This recipe takes advantage of the cheap potatos to make a really inexpensive meal.
Ingredients:
4 potatos (medium to large)
2 jalapenos
1 tablespoon paprika
1 yellow onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beer
1 can of condensed chicken soup
1 can water
Salt/Pepper to taste
Directions:
Scrub the potatos
With the skins on, cut them into bite size wedges
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Add to a mixing bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and the paprika
Mix everything together so that the potatoes are well coated
Put your mixture in a flat greased dish (pyrex) in the oven for 20 minutes
Finely dice the onion and set aside
De-rib the jalapenos (take the seeds and central rib out and get rid of it)
Wash your hands after this because the capsaesin in the jalapenos can burn you (yes this happened to me) depending on how hot the jalapenos are on the Scoville Scale (HT: Alton Brown)
Finely dice the jalapenos
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and once the oil is shimmering add the onions and once they are translucent add the jalapenos.
By now your potatoes should be ready to take out of the oven.
They should done so you can taste one to make sure they are done or 90% done.
Add the potatos, beer, canned soup, salt, pepper and water to the mixture and let the liquid simmer down by 50% usually takes about 10 minutes.
Best enjoyed with toasted sourdough bread.
I generally toast the bread as follows:
Brush on olive oil on both sides..
Add coarse salt sprinkling and pepper.
Put on a baking sheet
Put in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes
The bread will have character and amazing flavor
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Toasted Bread Salad
Toasted Bread Salad
Ingredients
8 oz pack of mushrooms
Salt, pepper, spices according to your taste (I like using Emeril's essence & cayenne pepper)
Half a yellow onion
A green onion (if available)
3 slices of bread
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Wash mushrooms
Cut mushrooms into slices (like the ones that would go on a pizza)
Dice the half onion into small pieces
Sautee diced onion with half a tablespoon of olive oil till translucent (2-3 minutes)
Once onions are translucent, add mushrooms, 1 and a half tablespoons of olive oil, salt pepper and spices.
Let this cook stirring often to make sure nothing burns..
Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove the contents of the sauteepan into a dish.
Cube the bread slices and dice the green onion.
Add half a tablespoon of olive oil to the saucepan and half the bread and half the greenonions.. Toast the bread lightly.. add to the mushrooms..
Do the same to the remaining bread, olive oil and green onions.
Mix everything together and serve warm
Ingredients
8 oz pack of mushrooms
Salt, pepper, spices according to your taste (I like using Emeril's essence & cayenne pepper)
Half a yellow onion
A green onion (if available)
3 slices of bread
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Wash mushrooms
Cut mushrooms into slices (like the ones that would go on a pizza)
Dice the half onion into small pieces
Sautee diced onion with half a tablespoon of olive oil till translucent (2-3 minutes)
Once onions are translucent, add mushrooms, 1 and a half tablespoons of olive oil, salt pepper and spices.
Let this cook stirring often to make sure nothing burns..
Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove the contents of the sauteepan into a dish.
Cube the bread slices and dice the green onion.
Add half a tablespoon of olive oil to the saucepan and half the bread and half the greenonions.. Toast the bread lightly.. add to the mushrooms..
Do the same to the remaining bread, olive oil and green onions.
Mix everything together and serve warm
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Recipe: BBQ Chicken
6) BBQ Chicken (relatively cheap).
Buy legs or thighs (basically cheapest available chicken).
Marinate in bbq sauce, olive oil, garlic salt,paprika a teaspoon of brown sugar (more if you like your BBQ chicken sweet) overnight.
Put in a glass baking pan or cookie sheet if former not available..
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees
Buy legs or thighs (basically cheapest available chicken).
Marinate in bbq sauce, olive oil, garlic salt,paprika a teaspoon of brown sugar (more if you like your BBQ chicken sweet) overnight.
Put in a glass baking pan or cookie sheet if former not available..
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees
Recipe:Bread Salad
This is a great way to use bread thats about to go stale if you don't use it.
Take 8 slices of bread, cut into squares set aside..
Take 4 potatoes, boil, cool and cube.
Chop an onion.. Sautee it in oil or butter in a big pan (enough to hold all the above).. add potatoes and brown a little longer..
Add Salt & Pepper ( I like adding garlic salt)
Add bread and heat up for 2 more minutes..
Serve warm with a glass of milk
Take 8 slices of bread, cut into squares set aside..
Take 4 potatoes, boil, cool and cube.
Chop an onion.. Sautee it in oil or butter in a big pan (enough to hold all the above).. add potatoes and brown a little longer..
Add Salt & Pepper ( I like adding garlic salt)
Add bread and heat up for 2 more minutes..
Serve warm with a glass of milk
Recipe: Pasta, Stewed Tomatoes & Cheese
Pasta with Canned Stewed Tomatoes and parmesan cheese (grated dried).
Make pasta, drain & set aside
Put a teaspoon of butter or olive oil in a saucepan and add some pepper flakes and bacon bits or imitation bacon bits.. Brown for 1 minute.. take off heat
Add a can of stewed tomatoes to your pasta and return to heat with the bacon & pepper flakes. When it heats up remove and serve with grated cheese.
Make pasta, drain & set aside
Put a teaspoon of butter or olive oil in a saucepan and add some pepper flakes and bacon bits or imitation bacon bits.. Brown for 1 minute.. take off heat
Add a can of stewed tomatoes to your pasta and return to heat with the bacon & pepper flakes. When it heats up remove and serve with grated cheese.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Recipe: Buttered Pasta
Buttered Pasta
Boil 4 cups of water.
Add salt and a teaspoon of olive oil.
Add pasta.. This is good for small pastas (rotelle, penne etc)
Make a butter sauce by melting butter, garlic salt and pepper over a low flame.
For the pepper, I highly recommend freshly ground coarse pepper.. You can take a handful of whole peppercorns and then put them on a cutting board, and use a heavy skillet to coarsely grind them.
Drain your pasta when al dente and add the butter sauce.
Mix and serve with grated cheese.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Food - How to Save
Food is a huge expense if you live in the US..
1) The biggest waste of money is eating out.. The cost of eating out vs cooking at home is close to 5:1 for Fast Food and 10:1 if you eat out at a nicer restaurant..
2) A good source for cheap recipes is: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=9203372488812491488&postID=3899172396747464426
3)When you live frugally there are 2 paths to follow to save money:
a) Forego Meals - I would highly recommend against this.. You generally get hungry and end up spending money outside or impulse buying as a result.
b) Eat at home - Eat 3 square meals a day at home.. Pack a lunch when you go to work.. Make something simple that doesn't need refrigeration if you don't have access to one at work.
4) When you buy food, be conscious of the price per serving...
Example: Mom's Best Quick Oats
Cost $2.49 per box
Number of servings per box 27
Cost per serving = 11 cents
To make the quick oats, you just boil water and put a pinch of salt in the oats and then pour boiling water in the same. It's a good hearty start to the day.
5) Buy canned food to save money.
Cheap Fruit Salad
Cost: $1.58 (Peach halves .99, tropical fruit mix .59)
Number of servings 6
Cost per serving = 27 cents
Alternative to Salsa - Stewed Tomatoes
Cost: .59 cents
Yields 4 servings
Buy Canned Stewed Tomatoes (the ones with salt, celery if you can find them)
Open the can.. Cut the tomatoes in salsa size pieces.
Cost per serving = 15 cents
Compare to Salsa = $3 for bottle (4 servings)
Cost per serving = 75 cents
6) Cut coupons but be conscious that coupons may not save you money.. At times, coupons direct you to brands that you normally wouldn't buy. Do the math to calculate your per serving cost after applying the coupon and compare to the alternatives.
E.g Bottle of Blincoln Salsa = $5 (4 servings) There's a coupon for $1 off making the cost $4 or $1/serving
Compare to Storebrand Salsa = $4.50 (5 servings) making the cost 90 cents per serving.
7) Never leave the house hungry or thirsty.. Thats when you will waste money going out or to a vending machine.
8) Easy cheap foods to eat at home:
1) Ramen Noodles ( I hate these so normally pass on them)
2) Buttered Pasta..
Make pasta..
Make a butter sauce by melting butter, garlic salt and pepper over a low flame.
Mix and serve with grated cheese.
3) Pasta with Canned Stewed Tomatoes and parmesan cheese (grated dried).
Make pasta, drain.
Add a can of stewed tomatoes when it heats up remove and serve with grated cheese.
4) Pasta with Condensed Tomato Soup.
Boil the pasta..
Make your soup.. add spices to soup mix.. (crushed pepper, pepper flakes, parsley flakes).
Mix soup and pasta and heat to combine for 2 minutes
5) Bread Salad..
Take 8 slices of bread, cut into squares set aside..
Take 4 potatoes, boil, cool and cube.
Chop an onion.. Sautee it.. add potatoes and brown a little longer..
Add Salt & Pepper..
Add bread and heat up for 2 more minutes..
Serve warm with a glass of milk
6) BBQ Chicken (relatively cheap). Buy legs or thighs (basically cheapest available chicken) marinate in bbq sauce, olive oil, garlic salt & paprika overnight. put in a glass baking pan or cookie sheet if former not available.. Bake and serve
7) Tomato Onion salad- Dice fresh tomatoes and onions, add vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar.. refrigerate and serve when cold..
8) Cheap Veggie Tacos –
Get Corn Tortillas and lightly toast them in a skillet..
Put them in a plate and add the tomato onion salad from above and a grated cheese of your choice.. I like sharp cheddar..
Fold in half and return to skillet till each side is lightly browned (3 of these make a good meal).
9) Fried rice:Cook 2 cups of rice ($.80) in salted water.. Drain and set aside.Dice and cook 2 onions ($.40) in a skillet till lightly browned and set aside.Cook Broccolli florets ($1)in boiling water and once cooked put them in a bowl with ice cubes and water. This is called shocking and it helps the brocolli to retain its color.Take canned or frozen peas ($.50) and drain and then heat them up with salt and set aside.Take canned carrots ($.50), drain and heat up with salt and set aside.Take 4 pieces of bacon($.75) and cut into small pieces and then fry them till crispy. Set aside.Keep the bacon fat aside for later..Take 2 eggs ($.20)and beat them with salt and pepper and set aside..Heat up your wok and add rice and bacon fat and mix.. Add a little soy sauce for color and flavorAdd onions, peas, carrots, brocolli and bacon one at a time allowing 10-20 seconds between to mix well. Once its all mixed well and heated up (2-3 minutes). Turn off heat and add eggs and mix well so that the egg gets separate well. It will cook in the wok with the heat of everything else.Cost: $4.15Number of servings:8Cost per serving = 52 cents
10 ) Tomato Tortilla Soup
Fill bowl halfway with crushed tortilla chips (This is a great way to use the bottom of the barrel crushed chips)
Mix a cup of stewed tomatoes with a pinch of garlic salt and a handful of grated cheese.
Add stewed tomatoes mix to the tortilla chips… Pat down tightly in the bowl
Microwave for 60 seconds..
Mix & Enjoy
9) Easy lunches to pack
1) Deli Meat sandwiches (no mayo to keep unrefrigerated)
2) Fried rice from above
3) PBJ (Peanut Butter & Jam)Sandwiches.. Nowadays i just do J Sandwiches after the Peanut Butter problems
4) Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (I like these better warm but still)
5) Any pasta from above
1) The biggest waste of money is eating out.. The cost of eating out vs cooking at home is close to 5:1 for Fast Food and 10:1 if you eat out at a nicer restaurant..
2) A good source for cheap recipes is: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=9203372488812491488&postID=3899172396747464426
3)When you live frugally there are 2 paths to follow to save money:
a) Forego Meals - I would highly recommend against this.. You generally get hungry and end up spending money outside or impulse buying as a result.
b) Eat at home - Eat 3 square meals a day at home.. Pack a lunch when you go to work.. Make something simple that doesn't need refrigeration if you don't have access to one at work.
4) When you buy food, be conscious of the price per serving...
Example: Mom's Best Quick Oats
Cost $2.49 per box
Number of servings per box 27
Cost per serving = 11 cents
To make the quick oats, you just boil water and put a pinch of salt in the oats and then pour boiling water in the same. It's a good hearty start to the day.
5) Buy canned food to save money.
Cheap Fruit Salad
Cost: $1.58 (Peach halves .99, tropical fruit mix .59)
Number of servings 6
Cost per serving = 27 cents
Alternative to Salsa - Stewed Tomatoes
Cost: .59 cents
Yields 4 servings
Buy Canned Stewed Tomatoes (the ones with salt, celery if you can find them)
Open the can.. Cut the tomatoes in salsa size pieces.
Cost per serving = 15 cents
Compare to Salsa = $3 for bottle (4 servings)
Cost per serving = 75 cents
6) Cut coupons but be conscious that coupons may not save you money.. At times, coupons direct you to brands that you normally wouldn't buy. Do the math to calculate your per serving cost after applying the coupon and compare to the alternatives.
E.g Bottle of Blincoln Salsa = $5 (4 servings) There's a coupon for $1 off making the cost $4 or $1/serving
Compare to Storebrand Salsa = $4.50 (5 servings) making the cost 90 cents per serving.
7) Never leave the house hungry or thirsty.. Thats when you will waste money going out or to a vending machine.
8) Easy cheap foods to eat at home:
1) Ramen Noodles ( I hate these so normally pass on them)
2) Buttered Pasta..
Make pasta..
Make a butter sauce by melting butter, garlic salt and pepper over a low flame.
Mix and serve with grated cheese.
3) Pasta with Canned Stewed Tomatoes and parmesan cheese (grated dried).
Make pasta, drain.
Add a can of stewed tomatoes when it heats up remove and serve with grated cheese.
4) Pasta with Condensed Tomato Soup.
Boil the pasta..
Make your soup.. add spices to soup mix.. (crushed pepper, pepper flakes, parsley flakes).
Mix soup and pasta and heat to combine for 2 minutes
5) Bread Salad..
Take 8 slices of bread, cut into squares set aside..
Take 4 potatoes, boil, cool and cube.
Chop an onion.. Sautee it.. add potatoes and brown a little longer..
Add Salt & Pepper..
Add bread and heat up for 2 more minutes..
Serve warm with a glass of milk
6) BBQ Chicken (relatively cheap). Buy legs or thighs (basically cheapest available chicken) marinate in bbq sauce, olive oil, garlic salt & paprika overnight. put in a glass baking pan or cookie sheet if former not available.. Bake and serve
7) Tomato Onion salad- Dice fresh tomatoes and onions, add vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar.. refrigerate and serve when cold..
8) Cheap Veggie Tacos –
Get Corn Tortillas and lightly toast them in a skillet..
Put them in a plate and add the tomato onion salad from above and a grated cheese of your choice.. I like sharp cheddar..
Fold in half and return to skillet till each side is lightly browned (3 of these make a good meal).
9) Fried rice:Cook 2 cups of rice ($.80) in salted water.. Drain and set aside.Dice and cook 2 onions ($.40) in a skillet till lightly browned and set aside.Cook Broccolli florets ($1)in boiling water and once cooked put them in a bowl with ice cubes and water. This is called shocking and it helps the brocolli to retain its color.Take canned or frozen peas ($.50) and drain and then heat them up with salt and set aside.Take canned carrots ($.50), drain and heat up with salt and set aside.Take 4 pieces of bacon($.75) and cut into small pieces and then fry them till crispy. Set aside.Keep the bacon fat aside for later..Take 2 eggs ($.20)and beat them with salt and pepper and set aside..Heat up your wok and add rice and bacon fat and mix.. Add a little soy sauce for color and flavorAdd onions, peas, carrots, brocolli and bacon one at a time allowing 10-20 seconds between to mix well. Once its all mixed well and heated up (2-3 minutes). Turn off heat and add eggs and mix well so that the egg gets separate well. It will cook in the wok with the heat of everything else.Cost: $4.15Number of servings:8Cost per serving = 52 cents
10 ) Tomato Tortilla Soup
Fill bowl halfway with crushed tortilla chips (This is a great way to use the bottom of the barrel crushed chips)
Mix a cup of stewed tomatoes with a pinch of garlic salt and a handful of grated cheese.
Add stewed tomatoes mix to the tortilla chips… Pat down tightly in the bowl
Microwave for 60 seconds..
Mix & Enjoy
9) Easy lunches to pack
1) Deli Meat sandwiches (no mayo to keep unrefrigerated)
2) Fried rice from above
3) PBJ (Peanut Butter & Jam)Sandwiches.. Nowadays i just do J Sandwiches after the Peanut Butter problems
4) Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (I like these better warm but still)
5) Any pasta from above
Welcome to How to Live Frugally
Hi all,
If you are here, you are probably trying to reduce your monthly living expenses one way or another for some reason.
About me: Single, 26 M, Somewhere in the US (I move alot for my job), Spent too much on something and have had to live frugally for sometime to pay off debts.
Before moving forward, I'd ask you to reflect on your need to Live Frugally.
Sometimes, you need to deal with the underlying cause for living frugally first.. This is especially the case if you are a compulsive gambler, alcoholic, shop-a-holic etc.
That being said, Living Frugally is definitely an art and can save you a ton of money if you follow some of my advice.
Living Frugally also has a cost though.. The cost is not financial - its more "experiential".. Meaning living frugally means you may have to forego some of the experiences you could otherwise have had..
If you are here, you are probably trying to reduce your monthly living expenses one way or another for some reason.
About me: Single, 26 M, Somewhere in the US (I move alot for my job), Spent too much on something and have had to live frugally for sometime to pay off debts.
Before moving forward, I'd ask you to reflect on your need to Live Frugally.
Sometimes, you need to deal with the underlying cause for living frugally first.. This is especially the case if you are a compulsive gambler, alcoholic, shop-a-holic etc.
That being said, Living Frugally is definitely an art and can save you a ton of money if you follow some of my advice.
Living Frugally also has a cost though.. The cost is not financial - its more "experiential".. Meaning living frugally means you may have to forego some of the experiences you could otherwise have had..
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