Clara's Kitchen Quotes

“My stove is old. My wallpaper is old. It's the same wallpaper from when I moved here and I never changed it. Why would I change it? I just keep it clean. If you take better care of things, you can hold onto them longer. That's how I still run things. If it works, I keep it. If it doesn't, I see if I can use it for something else. If I can't, and I usually can, I toss it.”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

“We really never, never threw anything away. You think you know about recycling? We invented it. We had to. We were desperate. Sometimes maybe the only thing we had to work with was a couple of leftover baked potatoes from the weekend, and that was all there was to eat. Didn't matter to us that much. Ma just baked them again. Twice-Baked Potatoes really were kind of a treat for us, and we'd never complain when she served them.”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

“People don't realize how easy they have it these days. Most kids have never known what it's like to go without anything. They want something, they get it. If there isn't enough money, they charge it. We never wanted anything because we never realized we could have anything. We never missed what we never had. Things were much simpler back then, and we were stronger for it. We worked together to keep the house in order, to put food on the table. We kept things going.”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

“Family was very important to us. It was one of the only things we had, and what kept up grounded. Some of the best times we had were the times when we were all together. It didn't matter what we were doing. During the holidays or just on a weekend afternoon, the whole point was just being together. There doesn't seem to be as much of that going on today. People are so busy. But family is everything.”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

“My stove is old. My wallpaper is old. It's the same wallpaper from when I moved here and I never changed it. Why would I change it? I just keep it clean. If you take better care of things, you can hold onto them longer. That's how I still run things. If it works, I keep it. If it doesn't, I see if I can use it for something else. If I can't, and I usually can, I toss it.”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression
tags: frugality, repurposing, wallpaper3 likes”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

“WINTERS WERE TOUGH in the Midwest, then and now. I never liked winter. And I hate snow. It’s white, but it darkens your heart.”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

“No matter how little we had, we never felt hungry. We ate a lot of pasta and it filled our bellies. Pasta is cheap and filling. What more can you ask for?”
― Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression