Dinner for Less -- Your Most Frugal Recipes.

[Denninmi]

I thought this might be a fun thread to do -- what are some of your cheapest ways to feed a family?

This probably belongs on the Off Topic board, but I don't think as many people read that board. Also, who know if the discussion might turn political?

Anyway, I thought of this last night as I made dinner. There are three of us and a dog. I made sourdough crepes with nectarine sauce and some fried eggs:

Crepes

1 cup of flour (I used about 3/4 cup white and 1/4 cup whole wheat)
1 cup of sourdough starter (homemade, mine is pretty runny)
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil (I used canola)
water necessary to thin out to pouring consistency (maybe 1/2 cup?)

I mixed all of this up except for the egg and let it sit on my counter in a warm spot for about 3 hours to ferment/rise. I added the egg at the last minute. Cooked in my non-stick crepe pan.

Nectarine Sauce:

1 small package frozen nectarine slices in their own juice (maybe 2 cups)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar

I just cooked all of this in the microwave until cornstarch has thickened.

I also cooked about 6 scrambled eggs -- most of which went to the dog (he loves eggs).

So, I think this was a really cheap dinner for the four of us. The dog got the bulk of the eggs and a plain crepe. We each had a crepe with fruit sauce, and a little bit of the scrambled eggs. There was a leftover crepe -- breakfast!

So, what are your most frugal recipes?

[reavilh]

My favorite frugal meal has got to be a big ole pot of ham & beans and cornbread. I have gotten anymore that I ALWAYS cook beans in my cast iron dutch oven. Besides the ham and beans, I also add about 1/2 cup of diced onion, and sometimes diced carrots. I like sweet cornbread, and usually put some diced jalapeno in it.

[lorna-organic]

Crispy quesadillas made with corn tortillas, jack cheese and green chilies. A quick and delicious meal. One can make guacamole to dip the quesadillas into, if avocados are on sale.

[Imp]

Ham and Macoroni casserole.

Basic mac and cheese with a ziti sized macaroni or fresh homemade if I am not too busy, ends of cheeses we have had, some white sauce, onions, and slivers of browned ham, any left over veg bits that seem good to go in if I am not making soup.

Add a crusty bread and some salad.

Veg soup- different each time, but uses up the small left overs of vegs.

Gnocchi, homemade ( nothing easier to make), with either a light white sauce jazzed up or a lighter tomato sauce, any left over meats such as sausage or beef, pork.

[bellzeybubba]

Chicken soup. I usually get at least 3 meals out of 1 chicken by doing chicken soup, and the chicken is only ~$4

Option 1: Roast chicken dinner and chicken soup. First I roast the chicken over vegetables. That's one meal. Then I set aside the leftover big chunks of meat, and all the remaining chicken bones, meat, skin, pan drippings, and vegetable go into a pot of water for soup (plus I usually add more fresh veggie trimmings). Add rice or noodles in the end to add bulk. I can usually get 2 more meals out of the soup.

Option 2: Chicken soup and chicken salad. Start out by boiling the entire chicken in soup with a bunch of veggies (and/or saved veggie scraps), herbs & spices. When done pick all the meat off the bones. Serve soup with a portion of the meat but also bulked up with rice or noodles. Use the remaining meat to make chicken salad. Again, I can usually get 3 meals total out of the one chicken this way.

[RozieDozie]

Chicken soup. I usually get at least 3 meals out of 1 chicken by doing chicken soup, and the chicken is only ~$4

Option 1: Roast chicken dinner and chicken soup. First I roast the chicken over vegetables. That's one meal. Then I set aside the leftover big chunks of meat, and all the remaining chicken bones, meat, skin, pan drippings, and vegetable go into a pot of water for soup (plus I usually add more fresh veggie trimmings). Add rice or noodles in the end to add bulk. I can usually get 2 more meals out of the soup.

Option 2: Chicken soup and chicken salad. Start out by boiling the entire chicken in soup with a bunch of veggies (and/or saved veggie scraps), herbs & spices. When done pick all the meat off the bones. Serve soup with a portion of the meat but also bulked up with rice or noodles. Use the remaining meat to make chicken salad. Again, I can usually get 3 meals total out of the one chicken this way.

Yup, ssssstretch that chicken! :) Yum.

[tweed]

Pinto beans cooked with ham pieces or salt pork
Cornbread
Mac & Cheese
Greens or Cole Slaw
Sliced onion
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced Cucumbers

The whole meal (if buying it all from a market) is roughly $6-8

[RozieDozie]

Beans, rice and cornbread; mighty good and mighty filling. I cook my beans with olive oil, don't add meat. Just as they are getting done, I add a GENEROUS glop of butter. :)

Layering food makes it taste good, gives it texture and is satisfying. I layer my beans and rice this way:

Put rice into the bottom of the bowl, put beans on top, and top with the 'crunchy'.

To make the crunchy, chop up green onion, parlsey and cilantro, chopping them together with a big knife until very fine. Then I add chopped, seeded, fresh tomato, and jalapeno. I have any baby corn niblets in the freezer (I usually do), I had some of that to the mixture; no need to thaw it, even. I put 2 Big, heaping tablespoon of that on top of the beans. This is very high in vitamins and you don't need a veggie with this meal to round it out.

Serve with cornbread or corn sticks or corn muffin and YUM! Also, beans, rice and cornbread are a complete protein.

[darwinslair]

Here is my summer staple.

2 Tbsp olive oil.
2-3 garlic cloves
fresh tomatoes
fresh basil
fresh Italian parsely
fresh oregano
1 lb linguini
salt
pepper

crush or slice garlic cloves, and then in a large sauce pan lightly saute' garlic in olive oil until it starts to turn translucent. At that point add a couple of pounds of whatever tomatoes you have, diced. Cook on medium heat until the juices from the tomato start to separate from the pulp. At this point add a bunch of fresh chopped basil, parsley and oregano, turn off the heat and cover. In a separate large pot have at least 1.5 gallons of water at a hard boil, salted fairly heavily (at least 2 Tbsp salt) and cook the linguini until it is just getting to be al dente'. Drain and add to the tomato sauce, toss and cover for 5 minutes.

Since everything in it except the pasta comes from the garden, and the salt/olive oil costs are negligible, total costs for the dinner for 5 runs about a buck.

If you want it to cost less than that, replace the pasta with diced eggplant or spaghetti squash.

Tom

[gulfcoastguy]

Turkey leg and split pea soup with carrots, curry powder, onions ect.

[tashak]

Stirfried leftover rice with whatever veggies I have at hand, and sometimes meat or chicken scraps. Handy on refrigerator clean out days!
Quesadillas.
Baked potato with diced onions, cheese, and if I have it parsley on top. Add sour cream if you have it and want to.
New Orleans style red beans and rice, sometimes jalapenos and sliced spiced luncheon meat or ham scraps or sausage or ham hock added.
Milk soup (cooked noodles, preferably the wide ones, and add reconstituted dry milk or whole milk, but only bring to simmer--do not boil, add paprika or freshly ground black pepper), any add-ons like those frozen mixed vegetables or parsley that you want to throw in. Good with a quarter slice per person of crumbled cooked crispy leftover bacon.

[countrygma]

My first husband and I were married in college and on a very tight budget as most college kids are. We ate alot of johnny cakes. I didn't know anything about nutrition then, was just looking to fill our bellies cheaply.

To make johnny cakes you pour boiling water into corn meal ..stir to make a pancake like batter, fry, top with the cheapest margarine and syrup you can find. Actually pretty tasty.

[Emerald]

We have "anything in an omelet" nights, leftover veggies or meat or sometimes just cheese, But I have my own chickens so there are many times that we are up to the eyebrows with eggs. We like to make egg casserole too-- just layering the pan with cut up stale bread and then pouring eggs with a bit of milk over it-- cheese, and meat can be added let it sit overnight (or cook right off) bake in the oven and you have dinner-lunch- or even breakfast!

[reavilh]

My wife was craving beef stew tonite, so we spent $3.90 for stew meat. We had the potatoes, carrots and onions from the garden. She also fixed homemade biscuits. We'll get at least 3 meals out of the stew, so roughly $1 to feed two.

[RozieDozie]

Vegetable beef soup is good and filling and nutritious. I use soup bones that still have meat attached (my beef man gives them to me for free, so this is definitely a cheap meal, but they are cheap in the grocery store, too.). I season them with salt, pepper and I put whole garlic cloves on top and slice up an onion over all of that.

I cook them in the oven for about 2 hours on 300 degrees until they are brown,, then I put them in a big pot and let them simmer another 2 hours until the meat is tender and falls of the bone.
The browning makes the broth rich extra rich. After the meat is tender, I remove it from the bone and set it aside. I smash the roasted garlic with a spoon and put it in the broth along with the caramalized onions. I add veggies to the broth with some more herbs and simmer until the veggies are done. Then I add in the meat and either some noodles or rice or pasta to make it extra rich. Sometimes I grate a potato into the broth to thicken it. Yum and cheap.

If you want to stretch any meal, serve a big bowl of soup first. It will fill everyone up and make the meal go further.

[MukkRatt]

Egg Foo Young is an easy and frugal dinner. Store bought beansprouts are expensive but you can grow your own for pennies. You can get lots of beansprouts from a handful of dry navy beans (which cost aprox .79c per bag) I like the navy beans because they give a good sized sprout.
You can get fancy or you can keep it simple.

Basic Egg Foo Young

Eggs (figure at least 1 per person...and one extra for good measure)
Diced onions or scallions
Water chestnuts, drained & chopped (the cheapest brand; they're all the same)
Bean sprouts
Soy Sauce
Ground Ginger
Optional meat; chicken, pork, shrimp...whatever you've got in leftovers or no meat

Cooking oil (I like peanut or sesame oil) for frying egg patties/omelettes
Ingredient amounts are up to you but you need enough egg in the mix for it to hold together.


Prepared chicken or beef gravy
Prepared rice or prepared ramen noodles (I like to add sesame oil and a bit of ground ginger to my ramen noodles...tasty!)

All you do is mix it up and quick fry small omelettes. If you don't have a wok it's just as easy to use the trusty cast iron skillet...heat up some oil and drop a small ladle of the egg mixture in, let it sizzle and set well then turn it over to finish...continue until all are made. Mix some soy sauce and ginger into the gravy and pour over the eggs...serve over rice or ramen noodles.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Chop Suey

Stew Chicken, remove skin & bones; set aside

Into simmering chicken broth add 1 chopped onion, 2 celery ribs and 1 bell pepper.
When the veggies are done to your satisfaction return the chicken to the
simmering pot and add 2 handfuls of beansprouts, 1/2 c water chestnuts, 1/2 c bamboo shoots, soy sauce to taste and a bit of ginger. Thicken with cornstarch and serve over rice. This is good with those crunchy fried noodles on top.

[bellzeybubba]

Vegetable beef soup is good and filling and nutritious. I use soup bones that still have meat attached (my beef man gives them to me for free, so this is definitely a cheap meal, but they are cheap in the grocery store, too.). I season them with salt, pepper and I put whole garlic cloves on top and slice up an onion over all of that.

I cook them in the oven for about 2 hours on 300 degrees until they are brown,, then I put them in a big pot and let them simmer another 2 hours until the meat is tender and falls of the bone.
The browning makes the broth rich extra rich. After the meat is tender, I remove it from the bone and set it aside. I smash the roasted garlic with a spoon and put it in the broth along with the caramalized onions. I add veggies to the broth with some more herbs and simmer until the veggies are done. Then I add in the meat and either some noodles or rice or pasta to make it extra rich. Sometimes I grate a potato into the broth to thicken it. Yum and cheap.

If you want to stretch any meal, serve a big bowl of soup first. It will fill everyone up and make the meal go further.
Oh yes this is good stuff. I love soup and I've won the kids over to loving it too, soup is a great way to go.

This reminds me, at one point when times were tougher for me I used to get fish bones from the local grocery. I'd ask them to save the bones from when they filleted fish, and they'd give them to me for free since they were just going to throw them away, and I'd make a fish soup. Good stuff. I wonder if the grocery in my area here would do that...

[Cheesecake]

While I was growing up, my Mom used to make ''Turkish Bluff''...and this meal certainly isn't Turkish (or I don't think). It was cheap and fast and we always had it on my Mom's wash day.

1 pound of ground beef.
Onions chopped.
Brown up.
Add, tomato sauce or juice and simmer.
Mix with aldente long spaghetti, and let sit for about an hour.

We had it back then with veggie sticks, bread and butter and milk.

I still make this in a hurry and its so much better the next day...and the day after that. It's even good cold.

Funny how something old is new again...and I fed it to my kids too.
A big pot of food, with a small amount of meat, makes it cheap.

_________
Hubby who was raised poor here in the Ozarks, has so many good recipes from his Mama.

They always had that ham and beans pot on the stove top.
There were always two other kids of veggies. (usually corn and gr beans)
And, then fried taters.
Cornbread.

After I tried to copy that Ozarky cooking, we added in fried pork steak/or out on the grill most of the time.

And, my city kids wanted Mac n Cheese with it.

Hubs took his lunch to the one room school house up the road a piece here.
He had a little lard bucket.
It had left overs from either supper or breakfast in it.
And, always 3 biscuits (he tells me).
And, a cup covered in wax paper with a rubber band around it...filled with cobbler.
He had to be sure to bring home the bucket, the cup and the spoon.
Good lunch...left over's were cheap.

[DebbieG]

Chicken soup. I usually get at least 3 meals out of 1 chicken by doing chicken soup, and the chicken is only ~$4

Option 1: Roast chicken dinner and chicken soup. First I roast the chicken over vegetables. That's one meal. Then I set aside the leftover big chunks of meat, and all the remaining chicken bones, meat, skin, pan drippings, and vegetable go into a pot of water for soup (plus I usually add more fresh veggie trimmings). Add rice or noodles in the end to add bulk. I can usually get 2 more meals out of the soup.

Option 2: Chicken soup and chicken salad. Start out by boiling the entire chicken in soup with a bunch of veggies (and/or saved veggie scraps), herbs & spices. When done pick all the meat off the bones. Serve soup with a portion of the meat but also bulked up with rice or noodles. Use the remaining meat to make chicken salad. Again, I can usually get 3 meals total out of the one chicken this way.

You sound like you live at my house. :D 1 Chicken 3 meals....Roasted, sandwiches then soup or stew. Yep, 1 chicken 3 times a week!!!:eek:

DebbieG

[Jacquie]

Mexi chicken in the crockpot...
2 large chicken breasts, diced
(or about 3 cups leftover roasted chicken)
1 cup brown rice
4 large tomatoes diced
1 med. onion diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 cup diced peppers
1/4 cup diced green chilis
cumin, garlic, ground pepper, coriander
1 cup chicken stock

ALL the veggies are from the garden...(and I have a Rotel tomatoe type mix already canned just for this type of recipe, so I use 1/2 qrt. or so)

This is for a family 4 adults! and there is usually leftovers for 2 to have for lunch the next day.

[deciduousLychees]

Ramen.

[Imp]

Cheapest dinner? At the neighbors, LOL.

[Jackie-T]

First I go out and harvest a rabbit out of the coop. set it to cool in the fridge soaking in vinigar water. Pressure cook with a small onion till it falls off the bones. take the meat and dice it and mix it with an egg or 2 from the hen house and a little bread crumbs then fry shaped in patties in a cast iron pan with cannola oil serve with mashed potatoes,summer squash salad and a smile. Cost? probably 50 cents as everything but the cannola oil and bread crumbs I grew and it serves 6 easily. the broth and a little bit of meat will go to make a soup another time the only cost then would be for rice and flour to make noodles.

[Patio Princess]

Just about all of my recipes are cheap! We don't eat fancy stuff much.

Cheap Chili:

1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, diced
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
2 cans tomato sauce
Salsa, if you have it (or an opened jar in the fridge will do!)
1 TBL chili powder
A few squirts ketchup

Brown the burger & diced onion together. Open the beans, and rinse well. Throw it all into a large stockpot, OR (the best way) a large Crock-Pot. Add some water, but don't make ti watery. Bring to a boil in the pot, then lower heat and simmer at least 1 hour. in the Crock-Pot, at least 4 hours on HIGH. (Tip: spray the Crock-Pot liner with PAM 1st, to make clean-up easier.)

If you have a Bell pepper of some sort, chop, and add to the meat when browning. If you have no kidney beans, etc., or are short a can, add baked beans, juice and all, though I'd pick out the piece of salt pork. Salsa is not crucial to the recipe; but I always seem to have an open jar floating around in the fridge that needs to be used. The ketchup gives the chili a nice, sweet flavor. This recipe is very good, though humble; and chili purists may laugh at it. I don't care! :D It's GOOD, and filling. Freezes well.

Serve with white flour tortilla quesadillas:

Grab a skillet or large frying pan. Melt a TBL of butter/margraine/spray with PAM. Take 1 tortilla, fry a bit on 1 side, then flip it over, repeat. Sprinkle shreded cheddar or a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese on 1/2 of tortilla; fold the tortilla over, like an omelet. Fry a bit on each side, until cheese is melted. Let cool a bit (cheese will be HOT!!!), then cut into strips. Serve with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and sour cream, if you have them. If usually only manage the sour cream part, and it's just fine. If you don't like the sour cream on the quesadilla, put a blob on the chili!

For a real blow-out meal (great for company):

I cook a beef roast of some sort (whatever's on sale, or buy 1, get 1 free) in the Crock-pot, and make pot roast:

Pot-Roast

1 beef roast, about 2-5 lbs., whatever you have
1 can tomato soup
1 chopped onion
ketchup & spicy mustard
Lipton Onion Soup Mix, 1 bix (if you have; not crucial, but nice)
veggies; esp. some fresh baby carrots, mushrooms (canned ok), peas (canned ok)
Dried onion flakes, if not using the Lipton's

Again, this is a Crock-Pot recipe--it make the best meat.

Boil your carrots until slightly under-cooked; drain.

Wash the roast, etc. Rub with the ketchup, mustard, Lipton's/onion flakes. Place on meat rack in Crock-Pot; sprinkle with parsely, pepper, salt, and marjoram. Add everything else, and about 2 c. water. Put lid on the Crock-Pot, and cook on HIGH at least 4-5 hours. Shred the meat, & serve (mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, etc.)

This is delicious meat. By serving it with a starch, you can stretch it out quite a bit. Also, if you save someof the shredded meat by itself, you can also add barbecue sauce, and serve on buns, with a bit of melted cheese topping.

I made it last Sunday, and we got about 6-7 meals from a smallish roast. And they were DH-sized and BIL-sized man meals, too! I shold mention that there are only 2 people here; so take that inti account with my serving sizes; however, BIL had some on Firday night when he visited.

[EdlinUser]

My hillbilly friend Jerry grew up eating what his family called 'slop'. Healthy and cheap if you have a garden.

SLOP
Diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, buttermilk, dash of salt and pepper.

[tweed]

My hillbilly friend Jerry grew up eating what his family called 'slop'. Healthy and cheap if you have a garden.

SLOP
Diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, buttermilk, dash of salt and pepper.

I make a cucumber salad like that except I add diced onions and vinaigrette instead of buttermilk

[moonlilyhead]

Bowl of oatmeal or pancakes!

[ovenbird]

Breakfast for supper
pancakes and sausage or ham
Bubble and Squeak:
Saute 1/2 chopped medium onion in a little fat until just transparent
Add 3 C diced potatoes and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 10 min. Add half a med head cabbage, diced, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Cover and cook 10 min. until cabbage is limp. Uncover and stir and cook until it is dry as you like and all vegetables are cooked thoroughly. Could substitute rutabaga for potatoes. Serve with crusty bread, cornbread, Can top with fried eggs.

Creamed chopped meat and veg over cornmeal waffles. ( my version od SOS)

[darwinslair]

Ramen.

I grew up on wild game and organic foods.

In college I was introduced to garbage food and it nearly killed me.

After a cafeteria dinner of cheddarwurst I didnt feel good. My roomate made "ramen noodles" for me and I went into cardiac arrest. It was a reaction to the encytotoxin known commonly as MSG.

The ramen noodles themselves are harmless, but the flavor packet is really not good for you even if you do not have a sensitivity to it.

Tom

[ovenbird]

When we were kids my mom had to make food dollars stretch. Two of the menus I still crave sometimes are from that era:

Boil spaghetti noodles, Saute a little onion. Mix onion, noodles and a can of tomato soup. Serve with scrambled eggs.

Hard boil eggs. Chop and mix with a can of cream of mushroom soup. Serve over cornbread.

[gulfcoastguy]

I remember having canned baked beans on a hamburger bun with a slice of cheese on top toasted in the oven as a kid. Turkey was first roasted and served, then made into sandwiches, then "sloppy toms", and finally vegetable soup. Scrambled eggs with rice sometimes. Fried sweetpotatos with fried fish from the pond. Once the oven died just when she had corn bread mixed up. At my suggestion she thinned it out some and fried it like pancakes. We poured a little syrup on them and had them with the vegetables out of the garden, purple hull peas and green beans I believe.

[Zephyrbird5a-6]

Summertime?

Sweet corn and big slices of heirloom maters. For dessert, fresh peach shakes on the back steps of the building.

oh momma!

[Imp]

good down home foods!

one of the best suppers was an ice cream social supper, all the neighbors, uncured ice cream in bowls ( it was a bring your own bowl thing), sweet tea and lots of good visiting.

Not expensive with everyone pitching in, either.

[blackberrygrl]

Making your own vegetarian sushi is inexpensive.

Seaweed wrappers $2.00/max for 10.

Cook sticky rice. Let it cool. Spread about 1/2 cup onto wrapper. Place variety of veggies (I use carrots, cucumber, asparagus, and lettuce) and avocado. Roll up and slice. It'll tide me over until we can afford restaurant quality sushi. :)

[Imp]

You can serve a lot of stretched dishes over rice to stretch it even further- such as a stew stretched with more veggies that were perhaps a bit past their prime, served over a bed of rice.

Or chicken a la king again stretched with veg's added and over rice.

Soup has to be a great way to save money and use up left overs. Also add your cheese rinds to soups, and those bits of somewhat dried out cheeses and simmer for sometime- the cheese usually "disappears " , but adds nutritional value and taste to the stock.

Make your own stock from the bones you generate- save the neck and back pieces when you fry a chicken, when you have enough, yank those out of the freezer and make a good stock, reduce it down and freeze ice cube sized portions to use later.

[organicbaby]

I can remember my grandmother keeping a milk carton with the top cut out in the freezer. Anything left over from a meal (veggies, rice, potatoes, meat) that wasn't enough to constitute another serving went into the milk carton. When it was almost full, she'd thaw it out, add some tomatoes and beef or chicken stock, spices/herbs and make a soup. I still think it's the best soup I've ever had and yes, there is a milk carton in my freezer right now. :)

[Kevin]

Egg and Rice, This was one of my wife's main dishes when the boy's were young and we were poor as dirt . Take fried eggs sunny side up and bust them up over a pile of cooked rice . mix thoroughly and salt and pepper to taste. She would often cook a side dish of french fries with this.

[Imp]

I recall a pot of soup almost always on my grandmother's stove.

Yes, saving those good bits of the left overs can make a nutritious meal as well as wasting less.

A friend of mine came over when I was prepping soup stock and was shocked that I used trash in the stock she so loved- trash being the tops and butts of celery, the onion skins ( gives a nice color to the stock as well from the brown ones), tops and tails from carrots, stem trim from tomatoes, and so forth- stuff I had frozen along with the chicken parts for stock.

She had a hard time believing I had been doing this , until she saw it strained and reduced to what she was familiar with, LOL!


To be really tight, I used the strained veggie bits to add to the dog food, careful of any small bones from the poultry though. The dogs went goofy for it, too.

[Lavandula Girl]

Our chickens like the veggie ends strained from stock, too.

[hookangel]

Another great thread posted by Denninmi. (thanks). At our house we make whatever tacos:

Corn tortillas
whatever is left over ie: meats, veggies, salsa,salad, scrambled eggs,cheese, peppers, beans, or whatever my grown sons decide to experiment and put together...lol

This has become and actual meal around here... and they love it.

[Gunnerbill]

Deer tacos- ground venison, tomatoes, onions (from garden) lettuce, sour cream and cheese, taco seasoning packets, and extra hot sauce packets from Taco Bell. The most expensive part of the meal was the sabot slug for the deer.
Alternatively, deer chili, which is even cheaper as you don't need sour cream. Man, reading the recipes you guys posted has made me hungry....
Later, Bill

[tweed]

Potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes are absolutely wonderful. Anyone ever had them?
Just take leftover mashed potatoes, dice in an onion if desired, mix in an egg, make into small hamburger sized patties, bread in cornmeal..........then fry or bake. Yum!Yum!
This thread reminds me of the old show Hee!Haw! where Grandpa Jones would come out and everyone would say "HEY Grandpa! What's for supper?" :D

[reavilh]

Potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes are absolutely wonderful. Anyone ever had them?
Just take leftover mashed potatoes, dice in an onion if desired, mix in an egg, make into small hamburger sized patties, bread in cornmeal..........then fry or bake. Yum!Yum!
This thread reminds me of the old show Hee!Haw! where Grandpa Jones would come out and everyone would say "HEY Grandpa! What's for supper?" :D

Mom would always reuse leftover mashed potatoes, so we had "tater cakes" once or twice a week. She'd also make mustard potato salad with them. Nothing went to waste. If we had leftover beans, we knew chili wouldn't be far behind.

[tweed]

Mom would always reuse leftover mashed potatoes, so we had "tater cakes" once or twice a week. She'd also make mustard potato salad with them. Nothing went to waste. If we had leftover beans, we knew chili wouldn't be far behind.

Yup. But you never went hungry did you? I know I didn't.
I'm going to be making tater cakes tonight as a matter of fact! :)

[reavilh]

Yup. But you never went hungry did you? I know I didn't.
I'm going to be making tater cakes tonight as a matter of fact! :)

Nope. I always said Mom knew more ways to fix beans and taters than most people had even thought of. I love fried taters and eggs.

Don't know what we'll have tonight. I have an appointment at the VA hospital this afternoon.

[tweed]

Nope. I always said Mom knew more ways to fix beans and taters than most people had even thought of. I love fried taters and eggs.

Don't know what we'll have tonight. I have an appointment at the VA hospital this afternoon.

Hope all goes well at the VA. What brach of the service were you in? Vietnam Era?
Thanks for your service to our country. :)

[reavilh]

Air Force. Air Cargo Specialist, 1973-1975. I grew up living around Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, and it didn't take long to figure out I didn't want drafted into the Army. I never went to Nam, but my brother was in Da Nang during the offensive. He started out in the Marines (aircraft mechanic), then transfered to the Air Force as a flight engineer. Now he runs the flight simulator for the new 777? airliner for American Airlines.

[tweed]

Air Force. Air Cargo Specialist, 1973-1975. I grew up living around Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, and it didn't take long to figure out I didn't want drafted into the Army. I never went to Nam, but my brother was in Da Nang during the offensive. He started out in the Marines (aircraft mechanic), then transfered to the Air Force as a flight engineer. Now he runs the flight simulator for the new 777? airliner for American Airlines.

I remember you saying that about Fort Leonard Wood.
Nice job your brother has there. Bet that compensates nicely.

[RozieDozie]

Yum! 'Tater cakes and leftover beans. Leftovers are wonderful. I plan for leftovers; Hubs takes them to work the next day for lunch and on Thursdays I don't cook; we have what I call smorgasboard----I clean out the fridge and we eat that. :)

I don't throw away anything. I have a big plasic container in my freezer. When I drain cooked veggies I keep the juice and it goes into the container. If I have a tablespoon of veggies or beans leftover they go in there, too. When the container is full, I thaw it and make a big vat of soup.
The liquid from veggies has lots of vitamins and I usually season them with olive oil or maybe a little butter so my soup stock is nice and rich.

[tweed]

Yum! 'Tater cakes and leftover beans. Leftovers are wonderful. I plan for leftovers; Hubs takes them to work the next day for lunch and on Thursdays I don't cook; we have what I call smorgasboard----I clean out the fridge and we eat that. :)

I don't throw away anything. I have a big plasic container in my freezer. When I drain cooked veggies I keep the juice and it goes into the container. If I have a tablespoon of veggies or beans leftover they go in there, too. When the container is full, I thaw it and make a big vat of soup.
The liquid from veggies has lots of vitamins and I usually season them with olive oil or maybe a little butter so my soup stock is nice and rich.

Mornin Rozie. :)
I'm the same way.
I got up this mornin and made the wife breakfast............Eggs fried well, apple smoked bacon and toast.
She only eats the yolks, so I took the fried whites and put on toast with two tomato slices. Yum.

[ovenbird]

ALL the veggies are from the garden...(and I have a Rotel tomatoe type mix already canned just for this type of recipe, so I use 1/2 qrt. or so)


Oh, do you have a recipe for the tomatoes and chilis? I hope to can some of these next summer.

[ajeff]

You can get a pack of hot dogs and a bag of buns at wal-mart for less than 3 dollars. This will at least feed 3-4 people, and Kids love em! check out this site for more ideas http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com

[DiGirl]

my MIL taught me a recipe that my husband absolutely loves, she calls it "Shiarea" i'm sure i spelled it wrong). to do it right takes a few days planning, roast a chicken for dinner one day, the next day you make soup stock, from the chicken bones, skin, and fat. the following day you brown some rice and the broken bits of spaghetti from a box or 2 (i save the little pieces up for this recipe), for a couple minutes, in a big pan, to deepen the flavor, then add the chicken stock, and some leftover chicken. you can add herbs and spices if you want, but it's a great budget meal.

[moonlilyhead]

Somebody mentioned sushi. I like to make sushi rolls with lettuce leaves instead of the seaweed since I grow the lettuce, thus it's free. Roll some sticky rice and veggies up in a leaf or two, slice with a very sharp knife, and dip in a soy-ginger sauce. YUM! and cheeeeep. I like to use thinly sliced carrots, avocado (when on sale and in season), cucumbers from the garden, and little salad shrimps when on sale.

Also, stuffed cabbage leaves are great and inexpensive as well.

[reavilh]

How about a simple salad that is popular here, cucumbers and onions. Slice the cukes an onions into a bowl. Cover with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Vary it by adding tomatoes in season, and instead of vinegar, use Italian dressing. It's not a full meal, but a great side dish.

P.S.: The longer it sits, the better it is.

[springfever]

As far as cheap, probably chicken wings. My dh loves chicken wings. His favorite is hot wings but he also likes the wings and brown rice with mushroom gravy I make.

[springfever]

Oh, my favorite cheap meal is still, white beans, cornbread, a sliced onion and fried potatoes. In summer with fresh tomatoes. yum.

[springfever]

I'll quit after this, honest. (smile) I just remembered how much I love cornbread and milk.

[DiGirl]

dandelion greens, boiled, then topped with just a bit of vinegar. i've also got a recipe somewhere for grass biscuits (they taste like they have parsley in them). I like a lot of the recipes from the Great Depression.

[tashak]

Moros y cristianos (rice with black beans), I made a big pot for this weekend.
c. 2 cups white rice (or brown, if you prefer, though that needs longer cooking) c.50-$1
water
1 can black beans c. 58-.70 (or from scratch)
1 3 oz. can chicken c. $1 (or two legs or two thighs or 1 can chicken broth or bouillon cube if you use that)
1 can tomatoes, diced or otherwise (c. .50-.65)
if desired, chives from garden or onion or garlic or hot peppers or hot pepper flakes or greens
Cook rice and water and seasoning if desired and chicken until 3/4 done, and then add the black beans and tomatoes, in covered pan. When almost done, turn off heat and let finish on the heat in the pot.
This makes more than 4 very generous servings, more like 6-8 servings. And if you bulk buy or if you hit loss leader sales or shop at Aldi's or Grocery Outlet, the cost (not including cooking heat) definitely is under .55-.75 per large bowl/plate serving.
Good with cornbread, tortillas, or corn tortilla chips.
Very full meal even without carrots/squash or celery/greens or half a piece of fruit.
Can be made without the chicken in harder times, but then some of the good cooking smell will be missing. Maybe add some cheese or nuts and greens if vegetarian to increase the complimentary protein and calcium?

[blackberrygrl]

Somebody mentioned sushi. I like to make sushi rolls with lettuce leaves instead of the seaweed since I grow the lettuce, thus it's free. Roll some sticky rice and veggies up in a leaf or two, slice with a very sharp knife, and dip in a soy-ginger sauce. YUM! and cheeeeep. I like to use thinly sliced carrots, avocado (when on sale and in season), cucumbers from the garden, and little salad shrimps when on sale.

Also, stuffed cabbage leaves are great and inexpensive as well.

Excellent idea - using lettuce as the wrapper. I'll have to try that this summer.

[Patio Princess]

Maybe not dinner, but cheap none-the-less: I saw a recipe for popcorn cereal. Basically, it's any type of popcorn, AIR-POPPED--no oil--in a bowl, with milk and sweetener. I've never tried it, but it may be good!

Also, if one is out of croutons/bread/poor, couldn't popcorn be used on soup instead, or in a salad?

[moonlilyhead]

Hmmm, that makes me think of my favorite dessert: rice pudding. Yum! I like to put nutmeg and cinnamon on it (I can never spell cinnamon). That's pretty cheap.

My fiance's favorite meal is pretty cheap: chopped beef patties seasoned and simmered slowly, mashed tators and brown mushroom gravy, and some sort of in-season veggie. It's really inexpensive. I buy the mushrooms in bulk, just the amount I need, and I detach the stems before putting them in the bag so it isn't as heavy in poundage.

[Imp]

I've heard of using dry popcorn in soups and salads.

I like the idea of the lettuce instead of the nori- I dislike the taste of seaweed nori, so I end up unrolling my rolls and picking them apart- not nice, but I just don't like it at all.

[winter_unfazed]

Without being longwinded, the "cheapest way to feed a family" and the best way to have "dinner for less" is to QUIT EATING MEAT. Especially red meat, which you shouldn't eat anyway. But economically, in the U.S. it requires up to 100 times more resources to produce meat than it does to produce plant food. Being a secondary consumer means that you eat things which themselves have stomachs, and have to eat, and have to be fed. It takes 200 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, and about 10 pounds of grain.

[tashak]

Winter, I think your comments on beef refer more to big scale feedlot beef than to small scale grass fed. Perhaps you might clarify your statements with regard to that distinction?

[Imp]

I doubt that I will quit eating meats. I doubt a lot of people will quit eating meat, too. And you have some people who are on high protien diets that just about require meats as well.

Yes, it does cost certain amounts to create a pound of beef or pork or lamb or chicken. I wonder what the feed conversion ratio is for humans?

Do you include wild game in the don't eat meat thing? Or goats, which prefer to browse?

One cheaper meal we make is a cornish type pasty, it is another way to use up dabs of veg and meat you have left over, or you can make a pierogie. They are satisfying and economical, too.

[bunkie]

check this out...i don't know if there are transcripts. not sure how the youtubes are for dialuppers...saw her on the news and the recipes were amazingly simple!

Great Depression Cooking with Clara

Great Depression Cooking with Clara is the popular online cooking show. In each
episode Clara prepares recipes that her mother made during the Great Depression...
http://www.greatdepressioncooking.com/Depression_Cooking/Welcome.html

[HillsideDigger]

Are we talking about dinner or supper for dinner (lunch to many of you) is often sardines and crackers (with a spoon of cocktail sauce and a touch of Tabasco) which at over a dollar for one isn't as inexpensive as it used to be.

[tashak]

Those soda cracker boxes are usually $1.50 or more now, and most of the 3 oz. sardine tins are over $1--though I did spot them as loss leader for .88 in one of today's supermarket ads. Don't know what the cocktail sauce goes for, but the small offlabel bottles of hot sauce basically are over $1 (except at Dollar Tree and Grocery Outlet).
Did something happen in the sardine industry in the last 2-3 years? Prices basically have doubled.

[Imp]

Fuel costs got the sardine and kipper places.

I dislike sardines, except fresh, but like the kippered herring and tuna fish. Rob doesn't eat fish, though.

Another lower cost thing for supper is fish cakes or balls with white sauce.

Make them with Jack mackerel and really save.

Pasta and pesto is also very good and can be reasonable as a little pesto goes a long ways.

[tashak]

Imp, thanks for the jack mackerel tip. Guess I could try that for fish fingers too, as I still see it at the dollar store for $1, bigger can c. 14+ oz.
I do have a new food addiction--I got a closeout bottle of Heinz Hot Relish at Grocery Outlet and bet it (or a homemade version) would be really good with the fishcakes or fish fingers.

[Imp]

You are welcome- mackeral gets a bad rap a lot of times, but can be prepared in tasty ways- fresh, it is very good, too.

[blueribbontomatoes]

Hey, don't forget about one of my favorite meals OATMEAL. You can add fruit, nuts, flax, cinnamon, and/or real maple syrup, and it's still cheap.

Another favorite is Huevos Rancheros. Fry eggs, put any kind of salsa on top, and roll up in tortillas.

Bean soup, starting with dried beans.

[Imp]

Humm, here in Texas, that would be an egg burrito, and Huevos Rancheros would be a crisp corn tortilla with some refried beans spread on it ( about 1/4 or so thick) then one to two fried eggs and cheese shreds.

Really good and a good breakfast to carry you quite a ways into your day.

[Emerald]

Humm, here in Texas, that would be an egg burrito, and Huevos Rancheros would be a crisp corn tortilla with some refried beans spread on it ( about 1/4 or so thick) then one to two fried eggs and cheese shreds.

Really good and a good breakfast to carry you quite a ways into your day.

We love to make breakfast burritos ! Even for dinner-- they do so well if made in the evening for quick great breakfasts the next day!!
JUST PUTTING THE FOOD BACK INTO THE FORUM!;)

[RozieDozie]

Last night we ordered veggie pizza for dinner. We haven't ordered pizza in ions but Hubs had a craving... It was really good pizza, but I almost fainted at the price! EEEK!

It reminded me that pizza is good food and incredibly cheap to make. I want one of those outdoor, woodfired ovens and intend to have one. They can be built out of simple materials. Our friends made a cob (?) oven, I think that is what's it's called, out of mud and straw.

[Roserock]

Without being longwinded, the "cheapest way to feed a family" and the best way to have "dinner for less" is to QUIT EATING MEAT. Especially red meat, which you shouldn't eat anyway. Well, my family was poor and we did do that while relying heavily on starches. Most of us kids ended up diabetic as a result.

[winter_unfazed]

Winter, I think your comments on beef refer more to big scale feedlot beef than to small scale grass fed. Perhaps you might clarify your statements with regard to that distinction?

That's a good question. I'm not sure about that, but I have heard those statistics several times.

[winter_unfazed]

Well, my family was poor and we did do that while relying heavily on starches. Most of us kids ended up diabetic as a result.

It's possible to avoid meat without relying on starches and "junk". Legumes, for instance, are a good source of protein; soybeans are one of the cheapest food commodities there is, and very nutritious. Hempseed is too, but unfortunately we in the US don't have much access to it.

[Roserock]

It's possible to avoid meat without relying on starches and "junk". Legumes, for instance, are a good source of protein; soybeans are one of the cheapest food commodities there is, and very nutritious. Hempseed is too, but unfortunately we in the US don't have much access to it. Well we certainly had beans, lol.

[springfever]

Stopped at the store tonight and they had chicken quarters for 59 cents a pound. I bought a 10 pound bag. I cut it up and had 12 thighs that I am slow cooking right and I will pull the meat off the bones and put back in the broth and add home made noodles. I put the 12 legs in the freezer for cooking later.

[Patio Princess]

Baked beans from scratch--cheap and easy!

[MukkRatt]

Last night's rabbit stew might have cost $1. plus a .25c bullet. The potatoes were free (culls from the local farm) ...carrots, onions, celery, garlic, herbs & spices...and a pan of biscuits.
This fed 3 people and we all had seconds.


another cheap-o but tasty meal is a chili omelette.
Eggs, a can of chili and some shredded cheese...make the omelette, fill w/heated chili, fold over and sprinkle with cheese. 'Will somebody please pass the hot sauce!'

[Emerald]

___Omelets are always a good dinner here-- anything is game to put in them too!! Try last nights spaghetti with extra cheese! Thanks to my chickens we always have eggs on hand!:D

[reavilh]

___Omelets are always a good dinner here-- anything is game to put in them too!! Try last nights spaghetti with extra cheese! Thanks to my chickens we always have eggs on hand!:D

We make what Rachel Ray calls scramblers. I saute Onion, pepper, and whatever else I can find. When mostly done, mix in the scrambled eggs.

[Emerald]

We make what Rachel Ray calls scramblers. I saute Onion, pepper, and whatever else I can find. When mostly done, mix in the scrambled eggs.

___That would be great inside a nice, freshly made pita for dinner! I did find out one thing tho-- once you learn how easy and yummy making your own pita bread is , ya just can't go back to buying them as they are never as good as the one coming out of the oven! At least I can make them (about 8 large or 12 smaller ones) for under a buck, and to buy ones of that quality in the store will run ya about $3 for a package of 5 or 6! Plus instead of taco shells(flour) you just put your taco fixen's on a warm pita, it is super yummy, we don't even buy tortilla's any longer.
The web site I got my recipe from is farmgirl fare-- and once you figure it out, you can make flavored pita too!
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2005/09/pita-pita-i-too-much-eata.html

[reavilh]

Em, that sure sounds good. take that pita,, and stuff it with some crumbled sausage and my scramblers, and have a good fast breakfast.

[Imp]

Framgirl has a lot of good recipes and some great bread recipes; read the earlier posts about country auctions, you will laugh until you are crying!

Very good blog.

[Emerald]

Patio Princess

Baked beans from scratch--cheap and easy!

___Could you post that baked bean recipe for us? Pretty, Pretty, Please with brown sugar on top?:D I love those dark slightly sweet beans that have to slowly bake all day, and the couple of recipes that I have are for savory white baked beans. I am getting all hyped up, the weather is getting warmer and the stuff that is going to turn into my earth oven is just sitting there! For the first real firing I am planning on making pita and pizza first and then while the oven is starting to cool off, the breads and finally a nice cast iron pot full of beans to go over night--I have such high goals for myself!:p
Imp

Farmgirl has a lot of good recipes and some great bread recipes; read the earlier posts about country auctions, you will laugh until you are crying!

Very good blog.

___I've only gotten to a few of her other blog posts about the "Year in Bread" but I love the way she writes and hope to get to all of her stuff soon..

reavilh

Em, that sure sounds good. take that pita,, and stuff it with some crumbled sausage and my scramblers, and have a good fast breakfast.

___My hubby and son just love a hard fried egg and bacon or ham or sausage with a bit of cheese and they have their own quick breakfast-- I found that they can be made the night before (just like the breakfast burritos) and they just heat them up and off to work/school. The boychild would like me to learn how to make home made "hotpockets" so we can just have them in the freezer and he can pop one of them in the nuculater(microwave) and go! The scary thing is~~ I have thought about trying it--maybe I could email the 'Good Eats" show and let Alton Brown do all the hard work for me!!;):D

[reavilh]

For lunh today, I'm having cooked turnips. They are out of the garden, so just a lot of blood, sweat, and tears involved. But the 1st jar I opened started foaming as soon as I loosened the ring, so it is in the compost.

[Emerald]

For lunh today, I'm having cooked turnips. They are out of the garden, so just a lot of blood, sweat, and tears involved. But the 1st jar I opened started foaming as soon as I loosened the ring, so it is in the compost.

Is it safe to do that? I would worry about getting some on me and ingesting it by accident, Hopefully the heat of the compost pile will kill it... also if you plan on reusing that jar dip it in pure bleach and then wash it and bleach it again..(Gee, I sound like a germaphobe, lol)

[bunkie]

__..........The web site I got my recipe from is farmgirl fare-- and once you figure it out, you can make flavored pita too!
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2005/09/pita-pita-i-too-much-eata.html

great link em! i'm familiar with the blog but never saw the pita recipe! i was wondering if one really has to heat the oven to 500???! i'm not sure our old girl will go that high, and i know the solar oven won't till the hot summer days.

[lorna-organic]

Jackie Clay says that boiling any suspect canned food for fifteen minutes will kill botulism. She writes for "Back Country Magazine".

[bunkie]

i don't know lorna. every canning book i've read says to throw out anything that foams or bubbles or is cloudy. i wouldn't take the chance myself.

[lorna-organic]

This lady eats suspect canned food, after boiling it for fifteen minutes. She swears it is safe. I've been so conditioned that botulism is practically akin to rabies (to be greatly feared) that the idea basically gives me the heebie jeebies. However, if food was scare...

[moonlilyhead]

Does anyone know how to cook beets so they don't taste like beets?:D I abhore them, but they're so good for you and easy to grow and keep so well. I wish I liked them. I ate some canned ones one time, thinking they were cranberry sauce. UGH! Did the same thing with hot horseradish, thinking it was melted mozzorella.
Can you dye clothing with beet juice?

[lorna-organic]

Yes, beet juice is definitely a dye, Moonlily. If you scrub a beet, pierce it so it won't explode, wrap it in tinfoil and roast it in the oven or on a grill for about an hour, it will become really sweet. Once roasted, it is easy to slip the skin off. A dab of butter enhances it at the table. I like to make borscht, which is a beet and cabbage soup. It is good hot or cold, great soup to serve in summer with a bit of sour cream dropped into the center of each serving. Borscht can be made vegetarian or with beef. I'm not sure why, but I prefer it without beef. I like pickled beets in salads.

[moonlilyhead]

I think I will try it for a dye. I really like the color. I'll also try it like you suggest, Lorna, because my fiance really likes beets. I'll keep my fingers crossed, though, cause I'm still traumatized by the cranberry sauce mix up!:)

[lorna-organic]

Yea, that would be a rude surprise, all right! lol I would suggest you do a test for the dying. I think the color could come out more pink than red. Something blue could be added to intensify the red (like blueberry juice), but it could end up kind of purple, or maybe violet. Dying can be tricky. Are you familiar with dying? Different types of fabric absorb dye in different ways. If you can do a swatch beforehand, it would be good. Here is a Website about natural dyes:

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/naturaldyes.html