We have reached the #21 meal of our 100 meals under $10. I am going to digress for a short while, and revisit this goal later. I would like to cover some other topics, such as easy weeknight meals, soup meals, favorite meals, big meals, real meals (we'll find out what that means later!), winter meals, and a plethora of other meal topics that I am just itching to write about.
I will not forget the promise to deliver 100 meals under $10. In fact, I will continue to post several recipes for that category each month.
I have taken a long holiday from posting here, as you can see, and with the kids back in school I want to really ramp things up.
I would like to hear feedback from readers who have tried the ideas on this page: Join A Cooking Club
I reply to every response, and if you would like to vote on your favorite way of organizing a cooking club, I will post the results.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
$10 Dinners part 14
21. Pizza potatoes, jellied salad, garden-fresh greens
Pizza potatoes are easy to make. You start with a "crust" of mashed potatoes. You will want to use a 9x13 pan and put them in 1-1 1/2 inch deep. You can either use leftovers, or make some fresh, or mix from a package. Then you layer on your favorite pizza toppings. You can use tomato sauce if you wish but we usually skip it. Layer on sliced meat or leftover bits of meat, sliced onions, tomatoes, grated cheese, mushrooms. Whatever you have. Then pop it in the oven long enough to melt the cheese and warm the potatoes if they're cold.
Jellied salads aren't our favorite to eat very often but sometimes, especially on a hot day, we enjoy lime salad set with grated carrots in it. Add a bowlful of garden-fresh greens if available.
This yummy meal is very inexpensive, and fills hungry tummies at the same time.
Cost is approximately $7.00-$8.00 depending on toppings and amount of cheese.
Pizza potatoes are easy to make. You start with a "crust" of mashed potatoes. You will want to use a 9x13 pan and put them in 1-1 1/2 inch deep. You can either use leftovers, or make some fresh, or mix from a package. Then you layer on your favorite pizza toppings. You can use tomato sauce if you wish but we usually skip it. Layer on sliced meat or leftover bits of meat, sliced onions, tomatoes, grated cheese, mushrooms. Whatever you have. Then pop it in the oven long enough to melt the cheese and warm the potatoes if they're cold.
Jellied salads aren't our favorite to eat very often but sometimes, especially on a hot day, we enjoy lime salad set with grated carrots in it. Add a bowlful of garden-fresh greens if available.
This yummy meal is very inexpensive, and fills hungry tummies at the same time.
Cost is approximately $7.00-$8.00 depending on toppings and amount of cheese.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
$10 Dinners part 13
19. Curried Lentils with Cucumber sticks and Biscuits
This is a new curried lentil recipe I received the other day and it was fantastic! Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition, very filling, and very cheap! Just how we like it!
Shopping List:
Lentil Curry ingredients: 1 medium onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 apple, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 cup lentils, 2 cups water, 1/2-1 tsp curry, dash of fennel seed. Also 1-2 large cucumbers, and biscuit ingredients or package mix.
Combine the Lentil Curry ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.
While that is cooking, make up the biscuits and slice the cucumbers into long fingers.
The lentils can be scooped up with the biscuits or eaten alongside.
Total = $6.00
Note: There are countless other ways to prepare lentils if curry isn't your favorite. We often enjoy a hearty bowl of lentil stew. Basically you can add lentils to any favorite stew combination to make it more filling and stretch the meat farther. They also add a very interesting texture sensation. Lentils can also be used to make lentil loaf and lentil patties.
20. Easy Quiche and tossed salad
This makes one pie plate of quiche. If you have a family of hungry appetites, or want to have some planned left-overs, then make double the recipe to make two pies. This is a good use-up-whatever-you-have-recipe!
Shopping List: Handful of mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese, grated; Cooked, chopped chicken or ham (or leave out), chopped veggies as desired, or leftover frozen. 3 eggs, 3/4 cup Bisquick (or make your own), 1 1/2 cups milk. For tossed salad: Use or buy whatever you want to make it colorful and interesting. Salad dressing to pass with salad.
Put the cheeses, meat, and veggies in lightly greased pie plate. Toss together. Mix the eggs, bisquick and milk in a blender. Pour over the cheese mixture and bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour.
While that is cooking, make your tossed salad. Use whatever you have and serve dressing on the side.
Total: $4.50- $7.50 depending on what you put in your quiche.
This is a new curried lentil recipe I received the other day and it was fantastic! Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition, very filling, and very cheap! Just how we like it!
Shopping List:
Lentil Curry ingredients: 1 medium onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 apple, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 cup lentils, 2 cups water, 1/2-1 tsp curry, dash of fennel seed. Also 1-2 large cucumbers, and biscuit ingredients or package mix.
Combine the Lentil Curry ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.
While that is cooking, make up the biscuits and slice the cucumbers into long fingers.
The lentils can be scooped up with the biscuits or eaten alongside.
Total = $6.00
Note: There are countless other ways to prepare lentils if curry isn't your favorite. We often enjoy a hearty bowl of lentil stew. Basically you can add lentils to any favorite stew combination to make it more filling and stretch the meat farther. They also add a very interesting texture sensation. Lentils can also be used to make lentil loaf and lentil patties.
20. Easy Quiche and tossed salad
This makes one pie plate of quiche. If you have a family of hungry appetites, or want to have some planned left-overs, then make double the recipe to make two pies. This is a good use-up-whatever-you-have-recipe!
Shopping List: Handful of mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese, grated; Cooked, chopped chicken or ham (or leave out), chopped veggies as desired, or leftover frozen. 3 eggs, 3/4 cup Bisquick (or make your own), 1 1/2 cups milk. For tossed salad: Use or buy whatever you want to make it colorful and interesting. Salad dressing to pass with salad.
Put the cheeses, meat, and veggies in lightly greased pie plate. Toss together. Mix the eggs, bisquick and milk in a blender. Pour over the cheese mixture and bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour.
While that is cooking, make your tossed salad. Use whatever you have and serve dressing on the side.
Total: $4.50- $7.50 depending on what you put in your quiche.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Join a Cooking Club
A cooking club, did you say? I have run across several definitions for a cooking club. Here are my 2 favorites:
1) A group of friends gets together once every two weeks or once a month and makes a number of meals for each group member to take home to their freezer. For example, you have 2 friends. The three of you get together and make a menu. You want to have 5 different dinners each to take home, so you agree on 5 recipes.
They might be: lasagna, chicken casserole, roast beef with potatoes and gravy, ham with scalloped potatoes, and stew. You go out and do the shopping, split the cost, go to someone's kitchen, make the food, help clean up, and go home with 5 dinners each. You could divide out the jobs as well, so that one of you does the shopping, one of you hosts the event in their kitchen, etc.
For the above menu, you would want to each bring 4- 9x13 pans to put the entrees in, and one empty ice cream pail to put the stew in.
If you have several crock-pots between you, you could bring those too. Someone could prepare the scalloped potatoes in one or two large ones, the stew in 1 or 2 more. Put those on to cook while you are making the lasagna. The roast beef and ham could also be put in crock-pots. The group can plan it out and see how it would work best.
2) The second type of cooking club I like to dub the "casserole group."
In this cooking club, your group of friends and you do your own cooking at home. On the planned day, you get together and swap a pre-determined number of frozen casseroles. For example, my three friends and I have chosen the last day of the month to swap food, and we have chosen to use a square foil pan size. There are two large families in our group and two small families. The two small families need only 1 of the square pans for a meal; the two larger families need two.
We agree that each person in the group makes 8 square pans of casserole to take to the swap. That way, each person will also go home with 8. They will have 2 pans each of four different kinds of casserole. I know this is confusing so here is a detailed example:
The group consists of 4 people: Me and 3 friends.
I make: 8- 8x8 foil pans of spaghetti and meatballs and cover and freeze them.
Friend #1 makes: 8 square foil pans of chicken enchiladas, covers and freezes them.
Friend #2 makes: 8 square foil pans of beef burritos...
Friend #3 makes: 8 square foil pans of sweet and sour chicken balls with rice...
Because we know a month ahead that we are swapping on the last day of the month, we can do our cooking on any day that is convenient to us. Then we wrap, label and freeze. The work is all done.
We bring our pans with us to one person's house. Each of the 4 people (me and my 3 friends) go home with 2 pans of spaghetti, 2 pans of enchiladas, 2 of burritos, 2 of sweet and sour with rice.
The casserole club is actually my absolute favorite of all the cooking clubs. I like the flexibility of cooking on a day that works for me. I like bringing home entrees that are already frozen and ready to put in my freezer. I just love it. If your group lasts a long time, you may want to consider investing in some better pans than the foil ones because they wear out over time and develop little cracks and holes.
Have fun with this. Hopefully your cooking chores will be lightened and your heart will be also.
1) A group of friends gets together once every two weeks or once a month and makes a number of meals for each group member to take home to their freezer. For example, you have 2 friends. The three of you get together and make a menu. You want to have 5 different dinners each to take home, so you agree on 5 recipes.
They might be: lasagna, chicken casserole, roast beef with potatoes and gravy, ham with scalloped potatoes, and stew. You go out and do the shopping, split the cost, go to someone's kitchen, make the food, help clean up, and go home with 5 dinners each. You could divide out the jobs as well, so that one of you does the shopping, one of you hosts the event in their kitchen, etc.
For the above menu, you would want to each bring 4- 9x13 pans to put the entrees in, and one empty ice cream pail to put the stew in.
If you have several crock-pots between you, you could bring those too. Someone could prepare the scalloped potatoes in one or two large ones, the stew in 1 or 2 more. Put those on to cook while you are making the lasagna. The roast beef and ham could also be put in crock-pots. The group can plan it out and see how it would work best.
2) The second type of cooking club I like to dub the "casserole group."
In this cooking club, your group of friends and you do your own cooking at home. On the planned day, you get together and swap a pre-determined number of frozen casseroles. For example, my three friends and I have chosen the last day of the month to swap food, and we have chosen to use a square foil pan size. There are two large families in our group and two small families. The two small families need only 1 of the square pans for a meal; the two larger families need two.
We agree that each person in the group makes 8 square pans of casserole to take to the swap. That way, each person will also go home with 8. They will have 2 pans each of four different kinds of casserole. I know this is confusing so here is a detailed example:
The group consists of 4 people: Me and 3 friends.
I make: 8- 8x8 foil pans of spaghetti and meatballs and cover and freeze them.
Friend #1 makes: 8 square foil pans of chicken enchiladas, covers and freezes them.
Friend #2 makes: 8 square foil pans of beef burritos...
Friend #3 makes: 8 square foil pans of sweet and sour chicken balls with rice...
Because we know a month ahead that we are swapping on the last day of the month, we can do our cooking on any day that is convenient to us. Then we wrap, label and freeze. The work is all done.
We bring our pans with us to one person's house. Each of the 4 people (me and my 3 friends) go home with 2 pans of spaghetti, 2 pans of enchiladas, 2 of burritos, 2 of sweet and sour with rice.
The casserole club is actually my absolute favorite of all the cooking clubs. I like the flexibility of cooking on a day that works for me. I like bringing home entrees that are already frozen and ready to put in my freezer. I just love it. If your group lasts a long time, you may want to consider investing in some better pans than the foil ones because they wear out over time and develop little cracks and holes.
Have fun with this. Hopefully your cooking chores will be lightened and your heart will be also.
Fresh hot meal...cooked and delivered!
What sounds better than that? It's almost supper time and everyone is hungry. A knock on your door signals everyone to jump up and answer it. Someone is standing there, holding... your fresh hot cooked meal! How can this be? It's too good to be true. (Well, almost.)
You can make this true if you start a dinner swap club. Find 4 other interested families about the same size as yours. The 5 of you get together and plan a dinner swap. Here's how it works. On one day of the week, one family cooks for all five families and delivers their dinner hot and ready to their front doors. On the remaining 4 days, that family sits back and waits for a hot cooked meal to be delivered.
It's a ton of fun. Of course, you need to lay some ground rules. The rules consist of when dinner should arrive, keeping in mind each person must make 4 deliveries on their night. Also, there must be some agreement as to menu. It wouldn't work for one person to deliver mac & cheese and weenies while someone else delivers lasagna and salad. You get the idea. In fact, the 5 families can plan the meals together if you like.
A group of 5 would give you 2 days of the week to cook for yourself. You may find that more than 5 families makes for an almost unmanageable delivery night, and it also depends on how far apart you live, for travel time.
STUDENTS!! This is a perfect program for you. Find others in your apartment building who want to join this with you. Deliveries would be a breeze!
Another twist on this idea is for the families to come and pick up their supper from you. Again, that only works if you live close.
If your group needs a little micro-managing, here's another tip: in order to balance out meal size, the group decide together on certain containers to use for the meals. For example, a certain size pan holds the main course, another holds the sides, another the dessert.
You can make this true if you start a dinner swap club. Find 4 other interested families about the same size as yours. The 5 of you get together and plan a dinner swap. Here's how it works. On one day of the week, one family cooks for all five families and delivers their dinner hot and ready to their front doors. On the remaining 4 days, that family sits back and waits for a hot cooked meal to be delivered.
It's a ton of fun. Of course, you need to lay some ground rules. The rules consist of when dinner should arrive, keeping in mind each person must make 4 deliveries on their night. Also, there must be some agreement as to menu. It wouldn't work for one person to deliver mac & cheese and weenies while someone else delivers lasagna and salad. You get the idea. In fact, the 5 families can plan the meals together if you like.
A group of 5 would give you 2 days of the week to cook for yourself. You may find that more than 5 families makes for an almost unmanageable delivery night, and it also depends on how far apart you live, for travel time.
STUDENTS!! This is a perfect program for you. Find others in your apartment building who want to join this with you. Deliveries would be a breeze!
Another twist on this idea is for the families to come and pick up their supper from you. Again, that only works if you live close.
If your group needs a little micro-managing, here's another tip: in order to balance out meal size, the group decide together on certain containers to use for the meals. For example, a certain size pan holds the main course, another holds the sides, another the dessert.
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