Meals to Eat When You’re Broke || From Someone Who Actually Grew Up Poor

[@SouthernFrugalMomma]

Part 2 Hard Times ~ Meals To Eat When You’re Broke || From Someone Who ACTUALLY Grew Up Poor kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4m1g3urndeXe5Y

[@astridexplorer5096]

Thank you so much for these recipes. Many of them remind me of meals I had growing up. My parents divorced when I was little, and my Mom had to stretch a dollar as far as she could so we had a lot of these type of meals, and I still love many of them. To stretch a pound of burger and feed her growing girls, my Mom would make something she called porcupine meatballs. She would make little meatballs and roll them in white rice, and then brown them in a pan with salt and pepper. Then she would open a can of Campbell's tomato soup, add half a can of water, and pour that into the meatballs, topping with a lid and allowing to simmer until the rice was cooked and tender. We would eat that on top of noodles or maybe mashed potatoes, and it was humble, good food. I feel like those tuna patties would be delicious on a toasted bun with a little homemade Big Mac sauce and some lettuce and tomato from the garden!

[@littleme3597]

@@astridexplorer5096 I made porcupine meatballs.! Only I put them in pressure cooker with Campbell tomato soup. I mixed the rice into the meat. They looked great and so delicious on mashed potatoes. I didn't know this was poor food! My kids loved it and so did I. Single mom. Think I will make this tomorrow.

[@astridexplorer5096]

I hope you did make them. I love thinking that someone else out there also enjoys porcupine meatballs. ❤️

[@johnroekoek12345]

Dutch noodles? I never heard this name, and I am Dutch. Funny! We never use these for cooking here in Holland. But the Chinese restaurants/take outs do. And actually our Chinese restaurant don't make real Chinese food, but Indonesian. In the end the noodles are Indonesian. But I am not sure if they use them in Indonesia. Hahaha. Great video. Thanks

[@starfleet868]

We didn't have syrup most times.. Once in a great while, we'd have Karo... but normally it was white sugar water syrup. That was it. Plaino plain. But, beggers can't be choosers. I loved French toast and that didn't require syrup. We were a beans and potatos family. I still love pinto beans, cornbreada and fried potatos. Slumgullion was a common dish too.

[@debbiesmith5763]

I grew up in West Virginia. And yes we were poor. I had to wash my hair with tide powder that I mixed in a cup since we did not have shampoo. We ate squirrels and deer. No drinks no desserts no extras. I am by proud c of whom I became. I was the first to go to college in my family. Thank you for all the memories!

[@Holdenwhat]

My mother used tide as bubble bath. I had no idea this was strange until years later.

[@candy.......]

Wow God bless u

[@courtgood52588]

I'm also from WV. My kids & I love deer meat & jerky!😛

[@ElizabethBattle]

I was born and raised in West Virginia, too, and I am still here! Glad to see you on here.🙂

[@valjean2036]

Dang is this a WV channel? Lots of WV peeps

[@justcallmesuzzie]

Girl, for me to get those noodles, I would have to pay $6 a bag. I am so glad you can get them for $3. LOL I also want your people to know to keep some molasses in your pantry as a staple and you will be able to make your own brown sugar with regular sugar as dark as you want. I make my own brown sugar. I absolutely love your channel!

[@SouthernFrugalMomma]

Oh lord! It’s $2.24 total here at Wally World.

[@cherylcook1942]

They sell them frozen at some walmarts. Good thick noodles you can use for dumplings if you want.

[@gravebunny4234]

We do homemade spaetzle and then fry them up in a little bacon grease or butter and garlic. Way cheaper than store bought Polish kluski. I usually have to make double or triple batches of them because my family will eat them for days. Don't get fooled by the recipes saying you need a spaetzle maker or to use a colander. Flat cheese grater and a rubber spatula is just as easy.

[@jenniferespey5072]

Does anyone know the shelf life of molasses? I love that idea, but I know I wouldn't use the molasses very often

[@justcallmesuzzie]

@@jenniferespey5072 Unopened molasses can be stored at room temperature for 12 months. After opening, store at room temperature for 6 months for best quality. That is the official response. I on the other hand have stored it for over a year and I am good.

[@vickiehovatter4137]

We were poor growing up, but we had love. We ate a lot of beans and cornbread, to this day that is my favorite meal with a glass of butter milk. There is NOTHING wrong with having a large family if you take care of them. It is your business. God bless you all. Thank you for the memories and the food ideas.

[@janmclain6301]

I just found you today, and I want to thank you for saying what you did about the food bank. I am 71, living on Social Security, and got my first box of food from the food bank last month. I felt so guilty about having to do that, but I am 40 lbs underweight from skipping so many meals. We grew up poor too, and were not allowed to eat anything without permission. I thought every family was like that. So when my own kids were young, I made sure they got 3 home made meals plus 2 home made snacks every day. I am now disabled, and can't cook like that anymore, but I always have beans and rice that I can throw in the crock pot. I love watching your family enjoy your efforts!

[@PaulaFlatt-vt1pz]

They may have been cheap meals but all looked filling and tasty. Thank you Brook. Many of us grew up poor but didn’t know it because we ate well. We never went hungry and we had koolaid and Tang!

[@hopetirendi2386]

Thanks for the ideas. With food prices what they are we can all use all the help we can get. Have a blessed day.

[@jamieshipley2984]

My momma taught us how to make do and it has served me well for many, many years. Be proud of the ingenuity of your family.

[@asenath7766]

You're so funny and your boys are adorable. I grew up poor too! In rural Oregon. Thanks for the recipes.

[@violetbartlett4523]

Watching KZbin videos and seeing how much you like to cook for your family is so sweet.and your husband would look like one of the zztop singer if he had on sunglasses Love your videos keep doing them for all of us God bless you and your family,

[@brandycollier9200]

We love these old recipes we grew up with! 💕

[@jaralynmajak3184]

I'm Polish and Dutch Gorgeous Momma Goddess, and Kluski noodles have been a go to staple in my blood and roots for at least 5 generations❤Thank you for being an innovative, brilliant, strong, intelligent,frugal,friendly,Earth loving, useful, sensational,perfect,beautiful,sweet,real,amazing,DTE,Queen! Xoxo ❤🎉❤😊🎉❤🎉

[@donnaspindler5933]

We made English muffin pizzas with a teaspoon tomato soup, one slice of American cheese, and sometimes we got two or three slices of pepperoni, baked in the oven, yummy! We also did creamed tuna on toast, which was a can of cream of mushroom soup, half can of water, and a can of tuna, heated and poured on toast! Tasty! Macaroni and government cheese was a big staple! We all survived, poor!! Love your family and your cooking, you're so fun and uplifting! 🐢🐢💚💚💕💕

[@Barbara-m2h]

When I made tuna patties or cakes whichever you want to call them I use an egg and not the oil I do use the oil for frying

[@robinb6996]

Thank you for sharing your video. Great food ideas thank you so much 😊

[@keile513]

Thank you for these videos and for sharing your family and stories! Brings back warm memories ❤

[@tiachandler5350]

Ive done this with the beef and gravy in the cans .....you do chopped up onion egg flour salt and pepper and its so dang good fry them up and omg its so good

[@vickidunkle3698]

Best eaten with french fries hommade and catsup yummm!

[@youmakemehappy7]

12:18 look at your son lol! He was staring at them & decided to go in for more bites!!😂❤ That's how you KNOW it's good & they like it😂❤😊😊 I love it when my son does this too😂 it makes me happy when he likes the food I cooked him bc he is sooo picky lol!!😊

[@maryreynolds5310]

I’m so glad your not ashamed of growing up poor..also, nothing wrong with being poor today. It always makes me think about Jesus and his desciples as they and Jesus walked from place to place with days they ate the wheat from the plant as it grew. (Remember that) don’t know if that one is in the Bible, but gets my point across. They lived on bread, and when lucky were invited to a meal in a Christian home. Anywho, God loves us all but he has a big heart for the poor. He also speaks of out responsibilities to help them, and this is just what you are doing, helping the poor, as well others. Thank you! One thing the poor can count on is HOPE, the poor have hope! One more thing….As Jesus was looking at his desciples, he said “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God’” So there ya go, don’t ever as you say..people, don’t ever be ashamed of being poor, of living on bread and beans or tuna cakes…you are very special in the heart of Jesus and our father above😊

[@LGAussie]

I add jam when I run out of pancake syrup.

[@laimaz6340]

Honey you left enough tuna to feed an extra guest in your can 😉. I use my finger or spatula to get every itty bitty piece …also grew up with humble beginnings and scraped every bowl, and can etc 😃

[@susanearhart7585]

We used to eat fried hot dogs, and fried potatoes together! Or you can use polish sausage. I made it the first time for my husband 25 years ago, and he thought it was the greatest thing ever!

[@klubberzvonhatzenbuhl563]

12:42 - HAHA…that boy is a SLY DAWG! 😂

[@meraysumer7292]

We were 7 People and my father was a mine worker. My Mother was a fantastic Cook. We even at fronzen patatos, flour soup,.. Every body in our comunity at this. We never had pancake mix. Just flower to make bread, pasta,.. We had a smal garden and we grew a lot. Put vegatables in glas for the winter (Beens, tomatos, courgette, paprika,) . Vegatables in vinegar (cabage, Beens, selery,.. ,). My Mother could make so many dishes just from a patatos. Pasta filled with patatos and a litle bit of cheese or Meat and onions garlic... Yummm. Mom made yoghurt (10 L) and we at self made pasta with Butter yoghurt and a lot of garlic! Mom made flat bread and we at it with margarine or Butter. Every Day going to school I at at slice of bread with margarine and a cup of the. In the weekend we Got 1 egg.

[@susancaleca4796]

We used to make tuna patties. Wonder why someone doesnt come up with prepackaged .

[@FrancesWhite-n8d]

My mother was left with 4 kids to care for when my father decided he didn’t want to be married or have children. She did the best she could with nothing. We ate very basic food like dried beans, potatoes, macaroni, soup and, anything that would go a long way. She made macaroni with tomatoes, canned cream, a little cheese if we had it and we all loved it. She made the best biscuits and corn bread from scratch. You do what you have to.

[@RebeccaAnnette]

Wow, I seriously was checking out the user name to see if this was one of my siblings writing this! This is my story, too. There were four of us children when my dad left my mom. He literally stood up at the supper table one night and said he no longer wanted this responsibility. And he left. My mom, with the help of the Lord, stretched every penny, invented meals, and made it work. It was probably not as neat as I remember it to be, but I have very fond memories. ❤️

[@susancoyle5501]

Bless your Mom.

[@nursekate6772]

My grama raised me (she was from Dayton Tennessee) and when things were really tight she'd make "Taters and Rivlens". Basically potato soup with homemade egg noodles. We'd eat on that for 3-4 days. Or a huge pot of bean soup made with a small pork hock. Once the beans got too thick, she'd butter bread and made me bean sandwiches. Potted meat sandwiches, tomato and butter sandwiches, cornbread and beans. All the amazing ways she was able to feed me, her, and grandpa while I was growing up. In the 1970s/1980s they raised me only having a social security income of a little over $600/month FOR THE BOTH OF THEM! We supplemented by going to auctions and buying old beat up bikes, painting them and reselling them. Saving H&S Greenstamps she was able to get herself a set of pots and pans. Every Christmas I got a box of chocolate covered cherries. To this day every time I'm shopping around Christmas time and I see those boxes of chocolate covered cherries I cry. Why? Because I loved my grandparents with all my heart, and they died before I was able to make their life easier.

[@rebekahhansen1112]

Raising you made them rich in love. I think of my grandparents everyday. ❤

[@way_truth_life_of_love]

But you gave them so much joy; a precious child to love and love them!!!❤❤❤

[@db26127]

👏👏👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏🙏😂😂😂

[@lindaoneill6323]

Sweet sweet story of growing up. God bless.

[@zephy0910]

❤

[@wastedtalent2000]

Finally!!!! A real cooking show for real people!!!

[@dori3will]

I grew up middle class but ended up struggling financially with a husband and 5 kids. My kids could tell you I could always make something out of nothing lol and they never realized we were poor. If anyone came into my house hungry I would feed them with whatever I had. God always provided.

[@marlomirre161]

Similar story here.

[@andreapecheos4188]

After losing all our food in the fridge and deep freezer and $500 extra added to our bills (3 different bills). we are really struggling for this month on food and money. I knew I can count on you to remind me how to make the food stretch. It’s been a long time since we’ve been this broke. Thank you for all that you do!!

[@shelleymiller615]

Girl. There too. Much love and we got this!

[@heyokaempath5802]

We had that happen to us when a bad storm blew thru and we lost power for almost a week. We were told we could make a claim on our homeowners insurance but we didn't.

[@tundrawomansays694]

@@heyokaempath5802I’m assuming because you knew what one claim (legitimate as it was) would result in higher insurance premiums? Why do we bother with insurance I wonder because when we use it, we’re penalized. Take care.

[@wendilewis7185]

Hi. l live in the biggest county W Va. It is totally rural. Farming, mining and lots of Mom n Pop stores. There is not any cities in my county. Closest city is an hour away in any direction out side of my county. I do not know about the state that you live in,,but I live in West Virginia and do know if you loose your food due to anything that causes the electric to be off you can die a claim, with them and they will reimburse you die the lost food. I was told that you were reimbursesesd for the total amount of food loss. If it happens again, file your claim. The economy stinks. People have to fight harder to mak|e ends meet. We deserve to have replacements for what we loose and any free govnt funds available. Check everything out. You and your family deserve it. Huggzz n ❤❤❤

[@mixedmediaartgirl300]

my poverty meals were beans n cornbread, tortilla pizzas (home made pizza sauce n tortillas or even cheese from leftover milk can save even more money, and you can add whatever leftovers....a 10 lb bag of leg quarters was $6 at wal mart, now probably 8 but makes the best chicken n dumplings, or add it to carrots, onions, and potatoes in a crock pot, or instead of potatoes use those to make chicken noodle soup, salmon patties, fried baloney sandwiches, cereal, eggs n grits, biscuits n gravy, chili dogs, chili, chili spaghetti, spaghetti, leftover cornbread in a glass of ice cold milk... i grew up poor too *Update right now chicken leg quarters are on sale for .57 a pound sold in 10 pound bags at Safeway grocery stores. Still good deals to be had. Also got some steaks for 3.67per pound. Great for making jerky or for tacos, salads, stir fry, etc

[@Crafty_Chari]

I grew up poor too and we always had a huge garden. My Mom used to make what she called a "Summer Casserole" that used Zuccinini, Corn, Tomatoes, Onions - all from the garden. She'd layer it with margerine and cheese then bake til it was all gooey and the vegetables tender. We were so broke one time, I remember sitting around the kitchen table cleaning dry beans that my Dad picked up from the county dump. We lived in a farming community and the bean producers would bag up the "cleanings" that were mostly rocks and dirt clods, bagged up in 100 lb sacks and taken to the dump. He'd bring home 4 or 5 sacks and we'd sit around the table as a family and pick through the cleanings looking for the occassional good bean. I think we got 9 or 10 pounds of beans out of each sack. I'm not ashamed of growing up poor either. I learned the value of a dollar and how to be frugal, whether I needed to or not. I believe there is a whole generation that has missed out on these skills and I"m so glad you are sharing what you learned!

[@tundrawomansays694]

That casserole sounds delicious! Thanks.

[@Sunny-jz3dy]

I agree! We were poor to...we all learned how to be frugal & not waste anything! I think its a great lesson to learn! Its how I raised my kids!

[@mysticangel99]

Your kids are adorable 🥰. I like my moms salmon Pattie’s and potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes yummy.

[@nancyadamson286]

Such a nice memory... My Mom made casserole after casserole with zucchini and left over wind fall tomatoes (we sold the unblemished vegetables at the end of our lane as our "cash crop" ) but we couldn't afford cheese. My Mom used a can of cream of chicken canned soup (dints in can 10¢). We four kids thot it was yummy.

[@meliss9536]

The casserole sounds so good, and that is very interesting about the beans! Sounds like you got a lot out of them.

[@harrietward2990]

I grew up in rural East Texas. We were poor, but I never really knew it. My mother was a great cook, and she knew how to make the most of Daddy's paycheck. We were never hungry and I still use a lot of the recipes and techniques she used. I am proud of my childhood and I am glad to see you embrace your history and to share it with others to give them the knowledge and courage to face whatever comes. God bless!

[@missyb1020]

Some of the poorest people in the world are the happiest ❤

[@hbennett5640]

Well said❤

[@gail2500]

Here's a quick and filling cheap meal to make. Cook spaghetti in French onion soup, drain, add nob of butter. Delicious!🇦🇺

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

This sounds yummy. Some shaker or shredded cheese would really elevate it, too and still make a very affordable meal. Thank you for the suggestion, I think I'm going to try it.

[@tabatha-joeyharris81]

THANK💓YOU FOR THE SUGGESTION! DEFINITELY GONNA TRY IT SINCE I GOT ALOT OF REGULAR SPAGHETTI NOODLES ON HAND.👍🏻😉🫶

[@thelmacampbell2623]

There were 11 in my family...we were poor, but really didnt notice it that much...always hot meal on the table, always a birthday gift, always a Christmas gift...we appreciated what we had...visitors were never turned away from the table, with 11 mouths, a couple more wasnt anything...Daddy worked, Mama was a stay at home mom, church every Sunday...we need those days back

[@candy.......]

God bless u and i pray that those people who came to ur house r blessed too

[@ashlipope5079]

Thank you! My mama came from a family of 12. They taught us the same values as my Grandma taught them. 💐💐💐

[@Taushathetech]

That's the way. Love it!

[@normakuyznierewicz2555]

You had everything you needed specially your familiy,food also birthday and Christmas presents you had it all so did I

[@sarahstrong7174]

@@normakuyznierewicz2555 If you grew up with some food on the table & were safe where you lived you grew up rich basically.

[@TheWynch]

Anyone that grew up in the Appalachian Mountains were dirt poor at times, people that lived up in there many times wondered where the next meal was coming from. Jobs were few and in economical lean times in the rest of the country meant ever leaner times up in those mountains. If you didn't grow up in that area, there is no real way to describe it. Most kids knew how to get out and identify the many wild plants that were edible, we were sent to find them . And I'm not talking about 50 years ago either, this was more recent than that. This gal does a good job showing her subs how to make Mr Lincoln scream, it might not be meat and potatoes every day, but her boys look healthy so do your homework.

[@marthahoward7734]

I'm a Cold Miner's daughter here. We were poor too. One thing is we had a huge garden that Daddy worked with all year and we had chickens for meat and eggs. We ate beans on the regular and we had a lot of biscuits.

[@corrinnacorrinna5572]

I'm from WV. We had bean cakes from leftover brown beans. Absolutely delicious.

[@TheWynch]

, I love bean cakes/burgers, I use black beans to make mine with, and tater cakes are so good, we eat like we are poor sometimes just because it was good food.@@corrinnacorrinna5572

[@tundrawomansays694]

Poverty isn’t shameful in any way. Life happens. Hugs to all of you, my friends if you’re up for it. We are not responsible for the circumstances of our birth.

[@HummerGirl88]

NEVER be ashamed of where you came from. My Grams was widowed in her 40s with 5 kids & was on social security. Then my mother passed from Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was two & she raised me with the last 2 of her kids. Money was extremely tight, but somehow we always managed to get by & she always had a little extra for a neighbor kid whose mom was a lot poorer than us.

[@courtneybealdavis6493]

Thank you so much. I have 4 small kids and two very disabled boys and we are broke. Very worried about food. This is very helpful.

[@sandy-pf9bb]

Praying for you. Hope things will improve. So many times it's just when things seem the darkest that light shines.

[@orangecaplawnservice8476]

There is nothing to be ashamed of growing up poor, it's wut makes us wiser, and save our $$, love what you say, you go girllll!!!

[@angelarothbauer8096]

Growing up poor isn’t a bad thing hunny- it makes you appreciate everything in life - it creates a grateful heart

[@nancyfarkas3592]

She never said it was

[@bridgetmarden7224]

Amen❤❤❤❤❤

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Preach!

[@hotmesscouponobsessedmomma6841]

Agreed. I think that is the point that Brooke stresses- at least- imo. 😘💜

[@loripatterson7882]

And makes us strong survivors!!

[@rhondavigil795]

I grew up poor, too. I had no idea. As as an adult, I look back on my childhood fondly. My parents worked so hard. We never went hungry. As a young adult living on my own, I learned what real hunger was. I was so broke, so hungry, thin because I had no food. I married my husband 32 years ago. We have built a wonderful life together. Retired and living the dream today.

[@kennyh5083]

I grew up eating noodles, with butter, with ketchup, with gravy, noodles! And now I luv noodles, with butter, with ketchup, and with gravy!

[@TheFrugalMom0507]

Thank you so much for keeping it real and taking away the stigma of being low income. I was injured in a work accident three years ago. I have two beautiful children, a disabled elderly sister and my wonderful fiancé. Right now I’m waiting for ss disability to be approved. My fiancé works two jobs to support our family. Even so the rising cost of living has us struggling at times. I go to the food pantry every week. I make simple nourishing meals with what the pantry blesses me with. I don’t let anything go to waste. I love how humble and down to earth you are.

[@lindasmith1865]

Yes me too!

[@AlbredaWelde]

I'd love to compare some notes with you. I may have some things that will add to your list of cheap meals!

[@lizh1988]

Bless you and your fiancé!

[@TheFrugalMom0507]

@@AlbredaWelde that would be awesome! I have my own channel here under the same name.

[@TheFrugalMom0507]

@@lizh1988 aww, thank you. ❤️

[@MarieEnglish]

As kids in the 70’s just having a mayonnaise sandwich was a blessing

[@yvonneconte3040]

We did too

[@angelawhite7140]

Me too 😊

[@judiklaus5291]

High school in 70s. I ate many Miracle Whip sandwiches. Still enjoy them.

[@hannakinn]

I grew up eating a miracle whip and raisin sandwich after my Dad showed me how to make one. Evidently during the depression and war years rationing that sandwich was something my dad ate as a treat and as an adult he'd occassionallg crave it. He also often made my sister and I what he called a ketchup pocketbook sandwich. You use one slice of bread, the heel slice is best, put ketchup on it, fold it in half. My sister and I thought it was a treat, lol. I have one every few months and remember my dad fondly while enjoying my pocketbook sandwich.

[@LovesJESUS]

Growing up in the 60s we had ketchup sandwiches

[@hannakinn]

I didn't grow up poor but my mom was a penny pincher when it came to food so we ate a lot of the types of food that my mom's family had eaten during the depression. Mom always mixed oatmeal and an egg into ground beef to stretch it and we were encouraged to eat a slice of white ssndwich bread and margarine with our dinner. We didn't usually have milk in the house we grew up drinking weak iced tea. Mom would make 4 sandwiches with 1 reg sized can of tuna and if you were going to have eggs for breakfast or dinner you got 1 egg. 1 box of mac n cheese was dinner for 4 ppl along with one little frozen box of veggies, thank goodness for ssndwich bread and butter. There shouldn't be any shame in your having grown up poor, lots of families struggle for all sorts of reasons. In my own life I was very poor and really struggled because my ex became an alcoholic and we lost everything. Now as a single senior I live on a very meager income. I'm actually very poor but I know how to be very frugal so it's fine, I manage. I like to make a game of how little I can spend on a meal. It makes it a fun challenge and I feel good about it instead of depressed. I watch budget and cheap meals videos to get ideas for dishes I may not have considered.

[@lizh1988]

I just had dumplings, whatever seasonings I want in flour, baking powder and water. Drop spoonfuls in boiling water . Add a little bouillon or spaghetti sauce to the water to give it a nice flavor, it's like a thick soup. I use either unbleached flour or while wheat flour, Target has both at a good price. If I have veggies I also cook them (in the microwave) and at the end of cooking put them in the soup. Or that dry grated parmesan cheese can go in with the dumpling part. Very filling, and I usually put a dollop of olive oil in at the end.

[@larrywakeman4371]

BLESS YOU THANK YOU...Kimberly

[@TheWolfsnack]

I still rmemember going to school with broawn sugar sandwiches.....growing up on powdered milk and margarine....

[@LouiseAnneWelch]

The rules have changed and you can go to work now, they will not dock your income, no matter how much you make.

[@DebbiAnn2]

Your story is almost identical to my own! We always had bread and butter as a filler at the dinner table and a lot of the same serving sizes you mentioned. I also then married an alcoholic and some weeks had to feed my kids, my husband and I on $25, I learned from my mom, how to pinch a penny and make foods from scratch and stretch what you had!

[@catloverx2]

When I was young, we didnt eat meat on Friday. My mom would make tuna cakes all the time. She would add an egg, grated onion and bread crumbs. They were so delicious. Sometimes she would do it with salmon. 😊

[@peggylindenthaler6169]

You're doing just FINE. You have no idea just how much videos like this mean to people like me, who, after I pay my rent, have very little money for food. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and may God bless you and yours, AND that kitchen of yours!!

[@valerie718]

I just paused your video to send my mom a message to thank her for teaching me how to stretch a food budget. She called right away to ask what made me think of it and I told her about you Ms Brooke. Great life lessons.

[@brendameyer3055]

This was so encouraging to so many of us. We grew up poor six kids and we ate a lot of these meals. Then as a young mom we were poor and we ate these meals again. I never put together that we had food insecurity for so many years until you talked about it. We never thought of ourselves as poor we just made do with what we had and were grateful for it. Keep up the good work, Brooke.

[@mousiemomma9457]

I grew up so incredibly poor and I RARELY talk about the struggle. Thank God our family left those days over 30 years ago but it's still hard to talk about. Thank you for helping people have ideas of how to stretch their dollars. My momma did the best she could but I think a channel like yours could have made her feel better about our situation. Your vulnerability is endearing. ❤❤❤

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

I hope you read lots of the comments. You weren’t alone. I’m glad you survived those times and God bless your momma. 💖

[@Laura-wn2yy]

I also hope you read the comments, and embrace your history. It's what made you who you are. Heritage.

[@mpapperson]

You do what you need to do. I raised 2 kids as a single mom so I appreciate these videos❤️

[@Elisha_Dawn]

My first stepfather was a high earner but first a raging alcoholic and later a pill fiend. He wouldn't buy any food or pay any bills . One year, I was asked to bring 2 gallons of Kool-aid for a school party. Somehow we had the Kool-aid but of course no sugar and as a kid I couldn't say to my classmates the truth so I brought the Kool-aid without any sugar and simply pretended that I didn't know sugar was supposed to be added. Don't feel vulnerable. We appreciate your video.

[@Moving_Forward247]

God bless you

[@tracy1394]

My father wouldn't work at all and I had 2 younger siblings. I would have to steal a pound of hamburger meat and buy the box of hamburger helper. I was 12 years old at the time and not very bright.

[@Elisha_Dawn]

@@tracy1394 You probably have a much better life now because you can make your own decisions 😉

[@portofthoughts4477]

I never added sugar to Kool Aid, I didn't even know that was a thing 😂😂😂 raised by a single mom things I guess

[@aliyamoon80]

A friend and I dropped by to visit a cute guy we knew from school. He couldn’t hang out due to babysitting his 4 brothers and sisters. There was no food in the house. My friend worked at McDonald’s, so we dropped by there on our way to the grocery store. We pooled our money to buy bananas, bread, cornflakes and milk. My friend’s job filled bags with fries and burgers. We loaded it all in my friend’s brother’s wagon. Dude. Our friend wanted to cry. We fed the kids. We hung out with him. He had it hard. His dad died a few years later, and he made sure that all the kids graduated. He works at my bank now. ❤

[@tiffanyroybal3315]

Hey Brooke my mamma made syrup this way too. We grew up poor too. I often still make “poor meals” because they are cheap and still taste good. Never feel bad for how you grew up. Growing up this way is what mkaes us today.

[@heartfordeaf]

It’s funny you should bring up this recipe because I was just talking to my 90 year old neighbor about this last night. I told her my mom used to make homemade syrup for our pancakes and I didn’t know that you could even buy syrup. Lol. My neighbor said she’d never heard of anybody making homemade syrup before. Go figure.

[@Sunkist721]

Hey Brooke,you are a Blessing in this world!! I grew up with homemade syrup and my Mom made everything from"scratch" .She was raised in a big family( 10 kids) so she learned from my Nana how to prepare all types of cheap meals!! You never should feel bad about the way you grew up!! Hold your head high and say Thank you,God for learning how to survive on very little money!! Love you and your Family so much!! Thank you for sharing!!❤️❤️❤️😊

[@lorashampine3522]

I remember having homemade syrup just like this growing up.❤

[@bethwillard7795]

Blessings blessings always-- Love fresh 🥚 eggs 🍳

[@bethwillard7795]

Your boys are so precious They are so honest about the food you can see it ❤️Sweet 💯❤️☝🏼🙏⭐️

[@valeriechapman6056]

My mom always made fish cakes, but she used mackerel. She served it with soup beans, cornbread, friend potatoes, and fresh green onions, tomatoes slices , cucumber slices, and radishes. We also had diced onions on the side to add to our beans . Yum

[@meganharman9628]

That’s what my mama did too same meal ! Eastern Ky staple !

[@barbikayler40532]

I have a meal like this a few times a month, just because it's delicious. We love soup beans around here, I also like to have a bowl of cornbread with buttermilk, diced Vidalia and grind black pepper on top ❤

[@Laura-wn2yy]

When stocking up, I picked up a can of the cheapest canned fish, which was mackerel--had never tried. Tasted so good, I went back and bought a bunch more.

[@sarahjaye4117]

That sounds really tasty

[@ambermray]

When we didn’t have maple syrup growing up, my family used Karo syrup, which was considerable cheaper. Yummy!

[@texastea5686]

Hey, my grandma used that too!

[@joannadickerson8572]

Make your own karo! Sugar heated with a little water. Keep stirring until the sugar is melted. Mix with butter to make it even better.

[@ChristinaJ-5189]

😂I am so grateful for my Momma & Daddy. There were 5 of us living on my Daddy's wages as a laborer back in the 60s & 70s. But my Momma was an amazing cook & baker, like you Brooke. As kids, we didn't know we were poor. Momma would cook most meals from scratch. They bought a side of beef & a side of pork yearly so meat was cheaper. We had a large garden, fruit trees & raspberry bushes in our back yard. Momma canned or froze what we couldn't eat fresh so that saved $$ all year plus gave us fruit/vegetables in the winter(we had cold/snowy winters) Living that way was affordable for a working poor family. Later, she got a job in a restaurant where she was able to bring leftovers home plus she learned new recipes. I leaned a lot from them. Daddy was a hunter & fisherman so we ate wild meats & fish . I leaned to cook for myself, grow what I could ( I lived in apartments), look for specials & use coupons. As a student, I got restaurant jobs so that I could eat. I 💜 your videos. You cook with love & creativity, just like my Momma. Thanks for the great ideas, Brooke!😂

[@joanjones4710]

When my kids were small, I made what I call po man's stew and my kids loved it! It was a lb of ground beef, scrambled and drained a diced onion, 1 can creamed corn, a can whole kernel corn, maters, a can of sweet peas, a can of diced carrots and lots of ketchup and jiffy cornbread on the side with honey and butter on top. My kids ate it up and it lasted several meals! Ya do whatever ya got to when you're on a tight budget!

[@TXJan0057]

Honey lots of people grew up poor. My daddy died when I was 4 and my momma had 8 kids in the house. We lost the family farm to taxes and the bank. My grands were all passed on and my momma had no one to ask for help and it was in the early 60s when there wasn't a lot of government intervention. For a couple of years we lived in a relatives old 3 room shack that had no heat, our uncle had horses and my sister and I used to go out to the barn and get a scoop of the oats from the horses and cook it for breakfast.

[@janetspell1396]

My grandmother when had 13 children, and poor too, used too say after each baby born,..” Well,.. we will just have to add another cup of water to the soup pot”.❤️

[@alisatjaden3906]

Wow I forgot about the extra cup of water comment. My Mom used to say that too!! 😅

[@Cissy777]

​@@joancarrino890Here's an idea, mind your own business

[@marendababcock6104]

AMEN

[@shandalmills7414]

Raising my kids alone i always made sure there was a box of pancakes in the cabinet. It was our broke and couldn't go to the store meal. Filled our tummies and my kids do the same to this day. We laughed when my daughter called and said mom we're having pancakes so you know what time it is lol. Happy times and we wouldn't change it for the world.

[@louloulouise670]

We got the huge brick of free cheese! It was THE best cheese! We made 101 recipes with it! But the weirdest one was pb&j sandwich with government cheese and potato chips. 😅 And washed it down with a big ole glass of mountain berry punch Kool-aid in a mason jar! ❤

[@KrystyneY]

Government cheese made the best grilled cheese sandwich!

[@juliehill8292]

Preach it sister,food is a human right! Food insecurity keeps women in abusive and dangerous situations and your message quiet literally could save someone. Nobody should ever go hungry. Thank you once again for sharing.

[@rondainman1703]

TRUTH!

[@rondainman1703]

TRUTH!

[@mysticmom616]

I love how your boys are so willing to try anything you eat. ❤️

[@HummerGirl88]

One of my favorite breakfasts was rice (usually leftover)with butter, dash of sugar (white or brown) & a splash of milk. It's like cream of wheat.

[@bambisisk2056]

I still eat this using leftover rice. It's a great snack or breakfast.

[@MarieEnglish]

Same here and next day if there was biscuits left we would split them and butter them and toast the tops, and I remember mashing butter add syrup and taking biscuits and slop that biscuits in it . I also often ate biscuit crumbled up in coffee.

[@MySweetSammy]

and a dash of cinnamon! I'll eat rice for breakfast - but with butter, salt & pepper! It's one of my favorites!

[@pek5117]

It's a popular breakfast in Asia also. There is always leftover rice so that's breakfast.

[@Skyequack22374]

Us too

[@joduffield3171]

I remember my Mom making 2 boxes of Mac and cheese, and added a can of spam diced, a can of mushroom soup and a can of pinto beans. There were 7 of us kids. I still make it today, and my granddaughters ask for it all the time when they spend the night.

[@sisterspooky]

@joduffield3171 - SPAM isn’t cheap! It’s cheaper to buy a single ham steak in your local fridge section at a supermarket than to use SPAM (and much healthier). In fact, a pack of diced ham (pre-cut for your convenience) runs $2.99. SPAM is $3.89 for 12 oz.

[@punkstermom1984]

​@@sisterspookyOMG I know!!!! 😳 what happened to spam?!?! 💸 it used to be cheap poor peoples meat when I was a kid. Now it's atrocious!!!! 🤑

[@sisterspooky]

@@punkstermom1984 - Like everything else in 2023, your dollar just isn’t going as far. They’re raising prices to offset the loss with inflation. This economy is killing everyone.

[@pinkpowderpuff37]

Same, except with a can of peas instead of beans sometimes...

[@reglook1]

@@punkstermom1984 For some reason they love it in Hawaii.

[@melissahurd6624]

I grew up poor too honey. We use to go to fields and yards and pick what's called. Polk salad. It's delicious with some SOUP BEANS( PINTO BEANS) FRIED TATERS AND ONIONS , CORN BREAD AND SOME SLICED CUCUMBERS, ONIONS AND HOME GROWN TOMATOES. THATS A FILLING DELICIOUS MEAL RIGHT THERE GIRL. GOD BLESS US ALL SWEETHEART XOXOXOXOXOXOXO HALLILUIA ❤ 💖 AMEN ❤ 🙏

[@hyacinth4368]

I LOVE poke sallet, pinto beans and cornbread. Poke is very good. You parboil it, drain, and fry it in an iron skillet and scramble an egg in it.

[@jillgott6567]

For several years when I was a kid, we lived on an island connected to the mainland by a bridge. However, my dad worked hours away only coming home on weekends. My mom did not drive nor was there a store in the village we lived in. So, in addition to purchasing alot of fresh foods, Mom relied on canned food to augment our meals. She made alot of stews, meat , potato, veg meals . I even remember her putting a plate of canned Salmon on the table ( never Salmon Cakes or Salmon Loaf which I made years later ) and we ate it that way. I knew our home, which was rented was extremely small and shabby but it was always kept neat. Years later I realized just how very poor we were due to alcoholism, poor money management. But our meals were delicious. Blessings to you and your family

[@shaunaleessnackidies]

Thank you for sharing, you seem to have a healthy way of looking at life, blessings to you too. ❤

[@edgar-j6h]

I add a beaten egg to the pot stirring the egg in. Ready in one minutes longer. It,s called egg drop soup.

[@judiecrawford2588]

Daddy had a very large garden every summer. We ate lots of peas, pinto beans, potatoes, tomatoes and corn. We occasionally had meat on Sundays or birthdays. We got to pick the meat of our choice. Seems the rest of the kids ask for fried steak. My choice, and still is, chicken. I never met a chicken I didn't like. My husband gets tired of it though. 😢 I will on occasion have a burger and I prefer it grilled. I still love peas and beans Me i. I'm afraid I never heard of roman noddles until my kids were grown. Now I have a kid that lives on them. I lived in the country, I bet you were raised in the city. 😂

[@MelAtlNP]

Your sons are precious

[@marieparks5674]

We made syrup but just with white sugar and vanilla

[@sandrasprings4174]

What I love most about you is your heart to help those that may be struggling with feeding their families and the fact you’ve had those shoes on at some point in your life you know what it feels like ! Thank you for your dedication to your channel ❤️

[@ajlabelle3235]

You are an Inspiration. Thank you!🎉

[@karenhill1431]

We grew up having pinto beans for supper with either cornbread or biscuits nearly everyday. It was a treat to have fried potatoes. But, on pay day,which was Friday, my mom always fixed pork chops and gravy. My mom was an amazing cook when she had plenty to cook with. As my brothers and I got older the grocery selection got better. I still love the food we grew up on. It's like you've said , sometimes you you use what you have and come up with something surprisingly good. Stay blessed .

[@hollywingate4621]

I can tell you're a great mom because your kids are so sweet! I love how you're keeping it real!! 💯

[@northgeorgiamom8956]

We had salmon patties a lot. We weren’t poor, but my mama was frugal!!! I learned a lot from her!

[@suemoreno5217]

My favorite!

[@abou8963]

Salmon patties are awesome today!

[@MamarAvery]

@@northgeorgiamom8956 We used canned mackerel to make these, too!

[@karenh1272]

I put eggs & no oil in my salmon patties, never thought it would stay together with oil & no egg 🤔

[@jamieshelton2892]

I just made salmon patties last night. I use an egg, and finely chopped onions, with flour. I’ve also made a sauce to drizzle over, using half mayo & sour cream, with dried dill. It’s really good!

[@mickiekesteloot8046]

The tuna cakes are delicious with celery and white gravy over them. I grew up poor as well. Most nights, it was rice, beans, and fried cornbread. Sunday was hotdogs.

[@lindywheeler4192]

My Mom use to make chili with beans and rice in order to stretch it. There were eight of us. Mom was always cooking and making something, but we never were hungry. She would cut one whole chicken to feed all eight of us. I look back now and wonder how she did it! The crazy thing is, I still make some of those foods, because I love them. Reminds me of the good old days! I'm glad I stumbled across your page.

[@kimberlybethel5614]

Growing up poor is NOTHING to be ashamed of. Often times you don’t know your poor because your happy. You become creative and learn how to stretch a dollar. You learn to appreciate everything and waste nothing! We had tomato sandwiches. We mashed Alaga syrup butter and sopped it up with a piece of bread! We made do. I have patients that grew up with a pot of beans everyday! The one who got the meat was the first one who got to the pot! Those make good memories! These spoiled, privileged kids today wouldn’t know how to survive if they landed on hard times. These are life lessons and I thank you for teaching a masterclass using your babies as taste testers!!❤️👏🏽💙

[@lynnchristensen4439]

Raising 5 kids as a single parent as a preschool teacher we were poor. Raising 7 grandkids as a single parent we are poor. You are a beautiful woman with an enormous heart. Thank you for sharing. Your channel has helped me so much. Our food budget went down to $450 for 6 people and I am able to do it because of you. I cant have a garden in my area in the summer,low desert 115°. But I will try in the fall. Bless you Brooke❤❤❤

[@debbieframpton3857]

Raising all those grandchildren I hope the parents are helping out What about food stamps or food pantry

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

You can have a garden in the desert I do it successfully and have quite a few tips on my channel about gardening in the desert. I am not trying to hijack Brooke’s channel I just want to help people understand that it isn’t impossible to grow food in the desert(I live in Central AZ and we have been 117/118 this summer at our homestead).

[@lynnchristensen4439]

@@desertfamilyhomestead3127 Thank you I will take a look. The problem is I am in a bottom floor apt. I tried once and was overrun by tiny white mites. I spayed daily but it spread.

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

@@lynnchristensen4439 the mites were during cotton growing season I would guess. Sticky traps are the best way to treat them sadly. You can still grow things on an apartment patio, you just need to get a little more creative with it.

[@heyokaempath5802]

@@lynnchristensen4439 We bought an aerogarden and we can grow veg there and we sprout seeds to eat

[@tondamccarthy6537]

When I was growing up my daddy was a career military man. Both of my parents were very very frugal. They had to be because my dad was always being deployed. I applauded you for helping people when they are in a difficult season. I watched my mama make maple syrup with white and brown sugar and maple extract. It was yummy

[@tondamccarthy6537]

After he retired from a long distinguished military career he began managing one of my uncles many businesses. He became very very successful. But he never forgot his roots

[@christineschutten248]

I remember my mom planning out the dinner menu for the week. She had recipes from mamasan, the Japanese lady that helped our neighbor with her eight children! They weren't military, he worked for the Postal Service. Mom made friends with mamasan and they exchanged recipes all the time. Her recipes were good to save money because it was a little meat and veggies and a lot of rice.

[@tondamccarthy6537]

@@christineschutten248 I have a Japanese aunt. She is a wonderful cook

[@AnnaJones-r7i]

Maplean ment Mom made it

[@elieshasteffanson5758]

Hey Brooke, I just want to say I'm loving your hair. It looks great natural. I'm thinking about just letting my gray shine through as well, you're helping me see it is okay!

[@SouthernFrugalMomma]

Thank you 💜 love this!!!

[@flightattendantsteven]

Love you. You're so fun! I grew up broke, too. But, my mom wasn't creative...we ate a lot of scrambled eggs, dry cereal, or sometimes tomato soup with elbow macaroni. To this day if I am hungry and feel sad I will heat up a can of tomato soup and throw in some elbow pasta. The soup isn't supposed to pretend it's pasta sauce, it's just soup. But it was so filling and so comforting that I enjoyed it. I still do!

[@joannadickerson8572]

I used to make what my kids called “Chicken Crap.”😄 1 bag wide egg noodles cooked and drain, and add 1 can canned chicken, 1 can cream of chicken soup( can use any creamed soup), 1/2 can of milk, salt and pepper. This is your basic meal. You can add frozen veg into the noodles if you want. It’s really good!

[@debbiemohekey1509]

I'm glad you are naming the ingredients by what they are and not a brand name or where you buy them from cos in Australia we don't recognize such things. Also the ladies accent is pretty hard to understand. Cost of living going up all over the world. Think my grandkids would love your recipe. Butter noodles must be an American thing but I feel my grandkids would like that too. I subbed to an Appalachian cooking channel during Covid. My grandkids loved sliders with hot meat and gravy. We only put salad ingredients in them and call them a filled roll. One thing I'm not willing to try is biscuits and gravy. A big NO! lol.

[@reglook1]

@@debbiemohekey1509 omg, get the canned sausage gravy over bread, You will Love it!!

[@debbiemohekey1509]

@@reglook1 We don't have things like that in Australia. Don't have canned biscuits either. We call them scones and eat them with jam and cream { just like the Queen} lol

[@reglook1]

@@debbiemohekey1509 you can make biscuits and they are better than canned. We have scones, they can sweeter than biscuits, I love them.

[@aprilhaywood3306]

Hey don't be ashamed we grew up really poor to, my mom made sure we had a roof over our head, clothes and a little food, she is a great mom did her best ❤

[@scarlettiekay4512]

You should make this a series! I know most of your videos are budget meals but this seems different and extra resourceful if that makes sense, for when we’re broke broke.

[@shannons6935]

We used to eat “tuna on toast.” Mix a can of cream of mushroom or celery soup with a can of tuna (makes it stretch) heat and serve on toast. There were six kids in my family! Looking forward to trying these tuna cakes. Thank you, Brooke!

[@Skyequack22374]

I’m going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing!

[@tonyanorris6574]

Sort of same here, mom would add a can of peas, corn or whatever canned veggie we had. Sometimes it had a little shredded chesses and cooked pasta instead of the toast. If no pasta, then toast it was. Get tired of pintos, and cornbread, she'd add in chili seasonings (sometimes a little ground beef and many times not), hence chili beans! Hey it gave our palate something a little different!

[@gloriamontgomery6900]

Sounds delicious. I’ll try it. Have some of that good albacore from Costco. I’ll add in some spinach and cheese and onions

[@Anwelei]

Omg that sounds amazing!! I will need to try that asap

[@heatherjames3394]

For all those that think they know everything, or have everything.. you just never know how a situation will arise. Be thankful for all that you have! Thank you and i truly appreciate your videos🤗😇❤💯

[@sandrataylor3723]

Never be ashamed of growing up poor or being poor now. I'm 67 and grew up poor. In my adult working years there were very few times that money was tight but as a retired person, I am poor again. My mom made sugar syrup from just water and sugar, and it was good. She also made homemade pancakes using just Self-Rising flour and water and a little Crisco for frying them. We loved them. When times were really tough in my childhood, one time all we had to eat was a bag of cornmeal and of course salt and pepper. My mom would make a gruel and we were glad to have that. We all do what we can to get by and I must say that I enjoy your recipes. Thanks!

[@dillarddillard-p4e]

When we we very little kids my mom was very sick in the hospital. My dad tried to cook for us. He made us some very lumpy cornmeal and water boiled into a gruel , his poor food growing up. Later on for supper he gave us ‘plastic’ cheese with sugar over it and he cut it into little squares for us.

[@sandrataylor3723]

@@dillarddillard-p4e Sounds like you had about the same upbringing as I did. I think it prepared us for when we got older so we can endure hardships and be content with what we do have. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@kimberlyjorgenson4502]

My husband’s family is Slovak and grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I was just there recently and his mom made Haluski which is browned butter, cabbage and Kluski noodles. My husband loves it and I’m pretty sure it was a broke meal as well.

[@maryannecba3889]

I make Haluski quite frequently. It's just so good. I'd eat it even if I had all the money to eat steak and lobster every night.

[@kathleendickerson9602]

Its delicious 😅

[@DMAC1301]

I grew up inPA and still eat that!

[@mablesyrup1571]

And if you are lucky enough to afford a small pack of country ribs, nowadays, you can bury them down in the butter and cabbage and eat like royalty!

[@donakmarie]

My family is Slovak as well and we made haluski quite often. Sometimes we added kielbasa. My mom was a single mom with 5 kids so she knew how to make her dollars stretch. We also had a version of gnocchi called noutchki . It was basically a boiled dumpling served hot with cold cottage cheese and a little salt. It was delicious. The following day we would cut the noutchki, fry it in a little oil and butter and a couple of eggs scrambled. So good!!!

[@katbird5775]

I just wanted to say I am enjoying your videos sooo much! Wonderful delicious meals that won't cost me a fortune and that, as a senior citizen, I can cook easily and quickly without being on my poor old feet for hours! I also want to commend you for being such a wonderful mother! All your boys are so polite, respectful, and sweet! It's obvious how well raised and loved they are and they show it back to you! I'm so glad I ran across your channel. Thank you so much for what you do!🌹

[@juliaroldan2850]

My mom would use canned salmon, egg, and breadcrumbs to make her patties. She made that whole can stretch for our family, which was far when you had 10 kids in the house at any given time.

[@momavarra]

I learned not too long ago, that brown sugar can be made by combining white sugar and molasses. No wonder your syrup tastes so wonderful

[@wandapowell4003]

Been doing that for years.

[@joeychuggs]

Don't ever be ashamed of being poor. We all struggle in life at some point. Your recipes have helped folks stretch their food budget. I grew up the youngest of six kids and my dad made "Whuthavya Stew". It was basically whatever you had in the house thrown into a pot. It wasn't always the best tasting but we were blessed to have it. I found out later in life some folks called it "Hunters Stew" because you hunt around the house for things to put in it. LOL

[@AlbredaWelde]

😆

[@lindaaiello4565]

Your childhood shaped you into a wonderful human being , Thank you for sharing your childhood stories and sharing your recipes to help people strech their dollar!

[@catara99]

as a single adult in my early 20's, I went to the dollar tree alot bc I only needed small amounts of pantry stuff. Now that I'm 40 and have had times where I had plenty, and a couple times I had to have food stamps for my family, I honestly wonder what people did without it. It used to be where I got frozen fruit, frozen veggies, eggs, and bread bc they were cheaper than any grocery store(when they were $1) Thank you for this video, great recipes for anyone when pinching pennies, or just because :)

[@debcecotti8273]

Until I was old enough to go and visit my friends, I didn't know syrup could be bought in a bottle.

[@sherrywyleta3519]

Me too! I thought everybody made their own pancake syrup! 😂. We were poor, but I didn’t know it. My dad always raised a huge garden in the summer so we had veggies all winter.

[@easein]

Kidding us? You're a national treasure. lol I thought my mom invented brown sugar pancake syrup.... I still make creamed tuna on toast. LOVE IT

[@abou8963]

We all eat what we ate as kids. That experience made us adults! And we just repeat unless we are trained differently.

[@seekingserenity1902]

@@easein how do you make creamed tuna?

[@easein]

@@seekingserenity1902 easy. For a regular can of tuna; take about a table spoon of butter and a table spoon of flour. Stir together in a pan to make a roux. Don't cook to dark. Blond. Add about 1/2 milk and stir to thicken. S&P to taste. More milk if to thick. Add a can of drained tuna. Pour over toast. You can spice it or add onions, peas, etc. However you want. Your results may vary. Quick and easy. 👍

[@seekingserenity1902]

@@easein Thanks, sounds yummy.

[@Kathy-g3i]

We knew we were frugal but never went hungry in our family of six. I miss my parents and the good old days.. Moma always told us to appreciate what we had and we did. No shame, no excuses.We were blessed

[@chinesesquawk]

Hey Brooke! So when I was growing up my Bubbe (means Grandma in Yiddish) would often make what she called Tuna Croquettes. They were DELISH just like EVERYTHING she made me. I don't think she ever had corn meal in her pantry... I'm pretty sure she either used Matzo Meal or flour when she made hers. She'd add a tiny bit of eensy weensy diced onion OR used dried onion I think - not sure what other spices she put in other than salt and pepper but.. oh my gosh... SO GOOD. So while you relive your childhood joy having your version, I relived MY childhood memories thinking about my Bubbe's version which I now REALLY want to recreate... oh and I also think she might have added an egg... in any case, thank you soooo much for your content - you on the reg bring me happiness and joy with your videos. Thank you! Jenny

[@Lidiasfamilylife]

My husband comes from 14 kids in his family! He’s from Europe and grew up super poor! He says he loves that he experienced hard times because it made him the person he is today. There’s no shame in that! I love a good bowl of Roman with an egg on it!

[@TennesseeTea]

I just wanted to thank you for sharing this with us! 😊 I grew up eating soup beans, dandelion greens, cornbread, potato soup, corn fritters and soo many other struggle meals. But I still love it all, and I definitely eat all those same foods at 49 years old. There's no shame in that. I think it's cool that you're reintroducing some of the same meals that you came up on, to your kid's. Surprise! They seemed to love it all, so It can't possibly be too bad, right?! ❤😊 God bless you 🙏 ❤ Sending love from the Great Smokies in East Tennessee y'all!

[@kathyholcomb724]

After dad died, we had nothing but potatoes. I was 13 and my little sister was 9. I remember that the only thing in the house was pickle juice. I got it out, and a teaspoon, one for me, and one for her. I kept doing that until it was gone. Potatoes, french fries, homemade. Mom worked, amd we were alone a lot. I think i was 98 lbs soaking wet. Sometimes when we were so hungry, it'd been a couple of days with hardly anything. You just dont feel hungry after awhile. Thank God things changed. I loved it when mom made fried cornmeal mush.

[@Hatbox948]

Oh my gosh, my mom made that too and I loved it. I can't get mine to turn out as good as her's was. I thought it was just something that only we ate.

[@kathyholcomb724]

Nope, all she did was make a batch of cornmeal and water and put it in the fridge overnight. She'd slice it up the next morning and fry it in butter. Then maple syrup, Log cabin, or just brown sugar and Vanilla

[@Hatbox948]

@@kathyholcomb724 Oh, she cooked it like polenta. Very smart.

[@cathylongstreth5405]

I love fried mush!!

[@Hatbox948]

@@cathylongstreth5405 Me too. That's more like what we had. We ate it with milk and sugar.