Cooking at home

[ismael9467]

I want to be able to save money and cook at home more... Every time I go to the grocery store I don't know what to get. I can make some things but all of it gets old fast. Any tips for cooking at home and saving money? Also speed because sometimes I don't have time to prepare everything.

[ramon9456]

My advice (and I'm a home cook) is to find four or five simple dishes you like and learn how to make them. For instance, if you can learn to sauté thin slices of chicken breast, you can make many dishes using them as a base (chicken piccata, chicken marsala, chicken parmesan....). Learn to braise and you can make great meals using cheap cuts of meat and, it'll go a long way. For instance, if you make a pot roast out of beef chuck, you can shred the leftovers and add some BBQ sauce; make vegetable beef soup; sauce it up with taco seasonings.... and also www.jamaicathings.com (http://www.jamaicathings.com) is a good source of ingredients.

Many good home cooks have a repertoire of, say, 10 dishes they make in rotation with a few new ones thrown in now and then for variety. That makes it easy to keep basic stuff available in your pantry to have on hand.

Keep it simple and you'll feel comfortable branching out to try new things.

[bgan10]

Yeah like the post above, figure out some simple things you enjoy making. Ask around and usually people love to give out recipes. After awhile you will have a variety of things to make so you'll never get bored.

[NOCHEF&JUSTLOVESFOOD.YUM]

I agree also. I take my lunch to work so on Sunday I ususally cook up small portions of 1-2 meats and then add veggies with that for lunch.

One of the other things I have learned is, if you are going to cook it, do it ! Cook a double recipe. soups, stew, sauce, whatever and label and freeze the rest in small quantties in the freezer.

During the holiday 's my sister whips together 10-15 batches of different cookie dough in one day , freezes them, and then spreads out the actual cooking when she has time or the need for the cookies.

[Semigourmet]

This is easy to put together and very tasty.

Overnight Meatball and pasta Casserole.

Pillsbury - Easy Pasta

Servings 6 Page 41



Ingredients

1 (14 to 15 oz.) jar your favorite tomato pasta sauce
1 (1 0 ¾ oz.) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 cup water
3 cups uncooked mini lasagna noodles (mafalda)
1 cup frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry, larger pieces cut up
1 18 ounce frozen cooked Italian meatballs
6 ounces (1 ½ cups) shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley



Directions

1. In ungreased 13 X 9 inch (3 quart) glass baking dish, combine pasta sauce, soup and water; mix well. Stir in uncooked noodles, and bell pepper and onion stir fry. Add meatballs; turn to coat with sauce. (Noodles should be completely covered with sauce.) Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

2. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 F. Bake casserole, covered, for 45 minutes.

3. Uncover baking dish; sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Bake, uncovered, an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.



Calories 340 Fat 12g Sodium 940mg Carbs. 43g Fiber 2g Sugars 7g Cholesterol mg Calcium mg Protein g Iron g

Notes This is very easy and very tasty.

[Semigourmet]

Buy a bag of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you don't have a meat mallet buy one. take the chicken out the day before and let it defrost. pound it out as flat as you can get it without tearing it up, then season with garlic powder, onoin powder, salt, pepper, paprika, maybe a little ground sage or ground thyme.

Heat skillet over medium heat. add olive oil (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) add chicken and saute for 3 minutes on first side, or until it is golden then turn, at this point the pounded chicken breast is almost done, you will have about 2 to 3 more minutes.
If you buy bagged chopped broccoli in the fresh vegetable section. you can add as much as you like to the steamer or a small amount of water in a saucepan. the broccoli will steam or cook in about 10 minutes. start it 5 minutes after you put the chicken in the pan.

When the chicken has cooked for about 6 to 8 minutes, remove from pan, cover with foil and let rest. if you want a pan sauce, at this point deglaze the pan a little white wine (about 2 or 3 tablespoons) then you will need to add some chicken broth (I would say about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) and let it cook down, or reduece as they call it. but you want some of the liquid to evaporate. then you can spoon some of the sauce over the chicken. This would be my dinner or you can make a rice dish or skip it and have a little dessert after dinner or fix both.

[Semigourmet]

Barbecue Chicken Tortilla Pizzas

Betty Crocker - Grill It!

Servings 16 Page 83


Ingredients

2 flour tortillas
1 ½ cups chopped or shredded chicken or other meat
¼ cup barbecue sauce
2/3 cup chopped tomato
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced jalapenos, fresh diced tomatoes


Directions

1. Heat grill to medium heat. Top each tortilla with about 2 to 4 tablespoons barbecue sauce, 1/3 cup of the chicken or other meat, and 1 cup total of the cheeses.

2. Place tortillas on grill. Cover and grill 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is hot and cheese is melted. Remove from the grill and top with tomatoes. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Serve with garnishes.

3. For taco pizzas, replace the barbecue sauce with picante sauce, top with cheeses, taco meat, and onions of your choice. Bake or put on grill until tortilla is lightly browned and crispy. Remove from the oven top with, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, a little (Taco Bell) taco sauce, and some olives and sour cream if desired.

5. For other pizzas try, regular pizza sauce, with pepperoni slices, or just cheese etc. Get creative.


Calories 110 Fat 6g Sodium 280mg Carbs. 8g Fiber 0g Sugars g Cholesterol mg Calcium mg Protein g Iron g
Notes I like to use my home made barbecue sauce. To put these in the oven I like to use a cookie sheet or half sheet pan with a cooling rack for cakes and cookies on the baking sheet. This keeps the pizza toppings on the pizza, and not in the bottom of your oven.

[Semigourmet]

Two Mustard Chicken

Betty Crocker - Easy Weeknight Meals

Servings 4 Page 30




Ingredients

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons coarse grind mustard
2 tablespoons honey
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves




Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Spray rectangular pan, 13 X 9 X 2-inches, with cooking spray.

2. Mix mustards and honey; spread on both sides of chicken. Place in pan.

3. Bake uncovered 25 to 35 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.




Calories 195 Fat 5g Sodium 540mg Carbs. 11g Fiber 0g Sugars g

Notes this is very tasty but keep an eye on them. Mine were overdone cooking them for 25 minutes.

[cookielady]

If you don't have one, invest in a slow cooker (crockpot) and a good slow cooker recipe book. You can make your grocery list from the recipe you select and then put all the ingredients in the pot before you leave for work. When you get home, your dinner is ready! As mentioned above, make extra and freeze individual portions so you always have something in the freezer. Good Luck! Let us know how you are doing.

[CARO_79]

Hi Everione!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm new at this and one year ago I'm living with my boyfriend. Believe it or not my generation got so worry about univerity and work that I never learn how to cook till now.
We are two at home and both of us work really hard so when I'm short of time my favorites recipes is carbonara pasta ( easyyyyyyyyyy and fast) and chicken with garlic and mashed potatoes.
It is simple and nice, I also recomend to keep the basics on ur kitchen like garlic, onions, tomatoes and pasta those ingridients are great to make lots of things.

[ntufano]

I sympathise with you as it is hard to continually be inventive about what to buy and cook that is easy but also stimulating. I turn to the internet for inspiration and am keen on watching the new internet TV presentations for ideas.

Try searching Google for "internet cooking channel" and check out some of the online web sites that present their info via video. I hope you'll find it interesting.

What I really love about this type of information is the multi cultural variety that you can tap into. You may get recipe info from France, Brazil, Hong Kong to name just a few.

Hope you find this helps.

Neil

[Liketobake]

Thanks for the ideas Neil:D

[Semigourmet]

Hamburger Gravy (Very easy Very filling) Just not pretty.

Sister Mary’s – Recipes

Servings 6-8



Ingredients

1 Pound Hamburger
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, if necessary (if you buy low fat beef you will need to add butter)
¼ to a ½ cup flour (approximately)
2-4 cups milk (if using whole milk you can dilute it 1-1, 1 cup water to 1 cup milk)
Salt and pepper to taste



Directions

1. In a large saucepan or large sauté pan, cook and crumble Hamburger. When hamburger is fully cooked, add butter if necessary; and seasoning, after butter melts, add flour little by little stirring to combine flour with fats in pan. Adding a little flour at a time until all the fats are soaked up. Thick paste Not dry paste consistency. Let flour cook stirring a bit for about 1-2 minutes.

2. start adding the milk. Just enough to almost cover all Hamburger in pan, but not covered. Stirring constantly. The gravy will start too thicken after the milk warms up. Just keep adding after a little at a time maybe a half cup to a cup until the gravy is the consistency you like. Taste to check seasoning and add more if necessary.




Notes Serve over mashed potatoes, or cooked white rice.

[Semigourmet]

Mary's Sloppy Joe's

Sister Mary’s – Recipes

Serves 4-6



Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 1 ½ pounds ground turkey, beef or chicken
1 large onion, diced
1 small to medium green bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from a jar)
1 8 ounce can tomato puree
¼ to ½ cup KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon brown mustard (I used stone ground)
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup white vinegar
2-4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha (pronounced seerrachi) (optional)




Directions

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion and bell pepper. Cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ground meat and sauté until meat is just done.

2. When meat is done add the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until heated through.


Notes I like to pulse the veggies up in a mini prep or food processor so that they are a bit smaller. But what ever size you like is best.

[Semigourmet]

Polish sausage and cabbage packets (easy and no clean up)
Sister Mary’s - Recipes

Servings 4



Ingredients

1 pound smoked polish sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
8 small red potatoes, unpeeled, cup into quarters
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces tomato puree, or sauce
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chili sauce, or Sriracha (Asian) hot chili sauce (but cut the amount to about 1 teaspoon and then taste before you add more.)
1/8 teaspoon pepper




Directions

1. Heat grill to medium heat. Or heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut four 18 X 12 inch pieces of heavy duty foil. Divide sausage, cabbage and potatoes evenly onto foil

2. In a 4 cup measuring cup, combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chili sauce, and pepper; mix well. Spoon evenly over sausage and vegetables. Wrap each packet securely with double fold seals, allowing room for heat expansion.

3. When ready to grill, place packets on grill over medium heat. Cook 30 to 40 minutes or until cabbage and potatoes are tender. Open packets carefully to allow hot steam to escape.



Calories 690 Fat 11g Carbs. 73g Fiber 9g Sodium 1950mg Sugars 21g

Notes I like the Sriracha Asian hot sauce better cause you can get the heat you want without the vinegar flavor. I changed this up this time. I used only cabbage, potatoes, and smoked sausage. I used 1 can (8 ounce) tomato puree, about ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, about 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 tablespoon Maggi brand sweet chili sauce, salt and pepper to taste. I added about 4 tablespoons water to thin it just enough to make 1 cup of sauce. I like this much better than using the tomato sauce.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t261/MFrazier00/PolishSausageandCabbagePacketsPills.jpg

[Semigourmet]

Barbecued Chicken Tortilla Pizzas

I like to do these with all kinds of toppings. and like to use leftover sauted or grilled chicken for them also.

Sister Mary’s – Semi-Southern cookbook

Servings 16 Page 83



Ingredients

2 flour tortillas
1 ½ cups chopped or shredded chicken or other meat
¼ cup barbecue sauce
2/3 cup chopped tomato, or bell pepper or what ever veggie you like
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced jalapenos, fresh diced or sliced tomatoes



Directions

1. Heat grill to medium heat. Top each tortilla with about 2 to 4 tablespoons barbecue sauce, 1/3 cup of the chicken or other meat, and 1 cup total of the cheeses.

2. Place tortillas on grill. Cover and grill 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is hot and cheese is melted. Remove from the grill and top with tomatoes. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Serve with garnishes.




Notes You can make these in the oven. I use a cookie sheet with a cake cooking rack on top. Then I preheat the oven to 425 and bake it until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crispy and browned on the edges. I like to use my home made barbecue sauce. Have fun with this recipe, use pizza sauce and pepperoni, or brown some ground turkey and use a taco seasoning, shred lettuce and use taco sauce and maybe green chiles, diced tomatoes and picante sauce, maybe some sour cream and make a taco pizza.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t261/MFrazier00/BarbecuedChickenTortillaPizzasBetty.jpg

[JoelRobluchon]

I Love all theses recipes ! Thanks a lot :)

[Tango]

There's a lot of good ideas here. I like to experiment with different meats, cheeses and spices when I am cooking. I also keep various sauces on hand to liven the flavor of what I cook. I've also found that there are an amazing number of foods that will microwave well.

My rule is eat, drink and be merry!

Tango

[NOCHEF&JUSTLOVESFOOD.YUM]

I know that I have a tendecy to be "old school", but I think that the time for a pantry is back! It saves you money, time, and if you buy organic or gourmet on sale, you are always ready to cook. Yes, it costs a little to stock up and I have an Excel spreadsheet I check each week before I go shopping so I can rotate the stock and keep it fresh.

Dry Goods:

Coffee
Cornmeal
Cornstarch
Cream of Wheat
Dry Beans (black, pinto, navy, etc...)
Dry Cereals
Dry Milk Powder (will save you many trips to the store when you are running low on fresh milk)
Flour (all-purpose, and bread or wheat)
Granulated Sugar (and sugar substitute)
Grits (if you're fortunate enough to live in the south, otherwise they can be difficult to find)
Jelly (grape, raspberry, strawberry preserves, etc...)
Long-grain White Rice and Brown Rice
Oatmeal (quick cooking and regular)
Pasta (spaghetti, fettuccini, elbows, penne, rigatoni, shells, twists, lasagna, wide egg noodles, etc...)
Peanut Butter (natural is best, stir and store in fridge)
Popcorn
Ramen Noodles
Tea

Extras...

Biscuit Mix
Buttermilk Powder
Cake Mix
Coffee Creamer
Gravy Mix (warehouse clubs sell this by the pound!)
Pancake Mix
Peanuts, Other Nuts & Seeds (almonds, pecans, walnuts, soy nuts, sunflower seeds, etc... store in fridge)
Pudding and Jello Mixes

Additional Baking Supplies:

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Chocolate Chips
Condensed Milk
Confectioners' Sugar
Dark Brown Sugar
Evaporated Milk
Light Brown Sugar
Light Corn Syrup
Vanilla Extract (not flavoring)
Yeast Packets (store in fridge)

Extras...

Almond Bark (melting chocolate)
Almond Extract
Brownie, Cake and Muffin Mixes (when on sale!)
Decorative Sugar and Sprinkles
Food Coloring
Hershey's® Cocoa Powder
Honey
Molasses
Raisins
Shredded Coconut (store in fridge)
Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

Spices:

Basil
Bay Leaves
Bouillon Cubes (chicken and beef)
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Garlic
Ginger
Nutmeg
Onion Powder
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Pepper (coarse ground)
Rosemary
Sage
Salt (low-sodium, iodized, kosher, and sea salt)

Extras...

Celery Seeds
Chives
Cloves
Cumin
Curry Powder
Dry Mustard
Poppy Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Thyme

Canned Goods:

Chicken Broth (or store your own in the freezer whenever you boil a chicken)
Fruit (sliced peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail - packed in their own juice!)
Soups (chicken noodle, tomato, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, etc...)
Tomatoes (diced, crushed)
Tomato Paste
Tomato Sauce
Tuna (white albacore), or Chicken
Vegetables (baked beans, green beans, corn, peas, sliced mushrooms, etc...)

Extras...

Crab Meat
Hot Dog Chili
Pie Fillings
Pumpkin
Salmon
Salsa
Spaghetti Sauce

Condiments & Misc.:

Applesauce
Barbecue Sauce
Canola Oil
Cooking Spray
Ketchup
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Olive Oil
Pancake Syrup
Salad Dressing
Soy Sauce
Vegetable Shortening
Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce

Extras...

Apple Butter
Apple-Cider Vinegar
Bottled Water (for emergencies)
Mini-marshmallows
Olives (black or green)
Pickle Hamburger Chips
Pickle Relish
Teriyaki Sauce

Bread: (as needed)

Bagels
English Muffins
Hotdog or Hamburger Buns
Graham Crackers
Multi-Grain Bread
Pretzels
Ritz®-like Crackers
Tortillas (low carb if available)

Perishable Items: (as needed)

Dairy (milk, eggs, real butter, margarine, cheese, sour cream, Cool Whip®, ice cream, yogurt, etc...)
Fresh Fruit in Season or on Sale (apples, bananas, berries, oranges, grapes, melons, etc...)
Fresh Vegetables in Season or on Sale (asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn on the cob, green peppers, mushrooms, etc...)
Garlic
Meat, Fish & Poultry - whatever you like, as long as it's on sale!
Onions (yellow, sweet or red-which are actually purple)
Potatoes (white, small red, yellow/gold or sweet)
Salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, etc...)

Once you have learned to take what is in the frig, add from the pantry, you really know how to cook! :)

[Semigourmet]

caro 79 you bring up a good point. the pantry, and may I add the freezer are your best tools

Basic Pantry Items:
Canned: diced tomatoes, your favorite pasta sauce sucha s ragu or prego etc. canned vegetables, peas, carrots, green beans etc. Tomato sauce, chicken and beef broths, beans (we eat a lot of stuff with beans) navy beans, cannelini beans, kidney beans, black beans,

Dry pantry items: pastas such as spaghetti, angel hair, elbow, shell, linguine, etc. Flour, sugar, brown sugar, rices (such as instant or minute, along with long grain and brown ect. Bread crumbs.

vinegars and oils and liquid pantry itesm: I keep a lot but they keep. so here goes.
taco seasoning packets, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, and distilled vinegars, sesame, vegetable and olive oils, Worcestershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet (this is a great browning sauce for beef and gravies), Mirin (sweet rice wine), soy sauce, your favorite hot sauces, ketchup, mayo, mustards such as yellow, Dijon, and whole grain, salad dressings, maybe your favorite marinades such as KCMasterpiece lemon pepper for fish, or a steak marinade or what ever.

Now for the Dry seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salts such as kosher and sea, black pepper, dried minced onions, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes (AKA crushed red pepper), ground sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, dry mustard, bay leaves, and if you eat fish maybe some dill, and Durkee brand Citrus Grill Seasoning Blend.

In the refgrigerator I like to keep on hand.
Celery
carrots
onions red, yellow and sometimes green as they don't keep long, (if you are worried that you might not use all the onions you have you can choppe them up put them in baggies and freeze them. they are great as long as you are going to cook them. Soups, hash browns etc.
Red and white wine (small bottles for recipes)
chicken and beef base (like boullion but in paste form and no msg)
garlic, minced and crushed
ginger, minced

most people keep potatoes on hand, I don't as hubby is diabetic we can't eat them before they go bad, so I buy them as I am going to use them.

I hope this helps I didn't leave too much out. it looks daunting but you probably have a lot of it already. These things along with a few of your own like cury powder etc, will keep you ready for almost any dish you would liketo make. this list along with NoChef's should get you on the right track. and you don't have to get everything on both lists. just what you will be using. We just use these things.

[Jenyfari]

There are some great recipe ideas here. I guess what they are all telling you is that rather than heading off to the shops not knowing what to buy, set yourself up with a weekly menu. Once you have the menu in hand you can write yourself up a list of things to buy and it will make shopping and cooking that much easier.