I have had a food process for 35 years or more. So, I have used it from the time I had babies to the present time when my nest consists of my husband, his 85 year old mother, and me. When I was cooking big meals, the time saved chopping onions, celery, etc. was far more than the time spent washing the food processor, bowl, lid, and blades. (Yes, you can put all those things in the dishwasher, but boy do they ever fill up the top of the dishwasher fast.) Now, not so much. I can get out a paring knife or chef's knife and chop my one onion, one stalk of celery, and wash that knife in very little more time than it takes to put the processor together, much less wash and dry it all. That being said, when I am doing big cooking, like at the holidays, I am very glad to still have a food processor. On those days, when I am chopping pounds of onions and whole stalks of celery, pounds of nuts, etc., it's more than worth having. I have let the blender go by the wayside over the years. The food processor does everything it can do and more. I do like my little immersion blender from time to time. I do not use my FP for making bread. I have a Zoji bread machine for that, and I will never want to be without that. I make pie crust by hand with a steel pastry cutter. It makes a bit bigger mess, but the quality of the crust is far better than any I was ever able to make in the FP. I have a Victorio Food Mill, so I don't use my Food Processor in canning, except if I am making relishes with onions and garlic. I probably don't even need to use it then, but I don't want the allium smells in the Victorio's parts. I confess that I have grown lazy and buy most cheese already shredded now. But when I was cooking for a crowd, I used my FP shredder blade a lot. It saves money and time without a doubt. I have had Cuisinart, KitchenAid, and an inexpensive one that came from WalMart years ago. You know what? They have all performed basically the same, though the inexpensive one was louder. The Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid lasted longer, but probably not enough to justify the extra expense. Nevertheless, I have a KitchenAid right now and I really do like it. I would hate to be without, but the day may come when I need the counter space more. Our needs do change as time passes.

Linda!!!! And you live in the Loosemeat Capitol of the world! I would think a steamed burger loosemeat sandwich would be excellent. Crumble the raw meat, steam until brown, add seasonings and make the sandwich, ************************************************************ Loosemeat Sandwiches Ingredients: 2 pounds lean ground beef 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups water 1 onion, chopped 24 slices dill pickle slices 4 ounces prepared mustard 8 hamburger buns Directions: 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until brown. Drain. Return to pan with salt, pepper, and water to cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until water is gone, 15 to 30 minutes. 2. Serve meat on buns topped with chopped onion, dill pickle slices and mustard

Well....beans are always good.... you can make your own bean dip for about a dollar....just boil some pinto beans with a little onion until they are very soft and almost beginning to fall apart , about 1 1/2 hours, drain and cook dry....mash and add salt and lots of black pepper. You can make "crisps" by buying a loaf of day old french bread....one of those skinny baguettes, slicing thin about 1/4 inch, spray with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle with a little garlic salt and dried dill weed....and bake at 300 until very dry and slightly browned. Deviled eggs are cheap and everyone loves them. How about little smokies in BBQ sauce? That hot appetizer....forget what I call it so can't find the recipe...but it's sour cream and mayo mixed with shopped green onions and parmesan cheese spread on a toasted English muffin and then cut into quarters and heated until hot... Or any assortment of little sandwiches...tuna salad....egg salad....chicken salad...or make tiny brioche rolls and put a smear of honey dijon on them and a slice of ham. you don't always have to serve Brie and shrimp or crab dip. Linda C

Ruthanna hit the nail on the head. Heat-and-eat and ready-to-eat foods work best. I teach cooking/nutrition classes at our local Food Bank, and more often than not, it's the children in the family who do the "cooking". Depending on the economy, it's mainly substance abusers and the learning disabled folks who frequent the food bank, not necessarily people who are down on their luck. Food preparation is not a priority for most of the folks. Having something to eat, is. Many have only a few pans or a skillet, and most depend on a hot plate or a small microwave for food preparation. Many live in a cheap hotel room, not a house, and don't always have a refrigerator. Beans of all varieties are plentiful at the food bank, but many people don't like them, have no knowledge of how to prepare them, or an inclination to cook something that takes so long, and will give them back to the food bank if they find them in their bags. I've had some luck teaching a class on how to "cook" beans and rice in a Thermos bottle using boiling water, but had to provide the Thermos bottles. Tortillas and cans of refried beans seem to work better than beans they need to cook, plus it's a complete protein (grain/legume). We mill beans into bean flour so they can make "instant" refried beans (cooking bean flour and water for a few minutes), and this has worked well for many of the folks. I base many recipes on USDA commodity foods. Those are foods people may commonly get free and need recipes and help using. -Grainlady