When the Monroe County Fair takes place, The Monroe Evening News team spends a lot of time at the fairgrounds to get stories and photos and to staff the newspaper’s promotion booth.

I normally schedule myself to cover the Monroe County Homemaker of the Year / Ladies Day Program on Thursday.

I had never heard of a homemaker contest before moving to Michigan, but I think this is a really neat concept. Homemaker of the Year isn’t just for those who are stay-at-home moms. Yes, the contestants are talented in the domestic arts and volunteer in the community. But the rules do leave a lot of room for interpretation in the roles and duties of a homemaker. The 1997 winner was a man. His wife won this year.

Before the Homemaker crowning, there is a Ladies Day program that focuses on topics of interest to, or about, women. This year, there was a fashion presentation hosted by some of the stores at Frenchtown Square mall and a cooking show hosted by three local Pampered Chef consultants.

I thought the food program was very well done – and very timely for the economic situation we’re seeing in southeast Michigan!

“Who here would like to save some money? Who here would like to save some time?” Deb Skrzynecki said as she started the cooking show.

The theme was: 1 whole chicken + other ingredients = 4 budget-friendly family meals. One of Deb’s assistants, Patty Iott, pointed out to the audience that the whole chicken cost only $4.50.

As the women showed in their presentation, the key to saving money is to use every bit of that chicken. The keys to saving time include planning ahead for future meals and cooking in the microwave as possible.

Deb said the first menu selection was a roasted chicken and biscuits dinner.

For the second and third meals with the smaller pieces of meat, Patti made Mexican chicken lasagna and the other assistant, Jeanine Tipping, made a white chicken chili.

Deb then explained her tips on making a good chicken broth with the bones and leftover scraps. Add some vegetables and noodles – and you’ve got soup.

Yes, that’s four family dinners.

Do you want their recipes? The roasted chicken, chicken lasagna and chicken chili can be found on Deb’s Pampered Chef consultant site.

Coincidentally, I did happen to have some chicken cooking in the slow cooker at home for tonight’s dinner. Because of how I prepared the food, I knew I’d end up with about a cup or so of pretty good chicken broth. It’s in the freezer now. I used my last batch of homemade chicken broth in a rice dish.