If you only had $5.00 what would you fix for a family of 4?

[kadesma]

Thanks for bumping this up Texas I always have a bag of pinto beans on hand as well as at least a 1/4 lb. of bacon, onions, garlic so I would make a pot of my dads beans, have a green salad if we wanted it and some warm french bread..That's it, easy, frugal and no running out to the store.
kadesma

 

[cara]

a good soup.. we have enough soup meat in our freezer... just some carrots, celery and some.. hmm.. what do you call it? field garlic? leek?
that`s the problem with my dicionary page... i ask for one word and I get a variety of answers..
okay.. all that together and you get a wonderful beef broth....

 

[auntdot]

How about bean burritos?

Saute some diced onions in some bacon grease, or other fat or oil.

Add canned and drained kidney beans (reserve the fluid) and some cumin or chili sauce.

Cook for a few minutes and then mash (use a potato masher or dump into food processor).

Add some of the reserved fluid if needed.

Soften large flour tortillas by steaming over boiling water.

Slather bean mixture on tortillas and top with raw diced onions, cheese, diced tomatoes, salsa, taco sauce, anthing you want.

Wrap up and enjoy.

Did this many times when we were strapped for cash.

 

[Barbara L]

Tuna noodle casserole would be one choice.

As much as I normally hate SPAM, we discovered that we like it cut into strips and baked with sauerkraut, and served with mashed potatoes and peas.

Barbara

 

[Constance]

Micheal, my mom made slumgullion too, and I loved it.

This one's pretty easy for me, because I had to make lots of cheap meals when my kids were little.

Mon: Creamed chipped beef with peas on biscuits
Tues: Sausage & Noodle Casserole...made with 1 lb. bulk pork sausage, crm mushroom soup, noodles and Velveeta Cheese
Wed: Texas more, made with hamburger, corn, tomato sauce, elbow macaroni & Velveeta Cheese, garlic bread
Thurs: Chicken and dumplings made from leg quarters, cornbread & green beans
Friday: re-runs from above
Sat: Bunwiches, tuna salad made with hard-boiled eggs, tuna, sliced olives, cubed Velveeta Cheese and Miracle whip, spread into hollowed out French bread, wrapped in foil, and baked at 350 until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Sunday: Burgers on the grill.

 

[LEFSElover]

When we were saving money to buy our first house, I tried to be really frugal about how I spent money. I would buy a 10 pounder of ground beef and stretch it out for the entire week. One night tacos, the next meatloaf, the next spaghetti with meatballs, the next chili, the next stroganoff, the next MaidRite sandwiches, the next stuffed peppers. DH never realized that all week he'd been eating ground beef. The price was right for sure back then.

My take on cooking is sometimes odd at best. I like to come up with things that often make no sense to anyone except me. And I'll add that many times, the end result states why, they turn out awful. Is there tuna/chicken/ham/turkey (canned) in the pantry? I can make masterpieces out of them making a sauce of sorts with soups/cheese/lemon etc. Using a breading method stretches the meat and therefore makes the main dish go further. Canned veggies or fresh ones can add to the size/interest of an otherwise boring salad. Quick breads add to the sustenance of the meal too. I like Sally Lunn's muffins. Everyone has the ingredients readily available so they're easy to make up.

Home made Mac and Cheese is a favorite of mine. Kids these days though have been raised on the blue-boxed stuff and for whatever reason seem to prefer it. You can get a large amount of Mac and Cheese and the budget isn't broken, if you make from scratch.

 

[velochic]

Aldi's and Save-A-Lot

I saw this and had to laugh... even in Germany, its mother-country, Aldi's is less expensive.

Edited to get rid of the ugly typo.

 

[velochic]

I'd buy a chicken, roast it, buy half a kilo of a vegetable and make a gravy. Maybe make noodles in the stock from boiling the chicken bones.

 

[urmaniac13]

I saw this and had to laugh... even in Germany, it's mother-country, Aldi's is less expensive.

Here in Rome Lidl is our choice of supermarkets!! They are always full of good values for your money

 

[texasgirl]

Micheal, my mom made slumgullion too, and I loved it.

This one's pretty easy for me, because I had to make lots of cheap meals when my kids were little.

Mon: Creamed chipped beef with peas on biscuits
Tues: Sausage & Noodle Casserole...made with 1 lb. bulk pork sausage, crm mushroom soup, noodles and Velveeta Cheese
Wed: Texas more, made with hamburger, corn, tomato sauce, elbow macaroni & Velveeta Cheese, garlic bread
Thurs: Chicken and dumplings made from leg quarters, cornbread & green beans
Friday: re-runs from above
Sat: Bunwiches, tuna salad made with hard-boiled eggs, tuna, sliced olives, cubed Velveeta Cheese and Miracle whip, spread into hollowed out French bread, wrapped in foil, and baked at 350 until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Sunday: Burgers on the grill.

how do you make the creamed chipped beef? I used to eat the soup,but, haven't been able to find it since I was little.

 

[Constance]

I start by making a white sauce, Texas. Melt 2 tbls butter or margarine in a saucepan, stir in 2 tbls of flour, then whisk in 2 cups of milk. Cook on medium heat, strring frequently, until thickened. Add torn pieces of dried chipped beef (I like the jarred kind), a can of drained mushrooms, and a can of drained peas. Season with a grind of black or white pepper. Serve over biscuits or toast.

Some people use cream of mushroom soup as a base, but I find it too salty with the already salty beef.

 

[velochic]

Okay, here I go (re: my post in Forum suggestions).

Constance... I was taught to cook the flour in the butter first, no? Add milk rightaways?

 

[urmaniac13]

To make my white sauce, I usually beat the flour together with milk until smooth before I put it in the sauce pan (actually I use a double boiler though) this works for me to keep the flour from forming lumps...

 

[velochic]

Thank you!

 

[urmaniac13]

Thank you!

eh sneaky you, you didn't act quickly enough I saw your unedited post!!

And it is called Urmy's yummy goo!! Anyways ask, always ask, everyone does here and it is the point of this forum!!

 

[Constance]

I just make it the way my grandma taught me, and it's always good. Everone has their own way of doing things.
I've noticed a lot of you talk about cooking the flour for a few minutes, but I've never done that, and have never noticed any "floury taste". I guess it's all in what you are used to.

 

[velochic]

Okay!!

 

[licia]

I'd always worried about a floury taste, but someone gave me a recipe for a cheese sauce that isn't even cooked. The cheese and flour are shaken together til the cheese is coated, then scalded milk along with the cheese/flour mixture is put into a blender, season with a bit of salt and ground mustard and blend. The sauce comes out great and never fails. Just use the regular amounts that you would use to make the usual cheese sauce.

 

[nettieplee]

I've got another "poor supper" that has been in my family forever....my grandma served it, my mom served it, and now I serve it. A lot of people have never heard of it.

Soupburgers - brown about a pound of ground beef, add two or three cans of vegetarian vegetable soup (depends on how far you need to stretch the meal), add some ketchup, mustard, and worchestire sauce to taste, and serve over cheap hamburger rolls

Nothing special, but its so good. And quick, easy and cheap. Sometimes I'll do a bag of french fries with it.

 

[Robo410]

beans and rice with ham hock and greens of some type or pasta with red sauce and also greens (kale or chard is very good with pasta.) cheese isn't cheap, but if the rice and pasta were already in the pantry along with cans of tomatoes and beans, then I could spend the money on the ham hock, cheese and or a little ground meat, and the fresh greens. It can be done even today.