I highly recommend the tuna casserole recipe found on Cooking for Engineers. It may not be as cheap as a recipe using the standard canned products, but it is infinitely better and actually a frequently consumed meal by choice here.
What's Cooking? Sunday Dinner at Mi Casa
Photo: Rick
This is the first in a series I'm exploring called "What's Cooking?". As frequently as possible, I'll create a post on what is actually cooking here at la casa. You'll see anything from a dinner menu, to a great appetizer idea, desert, or homemade food gift idea. What's cooking today? Something on the rustic side . . .
Since it's Sunday and I'd much rather blog, enjoy the lake, and listen to my husband play guitar, we're going for something neither one of us has to stand and tend. Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup. We had left over ham, carrots, split peas and onions. Sounds like split pea soup night to me! We looked up the recipe, got out the crock pot and got cracking. Total prep time not including including hours in the crock pot? About 10 minutes.
Sound a little thin? I wouldn't let you down. For a dessert, as well as a snack item over the next few days, I made homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. This is a basic recipe I got years ago straight off the oatmeal package. I liked it so much, I've never bothered to look for another.
Why a cooking series? Several conversations I've had over the past few months have made me realize that many people who know us truly have no idea how we consistently achieve our monthly grocery budget (almost always under $200), and a percentage of those that do assume we spend all our time eating ramen, flour and sprout seeds. Not so.
Sure, we have our share of tuna casserole just like every other family on a budget. But we don't have nearly as much of it as even I expected we would when we first started shopping and cooking this way. I also have had my days when for the life of me I couldn't think of a single creative or appetizing thing to do with the homemade baking mix sitting in my cupboard. Hopefully, this series will provide ideas, strategies and recipes for those trying to carve out a life of style, whatever their personal style may be.
Best of Wise Bread
Thank you! I really like how the details are broken down on that link. I actually don't mind tuna casserole too much, but after a while, enough is enough. However, I think the key with yours is the combination of the fresh herbs. They really are so much more aromatic and flavorful that way. I'm not growing thyme this year, but I do have a rosemary bush out back. Think I might give your recommendation a whirl.
I'd love to see more postings about what to eat and cook. Trent over at thesimpledollar.com talks alot about his favourite cook books etc but it doesn't solve the problem of what to make for dinner. Particulary when your on a budget (both in terms of time and money)
Most people have a ton a cooking books they never open and they tend to stick to the same tried and true meals they've always made.
looking forward to more meal ideas
Hi Rob. That was part of my philosophy behind starting the series. Some days, we just don't have the time to dig through those books, or even the lists of recipes on a site. That's why I thought it would fun to feature the ones on our family site within an actual menu.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to find all of your kind words.
Hmmm, I tried this recipe and it didn't turn out at all like the picture...
No, seriously, that's a lovely picture, but I'd sure like to see what your meal actually looked like. Any chance you'll treat us to the real thing in future posts? The more convincing you can make it look, the more likely I am to try it myself.
Funny!
You know, you really hit on something I considered hard before starting this series. I'm not opposed to the pictures of the actual items, but as far as it being something I can organize a photo shoot every day to provide, I'm not sure. . .
It is better to have the picture, though, I agree. (Don't we all turn to those pages in the cook books?) I know I definitely intend to include them for things that are a little out of the norm, or particularly tricky.
Thanks for commenting.
