“Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.” ~ Dorothy Day
After a hellacious week, we finally made it back home. Back to work. Back to school. Back to our regularly scheduled lives. The angst is still there — wondering about the outcome of the van repairs, whether the rental car will be reimbursed, and on and on and on.
So what makes a stressful situation better? Comfort Food!!!
Neckbones are readily available (if you know where to look) depending on your geographical location. Down here in Alabama, they are available smoked or non-smoked at almost every grocery store or Walmart. In other locations you may have to look under the “flavoring meats” or “soul food” and failing that . . . ask the butcher in the meat department.
Pork Neckbones & Sauerkraut
Ingredients
2.5 – 3# pork neckbones (non-smoked)
1 large jar of sauerkraut
1 small yellow onion, sliced
4-5 potatoes, diced
1 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1 T. minced garlic
Salt, Pepper, Creole Seasoning
Directions
Rinse and clean the neckbones. In a 5-quart crockpot, layer the potatoes and onions, seasoning each layer lightly with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning to taste. Place the neckbones on top of the vegetables. Cover with sauerkraut and season lightly with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Sprinkle with the minced garlic. Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6 hours.
Serve with warm cornbread.
It’s warm . . . it’s filling . . .it makes everything feel right with the world.
Budget friendly — this is a meal that will feed many at a low cost. Here’s the breakdown:
Neckbones – $1.25/lb – I paid $2.52
Sauerkraut @ Aldi’s – 1.69
Minced Garlic @ Aldi – 0.89 for the jar, you need 1 Tablespoon (about .08)
4-5 potatoes – $1.29 for 10# bag at Aldi (about 0.25)
yellow onion @ .69/lb – it weighed about 1/2 lb. – so 0.35
Chicken broth @ Aldi – $1.89 for 32 oz, so 0.27 for this recipe.
Total cost = $5.16 divided by 8 servings comes to 0.65 per serving.
You cannot feed 8 people at any fast food restaurant for that price. Nor is the food as nutritious (or delicious).
My next post will cover some of the most common complaints I hear about why people don’t have “time” to cook at home. I can usually combat those excuses (and that’s what they are) with some simple planning tips.
What foods bring you comfort?
The Road Back Home 