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Thanks, everyone. I am refreshed with the importance of planning ahead to check for ingredients--on this recipe I had thought to use odds & ends left in the fridge in a new delicious way. Substitutions ahoy!

Mexican food
Ice
Slabs of beef
Bread & butter

After 6 mos. in Sri Lanka, we love the rice and curry and tropical fruits, but occasionally wish we could sink our teeth into Meat. It's good for our waistlines, tho.

About 25 years ago my husband and I moved from a dry area to a very humid one, and I bought a set of Tupperware containers. They are still wonderful, still available, in the rectangular shapes that are much more efficient on the shelf and in the fridge. They have a clear panel on two sides of each container, and an opaque panel on the other sides. This is high quality plastic with airtight seals. I also have some containers of the new high-impact clear plastic, like the kind food processor containers are made of, and the Rubbermaid ones are wonderful. Our newly remodeled kitchen cabinets have an inside spice rack system that holds all but my bulk spice jars, which are canning jars stored inside a corner cupboard with a rotating shelf. Dark, cool, and handy. For labels, I use freezer tape and a marking pen, so I can change out canisters if needed.

You can buy Tupperware by calling a local dealer; they will give you a catalog. You don't have to attend any "parties"!

What a challenge! I am a fan of Jeff Smith, although his personal reputation certainly suffered before he died. He is the "Frugal Gourmet," frugal with time, procedures, and budget. One of his wonderful recipes is for poaching a whole turkey, using a soup pot. Turkey meat is cheaper than chicken, pound for pound, and you get LOTS of meat and broth from a whole one that are interchangeable with chicken for your recipes. And as many have said before me, there are many variations of beans and rice that are delicious and filling. I buy large packages of corn tortillas and make mystery enchiladas. I also save by making no fewer than six-serving recipes, ever, and practice portion control to be sure I have all six servings for dinner, lunch, etc. I buy large flats of eggs--my local store sells eggs in boxes of 6, 12, 18, or 36 and the 36-flats keep a long time. Eggs are fantastically versatile; I boil 12 or so to have on hand to make a quick lunch or sandwich or salad garnish. Our budget has been tight for a long time and we enjoy drinking more tea and iced tea, and less of other drinks, but I occasionally buy generic bottled drinks in 2 or 3 liter bottles. To make this more interesting try thinking in ethnic terms month to month: try Mexican rice, beans, tortillas & combinations; then Chinese; then rural Russian; etc. The foods of working people the world over are economical, satisfying, delicious, and most are not too difficult to make. Last, I try to make each meal attractive. It doesn't cost any more to make a beautiful plate, set the table with care, and make the meal an occasion of social as well as nutritional value.
PS I also save a bundle by making and canning my own chutneys. My husband adores them and they are significantly cheaper to make than to buy in silly little 4-oz. jars. We love Indian foods and the chutneys also dress up any roast, sandwiches, and even plain rice.

My favorite is a Christmas "wassail" made with pineapple juice, apple juice, lemon juice, and a few spices. It tastes great on a cold Ohio night and is also good as a chilled punch over ice. We have also spiked it with rum for cozier parties and never had any leftover. I think the old favorites--I have my parents' old Tom & Jerry bowl--don't fit our palates as well as they did perhaps for older generations. We aren't used to so much sugar and fat, and when it is served with more fat (cookies), it just doesn't work. Or maybe as we get older our palates change and mature? Dare I say improve? Some of the recipes I served proudly 30 years ago just about nauseate me now. I especially dislike flavored coffees, but our relatives haven't figured it out and always give us some for Christmas. I use them when brewed coffee is needed for flavoring, but can't stand to drink them.

Congrats for taking on such a big challenge. I am living in Sri Lanka with similar cooking conditions, but without restaurant pressure--so this might be helpful, I hope. Talk to the local bakery about renting oven time. They might be glad to have the business and you can bake larger quantities. I have a tiny oven, about toaster oven size, but its temperature controls are unreliable and it has a hot spot. For restaurant quantities, or even big family quanitities, the dutch ovens may be too small. Another possibilitiy is to look around for an old brick oven--some of the 19th c. homes and hotels had them, and baked a week's worth of bread in them. They burned dried coconut shells. Good luck!