# The brokeass eating thread! (No ramen allowed.)



## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 6, 2011)

I just moved out for the first time last month, but am already getting tired of hot dogs and 99 cent pot pies.

I know there are a ton of cheap recipe sites floating around the internet - so you can save the energy if you were planning on posting links to Google - but what are some of your favorites?


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## Mishty (Aug 6, 2011)

My first year of college I survived on potatoes. Smashed,creamed,baked,fried,stuffed,hashbrowns, etc..

And eggs. 
Egg salad, boiled eggs, fried eggs, scrambled, etc...

I was a huge fan of stocking up on cheap easy things I could prepare fast, and with only a handful of ingredients.


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## CastingPearls (Aug 6, 2011)

I use brand names but you can use all generic items. 
See if there's an Aldi's in your area. Also a few of these items can be found in a dollar store.

*Defcorn5*

1 box of yellow rice mix (prepared according to instructions but leave out the oil, margarine or butter)

1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup 

4 oz of butter (one stick) or the equivalent in margarine (softened or melted)

1 can (any size--depends on how much you want) of Mexicorn, drained (corn with bits of peppers in it--if you don't like peppers--then sub 1 can of corn, drained)

2 cups of shredded cheese of your choice. I use a cheddar blend. I used more cheese but that's to taste.

Optional: any kind of chopped veggie, cooked crumbled meat or shredded leftover chicken or pork


***
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a baking dish. 
Mix everything in a big bowl (except for one cup of cheese) OR just mix it in the baking dish and save a step.
Top with remaining cheese
Cook uncovered for 45 minutes
Eat
Leftovers keep well for up to a week, covered. 
Do not freeze

This recipe has been quadrupled for big parties. There are NEVER any leftovers.


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## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 6, 2011)

I think I'll try that today. Thanks.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 7, 2011)

I made Defcorn V tonight, and it got rave reviews! And justly so: it is truly delicious. Kudos to CastingPearls for tossing this pearl to ... well, I _did_ make a pig of myself... :bow::bow::bow:


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## Ruby Ripples (Aug 8, 2011)

Ive eaten this countless times when i was skint. I never got fed up of it.

Two large potatoes, washed and quite finely diced
One onion peeled and finely chopped
chilli powder
garlic (powder, granules, or fresh, minced)
salt
cooking oil

put a couple of spoonsful of cooking oil into a wok or large frying pan. Add the chilli and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add potato and onion. Cook on high and stir or toss regularly til cooked, about ten minutes. Salt to taste.

This can be tarted up nicely by adding a bit of grainy mustard, a bit of double (heavy) cream, and a good squirt of lemon juice. 

Also, this thread might help - http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24896&highlight=food+budget


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## Jes (Aug 8, 2011)

Canned beans--cheap, filling, and good for you (protein and fiber). 

All kinds of food can be cheap, but terrible for you. That's why we see such awful health issues in very poor communities in American cities.

Cheap food can still be relatively good for you if you're smart. 

Bean salad:

A can of, say, black eyed peas (as low as 79c in the US)
A green pepper (or red, or whatever's on sale)
A tomato or 2
A small red onion 
Enough italian salad dressing to lightly coat.

Rinse the beans, chop the vegetables, add the dressing. Chill. Eat.

I made a double batch last night (with red, yellow and green peppers--I'm lucky to have a cheap produce truck a block and a half from home) and will be eating it along with a grilled cheese sandwich to make sure I get some fiber and vegetables with my carbs!


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## CastingPearls (Aug 8, 2011)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> I made Defcorn V tonight, and it got rave reviews! And justly so: it is truly delicious. Kudos to CastingPearls for tossing this pearl to ... well, I _did_ make a pig of myself... :bow::bow::bow:


The beauty of it is that is IS so good and versatile--you can add a lot to it, or just use the basic recipe of five ingredients. I can't tell you how many people like this recipe so much that they make it a regular dish AND bring it to potlucks and cookouts. I have another recipe that's just as popular but it's not so cheap to make so if anyone wants it they can just PM me for it. 

Glad you liked it.


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## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 8, 2011)

I'll have to put off trying it until tomorrow. That's when I'm doing all my grocery shopping. I'll tell you how it goes.


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## CastingPearls (Aug 8, 2011)

That Guy You Met Once said:


> I'll have to put off trying it until tomorrow. That's when I'm doing all my grocery shopping. I'll tell you how it goes.


Don't forget! And either way--ENJOY!


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## bonified (Aug 8, 2011)

pasta is cheap, delicious and good for you. Ive lived in some remote parts where I had to fish for protein, but a few pantry staples you will survive lol

pasta with olive oil chili parsley & garlic... done. slice the garlic, so when you fry it, its brown, not crunchy, but kinda chewy... hmm delish! 

you can add fresh tomatos, a chicken breast, bacon, mushies, etc.. it's limitless really.


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## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 10, 2011)

Oh my God.

It's. Amazing.

And I have enough to last me a few days. Thanks.


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## MisticalMisty (Aug 10, 2011)

I'm making tater tot casserole tonight..it's not fancy food..but it isn't horrible either..lol

2lbs ground beef
1/2 medium onion diced
2 cans condensed cream soup of choice, I used cream of chicken
vegetables of choice-you can use a bag of frozen or whatever canned veggies you have laying around
1/2 bag tator tots
spices of your choice-I added garlic and crushed red pepper flakes..but I bet chili powder or paprika would be tasty.
Shredded cheese is optional

Heat Oven to 375

Brown beef and onions together...drain. Drain veggies if you are using canned. If not, just throw in as many as you want. Add both cans of soup. If you want a little more "gravy" you can add a can of water. I chose not to do so.

Mix everything together and pour into a greased casserole pan. Top with frozen tots. Spread tots evenly and put in the oven for around 30 minutes or until the tots are browned to your liking. I added shredded cheese after 30 minutes..turned on the broiler and let the cheese melt and brown slightly.

Serves about 10..lol...or 1 hungry fat girl for b, l and dinner tomorrow


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## MisticalMisty (Aug 10, 2011)

MisticalMisty said:


> I'm making tater tot casserole tonight..it's not fancy food..but it isn't horrible either..lol
> 
> 2lbs ground beef
> 1/2 medium onion diced
> ...


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## Fuzzy (Aug 10, 2011)

I've seen that exact recipe except.. don't brown the meat first, just press it into a pan, and bake for an hour at 375.


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## Fuzzy (Aug 11, 2011)

Find yourself a rice cooker, and the sky is the limit on cheap, assorted recipes you can make to have over freshly cooked rice. 

Stir-fry, creole red beans, hamburger (ground turkey, jimmy dean sausage) gravy, tikka masala, thai panang curry, lentils madras, cuban black beans, chop suey, manwich, chili con carne, creamed corn, spicy peanut chicken, chorizo and peppers...

(and with the rice that's left over, refrigerate it so you have make fried rice the next day )


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## CarlaSixx (Aug 11, 2011)

Something I do on a bind:

Noodles of choice (preferably macaroni)
Miracle Whip or no name brand of the same
Sun-dried tomato salad dressing vinaigrette
Zesty Italian vinaigrette

Cook the noodles. Strain, cool down with cold water. (yeah, yeah... I **gasp** said to rinse noodles!)

Put noodles in a bowl big enough to mix ingredients.
Put in Miracle Whip. (I tend to do 3 tbsp per 2 cups of noodles)
Mix and pour in salad dressings by eye or by taste.

Voila.

Also, tastes really good with chicken pieces in it. Cut up chicken nuggets, cook, and throw into the mix for a different taste.


-----

Totally something I learned at the cafeteria at my high school. It how they made noodle salad.


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## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 12, 2011)

I've been meaning to cook more, but I live in a college house with three roommates, and our kitchen is a foul, barbaric affront to God.

(Not my fault. I wash my own dishes.) 

It's infested with roaches, and the minute I walk in there, the smell of rotting food punches my nose in the dick. If that's not enough to make me say "fuck it" and head out to Wendy's for some dollar menu crap, seeing my roommate's used all the cookware and left it sitting in the sink - which has been clogged with stagnant brown water ever since someone thought it wouldn't be retarded to dump a cup of ramen into it, *even though we don't have a garbage disposal* - is.

How do I work around this? Is there any cheap way to eat out?

BTW: Yes, I have talked to them about this. More than once.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 12, 2011)

That Guy You Met Once said:


> How do I work around this? Is there any cheap way to eat out?



It sounds like what you need is a cheap way to MOVE out.


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## lypeaches (Aug 12, 2011)

For me, "brokeass" means I'm cooking from scratch. Best bang for the buck in my books are lentils.

Pot of Lentils
1 bag of lentils (usually $1 - $1.50)
cover with water 
chicken/beef/veg bouillon cube if you have it, if not,it's fine.
1 chopped onion --can use jarred seasoning if that's what you got
3 - 4 cloves garlic chopped --can use jarred seasoning 
1 diced tomato or a can of diced tomato if you got a good deal
Optional: diced carrot or two, diced celery
generous amount of herb seasoning (I prefer beau monde, but italian mix is great too)

Bring to a boil, simmer til done, about 20 minutes. 

This makes a pot that will feed a person for several meals. You can eat it cold, with cottage cheese say, or as a soup. 

Put this over a baked potato, you have a meal that will sustain you for hours.

It's nutritious, delicious, and very, very cheap. If you're lucky and can afford it, through in a little bit of ham too for extra punch.


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## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 12, 2011)

@Dr. Feelgood: Maybe... But I just moved in a month ago, the rent's only $300 a month (lowest price I could find in the entire city) and I get along with my roommates in every other way. I don't know if it's worth turning my life upside-down just for a cleaner kitchen, especially when I don't have a job to support a more expensive place yet.

Getting back on the subject of food, I think I'll try some of Fuzzy's rice recipes next. Maybe either red beans, chicken tikka (depending on what it takes to make the chicken) or stir-fry. Rice is pretty easy and only takes one pot.

Also, baking a potato on some tin foil is pretty simple, so I might try the lentils on potato, too.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 12, 2011)

$300 is incredible rent and not to be sneezed at. You might want to get your tetanus booster before you go into the kitchen, though. And if you want the best of all unbelievably cheap recipes in one place, the book is Jay Rosenberg's _The Impoverished Student's Book of Cookery, Drinkery, and Housekeepery_. It's out of print, BUT if you go to Advance Book Exchange, they have a copy for $7.50 (which you will probably save on your first meal). Good luck!


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## lypeaches (Aug 13, 2011)

That Guy You Met Once said:


> @Dr. Feelgood: Maybe... But I just moved in a month ago, the rent's only $300 a month (lowest price I could find in the entire city) and I get along with my roommates in every other way. I don't know if it's worth turning my life upside-down just for a cleaner kitchen, especially when I don't have a job to support a more expensive place yet.
> 
> Getting back on the subject of food, I think I'll try some of Fuzzy's rice recipes next. Maybe either red beans, chicken tikka (depending on what it takes to make the chicken) or stir-fry. Rice is pretty easy and only takes one pot.
> 
> Also, baking a potato on some tin foil is pretty simple, so I might try the lentils on potato, too.



Hey, you don't even have to wrap the potato in foil! Just wash it, pierce the skin with a fork a couple times and throw it in the oven. 

By the way, the lentil "recipe" works for pretty much any dried bean, with the codicil that pretty much all other beans need to be soaked in water overnight before cooking, and take a bit longer to actually cook. Beans have a lot of protein and fiber and what not in them...and cooking them from scratch they are dirt cheap.


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## EMH1701 (Aug 13, 2011)

Chili can be cheap or expensive, depending on what kind of meat you use or if you don't use meat at all. It's great for bulk cooking and you can freeze the leftovers.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 13, 2011)

EMH1701 said:


> Chili can be cheap or expensive, depending on what kind of meat you use or if you don't use meat at all. It's great for bulk cooking and you can freeze the leftovers.



Or you can cook up some macaroni and make chili mac!


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## Jes (Aug 13, 2011)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> $300 is incredible rent and not to be sneezed at. You might want to get your tetanus booster before you go into the kitchen, though. And if you want the best of all unbelievably cheap recipes in one place, the book is Jay Rosenberg's _The Impoverished Student's Book of Cookery, Drinkery, and Housekeepery_. It's out of print, BUT if you go to Advance Book Exchange, they have a copy for $7.50 (which you will probably save on your first meal). Good luck!


what about asking the landlord to do what is the landlord's job to do, and deal with the roaches?


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## That Guy You Met Once (Aug 15, 2011)

According to my roommate, the landlady's been promising to do something about the roaches for a minute now.

Anyway, I (usually) do all my grocery shopping on Mondays, so I'll get on the rice recipes and potatoes tomorrow.

As for tonight, I just realized five minutes ago that I have everything I need in the house for tacos. That'll be a good use for some of my remaining Defcorn, too.


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## pdgujer148 (Aug 15, 2011)

In my very early twenties there was a year I lived exclusively off of Bisquick pancakes and pizza rolls. 

I worked in a mall at the time. $7.00 an hour and I was dating a woman who made $60k a year. 

The chick at the Cinnabon fancied me. I read her as being insane: she had a methish perk to her. Nonetheless I accepted her sweet FREE "samples" whenever offered.

To this day the sweet smell of dough. cinnamon, and sour cream fills me with self loathing.


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## pdgujer148 (Aug 15, 2011)

pdgujer148 said:


> Nonetheless I accepted her sweet FREE "samples" whenever offered.



Looking back on this. I should point out that I meant this literally. Free Cinnabons, not free... 

Anyway...as you were.


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## nite_mare (Aug 15, 2011)

Yes, I know you said no ramen, but this is a really good recipe.. My ex and I used to make this.. it's a brokeass stirfry.. and it's fast, cheap and easy..

bag of ramen noodles.. beef or chicken flavor.. 
veggies.. we used onion, mushroom and yellow and red bell peppers
summer sausage or hot dogs or whatever you have like that..

dice up and saute the veggies in a little olive oil.. about half way thru, cut up the sausage into bite size pieces and heat throughout.. while cooking this, cook the noodles but don't add the seasoning packet just yet.. drain the noodles.

Now.. when the veggies and meat are cooked, add the drained noodles and stir.. then add the seasoning packet and mix thoroughly..

taa-daa It's really good and it'll last a couple of meals depending on how many bags of ramen you add!


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## olwen (Aug 15, 2011)

A thing I could eat for days at a time and not get sick of is soup. All kinds of soup. The great thing about soup is that anything can become soup. A big pot will last for days if you freeze it in smaller containers. 

I use rice a lot in soup and a 5lb bag of rice will last for months if not an entire year if it's just one person eating it.

When I could eat soy, Miso Soup was cheap and good. 
Miso paste (about $5 but it lasts for a few weeks)
Tofu - any kind, $3
bonito flakes, $3 - lasts for months
wakame (a type of seawead) $5 - lasts for months.
scalions - $0.50 to $0.99

Optional
onions
mushrooms
bok choy 
any other vegetable you want if you have a couple extra bucks to buy it.

If I remember right, you just throw a couple large spoonfuls of miso paste into a pot with some water and the wakame and vegetable, let it come to almost boiling, then you add the tofu and bonito flakes, let it cook for a couple minutes and done.

Total cost $17 to $20. I suppose another option for this is dried miso soup mix that costs like $3 but it will taste weird and won't have any vegetables. 

Chicken and rice soup
Chicken thighs without the bone (cheaper than breasts) diced
bag of frozen soup vegetable or frozen mixed vegetables
garlic, three cloves minced
any kind of rice - about a handful or two
vermouth or cheap wine - about a cup
a couple tablespoons of oil or butter 
salt and pepper

Assuming you already have rice, the total cost of this meal is about $12.

Put the chicken in a pot with butter or oil and garlic. Let it start to saute. After a few minutes add a couple handfuls of frozen veggies. Add more oil or butter if it sticks to the pot. After a few minutes add the vermouth or wine and let it cook for a few more minutes then add the rice and enough water to cover everything completely. It's done when the rice is cooked. 

Bean and kale soup. This is my version of portuguese soup.
kale chopped - $3
chicken stock - $2 or 2 bouillon cubes
kidney beans (can =$2, dried also equals $2)
sage sausage - $4
onion - $0.70
garlic - $0.50
vermouth or white wine $3 to $5
salt and pepper
cilantro (optional)

cook the sausage and break it up into chunks and drain
add the onions and garlic and cilantro
add the kale and let it start to cook down
add the wine and stir
add the beans and chicken stock or cubes
add water to cover everything completely
add salt and pepper

Let it cook until the kale is tender.

total cost, $12 - $15


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## olwen (Aug 15, 2011)

nite_mare said:


> Yes, I know you said no ramen, but this is a really good recipe.. My ex and I used to make this.. it's a brokeass stirfry.. and it's fast, cheap and easy..
> 
> bag of ramen noodles.. beef or chicken flavor..
> veggies.. we used onion, mushroom and yellow and red bell peppers
> ...



I've done this too with packs of rice noodles. They cost a little bit more than ramen tho and are a bit harder to find, but it's the same thing. I've used hamburger meat, eggs, hot dogs, leftover steak, left over chicken, just whatever meat and veggies are lying around in the fridge.


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## EMH1701 (Aug 15, 2011)

Also, don't forget stone soup! Or as I like to call it, random soup. It's a good way to use up leftovers and clean out your cupboards. Obviously, you want to use a combination of things that go together decently. Add to a pot veggies, meat or beans, and throw in some spices like basil, oregano, or thyme. Take it to a boil and then simmer for awhile to let the flavors mingle.


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## Miss Vickie (Aug 17, 2011)

CastingPearls said:


> *Defcorn5*
> 
> 1 box of yellow rice mix (prepared according to instructions but leave out the oil, margarine or butter)
> 
> ...



Lordie, Lordie, Lordie. I made this last night as a last minute choice as a side dish for grilled chicken. It was effin' delicious. I didn't have rice so I used a can of mixed organic beans. I also softened an onion in the butter, but other than that, I left the recipe unmolested.

So good. Damn. I see many permutations of this in my future!


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## Lightning Man (Aug 17, 2011)

The best way to eat well when broke ass is to cook. So I would suggest going to the grocery store and getting Dawn (named specifically because of how well it breaks up grease), cleanser, and oven cleaner, and then go to the hardware store and get a really good plunger, drain cleaner, and Bengal gold roach spray (named specifically because of the kick ass job it's done on really bad roach problems for people I know) and get that kitchen under control. And then ban the roomies from ever using it again. It's an initial investment that will repay you for weeks and weeks to come.

When I'm broke, I make soups with broth (chicken or beef), prepared meats (like hot dogs, or sausages, or pre-cooked chicken breast), flavoring vegetables (like garlic and onion and peppers), and eating vegetables (like carrots, potatoes, corn, peas).


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## Lightning Man (Aug 17, 2011)

Miss Vickie said:


> Lordie, Lordie, Lordie. I made this last night as a last minute choice as a side dish for grilled chicken. It was effin' delicious. I didn't have rice so I used a can of mixed organic beans. I also softened an onion in the butter, but other than that, I left the recipe unmolested.
> 
> So good. Damn. I see many permutations of this in my future!


Looks like I have to try Defcorn5 too.


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## CastingPearls (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm so glad everyone likes this recipe. I can't tell you how many people I've fed with it that have made it, then passed it on and so on. It's gone viral! 

And it's delicious!


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## riplee (Aug 19, 2011)

Rice, salsa, crushed corn chips, eat.


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## pdgujer148 (Aug 19, 2011)

riplee said:


> Rice, salsa, crushed corn chips, eat.



Hell, I make a grown-up salary and I pay Chipotle $13 for the same menu. 

I suddenly feel absurd. Like totally Sartre absurd.


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## Gingembre (Aug 19, 2011)

Lightning Man said:


> The best way to eat well when broke ass is to cook. So I would suggest going to the grocery store and getting Dawn (named specifically because of how well it breaks up grease), cleanser, and oven cleaner, and then go to the hardware store and get a really good plunger, drain cleaner, and Bengal gold roach spray (named specifically because of the kick ass job it's done on really bad roach problems for people I know) and get that kitchen under control. And then ban the roomies from ever using it again. It's an initial investment that will repay you for weeks and weeks to come.



Agree with this. My first year of college I lived with some absolutely filthy b*stards and, as much as I hate cleaning up the kitchen when it wasn't my mess, there comes a point when you're cutting off your nose to spite your face. Get onto the landlady about the roaches (again) and get that kitchen cleaned up. Your roomies might be more inclined to tidy up after themselves if someone bites the bullet and does the big deep clean. One of my roommates was notoriously bad for not washing up. There were pots & bowls along the window ledge that had f*ck knows what growing on them....i donned some marigolds (rubber gloves) and piled it all up outside his bedroom door. Heheh.

Back on topic....good recipes, ppl. I look forward to trying some - Vickie, good to know the defcorn thingy worked with beans....I have regular rice, but i don't know what yellow rice mix is...I dont think we have that here.


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## olwen (Aug 19, 2011)

Yellow rice is a latin thing. It's white rice with safron and sofrito I think. Sofrito is bunch of herbs along with some other veggies cooked down. Here, most people buy it in the supermarket. Or you can buy it as prepackaged food like what CP was talking about. I love yellow rice but the box kind is just too salty for me, so I make it at home. My niece likes it with green olives.

Which reminds me, another thing that lasts for like a week (as long as there's not more than two people eating it), is pernil. If it's made right it is soooooo fucking good. You can eat it over rice, make sandwiches, or get some dough (get the premade yuca or flour thingys from the store) and make pastelitos or empanadas. My family loves it and when they get pernil on the brain I have to make it.

Pernil

1 pork shoulder preferably with a bone (more flavor). Here it costs about $9, more if you get it from whole foods so don't get it there. It is also a low and slow thing, so do this on a day where you can kinda watch the stove. 


Oregano (fresh is better)
1 whole garlic bulb
salt
vinegar
olive oil (or whatever oil is on hand)

Poke holes, lots and lots of holes in the shoulder with a big fork, even the skin. Rub the salt all over the pork making sure to get some in the holes.

chop up the garlic (I like to slice off the top of the bulb and then smash it. The cloves are easier to pull apart like that) and oregano and put in a bowl with some pepper, a bit of vinegar and oil. You're going to make a paste.

Rub the paste all over the pork, making sure to get the garlic as deep into the holes as you can and under the skin. Put it in an air tight container or a large baggie and let it marinate for 24 hours. This is important. It won't taste right if you don't marinate it.

The next day, put it in a roasting pan or dutch oven with a little bit of water or white wine and cover it. Cook at about 250 degrees until the pork falls apart with a fork. You just won't need a knife. About 5 hours. The last 15 minutes of cook time, pull off the cover and turn the oven up to about 375 to let the skin get crispy. Watch it carefully tho so the pork doesn't dry out. Or if you don't want to wait, take the skin off and cook it in a pan and let it get crispy that way or just discard it if you hate the skin. 

An alternate to pork shoulder is pork belly. Do the same things, but substitute the oregano for rosemary, and add some dry mustard to the marinade. Tt's just as delicious but it's not pernil. It's pork belly.


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## MeltzNyoMouf (Aug 23, 2011)

that tater tot casserole looks good. ill have to try that one soon!!


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## Melian (Aug 24, 2011)

Potatoes have certainly been popular. I'm a poor grad student, and this is a regular meal:

Mashed sweet potato
Add onion, pepper, mushroom, carrot, broccoli, whatever else you want (~$2 worth of produce from Chinatown)
Dump in a bunch of Frank's Red Hot
Voila!

Also, since I'm Polish, I must mention that homemade cabbage rolls are super cheap and last for days. Oh, and grilled cheese sandwiches can be stuffed with various vegetables to make them reasonably healthy and filling (and cheap).


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## seavixen (Aug 24, 2011)

Yeah, hot dogs and ramen get old pretty fast. I seriously would not mind if I never had another hot dog again.

Pasta is the easiest thing to make, and it's cheap! A simple white sauce can be nothing more than butter, flour, and water, and it's really easy to make delicious sauces from scratch. You definitely want to always have some staples around - flour, spices of choice, oil - things like that. Then you can ALWAYS make SOMETHING. SOS (gravy over toast) was one of the things we had a lot when I was a kid to make things stretch.

I always keep some cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup around, because they can be used SO many ways. I also always have parmesan in the house, as well as cheddar cheese and tortillas. (I love tortillas! You can do just about anything with them. I've even had cheese + hot dogs in tortillas.... back in the hot dog days. You'll do anything to make them taste different! lol. If I'm pressed for time, I will often just have a tortilla + cheese + a dash of chili powder with salsa on top. Simple, totally unhealthy, but really yummy.)

Not as cheap, but cream cheese is good to have around too. You can make a hell of an alfredo sauce quickly and easily with cream cheese and a handful of other things. My husband and mom both LOVE my crab fettuccine alfredo. You can also make crab & cream cheese wontons pretty cheaply and very easily if you love deliciously unhealthy fried food and can't afford to get them at a Chinese place. As kinda sad as it is, I actually like the imitation crab better than the real stuff. lol

Also not as cheap, but I generally keep chicken in the freezer, because, once again - lots of stuff you can do with chicken. My fav is to make bread crumbs (sliced bread + oven = dried bread + grater = nice, fine bread crumbs), mix in some parmesan, rosemary, garlic, etc. and use that as a breading. Pound & cut the chicken, dredge it in flour,moisten with an egg/tiny bit of milk mixture, then coat it in the breading mix and fry it up. Yummy! Easy and totally delicious. Pounding the chicken makes it cook evenly / faster, and it stretches the meals you get out of it.

Potatoes. Lots of things to do with potatoes, and they're really cheap.

Pie. Pie crust is REALLY easy and cheap to make, and you can stick just about anything you want to in a pie crust. I love pie.

Side dishes make things last longer, and it makes you feel much less "poor" to have more than one thing to eat, even if it's just some toast or canned veggies or something. I always find that I eat more of something and feel hungrier / less satisfied in general if I'm only eating one thing for a meal.

On the practical side, I think the best investment I made in terms of things for my first place was a set of airtight canisters. If you eat cereal, you can buy in bulk, store it in the airtight canisters, and it seriously lasts a long time. Food spoilage is a terrible $$$ waster. It's also good to have an onion keeper or a container that has a sort of grated shelf set over the bottom to allow fruit/veg to drain, so that if you keep fresh produce in the fridge, it'll keep MUCH longer. I believe Rubbermaid makes some.

In a pinch, you can also do things to make stuff like ramen much tastier. (I'll spare you the ramen variations - lol - but you CAN totally fry up ramen noodles for crispies to have with stir fry.) You can often add a little of this or that to cheapo foods and make them much better. Cheese to frozen pizzas, [generic] velveeta to mac & cheese (you can also add hot dog slices), etc... but I think it's generally best to work from scratch. It often does not take much more time (if any) and the results are far better.


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## MrBob (Aug 26, 2011)

One of my favourite cheap eats is a very simple pasta dish. You'll need some :-

Pasta (I prefer to use Tagliatelle but Spahetti or linguine would be fine, heck you could even make it fresh but this is cheap eats remember!)
1 tin of chopped plum tomatoes
1 Jar of tomato passata
1 Tbsp tomato puree *optional
1 medium white onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
6 rashers of streaky bacon (Bacon tip, make your own, buy a pork belly and cure it yourself, it's easy, delicious, cheap and nitrate free!)
4 sausages (this recipe is designed with the classic British banger in mind but oyu can substitute for your own favourites, chorizo is excellent but needs to be cooked longer to render it's fat out)
Salt
Black Pepper
Thyme (dried is fine if you don't have fresh but herbs are cheap to grow in a window box and will transform dishes)
Olive Oil (doesn't need to be Extra Virgin, the cooking process will lose a lot of it's flavour so save yourself the money)
1 Chicken stock cube/stock pot (I prefer the Knorr brand. I don't know if they have them across the other side of the Atlantic but if they do, try the stockpots...excellent product.)

Method. 

First, you need to brown your sausages, just put them under the grill, keep turning until all sides are brown then remove to a plate for later.

Next. Fill a large pan with water and add a fair quantity of salt. Put it on the stove to boil the water (Some people like to add olive oil to the pan to prevent sticking but I don't bother...olive oil is expensive. Only use it where you need to.

While you're getting the water ready for your pasta chop and finally dice your onion and mince your garlic (either use a garlic press or do the chef method by finely chopping your garlic, pouring a bit of salt over it (to use as an abrasive) and then grind the garlic and salt with the flat of your knife.)

Now with your garlic and onion ready, put some olive oil in a clean, cold pan and add the onions and garlic immediately. Cook on a very low heat and stir occasionally. The idea is to cook the onions and garlic without colour until the onions are translucent. This is to remove the acidity and bring out the sweetness of the garlic and onions.

While your garlic and onions are sauteing gently in your pan, cut your streaky bacon into lardons. As you spot the onions going translucent throw in those lardons. Don't be tempted to add more oil at this point. As your bacon cooks it will render it's own fat, adding more oil will make your dish a bit too greasy.

Now that the bacon is rendering retrieve your browned sausages (NB. If you do try using a sausage like Chorizo ignore the browning stage and add at the same time as the bacon). Chop up your cooked sausages and then add the to your bacon, onions and garlic. 

If you do have any tomato puree add a tablespoon now but stir it well in and let it cook out some of it's rawness, this is not an essential and can be left out but it does give your dish a bit of body if you have it.

After letting all your ingredients cook out add your tin of chopped tomatoes and jar of passata. Now add seasoning, grind in black pepper to taste (I like a lot but it's an individual thing, if you're not sure, just add a little. If you taste the dish later and it's not enough just add more. There's a golden rule in cooking...you can always add, you can never take away. Also add your chicken stock cube/stock pot now. Do not add salt at this point. There is plenty of sodium in the chicken stockcube/pot and also from the bacon. If it needs more salt it can be added later. Now let this gently simmer down, thickening the sauce as it reduces.

Your water should be boiling now for your pasta, different types require different length of times to cook, read the packet, they're usually pretty accurate.

While your pasta is boilng keep stirring your pan of sauce. Taste it regularly as it cooks down, that way you can understand what's actually going on during the cooking process. As this is going on if you feel it needs a little more salt to bring out the flavours then add a little at a time, your palate should be your guide. When your pasta is about 2 minutes from ready add a small handful of thyme sprigs to your sauce (If using dried use less as the flavour's a bit more concentrated).

When your pasta is ready drain it from the boiling water thoroughly then add it to your sauce, twist it into your sauce with tongs and then serve in a nice deep pasta bowl, grate over some cheese if you've got any and have some nice crusty bread to mop up the sauce at the end. And have a nice cheap bottle of red with it (You can imagine it's the finest Brunello di Montalcino if you wish.)

This recipe will serve 2-3 people and works out at probably less that £3 a head. It will seriously fill you up like all good pasta dishes.


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## Carl1h (Sep 3, 2011)

When I need to eat super cheap I turn to cabbage and onions and eggs. Saute a chopped onion in some butter or oil until it's brown, add water and some chopped cabbage (extra flavorings here could be stock, wine, beer instead of some of the water). Once it's boiling and the cabbage is however tender you want it drop an egg or two in, leaving them whole or breaking them up as suits you. A little tabasco or vinegar or soy helps change the flavor up.

Also I second or third or twentieth the beans (any legume) and rice suggestions. Investing in a rice cooker and a crock pot can really help in a dodgy kitchen (and can also be used in rooms other than the kitchen). Crock pots are great for slow cooking things like beans and also good for everything from soup to pot roast, I've even cooked meat loaf in one.


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## idontspeakespn (Sep 3, 2011)

Cuban Beef stew - It initially might take a few dollars, but the quantity it makes it so worth it...it freezes incredibly well. In the end, it gives you probably 5 or 6 meals worth at around 2 dollars a pop and more meals if you stretched it with rice. 

 1/4 cup olive oil 
 1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
 1 tablespoon minced garlic 
 1 chopped green pepper 
 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes 
 1 tablespoon paprika 
 1 tablespoon dry oregano 
 1 tablespoon dry cilantro 
 2 1/2 pounds beef top round, cut into 1-inch cubes 
 1 cup dry Sherry (or any dry white wine)
 4 large peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes 
 Salt and white pepper 

Hot sauce, for serving (ESSENTIAL)

Fresh lime slices, for serving (ESSENTIAL)

 White rice, as an accompaniment 

Directions
In a heavy skillet, heat oil and saute onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic, peppers, tomatoes, spices, and meat and saute for 5 more minutes. Add Sherry and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add potatoes and enough water to cover meat and potatoes. Let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Splash a few drops of hot sauce into each bowl, serve with a slice of lime that can be squeezed through. Can be served with white rice. 

You can adopt this to suit your financial needs...more potatoes, less meat, no meat (still good) more bell peppers, etc. The only thing I would say is really don't skimp on the lime juice or hot sauce...and I made this, could eat it everyday, but I did end up freezing it and definitely got 10 good sized meals out of it, with the rice.


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## MrBob (Sep 6, 2011)

Right, this may well be the simplest and possibly one of the cheapest meals yet in this thread.

Penne Arrabiata

You need :-

Penne Pasta (get Penne Rigate aka 'the one with ridges' preferably
2 Garlic Cloves
Dried Chilli Flakes
1 Can of Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Method. 

1. first peel, then crush, then finely chop your garlic cloves. This is the most technically difficult part of the dish...ie, not diffcult at all. If it is too much for you, use a garlic press.

2. Add a good glug of olive oil to a saute pan. put the pan on a gentle heat.

3. Immediately add your garlic and chili flakes to the oil and stir. How much chilli flakes depends on how hot you like it. Let your own taste decide.

4. Let the garlic and chilli flakes infuse into your oil releasing their flavour. This should be a minute or two.

5. While this is going on, fill your favourite pasta pan with water, add salt, put it on a burner and bring to the boil.

6. Add your can of chopped tomatoes to the garlic and chilliflake flavoured oil in your saute pan. Season well with salt at this point. Add as much cracked black pepper as you like. I like a lot of zing so I put a lot of pepper in. Remember, if you taste it as the sauce cooks and it needs more, then add more. You can always add, never take away. Gently increase the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken to amplify the flavours and create a silky texture.

7. Add your Penne to your boiling water, the aim is usually to cook it al dente but if you prefer it not to have a little bite then just leave it in longer, the choice is yours.

8. *optional step* When your Pasta only has a minute or two left to cook you can add herbs to your sauce. Which herbs are entirely up to you, I personally like parsley and thyme, I think they work well with the tomatoes in your arrabiatta sauce and the parsley will neutralise garlic breath. NB if using dried herbs use a smaller amount. Also, check your seasoning at this point. Not enough salt/pepper, now's your chance to add more. Taste again and make sure your happy. Keep stirring this sauce, don't let it stick.

9. Your pasta is cooked (either al dente or softer if you prefer). Strain it in a collander. Once you've drained it of water add your pasta to your saute pan and stir into the sauce. 

Once the pasta is well coated in the sauce, plonk it in your favourite pasta bowl, grate over some pecorino or parmesan if you have either, get that cheap bottle of vino uncorked and enjoy a taste sensation. This may very well be the only vegetarian dish I cook. (You can add meat if you want though).

9. Now your pasta


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## idontspeakespn (Sep 7, 2011)

MrBob said:


> Right, this may well be the simplest and possibly one of the cheapest meals yet in this thread.



I get so turned on when guys talk about food :smitten:


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## joemurphy (Sep 7, 2011)

Here are a few blog links for Cheap Eats:
http://the99centchef.blogspot.com/ 
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
http://www.bloglander.com/cheapeats/


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## one2one (Sep 7, 2011)

idontspeakespn said:


> I get so turned on when guys talk about food :smitten:



Me, too! Except for me it happens when they talk about *cooking* food. :wubu:


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## LovelyLiz (Sep 8, 2011)

One other thing to mention - when you're on a budget, it makes all the difference in the world *where* you buy your groceries. Melian mentioned buying produce in Chinatown - and I don't know what kinds of markets you have near you, but I do find that some of the bigger non-chain, culture-specific markets (like Mexican markets, Chinese markets, etc.) tend to have VERY cheap meat, potatoes, and produce compared to the main chain markets (at least here in my area). Then there are some grocery stores that mark down meat when it's at its "sell by" date, and you can always buy a bunch and freeze it for later.

If you get those random mailers with all the advertisements every week - with grocery store mailers and a bunch of others - it can be great just to glance through all of those and see which places are having crazy good deals on meat, fruit, vegetables, etc. 

I end up saving a ton of money this way.


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## Lastminute.Tom (Sep 8, 2011)

I threw this awesome spicy bean dish together yesterday just using leftovers and a couple of random tins, we had
2 medium potatoes
1 large onion
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin baked beans
1 tin chick peas
3 big cloves of garlic
chilli powder, five spice, oregano, salt pepper to taste

I started by halving the potatoes and then slicing them put them in the wok with a tiny bit of oil and chilli and put the garlic cloves whole on top while I prepared the rest of the ingredients

diced the onion, chucked that in after the potatoes had started to soften, then I drained the chick peas and not really knowing what to do with them I put them in a jug of hot water to soften a bit whilst I seasoned the potato and onion mixture, 

once the garlic was soft enough I mashed it in to the mix with a fork and added the tomatoes chickpeas and baked beans, the tinned tomatoes made it pretty bitter so I added a healthy dollop of ketchup  then I just adjusted the seasoning until it was to my liking and I served them in left over fajita wraps 

we had with a dollop of mayo instead of sour cream and some people added relish or sauces to sweeten it but it was delicious without, we ran out of wraps pretty quick but we had the rest of the mix in pitta breads which're also pretty damn cheap, not including the seasoning I reckon that only set me back a few pounds and fed three of us heartily with some left over, pukka


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## idontspeakespn (Sep 8, 2011)

one2one said:


> Me, too! Except for me it happens when they talk about *cooking* food. :wubu:



Yeah, that too, its very sexy when a man knows how to handle himself in the kitchen. 

However, I also like the way Adam Richman on Man vs. Food talks about food...its like he's mention this ultra sensuous woman he wants to devour. I just want to have him over to taste my food and do that thing where he waves his head and goes 'mmmm MMMMM!!'


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## Tina (Sep 8, 2011)

I suggest either buying a whole chicken on sale and baking it yourself, and then using it for four different meals, as additions to things like Zataran's Red Beans & Rice, or their Carribean Rice -- both delicious. Save all of the bones and skin when you use the cut up chicken for recipes. Put it in a ziploc and put it back in the fridge.

Then, when the chicken is gone, you make this with the leftover carcass, bits of chicken and skin. I'm sorry, I don't measure when I'm cooking, and just kind of put things together..

My own quick and easy Chinese egg drop soup

I take a chicken carcass and make stock from it, using water, salt and pepper and garlic. Strain it and toss the bones and crap, then put the strained broth and whatever chicken, cut up, was able to be taken from the carcass, back into the pot with a bit of chicken bullion (if you have it). Bring it to a rolling boil. 

Add a bit of sesame oil and a couple of beaten eggs to the boiling broth and chicken bits, and mix both in while stirring and stirring until eggs firm up. Serve with a bit of soy sauce. Yum.


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## duraznos (Sep 17, 2011)

one of my favorite cheap chicken dishes is filipino chicken adobo -- i've made it like 3 times in the last month, lol.

3 lbs chicken thighs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
water
3 bay leaves
one onion sliced
2 tsps whole black peppercorns
head of garlic, peeled and crushed
lil bit of oil

brown the chicken in some oil in a big pot. add everything else (water to cover the chicken. bring to a boil, then turn down very low and let it simmer, covered, for 4 hours -- take the lid off for the last hour and turn up the heat for the last 20 minutes to reduce the sauce.

it's crazy good and crazy easy and crazy cheap. i like it over rice.


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## StickMan (Sep 24, 2011)

Short on extra virgin olive oil? Try using italian dressing! It usually has (low-grade) olive oil in it, but it's ironically cheaper than olive oil by the bottle. And it gives pasta a sort of vinegary tang that I, for one, love.


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## Deven (Sep 24, 2011)

Do you and your roommates pool your food budgets? If not, it might be wise to talk to them, ban them from using the kitchen, and make larger meals for all of you. Have them help you clean it up in exchange. Also, we had neighbors that brought roaches with them, and we got those traps where they take it back to their young, and they all die.

My favorite cheap meal:

1 can tuna
1 bag .99 cent mixed veggies
Mayo or miracle whip (added for personal preference)
1 bag egg (or cheap preferenced) noodles
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Make noodles and cook the veggies. Drain the tuna, add to bowl with noodles, veggies, and mayo. Season to taste. Hardboiled eggs can also be added.


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## olwen (Sep 25, 2011)

A friend made a soup yesterday that was really hearty and cheap:

Meatball soup

Small meatballs (uncooked) (She used kafta(sp?) meatballs that she bought from a greek market days before and had sitting in her freezer, but I suppose any kind of flavor will do) ($4.00 for a large pack of ground beef)
rice (already in your kitchen probably)
spinach ($2 - $3 frozen or fresh)
fresh garlic or garlic powder (less than $1)
chicken boullion cube ($1.50)
water
lemon juice (about one or two tblsp or one whole lemon) ($1-$2)
salt 
pepper
cumin
2 bay leaves (assuming these spices are already in your kitchen)

Fill a pot halfway with water. Drop meatballs in water, add buillion cube, salt pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and cumin. After the meatballs start to turn color add the spinach, and about a cup of rice (more if you want more rice), and lemon juice. Let simmer for about ten minutes. At this point meatballs that are big should be broken up into smaller pieces. Let the whole thing simmer on medium heat until rice is cooked. Total cooking time about 30 minutes. This was filling and delicious. There were three of us and enough soup for each of us to have three bowls throughout the whole day. This would last one person several days. 

Total cost about $8-$10.


Because I now have a hankering for kale soup but need an even cheaper version than a $15 one:

Any kind of sausage (keilbasa $2.79)
1 can navy beans or red kidney beans ($1.50)
Kale ($3 a bunch)
rice or potatoes (I've already got rice in the pantry so I'm using that)
onion ($0.50)
spices are already in my cabinet

Total cost roughly $8 for a soup that will last for two or three days.


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## sunnie1653 (Sep 25, 2011)

That Guy You Met Once said:


> According to my roommate, the landlady's been promising to do something about the roaches for a minute now.
> 
> Anyway, I (usually) do all my grocery shopping on Mondays, so I'll get on the rice recipes and potatoes tomorrow.
> 
> As for tonight, I just realized five minutes ago that I have everything I need in the house for tacos. That'll be a good use for some of my remaining Defcorn, too.





Your landlady should be ashamed of herself. Roaches are disgusting, disease-ridden nasty little creatures and should be banished from the earth, nevermind your kitchen. Your roommates should be ashamed of themselves. 300 dollar rent or no, if they don't have respect for you enough to clean up after themselves then you should find somewhere else to live.

Back on topic:

My favorite cheap meal is curried chickpeas

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 an onion, chopped
clove of garlic, grated (or minced, made into a paste with salt, whatever)
salt
pepper
curry powder to taste
garam masala, if you have it
rice
little bit of olive oil
pat of butter

Cook onion til soft in the olive oil. Add garlic. Then add tomato sauce and spices. Simmer a bit. Throw in the chickpeas. Simmer a bit more. Melt in the butter, serve over rice.  Yummy and this lasts me 2-3 meals at least. Its INSANELY filling.


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## liz (di-va) (Sep 25, 2011)

ungh, no bug talk. doesn't help.


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## CastingPearls (Sep 25, 2011)

Double post, sorry.


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## CastingPearls (Sep 25, 2011)

Sticky Chicken:

6-8 pieces of bone-in chicken of your choice
1 bottle (size of bottle depends on if you want lots of sauce or not) Catalina (also called Country French) salad dressing
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 jar (whatever size you like) apricot preserves. 

(generic or store brand everything works just fine) 

Preheat over to 325 F.
Place chicken closely together in a baking dish.
In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients, then pour over chicken.
Bake covered for an hour, then remove cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes. 
Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes.

Serve (with sauce) over rice of your choice.


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## sunnie1653 (Sep 25, 2011)

CastingPearls said:


> Sticky Chicken:
> 
> 6-8 pieces of bone-in chicken of your choice
> 1 bottle (size of bottle depends on if you want lots of sauce or not) Catalina (also called Country French) salad dressing
> ...



That sounds SO good!!! I might have to make that soon. I wonder if it would work with light dressing and sugar-free preserves.. hmmmmm.


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## CastingPearls (Sep 25, 2011)

sunnie1653 said:


> That sounds SO good!!! I might have to make that soon. I wonder if it would work with light dressing and sugar-free preserves.. hmmmmm.


I made it yesterday with non-fat Catalina and sugar-free preserves and it was delicious.


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## LovelyLiz (Sep 26, 2011)

CastingPearls said:


> I made it yesterday with non-fat Catalina and sugar-free preserves and it was delicious.



Do you use skinless chicken or with the skin on?


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## CastingPearls (Sep 26, 2011)

mcbeth said:


> Do you use skinless chicken or with the skin on?


I keep the skin on and prefer bone-in chicken as well.


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## CastingPearls (Sep 26, 2011)

Cornflake Chicken

Do you have a blender? Then just buy a big box of store brand cornflakes and blend them (you might need to do it in two or three shots depending on the size of your blender) to the consistency of crumbs OR buy a box of Kelloggs corn flake crumbs (around $3.50 a box-this will last you two recipes at least)


6-8 pieces of your favorite kind of bone in chicken (I use legs and thighs)
1 bottle of Wish-Bone Robusto Italian dressing. (here is the only thing I will use the exact brand. I've tried others--it's NOT the same)
A box of corn flake crumbs or make them yourself as noted above.

Marinate the chicken in the salad dressing a minimum of 6 hours to overnight. Discard salad dressing when done. DO NOT REUSE.
Preheat oven to 350 F
In a gallon size Ziploc bag, put in crumbs (I'd say half the box) and toss two pieces of chicken at a time to thoroughly coat. Continue until all chicken is coated.
Place in baking dish and top the chicken and spaces in between with some of the remaining crumbs.
(It isn't necessary to cover the baking dish.)
Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes.
Serve over rice or any other favorite side starch.

PS-In a pinch, I tried this recipe with leftover Cap'n Crunch. It was DELICIOUS!!!!


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## Tad (Sep 26, 2011)

We do something pretty simple to the above in terms of corn flake chicken, with the following differences:

- we use boneless chicken (have a kid who doesn't deal well with bones in his meat....but this does make it more expensive....cheapest is to use bone in).
- instead of salad dressing, we marinade/coat in a mix of yoghurt and hot dijon mustard (between 2-3 times more yoghurt than mustard)
- with boneless meat, doesn't take as long to cook (40 minutes or so?)

and to note, you can conveniently bake potatoes at the same time as the chicken is cokking, leaving you only vegetables to cook up.


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## TexasTrouble (Sep 26, 2011)

Kind of similar to Sticky Chicken Casting Pearls makes:

"Dump" Chicken

4-5 chicken breasts (I uses boneless skinless, could work with other cuts)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 small can sliced olives
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can artichokes
1 small can mushrooms
1 small bottle zesty Italian salad dressing
1c. white wine or apple juice

Heat oven to 400. Place the chicken in a baking dish. Sprinkle onion soup mix over chicken. Drain and dump the next four ingredients on top of that. In a separate bowl mix the salad dressing and wine (or juice). Pour over the top. Bake 45-60 minutes and serve over rice, pasta. It goes a long way, but it's really good.


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## Tad (Sep 27, 2011)

Meat is often the most expensive part of one's grocery budget (especially for most guys). There are basically three ways around this:
1- eat more veggie based proteins (beans, lentils, etc)
2- find meals that make a little meat go a long way (doesn't really increase the protein, but your taste buds are happy)
3- find the cheapest meat possible, and learn to make it tasty (or at least edible).

Here are two tips on that last one:

1) Slow roasting:

Try and find a place that sells really cheap cuts of meat, like low grade utility chickens, beef brisket (I think that is the cut, super tough in general). This is the hard part...I'd check out little ethnic grocery stores, if there are any around, as they seem more likely to carry this sort of thing.

Then, you are going to cook it in the oven for 8 hours at 200F, or 10 hours at 175F. Yes, it will get cooked through at such a low temperature, but you need that crazy amount of time. The key is, it gets cooked below the boiling point of water, which will take even a really tough cut of meat and leave it tender.

Of course, it is still better to add some flavor, be it a couple of strips of bacon, a rub with barbecue sauce, or for a bit of a splurge rub it with balsamic glaze. You can cook potatoes and other root vegetables alonside it, but idealy you only throw those in part way through the process. 

Obviously it takes a long time, but you don't have to pay it any attention, and you can cook up a fairly large amount of meat at one time, and have leftovers that you can slice up and have for lunch for days.

2) Liver. 

Yah, I know, but here me out. If you are really cutting back on meat, liver is like concentrated meat, loaded with iron and protein. I found that if I rinsed it well then soaked it in water for a while, then cut it into strips, then fried it crispy with oil or butter, then loaded it up with salsa, I didn't notice the liver taste.....too much. 

Now, some stores sell liver at fairly high prices, but the fact is that most people don't care for it, so if you look around you should be able to find it quite cheaply. I used to get pre-frozen slabs of it, that I could keep in the freezer for those days when I was dead broke.

And one more thing: If you can find this old, little, cookbook, it is a treasure trove of simple, hearty, generally cheap, eats: http://www.james-barber.com/tag/ginger-tea-makes-friends/ The author is James Barber AKA "The Urban Peasant," and he wrote plenty of other cookbooks, which are also good, but this was his first one with his time proven tasty, cheap, recipes. And it is illustrated with cartoons, so it is super easy to follow


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## agouderia (Sep 27, 2011)

Tad said:


> 2) Liver.
> 
> Yah, I know, but here me out. If you are really cutting back on meat, liver is like concentrated meat, loaded with iron and protein. I found that if I rinsed it well then soaked it in water for a while, then cut it into strips, then fried it crispy with oil or butter, then loaded it up with salsa, I didn't notice the liver taste.....too much.



... this is so true!

Liver-phobia is a North American pet peeve - get over it!

Here some Transatlantic suggestions:
Get either chicken or veal liver - they are the tastiest and tenderest (and chicken tends to be real cheap).

Rinse well, dry well and then turn in a little flower. Fry in a mixture of butter and olive oil (taste and texture-wise best).
Do not salt until after frying - otherwise it will turn hard and coarse!

Italian style: fry together with fresh sage and then add Marsala or Port to finish cooking it in, also some dried tomatoes if you like.
Nice with gnocchi or pasta and broccoli.

Dutch style: fry with onion rings and then add thinly sliced apples shortly before liver is done. Serve with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Bon appetit!


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## Heyyou (Sep 27, 2011)

Ive been here before, and im presently in same situation, "brokeass eating." Its true, Ramen noodles are your friend. Health be damned! They fill you up. Just a bit too salty. 

Also, +1 to mcbeth. Find a CHEAP grocery! Some stores have lower prices than you think. Did you ever think how these stores PAY for that big, huge store? The location? The ADVERTISING? It all filters down, somehow. Walmart is a big heavyweight in there now. Winn-Dixie is TOO TOO EXPENSIVE only thing i used to buy from them is meat, probably still.. i found bargains at a store that had changed its name. :huh: You really CAN get ripped off buying at the wrong place. (And people forget, Target has groceries too. DO NOT buy food at Kmart unless you want to get ripped. Not sure why Kmart is still around, i worked for them...) - let me remain focused on the topic.

And, as i just did, go to a FOOD PANTRY! Tomorrow, the pantry (food bank) is havding out ONE BOX OF FOOD PER MONTH (they made this change 4 days ago, im still not missing out i get one box.) Its a ding to pride, yea, and be prepared ot have your ID (they make a record of you so you dont get like 10 boxes of food, as was clearly happening, thats anywhere) and save, save, save.

You can pay anywhere from $100 to $300 extra per month if you dont do these things. Easily. 

I live at a Motel and im telling you this, ive been around. Food is the achilles heel of where I am and this is my experience. I have no kitchen. I DO have a fridge and microwave (why? lol) so i will fill the fridge with meat, and buy a Foreman grill so i can cook burgers. This will be how i save money once i get the money to buy the grill that plugs in to the wall.............

Hope this helps.


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## Lightning Man (Sep 27, 2011)

The way to take advantage of the bigger stores is to get the meat when it's the loss leader at the grocery store and learn to freeze it for cooking later.


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## CastingPearls (Sep 27, 2011)

I don't know if I missed anyone mentioning it, but crock-pots or slow cookers are relatively cheap and most recipes found online are easy. In a nutshell, you throw ingredients in, plug it in, and wait (or do other productive stuff) 4-8 hours depending on what you're making. The great thing about slow cookers is that you can use cuts of meat that aren't considered prime which are much more expensive and you can save a lot of money. There are also great vegetarian dishes available as well.


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## Carl1h (Sep 28, 2011)

Tad said:


> Meat is often the most expensive part of one's grocery budget (especially for most guys). There are basically three ways around this:
> 1- eat more veggie based proteins (beans, lentils, etc)
> 2- find meals that make a little meat go a long way (doesn't really increase the protein, but your taste buds are happy)
> 3- find the cheapest meat possible, and learn to make it tasty (or at least edible).



Speaking of cheap cuts of meat, pork loin is often the cheapest meat where I shop. I buy a big one then multi use it:

Cut off a chunk to brine and roast.

Cut off some chops to pan fry with a light coating (not too thick of a cut, they can be tough).

Run the rest through my meat grinder with some bacon and spices for home-made sausage that's lean even with the bacon (pork loin is super lean) and has less preservatives.


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## MrBob (Sep 28, 2011)

Tad said:


> 2) Liver.
> 
> Yah, I know, but here me out. If you are really cutting back on meat, liver is like concentrated meat, loaded with iron and protein. I found that if I rinsed it well then soaked it in water for a while, then cut it into strips, then fried it crispy with oil or butter, then loaded it up with salsa, I didn't notice the liver taste.....too much.
> 
> Now, some stores sell liver at fairly high prices, but the fact is that most people don't care for it, so if you look around you should be able to find it quite cheaply. I used to get pre-frozen slabs of it, that I could keep in the freezer for those days when I was dead broke.



Liver's A-ok in my book. I'm not a fan of Pig's liver but Lamb's liver is an awesome meat for cheap eating. I generally do the classic liver and onions. Simple, cheap, quick and tasty.

How to make Liver and onions.

First up...your liver. If you find it's too strong a taste for you place your liver in a bowl containing milk, this will draw out some of the blood reducing the bitterness.

Step 2. Chop up a nice big white Onion into Slices, not dice. Just take the top off, peel it, cut in half and slice away.

Now get your favourite frying/saute pan. Chuck in a heroic amounto fo butter. Melt that butter until it's foaming and your pan is hot.

Throw in your onions and start stirring like crazy as you fry them on a high heat. Don't allow them to sit still or they'll scorch. Keep cooking and stirring until they're a delightful nutty brown caramel colour and soft. Strain the butter and onions into a collander catching the butter in a bowl beneath. Retain this, you can use a bit of this butter later for the liver and help the onion flavour carry through.

Now return your strained onions to your saute pan, splash in a little red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar. Stir the vinegar well into your onions. Place your onions in the middle of a warm plate.

Now the liver. Remove your liver from the milk bowl. Pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Now season both sides of your liver and then coat in plain flour.

Prepare your pan. Put it on a medium high heat. Add a tiny bit of the butter you retained from your onions (just enough to prevent your liver sticking in the pan. When your pan is back up to temperature. Pick up your liver from the flour, shake off any excess and place in the pan. If your pan is the right temperature cook it for a minute on each side or until the blood just starts to pierce the surface. If your pan is too hot it will scorch your flour and burn, too cold and it will become soggy. Once your Liver is done, place on top of the onions then eat and enjoy.


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## sw33tness3 (Oct 2, 2011)

I wasn't a fan of liver and onions growing up.. but I guess it grew on me. Still not a favorite, but I'll eat it on occasion. I make it similar to MrBob but what I do after frying the liver(beef liver, I usually cut it up in either thin strips or small pieces), put the onions back in the pan with the liver, pour the extra flour from coating the liver into the pan too and add water(or wine or some other liquid) to make a gravy then cook for a while. Its good with fried potatoes.

kraft mac and cheese-quick and easy. I add a few slices of american cheese to make it cheesier. sometimes add a can of drained tuna or some browned hamburger meat.

tuna salad sandwich-drain a small can of tuna and mix it with mayo, a lil mustard, chopped up then mashed with a fork boiled eggs and some shredded lettuce, add salt/pepper to taste. eat it outta the bowl or put it on some bread.

bowl of cereal lol. Malt-O-Meal cereals taste almost the same as name brand ones.... and they are cheaper per ounce.

club crackers deli meat/summer sausage/whatever and cheese sandwiches. 

hamburger helper... or this:
homemade lasagna hamburger helper-
cook some wide egg noodles to al dente(almost done) then drain.
brown 1lb of hamburger meat with some chopped onion then drain the grease and add some spaghetti sauce mix or italian spices. Add a small can of tomato sauce and cook for 5-10 mins or till it thickens/cooks down just a lil bit. Mash up about a cup of cottage cheese and mix with about a cup of sour cream then add to the meat mixture and add the cooked noodles. Mix it all up and put in a casserole dish and sprinkle shredded cheese on top then bake in the oven 350 degrees for about 30 mins or until bubbly on the sides and heated throughout.


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## Lightning Man (Oct 2, 2011)

CastingPearls said:


> I don't know if I missed anyone mentioning it, but crock-pots or slow cookers are relatively cheap and most recipes found online are easy. In a nutshell, you throw ingredients in, plug it in, and wait (or do other productive stuff) 4-8 hours depending on what you're making. The great thing about slow cookers is that you can use cuts of meat that aren't considered prime which are much more expensive and you can save a lot of money. There are also great vegetarian dishes available as well.


I adore my slow cooker. And the reason you can use the lower cuts of meat and still have a tasty experience is because of the long slow cook, which breaks down the fibers that might be tough in other cooking methods. It's also good with meats that are still on the bone for the same reason.


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## That Guy You Met Once (Feb 6, 2012)

Sam's Club sells pre-cooked shredded barbecue chicken marinated in Jack Daniel's. It's $10, but you get a lot.

With lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, and Jack cheese, it makes the greatest sandwich you will ever taste.


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## Ruby Ripples (Feb 8, 2012)

sw33tness3 said:


> I wasn't a fan of liver and onions growing up.. but I guess it grew on me. Still not a favorite, but I'll eat it on occasion. I make it similar to MrBob but what I do after frying the liver(beef liver, I usually cut it up in either thin strips or small pieces), put the onions back in the pan with the liver, pour the extra flour from coating the liver into the pan too and add water(or wine or some other liquid) to make a gravy then cook for a while. Its good with fried potatoes.
> 
> kraft mac and cheese-quick and easy. I add a few slices of american cheese to make it cheesier. sometimes add a can of drained tuna or some browned hamburger meat.
> 
> ...



LUCKY you that tuna, mayo, sour cream and deli meats are all broke ass ingredients there. The tuna, cream and the deli meats in particular are pricy here in the UK.


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## EMH1701 (Feb 9, 2012)

Homemade chicken soup is great if you don't have a lot of money, and it's good comfort food.

If you want to make chicken stock ahead of time ala Julia Child, get a package of gizzards and a package of drumsticks, or something else with bones. Drumsticks and gizzards are usually inexpensive, so that's what I get for making chicken stock.

Dump the gizzards and drumsticks into a pot of water. Add some onions, celery, and carrots chopped up. Also add some spices like basil, parsley, and thyme. A bay leaf doesn't hurt. Add a little salt & pepper if you like. A spoonful or two of butter helps as well.

Cook up the broth until the meat is done. Strain it into a container. Save the meat from the drumsticks for later and the veggies, you can freeze them. Throw the drumstick bones away, or give them to your dog as a treat if you have one.

Freeze the broth separately. This is your chicken stock for cooking if you want to use it as such.

If you don't like gizzards, throw them out. They just add character to the broth. They should be fairly soft with all the cooking, but some people don't like them anyway. The more bones, the better for adding flavor to the broth. Chicken livers would probably also work.

When you feel like making the chicken soup, add the broth, leftover meat and veggies. Boil in a pot. Add egg noodles at the very end because they expand a lot. I mean a lot; don't make chicken soup with egg noodles in a crock pot unless you like really huge noodles. I learned this the hard way.


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## EMH1701 (Feb 9, 2012)

Tad said:


> Meat is often the most expensive part of one's grocery budget (especially for most guys). There are basically three ways around this:
> 1- eat more veggie based proteins (beans, lentils, etc)
> 2- find meals that make a little meat go a long way (doesn't really increase the protein, but your taste buds are happy)
> 3- find the cheapest meat possible, and learn to make it tasty (or at least edible).



I have noticed that chicken is often less expensive than red meat.

If you are really craving red meat, go for the ground beef. It's usually less expensive than other types.

It depends on the store, but some grocery stores sell their private label meat for a lot less than name brand, and you can find good private label meat. But it all depends on the store and their quality.

Also, I reiterate my earlier post about chili. Use lots of beans and little meat, and you can save money. Plus, if you make it spicy, you won't be missing the meat as much. You can add chunkier veggies such as zucchini and eggplant into chili, and use the big tomatoes cut into chunks instead of the canned variety, for texture.


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