Frugal Cooking

Hellos and welcome to our frugal cooking page.  Below is a list of links to blog posts where we have given you a recipe.  We are listing  a few recipes to get you started. 

Lasagna

one pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
one box lasagna noodles
2 cups mozzarella ( the kind in a bag already shredded)
1 small container ricotta
1 large jar of Prego or Ragu
2 cups water ( add to sauce to thin)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Fry hamburg with onion, drain the grease off then add hamburg/onion mix to sauce/water mix.

1 cup sauce on bottom of lasagna pan
layer of noodles
1/2 the ricotta
1 cup mozzarella 
sauce to cover
noodles
rest of ricotta
rest of mozzarella sauce
noodles 
then the rest of the sauce

Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 45 minutes, then uncover for 15 more minutes.

Contributed by 15 And Meowing

Remember: the more of the ingredients you actually prepare yourself, the more you will save.

Impossibly Easy Vegetable Pie

Swedish meatballs


1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
1 egg, beaten
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup of beef broth, or a bouilon cube dissolved in 1 cup water
1/2 cup light cream

1. Soften bread crumbs in milk then add beef, onion, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. COmbine well
2. Shape into 1 inch balls, melt butter in skillet and add meatballs- brown over medium/low heat.
3. Remove meatballs when cooked and set aside.
4. whisk flour into pan drippings then add broth- stirring constantly. 
5. Add cream and cook for 3 more minutes then return meatballs to the gravy. 

Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles

Contributed by 15 And Meowing

Gingerbread Cake

1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 and a half cups flour
1 and a half t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t salt
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour or use non-stick spray , a 9 inch square pan'
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter then beat in egg and molasses
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cin, and ginger then stir in the hot water.
Bake for 1 hour

When serving top with whipped cream

Contributed by 15 And Meowing

Squash Casserole

This is great on it's own or as a side dish with chicken,, it feeds a lot of people. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups sliced summer squash or zucchini
1 onion, diced
1 box stove top stuffing
1 stick melted butter
1 cup grated carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Simmer squash and onions for 7 minutes , then drain
'Do not follow package instructions on stuffing box, instead combine stuffing mix with melted butter and set aside
Set aside 1/2 cup of the stuffing/butter mix
combine all other ingredients and place in a lightly greased 9 by 12 casserole pan
top with 1/2 cup stuffing
bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes

Contributed by 15 And Meowing

Low Cost Beans

Cooking beans can be simple.  First, locate a bag of dried beans at the store.  Usually a pound can be purchased for about a dollar at the time of this writing.  Find whatever type of bean or pea you like.  Pinto beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, all are inexpensive.

Place you dried beans in a large pot with a good lid on it.  A Dutch oven will do nicely.  Rinse the beans thoroughly several times.  Fill the pot with the water and the beans, place in the refrigerator, and allow to sit several hours or overnight.

After the dried beans have soaked in the pot of water long enough to be rehydrated, it is time to pour off the water they soaked in and start cooking.  Refill the pot with water.  You can add onion, seasonings, a little canola oil, or whatever to get the beans to taste the way you prefer and simply cook until the beans are of the softness and consistency you prefer.

Corn Bread

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease a 10” cast iron skillet. You can use margarine or vegetable spread if you like.  If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a 10’ round cake pan will do as will an 8”X8” square cake pan.

2 cups corn meal mix

1 ¾ cups butter milk

1 large egg

½ teaspoon of baking soda

¼ cup vegetable oil

Mix wet ingredients together until blended thoroughly.  Then, mix wet and dry ingredient together until blended thoroughly. 

Pour into the skillet then pop into the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown, or the color you want it to be.

There are countless cheap meals one can make.  The above are just a few  examples.

You may find some fast, easy recipes at: 

http://100ingredients.com/auto-pilot/

Remember to consult your physician and or Nutritionist/Dietitian before changing your diet.