Originally Posted by Wodgy I like Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" (despite the bombastic title, it's a good basic introduction to practical cooking). If you *really* want to live frugally, pick up the "More with Less Cookbook", a collection of recipes and cooking techniques from missionaries who work in third-world countries where money is scarce and prepared foods are rarely available.
Originally Posted by NightWoundsTime I picked up some fresh tiger shrimp today, half pound for about $3.50. Peeled and deveined them, dipped in a little BBQ sauce and wrapped in bacon and then on the George Foreman grill they went. Side it with some steamed spinach and it was a hell of a meal for probably under $5. More work than a helper but tasty.
You know, that actually sounds pretty damned nice. I actually have a Foreman grill, probably should start a topic on that in the future since it gets little use! I know helper isn't exactly "frugal" but it sure beats paying 5 or 6 bucks for a combo at a fast food place when you're hurting for money. Plus it refrigerates and reheats pretty well, show me a burger that can do that
I don't think I'm doing so bad that I need to pick up one of those "starvin' with Louis or More with Less" books though.
Highflyin9: Banquet? Yeesh, it's been ages since I've eaten that myself! From what I can remember, they were pretty horrible, the mashed potatoes in particular would never heat up right
You are right though, it's incredible that they can sell those for the price they do, REALLY makes you wonder what kind of after parts must be in them
I tried some Dinty Moore Beef Stew the other day, it was surprisingly good, at least as good as Marie Calendars, still, saving up for stuff really sucks man
Originally Posted by NightWoundsTime I picked up some fresh tiger shrimp today, half pound for about $3.50. Peeled and deveined them, dipped in a little BBQ sauce and wrapped in bacon and then on the George Foreman grill they went. Side it with some steamed spinach and it was a hell of a meal for probably under $5. More work than a helper but tasty.
cool... I'll have to try it. I LOVe my Forreman Grill for bacon!!! So Crispy!!
I had some expenses to pay off awhile back so I went two months only able to buy gray osetra caviar. Even after all this time I still find it a bit embarrassing to be admitting this in a public forum! Time heals, time heals.
Originally Posted by braillediver Hamburger Helper? That’s down right extravagant. You could put real hamburger in there. Back in my day it was Team Top Ramen- no real food, just salt and msg- you save money embalming the body prior to actual death.
The younger generation is spoiled.
Mitch
ha ha... that was the funniest post i've read in a while! thanks mitch.
Too much salt and sugar. However, I have spent tons of time to find and replicate the essence of it:
* Get out a cast iron skillet. All others suck
* Make a olive oil + butter roux (you can just use butter, and maybe bacon grease--I just love the OO/butter flavor), made just until it changes color. Start some pasta water.
* Add onion, garlic, and anything else you wish at this time (bell pepper, celery, and any meat)
* Cook around medium until the onions get clear
* Add whole milk, half&half, or cream
* Once heated and mixed, add any spices that shouldn't cook much (leafy stuff, hot peppers, etc.)
* Add corn starch. This is the trick to making it glossy, smooth, and sticky, without risking separation from the pasta as it cools
* Add grated cheese, mix well
* Add cooked pasta, toss quickly, and serve
I eye-ball the amounts, so can't help much, there.
All the goodness of a made from scratch meal, not expensive (might be much cheaper than Helper), and if it didn't smell so good and lack in sugar, you might swear it was just fancy <insert meat and spice style> Helper™.
P.S. Bah. Poor recipe writing. My excuse: it's 3:30 and I'm cleaning.
Sounds good Cerbie. I cooked quite a bit a while back, mostly italian food. I have this amazing dude, Franco LoRe, in Ybor who opened a little restaraunt while I was in college there. He did stuff like chicken/eggplant parmesan, veal, and seafood lunch specials for around $5 - 7. Huge helpings and always had his killer penne with vodka sauce on the side (vodka sauce = 2 parts tomato sauce, 1 part heavy cream, and a splash of vodka right at the end so as not to cook out). He operated out of an absolute dump. Ybor is a night club and shopping zone so he did good business both for local downtown lunch traffic and all night snackers. Now he's moved across the street and does a lunch buffet, about the quality of good catering I'd say. Since he only charges about $9 he cuts back on the quality of meats sometimes and it doesn't have that personal touch but the food is good anyway.
One day in the old dump he had a cookbook he'd written for sale on burned CD's, in PDF format. I made a ton of stuff out of that, and I'm pretty comfortable with making sauces. I'd grown tired of the heavy fats in that food though. Up until recently I hadn't cooked much and just did takeout and fast food but that gets old too. Really trying to save some money now and I'm finding that cooking frugally is pretty satisfying.
OMG Starvin with Louis is awesome. Thanks for the link.
"Those are... mussels. That is ****in heinous." - Dr Schwartz
Add some hot sauce to your Hamburger Helper to perk it up a bit.
Another option that I like is.....instead of using Hamburger Helper, I will use instant macaroni and cheese and mix in canned tuna fish. I know it’s basically prison food but there are people who secretly like this. Add some cooked frozen peas or chopped scallions to add a little more dimension to the dish as an option.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
