This is a “catch-up” post because it’s actually a meal from Friday – the long weekend got away from me! But it was too good not to record for posterity, even a few days late. So please forgive me for my tardiness.

At any rate, this Mexican pizza is one I’ve been meaning to try again for quite some time. I was turned on to the recipe from Nava Atlas’ “The Five-Ingredient Gourmet,” and I’ve enjoyed this pizza ever since. But it’s been awhile since it has graced our table, and I felt it was well past due for a renaissance.

Instead of the premade pizza crust I’ve used in the past, this time I used the Pillsbury roll-out crust, which I’ve found lends itself to a more flexible, less tough texture. However, with the heavy toppings of salsa and refried beans, I’m afraid the crust got a little TOO chewy and gooey for my taste. It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t as firm as I would have enjoyed. Next time I’ll pre-bake the crust for longer than five minutes in order to firm up the surface.

That said, the pizza’s taste remained unharmed, despite the texture, and I’ll definitely give it another try!

The stats:

Pizza crust: $3.19 ($1.60/person)
Refried beans: $1.59 ($0.80/person)
Monterey Jack cheese: $3.00 ($1.50/person)
Olives: $1.29 ($0.65/person)
Lettuce: $1.99 ($1.00/person)
Cherry tomatoes: $5.99/carton ($1.50/person)
Soybeans: $1.39 ($0.70/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $18.44 … or $7.75 per person.

:)

Poor old red beans and rice. It’s been languishing in our cabinet for the better part of a week, waiting for consumption, only to be stymied at every turn by a series of other events and meals that have left it waiting. But not anymore!

Red beans and rice, served tonight with soy chorizo, is a great dish that looks and tastes more time-consuming than it really is. Grill the chorizo – since it’s chilly and rainy today, we used the George Foreman inside – while cooking the beans on the stove and the rice in the microwave (I’m sorry, Amanda!), and you’ve got a meal in 15 minutes, easy!

The stats:

Red beans: $1.00 ($0.50/person)
Rice: $1.75 ($0.88/person)
Soy chorizo: $4.99 ($2.50/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $7.74 … or $3.88 per person.

:)

I meant to post this last night, but a full belly and a finicky camera battery proved to be my blogging downfall. Though this isn’t quite a recessionista meal, I did want to share it for several reasons, not the least of which is that it was quite tasty. But furthermore, it really was prepared with frugality in mind. I purchased bits and pieces of this meal over three weeks’ worth of grocery trips, so as to absorb the cost over time rather than all at once, and as you might be able to see, none of the ingredients or dishes were particularly expensive in the first place.

But the important thing is, we all seemed to enjoy Easter dinner – both the meal itself and the fellowship – and that’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it?

The stats (no itemization today – it IS a holiday, after all!):

Quorn roast
Gravy
Potato salad
Green-bean casserole
English peas
Crescent rolls
Champagne
Strawberry shortcake

:)

My friends Chris and Kelly, who live in Albuquerque, turned me on to the mystery and magic of green chile when we visited them last summer, and while I fear they might scoff at my use of Rotel (for it is decidedly NOT local to New Mexico!), the fondness I have for green chile remains.

I never even thought of pairing Rotel with ramen noodles until I came across this recipe, which pairs the two with aplomb. Further, this recipe gets straight to the heart of another constant issue in the Recessionista household: time, or lack thereof. On this particular evening, we were trying to make it to Maundy Thursday church service in half an hour, and so dinner had to be prepared on the double.

From beginning to end, this meal takes 10 minutes to make. Most of that is cooking time, which leaves plenty of time for setting the table and even resting for a few minutes after work (imagine that!). And the end result? Fantastic! The Rotel adds a nice spicy kick to the ramen and Boca patties, and it doesn’t leave us wanting more the way that other ramen recipes sometimes do. All in all, it’s a winning combination. It may not have been served at the Last Supper, but it was a Maundy Thursday feast for us.

The stats:

Ramen noodles: $0.29 ($0.15/person)
Rotel: $1.69 ($0.85/person)
Boca chik’n patties: $3.50 ($1.75/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $5.48 … or $2.74 per person.

:)

Oh, my dear Sloppy Joe. It has been far too long since you have graced my table!

Sloppy Joes are a great go-to meal when I want something hearty, yet easy to make. Soy ground “beef” mixed with sauce, mushrooms, and onions, ladled over a nice potato roll — it’s a winner every time! Paired with a fresh green salad with crisp butter lettuce and splurge-worthy grape tomatoes (they really were worth the $5.99 per carton — you can’t be a bare-bones recessionista ALL the time!), it makes a meal that can’t be beat.

Also, since we were just discussing the Crock-Pot yesterday, I’ll add that sometimes I will put my Sloppy Joe mix in the slow cooker for the day, returning home to a fragrant house that instantly sets my tummy to rumbling. But though tonight was not one of those nights, I don’t think either of us minded the quick-cook nature of this meal. It turned out great — and LeeLee has leftovers ready for tomorrow!

The stats:

Ground “beef”: $4.69 ($2.35/person)
Pizza sauce: $1.85 ($0.93/person)
Onion: $0.25 ($0.13/person)
Mushrooms: $1.75 ($0.88/person)
Hamburger buns: $1.89/eight buns ($0.24/person)
Lettuce: $3.49 ($1.75/person)
Cherry tomatoes: $5.99/carton ($1.50/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $19.91 … or $7.78 per person.

BUT WAIT! There was enough Joe left over for one additional serving, so the per-person price goes down even more.

:)

You know, I thought I was almost too late, seasonally speaking, to make this chowder. The 60-degree weather reported by LeeLee over the weekend (as well as my own weekend trip to warmer climes) signaled spring was on its way, finally. But then I woke up this morning and put my fingertips to the storm door, and the chill coming from the glass told the tale.

So, chowder it is.

And this is a good one. Truth be told, it really could be served through the spring and even the summer, but for whatever reason I always find myself gravitating toward it in the cooler months. I’m glad Mother Nature gave me the opportunity to give it one more whirl before the sun heats up our little corner of the world. And I’m even happier that this particular sausage-corn chowder – in its potential grand finale of the season – was especially warm, comforting, and, if I do say so myself, tasty, too.

The stats:

Sausage: $3.49 ($1.75/person)
Kernel corn: $0.79 ($0.40/person)
Creamed corn: $0.79 ($0.40/person)
Evaporated milk: $1.00 ($0.50/person)
Onion: $0.25 ($0.12/person)
Potatoes: $2.71 ($1.36/person)
Garlic bread: $1.99 ($0.50/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $11.02 … or $5.03 per person.

P.S. As an aside, spring really is at our doorstep. Look what’s come up over the weekend – the first of my potatoes!

:)

I’d like to ask your forgiveness for the fact that I haven’t posted in the last few days; I’ve been out of town visiting family, where many kitchen goodies were made and consumed with gusto.  I can’t vouch for their exact per-person price, but I have full confidence that frugality was in play for the majority of meals.

You know, the first few times I cooked with ramen noodles as a college graduate, I really didn’t know what to do with them. I had a hard time figuring out how best to pair them with the foods I’d grown so familiar with in my postgraduate life, and I couldn’t remember for the life of me what I used to do to them to make them tasty back in the day.

But after several experiments and even more Web searches, the ideas and recipes began to come. One of the most successful dishes I’ve concocted so far is ramen lo mein, served with an egg roll on the side. It’s filling, hearty, and – OK, I’ll say it – pretty healthy, too. AND we were able to use the green bell pepper and more carrots from LeeLee’s Eastern Market excursion last weekend.

While I’m on the subject, the first fresh bell pepper of the season? Bliss.

The stats:

Ramen noodles: $0.29 ($0.15/person)
Trader Joe’s “beef” strips: $2.99 ($1.50/person)
Green bell pepper: $0.50 ($0.25/person)
Onion: $0.25 ($0.12/person)
Carrots: $0.25 ($0.12/person)
Egg rolls: $3.00/four ($0.75/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $5.78 … or $2.89 per person.

:)

Talk about comfort food. You can’t get more comforting than Safeway’s own version of Hamburger Helper.

OK, I know, totally not high-brow. But a long week of triathlon training looms, and I could stand the extra protein and carbs. Personally, I embrace the Helper – it’s one of my favorite go-to meals, as I’m sure you’ll see as time goes by. Plus, I sorta feel like the farm-fresh salad on the side makes up for any nutritional deficiencies inherent in this evening’s entrée.

The salad ingredients came from a farmer at DC’s Eastern Market. LeeLee chose a grab bag of a variety of vegetables, most of which ended up in tonight’s salad. There’s nothing like having the season’s first fresh head of lettuce. Ahhh … spring is here!

The stats:

Safeway Hamburger Helper: $1.50 ($0.75/person)
Lightlife Smart Ground: $4.69 ($2.35/person)
Soy Dream: $0.37/cup ($0.19/person)
Salad grab bag: $2.00 ($1.00/person)

GRAND TOTAL: $8.56 … or $4.29 per person.

And because I couldn’t resist, here’s a photo of the salad all by itself!

:)