Sorry I haven't been on in a while. I lost my house in a fire 3 weeks ago. It will probably be while before I will be on again. Still looking for a place to live.

If you get state or federal aid Modestneeds will not help you they say that since you  get state or federal aid that they have programs to help you so modestneeds is unable to help you.

Sorry that I haven't been posting  much these last two weeks. My husband has a bad infection in his back where he had his last surgery and the doctors are trying to get rid of it with antibotics but they aren't helping he still has oozing sometimes it pours from the incision. We go back to the doctors on Monday and if its not better then they are going to have to do more surgery.

If things weren't bad enough I've been sick for the last month and half. Doctors are running test they can't find out what is wrong they just keep putting me on different medications to try and fix the problem or at least make it better. Go into the doctors next week to see what the last test results are. Hopefully we find out whats wrong. I hate feeling this bad all the time.

Try some of your local churches. Also check with the food bank or pantries they will be able to help. Some food pantries also have a clothing closet that you can get clothes from. Also check with you local Social or  Human Services. They might beable to help you til you find a job.

Homemade Hamburger Helper Mix

• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbs. garlic powder
• 2 Tbs. dried parsley
• 1/3 cup instant onion
• 3 Tbs. onion powder
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 1 2/3 cup dry milk
  
• 3 1/2 Tbs. beef bouillon

Mix this all up and store in a glass jar or other sealed container.

Use 1/2 cup for each pound of ground meat.

Basic recipe

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup of mix (above)
• 1 to 2 cups noodles (elbow macaroni for example)
• 1 1/2 to 3 cups water
• flavorings

Brown and drain the ground beef. Stir in the dry mix, then add 2 cups hot water and 2 cups noodles. You can add more or less water and noodles, proportionately, depending on much you need to stretch that pound of beef. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.

Cheeseburger skillet: add 1 cup dehydrated cheese with the dry mix. Or cook as above, then stir in 2 cups grated Cheddar or Colby cheese before serving.

Stroganoff: add a bit of 1/2 tsp of onion powder and 1/2 tsp celery salt with the dry mix. Stir in a 1/2 cup fresh or canned mushrooms. After cooking noodles, stir in 1/4 cup sour cream just before serving.

Chili: Add one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 Tbs chili powder.

Potato variation: Instead of macaroni, add 2-3 cups very thinly sliced potatoes. Simmer 20-30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Uncover and simmer until liquid has evaporated.

Cheeseburger Soup

This is definitely hearty enough to be a meal.

1/2-1 pound of ground beef (depending on how filling you want it to be!)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)

3-4 cups chicken or beef broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk

8 ounces American cheese, cubed

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

Brown the ground beef. Add the onion and cook until soft. Drain any fat off. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook about 5-10 minutes, then add the broth, potatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes or so. Timing's not essential as long as the vegetables are cooked!

Make a white sauce. Melt the butter, slowly add the flour, stirring constantly and cook 2 minutes over medium low heat. Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring constantly. Turn the heat up and simmer a few minutes until thick. Stir into the soup. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Just before serving, stir in the sour cream if using.

Have you checked with your local churches? They are sometimes willing to help.

Do you belong to a church? If so you could ask they for help with your rent for the month. Maybe some of the congregation could help with housework and things like that. I can't help you financially but if you need someone to talk I will listen. My husband is disbale and I have to stay home to take care of him. So I know how hard it can be.

You might want to try your local Salvation Army or some of the churchs. They might be able to help.

Wish I could help you, but I'm not doing much better than you. I will keep you in my prayers. God Bless

                                           Allison

I am a stay at home mom with a disbled husband. I know how hard it is to have to live on a tight budget. I am always looking for new ways to stretch my food dollar. I was thinking about doing a recipe swap. 

Update. It seems like the last year has been the roughest yet. Can't seem to catch a break. In January lost my house to a fire. It was a total lose. Still trying to recover from that. Last month my husband had a massive heart attack. They had to do emergency surgery. Thank God he pulled thru. The holidays are coming up and I don't know what we are going to do for my kids. They are too old to get help from the programs we have around here. They have to be 11 or younger and my youngest is 12. They lost everything in the fire and we just don't have the money to get them anything. Hurts me that I can't replace the things they've lost or give them a christmas. The holidays will be here before we know it.