Quick, cheap recipes for a quick, cheap guy

[bidenista]

I'm looking for good simple recipes which'll give me something different to my usual daily fare (pasta-heavy).

Anyone got a recipe to share? I'm counting on the good people of DU to help me out here!

[Droopy]

1. Bread, butter, cheese, frying pan.

Three eggs, cheese, butter, frying pan.

Pizza rolls, cookie sheet.

Sugar Smacks, bowl, milk.

Multi-vitamin twice a day.

That's all you need.

Oh, and beer.

[bidenista]

3. lol

I'm looking for recipes which won't land me in hospital within a month!

[Robb]

2. It's an oldie but a goodie

Tequila Cookies:

1 cup of water

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup of brown sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

4 large eggs

1 cup nuts

2 cups of dried fruit

1 bottle tequila

Sample the tequila in a large glass to check quality.

Take a large bowl, and check the tequila again, to be sure it is of
the highest quality. Pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.

At this point, it’s best to make sure the tequila is still OK, so,
try another cup.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit and the damn cup off the floor.

Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, just
pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Check the tequila.

Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don’t forget to beat off the turner.

Put the bowl through the window, finish off the booze and make sure to

put the dirty stove in the dishwasher.

fdjlzoox

[bidenista]

4. sounds cool!

I'll try it. Thanks!

[Maraya1969]

11. Oh Gawd that's funny!

:spray:

[hippywife]

5. Quick, easy and tasty~

4 ground sirloin patties
1 can of Campbell's Golden (not Cream of) Mushroom Soup
4 decent sized chopped mushrooms (optional)
Approx. 2 TBS. Worchestershire sauce
salt, pepper, garlic, approx. 1 TBS. cinnamon (yes, cinnamon)

Place the sirloin patties in a skillet with a little butter. Season with salt, pepper, garlic. In a bowl mix the soup, worchestershire sauce, the chopped mushrooms, more garlic and the cinnamon. When the sirloin patties are just about done, pour the soup mixture over them and reduce heat. Simmer approx. 5 or so minutes.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes ala cheap and easy.

Make 2 servings of instant mashed potatoes according to package directions except no milk. Stir in some garlic and some grated parmesan cheese, maybe a 1/4 cup. Stir in a decent amount of sour cream until they creamy but not too thin and runny, maybe 1/3 cup or so. (Sorry I don't ever measure.)

Add veggie and bread of your choice.

I used to fix this a lot when I was on a really tight budget. It was always a favorite with my roommates.

[harmonicon]

6. anything sauted in olive oil with garlic is good

instead of pasta, you can have rice or couscous - couscous is even faster and easier than pasta. Just try frying up a little zucchini or eggplant with onions, garlic, peppers, carrots, etc. add some tomatoes or pesto sauce and dump it over some rice.... good.

If you're like me and could give a damn about things like fat and calories, fry some bacon for blts or a breakfast sandwich thing, and as soon as the bacon is done and out of the pan, use the pan with with bacon grease still in it (while it's still hot) to fry potatoes (cut them up while the bacon is cooking) - the fastest side dish ever.

good rice and beans: again the trusty sauted garlic starts it off - do that in the same pot where you're going to cook the rice. Cook the rice as directed, except for half of the water (or more, depending on what kind of rice) measure it out with diced tomatoes in the measuring cup and put that in with the water. The garlic and tomatoes will make the rice really good. You can just dump a can of black beans in there, or you can saute some onions and peppers with a little chili and add the beans to that before you mix it together with the rice.

curried roasted vegetables: heat the oven up (300 degrees should do it), chop up a crap load of whatever vegetables you like and put them in a baking dish with lots of oil, lemon juice and/or a little red wine, and curry powder (also add some sriracha (a garlic/chili sauce) if you want it hotter - actually sriracha makes almost any shitty cooking better). Mix it all together with your hands so the oil/juice covers everything, and stick it in the oven for an hour. I know that's not really quick, but it's super easy. When it's done, you can serve the vegetables over rice or couscous, or just eat 'em with bread and hummous.

I also subsist largely on pasta, frozen pizza and take out, but I make one of these things if I'm feeling "fancy".

[Flaxbee]

7. you can always look at the cooking/baking and vegetarian/vegan

forums, but fish and ground turkey are very quick, and I substitute pasta for rice, either jasmine or brown.

Fish: get tilapia, or some other sustainably-fished fish (for a list, see here: http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_sustainable_seafoods.htm)
Spray a little cooking spray on a cookie sheet, mix a little olive oil (about 1-2 tablespoons) with lemon and garlic, maybe some fresh ginger root if you feel like it, and drizzle over fish. Bake at 450 for about 10-15 minutes, tops (check to make sure thickest part of fish is flaky and all-white = cooked thru).

Serve with a small salad, and some jasmine rice. A good way to add some zing to rice is to chop up some cilantro, squeeze a few limes into a bowl and a tad pinch of salt; blend and add to rice once it's done cooking and still hot = very good cilantro-lime rice, nice with fish and poultry.

Ground turkey chili is very easy, too... just brown some ground turkey in onions, add a little paprika, cumin, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, garlic and hot sauce to the mix. Add canned tomatoes if you like, or fresh salsa once the turkey has browned; heat thru. Serve with rice or over a simple salad.


edited for details

[Bennyboy]

8. Chicken tacos!

Grill some chicken breasts.

Steam white corn tortillas
White mexican cheese
Cilantro
Red onions.

Hot sauce or salsa (or both).
Sprinkel with parmesan cheese.

low cal,takes no time (especially if you pre cook the chicken and keep it hanging around)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. chicken and garlic stew

chicken pieces

one head of garlic

1/2 cup of water/wine or chicken broth

some chopped parsley

some allspice

a little olive oil

heat on medium high till it boils. lower heat and cover for an hour.

[Maraya1969]

10. Microwave scrambled eggs and cheese

Put olive oil, (or butter...something to line the bowl so the egg doesn't stick to it) around a bowel. Throw 3 eggs in the bowl, add a little water and whisk with a fork. Add some pieces of American or Swiss or whatever cheese. Throw some spices in there.

Put it in the microwave and cook about 3 minutes. At about 2 minutes open the door and scramble the eggs some more.

I can make this during a TeeVee commercial. :)

PS - I don't eat cheese very much so I put dried onions from the spice rack in the eggs before microwaving. I also put salt, pepper and basil. I use a lot of spices.

[MonkeyFunk]

33. "...around a bowel"

remind me not to eat eggs at your house.

[Sugar Smack]

37. .

:spray: :rofl: ---> I can't help it! Typos crack me up, and I make them all the time, myself.

[Omphaloskepsis]

12. BLT..

I don't have a stove. I only have a fridge, microwave, and toaster oven.

The packages eggs come in (cardboard) can be used to cook bacon in a microwave. The pockets catch the fat. The bacon actually comes out really good. I usually keep one of those salad spinner things full of lettuce. I can go from hungry to eating a BLT in under 5 minutes.

[stuntcat]

13. sweet potatoes are cheap and good for you :)

* heat oven to 350
* peel potatoes and cut into chunks about an inch square (this is the worst part, peeling them, but it's just one or two potatoes)
* in a gallon size zip-lock bag mix some olive oil with 1 tsp. of brown sugar, ½ tsp. of salt, and if you have them a ½ tsp. of cumin and a sprinkle of chili powder
* put the potato pieces in here and mix it around to cover them
* pour this in a small baking dish (make sure there's enough oil that it won't dry up and start to burn) and bake about 45 minutes
These amounts are what I use but you can use more or less of any of it, I think.

I use a dish that looks like this-

but I think the glass kind works the same- I DON'T KNOW REALLY, I AM NOT A COOK, but this is something I'm happy with every time I make it.

[mcscajun]

14. If you use a glass baking dish, lower the baking temp by 25 degrees.

:hi:

[Sanity Claws]

15. It's okay not to peel the sweet potatoes

I eat the skins.
Even if you don't like the skins, the meat of the potato comes out very easy once it's baked. I never peel.

[stuntcat]

19. I'll do this next then

(I'll always be a cooking newb :blush:)

[Maraya1969]

41. I throw the potatoes in the microwave too. Just cover them with

a wet paper towel and cook for about 7/10 minutes or until soft.

[Sanity Claws]

16. Cook a lot over the weekends and freeze it

I find that to be the best way to make sure that I have plenty of nutritious low cost meals.

[Sanity Claws]

17. Cook a lot over the weekends and freeze it

I find that to be the best way to make sure that I have plenty of nutritious low cost meals.

[FloridaJudy]

18. Baptist chicken

6-8 boneless chicken breast halves (available frozen)
1 lb bacon
1 16oz tub light sour cream
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

Wrap about 2 bacon slices around each chicken breast half. Arrange chicken in single layer in baking dish (lasagna pan works well). Cover with the sour cream and chicken soup. Cover tightly with foil and stick in a 300 degree oven for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Serve over noodles or plain rice to absorb the sauce. The low heat and longer cooking time make the chicken wonderfully tender - you won't need a knife, just a fork. Freeze or refrigerate the rest for another meal.

I asked the friend who told me about this recipe why it was called "Baptist chicken" (as opposed to Methodist or Lutheran chicken). The answer? Because it's totally immersed!

[madinmaryland]

20. Hmmm. I make the same thing except for i replace the

cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom. Also try wrapping the chicken with some thinly sliced ham or dried beef, for some additional flavor, and then wrap with bacon!

We just called it the chicken dish, but I like the Baptist Chicken name!

:hi:

[FloridaJudy]

29. The original recipe I got also

Called for chipped beef as well as the bacon, but the one time I tried that way made it a tad too salty for my taste. YMMV.

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. And I do the same, but cream of celery

It adds a taste that chicken or mushroom soup don't.

[krispos42]

22. That sounds good!

Do you have to cook the bacon beforehand?

[FloridaJudy]

23. Nope. Just use it raw

Since it's difficult to wrap crisp bacon around anything. It cooks along with the chicken, and gives the dish a nice smoky flavor.

[krispos42]

21. Reynold's Release aluminum foil is your friend

It is the only product in my lifetime that actually works as well as it is portrayed in commercials.

Line all of your baking dishes and cookie sheets with it. Hell, I barely ever wash my toaster oven cookie sheets. I just line'em with Release, and ball it up and toss it in the aluminum recycling bag when I'm done!

And NOTHING sticks to it. Nothing. I made nachos last week, dripping in cheese and salsa and refried beans. Came right off of the foil. Just left a shiny greasy spot where the food used to be.

Pizza bagels, with the mozzarella cheese burning to a crisp on the Release? Pops right off. Lasagna? Baked ziti? Tuna casserole? Burritos? Scoops right out!



As to the food... well, kielbasa and perogies are good. A frying pan, a couple of pats of butter, some sliced-up keilbasa, a handful of perogies, about half a sliced onion.... yum!

Also, simmering sliced-up kielbasa in Bush's baked beans makes a good dish.

Somebody, I think it is Banquet, make a complete fajita kit in the freezer section. Torillas, onions, green peppers, seasoned chicken or beef, for about $4.50. Add some sour cream and cheese, and it's not half bad. And pretty quick, too.

I also make a pretty tasty pizza using a loaf of Pilsbury French bread. I pop open the can and unroll the load of bread onto a flour-covered surface and spread it out a little while I heat the oven and my pizza stone. I also trim off the corners, turning the square of dough into an octogon. Then, when everything is hot, I pull the pizza stone out of the oven, spray the stone with olive oil Pam, throw on the octogon, spread on the sauce and cheese, add toppings, and throw it back in the oven ASAP. It makes a good thin-crust pizza that IMO tastes better than the Pilsbury pizza dough.

[Tektonik]

24. Couscous is the best thing ever

Sauté a chicken breast (better yet if you have time roast a brined half chicken breast w/ the bone in the oven). Cube the meat and salt and pepper it to taste. Go buy whatever glaze, sauce or whatever you like and lightly toss the chicken in it just so you have barely enough to coat the meat. Add the chicken to the couscous and you have a great meal.

Couscous is the easiest grain to prepare, and it prepares well in the microwave. Just follow the directions on the box. Trader Joe's has cheap couscous.

[stuntcat]

38. totally

I LOVE couscous, but my husband doesn't and it's hard to shop for MYSELF when I'm always shopping for two x( He's being a good sport about not eating meat lately though.. maybe I can sneak some couscous in soon. and I'm going to Trader Joe's this week I think, I've never gotten it there but I'll find it!

[Inchworm]

25. tuna stuff

Make egg noodles

then stir in 2-3 cans of tuna and a can of cream of chicken (or whatever it is.. cream of something) soup.

Put stuff you like in it too. I like fried (carmalized) onions. Cheese is cool too (hec, I put 3-4 slices of regular chees in it sometimes).

then, if you feel froggy put it in the oven for like 30min at 350 degrees uncovered. It's good without this but better if you do oven bit.

yes, I have had a few beeahs :)

:hi:

[WinkyDink]

36. That is my favorite picture EVAH! I have it printed out! So poignant!

[badgerpup]

26. If you don't mind eating the same thing for a while..

CHICKEN SOUP
2 breasts, 4 thighs
3 bouillon cubes
2-3 bay leaves
Place in large pot of water and boil until meat is tender. Remove chicken and let cool.

Add to broth
1 chopped onion
3 ribs celery (tops on if you can get them)
1 pkg frozen spinach
1 cup wine- chablis or sherry if you want a sweeter taste
Either 3/4 cup barley, or 2-3 red or gold potatoes (russet ones tend to disintegrate with much cooking) or noodles- your choice

Sage, thyme, summer savory, salt and FRESH-GROUND black pepper to taste.
When it's freshly ground, the pepper tends to help pull all the flavors together without giving everything an overwhelming PEPPER flavor.

When chicken is cool, skin and bone. I don't use the skins in the soup, but that's a personal preference. Chop the meat and add it back to the soup.
Cook for another hour at least, until the starchy stuff is done and to let the flavors get acquainted. This soup improves over a day or two...if refrigerated.
Don't forget to remove bay leaves before serving.

[Skittles]

27. cook up chicken breasts in a Foreman grill

with just some fajita seasoning on 'em - yes INDEED

[Trailrider1951]

28. Mediterranean Sandwich

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup black olives, drained and chopped
1 small can tomatoes, drained and chopped (or fresh)
1 or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 heaping tablespoons basil pesto in olive oil
Parmesean, feta, and mozarella cheese, a little or a lot

Spoon mixture into a half of a whole wheat pita bread and bake at 400 for 10 or 15 minutes. Enjoy with a tossed salad and a glass of red wine.

[FloridaJudy]

30. Oven grilled ham and cheese sandwiches

one loaf sliced rye bread
garlic butter (comes premixed in dairy section)
package thin sliced ham
package swiss cheese slices
honey mustard

Thinly butter one side of rye slice. Lay it butter-side down on a cookie sheet. Continue until you have enough slices to correspond to the number of sandwiches you want to make. Place ham on top of bread, then a squirt of honey mustard, then the swiss cheese. Finish by laying a slice of rye butter-side up on top of sandwiches.

Stick cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until cheese starts to melt and top bread begins to brown. Caution: allow to cool slightly before eating - otherwise the honey mustard squirts out like lava and burns your tongue.

Can be wrapped and refrigerated and later reheated in microwave or in slow (250 degree) oven.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

32. Cereal. Milk.

well, Milk not too far past the expiration date.

Put cereal in a bowl. Add milk.

How simple is that?

:thumbsup:

[Angel]

34. Tummy Warming Soup

Easy, cheap and quick
1 pound ground beef

1 bag of frozen mixed veggies

2 cans beef broth

1 large can of spicy diced tomatoes
Add water, i use the tomato can fill it up once

brown the ground beef and drain, add all other ingredients stir and let it simmer for about 25 minutes.

Add the cheese and bread of your choice. It also freezes well, I haven't learned to cook just for 2 yet lol

[Pharlo]

35. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

I live off the damn things.

To go semi-healthy, use natural peanut butter - yeah, you'll have to mix it, but it's better for you.
If you don't like sugar free jelly, I suggest the Low Sugar option. Smuckers Low Sugar actually uses sugar, but their regular jelly contains HFCS. Oh, and whole wheat bread.

Note: If you're not used to the natural peanut butter, it may take a bit of time to adapt. What I did was purchase two jars right away and, when it was the only peanut butter in the house, I didn't have a choice. And, I wasn't throwing out two jars of peanut butter. By the time those two jars were gone, I had adjusted and preferred it to the 'normal' stuff.

And, I'm sure there is a contingent on here who would suggest you need to make your own peanut butter, jelly, and bread. Personally, I'm not a member of that contingent. For quick and easy, you're going to purchase your ingredients. I'm just saying, from a purchasing standpoint, things you may want to look for. Oh, and be careful with the bread. They put HFCS in that too. I'm constantly reading ingredient labels to avoid that.

HFCS: High Fructose Corn Syrup

[BOSSHOG]

39. May I suggest COOKING FOR TWO Magazine?

Comes out four times a year and each issue has a whole bunch of easy recipes.

[angstlessk]

40. soupburgers...like sloppy joes...only better!

for a family of 4: do the math

1 lb ground beef, browned
1 can of tomato soup, not diluted
1-2 tbsp of worchestershire sauce
1/2 of a small brick of velveeta cheese cut in small pieces

after browning the beef, place the beef, soup and worch..ire sauce together and heat..add the cheese to melt

Pour over toast points for a very delicious, (fairly) cheap and (very) fattening meal!

[cordelia]

43. Yum. . . my mom

used to make a similar dish. Instead of tomato soup, she used chicken gumbo (can, undiluted). She didn't use cheese, but I'll bet it sure is tasty.

[edbermac]

42. Hummus wrap

I bought one at a deli once, and asked what they put in it so I could make one myself.

They have hummus at local supermarkets in little plastic tubs. Some hummus 3 oz., chopped scallions, lettuce, tomato, 1 oz feta cheese, a little salad dressing, in a round pita wrap.

Takes less than 5 minutes to make. All the ingredients cost 25-30 dollars to make 12 sandwiches. Costs $5.75 at the deli, self made $2.50

[yellowdogintexas]

45. hummus is too easy to make.

just take a can of garbanzo beans, drain them.
put them in the food processor or blender with juice of a lemon, lots of garlic and some olive oil. Most recipes call for a tbsp or two of tahini paste. A jar of tahini will keep a LONG time.

anyway smash it all up in the processor or blender and serve with pita bread.

pita bread can be split, cut in quarters, and baked to use instead of chips with this

[bidenista]

44. just a big THANK YOU to everyone who posted

I look forward to trying these out! (With or without tequila).

[yellowdogintexas]

46. cheapest thing you can eat is beans and rice.

Quick beans and rice can be made with canned beans of your favorite kind, onions garlic, hot peppers, and other flavors you enjoy. Serve over hot rice.

I make black bean soup a lot.

a can of black beans
a can of diced tomatoes/chiles (like Ro-Tel)..or two if you like
garlic
onion
chopped cilantro
juice of a lime
a cup of frozen corn.



heat it all up and serve...chips are good with it , or tortillas..or cornbread.