Today is the day I will officially put the original purpose of this blog on a hopefully temporary hiatus. In addition to trying some new recipes and changing a few of the old ones I am on a quest to discover great meals on a budget. I'll be doing some big batch cooking that will taste wonderful for about $1 - $2 per serving. Where to start?????
"A large stock pot". At Christmas time I found a 20 quart stock pot at Macy's that was originally $129.99. It was reduce by 50%, then reduce again and again and an additional $10 taken at the register. I walked out the door with this pot for $29.99. Deal of the century if you ask me. I have used it three times already with excellent results. Chili, BBQ sauce and Spaghetti.
Everyone knows that spaghetti is one of the least expensive meals a person can make. Costco or Sam's Club is the perfect place to start for this. Get your meat, pasta and sauce making materials in large quantities and cut your cost significantly. I estimate the batch of sauce I made yielded 36 servings of spaghetti sauce for about $1.41 per serving. Keep in mind that this includes 6 pounds of homemade meatballs, 2 pounds of Italian sausage and 1 pound of peperoni sticks. I never said it was low cholesterol but it does taste fabulous. Add some pasta and homemade focaccia bread to this and your still well under $2 per serving.
Stews, Chili, non cream based soup, etc. All can be done in this same manner and freeze extremely well. The best way I have found to freeze them is to place the cooled soup, sauce, etc. into a 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag by desired serving size and gently pushing the air out of the bag, zip it closed. Lay flat in your freezer in a shallow box (a shirt box works well) until frozen. After a couple of hours you will be able to store upright to save space in your freezer. It will keep for months and help stretch you monthly food budget.
As I mentioned, I have done Chili and Spaghetti sauce so far. I have also prepared and frozen a large ham and have plans for a turkey today. These can be divided into portions for soups, sandwiches or future meals and frozen for months as well. Take the time to prepare in advance and not only save time latter but you will also save money.
Upcoming meal preparations; Carnitas, Lasagna, Bahn Mi Pork, Tacos and Empanadas.
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