Cheap & Mindless Chicken & Dumplings

After a year of tweaking this recipe (neither terrible nor good) for “Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings,” last night I finally got it to taste less like a gloppy mess and more like my grandmother’s chicken (if not the dumplings, but I didn’t have baking powder and a can of biscuits is 50 cents…):

Dump:
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
chopped onion
chicken
pepper and spices (used Sunny Paris by Penzey’s)

Add water to cover chicken completely.

Cook: four-five hours on high (8-9 on low)

Add:
One can of biscuit dough, torn into tiny pieces and rolled into balls/tubes

Cook: 1 hour on high

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Total: .50 for the biscuits,  .87 for the chicken broth, .50 for the cream of chicken, $1 for the chicken, .13 for the onions: cost of meal, $4 (less than $1 per serving)

This could be cheaper if you bought on sale and made your own biscuits, but on a work day, I’m way too lazy for that.

Eggs in Purgatory

This seems too simple to work. I’m frequently trying to find ways to make eggs come off of the breakfast rotation and into the dinner menu. Lately, I’ve been craving protein; this has meant red meat, and I’m beginning to feel bloated and slow in a way that I haven’t felt since – well, I stopped eating much red meat a year ago. Back to eggs it must be!

Recipe: Eggs in Purgatory

Simmer marinara sauce in a pan. Add eggs. Cook until yokes have a white sheen. Serve with grated Italian cheese.

Check out a video of the recipe here.

If two eggs serve one person, then you could do brunch for 5-6 people with a dozen eggs and one bottle of tomato sauce.

Suzie Q Special

This isn’t a super-cheap meal (and it’s certainly not a “foodie” food), but today has been one of those days where we need something simple and soothing. This recipe, from The All-American Truckstop Cookbook, hits the spot.

Brown one pound of ground beef and a chopped onion. Drain.

Meanwhile, hollow out one loaf of Hawaiian bread (leave the crust intact).

Add a can of condensed mushroom soup to the beef/onion. Dump the mixture into the loaf of bread and top with loads of cheddar cheese.

Bake at 300 F until bubbly and golden.

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Total cost: $2.50 Hawaiian bread on sale; $2.07 ground beef, “day-old;” 87 cents, can of mushroom soup; and appx 50 cents, frozen onion.

Dinner for 4 (or main for 6): $5.94

Mark Bittman hints at the debate ongoing about whether the push for organic/local pushes poor people out of the market for “in” foods.

He plays off a recommendation to use frozen potatoes, which those commenting deride. At least here in the suburbs, a 5 lb. bag of potatoes is a lot cheaper than  a 1 lb. bag of hash browns. On the other hand, given the quality and life-span of vegetables available at Wal-Mart, I rely on frozen onions, peas, corn, etc. Don’t you?

(Mexican/Colombian/Etc) Steak & Beans

Adapted from Cooking Light:

1 lb. steak (lean as possible) – cut into bite-size chunks

1 can Rotel

Spices: garlic, 1-2 tsp. cumin, 1 tbsp Mexican seasoning salt, cilantro

1 onion, chopped (frozen works)

1 can Pinto Beans (with jalepenos if possible)

Directions: Add steak, Rotel, onion, and spices to crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Add pinto beans. Cook for 30 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

I’m undecided on this new product.

It’s described as: “Swanson® Seasoned Chicken Broth with Roasted Garlic is a tasty, 99% fat-free solution to save you steps in preparing recipes that could use a boost in flavor with delicious roasted garlic!”

It worked in the stuffing we had last night. The flavor was good. But, I think it should contain some sort of warning about all the little chunky bits of (what?) that came out of the can. It was a little gross looking. But, I’m going to give it another go.

Sutter Home White Merlot

As part of the “traditional” Thanksgiving experience (and somewhat on impulse) – I bought a Sutter Home White Merlot at Wal-Mart for about $4.

It was okay for drinking alone but then on the second glass it got sickly, cloying sweet.

Here’s how Sutter describes it: “A bright, light red color, and sweet cherry and raspberry aromas characterize this wine. Soft, round, juicy cherry and berry flavors form structure and a full, rich texture. Serve chilled as an aperitif, or as an excellent accompaniment to picnic and barbecue fare, seafood, poultry, ham, and spicy ethnic cuisines.” See: http://www.sutterhome.com/w_wm.php
I think that’s mostly right: an aperitif would be okay. Otherwise, not so much…

Chipotle Chicken Marinade

I got this from ChipotleFan.com, and am looking forward to trying it. Sounds way better than the stuff out of a bottle.

Chipotle’s Chicken Marinade

  1 (2 ounce) package dried ancho chiles

  1 teaspoon black pepper

  2 teaspoons cumin powder

  2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

  6 cloves garlic

1/2 red onion, quartered

1/4 cup vegetable oil

  4 chicken breasts (6 ounces each)

Soak dry chilies overnight in water, until soft. Remove seeds. Add all

ingredients except meat in food processor. Puree until smooth.

Spread mixture over chicken, or other meats and refrigerate at least

one hour, up to 24 hours.

After marinating, heat grill to about 400 degrees F, or if cooking

inside, heat small amount of oil in skillet or grill pan over high

heat. Salt meat to taste (optional), and grill lightly, turning only

once, until done. 4 minutes per side of chicken.

Recipe will make four burritos.

Recipe source: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=360954

Chipotle’s Guacamole

Well, I know this recipe is out there a lot, but since I’m always looking for it again, thought I would put it here. IMO 2 large serranos is way too much. And I think they use red onions.

Chipotle’s Guacamole