I’m pretty excited right now. I had the day off from work and decided I was going to try and make a pulled pork in the oven. Well I must say the results were fantastic and the dish was super easy to make as well as affordable. I ended up getting the pork shoulder roast from my grocery store for like 1.79 a pound making it about the cheapest cut of meat I ever find these days. I got the regular generic off the shelf BBQ sauce but doctored it up with my own ingredients making it taste homemade. The roast I got was about 5 pounds meaning I can freeze my leftovers and get quite a few meals out of it. Basically its just the kind of meal that families should be looking at with the rising costs of food and the reduction of our buying power. If you would like the recipe I used I will list it below. The cooking instructions will be accurate but as far as the seasoning of the meat goes I just kind of freelanced and encourage you to do the same.
Materials:
- Slowcooker
- 5 pound pork roast
- 2 large onions
- 3 cups BBQ Sauce (season it to taste)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Recipe:
- Basically you want to get a shoulder roast that is about 5 lbs
- Trim any excess fat off the roast
- chop onion and scatter on bottom of slow-cooker
- placed pork roast on top of onion
- pour broth over roast
- set slow-cooker according to directions
- when done cooking (should take about 8 hours on low) use two forks to “pull” the meat into shreds
- stir in BBQ sauce as well as any additional seasonings and cook for an addition hour
- Serve and enjoy
So as you can see the recipe is super easy and as you will experience it is super delicious. Enjoy!
There are few foods that I enjoy more on a chilly autumn evening than grilled cheese and tomato soup. The best part about it all is that it is also very economical to make. Even those that are completely inept in the kitchen can combine these limited ingredients and simple instructions on how to make a great chilled cheese.
Ingredients
2 slices Cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese
2 slices white bread
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Put the cheese between the slices of bread. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet or grill and when melted add the sandwich. Gently press down with a spatula once or twice during the grilling. When one side is golden, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, turn the sandwich over, and brown.
For tomato soup just heat using the instructions on the can of whichever brand you decide to use
Although I must admit I am not a huge egg salad fan, my girlfriend does make some great sandwiches. Eggs are routinely among the cheapest main ingredients you can find at your grocery store. Here is a quick little recipe that will show you how to spruce them up just enough to make anyone enjoy your egg salad sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 8 hard-cooked eggs, diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dill weed
- 8 slices white bread
Directions
1. In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, onion , salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, pepper, and dill. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight. To serve, spread equal amounts on 4 slices bread; top with remaining bread slices to make sandwiches.
There was once a time when after I cooked a meal if there was just a small portion left I would scoop it into the trash and go on about my business. Those days are done, now I use everything. If there is a small portion of tuna casserole left instead of going into the trash it goes into a small single serving tupperware container. Typically this ends up being the perfect size for my lunch. Not only do I not waste dinner but it saves me money on the back end with saving money on lunch.
I know this may sound like common sense to most but when I think back to how many “lunches” I have thrown away over the years and the dollar cost associated with it, the number ends up being hundreds per year.
I want to take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas. While I am always happy when Christmas day rolls around it always seems like it’s gone all too soon. I take time to meticulously decorate my home. I spend a ridiculous amount of time planning out how to get the perfect gifts for an acceptable price and I record every Christmas movie that I can. To some it may seem a little bit excessive but for me its all just part of the fun.
The problem is when December 26th comes along the rest of the world lets you know in no uncertain terms that the holidays are over. I don’t let that dissuade me from celebrating in my own way so I keep the holidays going as long as possible. This goes not only for the Christmas time but for anything that you see as being fun or relaxing. When you find, “your thing” hold onto it as tight as you can because if you don’t just as soon as it sneaks up on you it can be gone, if you let it.
Merry Christmas to All
I’m not talking about the ectoplasm covered ghouls in the Ghostbuster movies. What I am talking about are the phantom loads that many appliances carry. If you don’t know what a phantom load is, most appliance still use electricity even when not actively in use, we call these phantom loads. By unplugging things like microwaves, coffee pots, televisions and even computers you can save on your electricity bill. While the savings may not add up to a windfall amount, if you couple these cost saving measures with other methods the benefits can be substantial.
People always wonder what is the best way to protect yourself in a recession. The answer is simple, you need to be more liquid. There is nothing that will make you feel more secure than having access to your own money. That isn’t to say that you need to completely forsake long term investments because they are just that, long term investments. That being said you need to have access to money just in case something happens. I always try to have 6 months of cash available in a savings account in case something happens. The reason I choose a savings account instead of something like a CD is because although I only get a 2.75% interest rate there are no penalties for early withdrawal, which exactly what I am looking for. Additionally my savings account isn’t subjects to the rise and fall of the market, making it impossible to lose my money. Always remember having a ton of money does you no good if an emergency happens if it inaccessible.
Where I live (on the east coast), one of the cheaper main ingredients one can buy is sausage. I can go to the store almost any week and get Italian sausage for 1.99 per pound. All I need is a bag of rolls a large can of tomatoes, a couple of peppers, onion, garlic and olive oil and I have enough hot sausage and pepper sandwiches to feed the family (and pack a lunch) for about 12 dollars. The best part is although they look complex they are actually extremely easy to make and delicious.
Ingredients
2 large onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
4 assorted bell peppers such as red, green, and orange, cut into thin strips
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or use the stuff that comes in the jar)
1 large (28oz.) can of peeled and crushed plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper and salt
2 lb Italian sausage (hot or sweet) links
1 bag of sandwich rolls
Directions
- In large skillet pan fry the sausages until cooked through (
- remove sausage from pan
- saute peppers until soft
- add onion and garlic
- add tomatoes
- season with salt and pepper and continue cooking
- add sausages to mixture and allow to cook covered on low
Since the sausages are already cooked be sure to keep the stove as low as possible since the only purpose of this is for the flavors to fully mingle. When ready just get your rolls and assemble your sandwiches. I usually have a salad with mine but you can have whatever you want or nothing else at all.
It is a simple fact that in todays world we all have to work. For many of us that means not just a regular 9 to 5 but many extra hours. I don’t know about you but the last thing I feel like doing when I come home is spending another hour cooking, but I do it anyway. Sure it would be easier to go to a fast food restaurant or the neighborhood diner to grab dinner, but it would also cost more. When I go to a place like Applebees I can easily spend 50-60 dollars for a family of four. When I cook dinner I generally spend about 10-15 dollars for everything. If I can save 40-50 dollars by cooking for myself that is most definitely the best option. Even if you go a cheaper route and go to a fast food restaurant you can spend 30 dollars for the family to eat poor quality food. While its not the 40 dollars savings, if I can save 15-20 dollars and put good quality, nutritious food on the table that is what I will do. To me it is a no brainer, save your money and prepare your own meals.
The major hurdle in cutting the costs in your daily life boils down to one thing, making tough choices. I can nickel and dime all weeklong and it still may not add up to whether or not I really needed to buy that new pair of shoes, those DVD’s or a new PS3 game. While this should hold true all the time, especially in times of recession; we need to ask ourselves do we really need that? If the answer is no it would probably be a good idea to skip it. I am not saying never reward yourself with anything but be prudent in your decisions.