Penny Pincher Recipes

[mseber@charter.ne]

How about a thread or ??? (having trouble getting around this site) for ECONOMICAL, CHEAP recipes that go a long way at the table? My grocery bill is soaring and I imagine everyone else's is too. Restaurant recipes are great - you make them at home instead of eating out and that is good. But let's bring back the old recipes and redo them for today's ingredients (or keep them as they were). Recipes have changed over the years ... I never used to use fresh mushrooms but they are a staple on my weekly list now. Canned diced tomatoes are another staple but they con't convert well into old recipes calling for stewed or whole tomatoes ... even those have changed. You have to adjust your liquids accordingly. Stewing beef is handy but it's a bit pricey where beef shanks would serve just as well and give the dog something good to chew on after dinner. I still use many of my recipes from years ago (WAY before the days of Hamburger Helper) but they are many younger cooks out there who probably don't have a collection of lean week recipes and could use some help.

[Ron-Douglas]

That's a good suggestion. Let me think about it.

[Kitchen Witch]

Originally Posted by mseber@charter.ne

How about a thread or ??? (having trouble getting around this site) for ECONOMICAL, CHEAP recipes that go a long way at the table? My grocery bill is soaring and I imagine everyone else's is too. Restaurant recipes are great - you make them at home instead of eating out and that is good. But let's bring back the old recipes and redo them for today's ingredients (or keep them as they were). Recipes have changed over the years ... I never used to use fresh mushrooms but they are a staple on my weekly list now. Canned diced tomatoes are another staple but they con't convert well into old recipes calling for stewed or whole tomatoes ... even those have changed. You have to adjust your liquids accordingly. Stewing beef is handy but it's a bit pricey where beef shanks would serve just as well and give the dog something good to chew on after dinner. I still use many of my recipes from years ago (WAY before the days of Hamburger Helper) but they are many younger cooks out there who probably don't have a collection of lean week recipes and could use some help.

Good idea!

Sad to say - this is so true - and everything is going up even more. There is no end in sight. I was reading an article last week on line about Americans now hoarding food. Makes you wonder.

I'm older - and I remember all the stories of the Great Depression. I still have the recipes from those days. Basic and cheap recipes. I've posted some in the Recipe Exchange. Type Depression in search and they will pop up. I've got quite a few more to share too.

We are just going to have to go back to basic cooking and stretching dishes as far as we can. All leftovers can be used in a different dish for a different meal.

Chicken used to be (back before the Depression) food for the rich - it was quite pricy. Then it got to be the cheapest thing you could buy and stretch quite far. Now chickens are going up more and more. But then again - what isn't.

We are going to have to cook like they did then - that is all we can do.