Subj : Re: Commodity cheese To : Ruth Haffly From : Dave Drum Date : Fri Nov 24 2023 05:58:38 -=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=- RH> Depends on what's being offered. Years ago we were on Food Stamps (even RH> tho Steve was working full time, just not at sufficient pay to support RH> a wife and 2 kids). It was while the government was doing commodities RH> (eggs, cheese, milk) give aways so we were informed we were entitled to RH> get cheese one month. I went for it--turned out to be 15 pounds of an RH> imitation Velveeta. Couldn't freeze it so we used it up as fast as we RH> could. We'd bought Velveeta a couple times when we were first married RH> but hadn't bought it in years and haven't bought any since the give RH> away stuff was used up. I don't think it was too long after that that RH> Steve enlisted in the Army. There are some things that Velveeta works well in. DD> Back when they were doing the commodities I was partners on a small DD> town weakly called "Rochester & Lake Springfield Herald". It was a DD> deputy Mayor, who was running the give-away, talked Earl and I into DD> taking a 4X batch. Each. That was 60# of really good mild Cheddar DD> (American) cheese. As well as 4 big boxes of dried powdered milk and DD> 4 bags of long grain white rice. RH> The powdered milk would have been quite useful, as well as the American RH> cheese. At that point we were using brown rice so I may/may not have RH> taken the white rice, tho I could have always used as a fill for some RH> of my sewing projects. (G) Given the price I used the white rice. I've done brown rice a few times, but apparently I don't "get it". I don't taste a difference in the flavour like I can with white vs whole wheat flours. DD> Other areas of the country got the Velveeta-like cheezoid stuff. Ours, DD> according to the USDA establishment number was made by Meister Cheese DD> in Wisconsin. RH> I'd read about the give away being real cheddar cheese so was RH> anticipating that was what we would be given. Shock and surprise to get RH> the substitute. That was the one and only time we got anything from the RH> give away; Steve joined the Army not long afterwards. A PFC RH> pay/allowances was a good bit more than what he was making at his RH> civilian job tho we still qualified for the food stamps. I just RH> tightened the budget again and we did without them. What helped in the RH> first few months was that his language school was in Monterey, CA. We RH> lived in Pacific Grove; there were some reasonably priced produce RH> markets in town. I could fill a grocery sack full of assorted RH> vegetables and carry a 5# bag of potatoes on the side for well under RH> $10.--enought to feed us for a couple of weeks or more, depending on RH> how I used them. The girls were 5 and 3 at the time and enjoyed the RH> fresh produce. I only did food stamps once. And it was long enough ago that they were using real paper "stamps". I used them to buy staples then used the $$$ that I would have spent on that groceries for "off list" stuff like soda pop and other ineligible things that made life worth living. Bv)= RH> Due to no fault of mine, I've been off the air for almost a week. RH> Tried fetching mail every day but it didn't "click" until today. RH> We're done travelling for the year with the possible exception of a RH> Thanksgiving time trip (weather permitting) to visit Steve's mom. DD> I've been in the body & fender (now rehab) for two weeks. I'm ready to DD> go home and back to work. RH> Doesn't sound like fun but at least you're still on this side of the RH> dirt. (G) We are away from home but will be back in a few days. Later RH> I've got to get a few things for our contribution to the feast. I don't know yet what was wrong with me - it may have been nerve related. I had synapses firing randomly making my body parts twitch and jump and making it really hard to type and darned near impossible to text. My head was swollen and my eyes were "bulging". And I've come through with some vision damage. Going to have to get new prescriptions for my glasses MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Dirty Dave's Spicy Chilli Dip Categories: Cheese, Appetizers, Dips, Beef, Chilies Yield: 8 Servings 12 oz Lean ground beef 1 oz Env taco seasoning mix, (any - brand) 1 tb Trappey's Red Devil Sauce 1 sm Onion; chopped fine 4 oz Can chopped green chilies; - drained 1 sm Tomato; chopped 8 oz Cheese Whiz or Velveeta 4 oz Sour Cream Cook meat and chopped onion in a bowl in the microwave with a covering piece of waxed paper on it. Cook on high 2-3 minutes. Check and stir. Cook longer if needed. Remove hamburg and onion from bowl and save off fat for other uses. Prepare taco mix with the microwave instructions that are on the package, using only 1/4 cup water. Stir in the chilies and tomato. Stir in cheese and sour cream. Serve hot with tortilla chips or Fritoes. If you want to make it pretty garnish the top w/chopped green onion or chive tops. This is better'n anything store-bought sez Uncle Dirty Dave. Try it, you'll like it too. Typed and MM format by Dave Drum - 06 May 98 Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen MMMMM .... TV has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other. --- MultiMail/Win v0.52 * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200) .