Saturday: A Long Drive and Salmon Cakes

Salmon Cake with Tomato Chutney

Today, I made the long, 400 mile drive to visit daughter for the weekend.

I packed the car with various items I was bringing for her - the quilt I had bought on sale a few weeks ago (as part of the bed in a bag), some household items such as toilet paper and paper towels, and pantry stock up staples such as rice and sugar.

I packed a breakfast for me to eat on the way, when I stopped at a rest stop - a bottled nutritional drink and an apple sliced.  I also packed a bottle of water and a small container of some of the amaretti cookies I had bought earlier, for a snack, should I want one.  Packing a picnic breakfast meant I didn't need to buy any food on my drive.

Daughter and I did, however, buy lunch from a sandwich shop - we used a coupon to get a second sandwich free with the purchase of one sandwich and a drink; we bought a large drink and shared it.   Lunch for 2 for $7.35.  It was an affordable treat.

Later, daughter made a pan of brownies, using a mix she had bought on sale for $.99.

Dinner tonight was quick and frugal.  There was some mashed potatoes in daughter's fridge that needed to be finished.  I mixed in a can of salmon ($.99) from the pantry cabinet, some spices,and an egg to bind the whole thing, formed slightly flattened rounds and sauted them to make a version of salmon cakes.  I know most recipes call for breadcrumbs, but I wanted to use the mashed potatoes.  We ate them with some of the tomato chutney I had made.  Daughter liked the salmon cakes so much that she said she'll be making them again.

Do you pack a picnic meal with you to eat on the way when you drive long distances?  What is your idea of an affordable treat?  What are your suggestions for using up mashed potatoes?