Meals. Do you have any favorites that have seen you through times when money was tight? Or maybe when you didn't have to be so careful with the budge you still make a particular meal that you found works out really cheap but good.
I'm sure we all know the usuals - 101 things to do with mince - but are there any that you have made that was really good value for money and came out fantastic. I always end up coming back to the good old Shepherd's pie. Feeds a large family, you can make is spread even further by adding more veg if unexpected guests arrive and everyone eats it.
We should do something like Ready, Steady, Cook where they had to cook a meal with only 5 pounds (money, not weight) of food bought. Or Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and keep the budget to only $5 or something. to feed a family of 4.
So, come on guys, what secrets do you have.
)
That's funny Ben, making shepherds pie tonight and using extra veg. wink
I might go to the expensive side and melt some cheddar cheese on the potatoe.
Zed
When I was a kid and we had no money my mum would make cheese and potato pie with a pastry crust, cooked potato and onion, mashed witha bit of marge and cheese, then cheese sprinkled on the top and bunged under the grill to brown. Served with a dollop of tomato sauce...yummy!!!! Amazing how far she could make a couple of ounces of cheddar go. (With the mould scraped off!!!)
Oh, and tomato sauce butties.
Debs x smile
I think the most difficult thing for me in cooking a cheap meal is the cheese. The stuff here is so mild you need $5 worth to make a meal taste any good - whether that's a pound of the normal stuff or a tiny sliver of an import. If you can cook something without cheese you are going well.
For cheap meals I usually do one of the following
1) Mac and cheese - from scratch. I find the cheapest strongest Cheddar in the shops (usually Aldi sharp) and throw it in with some milk and elbow macaroni and spices.
2) Garlic & Herb Spaghetti - Plenty of fresh garlic, some fresh herbs from the garden, and spaghetti or linguine or similar.
3) Burritos - the tortillas are fairly cheap, Mexican cheese is cheap-ish and you don't need a lot. For the beans I take some cans of kidney beans and northern beans or similar bought from Save-a-Lot and make a puree with a hand blender, then stick them in a saucepan to cook them through, adding some taco seasoning (again from Aldi). For a wet burrito put some more of the seasoning in some tomato sauce and you've got yourself a cheap enchilada sauce.
4) Pizza - bread machine dough using 99c yeast from Save-a-Lot, makes enough for 2x 12" crusts, add a 29c can of tomato sauce from Aldi seasoned with spices and herbs from the same store, and half a bag of any ol' shredded mozz. Can't beat 2 12" pizzas for $3!
That's a good idea you know debs, we should list all ingredients and their prices (down to the last cent) and see how well we can do for a $5 bill.
My mother used to make Bacon Pudding, except it wasn't a dessert.
It was made with a suet dough, rolled, covered with streaky bacon, Sage and onions. It was rolled up bound with string and steamed. It was served with Oxo gravy.
Cooked brown rice mixed with onion and tuna fried together and served in mounds surrounded by a frill of peas and a couple of slices of tomato on top. Lived on it yonks ago. Fed everyone who turned up at mealtime, and oddly enough people used to turn up at mealtime. So you stretched the meal by adding rice and another can of tuna if you could afford it.
Cheesy tuna pasta bake. 2 cans tuna, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can sweetcorn, some cheese and cooked pasta (always seemed to guess the amounts) Season with herb of choice.
Haven't made it in years, now I think of it.
If you like eggs, then ommelets are always a cheap and quick meal. You can throw in just about anything into them.
Leftovers, anything that needs eating that hasn't got too much green fuzz on it yet. When the wife is at work, rather than just cook, I'll just snack on whatever needs eating pretty much.