Comments on: The Recession Special: 5 Low-Cost, Family Friendly Meals

By: Ad

Ad — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:00:12 +0000

Okay so I tried the pea and spam risotto. Because we had spam, I love risotto, and I wanted peas anyways for other recipes. BUT, it actually tasted as good or better before I added the cooked spam back in. Just peas and risotto, great! And SPAM isn’t that cheap. Next time I’ll use HALF a pack of bacon (which is the same cost as a tin of SPAM) and I expect it to be even better.

By: Colin Lewis

Colin Lewis — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:03:18 +0000

I had no idea you where in nashville! that is great, roberts is the BEST place on broadway, and they have the special again, guess times are still ruff.

By: John_234

John_234 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:23:47 +0000

I notice you use a pretty big variety of herbs in your articles, and I know I’m not the only one staggered by the variety available at markets. Have you ever considered doing a guide on what various herbs are useful for, and how to pick out and buy them?

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:22:58 +0000

Good article at a very appropriate economic time.

By: Ron

Ron — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:58:24 +0000

Faster and cheaper stroganoff recipe from Campbell’s Soup – you can of course, sub in your own preference (i.e. low sodium) beef broth or cream of mushroom soup – I also use fat-free sour cream and add frozen peas in the last 3-5 mins of cooking time…

http://www.campbellkitchen.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=25201&fbid=ZfsPNar-1ke

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:23:05 +0000

I just have to say – I tried the Jambalaya recipe, and it was /delicious/. I used Eckrich smoked sausage: http://www.eckrich.com/products/smoked-sausage/smoked-sausage and Basmati rice – I had to increase the cook time though, it took about an hour.

For the seasoning I just tossed in some Tony Cachere’s.

Guess what leftovers I’m having for lunch today? ;)

By: P.M.Lawrence

P.M.Lawrence — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:31:38 +0000

Brennan, that is not genuine Shepherd's Pie. The genuine article uses lamb or mutton as the meat. (Think about why.)

By: UncleSim

UncleSim — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:56:43 +0000

Cheap, easy and filling… one of my favorites that I have about every other day.

Ramen – 1 package
Chicken – 1/4 can or to taste ($2 per 13oz can at Walmart or Sam’s)
Broccoli – Frozen, 4oz (optional)
Soy Sauce – Soy/corn tastes best to me, I avoid soy/wheat

I usually boil water in the coffeemaker, soak the noodles for about 10 mins in a covered dish, add the rest and let it soak another 10 mins or so, keeping hot with a warming plate or a min in the microwave.

The whole thing costs about $1 per serving, tastes great, and is mighty filling. Since it only needs boiling water to make, its great for camping/survival, too. I like broccoli sometimes, but you can add almost anything you want to it.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:35:33 +0000

Lentil Pilaf
Cheap, easy and something a little different.

1/2 cup lentils
3/4 cup long grain rice
1-2 carrots chopped fine
1 med onion chopped fine
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
Optional: slivered almonds, other veggies chopped fine (green peppers, etc)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1-2 TSP ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 TSP parsley
Olive Oil
2 cups Chicken Stock

Start lentils over low heat in saucepan with 1 cup water
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add onions, carrots and any other veggies, plus cumin and tumeric, stir well and “sweat” veggies
Add rice and sliced garlic. Stir until rice is coated with oil and starts to turn opaque white.
Add stock, lentils and parsley. Cover and simmer over low heat until rice absorbs stock.
Makes one large skillet full.
Variation: nestle in skin-on chicken breasts or thighs. If I do this, I use rendered fat from the chicken in place of olive oil. I’ve also used Italian sausage in this recipe.

also: I concur with Phillip re corn tortillas. They also make great little pizza crusts.
ALDI is a good place for bargain shopping and is good for singles who don’t need or want the large quantities sold in wholesale club places

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:08:18 +0000

Often you can get meat in bulk relatively cheaply if you butcher it yourself. We used to sell our hogs to individuals for about $2.50/lb after they were already slaughtered. Not a bad way to go if you have the freezer space and local farmer.