$10 Dinners part 9

14. Menu: Mexican cornbread squares and salad
Shopping List: 2 Cornbread mixes (or make your favorite recipe), milk & eggs, 1 lb ground beef, chili powder and/or cumin, 1/2 c chopped onion, 1 1/2 cup salsa, bag of lettuce salad(or make your own.)

Pre-heat oven to temperature on cornbread mix. Scramble-fry the ground beef and onion, adding a little chili powder and/or cumin to taste. (We use 1 tsp each.) Using a sprayed 9x13 pan, cover the bottom with ground beef and then layer the salsa over top. Mix up the cornbread batter using eggs and milk. Evenly spread over the salsa and meat. Place in oven and bake until cornbread is done.

Take out of oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge to release from pan. Place a flat pan or plate large enough to cover the cornbread over top and grab each end of both pans with potholders. Carefully and quickly flip (invert) pans so that the cornbread squares come out of the pan and onto the plate for cutting and serving. This makes a very nice presentation. Serve with salad on the side. Pass the dressing.

Alternate Method: Place half of the cornbread batter in greased pan and then sprinkle with ground beef. Layer in the remaining cornbread batter and then bake. When squares are removed from pan the ground beef will be in the middle layer. Serve with salsa on top. Total Cost: $7.95

15. Menu: Chicken Dinner Quick (To buy on your way home from work)
Shopping List: BBQ chicken, 1-2 pkg refrigerator biscuits, 1 can gravy, (For the fruit or vegetable, just use something you already have at home; froz veg or can of fruit or fresh veggies in fridge that need to be used up.)

Method: Make biscuits while setting table and warming gravy. Prepare your fruit or veggie. Serve chicken with hot biscuits and gravy to go over top and veggie. Ready in a snap. Total cost: $8.80