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Post by sunshineshouse on Oct 18, 2014 14:19:54 GMT -5
Inspired by puppybox's food challenge thread, I am stepping up the desqualoring of my kitchen this weekend. I have only made food in my home (not necessarily the kitchen) a handful of times in 4 years. Think of a plug-in burner in a hallway with a can of soup on it. I am quite broke and really have to stop getting takeout food.
My first obstacle is to clear the area in front of the counter. That area of the counter has the coffeepot and a small toaster oven (smaller than most normal toaster ovens, heightwise). I also have an electric single burner. I have a small and a large crockpot and a rice cooker, none of which I have used and will need to do a bit of learning. I also have a waffle maker and a panini maker. So I have some small cooking appliances. The stove does not work.
Next obstacle is clearing out my minifridge. My regular-sized fridge is broken and I've stocked it with pasta, sauce and canned goods. I have tried to use the minifridge several times, but being as the kitchen has been not too accessible, I put stuff in it and then ignore it.... so I need to empty that. Not too big of a job as it is a minifridge.
I have a microwave that I have not used but I expect it will work. I have a small and oldish kitchen and there are just a couple of outlets. I have to be careful not to plug too many high wattage appliances into the same circuit. So I have the toaster oven and coffeepot in the kitchen, the minifridge is in the dining room. Not sure where the microwave will get plugged in. I may unplug the minifridge while using the microwave. All this, and I have not even gotten to the food prep part!
I plan to get one of those pasta boats so I can quickly cook pasta in the microwave. I expect to be slow in getting started doing this until I get into the flow of it and figure out how to make a few things. Puppybox had a great idea to put a sweet potato in the mini crockpot and that can even be plugged in a room other than the kitchen.
So if you have any ideas to get me started, I would be very appreciative. A few items to shop for (I have bread, cheese, sweet potatoes on my list), or any other ideas. I will be putting together as many meals as I am able to - breakfast, lunch, dinner - in my not-easily-navigated kitchen for myself and two twentysomething dds. I have lots of cereal and almond milk on hand, but even for breakfast I can attempt to do more.
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Post by TML on Oct 18, 2014 14:46:35 GMT -5
I am trying to get back into cooking myself. I used to cook all the time for myself and my mother but since Mom is not living with me any more and I have been recovering it is hard but eating out is $$$ and not healthy.
I would be glad to join you on the cooking quest.
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 18, 2014 15:01:25 GMT -5
You can make a ton of things in the rice cooker! I have a really simple model, it is off, on, or warming. I've still made some cool stuff in it. You can make pasta in the rice cooker. I thought it would be sticky, but it totally works. You put water, sauce, and fixin's (previously browned meats, diced veggies, etc...) right in with the dry pasta, turn it on, and twenty minutes later you've got not the most awesome gourmet meal in the world, but several steps up from canned foods! Here's a link to a bunch of rice cooker recipes, some of them require the fancy models, but they should say in the description if that is so: www.food.com/cookbook/rice-cooker-recipes-80457?bookid=80457&ls=oI've done a nice frittata in the rice cooker. I had to push the button more than once to get it to finish. |
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 18, 2014 15:03:03 GMT -5
Waffle iron hot pockets are a thing too. You can use canned biscuit or pizza dough, pile some stuff in the middle, top with another biscuit and YUM! Bonus points if you dip them in a good veggie heavy pasta sauce while you're eating!
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Post by sunshineshouse on Oct 18, 2014 15:15:54 GMT -5
Hi TML, Good! Glad to hear I have company!
Hi papergrace - I have that same kind of rice cooker as you have. I love anything made with biscuits!
The last time I put together a meal, it was toasted English muffins with butter and orange marmalade along with cups of tea. That was Christmas morning. It was a such a treat : )
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2014 17:50:55 GMT -5
I think watching the food channel will help you get inspired to cook. I really love to try recipes I have seen on tv.
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Post by charis on Oct 19, 2014 9:48:01 GMT -5
There are so many frugal cooking websites around but I wanted to pass on this free online cookbook that is aimed at people utilizing food stamps, but is applicable to anyone. The author (studying for a degree in nutrition) made the cookbook as a Kickstart project after finding government food stamp cookbooks to be uninspiring and outdated. One thing I learned from this cookbook was to make microwave popcorn in a mixing bowl covered with a plate  8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0c21d0480f50d3.googledrive.com/host/0Bxd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdfI have never had a rice cooker, and folks who have them seem to really like them. I have a very easy reliable recipe for microwave rice (it only works with white rice tho): Put 2 cups (not instant!) rice in medium glass mixing bowl (make sure bowl is big enough to account for expansion as rice cooks) pour in 3.5 cups water and 1 TBSP oil salt to taste Microwave uncovered for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork. Done. |
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Post by Arid on Oct 19, 2014 13:29:10 GMT -5
The first two meal ideas that pop into my mind are: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for one meal; scrambled eggs and toast for another.
Also, we eat a lot of the "bagged" salad blends that cost around $1.00 for 12 oz. They can be eaten "as is," or they can be "dressed up" (by adding hard-cooked eggs, slivers of ham or turkey, some shredded cheese, etc.).
Oatmeal cooked with milk (instead of water), raisins, nuts, and cinnamon make for a hearty breakfast or snack, too!
Arid
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Post by def6 on Oct 19, 2014 18:46:03 GMT -5
Thank you Sunshine for posting this!  I am so glad that you are attempting meals at home instead of eating out always. I found myself at that crossroad too: when eating out isn't special anymore…more of a drudgery and a big blow to the pocketbook. I'm looking at my computer desk right now and I think a set up like this might be good for a make shift kitchen(I think this is actually called a credenza) set your necessities (micro, hotplate) on and Just plug everything into a surge protector/ multi plug in But hang a sign that says operate only 1 appliance at a time. Maybe the fridge too on top or below. I could see some cooking stuff stored in the drawers too. All you need to start off with is a little station, like you would find in an office. The most important appliance for me would be the hot plate, a frying pan and a spatula. Do you like eggs? You can put just about anything in scrambled eggs like onions , mushrooms , fresh tomatoes and put them into a flour tortilla with cheddar cheese.  |
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Post by onwardandupward on Oct 19, 2014 21:07:51 GMT -5
I have a recipe for "Chicken Parmasean" that is super yummy that is served over rice and is quite good, in spite of the simple ingredients. It makes several servings and you can store extra in the mini-fridge and use your microwave to heat up leftovers.
If you want to try it, here is the recipe: Start your rice in the rice cooker so it can be cooking while you do the rest. I would typically cook a cup and a half of rice to serve with this dish. I usually make this when boneless chicken breasts are on sale so it is even more economical. I cut up the equivalent of two chicken breasts into chunks and coat them with Italian flavored bread crumbs. Cook the chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil - just enough oil so they don't stick. Once they are browned and cooked through, I add a can of Tomato Soup and half a can of water. I add some garlic powder or garlic salt, some pepper and some grated Parmesan cheese. Stir it up and then let it cook for a few minutes. I cover it to prevent spatters of tomato sauce. The bread crumb coating on the chicken will not stay entirely on the chicken - some comes off in the sauce, but that is part of why it is so yummy. Serve the chicken and sauce mixture over rice.
I used to make this meal when the kids were young and I was a single mother with a full time job - and I had little time or money. Now that I live on my own, when I make it I divide it into four servings. I am okay eating leftovers, so I tend to have it for two lunches and two dinners.
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Post by dtesposito on Oct 19, 2014 21:17:14 GMT -5
Wunshineshouse, are you maybe as much in need of encouragement to clear the areas you need cleared, as you are of actual food suggestions? Because I can tell you from experience, that you can have good intentions to cook, but if you have no counter space and can't reach the appliances, you'll get discouraged quickly. The more you can do to clear a space to prepare your meals, the easier it will be and the more likely you are to succeed.
Do you have any clear counter space? Are there things on the floor in front of the place where the appliances are set up? My stove doesn't work either, so I use my microwave every day, including to cook rice and pasta. And, I couldn't live without my George Foreman grill--yummy grilled cheese sandwiches and veggie burgers! But if I couldn't get to where these things were I would never use them.
Good luck with your cooking, eating out all the time has to be frustrating, expensive, and not very healthy either!
Diane
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Post by TML on Oct 20, 2014 0:29:23 GMT -5
here is one of my fav web sites: You may have to improvise a bit but it basically starts out with a chicken and you could just get a rotisserie chicken and start with that instead of roasting one. The last part they don't have is to boil the carcass up to make broth. Healthy Stretching Chicken cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2009/02/1-chicken-17-healthy-meals-26-bucks-no.htmlRubber chicken Recipes: mortgagefreeinthree.com/2013/01/5797/I use mine to make: 1. chicken noodle soup 2. finely shredded chicken with some sort of sauce as fill for a biscuit or those little cresent rolls 3. cobb salad - shredded chicken, tomato, egg, avocado, bacon 4. chicken tacos 5. chicken enchiladas 6. chicken salad regular or the fancy kind with grapes cut in half plus pecans 7. BBQ chicken (shredded and mixed with BBQ sauce) 8. Chicken for stir fry 9. Chicken to make into an Asian dish - I usually have the sauces in fridge of some type (hoisin, Koren BBQ, sweet chilli, teriyaki) I like the teriyaki made up to add to noodles 10. Rice cooker with broccoli steamer on top. This is sometimes a first night dinner so it is rice, broccoli, fresh rotis. chicken and mom liked cheese melted into the broccoli quick in the microwave before serving 11. I have also made it into pot pie which I like 12. This is something I never fed Mom as she would have a cow but I like it. I used to make mashed potatoes just slightly thinner than normal and then mix the chicken with the potatoes in my bowl. The hot m. potatoes reheated the coarsely shredded chicken or you could renuke once the chicken is in to make sure it is hot. sometimes I would heat up a bit of corn in microwave and put it on top - 2/3 c M. potatoes, playing card size chicken amount shredded, and 1/4 c corn. If you top it with a thin sliver of extra margarine on the corn it is great. I was bad about using instant potatoes for this so it was all microwave which is why Mom turned up her nose at it. basically you buy the chicken and that is meal one then you remove all the meat to use diff ways and reserve the carcass for making broth. It is only good for a night and two days unmade (it seems like if you just leave it plan in fridge it gets old taste I don't like). So on night two I pick chickie two ways and make one for that night and the other for next day. I don't like onions raw so I usually grill them in skillet a bit until they are soft then add them to whatever. I also soften up the carrots, celery by chopping them up and putting them in microwave with a little water I have heard people use the juice in the bottom of the rotisserie chicken to make gravy so that may be on the web too. |
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Post by messymimi on Oct 20, 2014 7:48:33 GMT -5
As a university project, a young lady named Leanne Brown wrote Good and Cheap: A SNAP Cookbook. Her idea was to help people on SNAP Benefits (formerly called Food Stamps) eat healthfully and cheaply. Her recipes are very easy, and can probably be done with just the equipment you have.
You can download her book for free at www.leannebrown.ca
messymimi
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Post by lyerin on Oct 20, 2014 9:42:42 GMT -5
I love my crock pot! It makes cooking really easy. I made some chicken tortilla soup last weekend that lasted me a whole week! I think the crock pot can really help to stretch your food dollar. One thing we like to make is shredded chicken. We put chicken breasts in the crock pot (3-4 usually), shake some taco seasoning on top and cover with a jar of salsa (the kind doesn't matter, just make sure it is however spicy/mild you want it). Cook it on low all day. At the end of the day, shred it using two forks. You can use it for burritos, quesadillas, in salads, in sandwiches, etc. The meat lasts us for several meals, and it is really tasty.
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 20, 2014 10:15:37 GMT -5
I feel for you. I save money by bulk purchasing and freezing, and cooking huge meals to last several days, which with your limited food storage seems impractical.  Does anyone have some really good ways to live on mainly dry goods? Any 'how to use up all that food from your nuke/zombie apocalypse/rapture/alien attack bunker' lists? |
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