I was delighted to read your inquiry about creative solutions to food costs. There are few areas in a household budget that have as much cost flexibility as the food budget. As the family's fortunes wax and wane I have found the grocery list the easiest way to cut costs when necessary.

However, a few "conditions of readiness" need to be present in the family to do this effectively. 1)willingness to consume leftovers disguised as new dishes 2)a household of non-picky eaters 3) a cook who is willing (and able) to cook from scratch. I am reminded of an encounter years ago at the market wherein I was purchasing a half salmon on sale for 1.99 a lb ... this WAS some years ago... and the butcher was filleting it and cutting steaks for me as well. I was leaving the counter when a very young homemaker sidled up to me and quietly asked "What are you going to DO with that fish?" I glanced into her cart (or as we called them "carriage") and saw prepared scrod stuffed with breadcrumbs and parsley flakes and it occurred to me that for about the same price, I had 3 times the fish.

Another necessity is a good resource. I have relied for years on the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery because you can find recipes catalogued by ingredient. So, if you have 1 cup of leftover ham pieces, cooked broccoli, an egg and some Bisquick mix, you can use this approach to figure out what all this stuff could turn into. As a working (single) mom I needed to set up the menu for the week on the weekend and cook ahead.

It might be intriguing to set out a challenge to feed a family of 4 (including one teen) on $50(?) per week. I'll bet that if a smoked shoulder was purchased on sale at .99/lb. and a turkey was also purchased along with vegetables etc. a family could work its way through a traditional New England boiled dinner, to turkey croquettes to sweet 'n sour ham (canned pineapples are a godsend), to turkey and dumplings, to mac 'n cheese with leftover smoked shoulder meat, to scotch broth with barley, to stuffed peppers/cabbage, not to mention quiches, soups etc. I am getting woozy with the possibilities!

A hint on serving: Borrow from restaurant techniques. Serve a generous salad and one portion of bread before the main course. Take your time serving the entree. I have found that this approach significantly impacts the consumption of the main meal without sacrificing nutrition.

Snacks can be challenging. My personal view is that you still can't beat a supply of homemade cookies on hand for economy, nutrition and taste, but I must confess that I am out of touch with current costs associated with routine baking as I do little of it these days. Also, some convenience foods are worth the added cost. Roll-up pie crusts are a wonderful invention, as is Boil-in-Bag rice if you've never had much success with regular rice, and many of the prepared pasta sauces are fine.

Often we lose track of what we have on hand and it's sometimes interesting to survey the contents of cupboards and fridge to see if a meal can be assembled with what's available rather than running out to the store. When it works it can save $5 to $10.

What I've been doing lately is buying whatever kind of winter squash is on sale ...butternut, acorn etc. and towards the end of the week when I've accumulated some leftovers I halve and seed the squash, microwave until soft (10 mins), scoop out the inside and combine with leftover cubed meat .. any kind ... leftover potatoes, carrots etc, season to taste and pop it all back into the squash shell. If the mixture is soupy, thicken with breadcrumbs or crackers,if it's too dry milk or white wine will thin it. When using leftover chicken for this I've preferred to mix in rice. Pop the whole thing into the oven on 325 for 20 minutes and you've got a great meal. Sometimes I top each half with a slice of cheese or some marinara sauce for variety. Spices add a nice change also, sometimes more Caribbean spices with roast pork leftovers or traditional Italian herbs with beef or chicken. Nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon are particularly nice with the butternut.

Well this is pretty long, but I guess what I'm trying to convey is that economy cooking which doesn't sacrifice nutrition is as much about attitude and skill, as it is about dollars.

Louise LaMountain

North Smithfield