We all know that the economy is in the toilet. So what do we do about it? Watch out expenses, cut back on luxuries, the usual things. In the world of food, that seems to mean relishing in pot pies. Forbes/NY Times report that as the economy struggles, pre-made sales of the creamy dish are increasing. Twin Hens pot pies, an artisan food company, experienced their largest sales just last month. They've been in business for six years.

On the one hand, it makes sense -- don't go out, eat in, pick up something quick and tasty. But just using Twin Hens as an example -- is this really an example of penny pinching? The website lists that a four-serving pie is $28 for chicken, and $30 for beef. If you choose, instead, to buy two individual portions, they cost $22-24 -- or $11-12 a meal. As for the time commitment, the frozen large pie needs 45-55 minutes to cook.

And now I must rant, because while this paints the picture of us going back to hearty pot pies to shield us from the harsh winds of economic woes, it's a flawed rationale.

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself at Aldi's. For those of you not in the know, it's a discount grocery store that often carries an eclectic assortment of stuff. I like to stop in occasionally, as you never know when you might hit upon cheap maple syrup or European dark chocolate. During my last visit, I picked up a two-pound bag of split peas for next to nothing, entranced by the idea of big pots of soup to keep me warm during these cold winter days.

The only problem with that vision is that I've never made soup with split peas before. I could go searching my cookbooks and the internet for some recipes, but I thought that instead, I'd ask all you Slashfood readers. I know that there have to be a few of you out there with a favorite, makes your family cheer, totally delicious split pea soup recipe. So please dish! Tell me how to turn these dried peas into something wonderful!

Could Wonder Bread is going the way of so many other empty carbohydrates, disappearing into the annals of pop culture? So says NPR's Morning Edition. The company that makes the stuff, as well as Hostess Cupcakes, Twinkies, and other preservative-packed goodies, filed for bankruptcy protection last year. Interstate Bakeries has closed eight factories across the country and won't be selling Wonder Bread to Oregon and Washington starting next month.

The company blames low-carb diets and the new FDA requirements for labeling products which contain trans-fatty acids. In my opinion, the market for white bread is declining due to the wide availability of fresh-baked, artisan breads and the changing tastes (i.e., to "good") of the Pacific Northwest population. Despite my snooty foodieness, though, the slow extinction of Wonder Bread makes me a little sad.

I thought I could do better than the Hillbilly Housewife, whose weekly menu of weiner stirfry and tuna-and-peas-over-rice didn't appeal much to my sense of budgetary gourmet. I'm not the only one, evidently. The good people at the Better Times Almanac have created what they call the "Slow Food for Poor People Challenge."

Taking the "Food Stamp Challenge," they ate on a food stamp budget for a week (about $61 for two people) and tried to make their example an even better one by employing "(1) frugal supermarket shopping, (2) preparing meals from basic ingredients, (3) buying local foods, (4) gardening, (5) food storage, and (6) home preservation of food."

Menus like "Buffalo meatloaf, oven fries, corn on the cob, green beans," biscuits and gravy, buffalo pot roast and a breakfast of "2 scrambled eggs, 1/3 lb sausage, hash brown, potatoes, rolls, apple cobbler" are a little more my speed. The drawback is that their menu is a bit repetitive (and, being from Oklahoma, relies heavily on buffalo meat). But you can hardly argue with a $60 weekly menu that employs organic eggs from free-ranging hens and meats from local cooperatives. It's a nice attempt and only fuels my desire to come up with more and better cheap-but-gourmet meals.

[photo Sarah Gilbert]