Depression Hurts, Comfort Food Helps!

For those of you who are addicted to a ton of different blogs like I am, you may have seen/heard of Ms. Clara, a 91 year old great grandmother who has taken to YouTube to share depression-era recipes for those of us who are unfamiliar with tight budget cooking. This video made my belly growl!

After watching Ms. Clara, I had to give the Poorman's Meal my own take. And it was delicious! Filling, flavorful and affordable! Ms. Clara's meal was potatoes, onions, hot dogs and tomato sauce. My take was smoked kielbasa, onions, potatoes and a can of diced tomatoes.

The kielbasa was on sale at Giant, two for one. So let's say $2 instead of $4. I used 3/4 of a link. I cut it into quarters, lengthwise, then into 1/4 inch pieces. Saute in a large pan until the sausage starts to brown. Add one medium onion, diced.

When the onion is just translucent, add your potatoes. I used three medium/small potatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces.

Stir the potatoes around until they get a little fat on them and are incorporated into the onions and sausage. Add one 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes, including their juice. Stir to incorporate. Bring to a simmer and cover. Stir every few minutes until the potatoes are tender. If the pan becomes too dry, add some water.

When the potatoes are tender, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and/or pepper, as needed. This recipe (3/4 smoked kielbasa, 1 onion, 3 small/medium potatoes, 1 can tomatoes), served two grown boys. All in all, I think the meal probably fell into the $4-5 dollar range, $2-$2.5 per person!!!

Thanks Ms. Clara!