On the CHEAP.

And I do mean cheap.

Due to posty office closings and whatnot with Bill's job, our food budget has been not just slashed, but eviscerated. We have less than $100 for 2 weeks worth of groceries and household essentials like soap for three adults, a pile of pets, and a baby on the way. I cannot articulate how utterly thrilled this makes us, but here we are.

So, in an effort to save some green, Laura and I did some price-comparisons at our local grocery stores (all within a couple of blocks of each other) and have learned that Aldi's is about 1/3 the price on almost everything. There are a few items that are the same or slightly cheaper at our local (Iowa/Midwest) chain stores, but just about everything costs lest at Aldi's. I know the quality isn't always the best, but beggars can't really be choosers. When we went shopping on Friday we actually came in under budget, so there's money left for more milk or whatever else we might run out of.

I'm making some things (like tortillas) from scratch. Heck, I'm making almost everything from scratch, other than sliced bread because, try as I might, I am not a good bread baker.

Here are some supper items we're having over the next couple of weeks:

Tacos (stretched with rice to leave enough leftover for...)
Burritos
Cheesy bacon soup
Leftovers fried rice
Spaghetti,  er, pasta with red sauce
Cheesy broccoli rice with chicken
Beans with bacon
Stuffed baked potatoes

Bill has requested that we have more 'rice things' than 'pasta things' so rice it'll be. I can buy a 5 lb box of 'bacon ends and pieces' for $9 and have a LOT of meals using chopped bacon as the meaty condiment. Frozen veggies were on sale for a buck a bag, and they add a little nutrient and color. Beans. Pasta. Potatoes. Rice. I don't like using a lot of carbs, but they fill us up and make a little meat really stretch.

If anyone has super-cheap-and-filling main dish ideas I'd love to hear them! We're pretty much stuck in poverty-eating mode until we sell the house.

Simply Awesome Meatloaf!!!

My meatloaf used to be messy and, frankly, inconsistent. Sometimes the crackers would absorb more than others, sometimes it would fall apart, sometimes it would seem gushy, sometimes bland or pasty or whatever.

I guess the old stereotype of calling meatloaf 'mystery meat' applied.

Then I changed the way I make meatloaf, and it's pretty much always awesome now! And there are no sticky/greasy hands!

You need:
1 gallon sized zip-lock type of bag
2 eggs
2 lbs ground beef (I like ground chuck or the 85% ish lean variety, but any will do, even ground turkey)
1 box of Stuffing Mix (StoveTop or the store brand equivalent - Chicken flavor works best for us, but they all work well.)
1 cup water
1/4 cup or so of sauce plus a bit more (we like barbeque sauce best, but spaghetti sauce, taco sauce, pizza sauce, ketchup, all work great!)
A 9 x 13 inch baking pan

Heat oven to 375˚.

Open the bag and crack both eggs into it. Smoosh around a bit to 'scramble' the eggs. Add everything else (I eyeball the amount of sauce and surely put in more than 1/4 cup. Yum!), push out the air and seal the bag. Roll, smoosh, poke, and otherwise mash the stuff inside until it's all mixed well. Squeeze into baking pan and form into an oval 'loaf' shape (I actually use a big spoon for this so my hands don't get gross). Dribble on some more sauce and bake for about an hour.

Super Yummy Stuff. Serve with whatever you like with your meatloaf - Bill's partial to mashed potatoes, gravy and a green veggie. The leftovers make great sammiches.

As I type this, I'm thinking that ground turkey with Alfredo sauce might be yummy! I think I'll try that next week! :)

Whatever Casserole

Casserole (or Hotdish) is great when the weather turns cold, plus it's another one of those 'use up bits of this and that' kind of main dishes.

Anyway, it's super easy! All you need is:

1 carby base - I usually use a package egg noodles but rice and macaroni work well too
A couple of handfuls of chopped cooked meat (most any kind will do, chicken, ham, roast whatever, sausage... really anything!)
About half an onion, chopped
A handful or two of other fresh 'soft' veggies you want to include, chopped (like green peppers, celery, broccoli)
A handful or two of any canned/frozen 'hard' veggie (corn, peas, carrots etc. I use 'mixed vegetables' a lot in casserole)
1 can of cream of something soup (chicken, mushroom, celery, etc)
1 can of creamed corn. Yes, I said creamed corn. Thank my sister in law for this addition, it's awesome!
Chopped/shredded/crumbled cheese (any kind you have to use up)
Spices to taste (salt and pepper, Mrs Dash, etc)
Something crunchy for a topping (crushed chips, dried bread crumbs, grated parmesan, etc)

Cook your carb and drain. Mix in chopped meat, veggies, soup, creamed corn, cheese and spices. Pour into greased 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle on crunchy topping. Bake at 375˚ for about 30 min until bubbly and hot. Serve with salad and bread, if desired. :)

Casserole with egg noodles, ham, mixed veggies, velveeta, mushroom soup and crushed potato chips.

Honestly, you can skip (or expand upon) everything but the carb, soup, creamed corn, and cheese. Use what you have! It re-heats well and there's just something about the carb/cheese/creamed corn that's amazing!

Tonight it's "Italian Leftover Sauté'

Which sounds a bit boring, but it's really yummy.

I have some stuff in the fridge I should try to use up, especially an eggplant, but I also have peppers, mushrooms, onions, and a rope of smoked sausage. Gonna chop it all up, fry with a little garlic and olive oil, maybe toss in a can of diced tomatoes (or get ambitious and chop some romas I have in the fridge somewhere) and serve this luscious, fridge-clearing concoction over pasta. Ooooh, I have a mozzarella ball too to cut up and toss in!

The thing is, whenever you have extra stuff lurking in your fridge, you can make something truly yummy for supper by grouping similar ethnicities together and spicing it up accordingly. The peppers and onions and tomatoes can go mexican with some corn or beans and a bit of hot spice or cilantro. Mushrooms, peppers, garlic and onions go asian with a little soy sauce and rice. If you add curry and something creamy (like yogurt) to pretty much any of the combinations you can go indian. Fresh vegetables are so, so versatile and there's no excuse to let them go bad, so everyone see what's in your crisper and think up something fun!

But that eggplant, she's italian and dreaming of tomatoes and cheese! ;)

Eggplant Parmesan

My usual recipe for eggplant parmesan involves slicing, sweating, breading then frying a LOT of slices of eggplant, layering them with cheese and tomato sauce, more cheese, and baking the omg nummy cheesiness until hot and bubbly. It's time consuming, mostly me standing at the stove frying the eggplant slices, and it's super high calorie. But did I mention nummy? Oh yes. Today, though, I'm going to try to save some calories (mostly from the frying) by following Chef John's lighter version.

And here it is.

Other than the frying, it's just as labor intensive I think and took nearly an hour to slice, shred, fold and all that jazz before heading to the oven. I did salt and sweat the slices, contrary to the recipe, because I think they are a good deal less bitter. I'm also wondering if I should have added some mozzarella anyway, perhaps sliced on top just below the breading, because it wasn't as cheesy-gooey as my usual recipe for Eggplant Parmesan (pretty much followed verbatim from my friend Doug) which is OMG amazing.

This stuff was good, but not OMG amazing. But, then again, it's also about half the calories. ;)

Crepes, part two

First of all, I want to make sure everyone realizes that the batter has to sit in the fridge for an hour, so crepes aren't a 'last minute decision' kinda thing to make. Also, the batch makes about 16 crepes (that's what I got, anyway) and they took about 40 min total to cook, so plan for that too.

The process:

I used Chef John's recipe, but Alton Brown's technique of making them in the blender. It all came together beautifully. I also used my good 12 inch non-stick pan and a nylon spatula. My heat setting on the stove was just a hair hotter than medium, any cooler and they'd get too fragile before showing any browning. My first crepe was a bust - it fell apart when I flipped it (the heat was too low) but the other 15 turned out great!

So. A bit time consuming, but really not all that difficult. Just takes a little patience. And repeated applications of butter or non-stick spray to the skillet (for me, that was about every other or every third crepe.)

I'd decided to make chicken broccoli and cheese stuffed crepes (using Trent's recipe on The Simple Dollar as a template) but I used fresh broccoli (chopped and microwaved for 5 min) and fried up two chicken breasts in a little balsamic vinaigrette before chopping them. Instead of swiss (which I didn't have) I used about 3/4 cup of cheddar and 3/4 cup of monterey jack that I hand-shredded. Oh, and some salt and pepper, too, with a little grated parmesan and the last bits of broccoli and chicken on top.

Looked lovely, tasted kinda bland. Maybe there was - gasp! - too much broccoli. I dunno. But the crepes turned out great, just not sure about the chicken cheesy broccoli stuff.

Super Lunch Salad

It's what we had for lunch today - and I forgot to take a pic, dangit! - and it's super easy and super yummy. In fact, it's just plain Super! ;)

You need (pick one from each category):

Salad greens (most any kind. Lettuces, spinach, mesclun, mixed greens, cabbage, whatever you like)
Some kind of protein, cooked if needed (canned tuna, sliced steak, chicken breast, black beans, boiled eggs, again, whatever you like)
Something 'zingy' (sliced onion, pepper rings, pan-seared corn, pepper jack cheese, etc)
Something 'fruity' (dried cranberries, chopped apple, sliced strawberries, fresh raspberries, mandarin oranges, etc)
Something 'crunchy' (crushed ramen noodles, crushed tortilla chips, peanuts, walnuts, canned fried onion rings, sunflower seeds, etc)
Salad dressing (I think that honey mustard works with just about everything, but Ranch, creamy italian, green goddess, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon-poppyseed and many more work too!)

Layer (bottom up):
Greens
Zingy
Fruity
Protein
Dressing
Crunchy

We had spinach with red onion, sliced strawberries, pan-seared chicken breast, honey mustard, and peanuts for lunch today and it was awesome! Bill's fave combo is mixed greens, sauteed green peppers, dried cranberries, sliced steak, green goddess, and walnuts. You can go vegi-mexican with beans, fried corn, tomatoes, cheese, tortilla chips and ranch on shredded lettuce. Go asian with mixed cabbages, chicken, raw broccoli, mandarin orange slices, crushed ramen, a few slivered almonds and toasted sesame dressing. The possibilities are endless so gather up and try your fave ingredients in different combinations!

Frittata

Frittata with bratwurst, onion, tomato, and cheddar

Eggs have been on sale really really cheap lately, so, in my endless quest to use up leftovers, I've been making frittatas. They're super easy, and - as far as I can tell - you can put almost anything in them.

You'll need -

A large oven proof skillet with a lid
A little cooking oil
A big potato (or two smaller ones) shredded
Half an onion, chopped (or other veggie #1)
Half a bell pepper, chopped (or other veggie #2)
Some suitable meat (bacon, ham, sausage, hamburger, chicken, etc) chopped
6 eggs
About a cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, colby jack, provolone, etc)
Something 'garnishy' (like chopped tomatoes, herbs, Parmesan, etc.)

Heat your oven to 375˚F. Heat up your skillet and the oil. Cook the meat. Add the potatoes, spreading fairly evenly. Add other veggies. Let cook, about 5 min, just stirring to combine. After about 5 min, kinda 'flip it' by stirring with a flipping motion to get browned potatoes on top. Stir a bit to even out and let cook another few min. Meanwhile, whisk eggs until well beaten. When meat, potatoes and veggies are nearly done, pour eggs over top, tilting pan or super-gently stirring to get eggs distributed evenly. Top with cheese. Put lid on skillet and put in oven to bake for about 20 min. Garnish and serve!

So far, I haven't found anything that hasn't worked in this and you can customize the meat and veggies however you like. Ground beef, corn and peppers with monterey jack cheese and a little cilantro goes mexican. Chicken, broccoli, onion and mozzarella tastes a bit like alfredo. Italian sausage, peppers, black olives and provolone goes italian! Seriously, try any combo that sounds good to you! :)

BBQ Ribs

Tonight I'm making ribs. Why? Because they're on sale this week, silly. ;)  Plus the family loves them. Oh yes.

I don't make 'rack ribs' I make 'country style' ribs, which are boneless  hunks of pork (or nearly so, sometimes they have a bit of rib bone on one edge). I know a LOT of people love rack ribs, and that's fine, I just can't see the logic in paying $4 a pound (or more) for something that's mostly bone and very little meat when I can spend less than $2 a pound for the exact opposite. Plus, with rack ribs, the little bits of meat get in my teeth, which I don't like. These you can eat with your fingers, or a knife and fork. Or slice them up and put on a salad. Or whatever.

Anyway, start with the ribs. Since there are 3 of us, I usually get about 6 ribs, not because it'll make two a piece, but because, well, I can cut them roughly in half before cooking and have lots of leftovers! :)

Once I have them separated into portions I like, I put them in a big pot with enough water to cover and set it to boil. They need to boil for about 30 minutes (my mom taught me this trick, and it is optional, honestly, but the ribs will be more tender. As in fall-apart tender. Num num!)

Btw, the water will look really gross and scummy. Don't let that bother you.

Set your oven (yes, I said oven) to 375˚F and line a big cookie sheet with foil. I think these taste better baked, er, roasted. Other's might disagree but these are my ribs. ;) Plus, in the oven, there's no lugging out the charcoal or grilling in a snowstorm. Ovens are always an option. If you'd rather grill, that's totally cool with me. :)

Anyway, once your ribs have boiled for about half an hour, use tongs to remove them from the water and place them on the big, foil-lined cookie sheet so they're not-quite touching. Some touching is okay but they need a little breathing room. Pour a good dollop of your favorite barbeque sauce on each (I'm partial to Kraft Original because that's the one Bill eats up the best, but I've used all kinds) and kinda smear it around with a basting brush or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 15 min, then flip them all over and apply fresh barbeque sauce. Bake 15 min more.

And they're done. And they're awesome. Promise!

I like to serve these with 'something cheesy' (mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, veggies in cheese sauce, etc) and something green, like green beans, broccoli, or salad. They reheat really well. :)

Pierogies

Tonight, I think I'm making pierogies for supper, but I'm kinda cheating. I buy them, frozen. from Schwans. Usually I cook up some chopped bacon, sliced onion and either green peppers or mushrooms, then, when the pierogies are done, toss it all together with some cheese, but I'm out of bacon so I'll try them with leftover ham tonight. Pierogies are a bit starchy for a supper, but they always taste good.

I really need to go to the store because I'm running out of fresh things. Hopefully tomorrow.

Skillet Macaroni Supper

Skillet Mac with Ham, Peas, Swiss Cheese, and Mrs Dash

I have to admit that as much as I love to cook, sometimes I'm lazy. Sometimes I'm busy. Heck, sometimes I simply don't want to trash the kitchen by experimenting or creating a million-ingredient extravaganza. Plus I have a family of simple tastes (sigh) so, sometimes, I make super easy tummy filling food, like skillet macaroni, which is adapted (slightly) from Kraft's Everyday Easy Macaroni Dinners.

Btw, I am really bummed that I had to go all the way to Canada to get an official link for that recipe.

Anyway, like Kraft says, it's EASY, and it all happens in a big skillet.

Cook about a cup of whatever meat that you're using in the skillet (chopped to bite-size or smaller). I've used fresh chicken breast, I've used leftover cooked chicken. I've used ham, tuna, ground beef, shrimp, leftover pork, and even sliced hot dogs. Seriously. Anything works. Use a little oil if you need it, skip it if you don't. Salt and pepper to taste, if you normally salt and pepper while cooking meat.

As it cooks, toss in a cup or two of chopped whatever-sounds-good out of the veggie crisper. Fresh corn, sliced carrots, frozen peas, broccoli, mushrooms, whatever veggie makes you smile. You can also used canned (drained) veggies, dibs and dabs of leftovers... This is great for using stuff up. If the veggies are already cooked, add them with the step below. :)

Once the meat's cooked (and the veggies are no longer raw) add 2 cups of water, 2 cups of elbow (or other small) macaroni, a cup of milk, and a tablespoon or so of butter. Get 'er boiling and turn down the heat to a simmer. Stir every min or so to keep the milk from scorching. Cook until pretty much all of the liquid is absorbed and the macaroni is done. It'll take, oh, about 10 - 12 min, or so.

Add about a teaspoon of some savory spice/herb you like (garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, italian seasoning, Mrs. Dash, whatever) and 2 cups of shredded cheese. Again, whatever kind you like, cheddar, swiss, mozarella, colby-jack... Stir in the cheese and spices until it's all well mixed and the cheese is melty, and you're done. I usually serve it with melon (Bill loves melon), salad, and hot bread.

It's yummy, simple, quick, and doesn't trash the kitchen. We almost never have leftovers.

Laura's favorite blend is chicken, canned tomatoes, italian cheese and garlic. Bill seems to like ham, mushrooms, peas, and cheddar (with a little oregano) best. :)

Tambo Fried Rice

Beef Fried Rice

My honey loves fried rice, and it's super easy to make, and super cheap too. :)

Cooked rice - about 3 - 4 cups
Peanut oil (canola works too)
A bit of leftover or fresh meat, chopped (pork, chicken, beef, etc. I've even used bacon)
1 onion, chopped
Minced/pressed garlic (a clove or two)
Other fresh things, chopped - peppers, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, whatever's needing used up.
Frozen mixed veggies (the kind with peas, carrots, corn & beans but if you've already chopped a lot of fresh ones, you can skip the frozen)
1 egg
soy sauce
Stir-fry (brown) sauce - I use House of Tsang Classic Stir Fry Sauce
Lightly salted peanuts or cashews

First, you need the rice. I make brown rice (1-1/2 cups raw brown rice, 3 cups water, and a little peanut oil, takes about 45 min to simmer on the stove), but you can use whatever kind you like.

Once you have your rice... Heat up a big skillet on med/high heat (this goes really fast, maybe 5 min or so). Put in a little peanut oil, and fry the meat. As it cooks, add the onion. Once the onion starts to get translucent, add garlic and other fresh veggies. Keep it all moving. Once the veggies are hot, add frozen veggies, keep stirring and flipping. Once they're steamy, clear out a bit of space in the middle of the skillet. If it's 'dry', add a little more oil there and give it a bit to heat up. Add egg.  Let it cook for a few seconds then start scrambling it in the skillet. Mix with veggies and meat. Soy sauce to taste (about 5 or so big dashes for us). Dump in the rice, and some of the stir fry sauce (a couple tablespoons or so, but I just dump it in). Keep stirring. Should be all brown and sizzly and yummy smelling. Toss in a handful or two of peanuts, and more soy sauce if needed. Stir peanuts in and remove from heat.

Enjoy!

Broiled Sammiches

Our local grocery store will sometimes make focaccia bread - not always, dang them! - and when they *do* I try to pick up a loaf to make these sandwiches. We all think they're pretty darn yummy. I've never measured any amounts, so just go with how ever much you like. :)

1 Focaccia Loaf
Ranch dressing (or other creamy salad dressing)
Shaved Ham
Shaved Turkey
Thinly Sliced or Shredded White Cheese (we usually use Mozzarella or an Italian Blend)
Thinly Sliced or Shredded Yellow Cheese (Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, etc)
1 Sliced Tomato
1/4 to 1/2 Sliced Red Onion
Shredded Lettuce
Any other sliced sandwich veggies you might like (cucumbers, green peppers, etc)
Italian (or other oily) dressing

Make sure ALL veggies are ready to go before starting because this cooks really fast.

Turn on your broiler and let your oven get nice and hot. Slice the focaccia in half crosswise, creating a top half and a bottom half. Place cut sides up on a heavy cooking sheet or broil pan. Brush with Ranch Dressing. Layer Shaved Ham on one half, Shaved Turkey on the other. Put a handful or two of yellow cheese on the ham side, spreading it out to cover, white cheese on the turkey side. Place in broiler until cheese is melty and bubbly (this only takes a minute or two). Remove from broiler.

Place bottom half on cutting board. Layer with Tomatoes, Lettuce, Onions, etc. Drizzle Italian Dressing over veggies. Put the top half of the bread/meat/cheese on top. Cut into 8 wedges. I usually serve this with potato chips and melon hunks. :)

** I've also made this with pepperonis and mushrooms (I put the mushrooms on the cheese before broiling so they cook a little), and shaved roast beef instead of turkey or ham. It's a great sandwich!**