Weekend Cook and Tell: Make a Meal for $10
Welcome to Weekend Cook and Tell. Every Wednesday we scour the food sections of various national newspapers and come up with an article or recipe to inspire a weekend cooking project. We want all of you to cook along with us and share your experiences, recipes, and photos.
We've found this week's inspiration in the food section of the Cincinnati Enquirer. While I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about the recession, it never hurts to save a few bucks, right? Polly Campbell offers tips for making a great meal for under $10 that will feed four. She lays out a few helpful guidelines to keep the cost down. First, start with an ingredient that is good, but cheap. Her second recommendation is to "pump up the flavor or put a twist on the familiar." When you are cooking on a budget, Campbell recommends not making a recipe with a lot ingredients that you don't normally have on hand. Shopping for these extra ingredients will quickly bump up your grocery bill.
You challenge, ladies and gentlemen, is to make a delicious meal for 4 for under $10.
Campbell shares some great bargain meal ideas in her article; Skillet Chicken and Chive Dumplings, Pasta Frittata, Southern Grits with Chorizo, Baked Egg and Serrano Chile Sauce, and Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa. For further inspiration check out Jennifer Maiser's series Cooking with a Friend here on Serious Eats.
Keep us posted over the weekend and let us know what you are making, where your inspiration came from. Show us your photos on Photograzing (make sure to include "Cook and Tell" in your submission title) and tell us about your recipes in Talk with comments on this thread! If you'd like to blog along from home, leave a link to your Cook and Tell blog post in the comments. Next Wednesday we will be posting a round up of your photos and recipes. We can't wait to see all of the delicious and economical meals everyone is going to cook up over the weekend!
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24 Comments:
2 homemade pizzas will feed 4 and I have all the ingredients on hand. Doughs just require flour, water, yeast and salt, sauce can be made with a can of tomatoes, and a pound of mozzarella is $5.00.
dmcavanagh at 3:15PM on 06/17/09
I got some country style ribs on sale for 99 cents a pound ! Some homemade baked beans and potato salad.I'll be in touch !!!
onepercent99 at 4:26PM on 06/17/09
Italian sausage cooked with white beans and onion. Add a can of tomatoes and some chicken stock to make it a stew. Cheap depending on the sausage you use.
gingercookiewithlime at 8:15PM on 06/17/09
1 turkey herbed lasagna will feed six for under $10.
pksmash at 10:06PM on 06/17/09
I made 100 tamales, which should feed at least 25 ppl (BIG Eaters) and the cost was about 11$
also
huneybumper at 11:14PM on 06/17/09
Fish tacos: tilapia (panko, egg, flour), flour tortillas, sauce ( mayo, ketchup, chipotle in adobo) and shredded cabbage. You can feed 4 for under $10
ocarol at 8:35AM on 06/18/09
pasta with beans and greens. one pound pasta, 1 bunch greens, 1 can cannelini beans, 3 cloves garlic, 1 can chicken broth. easily feeds 4 for under $10
kristygarr at 9:40AM on 06/18/09
Chicago Style Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza
1.5 lb. Fresh or Frozen Pizza Dough $.95
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage (cooked) $3.99
½ Package Mushrooms (sautéed) $1.50
1 Can Chunky Tomato Sauce $.99
½ Package Provolone Cheese $1.25
½ Package Shredded Mozzarella Cheese $1.25
=========
$9.93
Pantry Extras…
Graded Parmesan Cheese
Corn Meal
Salt…Pepper…Thyme
eloflin at 9:58AM on 06/18/09
You can see pics of the Chicago Style Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Loflin/708651894
Go to Photos and the album "Food Creations..."
eloflin at 10:09AM on 06/18/09
Okay, this isn't a complaint about the concept, it's an observation about my untimeliness. But every time I read one of these, I think that it would have been perfect for a different week. Like this weekend's $10 for 4 people would have been a good challenge last weekend, but this weekend is Father's Day, and that menu has been in the works for a while and it's not going to be $10 for 4 people. But sandwiches (last week's item) would have been perfect this week, because the roast we're having on Sunday will make lovely sandwiches the next day. Not technically the weekend, but close...
It seems to happen every time. I'll look at a challenge and think that it's what I cooked last weekend. Sigh. Maybe the answer is that I need to take photos of all my food from now on.
So anyhoo, I keep reading these in the hopes that my internal cooking clock will suddenly realign with the rest of the universe one of these days.
dbcurrie at 1:07PM on 06/18/09
i love cincinnati...
a skyline 4-way (even if you make it yourself with the canned or frozen chili) has got to be under $10 for 4 (or more)...
my go-to would probably be something pasta, seriously...either spaghetti with meatballs, or baked ravioli, or even fettucine alfredo.
akk328 at 5:00PM on 06/18/09
Stew Leonard's $4.99/lb ribeye or porterhouse (on sale, frequently), and a DOF of Wild Turkey rye. That's a meal for one though.
schmonsequences at 7:03PM on 06/18/09
I work weekends so it's too hard to do the challenges then, so instead here's tonight's menu for Thursday Cook and Tell:
Brown rice biryani w/ fresh peas and cream, pan-fried marinated tempeh, Swiss chard sautéed with spring garlic. Vegetables, cream, & butter are local. Total, including a generous estimate for spices & oil, is under $9.
producestories at 8:12PM on 06/18/09
Hmmmm Company for dinner saturday night, and Sunday is father's day. On the other hand, I do know what I could do, Cottage Pie!
1 lb Lean Ground Beef $2.69
Beef Bullion $1.00
Large onion $1.00
2 Stalks Celery $0.50
1 Can of Corn $1.00
2 Carrots $0.50
1 lb Potatoes $0.75
1 bulb Garlic(we eat lots of garlic in my house) $0.50
Grated Cheddar cheese $1.00
Butter, Sour Cream $1.00
Herbs (Free, leftover dried from last year's harvest)
$9.94
Of course I have everything needed for this on hand, but I culled prices from local flyers, or guestimated where I needed to. My numbers might be a little off, but yeah, that would feed my family for at least one meal, possibly dinner and lunch the next day. Throw in a loaf of homemade bread and it would easily make 2 meals.
thepirateking at 6:44AM on 06/19/09
Tonight: Friday, vegetarian, but rich start to the weekend -- Pasta Primavera with what's at hand--
Linguine - Hot up the water, salt, and boil away -- drain when done. $1 per one pound box. This takes 13-15 minutes from the return to boil.
Meanwhile...
Dice up a large shallot or two. Sautee in butter & EVOO. $1 est.
Seed, if needed, and dice first of the season zuchinni & yellow squash from the farmer's market in 1/2 inch pieces. $1.50 for 2 lb.
Add to the shallots & season with salt, pepper, mixed Italian herbs.
Sautee 'til tender/crisp.
Toss in the l/o raw diced red bell pepper & jalapeno from last night's fresh homemade tortilla wraps. $1.50 (deduct the cost of using leftovers in a timely manner).
Add about 1 C cream and gently boil a bit to reduce. $1.50
Add 1 good handful or 2 of grated Parma or Grana to melt. $3
Put the pasta into a bowl, top with the primavera sauce, and some l/o chilled fresh boiled peas on top. $0.50
whoot at 11:14PM on 06/19/09
By some rough calculation between my husband and I, pantry items (spices, condiments), and some wishful thinking...we are planning on deviled eggs, vegetable soup, sandwich, dessert, and a drink for under $10. Guess we'll see how it goes when we go out shopping tomorrow.
Cassaendra at 8:27PM on 06/20/09
You people are amazing. I have a tolal of 6 in my family (four adults, 1 teen and a 6 year old) and though most of my food is from scratch I can't come close to $10.00. Guess my imagination/creativity is not in high enough gear. Maybe the next time I get chicken legs/thighs at .79 I will calculate and try my hand at your $10.00 challenge.
janaatwg at 9:49PM on 06/20/09
Great responses so far, wonderful creative frugality!
@janaatwg: Don't worry, I have a hard time cooking for 2 for under $30.
@schmonsequences: I like your style!
@dbcurrie: Maybe we should consult on Tuesday evening ...
The round up is on Wednesday so be sure to get all of your recipes in by then.
Caroline Russock at 1:17AM on 06/21/09
Chickpea stew:
1 can chickpeas: $.99
1 zucchini: $ .70
1 carrot: $.20
Jumbo can of tomatoes: $1.89
jalapeno: $.39
Cilantro: $1.49
Half a beer: $1.00
Juice of a lime: $.30
garlic, half an onion, 3 Tbs peanut butter, squirt of Sriracha: negligible and on hand
All cooked together in logical order and served over...
brown rice: no idea, already owned it
Six portions of healthy, "lean cuisine" frozen and ready to go for a busy upcoming month: done.
marinelm at 1:53AM on 06/21/09
I put together a fun little Mexican themed meal - a savory pie with cumin, fresh bicolour corn, green chilies, cheese, jalapeno and a simple crispy salad topped with a spicy honey-lime dressing. I think I ended up at about $9.77? I did have a nicely stocked pantry + fridge, I always do, and I'm pretty sure that helped keep me under the $10.
http://www.juliebarnard.com/2009/06/21/sunday-dinner-10/
JeSuisJuba at 10:07PM on 06/21/09
We prepared:
- blueberry iced tea
- plain, sriracha, and curry deviled eggs
- vegetable soup with red bell peppers, green beans, yellow squash, rotini, and basil
- chicken salad sandwiches and wraps with grilled Creole seasoned chicken, red bell peppers, peas, and basil
- blueberry peach cobbler
Total cost was $13.12. We ended up with more than 4 servings on everything but the deviled eggs, which undoubtedly contributed to the overage.
I wrote about our experience here:
http://cassaendra.blogspot.com/2009/06/summertime.html
This was quite the challenge to keep it under $10. My husband was very pleased with the dollar amount, variety, and flavors. We're definitely going to incorporate this sort of exercise in our lives more often.
Cassaendra at 1:51AM on 06/22/09
I cannot resist commenting that I tried the stew with great northern beans, a slightly spicy chicken sausage from Sam's Club (crumbled), diced canned tomatoes, and chicken broth. I added some sauteed onion, garlic, and a couple small dollops of Dei Fratelli's excellent canned pizza sauce. It was drop-dead delicious. Thanks for posting.
ChloeA at 5:15PM on 06/22/09
A rerun:
Defrost some IQF shrimp in a cold water bath. Peel them.
Sautee them with EVOO and butter and a bit of chesapeake seasoning.
Hold on the side.
Have a pot of water on to boil up Japanese buckwheat noodles.
Heat up the L/O pasta primavera sauce in the shrimp skillet with a touch of extra milk.
Add the shrimp. Toss, and serve over the buckwheat noodles.
More than a weekend meal....
whoot at 8:24PM on 06/23/09
Chicken pot pie. I always have the ingredients for this already on hand. No shopping required.
Sautee chopped onion and garlic in a small amount of oil.
add diced potatoes and chicken stock
throw in some thyme, sage, rosemary, whatever herbs you like, dried or fresh
cook until potatoes are almost tender
thicken about 1/2 cup chicken stock with corn starch and add to hot pot
add shredded, cooked chicken
add frozen corn, peas, and/or lima beans
For crust, make drop biscuit dough with milk, flour, baking powder, salt, and melted butter.
Put chicken mixture in casserole dish
Dollop biscuit dough all over top of casserole and bake at 350 until biscuit is browned.
Barbieri13 at 2:17PM on 06/24/09