Kate’s Cuisine

1 pound lean ground beef $4.11
8 medium white potatoes $1.36
2 cups beef broth $1.98
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour $0.68
3 tablespoons vegetable oil $0.21
1 onion, diced $0.47
3 cloves of garlic, diced $0.03
1 cup (or 1 can) frozen corn $0.85
1 cup (or 1 can) frozen peas $0.85
1 cup bread crumbs $0.42

Total Cost  $10.96

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Also spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Place your potatoes into the pot and wait for it to come to a rolling boil.

3.) Place the oil in a skillet and add the onions and the garlic. Saute for approximately 5-7 minutes.

4.) When the onions and garlic are finished cooking, add the beef to the same skillet and fry until it is browned.

5.) While the beef is browning, pour the beef broth into a small saucepan. Then add the flour to the broth and whisk until there are no lumps. Bring the broth to a boil so that it will start to thicken. This is the gravy that you will be using so when it’s the consistency that you like, you can remove it from the heat.

6.) Test to see if the potatoes are done at this point by poking a fork into them. If you can pierce them easily, the potatoes are done. Drain them and mash them with a manual potato masher or a handheld blender.

7.) Spread the potatoes out along the bottom of the casserole pan and up the sides some if you would like. In a separate bowl, combine the meat, peas, corn, and gravy. Stir until well combined.

8.) Spread meat mixture over top of the potatoes. Top with bread crumbs.

9.) Put in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden brown.

10.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I actually heard about this recipe while I was grocery shopping one day. The butcher was talking to another customer, whom she obviously knew personally, about this new take she put on shepherd’s pie. She talked about how she put the potatoes on the bottom of the pan and mixed the meat with some gravy. Piqued, I tried it.

I really was just going on that description alone, so I had to sort of make it up as I went along. It is very tasty and the mixture of the meat, potatoes and gravy is quite nice. However, this recipe is a bit more work than traditional shepherd’s pie. So if you’re just looking for a shepherd’s pie that will fill your craving, and you’re not looking for anything too fancy or time-consuming, I would stick to “potatoes on top, meat on the bottom.” After all, traditional shepherd’s pie is quite yummy too!

1 cup yellow cornmeal $0.10
1 cup all-purpose flour $0.22
1/4 cup sugar $0.25
1 tablespoon baking powder $0.47
1 teaspoon salt $0.01
2 eggs $0.34
1 can corn, drained OR 12 oz. frozen corn, thawed (optional, see review)   $0.89
1 1/4 cups milk $0.34
1/4 cup vegetable oil $1.36

Total Cost  $3.98

1.) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2.) Spray a muffin tin or a 8″ x 8″ loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

3.) In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork.

4.) Add the oil, milk, and corn kernels (if using) to the eggs. Stir until everything is well blended.

5.) Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. If you’re using pureed corn, you should add it to the mixture now.

6.) Stir everything together until it is well blended.

7.) If you’re using a muffin tin, spoon the batter into the individual muffin cups. If you’re using a loaf pan, pour the entire batter into the dish.

8.) Place the muffin tin or loaf pan into the preheated oven. If you’re using a muffin tin, you’ll only need to bake the muffins for about 20 minutes. A loaf pan takes a little longer but should be ready in 35-40 minutes. Either way, your cornbread is ready when the bread has a nice golden colour on top.

9.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I love cornbread! There’s just something so comforting about it. And if you get it hot out of the oven, that comfort gets taken to a whole new level! That being said, I wasn’t so happy with this recipe. It’s the first one I’ve ever tried and I got it off my BigOven app on my iPod. The cornbread itself was okay. But it was the big chunks of actual corn in it that I didn’t really like. Next time I make it, I’ll definitely leave that part out. If you still want the taste of fresh corn in your bread but, like me, don’t want to chew on chunks of veggies in your bread, I would puree it. Then just pour the puree into the rest of the batter when you’re done and mix it well. This way, you’ll get the best of both worlds!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts  $13.20
1/2 package uncooked spaghetti $0.99
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs $0.63
2 eggs $0.34
1 1/2 cups flour $0.33
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded $2.50
1 can spaghetti sauce $2.49

Total Cost    $20.48

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.) Fill up a large spaghetti or soup pot with water and set it to high on your burner so that it can come to a rolling boil.

3.) In a small or medium saucepan (depending on how much you have), empty the spaghetti sauce and turn the burner heat to medium-low. This step is really just warming the spaghetti for when it’s time to coat the spaghetti with it.

4.) Line up 3 bowls on the countertop. In the first, place the flour.  In the second, crack the eggs and whisk them with a fork.  In the third, place the bread crumbs.

5.) Place one sheet of plastic wrap down on the counter. Place one chicken breast on the plastic and place another piece of plastic over the chicken. Using your fist, pound the chicken until it’s flattened a bit. How much it flattens doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s to your liking. And if your breasts aren’t very thick, you might be able to skip this part.

6.) Dredge a chicken breast first through the flour mixture. Pick up the breast and gently shake to remove any excess flour. Then place it directly into the bowl of egg and turn so that the entire breast is evenly coated. Lastly, dredge the chicken through the bread crumbs so that again, the breast is evenly coated. Do with each remaining chicken breast. As you’re finished breading each chicken breast, place it on the prepared baking sheet. Once all the chicken breasts are breaded and on the baking sheet, you can put it in the oven.

7.) If your water has come to a rolling boil, place the spaghetti in and cook according to package directions. If your water’s not quite there yet, keep an eye on it. You can add the spaghetti anytime.

8.) After about 20 minutes, you can check on your chicken to see if it’s finished cooking. You can do this by testing it with your finger for firmness or by cutting a small slit in one. If the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, the chicken is finished!

9.) Once the chicken has finished cooking, take it out of the oven and spoon a ladleful of spaghetti sauce over each breast. (If you’re like me and love your chicken saucy, you can certainly add more!) Once each breast has sauce on it, give each breast a good heaping of cheese. Then place the baking sheet back in the oven just until the cheese melts. This won’t take very long so you don’t need to worry about drying out your chicken.

10.) When the chicken is finished in the oven, drain the spaghetti and toss it with the remaining sauce. You can also sprinkle any remaining cheese in (if you have any left!) and give it a good stir. Spoon the spaghetti onto plates with the chicken breast on top.

11.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

Of course, I can’t take credit for this one. Everyone knows about chicken parmigiana and, besides my father-in-law who doesn’t eat chicken, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love a chicken breast slathered in marinara sauce and cheese! Throw some pasta on the side of that, and you’ve got yourself a good and hearty meal!

One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s a perfect go-to meal. It’s only ingredients are things that you would have on hand anyway. And with the noodles, chicken, and sauce, it’s a meal that everyone will eat – including my two very picky girls! If you want to get some veggies into this meal, it’s easy enough to puree some spinach or carrots and dump them right there into the sauce. No one will notice and now, not only have you given your family a huge and satisfying meal, but you’ll also know that they got their daily dose!

One tip about this recipe: When breading the chicken breasts, leave one hand dry and one hand wet. This means that your dry hand should try and coat the chicken without touching it while the wet hand can turn the chicken and shake off any excess crumbs or flour. This won’t make the recipe taste any better but it will keep you from breading your fingers, which is really messy and quite a pain!

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs                       $0.33
2 tablespoons melted butter                   $0.12
1/2 package macaroni                         $0.99
1 onion, minced                                  $0.47
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour              $0.02
Salt and pepper to taste                       $0.04
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard                     $0.01
1 1/2 cups milk                                 $0.41
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese         $2.50
Total Cost         $4.89

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place bread crumbs into a bowl and pour melted butter over them. Set aside.

2.) Cook macaroni according to package directions. When finished cooking, drain and place macaroni into the casserole dish.

3.) Meanwhile, place butter in a saucepan and turn on burner to medium-high heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes until onion just starts to soften.

4.) To the onion add flour, pepper, salt, and dry mustard. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 10 minutes. Make sure that you stir constantly while the milk is simmering or it will burn to the pot!

5.) After about 10 minutes the milk should have thickened and it’s at this time that you can take it off the heat. Once removed from the heat, add the cheddar cheese and stir until it has completely melted.

6.) Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and stir until all the macaroni is nicely coated. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here