the starchy water left over from cooking pasta. Simmer it with onions and stock to make a "nutritious broth that would shame nobody," she says.

Fisher's recipes use cheap, available ingredients, yet still have a culinary dignity to them. She reminds us of the value of slowly savoring what she calls simple, honest foods, such as her Parisian Onion Soup and Chinese Consommé.

Food legend James Beard and his friend, Sam Aaron, filled their 1953 book, "How to Eat Better for Less Money," with practical tips for eating well without spending a lot. Their advice to buy in bulk is made easier today with the proliferation of club stores.

Still a new crop of food writers is updating that advice and introducing new recipes and flavors to our repertoire. I've paged through some of these books and included some recipes below so you don't need to run out and buy all these books - that would be counter productive, wouldn't it?

One theme that runs through these budget-minded books is planning, the idea being that if you plan a week of meals you're less likely to opt for the drive-through. Take into account everyone's schedule, suggests chef Susan Irby in "The $7 a Meal Quick & Easy Cookbook." You don't want to plan a big meal when your son has soccer and your spouse has a late meeting, she says.

I've found that when I sketch out the week's meals I'm less likely to impulse buy. I've learned to be flexible, however. If I've penciled in a crockpot pork shoulder for Tuesday and find country ribs on sale, I adapt to the less expensive cut of meat.

These writers and chefs teach you how to cut spending (buy house brands when available, etc.) but they don't cut corners when it comes to creative, flavorful meals.

In "Eat Cheap but Eat Well," Charles Mattock punches up chicken with Caribbean marinade and coconut curry and creates a bold beef burgundy that comes in at $5 for four servings.

Better Homes and Gardens' "Super Market Shortcuts" reminds us that mustard - whether herbed, coarse, sweet or spiced - adds oomph to salads and meats. You don't have to cut expensive items (like imported cheese and pine nuts) from your diet, just use them as accents, suggest Alanna Kaufman and Alex Small in "The Frugal Foodie Cookbook."

And for those upcoming winter holidays, perhaps one of these cook books would be a wise investment for yourself or a great gift for others.

• Associated Press contributed to this report.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>Recipes</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> </div> <div class="recipeLink"> <ul class="moreLinks"> <li><a href="/story/?id=330069" class="mediaItem">Paprika Chicken</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=330068" class="mediaItem"> Salmon with Tarragon Cream Sauce</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=330067" class="mediaItem">Fennel-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Apples</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=330066" class="mediaItem">Roasted Summer Vegetable Lasagna</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=330065 " class="mediaItem">9 Beef Burgundy</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <p class=factboxtext12col><b>Free cookbooks</b></p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Here's a deal that's hard to pass up.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Readers who e-mail me at food@dailyherald.com by noon Thursday, Oct. 22, will be entered in a raffle to win a gently used review copy of one of the budget-minded books mentioned in the story. Put "budget cookbooks" in the subject and include your name and full mailing address.</p>