Would someone want to teach me to cook from scratch?

I see some say that cooking from scratch is cheaper. I guess it probably is if you know HOW! Every time I buy fresh fruit and veggies and try to do things from scratch I spend more than I would normally. It is SO daunting to me to cook new things and it just seems that I break my budget horribly when I try and vary from my normal grocery list.

If someone could teach me how to cook things that I like to eat that rival the pre-made stuff, Id be thrilled. Im SO not creative in the kitchen.

It would need to be someone who is willing to come over on Sundays or Mondays for a couple weeks and help me get a grocery list going, a monthly menu planned, find the recipes with me, and be available to call during the time I cook dinner the first few times I cook new things.

We can talk price in PMs if you are interested. I cant afford much, and would probably have to pay it out a bit, but Im really interested.

do you have a copy of the joy of cooking? pick one up at halfprice if you don't, it is a really good place to start. i've been teaching myself to cook and that book helped a lot.

Sure! I'm not a chef by any means, and I've been know to screw up a meal on occasion, but I do cook from scratch more than not. It just tastes so much better!

I'd say, we should discuss some meals you're interested in cooking. I can show you a bunch of my recipes. We can pick out a few, and cook them together, over here. We can make double batches, so there's food for you family AND mine.

I think its fun to cook together. I really wish I : 1) had a daughter and 2) had a daughter who liked to cook, so we could cook together.

And I'm in Plano, too!

Marion, here is a list of the things I rotate between cooking. Its getting old, Id like something new but dont want to break the budget or spend hours in the kitchen. So if you can look at this and get a feel for the types of meals we like, maybe we can find ones that suit the same tastes but yet are different.

Menu:

Chicken & Rice (Lipton Cheddar & Rice packet) with frozen brocolli mixed in all done in same skillet

Chicken & Stuffing with Green beans- chicken breasts covered in cream of mushroom soup and green beans baked with chicken flavored stuffing on top

Spaghetti & Chicken - Ragu garden style sauce for both pasta and chicken, covered in mozzerella and parmesian cheeses

Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken- fettucini, Bertoli jarred Alfredo sauce, chicken breasts, frozen brocolli

"Shake n Bake" (not really) Porkchops, Potatoes & Green beans- I bread the porkchops with egg and Italian bread crumbs and make potato wedges and season them with olive oil and whatever seasoning I decide - usually garlic, salt, and pepper; and canned green beans

Tacos- ground turkey, taco seasoning, taco bell taco shells, tomatos, lettuce, and cheese, and usually Lipton spanish rice or canned refried beans to go with it

Taco Salad- ground turkey, canned pinto beans, canned diced tomatos, canned tomato sauce, sometimes an onion, taco seasoning, tortilla chips, lettuce, cheese, dressing

Enchiladas- red sauce, flour tortillas, ground turkey, cheese, usually with canned refried beans or lipton spanish rice (if Im being lazy or out of time I just use cooked frozen burritos instead of home making the enchilada, cover it in sauce and cheese, and bake til the cheese is melted)

Home made pizza (sort of)- pillsbury pizza dough, hormel turkey pepperoni, jarred pizza sauce, mozzerella shredded cheese

BBQ chicken- Chicken thighs, our favorite bbq sauce baked in oven til done, usually with baked beans and rice or potato salad

Bruschetta Chicken bake- cut upChicken breasts, canned diced tomatos in Basil, Oregano, & Garlic flavoring, box of chicken flavored stuffing, shredded mozzerella- This is my newest venture and my husband really likes it.

Hamburgers- frozen patties, cheapest buns I can find, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickles, and potato/bbq chips or potato salad or french fries

For a while I made home made chilli, but we ended up wasting more than we actually ate. Same goes for Roast Beef in the crock pot, or anything else made in the crock pot for that matter. I also used to make roast beef sandwiches with au juice but it got old fast.

Chili freezes really well. When I make a big batch, I usually freeze half of it and bring it out for another meal down the road. :thumbup I have a couple inexpensive easy recipes I'd be happy to share as well. We cook all homemade. some of our meals are cheaper than prepackaged and some aren't. The main reason I do it, is because it's healthier. I prefer to stay away from all the preservatives and sodium in prepacked food. This isn't to say we don't use any prepackaged food though... I can tell I just sounded like a food snob. :lol I like the rice a roni natural way products and we do use those once or twice a week. I've also been known to make boxed mac and cheese and my kids love dino nuggets. :)

Let me know if I can help. I love to cook! I don't think you'll regret your switch. :thumbup

For a while I made home made chilli, but we ended up wasting more than we actually ate. Same goes for Roast Beef in the crock pot, or anything else made in the crock pot for that matter. I also used to make roast beef sandwiches with au juice but it got old fast.

Have you tried freezing the leftovers? That's what I learned to do after letting a few meals' leftovers go to waste. Just get some of those disposable plastic containers and freeze it. Then, on a night you don't really want to cook a big meal, just thaw it out and reheat.

Yeah, when I was pregnant getting ready for Brian to be born, I went on a kick and froze creamy chicken spaghetti, taco salad, and chilli. I dont always get my chilli right though and most of the time it ends up too dry and we dont even like it the first time. So now, if I make anything, I only make enough for one serving over what we will eat for dinner, and hubby takes the one serving to work for lunch.

I'm a BIG fan of the freezer! I often cook extra JUST to have some to freeze for a later meal.

We should probably just get together one time to look over my recipes - the things I'm familiar with cooking - and discuss them, talk about your family's likes/dislikes, etc, and pick a few recipes we will cook together. Some recipes are more work than others (but oh, so good!) But, they are not hard. For those recipes, there are also steps that I can prepare ahead of time for later use.

I see you cook a lot with ground turkey. Any ground beed recipe I have can be made with ground turkey. I have a few recipes that I use the Campbell cream soups and/or Lipton onion soup mix. Those are really good, and easy, but not as healthy.

At one point, I started keeping a list of recipes that I use, so that when I go to plan meals, I can look at my list instead of having to remember the various meals we eat. It has really helped to add variety. The ones with the * are ones I haven't actually cooked yet, but got added to the list because I wanted to try them.

Beef
*Beef Enchiladas
*Flank Steak with Watercress Sauce
*Gingery Beef
*Sesame Beef Roast
Beef Stroganoff
Cheesy Mostaccioli Beef
Chili Dogs
Easy Empanadas
Favorite Meatloaf
Indonesian Beef Skewers
Lime Beef with Tortillas
Lo-Cal Chicken Fried Steak
Marinated Flank Steak
Meatloaf by Sylvia
Mom's Chuck Roast w/Rich Gravy
Skillet Steak & Rice
Skirt Steaks with Fresh Herbs
Steak & Peppers (w/rice)
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Swedish Meatballs
Taco Seasoning Mix
Tacos in Pasta Shells
Texas Oven Brisket
West Texas Brisket
Casserole
*Ham Casserole
*Ravioli Salad
Baked Rosemary Chicken w/Broccoli & Carrots
Baked Ziti
Beef Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Jambalaya
Rigatoni Family Style
Rigatoni with Sausage & Broccoli
Tricolor Pasta Toss
Turkey Leftover Pot Pie
Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey/Chicken Tettrazini
Crockpot
*Flank Steak in Mushroom Sauce
Beef & Veg in Red Wine Sauce
Beef Burgundy
Beef Stew
Beef Stroganoff
Roast in slow cooker
Round Steak with Rich Gravy
Slow Cooker Beef & Beer
Kentucky Burgoo
Chicken Cacciatore
Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
Lamb & Pork
*Rosemary Lamb Chops w/Lemon Garlic Sauce
Lamb Chops Oregenato
*Pork Marsala
*Smoked Pork Chop Dinner
*Smothered Pork Chops
Baked Pork Chops
Breaded Pork Chops
Chili-Breaded Pork Chops
Corriander Pepper Chops
Gold Coast Pork Chops
Honey Lime Pork Chops
Italian Sausage & Zucchini
Marinated Pork Roast
Mushroom Sauce Backed Pork Chops
Pork Chops in Cream of Mushroom over Rice
Pork Chops w/ Lipton Onion Potatoes
Sausage Casserole
Savory Pork & Veggies
Poultry
*Chicken & Artichoke Marinara
*Chicken & Dumplings
*Chicken Campagnola
*Chicken Stuffed Peppers
*Chicken with Buttermilk Gravy
*Marinated Chicken, SW Style
*Santa Fe Chicken
Baked Lime Chicken (with Shrimp)
Chicken in a Skillet
Chicken On Sunday
Chicken Paprikash
Chicken Parmigian
Chicken Rolls
Chicken Thighs w/Ginger Lime Sauce
Chicken with Walnuts Stir-Fry
Country Chicken & Potato Bake
Easy Chicken Saute
Fresco Marinated Chicken
Granny’s Roast Chicken
Lime & Hot Pepper Chicken Salad
Mandarin Chicken Stir-Fry
Mexican Chicken & Rice
Roasted Chicken & Potatoes
Rosemary Chicken
Rosemary Chicken -Easy Sunday Supper
Rosemary Chicken with Rotelle
Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Savory-Herb Marinade for Chicken
Seafood
*Fettuccine w/Tuna Sauce
*Fish Marinade
*Linguine w/ Shrimp & Tomato Sauce
*Mediterranean Swordfish w/Potatoes
*Peppery Scallops
*Swordfish Kabobs with Vegetables
Fettuccine with Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Fish in Foil
Grilled Rock Lobster Tails
Hawaiian Mahi Mahi
Lemon Pepper Shrimp and Zucchini
Sauteed Shark, Tuna, Mahi Mahi
Savory Grilled Shrimp
Seafood Fettucine
Shrimp & Pasta in Lemon Cream Sauce
Shrimp Etouffee
Shrimp Orleans
Sides, Soup & Veggies
Cornbread Dressing w/ Giblet Gravy
Savory Rice Melody
*Tuscan Soup
Cream of Potato Soup
Garlic & Potato Soup
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
Minestrone Soup
Minestrone Soup with Ground Beef
My Chili
Sausage-Vegetable Soup
Turkey Soup, Creole Style
*Veal Chops in Mushroom Sauce
*Easy Country Vegetables
*Herb Vegetable Packets
*Savory Roast Potatoes
*Sesame Green Beans
*Teriyaki Carrots & Snow Peas
Broccoli
Broccoli & Cauliflower w/Nut Cracker Crumb Topping
Carrots in Dill Sauce
Cauliflower Casserole
Cauliflower with Lemon Sauce
Corn & Zucchini Medley
Corn & Zucchini Saute
Green Bean Casserole
Herbed Green Beans
Lemon Pepper Zucchini
Lipton Onion Potatoes
Mexican Rice
Oven Roasted Vegetables
Pan Fried Asparagus
Pasta & Veggie Stir-Fry
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
Spaghetti Squash Microwave
Spicy Potato Wedges
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
White&Green Linguine w/Broc & Cauliflower
Wilted Cabbage Salad with Bacon

Thats a HUGE menu!!!!

Buy a whole chicken. Buy a bunch when they are on sale (and freeze the extra). Cook the whole chicken & you can make several meals with the chicken & it is sooooo much less expensive that way.

Cheryl, the problem is freezer space... plus, buying a lot when its on sale isnt cheaper if you have to use money out of your normal budget to get it :( I have $100 a week right now for groceries. If I spend $50 buying a ton of chicken to save up for later because its on sale, its not cheaper, is it? Because then I have only $50 left for the rest of the weeks groceries.

Cheryl, the problem is freezer space... plus, buying a lot when its on sale isnt cheaper if you have to use money out of your normal budget to get it :( I have $100 a week right now for groceries. If I spend $50 buying a ton of chicken to save up for later because its on sale, its not cheaper, is it? Because then I have only $50 left for the rest of the weeks groceries.

Oh, well you can still do whole chickens not on sale & get enough chicken for several dishes - way more chicken than buying seperately.

Also, the often go on sale for half off - so if you have enough budgeted for 1 whole chicken you can get 2 without going over. . . but that doesnt help your freezer space problem!

I had angelfood whole frying chicken once. I would have loved to know how to use it. The process of thawing it out, breaking it up, pulling out the innards and stuffing it or whatever is so daunting to me that I never did it and ended up giving the whole chicken to my neighbor.

I guess this all stems from growing up with my dad. He never cooked anything other than frozen meals or beef stroganoff, spaghetti or tacos because he didnt know how. I dont EVER remember my dad buying chicken or chicken breasts.

I learned a little from my mom, but most of my cooking skills came from hanging out with a "domestic diva" while our husbands were in college. She was a great cook and I learned so much just from watching her.
Also, rather than buying a bunch of cookbooks that you may never use I recommend that if you have a particular ingredient to use get on tasteofhome.com or allrecipes.com. Allrecipes has ratings which is helpful and feedback on how people made the recipes better.
As for whole chickens, I throw my thawed chicken in the crockpot, fill with water to cover, salt liberally and cook for 8 hours on low. Let it cool for a little bit, pull it apart and use it for chicken soup, pot pie, chicken enchiladas, King's Ranch chicken, chicken spaghetti, or throw it together with a prepackaged mix(chicken helper) when your short on time. And if you're preplanning your meals, you'll have a much easier time sticking to your budget. You won't be buying things just in case you make this or that.
I love to cook so feel free to pm for recipes or help.

Erica, THANK YOU. Everyone tells me to use a whole chicken but not HOW lol So next week when I go grocery shopping, I may grab one. But I need to find out what I can use it with first that we like eating. I use allrecipes.com all the time but hate that since I dont have a working printer Im constantly running back to the computer to see whats next :lol

I plan my meals a week at a time right now. I used to plan them 2 weeks out but towards the end of the 2 weeks we would get bored and end up eating out the last 3 or 4 days. So planning a week only keeps me from that a bit more and Im not saying "Ugh I dont want that" as often. I also know our schedule a week out better than 2 weeks out, and know whether Ill need a quick meal or have time to make something.

Thanks for posting this Beth...I'm seriously challenged in the cooking department too. I love cooking when I do it..but I'm so picky that I never want to try much with limits us on what to cook in the first place. My MIL said she would come teach me some tricks when I am on maternity leave..and I can't wait.

Woohoo Christina! Hope you learn alot from your MIL :-D

I am SO limited on meals because of what I know I can cook and what I KNOW I dont like LOL

I am loving this thread!! I love to cook, but really don't know much. I also don't do very good at cooking "from scratch". We use a lot of pre-packaged stuff. I am definitely going to try the whole chicken in the crock pot method. The only reason that I don't buy whole chickens is that it takes so long to thaw and then cook them and I never think about it earlier enough.

I make homemade enchilada sauce for Beef Enchiladas and use 2% cheese - so that's probably our healthiest homemade meal! :) I am always looking for tips and advice for cooking healthier, but not having it take longer. kwim?

I have multiple problems:

1. DH doesn't like mixed foods like casseroles. He doesn't care for but will eat on occasion leftovers or preprepared frozen foods.

2. I didn't really learn to cook. My mom can cook but I was the baby and by the time I was old enough to learn mom and dad were both working and were almost never home at dinner time. Thus, I'm a mac n cheese kid or whatever else I could learn to cook for myself.

3. My husband is a police officer (on SWAT) and almost never works the same schedule two days in a row...so most of the time I don't' even know if he will be home for dinner or not until a few hours before. Can you say HURRY!!!

4. This is the worst part...neither DH or I eat much in the way of veggies. We are both very picky with food. UGH!!!

This makes meal time so hard for me. I am very organized by nature so I want meal time to be the same. If it were just me I would make things in advance (we do have deep freeze) and just warm them up. I hate feeling so inadequate in this area but please tell me some of these issues are good excuses why I can't get meal time together.:lol

I would love to have a chief cook for us and make us veggies and force us to eat them...;)

I'm hoping I can absorb some cooking knowledge just being here with you guys.

The only reason that I don't buy whole chickens is that it takes so long to thaw and then cook them and I never think about it earlier enough.

I make homemade enchilada sauce for Beef Enchiladas and use 2% cheese - so that's probably our healthiest homemade meal! :) I am always looking for tips and advice for cooking healthier, but not having it take longer. kwim?

Thats exactly the reason I havent done chickens either. So I think *think being key word* that next week when I go grocery shopping, provided I have a menu planned that we can use it for, I will not even freeze it when I bring it home. Im going to put it in the fridge and start it in the crockpot on Monday morning.

Enchilada sauce- I usually buy red sauce and mcCormack seasoning but yesterday i just bought 2 cans of premade LOL

2. I didn't really learn to cook. My mom can cook but I was the baby and by the time I was old enough to learn mom and dad were both working and were almost never home at dinner time. Thus, I'm a mac n cheese kid or whatever else I could learn to cook for myself.

3. My husband is a police officer (on SWAT) and almost never works the same schedule two days in a row...so most of the time I don't' even know if he will be home for dinner or not until a few hours before. Can you say HURRY!!!

...
I would love to have a chief cook for us and make us veggies and force us to eat them...;)

I'm hoping I can absorb some cooking knowledge just being here with you guys.

:lol Raising hand for another mac n cheese kid :)

Hubby works nights so he's usually in bed at dinner time so it is VERY hard to stay motivated to not just make convenient foods for the kids to eat.

I would LOVE to have a chef that would give me good homemade healthy food in the right portions :)

My grocery budget is also $100 a week, that includes formula. Before Reese was born, my budget was $75 a week.

Here is how I stay in that budget...

Sit down with sale flyers from Albertsons, Kroger, and Sprouts. Make note of sales on meats and produce. Prepare weekly menu based on sales. I usually have a couple of packs of meat left in the freezer, so I do stay a little ahead on that. If sausage and eggs are on sale, we have breakfast for dinner one night. If chicken is on sale, we have a chicken intensive week, but I do usually have a pack of hamburger or some pork to change things up a little. I NEVER buy meat unless it is on sale. About 90% of the produce that I buy is on sale as well.

I do not consider myself a great cook. I thrive on simple recipes with only a few ingredients. We also don't eat very much cheese at all because that can add up.

My grocery budget is 100 also I clip coupons and watch the sales papers and then plan our meals around the sales and coupons..I love to cook but with dh schedule I never know when he will be home so since ds dosent eat much table food yet we eat alot of the easy frozen etc meals

I cook most everything from scratch. I do use a few canned items--tomatoes and tomato sauce. I make creamed soup type sauces from scratch.

I learned to cook from scratch by reading cookbooks, and just trying it. Seriously, if you have a cookbook, start reading all the stuff at the front/back, and notes in the sidebars and stuff. There is so much info there! And cooking from scratch doesn't mean that you make up all your own recipes.....I almost always follow recipes. It takes me at least half a dozen times of making something before I have the recipes memorized. I get most of my recipes from www.allrecipes.com . I usually pick out some of their highest rated recipes to try. If you can follow step-by-step directions, then you can cook from scratch. Just pick out a new recipe a week, and see how you like it.

And as far as trying new veggies, just add it to your meal plan. That way you're not just buying them with the hopes of using them. For instance, last night I made spaghetti and steamed zuchinni, and I only bought the produce that I needed for that meal. Just plan in advance what you want to do with the produce that you buy.

Here's a few sample meals from this week.

Last night: Spaghetti and steamed zuchinni (I make the sauce with plain ole' cans of tomato sauce, 5/$1 from Save a lot plus some onion, garlic, and different italian seasonings)

Tonight: Chicken a la king and steamed broccoli ....I got the chicken a la king recipe from food network's website...it's one of Rachael Ray's 30 MMs. I make the biscuits from scratch to save money, and I got that recipe for basic baking powder biscuits from my Southern Living Cookbook.....that cookbook is awesome. It's a compliation of their best rated recipes, and it just has good old fashioned recipes for normal meals in it, plus lots of cooking tips all throughout. Every recipe I've tried has been awesome.

Tomorrow: Beef tacos made with ground beef and corn tortillas with black beans as a side. Beans are super easy to cook from scratch. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc....on the side.

Shirelle, everyone always tells me beans are super simple but nobody tells me HOW. LOL the one time I did try, I ended up with horrible tasting beans!

There are two ways to cook beans......I prefer the overnight soaking method, as I think it makes the beans really tender. Take a bag of beans, dump them in a pot, and cover it with water. Let it sit overnight. In the morning, drain them, rinse them really good, and throw them back in the pot with more water covering them. Mid-afternoon, bring them to boiling, and when they start boiling, cover them with a lid, and bring it down to a simmer. (a simmer is the lowest heat at which it still bubbles....about a '2' on my stove).....let them simmer for 1-2 hours, or until they are nice and tender. My grandmother says that if you add salt while they are cooking, that it will take a lot longer to get them tender, so I never add salt until right before I serve them. I do add other appropriate seasonings when I start cooking them depending on what I'm using the beans for. Good basic seasoning for beans is a quartered onion, a couple garlic cloves, some peppercorns, and bay leaves.

I cook whole chicken and use the meat for several of my recipes. I also sometimes roast a whole turkey. Beth, we may pick a recipe that we need to cook a whole chicken.

I LOVE allrecipes.com.

I'm wondering if you guys would like chicken tettrazini - it's chicken meat, spaghetti noodles, and a cream sauce, with melted cheddar cheese on top. My family LOVES this one.

Beans.

I am having a small bean obsession right now. :bag We eat all different kinds of beans - at least one meal a week where beans are the main dish, but I try to sneak in two. First of all, they are CHEAP. And easy. And they make a lot, so you have plenty of leftovers.

And then I became even more obsessed when I discovered how good they are in the slow cooker. No soaking or worrying whether they'll be crunchy. You can just throw them in with some water or bouillion and good spices and let them cook all afternoon - delicious.

I'm kind of collecting bean recipes these days. CarlaP introduced me to Lentil Tacos, which can be used for tacos, nachos, burritos, etc. And now I do my old standby - red beans and rice in the crockpot.

And then we do a huge bag of black beans in the slow cooker. We eat them that night over rice with cheese, lettuce, red onion, and tomato. Then I mash what's left and roll them in Flat-Out wraps with jalapenos, mjack, and rice and we freeze them. I used to BUY bean burritos for like $2.50 a piece, and now I make 18 for next to nothing. They reheat great and taste better than the store bought ones.

Ya'll started talking about beans, so I had to reveal my obsession. :bag

ETA: Oh, and I discovered a great healthy UN-Fried beans recipe on Allrecipes.com. The picture looks gross, but they taste great..and NO OIL! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Refried-Beans-Without-the-Refry/Detail.aspx

Good to know all these "domestic divas" on the message boards!:)
Shirelle, you said you make your canned cream soups from scratch, but I didn't have a lot of luck with that. Can you post your recipe?
Keep posting all your great tips, ladies!

Thats exactly the reason I havent done chickens either. So I think *think being key word* that next week when I go grocery shopping, provided I have a menu planned that we can use it for, I will not even freeze it when I bring it home. Im going to put it in the fridge and start it in the crockpot on Monday morning.

Enchilada sauce- I usually buy red sauce and mcCormack seasoning but yesterday i just bought 2 cans of premade LOL

For my Enchilada Sauce, I use two cans of tomato sauce, water, and seasonings (cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder - i think that's it though I'd have to look up the recipe to be sure!:lol ) I boil it on the stove while I'm browning the ground beef (or ground turkey - which ever we have).

I am ALL about easy and quick! I love Chicken Spaghetti - but you better believe if I am going through all those steps, I am making an extra batch for the freezer!! :thumbup And I sometimes even use canned chicken for it - but I know that's an expensive way to do it.:bag It's just sooo much quicker!

Another good menu item for us is the frozen Tilapia from Sam's. You simply thaw these in the sink for a few minutes under warm water and then cook them in the skillet. My favorite flavoring is lemon pepper - I even cook the fish in lemon juice to save on oil and fat. We usually pair it up with brown rice and I have a green veggie (usually canned though because DH doesn't eat vegs).

And then we do a huge bag of black beans in the slow cooker. We eat them that night over rice with cheese, lettuce, red onion, and tomato. Then I mash what's left and roll them in Flat-Out wraps with jalapenos, mjack, and rice and we freeze them. I used to BUY bean burritos for like $2.50 a piece, and now I make 18 for next to nothing. They reheat great and taste better than the store bought ones.



I LOVE this burrito idea. And DH could eat those when I travel (he tends to eat out a lot when I am traveling on business). I'll have to try it!

I'm going to make a batch later this week. I'll post a picture tutorial if you want. :lol

THANK YOU Holly!! I have a huge bag of pinto beans I need to use LOL today Micah wanted to make instruments with them. I figure as long as we're not going to eat them! lol

Umm if I wanted to use bulion (sp?) and spices, which ones would I use? And how much water and bulion?

Id like to eat more black beans since they seem healthier- but the only thing Ive ever put them in is chilli. I like the idea of making our own burritos. I buy the 10 frozen ones at Walmart for 4 bucks I think but I think if I could make my own they might be yummier ... mmm and I could put rice in them... mmmmm

Another good menu item for us is the frozen Tilapia from Sam's. You simply thaw these in the sink for a few minutes under warm water and then cook them in the skillet. My favorite flavoring is lemon pepper - I even cook the fish in lemon juice to save on oil and fat. We usually pair it up with brown rice and I have a green veggie (usually canned though because DH doesn't eat vegs).

OK While *I* wouldnt like this, DH would, so Im going to book mark this entire thread because theres SO much wealth in it, but Ill see if DH wants this any time soon. Does your house smell "fishy" when you cook it? Thats what I cant stand about fish....

THANK YOU Holly!! I have a huge bag of pinto beans I need to use LOL today Micah wanted to make instruments with them. I figure as long as we're not going to eat them! lol

Umm if I wanted to use bulion (sp?) and spices, which ones would I use? And how much water and bulion?

Id like to eat more black beans since they seem healthier- but the only thing Ive ever put them in is chilli. I like the idea of making our own burritos. I buy the 10 frozen ones at Walmart for 4 bucks I think but I think if I could make my own they might be yummier ... mmm and I could put rice in them... mmmmm

Well, they're much better than the Whole Foods ones, so I bet they'll beat the Wal Mart ones.

I'll post pictures later on in the week.

Here's the thing. Beans are worry free b/c - you're going to drain them, right? So, if you have too much water...oh well. I buy the bouillion cubes (chicken or beef, whichever you like), throw about four or five in a huge Pyrex measuring cup (the 8 cup one), fill it to the top, and microwave it for about 15 mins. Then I pour that in the slow cooker...eye it...and probably put in another four cups of water just to be safe.

These are the spices I always put in beans...
minced garlic (4 or so cloves or the pre-chopped)
chopped onion (usually one whole)
salt
freshly ground pepper
fresh chopped jalapeno
red pepper

Oh, and if I want to cook beans and not have them have chopped onion but I want them to have the flavor, then I just peel the onion, cut it in half, and then lift it out after cooking.

Have you ever put bacon in pinto beans for the flavor?

Yes, that would be a great. I don't do that b/c it adds fat. If I wanted to add that meat flavor, I would chop up Healthy Choice sausage and cook it with the beans the whole time, but that's just b/c I watch every calorie that goes in my mouth.

Bacon would taste great, or you could do a Ham Hock and remove it before serving. Just google Ham Hock and you can see what it looks like - they sell them by the hams.

Shirelle, you said you make your canned cream soups from scratch, but I didn't have a lot of luck with that. Can you post your recipe?

Sure! To make the equivalent of one can of cream soup....
You're basically going to make a white sauce or gravy. In a skillet/frying pan heat
2-3 tbsp. butter then mix in
3 tbsp. flour with a whisk or fork (basically, you make a roux, if you already know how to do that)...then slowly mix in
1 cup of milk or for cream of chicken type of sauce you'll use 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup of chicken broth and a very little bit of shredded chicken if you have it. For cream of mushroom you would use the full amount of milk + a couple tablespoons of minced up mushrooms.

You'll whisk it until it thickens up, and add a little salt. It sounds time consuming, and it is the first few times, but now I can make it in 4-5 minutes. Also, if I'm trying to save money I'll use mixed up powdered milk for the milk part of the recipe. I can't tell the difference.

I have heard, though I haven't tried it, that you can omit the butter and it will still work.

OK While *I* wouldnt like this, DH would, so Im going to book mark this entire thread because theres SO much wealth in it, but Ill see if DH wants this any time soon. Does your house smell "fishy" when you cook it? Thats what I cant stand about fish....
Honestly, mine does. Usually until the next morning. But if the fish smells really fishy when you open the package, you can soak the fish in a little milk for 10 minutes or so, and that will decrease the fishy smell.

google "hillbilly housewife" :lol

She has a ton of CHEAP home-cookin' recipes, easy to make stuff.
Even a $40 shoping list to feed a family for a week!

I picked up quite a few things from her site that we love.
The 5 can bean soup is AWESOME when it's cold outside!

Hehehe Krysta that just sounds funny. Looking it up now. Thanks :lol

I've used hillbilly housewife too....LOVE her chocolate pudding recipe.

No more running to the store at the last minute for mushroom soup for me! Thanks so much, Shirelle.

Beth, are you interested in getting together with me?

Next week, I will be making brisket (for 4th of July). They should be on sale soon at pretty good prices. I buy whole ones, trim them myself, and marinate/cook them. After that, you can freeze them in family portions. Brisket isn't the most healthy, but it's good and fairly cheap, and easy to freeze.

I assume you have SOME freezer space, just not a lot. If so, it probably would not be hard to find space for the brisket. I freeze them in freezer bags, and they can lay flat on top of each other.

If you are interested in cooking with me, but not in the brisket, then we could still get together and go over menus. Then, we could plan on 1, 2 or even 3 items to cook in the following week.

PM me if you are interested. I miss thread postings sometimes.

Marion, I do want to get together with you. And my husband would :love to have brisket :lol I work til 4 this Sunday afternoon though. Can we work around that?

I'm SO jealous! I LOVE brisket! I've made a pretty decent one in the crock pot before...

Beth I was going to tell you what I do with a whole chicken. I know someone else said they put theirs in the crockpot and that works really well too, but I just cover mine with water in a large pot (after rinsing under running water and pulling any gizzards out if they have them.) and just bring to a boil and then lower the temp to just a gentle boil and then boil for about an hour or so. The meat will pull right off the bone with a fork when done. You will probably have to lift the chicken out with a slotted spoon (or two) since it will be falling apart but then put it in a bowl to cool until you can touch it. I then strain the broth to remove any pieces left and then put in the fridge to cool. When it is cooled you can skim the fat off of the top and then use it to make chicken soup or save the broth to use in anything that calls for chicken stock. It's doesn't have all the sodium like the canned kind. After the chicken is cooled enough you pull the meat off the bone and then you have the meat you can use in whatever. I have been known to spend one day just boiling 4-5 chickens and seperating the meat. Then you can put the cooked meat in freezer bags and pull out whenever you need chicken. I wait until the whole chicken go on sale or have a buy one get one free (Krogers does this alot) and then I will get 4-6 of them. Usually I keep the broth but if I don't have anymore freezer room I just toss it. (I just pour it in a freezer bag when it is cooled and lay flat to freeze so I can stack them in the freezer) I grew up watching my mom cook chickens like this and with a large family we cooked a lot of them. I have been picking chicken off of bones as long as I can remember. I make so many dishes with the chicken meat I do this way....chicken tacos, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, chicken fajitas, chicken stir fry. It really is nice to have it in the freezer and you can just pull it out and whip something together really quickly.

If you want to use the broth to make soup or stew then you just wait to pull it out of the fridge and skim the fat off and then add some of the chicken back and then whatever veggies you like...onions, carrots, pototoes, peas and then noodles if you like it or dumplings. For stew just about the same way and then just thicken it with some flour and water.

Jennifer, I cook my whole chickens the same way. I've started to add a few veggies to the pot sometimes, too. I have a pot that I can cook 2 whole chickens at a time. And once you have your hands into the mess of deboning them after they are cooked, it's not much more work to do another. Then, that meat can go in the freezer for an easy meal another night.

Beth, we can get together for the brisket Sunday evening or Monday morning or evening. (I have an afternoon activity.) We will trim it, then season it. It then get refrigerated for a day or so. THEN it gets cooked (baked). And you can either take it home seasoned and bake it in your oven, or it can get cooked with the ones I'll be cooking, and you can get it after. At the time we get together for brisket, we can talk about other recipes.

Look for briskets on sale this weekend and pick one up for yourself. I don't know if there's any particular way to look for a brisket. All you can do is look at how much fat seems to be showing, and usually they all look about the same. Consider size. And when you buy a whole brisket, quite a bit of fat will be cut off, so it's not as large as it looks.