Recipe Ideas? Please Help!

Hi All,

First off as a new member I would like to say hi to everyone! I am really excited to join the community but I am in need of some help! I love to cook but I am still fairly new to it and could always use some more help and suggestions. My friend recommended the below E-Book on “how to feed a family of 4 for less then $200 a month”. It’s a great book however, it doesn’t have a variety of recipes and I could use some more ideas. Would any members happen to have any recipe ideas that wouldn’t be that expensive to make? Also, let me know if anyone has tried any of the recipes in the book and if they were worth making. I appreciate all you help and let me know if you need any additional information. Thanks again!!

Feeding Your Family for under $200/Month

Wow, there so many, I get a lot easy, inexpensive recipes from back of cans, TV, or Internet.

Try this for starters, it is a family favorite and very basic.

GOULASH

1 lb. lean ground chuck or turkey, browned and drained
1 can undrained tomatoes (diced or whole)
1 can Ranch-Style Beans, undrained
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 cup water

Cook macaroni al dente, drain.
Brown gr. meat, drain, add onions and garlic and brown until translucent. Add beans with juice, tomatoes, macaroni, chili powder, and water.

Cover and cook for ~10 minutes on low.

Serve with cornbread or bread and salad of choice.

These recipes are affordable:
Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients
1 package Simply Organic Caesar Dressing Mix
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 pounds tenderized beef tenderloins
Directions
Blend Caesar Dressing Mix and blue cheese in medium bowl. Lay out tenderloins and spoon mix into center of meat. Fold over and secure with toothpick if needed. Broil or grill until meat is done. Top tenderloins with any remaining cheese mix.


Deviled Eggs

Use our spinach dip mix to create these devilishly delicious treats.
Ingredients
18 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 package Simply Organic Spinach Dip Mix
4 tablespoons diced dill pickles or 1 tablespoon Simply Organic Dill Weed
Directions
Hard boil eggs. Peel and slice eggs in half. Remove yolks, save half (9), discard the rest. Place yolks in medium mixing bowl and combine with sour cream, Simply Organic Spinach Dip Mix, and diced dill pickles or Simply Organic Dill Weed. Cream mixture and spoon into each egg half. Chill until ready to serve.

Corn Casserole

Ingredients
4 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced bell pepper (approximately)
1 cup milk
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup shredded cheese
2 to 3 tablespoons Simply Organic Chicken Seasoning
1 cup cracker crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine corn, onions and bell peppers. Add milk and eggs and stir. Sprinkle in cheese and Chicken Grilling Seasons. Mix well. Spread in lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs. Bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Hi everyone...I am a new member to this site as well. If you are intrested in Indian cuisine I can send you some recipes.
I teach Indian cooking classes from my home.

Hi Y'all, I too am a new member of this site. I do cook alot though. there are many recipes you can make that are cheap. there is meatloaf, and leftovers can be used for sandwiches, spaghetti, and leftovers can be made into a pie with the addition of a little cheese, and egg. then there is pot roast that is in expensive and can be made into the roast, then beef and noodles, or stew, or ground up with pickles, onion, pepper, mayo and mustard to make a sandwich spread. etc. here is my meatloaf recipe.

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 eggs
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons A-1 thick and Hearty steak sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons minced dried onions
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Glaze ingredients
1/3 ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried mustard

Gravy
1 cup beef broth
½ cup water
1 teaspoon beef base
1 ½ teaspoons kitchen bouquet
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water




Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. mix ground beef with all meatloaf ingredients and mix well. Add to loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Top with glaze and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

3. For Gravy. Mix cornstarch and water together and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine broth, water, beef base, kitchen bouquet and pepper. Heat to boiling; stir cornstarch mixture and slowly drizzle into gravy mixture stirring constantly.

__________________
Mary

Crock pot round steak
Ingredients

1 to 2 pounds round steak or stew meat cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons oil
1 envelope (1 ounce) dry onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Hot cooked rice or cooked egg noodles



Cook Time: 6 to 7 hours (HIGH)

Directions

1. Trim round steak and cut into cubes. (Partially freeze meat for easier cutting).

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Brown meat on all sides.

3. Combine dry soup mix and canned soup in mixing bowl. Pour into 4 quart crock pot slow cooker. Add browned meat. Cover; cook on high 6-7 hours.

4. To serve, spoon over prepared rice or egg noodles.



Note: I added ½ cup sour cream at the end. But it is not necessary if you don’t care for sour cream.

__________________
Mary

beef and ale ragout

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ pounds beef chuck roast, cut in ½ inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, cut into ½ inch wedges
1 cup sliced carrots (about ¼ inch slices)
12 ounces beer, preferably ale
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2 teaspoons beef base
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Kitchen bouquet
1 to 2 cups beef broth with 3 to 6 tablespoons flour whisked in
Salt and ground black pepper to taste




Directions

1. Coat a 3 ½ to 4 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until hot. Add half of the beef; season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook until browned, stirring frequently. Remove with slotted spoon; place in slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef. Top beef in slow cooker with onions, and carrots.

3. Add beer, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, beef base, and Worcestershire sauce to skillet. Whisk until smooth, scraping skillet to remove any browned bits. Pour over beef and vegetables. Cover. Cook on high 4 hours or until beef is tender and mixture has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If it needs more broth and thickening mix the broth and flour bring back to a boil and stir in broth mixture. Serve over mashed potatoes, if desired.

__________________
Mary

Hamburger Cabbage Casserole easy and cheap
Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion chopped (1 cup)
½ cup uncooked instant rice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup
¼ cup water
4 cups shredded cabbage
Sour cream, if desired
Chopped chives, if desired



Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 F.

2. Cook beef and onion in 10 inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in rice, salt, pepper, soup and water.

3. place cabbage in un-greased 2 quart casserole. Spoon beef mixture over cabbage.

4. Cover and bake about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with sour cream and chives.

__________________
Mary

I will post some more later if some one requests a reicpe I don't want to take up too much space here

__________________
Mary

Thanks for the ideas Mary, they look good

ooh! i've been desperately looking for a good tuna casserole recipe.
For some reason, my mother never made it for me as a child. It was more of treat when i went to friend's house and I still crave it sometimes.
I made the mistake of thinking "tuna helper' would be the equivalent but I was wrong.
What 's a good recipe with lots of veggies? and preferably not too time consuming

Vegetable salad i guess.Just put everything in a bowl then add mayonnaise and other spices depending on your taste.You can also add some tuna here if you want.

My Pot Roast

Servings 8



Ingredients

1 3-5 pound chuck Roast
2 to 3 tablespoons Kitchen bouquet, plus extra for gravy
2 cups carrots cut into large chunks (2-3 inches long)
1 cup celery, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 cups onion, cut into large chunks
3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped or (2-3 tablespoon jarred minced garlic)
32 ounces beef broth
1/8 cup Good Cabernet Souvignon (I used Chalk Hill the first time) (this can be omitted)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
3 teaspoons Kosher salt (1 ½ teaspoons per side of beef)
2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, (1 teaspoon per side)
1/8 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon Beef Base (or one cube beef bouillon if using bouillon cut salt back)
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup water (or enough water to make a gravy thickener)



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Rub half of the kitchen bouquet on top side of beef, season the beef with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder on both sides. Meanwhile heat Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil when hot and add Beef; let brown and caramelize on both sides. Remove from pan and add all the vegetables, stir and let sauté for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add beef broth, and wine. Bring up to a simmer; return roast to pan and nestle it in the center of pan and vegetables so that about ¾ of the meat is submerged in the liquid.

3. Cover and put in the oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove from oven. Remove meat to a platter and set aside. Strain veggies from broth and put broth back into pan and heat to simmer. Add cornstarch and water stirring constantly to thicken.



Note: I boiled my potatoes, and mashed them. So I used that saucepan to strain the liquid from the roasted vegetables. I made the gravy in that saucepan to save from having too many pans to wash.




Leftovers can be made into
Open faced roast beef sandwiches
Stew
boiled beef and noodles (served over mashed potatoes)
Sandwich Spread (ground up and adding mayo, mustard, pickles, onions or onion powder)

__________________
Mary

Boiled Beef and Noodles
Servings 6




Ingredients

1-2 pounds leftover Mary’s Pot Roast, cut into bite size pieces
3-4 cups Mary’s Home Made Noodles
4-6 cups water
2 tablespoons kitchen bouquet
1 tablespoon garlic powder (to taste)
1 tablespoon onion powder (to taste)
2 teaspoons black pepper (to taste)
3-4 teaspoons beef base (to taste after you add gravy)
Any leftover gravy




Directions

1. In stock pot Dutch oven add water, seasonings (all but beef base), gravy, and kitchen bouquet.

2. bring to a boil stirring occasionally, check taste to make sure it has enough flavor. Add seasoning if needed.

3. After it comes to a boil add beef. Let return to boil. Stirring constantly add noodles one handful at a time. Stirring between additions to keep noodles from sticking to each other or the new noodles. After all noodles have been added and are cooked enough not to stick together. Let cook stirring occasionally for about 5 to 1 minutes or until the noodles are done.

4. To serve: in a bowl add mashed potatoes, and pour beef and noodles over them mix and eat or have a dinner roll. They are very filling. Enjoy



Notes

__________________
Mary

Mary's Beef Stew
Servings 8




Ingredients

1 pound leftover Pot roast, cut into bite size pieces (or fresh stew meat)
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 medium to large russet potato, cut into small cubes
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
4 ounces button mushrooms sliced (optional)
32 ounces beef broth
4 cups water
2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet
1 to 2 tablespoons beef base
Salt and pepper to taste




Directions

1. Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery and garlic. Saute for anther 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the meat. Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are done. Add meat and let warm through. Serve with Bread.

2. If using fresh meat lightly season flour and sauté until browned. Then add onions and sauté for another 2-3 minutes then add the carrot celery and garlic. Follow the above instructions.



Note

__________________
Mary

stock up on edamame beans. these are economical foodstuffs that are nutritious and delicious. you can boil these and eat with just a little sprinkling of salt, stir fry in a little garlic and butter, or shell them and put the peas in soups, stirfries, stews and even salads.

1st off all, im a newbie here..so hi to u all . wow, this forum is so great.easy to get any info all about cooking/food/recipes.ohh..i would like to share this simple recipes website. it seems, all the recipes easy and simple to cook. well i guess u all may want to try it 1 or 2 any of the recipes at the website. ive just try the baked chicken and mushrooms recipe, it really delicious . heres the website cooking all recipes|easy recipes|online recipes|free recipes|cook book|cook ebook...Bon Appétit!

Welcome Dawn! We are here cause we all love and love to chat about food. We also like to help others out with any food dilemmas. this is 1 of 3 forums I chat on. Enjoy and look forward to your posts.

Thanks for the link.

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Mary

my way to make gravies and sauces pop and come to life

put a pinch of citric acid and a pinch of sugar in it and stir and taste. do this until the taste is right . i call this balancing. good luck!

Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom gravy

Servings 5



Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
1 small clove garlic
1/8 cup onion
4 tablespoons celery (about ½ of one rib)
1/3 cup bread crumbs
½ cup minced, diced or sliced mushrooms
1 egg
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
Gravy
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ to ¾ cup minced mushrooms
2-3 cups beef broth
4 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water



Directions

1. put garlic, onion, and celery into a food processor and mince finely. Mix into beef along with salt, pepper. Bread crumbs, egg, and parmesan cheese. Mix well. Then form into 5 patties.

2. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add patties to pan and fry on first side until browned. Gently turn over to finish. When the patties are fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. in same pan add mushrooms, and sauté until browned and caramelized. Then add beef broth and bring to a simmer. Mix water and cornstarch. Stirring vigorously slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture. Add enough to make gravy consistency. You may have to add more or less depending on the thickness you like.

__________________
Mary