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So here's kind of a massive poor-folks'-food post, because I've been too broke and busy this year to plant and maintain my raised garden beds (which really pains me, to see them sitting fallow, covered in plastic sheeting) however, as I mentioned previously I'm garden-sitting for the next couple weeks.. Went down there this morning (it was all harvested as heavily as possible two days before) to water and pick tomatoes and stuff and uhh, well, was almost overwhelmed by the amount of groceries I ended up with - thankfully I brought several milk crates and baskets..! Sorry, had no idea the ONLY shot I took of the full bounty, I had a dirty lens..  http://imgur.com/gallery/zv13W/new I'd link all the images in this thread however it seems like a waste of time and effort, when linking the gallery and commenting on each image is simpler.. (I apologize to people in the far-flung future who will maybe find a broken link to a non-existent gallery - so sorry!) I had a bit of a wild ideas looking at this semi-random assortment of fruits and veggies and really wanted to throw in some chopped up green beans into the salsa however, I was worried it might change the flavor outside of acceptable levels (and I was cooking too large a batch, to risk ruining it by experimenting that much, in addition to having promised some big jars of salsa to a couple friends and family and not wanting to give them some half-assed experimental fuckup) and I want to make some relish out of the green and half-ripened tomatoes, with the beans, cukes, a few peppers, squash, apples, and maybe the grapes as well (I bumped into some post about pickled grapes recently - probably in the jammin/cannin thread - and was stoked to remember my folks have a big bunch of grape vines which are all just perfectly sweet and tart right now..!) so they'll be the stand-by for the sugar addition to my relish attempt in the next day or two, the apples seem a bit overripe and mealy and while I will still toss them in, I don't have a lot of faith in their sweetness or texture, and there weren't any more apples within reach of a landscaping rake handle and a 6.5 foot tall dude, to be had within the next five days at least. Pretty much done, just cooking off some of the water weight.. Oh, goddamnit!  I started using the wooden spoon to shove things down in the food processor after I got my finger nipped, and it of course took a nice bite outta crime from that dastardly bamboo spoon! I'm planning on telling the folks I give salsa to, that they win a prize if they find a chunk of wood in their salsa - and will win another jar of salsa.  I'd love to preserve this stuff right now but my mom's got a ton of canning gear so I can't justify buying any for myself (when I can borrow hers while she's in Hawaii for two weeks) and because I've got a *lot* more food coming up, and I've got another 14 days of collecting this stuff every other morning.  Here's the poor people's salsa recipe: -a decent amount of tomatoes - most of which are mostly ripe (we'll do green salsa another day). -an onion(s). one for every few lbs of tomatoes isn't bad, depends on how strong they are and how much you like onion. -check your -Cucumbers are the best secret ingredient in salsa, followed by pureed carrots.  -You don't gotta cook your "salsa", I am only doing so to reduce water and to make it simpler to store in large jars. -roast anything you can on a grill or over a gas stove flame, peel the skin a bit. THE WORST salsa I've ever had, has generally been because of poor ingredients with overly-thick skins from tomatillos, peppers, etc. So roast that poo poo and make it chewable! -Salt. You have to add a small amount of salt as a flavor binder/enhancer. If you can actually taste salt you're hosed, so do your taste-testing with some tortilla chips or something to get a decent metric to gauge off of. -You can toss just about anything into salsa as long as it's been cooked and/or processed right. Corn, sun-dried tomatoes  , squash, fruit (pineapple and mangoes are especially good and are cheap and easy when bought in a can), random veggies such as green beans..  -citrus (lime or lemon juice, preferably) or another acid (vinegar, hot sauces, etc - I like to toss in a couple tsp or Tbsp or Tapatio a lot of the time when I'm making small batches and can't get a good bite/kick without going back to the store for more peppers and more lime) -cilantro/parsley is a nice addition, don't skip it unless you intend to.. Parsley especially, can be used in a billion types of dishes, and even once it's gone all nasty and yellow it's still tasty as long as it's not all slimy because you left it in a wt plastic bag. -cumin. if you're making "serving sized" salsa, use maybe 1/8 tsp or 1/4, in this recipe I used probably 3 or 4 tsp, as well as some paprika. I wanted to add a bunch of garlic powder but even the half-of-a-full garlic-bulb was more than most folks I know - would like! Everything came out to a medium-hot level of salsa (based off of store shelf levels and my rather-hot-salsa preference) with a pretty slow build, takes maybe 10 seconds to actually notice that it's spicy however, it never builds past a medium-high level of heat until you keep shoveling it in.. Perfect!  edit: I don't actually like corn in salsa, it pisses me the gently caress off. But corn is 6 for $0.99 right now, and street-corn is REALLY easy to make..!  Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Pork chops fabricated from pork shoulder would be awful.  Either way I've never noticed or had anybody complain that "steaks" cut off the shoulder were tough or anything. After marinating them for half a day and cooking them properly, or even doing some midwest-cooking-abortion-standby with them, such as http://www.food.com/recipe/simply-oven-baked-pork-chops-and-rice-142542 , they are juicy, savory, and fall apart in the mouth. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 10:14 on Aug 21, 2015 |
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Aug 21, 2015 06:42
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Fun thread over in GBS from local "I'm a rich rear end in a top hat" Three Olives is full of tons of people saying "being poor sucks you have to eat garbage" http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3737357 I mean, maybe some of them live in "food deserts" or whatever but for fucks sake you can feed 1 person for $20 a week very well with local market sales, $10 a week of that on fresh deli offerings, the rest on staples that should last for months (pepper, spices, sauces, etc). Feeding families, that's some tough poo poo but I really doubt it'll come up from goons. Also, the classic "rice and beans for days is sooooo disgusting" for fucks sake its not that bad and unless you have literally no seasoning at all its more then fine, and its crazy easy to take salt/pepper packets from fast food places in bulk. You want to be creative drop one egg into the mix, unless $3 for 12 eggs is too much. Plus, if you buy bone in chicken cuts (always much cheaper) you can use the leftovers for soup. It's like they don't even try to not eat overpriced garbage. I feel like this is a bit dismissive of people truly struggling, but given the area I live in and my diet the most I spend is $6-7 on the weekends for some boneless, marinated leg meat from the local hispanic market when my other semi-wealthy roommate grills his steak on the charcoal grill and will also cook my stuff. Usually its less then $1 a lb so I've got at least 3 meals of just cooked chicken to eat, even more if I mix it with rice. I should point out that 3O has posted extensively about how much he spends eating out every day a week plus hundreds in bar tabs and that his home diet consists of pre-packaged food like Uncrustables yet he still regards himself as some sort of cultured adult. pentyne fucked around with this message at 09:03 on Aug 21, 2015 |
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Aug 21, 2015 08:48
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I'm worried about Cecil the lion. I hear there are a lot of food deserts in Africa, and that there's a savanna-to-zoo pipeline for lions who aren't being taken enough care of
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Aug 21, 2015 10:22
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coyo7e posted:Not sure if you're using "fabricated" on purpose to be a real rear end in a top hat, or just using the word incorrectly. Hahahahaha Do you often call people an rear end in a top hat when you're wrong or something unfamiliar with the meaning of words? Because it's not a good look. I mean eat whatever the gently caress you want. But cutting up a tough piece of meat into smaller pieces and calling them chops does not make it so.
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Aug 21, 2015 13:04
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Man if you can go to an Aldi or haven't done it in a long time def do it
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Aug 21, 2015 14:03
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coyo7e posted:
A pork chop however is a leaner cut, typically cooked in high, dry heat for a shorter amount of time. Basically treat it like a steak. If you tried to do the same with slices of shoulder, it would be tough and awful as the connective bits and fat wouldn't have time to break down and render. Likewise, a pork chop that's been slow cooked will be dry as hell. (Though overcooked meat is what most Americans are used to and would suit them just fine, thus, salsa chicken and why you've probably received no complaints.) It's about what the cut of meat is best for, not some attack on you.
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Aug 21, 2015 14:49
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pentyne posted:Fun thread over in GBS from local "I'm a rich rear end in a top hat" Three Olives is full of tons of people saying "being poor sucks you have to eat garbage" Reading this stuff always bugs me. You're assuming everyone has the knowledge or motivation to find the best deals and use every part of the Pretty much all I buy is meat, blocks of cheese, cereal, milk, cheap fresh veggies, cheap apples, and occasionally other fruit on sale. Store brand bread once in a while, condiments once every couple of months. Then I've got a couple bags of rice and >10 pounds of dried beans I'm going through. I'm still trying to figure out where the hell all my money is going, but yeah, I can see people having a hard time spending under $20 a week, especially if they are buying packaged food.
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Aug 21, 2015 16:45
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FWIW eggs have doubled to tripled in cost in many areas due to the great chicken culling of the spring. Bird flu, I think?
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Aug 21, 2015 17:41
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pentyne posted:Fun thread over in GBS from local "I'm a rich rear end in a top hat" Three Olives is full of tons of people saying "being poor sucks you have to eat garbage" Also the ability to afford to buy in bulk when paycheck to paycheck, take the risk that the power won't get shut off or the slumlords fridge won't break ruining a poo poo ton of meat, having kitchen gadgets, etc. Maybe you're richer and more privledged than you think.
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Aug 21, 2015 17:43
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Yeah I've noticed my own cooking frequency and quality go down pretty sharply since getting a full time job, and I'm only doing like 50 hours a week and don't have any kids.
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Aug 21, 2015 21:42
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Not really a recipe per se but thought I'd share. My wife and I grilled up some beef ribs the other day and I took the leftover rib bones and put them in a slow cooker with some dried black eyed peas overnight. Added some garlic salt, removed the bones, and it was ridiculously good. Don't waste old bones!
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Aug 21, 2015 22:10
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Pharmaskittle posted:Yeah I've noticed my own cooking frequency and quality go down pretty sharply since getting a full time job, and I'm only doing like 50 hours a week and don't have any kids. God this. When I was working and we had bedbugs, the landlord was "working" on our plumbing and we were trying to figure out where we were going to live, I think one week we ate food from Walgreens (literally right around the corner) three nights in a row. I remember this because I knew the cashier and while I was buying plastic silverware and plates, she asked how I was doing and I spread my arms out across the frozen pizza, peanut butter and off-brand Ritz cracker mountain and said, "As you can tell, not great." I live in the opposite of a food desert and it's still a chore to go shopping once a week. I do stock-up runs at the Chinese grocery store down the street and Aldi probably once every two months and buy a ton of dried udon, rice, sesame oil, soy sauce and splurge on frozen potstickers, but honestly only after I get paid. I'm within a long walking distance of two major area chains, but it's enough time that I can go shopping at one or the other, not both. So while one may be having a sale on chicken, I'll do my shopping at the one with more produce on sale this week. I really try to make my grocery shopping worthwhile and not eat literal garbage, but sometimes by dinner, I'm all out of fucks to give.
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Aug 21, 2015 22:44
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My grandparents were big on peanut butter crackers as a daily staple. But they used saltines and I will defend the crunchy little sandwiches to my dying breath.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:07
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nm posted:Food deserts are a real thing and it is harder to buy in bulk when the car doesn't work (if you have one) and you have to take the bus 2 or 3 transfers to get to the cheap market and you're working 3 jobs and have 3 kids.  Something, something, foodstraps joke. I finally got around to making coconut rice. It's cheaper than using butter, and damned tasty. Doesn't take much to accompany it either, though it's good enough to eat with just a little salt.  Ingredients: - 10 oz. long grain rice - 1 can (14 fl. oz.) coconut milk - 14-18 fl. oz. water (What I normally use for my lovely rice cooker) - 1/2 tsp. sugar - 1/2-1 tsp. salt Directions: 1.) Rinse rice well a good three or four times 2.) Add everything together 3.) Bring to boil, cover and set on low, approximately 15-20 minutes OR 3a.) Turn on your rice cooker, and check when you think it's done if it tends to scorch the bottom, before switching to low/off ( like mine does  )4.) Kill heat, let stand 10-15 minutes, covered 5.) Fluff with fork and serve Serves 2-4 Optional extras: - 1/4-1/2 tsp. chili flake during Step 2 - 1-3 cloves garlic, minced during Step 2 - fold in halved cherry tomatoes during step 4 - minced ginger/lemongrass/basil too (thai if you can get it) - add chicken during step 3, shrimp (thawed) during step 4 Garnishes: - slice of lime - crushed/chopped/halved peanuts - soy sauce Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Aug 22, 2015 |
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Aug 22, 2015 02:02
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Mister Macys posted:I finally got around to making coconut rice. It's cheaper than using butter, and damned tasty. I've got a chunk of really good beef marinating in chimichuri that I'm going to Sous Vide tomorrow or the day after and this is going to go into the wraps that will be made from it. Oh, right, speaking of, I finally got around to doing the Sous Vide just like what was linked in that video a couple pages back. For those that have never tried or are on the fence, go loving do it right god damned now. I bought a cheap cooler from Target for $10, a cheap "fast response" thermometer also from Target for $9, a blowtorch from Harbor Frieght for $8.50(on sale the rest of this month), and a can of 5X refined butane for $10(which will likely last me all this year). For the meat, I splurged and bought a $15 pack of two 2-3 inch thick Top Sirloin steaks. I totally could've gone cheaper, but this was a special occasion, so why not, right? So minus the meat, I spent $40 on equipment, with the only recurring cost being the can of butane, which is going to be pretty rare as it is. Considering the heaters for Sous Vide can cost quite the sum, that's nearly nothing. All I had to do during the cooking process was check the temp every once in a while and add more hot water till the temp was right. I sealed the steaks in a bag with ~1/2 tbsp of butter and a dash of thyme and let it bathe for 2 hours. To go with that, I made herbed butter mashed potatoes, and also sauteed some Haricot Verts, onions, and mushrooms in basting oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The meal turned out to be in-loving-credible.  The steak practically melted in my mouth as I chewed it. I could nearly cut it with a fork and it was over 2 inches thick. It needed no sauce, only an extra shake of salt and a grind of pepper and it was perfect in every way.
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Aug 23, 2015 03:57
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Two sirloin steaks of a decent size would be easily thirty dollars here. One if the reasons the anova I got for free is still sitting in the packaging.
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Aug 23, 2015 05:55
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Yeh I was going to say, what area are you in, because not sure I could find meat that cheap.
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Aug 23, 2015 07:36
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It's been absurdly tough to find red meat under $5.99/lb or higher here for most of a year. I miss my cheap little "new york strip" steaks at $3.98/lb... They're $6.98/lb right now I'm marinating some cheap cuts of beef tonight in teriyaki, may just freeze them for a bit because I've got to deal with garden again tomorrow (was supposed to be tonight, was too tired and sunburnt after work though), and frankly I'm just not in the mood for red meat.
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Aug 23, 2015 08:25
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I splurged on a couple packages of ribeye for $6/lb because they were reduced for being about to expire. None of the people I'm cooking them for have to know that though 
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Aug 23, 2015 18:26
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My local supermarket will bundle up half a dozen good day-old bagels with lots of ciabatta rolls etc. and sell them for $2.50 a bag. That's just insanely good to me, I mean who doesn't want to eat a bagel every day of their lives?
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Aug 23, 2015 19:00
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Adult Sword Owner posted:Yeh I was going to say, what area are you in, because not sure I could find meat that cheap. Western NY, here. Beef has been on the rise, and it's not like they were huge steaks, but $15 is what I'd consider expensive for what I got. I let it pass though, because they're organic/non-GMO/no-hormone from Trader Joes, and it was basically a birthday gift to myself. I could find cheaper steaks at the local grocers for around $8-$10 depending on the cut and size.
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Aug 23, 2015 23:50
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Bacon + Pasta + Ketchup
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Aug 24, 2015 18:43
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serious norman posted:Bacon + Pasta + Ketchup Maybe you're trolling, maybe not; add dill/dried oregano, caramelised onions, fried mushrooms, and a little bit of ground beef. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Aug 25, 2015 |
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Aug 25, 2015 00:03
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actually, it sounds like a lesser version of dragon noodles from budget bytes http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/spicy-noodles/ ....which is what i'm going to eat tonight! paraquat fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Aug 25, 2015 |
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Aug 25, 2015 17:29
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paraquat posted:actually, it sounds like a lesser version of dragon noodles from budget bytes Are there other sites like budget bytes? I use it a lot and love it. The red beans and rice from there is amazing.
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Aug 25, 2015 22:18
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Careful with Budget Bytes' recipes. I cooked mujaddara quite a bit in the last month, and they suggest no where nearly enough broth. Speaking of which, mujaddara is a nice and simple dish, but prep time is rear end.
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Aug 26, 2015 08:07
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I find that a lot of the BB recipes create a product that has less liquid than I'd expect. I make the ~Italian Wonderpot~ often but I double the liquid because I like it a bit more liquidly.
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Aug 26, 2015 09:46
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They suggest 2.5 cups of broth for mujaddara with 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of lentils. The way I like it I use 6 cups of broth, which maybe could be reduced to 5 cups if cooked by a better cook, but even then the suggested amount is nearly not enough.
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Aug 26, 2015 11:35
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Cheap, simple recipe that's stupidly good: 1lb smoked sausage, sliced into small peices 1 14oz bag of frozen stirfry vegetables garlic, salt, pepper throw it all in a cast iron skillet and cook on the stovetop for about 5 minutes to get some of the ice from the vegetables to evaporate and such. Transfer to the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables are all 'done' Remove and stir in cooked white or brown rice (however much 1 cup dry rice ends up making)
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Sep 3, 2015 15:00
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That was a staple of my midnight shift years.
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Sep 3, 2015 15:27
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I make something like that about once a week, usually adding potatoes as well
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Sep 3, 2015 15:52
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I make something similar too, also using canned beans/tomatoes for bulk. Easy to simmer that stuff down for something saucy. I'd also like to throw a shout out to quick breads. They're easy, cheap, and (obviously) quick. Banana bread is my favorite and I'll post my Mom's recipe when I have my computer. Buttermilk quick bread and chai spice bread are two others.
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Sep 3, 2015 16:37
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I don't make anything like that,. Smoked sausage is more expensive than ground beef or chicken pieces here. If I'm doing a simple dish like that, rather than smoked sausage, it's cheaper to get flavours from soy sauce and oyster sauce, lao gan ma, maggi sauce, or lemon and spices, or sesame oil and white pepper, or using a curry paste thai/malay or indian flavoured. Can do it just with the veg, or add eggs and just stirfry that poo poo up. If you need meat then use cheaper meat, instead of paying extra for plainer recipe with $10-20/kg a smoked sausage. Smoked sausage is good though, and I'm sure a simple preparation for it still tastes great, but it's pricey here and I'm holding onto what I bought ($7 for 250g), until I have the rest of the ingredients and time to make a gumbo. Fo3 fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Sep 3, 2015 |
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Sep 3, 2015 17:25
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Fo3 posted:$10-20/kg a smoked sausage.  I can see why you do it the other way. At least in my case I can get a lb for $2 on sale.
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Sep 3, 2015 18:01
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Please post the chai spice bread 
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Sep 4, 2015 05:16
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Butch Cassidy posted:Please post the chai spice bread And the buttermilk!
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Sep 4, 2015 15:41
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Butch Cassidy posted:Please post the chai spice bread 1 cup milk 4 bags chai/spice black tea 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup+ apple sauce/oil/butter 3/4 cup powdered sugar Steep the team bags in the hot milk for 5 minutes, then remove. Reserve 2 Tbsp steeped milk for glaze. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Create well in middle. Pour in hot milk, vanilla and apple sauce. Mix well. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 F for 45-60 minutes. When loaf is almost cool on wire rack, mix leftover milk with powdered sugar and leave for 5 minutes before pouring over cool loaf.
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Sep 4, 2015 16:47
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Rurutia posted:And the buttermilk! 2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 large egg 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and combine gently. Do not over mix. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing onto wire rack to cool. This one with good honey butter  If either recipe are unclear, ask away and I can look for proper links. I tend to be a little lazy when copying recipes over into Evernote after I've made any needed adjustments.
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Sep 4, 2015 16:49
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Not sure if this is the right place to ask buuuttt I'm a poor college student and my roomates bought a bunch of frozen chicken breast. Anyone have some recipe suggestions? I'm not looking for anything super fancy but I'm tired of eating sad, bland, white chicken cubes. 
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Sep 5, 2015 19:46
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I really love red braised chicken breast. I tend to add a bit of bacon to the sauce,though. Generally bacon goes really well with chicken breast. You can also make schitzel from chicken breast.
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Sep 5, 2015 20:08
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