Chapter 2: Basics of the Cost-Busting Kitchen
Centuries before there was a can of cream of something soup” to make casseroles, cooks were making white sauce to bind ingredients. Buying bottles of barbecue sauce or salad dressing is far more expensive than making these condiments yourself. Readers learn that rather than paying for the small pretty squeeze bottle of Thousand Island dressing, a few teaspoons of mayonnaise, a teaspoon of ketchup and a teaspoon of relish or chopped pickles produces the same result at a fraction of the price. Chicken stock ranges in price from $2.29 to $4 a quart, while for $2 it is possible to make six quarts of stock at home as well as using up bits and pieces of meat and vegetable trimmings otherwise destined for the garbage.
This chapter presents strategies for saving money on a continual basis, and then gives recipes for some commonly used items.
One important concept delineated in this chapter is batch cooking.” In addition to saving time, this concept also saves money on utility bills because a few large items are cooked simultaneously at the same temperature. This is followed by instructions on how to adapt favorite recipes for cooking in a slow cooker, an appliance that saves energy as well as needing no tending while tenderizing foods.
Partial Recipe List:
Chicken Stock
Vegetable Stock
Meat Stock
Seafood Stock
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Creamy Ranch Dressing
Blue Cheese Dressing
Caesar Dressing
Thousand Island Dressing
Basic White Sauce
Barbecue Sauce
Cocktail Sauce
Asian Marinade
Red/White Wine Marinade
Chapter 3: Entertaining with Flair on Few Funds
In the same way that healthful eating need not take a holiday during the holidays, entertaining friends and family need not break the bank. It is true that roasted beef tenderloin will not be the centerpiece of the dinner, nor does the occasion have to be a dinner.
The focus of this chapter is on modes of entertaining that stay within the $3 per person guideline yet are elegant so they belie how inexpensive they are to create. They include brunches, dessert parties after an event such as a movie, fondue around the fire, and picnics at an event or in a local park.
In addition to recipes, this chapter includes ideas for decorating tables with food that will be used for meals later in the week. While flowers that are pretty, they are expensive, and an equally beautiful display can be made with a pyramid of colorful vegetables bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, shallots that become a delicious pot of vegetable stew on a subsequent night. Tips are also offered on how to create dramatic buffet tables using objects found around the house.
Partial Recipe List:
Dilled Turkey Meatballs
Miniature Black Bean Cakes
Southwest Roast Beef Pinwheels
Teriyaki Beef Skewers
Buffalo Chicken Bits
Cuban Quesadillas
Muffuletta Quesadillas
Cheddar Crackers
Chili con Queso
Homemade Roasted Garlic Hummus
Chapter 4: Breakfast and Brunch Fare
Eggs remain a low-cost source of excellent protein, and there are myriad ways to jazz them up to create hearty brunch dishes that are less than $2 per serving. The categories of dishes in this chapter range from strata, savory bread puddings with countless additions, to baked omelets, and a range of hearty breakfast dishes.
Partial Recipe List:
Italian Sausage and Vegetable Strata
Chorizo, Corn and Jalapeño Jack Strata
Sausage, Apple and Sage Raisin Bread Strata
Corned Beef Hash with Baked Eggs
Welsh Rarebit with Tomato and Bacon
Chicken Polenta Scrapple”
Baked Spanish Omelet
Baked Onion, Potato, and Bacon Omelet
Summer Vegetable Custard
Bacon and Cheese Quiche
Chapter 5: Main Course Soups
Once youve made stocks for virtually no money, the next step is to use them for delicious soups that will have the depth of flavor that comes from good stock. A bowl of steaming soup containing some sort of protein along with healthful vegetables provides a filling dinner and it also great for casual entertaining.
Partial Recipe List:
Mexican Meatball Soup (Albóndigas)
Cuban Black Bean Soup with Sausage
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Minestrone with Beef
Two Mushroom Barley Beef Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
Chapter 6: Aquatic Adventures
While pricey crustaceans such as shrimp and crab are not the stars of these dishes, they can be used as a small garnish to dress up” less expensive species such as catfish, cod and tilapia. The chapter introduction includes a chart on how to substitute one species for another in order to take advantage of sale pricing or the freshest local catches.
Partial Recipe List:
Tuna and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Creamed Tuna and Vegetables on Toast
Tuna and Potato Turnovers
Seafood Gumbo
San Francisco Cioppino
Cod with Tomatoes and Fennel
Cod with Orzo and Feta
Sauteed Catfish Nuggets with Cheese Sauce
Southwest Fish Cakes
Linguine with Garlicky Fish Sauce
Monkfish with Summer Squash and New Potatoes
Creole Tilapia with Crab Stuffing on Spinach
Updated Tuna Noodle Casserole
Salade Niçoise
Tuna and White Bean Salad
Chapter 7: Poultry with Panache
Chicken is now the anchor of the American diet, and while boneless, skinless breasts are the most popular cut, they are also the most expensive. The introductory material details how to debone chicken breasts and cut up whole chickens into serving pieces, both of which save money on a per pound basis. Ground turkey is not only less expensive than good-quality ground beef, it is also much lower in fat. This chapter contains many recipes that use this product, in addition to instructions on how to adapt ground beef recipes to use turkey.
Partial Recipe List:
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Chow Mein
Chicken and Vegetables in White Wine Sauce
Braised Chicken with Bacon, Lettuce, Peas and New Potatoes
Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
Chicken and Creamed Spinach Casserole
Turkey Meatloaf
Turkey Chili with Garbanzo Beans and Zucchini
Southwest Turkey Pie with Cornbread Topping
Turkey Swedish Meatballs
Hot Fried Chicken Salad
Stir-Fried Chicken and Orange Salad
Chicken Jambalaya Salad
Asian Chicken Salad
Chapter 8: Meating the Challenge
Amongst the most expensive convenience products in the supermarket is generic stew beef.” It is frequently more than a $1 a pound more than buying a larger cut, and cutting it into cubes yourself. This chapter includes instructions for how to do so, as well as how to drain ground meats to remove excess fat. The introductory charts include information on beef, lamb and pork. Unfortunately, there are no cuts of tender veal that are inexpensive enough to fit within the parameters of the book.
Partial Recipe List:
Cheddar Potato-Topped Shepherds Pie
Vegetable-Stuffed Meatloaf
Beef and Eggplant with Custard Topping
Sunday Pot Roast
Short Ribs of Beef with Rosemary and Celery
Braised Country Ribs with Red Cabbage
Pork and Old-Fashioned Boston Baked Beans
Cajun Stewed Red Beans and Ham
New Mexico Pork and Hominy Stew
Baked Pasta with Italian Sausage and Broccoli
Baked Pasta with Beef and Beans (Pasta Fazool)
Macaroni with Ham and Cheese
Braised Ham with Tomatoes and Peppers
Barbecued Pork Salad
Sausage and Potato Salad
Chapter 9: Vegetarian with Verve
Many millions of Americans have become what is termed an occasional vegetarian,” and eat at least a few vegetarian dinners a week. The recipes in this chapter will be divided seasonally, since that is when vegetables are at their lowest cost. The chapter introduction also includes information on eating grains and legumes together to form a complete protein.
Partial Recipe List:
Eggplant and Mozzarella Sandwiches”
Stuffed Zucchini Creole
Zucchini Chili
Southwest Spinach Loaf
Black Bean Tamale Pie
Spicy Garbanzo Bean and Kale Stew
Spaghetti Squash Marinara
White Bean Stew with Carrots and Spinach
Mexican Bean and Vegetable Stew
Sweet Potatoes with Root Vegetables and Prunes
Sweet and Sour Brown Rice Stuffed Cabbage
Rice Pilaf with Vegetables
Chicken with Rice Noodles
Buckwheat with Turkey and Carrots
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Chicken and Mexican Rice
Polenta Chicken Lasagna
Beef and Barley Bake
Chapter 10: Bakery Basics
The increase in the cost of flour, and everything made from it including bread and baked goods as well as pasta is part of the huge spike in food costs. The convenience of buying a loaf of bread will never be replaced, but the cost of specialty bread can be up to
$5 a loaf and it costs mere pennies to make one.
Partial Recipe List:
Basic White Bread
Focaccia (with many flavor variations)
Multi-grain Bread
Brioche
Basic Pie Crust
Sugar Cookie Dough
Brown Sugar Cookie Dough
Chapter 11: Sweet $1 Endings
Along with filet mignon and lobster, fresh raspberry desserts in December are also too expensive to be included in $3 Meals except as a garnish. But there are many delicious desserts that are less than $1 per serving, and that feature nutritious fresh fruits such as bananas and apples. The recipes also include ways to use up egg whites because many dishes such as custards and quiches use more yolks than whole eggs.
Partial Recipe List:
Upside-Down Caramel Apple Tart
Apple Cobbler
Apple Caramel Quesadillas
Bananas Foster
Meringue Shells with Fruit Salad
New England Indian Pudding
Creole Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Coconut Rice Pudding with Fruit
Easy Caramel Fondue
Chocolate Fondue
Appendixes
Metric Conversion Table
Weight and Volume Equivalent of Common Foods
Menus for Entertaining