# Low Cost Cookout



## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Money may be short all of the time or it fluctuates during the year. There are many ways to ensure you have a healthy balanced meal on your table for your family. My advice is look at all your past receipts and circle what you don’t need..it could be pop tarts...could be cereal. What you should be doing is looking for heavy hitters that knock out hunger filling your belly with nutrition and calories. 

This thread is meant to give people on a budget, recipes that are wallet friendly. It will be a continuous series of recipes from me and anyone who wants to participate. 

First up is Beef Stew! 

Ingredients:

4 sweet yellow onions
8 cloves fresh garlic
2 lbs fresh carrots
5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
2.5 lbs of sirloin beef
4 tsp worechester sauce
3 tablespoons butter
6 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can of modelo especial beer
Black pepper and salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut your beef into 2 inch cuts. Cut your onions and mince your garlic up. Throw the beef and onions into the pot with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook until the meat has some good searing on it. Once seared throw the garlic in and stir. The garlic cooks for about 5 minutes and then pour the can of beer in. Cook the alocohol out of the stew for about ten minutes then add the 6 cups of water and chicken bouillon. Add the carrots, Worcester sauce, butter, and Dijon mustard directly into the mix right away with the water. 

You DO NOT BOIL stew or soup EVER. So keep the liquid bubbling but not boiling. Keep the pot covered and on a light simmer for 2 hours. Check the tenderness of the meat before adding the potatoes. The potatoes will fall apart if you cook them for too long. Once the beef is near to your liking add the cut up potatoes. Cook the potatoes until a fork goes through without effort. 

This amount could last 1 person many meals and save you over time.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Great thread, I will stay tuned!


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)




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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Two quick-n-easy dishes:

*Chicken & Biscuits* (similar to chicken & dumplings)

1 can chicken noodle soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tube refrigerated biscuits
3/4 cup water.

Mix the two cans of soup with water in a casserole dish. Remove the biscuits from the tube and quarter each biscuit. Place the biscuits across the top of the soup. Bake 400°F for 15-20 minutes.

*
Pot-Luck Scalloped Corn*

1 large can corn
1 regular can creamed corn
1 stick butter
1 egg
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
3/4 c milk.

Put stick of butter in a small sauce pan on stove set to low to melt it.
Open large can of corn and drain water. Place both cans of corn in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, milk and corn muffin mix. When the butter is melted, blend it into the mix. Pour into a casserole dish or cake pan and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.

Dammit. Now I'm hungry!!!!


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

I'm one of those guys that makes a meal when most can't see one in the cupboards.

*Bachelor Breakfast*

1._Country hash browns:_

Cut potatoes to the size you like, mine very from diced to cubed, it makes a difference in the meal. If your in a hurry diced cook quicker.
Add taters to hot skillet with cooking oil, season to your liking, for me it's a dash of Jonny's salt, fair amount of pepper and basil.
Cook to your liking, golden brown to crunchy.

2._Meat:_ 
Bacon, sausage, ham, D all of the above or leftover meat like pork, steak, brats.
Cook as needed

When taters are close to done add meat(s).

3. Eggs, for fluffy eggs beat/whisk with 1-2 tbs water. Whisk them thoroughly whipping in lots of air.

When taters and meat are cooked pour off excess oil, return to stove, add 2 tbs butter, pour in eggs, toss in add on's such as cheese. onions. tomatoes, peppers etc.
poke and prod often.

Remove from stove while eggs are still moist, serve with toast, muffin, bagel and jamb.

_Road breakfast:_

Warm up flower tortilla 10-15 secs in microwave, add fixins and roll up.

Breakfast for dinner is also good when groceries are low and payday isn't quite here.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

What to do with leftover meat.

*Burrito leftovers:*

Refried or pinto beans

Leftover meat, any meat works, crumbled hamburgers from last night, pulled pork, pot roast, diced or sliced, cook as needed.
Chicken and ranch dressing is tasty

Onions, peppers, pico de gallo etc. I like black olives.

Cheese, sour cream.

Prepare fixins.

Heat flower or corn tortilla in microwave 10-15 seconds, load and roll.

Serve alone or with Mexican rice with some melted cheese on top, pico de gallo, sour cream, sprinkle of chives.

_Option:_

Heat cooking oil in skillet.

Build burrito, toss in skillet, brown all four sides.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

OK....I see your recipe and raise you Ramen-O's

Boil your Ramen noodles as directed by the packet. Then pour off nearly all the liquid and then dump your Spaghetti O's in (You can get the kind with meatballs if you like).

Heat that to a simmer...

When your done..enjoy your Ramen-O's and a cup of warm soup (The flavor of the broth you just poured out from the Ramen. That's it boys and girls...a full stomach for $1.89 or so. It also reduces bathroom trips to just one per week if eaten regularly.


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## Yavanna (Aug 27, 2018)

As for low cost, I wouls sugest growing your own food, if that is possible. Even if you live in an apartment, tomatoes can be grown from seed in a pot, if you have a sunny balcony. I have a small garden, and we planted lots of fruit trees and vegetables. The overall cost of growing vegetables is much lower than buying them in the market. If you have room for only one tree, I would suggest lemons, they can be used for juice or as a seasoning, last a long time and are a good source of C vitamin.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Old SF Guy said:


> OK....I see your recipe and raise you Ramen-O's
> 
> Boil your Ramen noodles as directed by the packet. Then pour off nearly all the liquid and then dump your Spaghetti O's in (You can get the kind with meatballs if you like).
> 
> ...


Add hot sauce and you have a meal fit for a king......or at least me anyways.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

I like this thread already.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Old SF Guy said:


> OK....I see your recipe and raise you Ramen-O's
> 
> Boil your Ramen noodles as directed by the packet. Then pour off nearly all the liquid and then dump your Spaghetti O's in (You can get the kind with meatballs if you like).
> 
> ...


You ever try the x2 spicy ramen? I ate those for a week and my insides will never be the same.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Yavanna said:


> As for low cost, I wouls sugest growing your own food, if that is possible. Even if you live in an apartment, tomatoes can be grown from seed in a pot, if you have a sunny balcony. I have a small garden, and we planted lots of fruit trees and vegetables. The overall cost of growing vegetables is much lower than buying them in the market. If you have room for only one tree, I would suggest lemons, they can be used for juice or as a seasoning, last a long time and are a good source of C vitamin.


I had a lemon tree about three years ago. I left my screen door open and was busy inside. Both my dogs tore it out of the pot and ate it.

I walked out for a cigarette and was looking at all my plants. For a short while I looked at where my lemon tree was and thought..what the hell...and walked back inside to my two beasts and saw the guilty faces. It wasn't meant to be I guess.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Two quick-n-easy dishes:
> 
> *Chicken & Biscuits* (similar to chicken & dumplings)
> 
> ...


Chicken and biscuits...delicious.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Lunatic Wrench said:


> I'm one of those guys that makes a meal when most can't see one in the cupboards.
> 
> *Bachelor Breakfast*
> 
> ...


Eggs are one of the best ways to include protein into your diet....and they are cheap. I have never diced up potatoes small. I will try that out for sure. We cook lots of hash in this household.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

Ragnarök said:


> Eggs are one of the best ways to include protein into your diet....and they are cheap. I have never diced up potatoes small. I will try that out for sure. We cook lots of hash in this household.


I like to dice them, about 1/2", and cook till crunchy for breakfast burritos.


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## Yavanna (Aug 27, 2018)

Ragnarök said:


> Yavanna said:
> 
> 
> > As for low cost, I wouls sugest growing your own food, if that is possible. Even if you live in an apartment, tomatoes can be grown from seed in a pot, if you have a sunny balcony. I have a small garden, and we planted lots of fruit trees and vegetables. The overall cost of growing vegetables is much lower than buying them in the market. If you have room for only one tree, I would suggest lemons, they can be used for juice or as a seasoning, last a long time and are a good source of C vitamin.
> ...


The lemons we have here have plenty of thorns, the dogs do not get too close to them. I would not give up the fruit tree idea, plant something else and build some sort of fence around it.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Mexican Red Beans and Rice.

1 lb dried red beans
4 yellow onions
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Salt
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper powder 
Chicken bouillon 2 cubes
Masa 
1 lime juice
6 tablespoons butter
Hot sauce
3 cups uncooked rice

Pre soak the beans over night. Simmer the beans on low for 1 hour in plain water. Water should cover the beans enough but you only need about 2 inches above the settled beans. Discard the first water and wash the beans off. Add more water and all the ingredients, excluding the masa and lime, with the beans...This helps with the gassy bonuses of beans. Simmer with the lid on until the beans are tender. Add the masa and lime at the very end of the cooking process. The masa adds nice flavor but it also thickens the liquid. The masa needs to be whisked into the pot until no lumps of masa are present. The lime juice is added once the burner is turned off.

I cook the rice for 16 minutes on low with the cover on. 1.5 cups water to 1 cup of white rice.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

It's been a long hard couple weeks.
Got home the other night and just didn't have dinner in me, seeing I'm fending for myself while Mrs. Boss is in Alaska, but there was some leftover chili in the frig.
May look odd, but it was pretty good, for a chili burrito, 30 secs in the mirco and it was just right.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Ragnarök said:


> Money may be short all of the time or it fluctuates during the year. There are many ways to ensure you have a healthy balanced meal on your table for your family. My advice is look at all your past receipts and circle what you don't need..it could be pop tarts...could be cereal. What you should be doing is looking for heavy hitters that knock out hunger filling your belly with nutrition and calories.
> 
> This thread is meant to give people on a budget, recipes that are wallet friendly. It will be a continuous series of recipes from me and anyone who wants to participate.
> 
> ...


I did sirlon on sale $2.99 Marinated in soy and worecestoerhire. Cooked over maple and apple wood. Then had homegrown brocolli, salda, eets, beans.


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