We were so poor, my Dad would work all day for enough money to buy one little bag of instant mash potato, 8 oz can of tomato sauce to make tomato soup for my Mom that was in a car accident, a carton of milk for the baby. Dad and us 5 kids would eat the mash potato and go in the back yard and pick wild poke salad greens. that's what we had everyday for months. When my Mom was able to travel we went from Missouri to Oklahoma ran out of money lived at the lake and people caught fish and gave to us so we could eat. I was allergic to seafood, so I couldn't eat. Until my grandmother in California could send us some money.Than one time we had no money at all, our landlord let us move into the house with no money and we ate turnips from the landlords fields every day morning, noon and night and nothing else. Cooked those turnips every way you could, baked, boiled and fried and nothing else for months, until my Dad got a job to pay the rent, utilities turned on and finely after a couple of months to be able to buy food.
And it was good, I was in heaven if I got the heels, love em still and I am 74, your poor persons meals bring back warm memories. I was 18 yrs old before we ever had loaf bread inthe house, we made our own a week at a time for our family of 6. Still occasionally make it to this day. ❤
This all reminded me of when I was little and didn't realize we were poor. I was friends with this girl who always just brought a banana and a bologna sandwich with mustard every day for lunch. My mother made homemade tortillas most days so that's what I'd bring lunch in. It might have peanut butter, a hot dog, Spam, etc. I was so sad because all my friend had to eat was bologna and white bread. I also felt sorry for her mom because when we'd hang out with her in the kitchen on the weekends we'd watch her make the week's menu. She had all that work and cooking to do all because she didn't know how to make tortillas, I thought. So I asked my mom if she'd pack me an extra tortilla for my "poor" friend. As I got a little older, I found out they were NOT poor, her parents were professors at the local university. She just LIKED bologna and mustard sandwiches.
When my son was in elementary school, one of his friends got free lunches. That little boy LOVED egg salad, but the school never served it. When I sent egg salad in my son's lunch, his friend would beg to switch lunches. My son wasn't a fan of the school lunches, so he asked me to send egg salad and crackers for his friend. I did that for the 6 years that they went to school together. His family was evicted from their house when he was in high school. Before they moved, he told my son that he never forgot how kind I was for making extra egg salad for him. When my son told me that, I cried. Who knew that something that simple would be so meaningful for a kid?
I'm in my mid 50s. I remember, our local supermarket had no name boxes of mac and cheese, 5 for $1.00. We had mac and cheese every night for a month(There were 6 in my family), sometimes with tuna, sometimes with chopped up hot dog, sometimes with pork and beans on the side. Sometimes with caramelized onion. We used what we had, and I'm here to tell the tale! Still love Mac and cheese!
I've ate that Mac and cheese before plenty of times like that I also have used can of tuna and can of corn or peas if we had it sometime both if we had it too stretch the food. I still would eat it now I always liked the combos with Mac and cheese lol. just like the potato cakes but growing up when never had the potato in a bag we used leftover mashed potatoes my mom always would get a huge bag every month she always said you won't starve if you have potatoes and beans and we didn't lol. She also made sure to get a big bag of flour and cornmeal . I'm 60 and still remember almost all the things she would fix up . Never nothing fancy but good .
That’s amazing! Kraft Mac n cheese was invented during the Great Depression as a cheap way to eat. I LOVE Mac n cheese with the powder cheese! I’d eat it everyday just because I like it lol
I remember getting it at that price along with 4 loaves of bread at the bread thrift store for a dollar . Pot pies were cheap too , bologna, hotdogs, tuna and you are set for the month. 😃
Omgosh, I ate that all the time when I was a kid, I loved it "now 70". My mom didn't buy mayonnaise, it was miracle whip only. I used to eat miracle whip sandwiches on wonder bread 🍞😋
My mums childhood dessert was cheap biscuits soaked in milk until they go soggy with sugar sprinkled over. Not the american style biscuits. The british style biscuits. My mum grew up dirt poor. By the time I was born we were a little better off. Still poor but not as bad as my mum and dads childhood. By the time I was a teenager my parents had worked us out of that. Now living with no debt and a comfortable roof over my head as an adult. Always thankful my parents raised us with little money but lots of love and gratitude. To this day we never waste food. Not me or any of my siblings.
@@charlottekearn5185 My family only did Miracle Whip, too. My Mom tried to buy mayo and that salad dressing stuff 🤢 but we wouldn't eat it. It would sit there. Lol Now, I'm 39 and I eat them both. Depends what I'm making on which I'll use.
A soup recipe from a friend's grandmother in Lebanon: Cook lentils in water (or broth if you have it), about halfway through add pasta elbows and olive oil, garlic (if you have it), some salt. Simmer until everything is cooked, turn off heat and add lemon juice to taste. The pasta elbows make this soup thick. It is delicious and filling. Of course, you can spice it up, and add onion, carrots, etc. But that is the basic recipe.
I’m seriously going to try this, I’ve already got everything here, including onion, carrot, and most of a container of chicken stock that I need to use since I just opened it.
We were friends with a Lebanese Princess that went to college and dormed close to our house. She made something similar, and it was absolutely delicious. She had nails so long that she could not even function but excelled in cooking. I remember sitting at her coffee table and just focused on the food. Basmati rice was so good with crisp potatoes mixed in.
My daughter thinks my husband and I are crazy because we use random buns in place of bread all the time! Ya use what ya got! That’s how we were raised!
It’s so funny like it’s bread. Hot dogs in a slice? Fine. Buns for toast? Fine. It’s bread! It’s the same thing lol. I do remember giving my kids friends hot dogs in bread slices. They were confused, but they were cool with it lol. This was only 5 years ago. One was like, who cares it’s just bread🤷♀️
Anyone else ever eat mayo sandwhiches when you didn't have anything else? I used to eat them after school when we had nothing else. Sometimes I would get lucky and have lettuce too!
Mom's family would have mustard sandwiches... But somehow they'd still have something for the tramps that came along in the Great Depression... Was a little railroad town back then. She'd have a little table out back and would be kind enough to have a little cloth and a napkin. They were people too... Usually away from family. No need to make them feel unwelcome or undignified.
Tomato sandwiches, mayo sandwiches, banana sandwiches, pineapple sandwiches….when it was really bad we had “jam sandwiches”-take two pieces of bread and JAM ‘em together.
@@tracey7857 Because she's doing what she can to help others, taking judgement off of having "less", reminding us that simple can still be really good, plus putting a beautiful smile on it. ~~\(^♡^)/~~
Do you know how often toast was toasted hotdog/burger buns?! Mom was a great cook but somehow we were always taking a butter knife and scraping off the char!🤣
Hey, with plastic cheese, each slice tastes exactly the same as the first slice! (I'm not saying that it tastes nice, but you know that there's not too much mould to scrape off.)
My parents were children of the Depression, born in '29 and '30. When you had four kids, two parents and a grandmother in the house and only four hot dogs, you sliced them up and cooked them in a pot of beans and molasses. Liver and onions was another staple, because not many meats are cheaper than liver. Pasta made any protein go further, so tuna noodle casserole, chicken bits from the wings and legs to make Chicken & Dumplings, etc. And since you bought chickens whole in those days, you used the carcass to make chicken soup. Beef neck bones became soup too. A cheap, delicious way to make food go farther.
Brooke I find myself in a tight spot today, as I have 2 more days to payday! It’s meant to be that I just saw your latest video today! Luckily I have all of these ingredients on hand to make the basic tater cake! I love this idea and I will be making them tonight thanks to you! Literally trying to make it to payday here in New York and I so appreciate you and all that you do for us folks that need to stretch a dime from time to time. Seems like it’s getting more times often than not! But we’re all in this together and I appreciate you so much!!!! 💗💗💗💐💐💐🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@tinamariebartley8675 🫂 I have tears for you. Please let us know what you have then maybe myself and others can give you ideas. New York food banks must be overwhelmed.
Thank you so very much! That is so kind of you! Yes local food pantries we are a little restricted as to numbers of stuff we can get but I always get at least one protein whether it’s chicken chop meat fish or some kind of really good stuff once in a while. We got one of those a week and the rest is basically canned food some produce that you need to use immediately so I try to always do that! And one loaf of bread. I supplement whatever I get with dollar tree items. I don’t have a Walmart very close to me but I can go it’s just gas money. I always shop for deals and try to keep my pantry stocked like Brooke. My associate does not care for beans or anything Mexican or anything with cheese so I’m kind of limited but I will eat just about anything. There are very few things that I “don’t like”
Growing up, my mother used sandwich bread, butter up and garlic salt it up! It was yummy! I don't think I made garlic bread like that in over a decade. If I were to do that now, I would use powder instead.
Thank you my child is going through cancer. So I will starve myself to take care of my kid. You tend to forget about eating. But thank you mate. Appreciate you.
@troytucker Sorry to hear about your child's illness. Please don't starve yourself. I have paid the price by doing something similar when my husband was sick, so please try to eat healthy and enough protein. You can have a filling meal using 1 egg and 1 tortilla. Will pray for you!
The best part about this video is how you listed all the things you could substitute for other things. You really made this budget-friendly by giving us ideas to use what we already had in our house. Sending you love from St Louis!
We didn't grow up quite this poor, but I remember seeing food get lower and lower until my mom got her food stamps at the first of the month. She tried to make things nice for us. We would want to order pizza, but since she could not afford it, she would make dough and let us pick out our own little ingredients from leftovers and make pizza. I was a teenager before I had white meat chicken.
Yes... white meat chicken was something super special in our house. When we able to get the bucket of chicken from kfc I'd offer to take on extra chores that week to get the one white piece in the bucket. I never really liked chicken on the bone
I was married in 1974. 1 income. We ate alot of pot pies which were really cheap back then. Baked them in an electric fry pan as stove and oven didn't work and landlord was too cheap to replace. Used a hot plate for regular cooking. We did what we had to do.
@@susanpendell4215 except that the non-stick was not in style yet. They had a ceramic coating. We thought we had it bad, but all those things are where we are going back to go back to, especially the fats are back 👍
Mama called them potato pancakes. She said that she started feeding them to me when I was a year old. I'll be 67 in November. I still make them once in a while!
Let me just tell y'all I met this wonderful family as it came into my job a few nights ago let me tell ya Brooke is the real deal she's so sweet and so nice and her family is just as great❤ I've been walking on air for the last few days just replaying it in my head like did this really happen lol this is one of the best days that's ever happened to me I know I have a lame life but it was exciting and I just wanted to let you all know that this family is the best❤
You need to try bean cakes....open a can or leftover pintos add some flour water salt pepper and whatever else....butter on top lawd they are amazing g
Yes they are we use leftover pinto beans we diced a onion or green onions up in it they are great also the potato cake is great with a bowl of beans love them. We always called them bean flitters but called the potato cakes lol
I have a cheap meal that's really nice and filling. What you need is a can of tuna, some cheese and a couple tortillas. Cover the tortilla with cheese, drain the tuna fairly well but not completely, break the tuna apart and put cheese on top, and then the other tortilla. You could also use any other kind of canned meat if you have it, but tuna is the cheapest, and is surprisingly tasty in a quesadilla. You could also add salsa or tomatoes, peppers, onions etc. Heat in oven or toaster oven for 13 minutes on 350. Cut it and enjoy. I used to share it with my dog and he loved it. Here's another one, you buy eggs, English muffins and a package of cheese slices. I like pepper jack. This will make you breakfast for about a week. Toast the English muffin while you cook an egg or two in a tiny pan and then put the cheese on the english muffin so it melts a little and then add the cooked egg. You can also use any kind of bread or any kind of cheese. Homemade pizza. You make a crust from flour, add tomato sauce, cheese and any other random stuff you might have around. You don't need yeast either. Just search for no yeast pizza crust recipes. Pancakes can also be quite cheap as a meal. Eggs are a very good, cheap food, in my opinion.
If you save your bacon grease you could use that in those tater cakes and for frying. Sour cream is good too especially when you get to the smidge at the bottom of the container if you have it. Those are definitely anything goes..imo. love them!
Brooke, never apologize for being goofy. It’s part of what makes you so charming, and it adds so much to your videos. I love watching you and your family interact! Also, you are an amazing cook! Everything I’ve tried of yours, turned out bomb! You rock lady! And, I love how real and down to earth you are, it makes you comforting to watch! I hope that made sense, lol. God bless beautiful you and your beautiful family!
I wonder how many of us she's really helped manage during hard times or just simply learn how to shop? Thank you for making so many of us feel not ashamed of how we get our amazing meals, teaching us how to grow as cooks and reminding us to be kind :)
Hi Brooke, I’ve been watching you for about a year now and you and Dusty and the boys just make me smile when I watch your videos. And a lot of your recipes and ideas are just fantastic. I’ve gotten my 82 year-old mother watching you also, anyway I just wanted to tell you how I enjoy your family and your ideas and I’ve recently started watching your husband‘s prepping videos and I love those too. And I nearly forgot I love your blessing box videos keep it up this world needs more families like yours.
Congratulations on your 85,000 subscribers I bet you never thought that was gonna happen in a short period of time that it has I love watching your show you keep doing what you’re doing you and your husband and the boys
👍👍👍👍 Yes Brooke Please show us more “ when we’re broke meals “ ! Those Pattie’s snd the tuna melts looked so delicious , thank you Brooke you should write a “ when your broke cookbook” we woukd all buy it for sure!! God bless ❤️🙏🙋🏻🌈🌈
Potato pancakes are so good with onion, onion powder, onion flakes rehydrated or a green onion. Cornmeal mush or polenta is devine in my book. If you don't have time to let it set up in the fridge you can make patties like the potato cakes. My favorite way to have mush is dip a slice in flour on both sides and brown in butter. Smother in more butter and whatever syrup even sugar and water (add a couple drops of flavoring you have, vanilla, almond, orange, lemon, etc.)
Thank you , My grandmother who raised me with my veitnam veteran father in Alabama always made homemade tator pancakes but with potatoes from our garden , My potatoes here in Texas arent ready to harvest and I refuse to pay $6.99 for 5 pounds . But I have instant potatoes-i got for $1.00 Great recipe ,thank you . My mamaw served with homemade apple sauce or homemade sourcream . Thank you for an easier way . God bless you Mrs josette Montgomery County ,Texas 🙏 ♥️
This woman is the cutest!!! I sometimes feel bad when I'm broke but need to make a good meal. She NEVER disappoints! She's super relatable and her positive energy is everything!!! Thanks love for your videos!!!
Left over mashed potatoes in a toasty. The sandwich maker way is best. Add cheese if you got it. Or add BBQ sauce or Tom sauce.... That's the best throw together thing we had as a kid. Mayo also works. But anything lying around d would get added. At one stage we were also very broke. We always had potatoes as mum grew them and meat as dads a hunter but milk and bread we had to ration. Mum and dad always made sure we had a good life so we may not have had money but we were very wealthy in everything else.
Love your video and your boys! I grew up in a poor family in Alabama. Sometimes dinner was biscuits and gravy--still love that for dinner. People need to learn to cook and be frugal instead of complaining about how much it costs to eat out.
My husband and I were married in 1978 and he had one son who was still a minor for whom we paid child support of $400 a month. Just to give you a bit of perspective in 1978, $400 was equal to almost $2,000 today. ($1,923.61 to be precise.) We were barely scraping by from one payday to the next. I remember one time when it was the day before payday and both my husband and I were broke and all that was in the house to eat was one can of green beans. I heated up those beans and put some A1 sauce on them to try to make our taste buds think we were having steaks and that is what we had that night for dinner. I am happy to say that this was not a common occurrence, but I will never forget that one terrible time. I guess maybe this is why I enjoy watching your videos about how to feed a family with not much money. And BTW, many of those meals look so good that they are something I would love to have even if I had a LOT of money, so thank you very much.
I never have much, so I made a cabbage casserole. Omg it's soooo good! All it takes is cabbage, sliced onions, shredded cheddar cheese (optional), for the top a can of cream of chicken soup, mixed with one cup of mayo and a half stick of melted butter spread evenly. For the topping, one sleeve of Ritz crackers and one stick of melted butter. Bake @350* for 45 min. It's so good I couldn't believe it!! 😋 Yum!
My daddy used to make potato pancakes out of leftover mashed potato's. He grew up during the depression on a farm so nothing ever went to wastes in our house.
Back in my day we didn't have fancy buns. We always used regular bread for all burgers, hot dogs and such. Shoot the way we had toast back then was mama would butter the bread both sides and toast it in the cast iron skillet. We didn't even have a toaster.
you are talkin about texas toast! also a hamburger on toast is actually called a 'set up' i didnt know that until i found that out at a Friendlys ice cream shop - yep a setup
My Mammaw used to make those tater cakes for breakfast, supper, & dinner. She did grow her own taters, but she'd take the left-over mashed potatoes & make these. They were amazing with eggs & bacon, spam, ham, etc. for breakfast, but they were equally as good with greens & beans for supper & dinner. LOVE those taters! I also remember that if I wanted a snack, I had a choice of fresh fruit that they grew on the farm (strawberries, blueberries, peaches), sliced veggies (sometimes soaked in vinegar with sugar), OR I could have saltine crackers with peanut butter or cheese on top. I'm over 60 now & I still eat these. It's what I fed my boys & what I'm now feeding my grands. My Mammaw always said that as long as you had a roof over your head, clothes on your back, & Jesus in your heart you would never be poor. Lordy, but I miss that woman. Side note....LEARN HOW TO CAN YOUR OWN FOOD!!! Dehydrate! I know it's called "prepping" these days, but in my day it was just called "common sense"....
My mom used to make these on Friday during Lent. Bun, spread with mayo , top with tuna, heat until bun gets slightly crispy, top with a slice of tomato and cheese. Melt tthe cheese. Delicious
When we’ve gone through hard times we’ve found that cheese milk and butter became luxuries. Bread is everywhere, canned foods are everywhere, dried soup mixes too but I remember having my first taste of cheese after months of not being able to afford it. Gosh it taste otherworldly good.
This is comfort food for me! My parents were born in 1925(Dad) and 1930(Mom)and they cooked a lot of cheap simple meals like this! Chicken livers and gizzards cooked in chicken broth and egg noodles were common! Beef heart, liver, squirrel and rabbit were common too!'My favorite was and still is Macaroni and Tomatoes with bacon and onions!!!! So good 👍👍👍👍 Great video ❤❤❤❤
cheap white rice, a can of tomato anything and add a packet of hot sauce left over from a visit to a drive through. I save the ones they give me after I buy the 2/$1.00 tacos from Jack in the Box. We recently got home to soggy tacos and removed the fillings to add to more cheese and added a can of refried beans. We toasted the empty shell and OH MY, was it ever good this way. We ate the rice with the shells and learned how to make tortillas from scratch real quick. It all tasted great.
I'd love to see more of these kinda videos - they remind me of the kinda stuff my Mum would put together back in the 80s UK. Cheap, simple, but DELICIOUS meals.
We didnt generally use buns, just bread for burgers, etc. I stayed at my cousins a lot & my Aunt Ada would fix franks, yep hotdogs on buns, but we just popped the dogs in folded bread if short. I always loved to hear her saying we were having " franks". Special people ❤
in my late teens, we were raised on coffee and potatoes we'd dig in the fall. yes i'm old. and food wasn't exactly the priority for all of us. but we managed and survived and are here to tell the story. i love these family vlogs, you and your guys are great.
We never bought convenience food, though. Bought the cheapest potatoes & mashed them, more bang for the scarce buck. Ate the potato skins in a different dish, maybe baked crisp, in soup, or fried with eggs. I thought store bread was a luxury, my mom made tortillas. Spaghetti without meat. The only cheese was Velveeta. Fruit and veggies were either grown in the yard or sometimes from the 'markdown' shelf if they weren't TOO old and were marked down enough. The media always acts like everyone of course grows up eating like an upper-middle- class kid, but so many of us absolutely didn't.
@sonnysmomy6017, agree on the convenience food, we made everything from scratch, had moved from farm, pigs, beef, chicken, smokehouse, etc. Big surprise i had to stay at a friend's house , Mom worked , while i was sick , so surprised to find chicken noodle soup in a can!!! We made it from scratch! I guess we were hillbillies, yes ,country & proud of it! blessings 🙌
@sandraking9650 Strongest people in the world. My mom raised chickens, and we had fruit vines & trees, planted enough corn, peas, potatoes, and beans in our huge yard (along with other vegetables especially tomatoes), then canned everything. Later, I realized our food was a lot better than what richer kids ate, those Swanson type TV dinners.
Back in the 80s, my future sister-in-law and I were living together. She'd grown up pretty poor and taught me how to make "poor man's spaghetti". It was a can of tomato sauce, a packet of cheap pasta, some butter and a little Italian seasoning (if ya had it), and salt & pepper, lol. We were a bit short on cash a whole lot.
Thank you for reminding me how much I like tuna melts! I make them with canned chicken these days since I developed a fish allergy, but it's pretty much the same. These are calling my name for an easy summer lunch!
From my childhood, butter on saltines and butter on Graham crackers, delish! Chip dip=diced American cheese mixed with sandwich spread, another yum. I can't tell you how many ketchup sandwiches, mayo sandwiches and mustard sandwiches I ate and loved them. Vanilla ice cream, crushed saltines, mix it together, the bomb! That was our ice cream topping. Pork and bean sandwich's on white bread. Our potato pancakes were like a feast to us, made out of leftover mashed potatoes, my mom could make anything taste wonderful.
@_MustangSally....I love butter on saltine crackers. Never tried butter on Graham crackers but I have put frosting on them. Learned that from a friend when I was still in school. I also like the Campbell's Bean w/Bacon soup straight out of the can spread on a slice of warm buttered toast.
@@kathyleighton9091 Butter on graham crackers is the bomb, try it. The plain grahams, not the cinnamon topped ones. Oh I love bean with bacon soup, never tried it on bread/toast but I bet its good.
If I had a hot dog or lunchmeat, I'd cut it small and put that in, or some chives or parsley from my garden, then put some pancake syrup on top! We were poor when I grew up and we always had chicken or hamburg at $ .25 per # and mom would make hamburger gravy and chicken soup. She always added milk/water to our creamed corn to stretch it for 5. The coal train passed behind dad's house and he and the neighbor always went out with an old baby buggy and collected the chunks that fell off to heat their little houses. Dad wore 7 pairs of socks in winter because they didn't have shoes and he had a paper route that went several miles. Grandpa lost his vision but he could find water with a divining rod , then the boys, aged 9-14, drove the old truck to the site and between them, put the well in! And no, we didn't know we were poor, everybody was in the same boat on our side of the river!
In Scotland we used leftover mashed potatoes, flour and salt and make potato scones (similar to what you've just made but a little thinner and cut into a round, then quarters. To make these you don't need oil, just a dry pan. When they're cool, we fry them as part of a full Scottish Breakfast with sausage, bacon egg etc. You can also use any leftover potatoes, roasties, potato flakes etc as you've done and add any leftover veg to it, preferrably greens like cabbage or brussel sprouts, We call that bubble and squeak. You can throw anything in it. Great recipes Brooke xxx
Hi just came across your channel,I'm from 🏴 🇬🇧 and I just love how frugal you are,sometimes you just don't know what you can knock up with items which you have in your cupboards ,great channel,new subscriber here.
Growing up we were poor but rich in food. We had a huge garden. We grew our own potatoes. But Mom always used leftover mashed potatoes to make potato pancakes. I still make them when we have left overs.
We didn't have buns laying around, all we had was that nasty white bread, not any whole grain anything. So if we had hot dogs it wasn't on any kind of bread, which I prefer it without bread, same goes for a hamburger, no bun, but if we did, it was that white bread.
1 box Mac n cheese 1 can cream mushroom soup I small can tuna. Make Mac n cheese per directions then add the soup and tuna and mix. Mom’s recipe from the late 1960s. You can “fancy it up” by adding a small can of peas.
Now there were some cheap eats that look mighty delicious! I would eat that, be filled and happy as can be. Your hardships are bringing help to those in need and teaching the rest to save. Thank you for being you, Brooke! Be blessed always, my Southerland Squad! xoxo
Just stumbled on this channel and subscribed! My father grew up during the Great Depression. He always said that “hard times are a good education for people.” He was so right!
My Granny used to make similar potato cakes from time to time when I was little, and I loved them, but had no idea how she made them. I mentioned this to my husband and he Googled how to make them and made me a batch! I think Granny put a little sage in hers, though, but probably whatever seasoning you like would give them a little something special. Gonna have to share this with my daughter. She's good at cooking on a budget. Thanks for reminding me of this delicious taste of my childhood. And yes, food should be a human right, as should healthcare and shelter.
I remember those days and still make tater cakes. My go to broke meal was what my boys called pizza toast. Slices of bread with ketchup spread evenly and sliced cheese torn up on it. Place in the oven until melted and a little browned. The boys loved it and never knew we were poor.
We're doing a fair amount of burritos with ranch dressing or plain yogurt. Grilled sandwiches elevate the sandwich rut. Try to keep some small cans of pineapple for cottage cheese. Always looking for simple pleasures that don't make it feel like deprivation.
A lot of times the food pantry gives out random items that don't seem to go together.These meals of yours are wonderful shows what ingredients can be put together and turn out delicious!
Thank you for doing this video, it not only is nostalgic but it also teaches people to be resourceful with what they already have. Endless creativity love it!!
This reminds me of the last time I saw my big brother. He and I both loved what we called potato pancakes. We were at my folk's place, left over taters. He mostly looked thru every cupboard and we added what we found. Tney were delicious! Miss my family so, so much! Love your family. Thank you.
Hello from California! Brooke, I just love your family. And I love your style! You make the best out of everything. You always see the glass half full instead of half empty, always see the good side of everything. I love your recipes, and I love your versatility, you always give us options and other ideas and/or substitutions!
What a good video. No one likes to think about broke hardship times but it happens. These videos are so helpful. Sharing knowledge and encouragement. Keep them coming.
My mother saved all heels of bread in the freezer. She would make a bread pudding that was fabulous. A couple of people offered money to my mom to make her bread pudding. Also, she made potato cakes with leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast. Yum !!
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Poor? I didn’t know we were poor until I grew up. It’s was a normal way of life for us!
you didnt know
some people had powered milk
Absolutely!
Yup
My daddy always told us when we was kids : "We ain't poor, we're just broke!!"
- Dave Chappell
We were so poor, my Dad would work all day for enough money to buy one little bag of instant mash potato, 8 oz can of tomato sauce to make tomato soup for my Mom that was in a car accident, a carton of milk for the baby. Dad and us 5 kids would eat the mash potato and go in the back yard and pick wild poke salad greens. that's what we had everyday for months. When my Mom was able to travel we went from Missouri to Oklahoma ran out of money lived at the lake and people caught fish and gave to us so we could eat. I was allergic to seafood, so I couldn't eat. Until my grandmother in California could send us some money.Than one time we had no money at all, our landlord let us move into the house with no money and we ate turnips from the landlords fields every day morning, noon and night and nothing else. Cooked those turnips every way you could, baked, boiled and fried and nothing else for months, until my Dad got a job to pay the rent, utilities turned on and finely after a couple of months to be able to buy food.
You had quite a childhood.
My goodness! I'm glad you made it thru. Happy life!
You only ate turnips for months? That is really traumatic
That's amazing & awful. Were there no food pantries, churches, or food stamps?
Thats an awesome story. How long ago was that?
Growing up in my family we very rarely used hotdog 🌭 buns it was almost always a slice of bread 🍞 folded in half
Same!
My friend said they called those “foldie overs”!
Us too.😊
And it was good, I was in heaven if I got the heels, love em still and I am 74, your poor persons meals bring back warm memories. I was 18 yrs old before we ever had loaf bread inthe house, we made our own a week at a time for our family of 6. Still occasionally make it to this day. ❤
to be honest most times I perfer bread instead of buns
This all reminded me of when I was little and didn't realize we were poor. I was friends with this girl who always just brought a banana and a bologna sandwich with mustard every day for lunch. My mother made homemade tortillas most days so that's what I'd bring lunch in. It might have peanut butter, a hot dog, Spam, etc. I was so sad because all my friend had to eat was bologna and white bread. I also felt sorry for her mom because when we'd hang out with her in the kitchen on the weekends we'd watch her make the week's menu. She had all that work and cooking to do all because she didn't know how to make tortillas, I thought. So I asked my mom if she'd pack me an extra tortilla for my "poor" friend. As I got a little older, I found out they were NOT poor, her parents were professors at the local university. She just LIKED bologna and mustard sandwiches.
In fairness, anyone without tortillas in their life is poor indeed 😂 I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like them ❤
What a good heart you had/have .God bless you
That's what is so wonderful about being young. You have no idea how hard things are. Its just " normal "
When my son was in elementary school, one of his friends got free lunches. That little boy LOVED egg salad, but the school never served it. When I sent egg salad in my son's lunch, his friend would beg to switch lunches. My son wasn't a fan of the school lunches, so he asked me to send egg salad and crackers for his friend. I did that for the 6 years that they went to school together. His family was evicted from their house when he was in high school. Before they moved, he told my son that he never forgot how kind I was for making extra egg salad for him. When my son told me that, I cried. Who knew that something that simple would be so meaningful for a kid?
Don't know if I like them or not as I've never tried them in my life😁
I'm in my mid 50s. I remember, our local supermarket had no name boxes of mac and cheese, 5 for $1.00. We had mac and cheese every night for a month(There were 6 in my family), sometimes with tuna, sometimes with chopped up hot dog, sometimes with pork and beans on the side. Sometimes with caramelized onion.
We used what we had, and I'm here to tell the tale! Still love Mac and cheese!
I've ate that Mac and cheese before plenty of times like that I also have used can of tuna and can of corn or peas if we had it sometime both if we had it too stretch the food. I still would eat it now I always liked the combos with Mac and cheese lol. just like the potato cakes but growing up when never had the potato in a bag we used leftover mashed potatoes my mom always would get a huge bag every month she always said you won't starve if you have potatoes and beans and we didn't lol. She also made sure to get a big bag of flour and cornmeal . I'm 60 and still remember almost all the things she would fix up . Never nothing fancy but good .
I still love Mac n cheese with hot dogs...😊
That’s amazing! Kraft Mac n cheese was invented during the Great Depression as a cheap way to eat. I LOVE Mac n cheese with the powder cheese! I’d eat it everyday just because I like it lol
I remember getting it at that price along with 4 loaves of bread at the bread thrift store for a dollar . Pot pies were cheap too , bologna, hotdogs, tuna and you are set for the month. 😃
Was just thinking about The mac and cheese 5 for a dollar with pork beans about a minute before seeing your post 😊 ate a lot of that!
I love these videos. Senior living on fixed income. Using food pantries to make ends meet.
Dessert would be a slice of white bread, buttered with sugar sprinkled on top.
Omgosh, I ate that all the time when I was a kid, I loved it "now 70". My mom didn't buy mayonnaise, it was miracle whip only. I used to eat miracle whip sandwiches on wonder bread 🍞😋
My mums childhood dessert was cheap biscuits soaked in milk until they go soggy with sugar sprinkled over. Not the american style biscuits. The british style biscuits. My mum grew up dirt poor. By the time I was born we were a little better off. Still poor but not as bad as my mum and dads childhood. By the time I was a teenager my parents had worked us out of that. Now living with no debt and a comfortable roof over my head as an adult. Always thankful my parents raised us with little money but lots of love and gratitude.
To this day we never waste food. Not me or any of my siblings.
@@jackieblue787 Don't forget the Cinnamon!
@@charlottekearn5185 My family only did Miracle Whip, too. My Mom tried to buy mayo and that salad dressing stuff 🤢 but we wouldn't eat it. It would sit there. Lol
Now, I'm 39 and I eat them both. Depends what I'm making on which I'll use.
@@EgoBrain1 same here, I use both
A soup recipe from a friend's grandmother in Lebanon: Cook lentils in water (or broth if you have it), about halfway through add pasta elbows and olive oil, garlic (if you have it), some salt. Simmer until everything is cooked, turn off heat and add lemon juice to taste. The pasta elbows make this soup thick. It is delicious and filling. Of course, you can spice it up, and add onion, carrots, etc. But that is the basic recipe.
That sounds yummy!
I’m seriously going to try this, I’ve already got everything here, including onion, carrot, and most of a container of chicken stock that I need to use since I just opened it.
We were friends with a Lebanese Princess that went to college and dormed close to our house. She made something similar, and it was absolutely delicious. She had nails so long that she could not even function but excelled in cooking. I remember sitting at her coffee table and just focused on the food. Basmati rice was so good with crisp potatoes mixed in.
Lentils are great for protein , yes I've actually done this same thing or even added a can of stewed tomatoes , so yummy 😋
Lentils are so good, the pasta would make it even.more hearty! And carrots, 🥕 are cheap! Good, cheap, and healthy! Especially, with this inflation!
My daughter thinks my husband and I are crazy because we use random buns in place of bread all the time! Ya use what ya got! That’s how we were raised!
I use left over buns in the toaster for morning toast.
@@bethpowell6466, toasted buns and butter... SO good!
It’s so funny like it’s bread. Hot dogs in a slice? Fine. Buns for toast? Fine. It’s bread! It’s the same thing lol. I do remember giving my kids friends hot dogs in bread slices. They were confused, but they were cool with it lol. This was only 5 years ago. One was like, who cares it’s just bread🤷♀️
Waste not, want not!
If I don't have french bread I use leftover buns when I fix spaghetti - I put butter and garlic on top and broil them in my oven.
“There’s one cup of water. We’re gonna call it milk…” just like that, I was a kid again. 😂❤
Potato cakes were my Dad's favorite. He's been gone 20 years, and we still make them using leftover mashed potatoes.
Same here! I add chopped onions also!
@kathyneff283 did this last night for supper.
Poor people don't over produce cooked food. We never had any left overs at the end of a meal.
A good meal is a piece of toast, a slice of tomato and a slice of American cheese put under the broiler amazing!
Have you ever had that but with a pineapple ring? 😋
Also good with a slice of bacon :)
definitely. We love it with some deviled ham mixed with mayo before adding the tomato and the cheese on top.
I eat that several times a month
Anyone else ever eat mayo sandwhiches when you didn't have anything else? I used to eat them after school when we had nothing else. Sometimes I would get lucky and have lettuce too!
Mom's family would have mustard sandwiches... But somehow they'd still have something for the tramps that came along in the Great Depression... Was a little railroad town back then. She'd have a little table out back and would be kind enough to have a little cloth and a napkin. They were people too... Usually away from family. No need to make them feel unwelcome or undignified.
I did loved them some times I would eat with crackers
Yaaaassss! Tomatoes if we had them
Tomato sandwiches, mayo sandwiches, banana sandwiches, pineapple sandwiches….when it was really bad we had “jam sandwiches”-take two pieces of bread and JAM ‘em together.
Yeah, I did. I'd also eat cool whip right out of the fridge, as a kid.
Anybody else grow up with Chef Boyardee pizza ? That was our Dominos in the early 70's.
Spagettios all the time
I got the Chef B'd Ravioli. It was ok when we were starving. Wouldn't choose it as a meal though.
Yes, thought it was so good back then and proud of making it myself when i was a kid
It was Juno's and Red Baron pizza for us! Also learned to do a lot of things with a box of mac & cheese!
We still make em. But we've GREATLY expanded on seasoning it !
Don’t know what is about you and your family…I find you comforting..
They're real. So many in society try to hide the warts, real folks don't. It is what it is kind of thing.
@@tracey7857 she's got "it's all going to be ok" attitude. You just feel like everything will be fine when she's around ❤️
@@tracey7857 Because she's doing what she can to help others, taking judgement off of having "less", reminding us that simple can still be really good, plus putting a beautiful smile on it.
~~\(^♡^)/~~
😂 Brooke, I was so with you on the sandwich bread for burger buns and hot dog rolls...that was a given growing up.
Yep, rolls were only for when we were having a party or people over. Otherwise, it was sliced white bread. (Not Wonder, cuz that stuff was expensive!)
Yup and still is
Still doing that today! I actually prefer the bread over the buns.
Just had burgers on regular bread last week. We normally have buns but, I needed to use up the bread (NO waste = saving money!!)
Do you know how often toast was toasted hotdog/burger buns?! Mom was a great cook but somehow we were always taking a butter knife and scraping off the char!🤣
"The plastic cheese." 😅
She's not wrong 😂
Hey, with plastic cheese, each slice tastes exactly the same as the first slice! (I'm not saying that it tastes nice, but you know that there's not too much mould to scrape off.)
My parents were children of the Depression, born in '29 and '30. When you had four kids, two parents and a grandmother in the house and only four hot dogs, you sliced them up and cooked them in a pot of beans and molasses. Liver and onions was another staple, because not many meats are cheaper than liver. Pasta made any protein go further, so tuna noodle casserole, chicken bits from the wings and legs to make Chicken & Dumplings, etc. And since you bought chickens whole in those days, you used the carcass to make chicken soup. Beef neck bones became soup too. A cheap, delicious way to make food go farther.
All that was good eating!
My family too.
Always!!
Oh hell yeah! And so good for you 💜💚🌷🌎!!!!
I still make soup or chicken and dumplings out of the leftover bones.
It's a real talent to be someone who can "make somethin' outta nothin'! You're one of those special people, Brooke! 🌟💚💙💜🌟
Thank you! That’s the best compliment!
Agreed
I second that. Brook is special. I'm so grateful to have found her channel. I absolutely look forward to new episodes. It makes my week!
Brooke I find myself in a tight spot today, as I have 2 more days to payday! It’s meant to be that I just saw your latest video today! Luckily I have all of these ingredients on hand to make the basic tater cake! I love this idea and I will be making them tonight thanks to you! Literally trying to make it to payday here in New York and I so appreciate you and all that you do for us folks that need to stretch a dime from time to time. Seems like it’s getting more times often than not! But we’re all in this together and I appreciate you so much!!!! 💗💗💗💐💐💐🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
You can do it! We are in this together! I’m so glad I could help you with ideas today! I hope you love them!!!
Just thought that a tuna gravy would be good over the potatoes.
@tinamariebartley8675 🫂 I have tears for you. Please let us know what you have then maybe myself and others can give you ideas. New York food banks must be overwhelmed.
Yes! That sounds excellent too. Thank you 😊
Thank you so very much! That is so kind of you! Yes local food pantries we are a little restricted as to numbers of stuff we can get but I always get at least one protein whether it’s chicken chop meat fish or some kind of really good stuff once in a while. We got one of those a week and the rest is basically canned food some produce that you need to use immediately so I try to always do that! And one loaf of bread. I supplement whatever I get with dollar tree items. I don’t have a Walmart very close to me but I can go it’s just gas money. I always shop for deals and try to keep my pantry stocked like Brooke. My associate does not care for beans or anything Mexican or anything with cheese so I’m kind of limited but I will eat just about anything. There are very few things that I “don’t like”
We was so poor, when a buzzard flew over the house mamma made stew outta the shadow.
😂😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂omg I hope not
@TINROOF321 the joke is missed if you think you need eggs and cheese to make stew. Stew is literally made over leftovers.
What a laugh..I know that what that is.
That was a great one I’ve never heard stated b4. 😂
Random buns are often garlic bread in our house to help fill out a meal! Spread with
Margarine and garlic salt for the most basic version
Same here! Leftover hamburger and hot dog buns made the best garlic bread 😋😋😋😋
Growing up, my mother used sandwich bread, butter up and garlic salt it up!
It was yummy! I don't think I made garlic bread like that in over a decade. If I were to do that now, I would use powder instead.
I love hot dog and hamburger bun garlic toast.
I do that with English muffins. So good under the broiler.
@@Emily-Whitfield or croutons
Thank you my child is going through cancer. So I will starve myself to take care of my kid. You tend to forget about eating. But thank you mate. Appreciate you.
I am so sorry about your child's diagnosis.
I pray your child is Healed & made Whole. May God give you & the Drs Wisdom in the treatments, may the side effects be minimal or nonexistent.
@troytucker Sorry to hear about your child's illness.
Please don't starve yourself. I have paid the price by doing something similar when my husband was sick, so please try to eat healthy and enough protein. You can have a filling meal using 1 egg and 1 tortilla. Will pray for you!
@@GinaKayLandis thank you!
@@troytucker3467 So sorry 😔😔
Keep those 'Meals When You're Broke' recipes coming. Not only are they affordable, but they're also quick and easy!
The best part about this video is how you listed all the things you could substitute for other things. You really made this budget-friendly by giving us ideas to use what we already had in our house. Sending you love from St Louis!
We didn't grow up quite this poor, but I remember seeing food get lower and lower until my mom got her food stamps at the first of the month. She tried to make things nice for us. We would want to order pizza, but since she could not afford it, she would make dough and let us pick out our own little ingredients from leftovers and make pizza. I was a teenager before I had white meat chicken.
Bless her heart, she sounds like a fantastic Mama ❤️🍊🌹💗💗💐💜!!!!!
Yes... white meat chicken was something super special in our house. When we able to get the bucket of chicken from kfc I'd offer to take on extra chores that week to get the one white piece in the bucket. I never really liked chicken on the bone
I was married in 1974. 1 income. We ate alot of pot pies which were really cheap back then. Baked them in an electric fry pan as stove and oven didn't work and landlord was too cheap to replace. Used a hot plate for regular cooking. We did what we had to do.
We had an electric skillet too. It seems that they were popular in the 1970's, like station wagons.
I get that! I learned you can cook more on a stovetop than you think when my oven was broken!
@@susanpendell4215 except that the non-stick was not in style yet. They had a ceramic coating. We thought we had it bad, but all those things are where we are going back to go back to, especially the fats are back 👍
OhMyGod! Bless your heart, for prevailing over adversity!?
Mama called them potato pancakes. She said that she started feeding them to me when I was a year old. I'll be 67 in November. I still make them once in a while!
Happy Birthday to ya, fellow Scorpio!! Blaze On!!!!!
Bless every single one of y’all!!!
Let me just tell y'all I met this wonderful family as it came into my job a few nights ago let me tell ya Brooke is the real deal she's so sweet and so nice and her family is just as great❤ I've been walking on air for the last few days just replaying it in my head like did this really happen lol this is one of the best days that's ever happened to me I know I have a lame life but it was exciting and I just wanted to let you all know that this family is the best❤
No! No! There is nothing lame about you, darlin'!! Blaze On!!!!!!
You need to try bean cakes....open a can or leftover pintos add some flour water salt pepper and whatever else....butter on top lawd they are amazing g
Yes they are we use leftover pinto beans we diced a onion or green onions up in it they are great also the potato cake is great with a bowl of beans love them. We always called them bean flitters but called the potato cakes lol
Sounds amazing ❤
That’s a great idea!!
Need to try that. Thanks for sharing
I have a cheap meal that's really nice and filling. What you need is a can of tuna, some cheese and a couple tortillas. Cover the tortilla with cheese, drain the tuna fairly well but not completely, break the tuna apart and put cheese on top, and then the other tortilla. You could also use any other kind of canned meat if you have it, but tuna is the cheapest, and is surprisingly tasty in a quesadilla. You could also add salsa or tomatoes, peppers, onions etc. Heat in oven or toaster oven for 13 minutes on 350. Cut it and enjoy. I used to share it with my dog and he loved it.
Here's another one, you buy eggs, English muffins and a package of cheese slices. I like pepper jack. This will make you breakfast for about a week. Toast the English muffin while you cook an egg or two in a tiny pan and then put the cheese on the english muffin so it melts a little and then add the cooked egg. You can also use any kind of bread or any kind of cheese.
Homemade pizza. You make a crust from flour, add tomato sauce, cheese and any other random stuff you might have around. You don't need yeast either. Just search for no yeast pizza crust recipes.
Pancakes can also be quite cheap as a meal. Eggs are a very good, cheap food, in my opinion.
Mmm, yummy! I LOVE a good fried egg sandwich!!!!!
Mom used to mix tuna and a can of mushroom soup together on buns then broil it. It was good
That sounds great! Like a tuna casserole sandwich-style. 💕
@@beth.marie.1 mine too! And canned chili with cheese on bread. Broil. Yummy
Having to eat this way really makes you appreciate the "real food" everyone takes for granted.
If you save your bacon grease you could use that in those tater cakes and for frying. Sour cream is good too especially when you get to the smidge at the bottom of the container if you have it. Those are definitely anything goes..imo. love them!
Applesauce too!!
Brooke, never apologize for being goofy. It’s part of what makes you so charming, and it adds so much to your videos. I love watching you and your family interact! Also, you are an amazing cook! Everything I’ve tried of yours, turned out bomb! You rock lady! And, I love how real and down to earth you are, it makes you comforting to watch! I hope that made sense, lol. God bless beautiful you and your beautiful family!
I wonder how many of us she's really helped manage during hard times or just simply learn how to shop? Thank you for making so many of us feel not ashamed of how we get our amazing meals, teaching us how to grow as cooks and reminding us to be kind :)
Hi Brooke, I’ve been watching you for about a year now and you and Dusty and the boys just make me smile when I watch your videos. And a lot of your recipes and ideas are just fantastic. I’ve gotten my 82 year-old mother watching you also, anyway I just wanted to tell you how I enjoy your family and your ideas and I’ve recently started watching your husband‘s prepping videos and I love those too. And I nearly forgot I love your blessing box videos keep it up this world needs more families like yours.
❤
Thank you so much!!! ❤❤❤
@SouthernFrugalMomma Brooke...what's Dustys channel called and where do we find out about making blessing boxes...? ❤❤❤❤
Congratulations on your 85,000 subscribers I bet you never thought that was gonna happen in a short period of time that it has I love watching your show you keep doing what you’re doing you and your husband and the boys
These people make me smile with no effort and feel their warmth. Good people refresh society. Very timely!
Thank you! I am stunned every time I see it lol
One thing about your meals Brooke is that you keep it real. These tater cakes were what we made out of leftover mashed potatoes
I make mine with leftover mashed potatoes too
Last week I made potatoe cakes. I used leftover potatoes and stirred in some left over Korean beef. Yummy!!
Same
I would Love to see some more of your meals 👍👍👍❤❤😊 These ideas are Awesome.Thanks,Brooke!❤
Oh I remember. My mom would put leftover corn in them and called the corn fritters.
👍👍👍👍 Yes Brooke Please show us more “ when we’re broke meals “ ! Those Pattie’s snd the tuna melts looked so delicious , thank you Brooke you should write a “ when your broke cookbook” we woukd all buy it for sure!! God bless ❤️🙏🙋🏻🌈🌈
Potato pancakes are so good with onion, onion powder, onion flakes rehydrated or a green onion.
Cornmeal mush or polenta is devine in my book. If you don't have time to let it set up in the fridge you can make patties like the potato cakes. My favorite way to have mush is dip a slice in flour on both sides and brown in butter. Smother in more butter and whatever syrup even sugar and water (add a couple drops of flavoring you have, vanilla, almond, orange, lemon, etc.)
Thank you ,
My grandmother who raised me with my veitnam veteran father in Alabama always made homemade tator pancakes but with potatoes from our garden ,
My potatoes here in Texas arent ready to harvest and I refuse to pay $6.99 for 5 pounds .
But I have instant potatoes-i got for $1.00
Great recipe ,thank you .
My mamaw served with homemade apple sauce or homemade sourcream .
Thank you for an easier way .
God bless you
Mrs josette
Montgomery County ,Texas 🙏 ♥️
Ummm
Hi Mrs. Josette. Do you remember how your mamaw made the sour cream?
Hello. I live in Montgomery County Tx also. Walmart on hwy 2978 has a 5lb bag russet potatoes for $3.14. 🙂
This woman is the cutest!!! I sometimes feel bad when I'm broke but need to make a good meal. She NEVER disappoints! She's super relatable and her positive energy is everything!!! Thanks love for your videos!!!
You're the best! Thank you!!
Left over mashed potatoes in a toasty. The sandwich maker way is best. Add cheese if you got it. Or add BBQ sauce or Tom sauce.... That's the best throw together thing we had as a kid. Mayo also works. But anything lying around d would get added. At one stage we were also very broke. We always had potatoes as mum grew them and meat as dads a hunter but milk and bread we had to ration. Mum and dad always made sure we had a good life so we may not have had money but we were very wealthy in everything else.
Love your video and your boys! I grew up in a poor family in Alabama. Sometimes dinner was biscuits and gravy--still love that for dinner. People need to learn to cook and be frugal instead of complaining about how much it costs to eat out.
We had cornbread and buttermilk. for dinner or supper, Hot biscuits and gravy was for breakfast.
My husband and I were married in 1978 and he had one son who was still a minor for whom we paid child support of $400 a month. Just to give you a bit of perspective in 1978, $400 was equal to almost $2,000 today. ($1,923.61 to be precise.) We were barely scraping by from one payday to the next. I remember one time when it was the day before payday and both my husband and I were broke and all that was in the house to eat was one can of green beans. I heated up those beans and put some A1 sauce on them to try to make our taste buds think we were having steaks and that is what we had that night for dinner. I am happy to say that this was not a common occurrence, but I will never forget that one terrible time. I guess maybe this is why I enjoy watching your videos about how to feed a family with not much money. And BTW, many of those meals look so good that they are something I would love to have even if I had a LOT of money, so thank you very much.
My granddaughter loves to eat green beans with steak sauce.. funny you mentioned doing the same..
@@michellepeiffer5563I love cold canned green beans with ranch dressing. So yummy.
I love canned green beans with ketchup. 😋
❤
I like it with Italian dressing and maybe can of red beans, garbanzo beans making it 3 bean salad .😊
Oh Brooke. My momma had that bowl with the flowers when I was little. Seeing you use it made my heart happy.
I never have much, so I made a cabbage casserole. Omg it's soooo good! All it takes is cabbage, sliced onions, shredded cheddar cheese (optional), for the top a can of cream of chicken soup, mixed with one cup of mayo and a half stick of melted butter spread evenly.
For the topping, one sleeve of Ritz crackers and one stick of melted butter.
Bake @350* for 45 min. It's so good I couldn't believe it!! 😋 Yum!
Yumm
I think I'm gonna have to make this!!
I never thought we grew up poor. We did it everyday
My daddy used to make potato pancakes out of leftover mashed potato's. He grew up during the depression on a farm so nothing ever went to wastes in our house.
Back in my day we didn't have fancy buns. We always used regular bread for all burgers, hot dogs and such. Shoot the way we had toast back then was mama would butter the bread both sides and toast it in the cast iron skillet. We didn't even have a toaster.
you are talkin about texas toast! also a hamburger on toast is actually called a 'set up' i didnt know that until i found that out at a Friendlys ice cream shop - yep a setup
Still like them that way
My Mammaw used to make those tater cakes for breakfast, supper, & dinner. She did grow her own taters, but she'd take the left-over mashed potatoes & make these. They were amazing with eggs & bacon, spam, ham, etc. for breakfast, but they were equally as good with greens & beans for supper & dinner. LOVE those taters! I also remember that if I wanted a snack, I had a choice of fresh fruit that they grew on the farm (strawberries, blueberries, peaches), sliced veggies (sometimes soaked in vinegar with sugar), OR I could have saltine crackers with peanut butter or cheese on top. I'm over 60 now & I still eat these. It's what I fed my boys & what I'm now feeding my grands. My Mammaw always said that as long as you had a roof over your head, clothes on your back, & Jesus in your heart you would never be poor. Lordy, but I miss that woman. Side note....LEARN HOW TO CAN YOUR OWN FOOD!!! Dehydrate! I know it's called "prepping" these days, but in my day it was just called "common sense"....
My mom used to make these on Friday during Lent. Bun, spread with mayo , top with tuna, heat until bun gets slightly crispy, top with a slice of tomato and cheese. Melt tthe cheese. Delicious
When we’ve gone through hard times we’ve found that cheese milk and butter became luxuries. Bread is everywhere, canned foods are everywhere, dried soup mixes too but I remember having my first taste of cheese after months of not being able to afford it. Gosh it taste otherworldly good.
This is comfort food for me! My parents were born in 1925(Dad) and 1930(Mom)and they cooked a lot of cheap simple meals like this! Chicken livers and gizzards cooked in chicken broth and egg noodles were common! Beef heart, liver, squirrel and rabbit were common too!'My favorite was and still is Macaroni and Tomatoes with bacon and onions!!!! So good 👍👍👍👍 Great video ❤❤❤❤
The next day after having mash taters for dinner, we would have tater hot cakes.WE NEVER WASTED ANYTHING
Yes, please more broke . My social security ran out early this month and I have negative $$ right now.
cheap white rice, a can of tomato anything and add a packet of hot sauce left over from a visit to a drive through. I save the ones they give me after I buy the 2/$1.00 tacos from Jack in the Box. We recently got home to soggy tacos and removed the fillings to add to more cheese and added a can of refried beans. We toasted the empty shell and OH MY, was it ever good this way. We ate the rice with the shells and learned how to make tortillas from scratch real quick. It all tasted great.
You are such a blessing to this world. Thank you for these videos! ❤❤❤ ...and hello from Pennsylvania. 😊
Wow, thank you!!!
I'd love to see more of these kinda videos - they remind me of the kinda stuff my Mum would put together back in the 80s UK.
Cheap, simple, but DELICIOUS meals.
Mine was somewhat earlier, sixties for me. And seventies.
We didnt generally use buns, just bread for burgers, etc. I stayed at my cousins a lot & my Aunt Ada would fix franks, yep hotdogs on buns, but we just popped the dogs in folded bread if short. I always loved to hear her saying we were having " franks". Special people ❤
If you only have hot dog bun, it’s called a tuna boat!
Yes, I forgot about those!!
Tuna on a baked potato or tuna mixed into some mac and cheese😊
I never have cheese and make a lot of this stuff without cheese.. you make me feel like I need to start keeping cheese on hand 😆
I keep some cheese in the freezer all the time. 😅
Yes, when cheese is on sale, I buy it and freeze it.
I love this lady’s personality it’s awesome.
You are so awesome Brooke, can you please make some more meals from your childhood? Thank you so much 😊
If we have leftover mash potatoes I just press the mash potatoes into a patty and brown them, no egg no flour just mash potatoes.
That looks absolutely delicious. That's not poor food. That looks like it's food fit for God
That’s what I always said growing up! Sometimes the simple things like this are the best!
in my late teens, we were raised on coffee and potatoes we'd dig in the fall. yes i'm old. and food wasn't exactly the priority for all of us. but we managed and survived and are here to tell the story. i love these family vlogs, you and your guys are great.
We never bought convenience food, though. Bought the cheapest potatoes & mashed them, more bang for the scarce buck. Ate the potato skins in a different dish, maybe baked crisp, in soup, or fried with eggs. I thought store bread was a luxury, my mom made tortillas. Spaghetti without meat. The only cheese was Velveeta. Fruit and veggies were either grown in the yard or sometimes from the 'markdown' shelf if they weren't TOO old and were marked down enough. The media always acts like everyone of course grows up eating like an upper-middle- class kid, but so many of us absolutely didn't.
@sonnysmomy6017, agree on the convenience food, we made everything from scratch, had moved from farm, pigs, beef, chicken, smokehouse, etc. Big surprise i had to stay at a friend's house , Mom worked , while i was sick , so surprised to find chicken noodle soup in a can!!! We made it from scratch! I guess we were hillbillies, yes ,country & proud of it! blessings 🙌
@sandraking9650 Strongest people in the world. My mom raised chickens, and we had fruit vines & trees, planted enough corn, peas, potatoes, and beans in our huge yard (along with other vegetables especially tomatoes), then canned everything. Later, I realized our food was a lot better than what richer kids ate, those Swanson type TV dinners.
Yeah.
I try to mke use of everything, but I never thought about using potato peels! I need to do that.
Whose broke? I don’t know! 😂😂 You’re so funny. Poor man meals are the best meals. So fulfilling.
Facts right
She's so funny. Love it! 😊😅
@cosmicshy637 she's awesome right
😂😂😂 ❤
Back in the 80s, my future sister-in-law and I were living together. She'd grown up pretty poor and taught me how to make "poor man's spaghetti". It was a can of tomato sauce, a packet of cheap pasta, some butter and a little Italian seasoning (if ya had it), and salt & pepper, lol. We were a bit short on cash a whole lot.
Thank you for reminding me how much I like tuna melts! I make them with canned chicken these days since I developed a fish allergy, but it's pretty much the same. These are calling my name for an easy summer lunch!
My mom was really good at making a meal out of very little. I still marvel at that!
From my childhood, butter on saltines and butter on Graham crackers, delish! Chip dip=diced American cheese mixed with sandwich spread, another yum. I can't tell you how many ketchup sandwiches, mayo sandwiches and mustard sandwiches I ate and loved them. Vanilla ice cream, crushed saltines, mix it together, the bomb! That was our ice cream topping. Pork and bean sandwich's on white bread. Our potato pancakes were like a feast to us, made out of leftover mashed potatoes, my mom could make anything taste wonderful.
@_MustangSally....I love butter on saltine crackers. Never tried butter on Graham crackers but I have put frosting on them. Learned that from a friend when I was still in school. I also like the Campbell's Bean w/Bacon soup straight out of the can spread on a slice of warm buttered toast.
@@kathyleighton9091 Butter on graham crackers is the bomb, try it. The plain grahams, not the cinnamon topped ones. Oh I love bean with bacon soup, never tried it on bread/toast but I bet its good.
Oooh, baked or pork and beans with baked or mashed potatoes, even maybe pasta, add a little mustard for a spicier taste, and maybe some ketchup.
If I had a hot dog or lunchmeat, I'd cut it small and put that in, or some chives or parsley from my garden, then put some pancake syrup on top! We were poor when I grew up and we always had chicken or hamburg at $ .25 per # and mom would make hamburger gravy and chicken soup. She always added milk/water to our creamed corn to stretch it for 5. The coal train passed behind dad's house and he and the neighbor always went out with an old baby buggy and collected the chunks that fell off to heat their little houses. Dad wore 7 pairs of socks in winter because they didn't have shoes and he had a paper route that went several miles. Grandpa lost his vision but he could find water with a divining rod , then the boys, aged 9-14, drove the old truck to the site and between them, put the well in! And no, we didn't know we were poor, everybody was in the same boat on our side of the river!
Wow, Susan, sounds like you have an impressive family!! Blaze On!!!!
You're absolutely right, Brooke. You don't have to be broke to make these. I make potato cakes as a side for my dinners. Love them!
In Scotland we used leftover mashed potatoes, flour and salt and make potato scones (similar to what you've just made but a little thinner and cut into a round, then quarters. To make these you don't need oil, just a dry pan. When they're cool, we fry them as part of a full Scottish Breakfast with sausage, bacon egg etc. You can also use any leftover potatoes, roasties, potato flakes etc as you've done and add any leftover veg to it, preferrably greens like cabbage or brussel sprouts, We call that bubble and squeak. You can throw anything in it. Great recipes Brooke xxx
Hi just came across your channel,I'm from 🏴 🇬🇧 and I just love how frugal you are,sometimes you just don't know what you can knock up with items which you have in your cupboards ,great channel,new subscriber here.
Growing up we were poor but rich in food. We had a huge garden. We grew our own potatoes. But Mom always used leftover mashed potatoes to make potato pancakes. I still make them when we have left overs.
We had potato cakes as a kid too. Another way to make these is in a waffle maker. Crispy and delicious!
You’re so right about the random buns lying around, I always seem to run out sandwich bread but there’s always random buns left over 😂😂❤
Yess!!! 😂
We didn't have buns laying around, all we had was that nasty white bread, not any whole grain anything. So if we had hot dogs it wasn't on any kind of bread, which I prefer it without bread, same goes for a hamburger, no bun, but if we did, it was that white bread.
Brooke, THANK YOU for all the ideas AND SUBSTITUTES!! Who knew!? YOU DID. Putting these ideas in my arsenal. You are the BEST
1 box Mac n cheese
1 can cream mushroom soup
I small can tuna.
Make Mac n cheese per directions then add the soup and tuna and mix.
Mom’s recipe from the late 1960s. You can “fancy it up” by adding a small can of peas.
Thanks, I came for the fancy video but ended up with a recipe in the comments!
Growing up my mom never made it feel like we were poor. She's a great cook. ☺
Now there were some cheap eats that look mighty delicious! I would eat that, be filled and happy as can be. Your hardships are bringing help to those in need and teaching the rest to save. Thank you for being you, Brooke! Be blessed always, my Southerland Squad! xoxo
Just stumbled on this channel and subscribed! My father grew up during the Great Depression. He always said that “hard times are a good education for people.” He was so right!
My Granny used to make similar potato cakes from time to time when I was little, and I loved them, but had no idea how she made them. I mentioned this to my husband and he Googled how to make them and made me a batch! I think Granny put a little sage in hers, though, but probably whatever seasoning you like would give them a little something special. Gonna have to share this with my daughter. She's good at cooking on a budget. Thanks for reminding me of this delicious taste of my childhood. And yes, food should be a human right, as should healthcare and shelter.
I remember those days and still make tater cakes. My go to broke meal was what my boys called pizza toast. Slices of bread with ketchup spread evenly and sliced cheese torn up on it. Place in the oven until melted and a little browned. The boys loved it and never knew we were poor.
We used can spaghetti sauce and parm cheese. My kids absolutely loved it!❤
More like these, please. I'm on a fixed income and you know how hard things are getting. Thanks. Love and hugs, me.😂
We're doing a fair amount of burritos with ranch dressing or plain yogurt.
Grilled sandwiches elevate the sandwich rut.
Try to keep some small cans of pineapple for cottage cheese.
Always looking for simple pleasures that don't make it feel like deprivation.
Thank you ! I grew up the same way. We're headed back to this. I HOPE & PRAY people are learning basics.
My great grandson eats a "ham sandwich, with mayo and chips......minus the ham.". That is exactly how he asks. 😂
My mom made potato cakes a lot. She never threw food out...she lived on a farm and they used Everything!
A lot of times the food pantry gives out random items that don't seem to go together.These meals of yours are wonderful shows what ingredients can be put together and turn out delicious!
Thank you for doing this video, it not only is nostalgic but it also teaches people to be resourceful with what they already have. Endless creativity love it!!
This reminds me of the last time I saw my big brother. He and I both loved what we called potato pancakes. We were at my folk's place, left over taters. He mostly looked thru every cupboard and we added what we found. Tney were delicious! Miss my family so, so much! Love your family. Thank you.
Hello from California! Brooke, I just love your family. And I love your style! You make the best out of everything. You always see the glass half full instead of half empty, always see the good side of everything. I love your recipes, and I love your versatility, you always give us options and other ideas and/or substitutions!
When we ran out of bread , us kids loved it , my mom would make biscuits! And as a food binder Mayo works ( or as a egg substitute)
What a good video. No one likes to think about broke hardship times but it happens. These videos are so helpful. Sharing knowledge and encouragement. Keep them coming.
My mother saved all heels of bread in the freezer. She would make a bread pudding that was fabulous. A couple of people offered money to my mom to make her bread pudding. Also, she made potato cakes with leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast. Yum !!
Yes I want to see more recipes like this please and thank you!