Shopping tips #2

Sorry for the slightly late post here, 10th wedding anniversary is Sep 21st and we've been doing some early celebration so...

This shopping tip is about product placement in the stores. Remember, the end caps may be on sale but that doesn't mean that there isn't an equivalent item for cheaper in the normal row. Also, the space between mid thigh and eye level is not always the best place to look for groceries. Some suppliers actually pay the store an additional fee to have their items placed there. Remember to look on all levels of shelves in the area that holds what you are looking for. You might find you're saving a bit more that way. I realize that lots of these tips are only going to save you 10-20 cents per item (non-perishable type items), but say it does on 25 items a week. That is $2.50-$5.00 per week. Multiply that times 52 and you get $130-$260 over the course of an average year. Meat savings (covered in my first shopping tips post) will be significantly higher than that, normally the cents off packages of meat I purchase are marked down from $1.00-$2.00 plus they are normally on salebefore the markdown. It really does add up to a lot more than it sounds.
Tom...

Breaded Pork Chops

Breaded Pork Chops:
Getting this dish done truly cheap involves a bit of savvy shopping. Catch the pork chops on sale and then as described in my first shopping tips post here buy some on 'special for today' or with 'cents off coupons'.

Ingredients:
Bread crumbs
1 egg
pork chops
optional spices: black pepper, garlic essence (or powder), onion salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Break egg into medium sized bowl; you want the egg (after being beaten) to be about 1/4-1/2" depth in the bottom of the bowl.
Beat egg until it starts to get fluffy. If using garlic essence, mix it into the egg at this point.
Using a second medium sized bowl, pour in 1/8 cup of breadcrumbs(per chop), if using black pepper, garlic powder or onion salt mix it into the bread crumbs at this point.
Get a baking pan ready for the chops, I normally use 13X9 for two to three chops.

Take your pork chop and drag it through the beaten egg, being sure to wet all parts of the chop with egg. Then drag the pork chop through the bread crumbs, once again being sure to get all parts of the chop covered. The egg batter will cause the breadcrumbs to adhere to the chop. Place the pork chop in the pan.
Repeat until all your chops are ready then cover the pan with aluminum foil. (The shinier side of the foil should face the interior of the pan.)
Bake for 35 minutes then remove the aluminum foil, bake another 25 minutes without the foil. Remove pan from oven, remove chops from pan and serve. I normally serve these with a baked potato and either steamed carrots, steamed broccoli or simmered green beans.

Serves 1 person per pork chop.
Estimated cost for chops (using the price of the pork chops I got today when shopping) is:
$0.90 per chop; when served with baked potato and fresh vegetable estimated cost per portion of the meal is: $1.35-$1.50 per person.

Alternative options: This dish is also good with a spicier version. When beating the egg add Cholula or Tabasco or your other favorite liquid spice.
Another alternative for the full meal described above is to replace the potatoes with egg noodles in a garlic butter sauce, or replace the potatoes and vegetables with Burkha (noodle dish described in another post to this blog).

Tom...

Beef Stew

Beef Stew is a classic dish but can be prepared cheaply. This is my recipe for a rather hearty version.

Ingredients:
Beef, 1 pound cubed (can use inexpensive cuts)
Potatoes, 6 small-medium, cubed (can leave peels on or peel them)
Vegetables, 1 pound (carrots, onions, green pepper, peas, etc... almost any vegetable you want)
Black pepper
quick oats
water - 8 cups
4 beef bullion cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Cook the cubed beef and drain grease. Boil water; when water boils add in bullion cubes and oil. When bullion cubes have dissolved add in beef, potatoes and vegetables. Bring to low boil and boil for 2 hours. Add black pepper to taste and 1/2 cup quick oats (for thickening stew). Simmer until right before serving. This dish can easily be stored in tupperware overnight, taken to work as a lunch (if a microwave is available there) in a small tupperware container, etc...
Stir thoroughly after all additions to the stew.

Alternate options:
For a spicier stew you can add Tabasco, Cholula or other spicy liquid to taste.
add 1 cup of water and noodles of your choice for another variety.
substitute chicken for part or all of the beef for another variety.
For an additional depth to flavor grate medium or sharp cheddar cheese over each serving after portioning out.

makes 8 servings
Estimated cost: $5-$8 dollars depending on local pricing. Works out to approximately $0.65 - $1.00 per serving

Tom...