In Need Of Some Easy,Cheap Recipes

Here is one that my mom made quite a bit when I was a kid:

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs


1 - Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2 - In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
3 - In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4 - Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Source

My 'trick' is that I make a large batch of vegetable sauce using my slow cooker, and then freeze it in pint batches. It then serves as the base for bolognaise, curry, casserole, whatever...just season and add meat according to recipes...

(I never measure or actually follow recipes so, you will have to work it however it suits you)

2 x large Courgettes (I think you lot call them Zucchini???), peeled and roughly chopped
2 x large Onions, chopped
4 x Carrots, chopped
2 x Bell Peppers (any colour you fancy, I prefer one to be red for colour), deseeded and chopped
2 x 500g Passata (sieved plum tomatoes, tinned/chopped will do)
1 Pint of Stock (chicken or vegetable)

Cook until everything but the carrots will mash with a fork...by leaving the carrots still a little firm, you get a much nicer texture...allow to cool and then puree...I use a hand blender...nothing fancy...

The above ingredients should make about 5 pints of sauce.

For Bolognaise for example, I then take one pint of the sauce, add:

1/4 pint red wine
1 x beef stock cube
1 x 500g Passata
1lb Mince Beef
Bay Leaves (at least 4)
Oregano
Basil
Soya Sauce (or Salt if you prefer)
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Fresh Ground Pepper
(and whatever else you like in your bolognaise)
Mushrooms probably too (my son hates them, so I don't)

Chicken Curry

1 pint vegetable sauce
4 large chicken breasts, diced
Garam Marsala
Cumin ground (and seeds if you like the added texture - I do)
Turmeric
Coriander (cilandro?)
Mixed herbs
Chilli (fresh or powder)
Double (Heavy?) Cream
Ground Almonds (not too much - it absorbs the moisure and improves the texture)
(I serve this curry with Onion Bhajis - 2 x large onions (sliced), fresh coriander, Gram Flour, Cumin Seeds, Turmeric...mix all that together and then add water mixed with tomato puree until it is nice and sticky...take a large spoonful, then fry in a large frying pan with about one inch of oil until dark brown and crispy)...

But this sauce, added to anything, thickens, adds texture...and you know your family are getting all their veggies...and you can just stuff it all in the slow cooker and not have to worry about it....

A cheap quick and delicious dish I make is

Plain couscous
Chickpeas
Golden Raisins
Oil/Olive Oil/ Butter
Sometimes some Almonds/or Bell Peppers
And then maybe some garlic salt

You can season it however you want.
It's a no meat alternative that tastes good as a side or by itself.
Really easy and really fast.

I stand by my fried rice.

PS: my secret ingredient is adding a dash of cinnamon to add sweetness to the curry!

Easy Indian Fried Rice

Thanks all!I am in total awe at the number of responses.

I have been limited on time today,so bare with me.

I have read all the posts in here and I will be running it all by the family tomorrow.
And I will be responding to your posts,just not right now.

My budget for now is about $100 for the week.My goal is to get it down more.Before it was nothing to spend $30 or more for 1 meal.It just got out of control because we were lazy and working so much.

I did pretty good at the store today.Instead of going to the mega grocery store like we usually do,I went to a local small store right around the corner from me.Saves on gas.
They had a sell for 5 meats for $20.I got 2 packages of hamburger @ 1.3 pounds each.A pack of porkchops,4 of them, chicken and a small roast.A few big packages of noodles, spaghetti sauce and alfredo sauce,french onion soup,some cream of mushroom and chicken.Plus some other varieties of soup.Some taters,and canned veggies.lunch meat and bread,canned biscuits.Some other things like sodas and chips.
I did purchase a water filter pitcher since my kids love bottled water.They can drink that instead.
I have a huge collection of spices,so I'm good there for now.

Unfortunately my father-in -law was in the hospital so I didn't get a chance to cook anything today,we ate some wonderful hospital food.
So tomorrow it will be some porkchops cooked in french onion soup and cream of mushroom soup.
I saute some onions, season the chops and brown them with the onions,then pour in the soups in a big skillet and let them cook until nice and tender.Some egg noodles and some veggies and we should be good to go.

Monday will be casserole maybe like a cheesy potato hamburger one. I might try the hamburger pie one too.

I gotta run,thank you everyone so much!!

Peace,
K

I have a few good recipes, but I am not sure how cheap some of them are. I will post some below.

But have you tried TASTE OF HOME.

They have literally thousands of good recipes from all types of cultures. If you sign up for their e-mail newsletter you will get a new recipe suggestion each day and about once or twice a week you will get several suggestions for the budget conscious cook in a single e-mail.

===================================================

HappyKat’s famous potato salad


INGREDIENTS

5 lbs clean medium to large red potatoes boiled in skins, cooled, peeled, and cubed - Optional, if you select potatoes with really clean skins you can leave them on when you dice the potatoes. This gives the salad more color and more vitamins. (Note 1)

1 medium to large yellow onion diced medium fine. You could substitute a red salad onion for color and flavor. (Note 2)

1-1/2 lbs (1 pkg.) West Virginia brand thick sliced bacon cut into 1" pieces and fried until medium crisp and drained. If you cannot find West Virginia brand bacon select another high quality thick sliced bacon. (Note 3)

1 thick ham steak browned in skillet in bacon drippings and shredded into approximately 1/2" chunks.

1 medium jar Vlasik Zesty bread and butter pickle chips drained and diced to approximately 3/8" square. (Note 4)

4 to 6 spears celery washed and diced. (Note 5)

1 to 1-1/2 dozen eggs hard boiled and cut into quarters or eighths.

DRESSING

1 qt jar Miracle Whip – The low fat Miracle Whip is barely OK but stay away from the fat free version. It does not work for the dressing.

1 to 2 tbsp yellow mustard (Note 6)

1 to 2 cups whole milk depending on the consistency you like your dressing.

Put Miracle Whip in a bowl large enough to whisk in the mustard and milk. Add one cup of milk and whisk until smooth. Then add some or all the second cup and keep whisking until you reach the right consistency. Remember, the potatoes are going to absorb some of the liquid so make it a little thinner than you want the final consistency to be.

GARNISH (optional)

Red, green, and/or yellow sweet peppers cut into rings and/or strips

Green onion trees (trimmed and slit lengthwise at green end)

Hard boiled egg slices

Paprika

Celery sticks

Lemon, lime, and/or orange zest strips

Colored salt (made the same way as colored sugar)

Use any or all or add something of your own to dress it up.

DIRECTIONS

How coarse you chop, dice, and cube the ingredients is a matter of personal taste. However, I have found that most people like this potato salad better if the ingredients are kept to the slightly large side. Especially the potatoes, they should be at least 3/4" to 1" cubes.

Reserve some of the dressing to remoisten the salad later as the potatoes will tend to absorb it if leftovers are kept for a day or more.

Use a really large mixing bowl and layer the ingredients in the following order. Put the potatoes on the bottom. Then add all the dry diced ingredients except the eggs. Then put the bacon and ham on top. Finally add the pickles and pour on half the dressing mix and add the eggs.

Start mixing with a large wooden spoon by going down the edge of the bowl under the ingredients and lifting. As soon as the first half of the dressing and the finer ingredients disappear under the potatoes add the rest of the dressing and continue mixing by going under and lifting until properly mixed. Do not stir in the normal way as you will break up the eggs and potatoes.

The final step is to put the salad in a serving bowl and garnish if you wish.

Well, the actual final step is to eat and enjoy.

HappyKat

NOTES:

1 - The better the potatoes the better the salad. New red potatoes with a waxy consistency are best. I tried this recipe one time with Idaho potatoes and did not like them.

2 - The onion is one ingredient you want to dice fairly fine even if you love coarse chunks of other ingredients. Onion tends to overpower the flavor if left in too big of pieces.

3 - The bacon will have a better texture and flavor if it is cooked a little on the crisper side as it will soften in the dressing.

4 - The Vlasik Zesty chips are the best as they have a slight bite to them that keeps them from being lost in the rest of the flavors. The original recipe used garlic dill chips but I found that the Vlasik Zesty chips tasted better to me. Any strong flavored chip will work if you like it. Just cut them coarser if they are not as strong as the zesty ones.

5 - Watch how much celery you use and watch the color. Celery that is very light green has the best flavor and crunch. Celery that is darker in color tends to be bitterer and stronger in flavor as well as stringy. If dark green celery is all you can get dice it finer and use less.

6 - In spite of the addition of yellow mustard this is not a mustard dressing. The small amount used only adds some zest to the flavor of the dressing.



This is one of those recipes that people shake their heads over until they taste it then they want more.

HappyKat

reply to post by LadyGreenEyes


The different varieties of pies is a good idea.I never really have gone down that road,but it will be cheap,easy and something different.
Someone mentioned Shepherds pie also,which being remotely Irish,is really good and I haven't done that in a very long time.

reply to post by happykat39


Ok,now,that sounds like so tasty potato salad.The way I like it,the southern way.
Thanks for the recipe.

reply to post by KilgoreTrout

For Bolognaise for example, I then take one pint of the sauce, add:
1/4 pint red wine
1 x beef stock cube
1 x 500g Passata 1lb
Mince Beef Bay Leaves (at least 4)
Oregano Basil Soya Sauce (or Salt if you prefer)
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce Fresh Ground Pepper (and whatever else you like in your bolognaise) Mushrooms probably too (my son hates them, so I don't)

Is that how you make bolonaise?
There was this restaurant I use to go to years ago that had an italian dish called bolonese or bolonaise.
It was sort of a creamy red/white meat sauce with sausage links sliced up over fettuccine.

Originally posted by TheToastmanCometh
I stand by my fried rice.

PS: my secret ingredient is adding a dash of cinnamon to add sweetness to the curry!

Easy Indian Fried Rice

Kind of wish I still had my wok.I loved that thing.
I use to be a pretty good cook til the kids and life came along.
Now that the kids are teenagers,they can help and I can teach them,which I do anyways.

Your fried rice sounds really good.
Thank you.

Originally posted by ItsEvolutionBaby
reply to post by kdog1982

 

Hey man, good to see you're cookin' - fab change for the whole family.
Many thumbs up on all stuff of the crockpot, a previous poster noted that handy item.
Always amazed when foodstuff is just tossed in to it, and comes out SO delicious 6 or so hours later...

Any kinda soup you want, try tossing in a few of the family's fave ingredients and see what you get. Had some great luck with that.

Meat goes on sale certain days, check with your local market. Bakery goods are usually cleared on Mondays/Tuesdays, we've noticed (just to note)

Just searched for and found a sweet treat, as they are needed too
Gad, these are SO good - a cookiesheet of delicious, melt-in-your-mouth "chocolate bars" so easy too
Cost around $5
1 c. br. sugar
1 c. butter
40 salted-top soda crackerss
1 pkg milk choc. chips (been said hersheys works best, I don't know)
Preheat to 350
- line med. cookie sheet w/ foil - grease or spray lightly
- line up crackers to cover the sheet
- in a saucepan melt butter & brown sugar over med. heat; bring to a boil stirring frequently, then boil for 2 min.
- cover all crackers w/mixture
- bake for 5 min. or until bubbling, pour chips over everything, immediately
- spread w/knife to cover, sprinkle w/nut and/or candy crumbs
- place in freezer for approx 1 hour, or til frozen, remove from foil immediately, break into pieces
Keep in the freezer if you like, really good cold. YUM.

That sounds like what my grandmother made from Iowa.
I wish I had her recipes,they were GOOOOOOODD!!!!!!!

Originally posted by sugarcookie1
reply to post by kdog1982

 

hi kdog

this is one i love and easy to make everyone loves it..
Chicken Pot Pie
1 - Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers Original Refrigerated Biscuits 16.3 oz (8 ct)2 cans cream of broccoli soup1 cup milk4 cups cooked cut-up vegetables (carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower, frozen or fresh)2 cups cubed cooked chicken1/4 t pepper..

you can use any kind of Biscuits don't have to be grands

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a 3 quart baking dish, combine the soup, milk, and pepper.

Stir in the vegetables and chicken or turkey.

Bake that at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble.

Meanwhile, cut each biscuit into quarters.

Remove dish from oven; stir. Arrange biscuit pieces over hot chicken mixture.

Bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown.

easy and filling the kids will love it!

grilled cheese sandwiches and soup is always good for night ya don't feel like cooking much its cheap and easy
peace,sugarcookie1

Thank you sugarcookie.
That sounds like a wonderful dish for a cold winter's evening.
All this foodie talk is making me hungry!

Peace,
K

There are some great sounding recipes here. I haven't had a sheppard's pie in years. I'm doing it next week. I love to cook. And I love to eat. However in shape I am, I am just one of those people who has to think of input. If I want to look good at the beach I have to work at it even the holidays. It was something I figured out right after I gained that Freshman Fifteen. So.. I started sorting through recipes and ideas.
I suggest that if you're getting into a new cooking habit, make it a habit that will keep you forever at weight. Most busy families have the same 8 or so main dishes they eat all the time in addition to those special occasion dishes. Try to add some dishes that will keep you where you want to be.
I'm not saying live on salad and beans. I am suggesting before you declare a dish a weekly favorite consider what it will do to your once you swallow.
Little things mean alot over a period of time. Buy a pound of turkey burger, quarter the pac, then add one to your beef hamburger recipe.
Making home made pizza? You could go as far as using a flax flat for the crust. Or, just find the pizza sause that has the least fillers. Try the turkey pepperoni, I think it's better than regular pepperoni.
I don't like low Cal salad dressings, I wonder what's in it.
A really delicious potato chip trade,crank up the oven, grease pan how you wish. I like the healthier oils, some people like spray. Once you have preheated your oven pretty high 425° use the vegetable slicer to make strips of potatoes, yams, and well, any lovely fresh veggie you please. Crispy and hot. I admit, it's not as instant as grabbing for the bag. They do however taste better.
Sometimes it's about the adding more than the taking away.Adding a veggie to the pizza,adding extra onion to a sause. "Accidently" making an extra veggie.
If your developing new cooking skills and shopping mindsets or a great cook in search of new adventure, try an idea that will make you happy when you gotta get that button hooked.

O.k. now back to those great recipes!

Originally posted by kdog1982
Is that how you make bolonaise?
There was this restaurant I use to go to years ago that had an italian dish called bolonese or bolonaise.
It was sort of a creamy red/white meat sauce with sausage links sliced up over fettuccine.

Well it's how I make bolognaise Which is possibly not the same way everyone else does...and I forgot...tomato puree...as I said, I don't even follow recipes or measure things, I have a much more instinctive approach to cooking...and since I hate waste, will often improvise with what needs using up...

Either way, what you describe...creamy, white meat etc, bears no resemblance to any bolognaise I have ever come across...

Ohhh...and I am spelling it wrong, sorry about that...bolognese it be....

en.wikipedia.org...

It was just an example though...the vegetable base is the real star...it is a cheap way of making your dishes rich and nourishing. Just spice and add meat to create a variety of dishes...and because it is cooked in a slow cooker, all the goodness of the vegetables is locked in. Doesn't matter what you put in there too, or who likes what, because you can't tell what veggies are in there once it is pureed, so no moaning from the kids that they don't like that. Totally hassle free.

Any dish that you can make to go with grains (rice, couscous etc) or pasta is going to save you money in comparison to potatoes and other carb sources, and are going to be healthier and more filling for your family. This base, takes out the need to use any processed sauces or thickeners when making those kind of dishes...which is all the better. Plus, it can be seasoned, watered down with a little stock, and on it's own served as soup...the possibilities are endless

reply to post by Destinyone


I found some recipes that are yummy.

www.friedgoat.com...

Just kidding with you,Des.
Peace,
K

reply to post by KilgoreTrout


This is what I was talking about,sorry for the misinterpretation.

So-called spaghetti alla bolognese (also variously known as spaghetti bolognese, esparguete à bolonhesa, spaghetti bolognaise, etc.) is a pasta dish invented outside of Italy, consisting of a meat sauce served on a bed of spaghetti.[21] The sauce is commonly prepared from ground beef, tomato, onion, bacon, spices, possibly cream and additional vegetables such as carrots, celery, or parsnip. The dish is often topped with a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano cheese. Although spaghetti alla bolognese is very popular in various countries outside of Italy, it is not served in Bologna, as the pieces of meat do not adhere well to spaghetti.[21]

en.wikipedia.org...

Oops,I see you had posted that.
When I have time,which I do now,I like to cook.I feel I am putting my love for my family and friends into it.
And you are right about the free flowing interpretation of cooking a meal.It's like an art form.

reply to post by kdog1982


I'll try to keep this simple.

Deboned chicken, cooked well
Chopped onions
Chopped jalapenos
Cheese (your chioce)
Flour tortillas
Maybe salsa.

Heat the first three in a skillet then on a low heat in another skillet put the tortillas, spoon in the mix on top of the first tortilla, add cheese and cover with another tortilla. Flip after a minute or so

Bada Bing! Bada Boom! Quesadillas!

Quite filling as well. This is the meal I always turn to when times are tight. But then again, I've always loved spicy food.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by kdog1982

 

I'll try to keep this simple.

Deboned chicken, cooked well
Chopped onions
Chopped jalapenos
Cheese (your chioce)
Flour tortillas
Maybe salsa.

Heat the first three in a skillet then on a low heat in another skillet put the tortillas, spoon in the mix on top of the first tortilla, add cheese and cover with another tortilla. Flip after a minute or so

Bada Bing! Bada Boom! Quesadillas!

Quite filling as well. This is the meal I always turn to when times are tight. But then again, I've always loved spicy food.

We have one of those quesadilla makers and always had the pre-made grilled chicken on hand,but from now on it will be homemade grilled chicken .Minus the jalapenos,for the kids that is.
Thanks for the input.

I realize now that I had the knowledge and the resources for making cheap,easy meals,I just didn't utilize them anymore.
What I'm doing now is going back a few steps to the beginning.
A lost knowledge of what I once was.

My Grandmothers functioned in their kitchens way into their 80's and 90's. Here we were, it was 1990 and they still insisted on putting out the jellies and pickles. As a kid I never ate a meal without those things on the table. As a teenager I was convinced they were the exact same jars of stuff I had been taking on and off the table all my life. Just before dinner was put on the table Gram would ask,"Did someone put the bread on the table?" Which meant, the bread was sliced, put on a plate and carried to the table. There it was, before dinner, all those things were already on the table. It was the great depression model for setting the table.There was always bread and jelly and pickles. No one was going hungry with this model of setting a table.

Jelly and jam making is not hard. !You can not double your batches! It may not be like other cooking you may have done, but, it is easy. And, if you were to mess it up,fruit topping for pancakes and ice cream makes you a hero anyway. It really is alot about the preparation of the things you need ahead of time. Reading ahead and wrapping your head around what you are going to do will give you a good chance of getting it right the first time. Even corn cobs can be turned to table jelly. With some study and practice you won't even need the Sure Jell™.

Mayhaps, the depression table setting model may need to be brought back. Times are changing, again. Maybe they are just getting back to normal.

Did you know ATS has it's very own "Bread Thread?"

Can someone one put on the pickles?

reply to post by kdog1982


GARLIC!

How could I forget garlic, dagnammit!

Definately free flowing...I am a taster and fiddler...and with dishes like bolognese, I've cooked it so many time I do it on auto-pilot... Recipes can provide inspiration, but if you love to cook, you tend to go with your own flow and work according to the materials available. Plus, when you are on a budget, you can't always follow a recipe without spending more than you want to, so flexibility, and understanding food is essential.

Here in the UK, if you go to the supermarkets after about 3ish, they reduce the items that are going to go past their sell-by date, which gets you really good value on meat, you just have to cook it that day. That is when I cook up huge batches of bolognese and chilli con carne, and then freeze them in meal for two portions (just me and my son)...that works out at about 75pence to a £1.00 a head, plus spagetti, which cost wise, is negligible