Frugal doesn't always have the best connotation when mentioned.  It reminds me of simple and stark, of being cheap.  While these things aren't bad in and of themselves, they don't make you automatically feel good, either.  I've found that things that make you feel good, and happy, are things that we tend to have an easier time making a part of our lives.  One can only play the martyr for so long until it really gets boring.

So I want to make frugal seem fabulous... It's not just about saving money and using resources wisely, but about enjoying what you do.... but then, isn't saving money always fabulous?

I think one of the best ways to learn to cook frugally is to learn how to make a stock (or broth) as this will add nutrition and flavor to your food.  This is really one of the backbones of cooking, in my opinion.  Stock can be used in so many items, often in place of fats.  But today I took a next step....

Today I learned to make a gumbo, 'a la Alton Brown.  How is this frugal and fabulous, you might ask?  Let me just say it involves making your own perfect roux... handy in most soups as a flavor/thickening base... with minimal fuss or muss.  Also, gumbo can be made with just about any meat (we almost used some frog legs that we found at the grocery today, but chickened out) and the veggies can also be used as available.

I have to admit that in the past I've not cooked the roux long enough and could never achieve the 'perfect' copper/brick color that is denoted in my cookbooks by a penny.  I never thought it was that big of a deal,  until I tasted the difference that a good roux can make.  I was either too bored to stand there and stir it, or afraid that I would burn it.   It usually takes about 20 minutes on low-med heat, but I used Alton's method of cooking it in the oven, and it worked perfectly.  I do admit that I did cut down on his cooking time.  Mine was ready in 45 minutes, and not the 90 minutes he recommends.  This is longer than the stovetop method, but doesn't require constant attention.... 

For the roux, I weighed out 4 oz of flour and 4 oz of oil.  I used soft white wheat that I ground, and then strained to remove the germ (sorry, but I did).  I used a mixture of butter and lard for the oils and melted them before putting them in my cast iron casserole dish.  After wisking them together I put the pan, uncovered, in the preheated oven at 350 degrees.  I checked and wisked it every 10-15 minutes or so.  See the full recipe at the above link....

The roux after 10 minutes...

After 45 minutes...

Home cooking doesn't have to be hard or tedious...

So, frugally speaking, instead of buying a can of soup or stock, try creating your own. 
Fabulously speaking, take something time consuming and boring, and make it easy and delicious....