Cheap Eaten

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KathyDC
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#541

Post: # 23517Unread post KathyDC
Thu Jun 25, 2020 9:31 pm

Donnyboy wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:20 pm I'm curious how many people know what "Frito Pie" is. My wife likes to make chili. In our house, Frito Pie is Frito chips in the bottom of a bowl covered with chili and topped with grated cheese and chopped onions. I planned on buying more Fritos at the grocery store until I saw the latest price for a four ounce bag of more than three dollars. I learned a valuable lesson when I found store brand, crumbled corn chips make excellent Frito Pie without Frito's. That is cheap eating if you don't use Frito's.
Classic concession stand food! Almost every time I had a softball game that was my snack, eaten straight from the Fritos bag. It's a Texas thing though.

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#542

Post: # 23545Unread post worth1
Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:33 am

I buy the HEB brand Frito like corn chips for much less money and they are good too.
I only buy store brand if it is good.
Not gonna suffer with something I don't like.
Not that cheap.
Worth
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Donnyboy
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#543

Post: # 23613Unread post Donnyboy
Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:16 pm

Another cheap eating thing we do since the shelter in place started.

Before the corona virus thing started, we enjoyed a hamburger with fries in various restaurants. It is no longer a cheap meal for two at fourteen to fifteen dollars per meal. I always enjoyed the whopper burger at Burger King, but the last time we ate two combos at Burger King, the cost was over eighteen dollars. Since the shelter in place started, I go to a Jack n the Box drive thru and order three junior Jumbo Jack burgers. They are slightly smaller than the Jumbo Jacks, but otherwise identical and cost about five bucks total for three. We each eat one and share the third. I cut a potato into french fries and cook them in the air fryer. We eat our burgers and fries for about one third the cost.

Donnyboy
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#544

Post: # 23617Unread post Donnyboy
Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:37 pm

worth1 wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:33 am I buy the HEB brand Frito like corn chips for much less money and they are good too.
I only buy store brand if it is good.
Not gonna suffer with something I don't like.
Not that cheap.
I often find store brand products are better than name brand products. My wife and I enjoy little sugar free, chocolate covered; graham cracker cookies in Walmart's " Great Value" brand. They have always been hit or miss when we try to find them in Walmart. Apparently other people like them because the store shelf is usually empty and always out of stock since the corona virus started. I bought a package of Keeblers normal chocolate covered grahams and they were horrible. It was like eating chocolate covered dry powder. I found some at a small local store in the "good choice" store brand. They are made with sugar, but they taste great. I bought some name brand angel hair pasta. It was lousy. I bought the store brand and it is very good. I made a large peach cobbler with two large cans of sliced peaches in the "great value" brand. The peach slices were great and made a great cobbler. I am a store brand shopper every chance I get. It seems to add up to cheap eating.

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karstopography
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#545

Post: # 23630Unread post karstopography
Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:10 pm

We work in a frito pie every so often. Corn chips work in lieu of true fritos, so do the store brand versions of fritos. I don’t even mind and sort of prefer the canned chili for frito pie. I do like a sharp coarse grated cheddar, though, for frito pie and not that melted, liquid cheese. The liquid cheese works for ballgame nachos so long as there’s a mound of pickled jalapeños to go with them. Liquid cheese just is not for frito pie.
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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Nan6b
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#546

Post: # 23828Unread post Nan6b
Sun Jun 28, 2020 2:27 pm

I remember the "Frito pie with Wolf brand chili" commercials when I was a kid.

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pepperhead212
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#547

Post: # 23882Unread post pepperhead212
Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:06 pm

I made some Szechwan eggplant tonight - the first thing I do every season when I get 2 lbs of eggplant. I also used garlic and scallion from the garden, and the first 6 okras - not traditional, but I didn't have enough to do anything with, so I added them to this.

The original recipe for this called for 8 scallions and 8 cloves of garlic, and as usual, I doubled it! Yet all it took was a huge scallion, that looked like a leek, to chop up into over 4 cups!
ImageA very large scallion! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageIngredients for the Szechwan eggplant. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageSzechwan eggplant, about half way through the stir-fry part. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I made a 50/50 batch of brown basmati and millet in the Instant Pot, and served it with that:
ImageSzechwan eggplant, served on a ring of brown rice and millet. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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pepperhead212
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#548

Post: # 24252Unread post pepperhead212
Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:17 pm

Another cheap dish, with some more eggplants from the garden, some dried tomatoes from last season, and only a small amount of 99¢/lb beef from the freezer, made into chorizo, with some garlic, chiles, coriander, cumin, cloves, a pinch of canela, and some vinegar. Usually I make up a lot of pork chorizo, to freeze, but lately, I've been trying to empty out my freezer! When cooking chirizo, and most sausages, for that matter, I try too cook them up into chunks, instead of a fine, homogenized ground meat mix.

I used that method of drying out the eggplant cubes for 8 min. on high in the MW - not quite as long as ATK does it, but it does reduce the moisture greatly (went from 18 oz to just under 12 oz), and keeps it from getting mushy. And you can see how non-seedy it is.
Image9 oz Ichiban eggplant, showing how it grew fairly large, without getting at all seedy. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageSauce of chipotles and dried tomatoes, ready to combine with eggplant cubes, cooked 8 minutes in MW by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageCooked beef chorizo. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageTaco, with eggplant, chorizo, and a chipotle sauce. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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Tracydr
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#549

Post: # 24253Unread post Tracydr
Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:05 pm

I love frito pie. I keep meaning to make one for my husband who has no experience with TX or OK state fairs or county FFA competitions.
I’ve been cooking mainly out of the garden and pantry lately. Tons of kale chips for snacking. Tons of variations on Chile, made with dried beans, and then everything else is from the garden-roasted peppers,tomatoes,onions,garlic.

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#550

Post: # 24286Unread post worth1
Fri Jul 03, 2020 1:22 pm

Cooking one of my small previously frozen pork loin chunks.
Marinated with Madeira and spray pumped with it too.
Roast rubbed with black pepper and garlic powder.
Wrapped with bacon ends and pieces tied with butcher's twine.
Roasted in oven till internal temperature of 130 F.
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Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

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Donnyboy
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#551

Post: # 24322Unread post Donnyboy
Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:54 pm

I prefer home made chili for just about everything. I sometimes want a quick lunch in the winter and normally keep some canned chili on hand for a quick lunch with some saltine crackers or a quick Frito pie. It used to be Wolf Brand chili without beans from the pantry. I detested Hormell's Chili. It always seemed to be more of a lite sauce instead of actual chili. A few months ago, a store had some Hormell on sale, so I bought a couple of cans to try. It was a very good decision. The Hormells Chili without beans is now delicious and loaded with meat. I suppose they changed their recipe. I don't think it will make a good chili dog in a hurry because the meat is so chunky, it won't stay on the dog. I would probably throw the wiener away and just fill the bun with chili.

Out of curiosity, how do you build a chili dog or hot dog without chili? In my opinion, it is art and everyone paints it differently. I start with a warm bun and smear it with hot Chinese mustard (it's about the only time I eat mustard). I put some sweet relish in the bun followed by a cooked wiener (I prefer grilled). It is then totally covered with chili and topped with chopped onion and possibly some grated sharp cheddar cheese. The only way to eat it is with a fork unless you don't mind having a lap full of chili.

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#552

Post: # 24355Unread post worth1
Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:14 am

After my mini roast was done I set it aside to rest.
Deglazed the skillet with Madeira and took out the bigger dark chunks.
Added more Madeira and my homemade apfelkraut simmered and added corn starch to thicken to make a dark lovely sauce.
Apfelkraut is where you take a huge amount of apple cider and reduce it down on a low heat till it turns into a dark tar looking stuff like syrup.
The flavor was amazing with the sweet Madeira wine.
I did separate the fat from this sauce.
Also on the plate is homemade mashed potatoes, some of my homemade sauerkraut with apples, homemade pickled beats with clove and sweet relish.
Sucked the whole plate down in record time.
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Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#553

Post: # 24751Unread post worth1
Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:14 pm

I'm making my version of Shepherds Pie with my leftover tomahawk roast.
Cut up all the scraps including the fatty goodness into tiny pieces and simmered in water Worcestershire sauce and some of my pudding like gravy stuff I made.
Added one whole chopped onion.
Let reduce and thickened with two big three finger grabs of masa harina out of the bag.
For the mashed potatoes that go on top I made pretty much the same thing I did the other day, grated aged dried Swiss cheese home dried cojita cheese and butter.
Rolled out the mashed potatoes and with great difficulty transferred the tortilla like patty to the vessel to cook this concoction in.
Which is at 400F till golden brown on top.
Maybe 15 minutes more or less.

On a side note I am really starting to realize the many things you can use masa harina for besides the traditional uses.
Been using it for years but new stuff keeps popping up all the time.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#554

Post: # 24755Unread post worth1
Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:33 pm

Here are the results.
Took about 25 minutes.
Letting rest.
Not hungry anymore.
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Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

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You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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Sue_CT
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#555

Post: # 24786Unread post Sue_CT
Tue Jul 07, 2020 10:04 pm

I love Sheppard's pie, as long as it isn't made with lamb. Never liked the flavor of Lamb. Beef with a nice flavorful gravy is heaven. That looks delicious!

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Nan6b
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#556

Post: # 24868Unread post Nan6b
Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:27 pm

One pound of ground turkey, add onion, green pepper & celery. 2 cans of kidney beans & a can of black beans. Tomato sauce & tomato liquor from the freezer, a bunch of spices. Served with those "hint of lime" corn chips. Northerner's chili!

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#557

Post: # 24908Unread post worth1
Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:31 pm

The shepherds pie I made last night is for tonight.
Last night after I made the shepherds pie I had eggs and breakfast sausage for supper.
Warning in oven and when warm will put a goodly dollop of jack cheese on top and roasted till melted and sizzling browned on top.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#558

Post: # 25048Unread post worth1
Fri Jul 10, 2020 1:05 pm

Still eating pn my shepherds pie.
Added Jack cheese.
Made a Chinese black tar looking stuff to go on broccoli.
Garlic powder.
Polar soy sauce.
Water.
Sugar.
Five spice powder.
Red hot pepper powder.
Reduced down.
Flavorful but hotter than hell.
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worth1
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#559

Post: # 25793Unread post worth1
Fri Jul 17, 2020 6:24 am

Had three tostadas with guacamole runny fried egg on topwith bacon.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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maxjohnson
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Re: Cheap Eaten

#560

Post: # 25875Unread post maxjohnson
Fri Jul 17, 2020 6:32 pm

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