Three Days on One Chicken
July 27, 2009
It began when a fast food company issued a challenge. They asserted that only they, and not you, could produce a meal for a family of four for $10.00.
Since then, Americans of many culinary persuasions have demonstrated that they can make a variety of easy to prepare, tasty meals that are much better for you than the starch-and fat-heavy fast food offering.
Champions of Louisiana red beans and rice were not shy about promoting their local dish. Jewish cooks chimed in on the value of chicken soup. A woman of Polish extraction talked about how her family cooked chicken feet and necks with vegetables to make a nutritious aspic that they served on black bread. One man related his mother's Depression-era advice on how to make three meals out of a chicken. (She budgeted one chicken for two people, and the dish on the third day was chicken pot pie.) Home cooks across the country offered recipes for pizzas, bean soups, chowders, stir fries. Here is a typical comment: "Many people who claim 'no time' might more accurately say, 'I don't know how.'"
So lack of money is no excuse. With a little bit of knowledge, a cast iron pot, and a $10 bill, your family can enjoy a cornucopia of wonderful meals.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
