Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions - serves 4
adapted from Allrecipes.com
1 lb. mild Italian sausage (this week No Frills has Italian sausage for $1.88/lb. There are 9 sausages in a package so 3 of them makes 1 lb. and costs $1.83)
1 large onion, sliced thinly (Freshco has 3 lb. onions for $1.00, 7 onions per bag = $.14 each = $.28)
2 peppers, sliced thinly (Freshco as green and red peppers for $1/lb. = $.75)
2-3 garlic cloves ($.30)
2 tbsp. butter (never pay more than $2.99/lb - buy it and freeze it - $.18)
1 tsp. dry oregano ($.08)
1 tsp. dry basil ($.07)
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
4 hamburg buns (Freshco has a package of 8 on sale for $2 = $1 but 1 cup of white rice would be nice and the same price)
Place the sausage in a skillet over medium heat and brown them on all sides. Remove from the pan, slice and set aside.
Melt the butter in the skillet and add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in the peppers, oregano and basil. Add in 1/4 cup of water and stir. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender. Be patient, slow is good and this takes time.
Return sausages to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. Just before serving, add a little more water if needed to make a bit of sauce by scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet.
Serve over bread for an open faced sandwich, in a bun, or maybe over rice.
TOTAL: $4.52 or $1.13 per serving for 4 people
adapted from Allrecipes.com
1 lb. mild Italian sausage (this week No Frills has Italian sausage for $1.88/lb. There are 9 sausages in a package so 3 of them makes 1 lb. and costs $1.83)
1 large onion, sliced thinly (Freshco has 3 lb. onions for $1.00, 7 onions per bag = $.14 each = $.28)
2 peppers, sliced thinly (Freshco as green and red peppers for $1/lb. = $.75)
2-3 garlic cloves ($.30)
2 tbsp. butter (never pay more than $2.99/lb - buy it and freeze it - $.18)
1 tsp. dry oregano ($.08)
1 tsp. dry basil ($.07)
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
4 hamburg buns (Freshco has a package of 8 on sale for $2 = $1 but 1 cup of white rice would be nice and the same price)
Place the sausage in a skillet over medium heat and brown them on all sides. Remove from the pan, slice and set aside.
Melt the butter in the skillet and add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in the peppers, oregano and basil. Add in 1/4 cup of water and stir. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender. Be patient, slow is good and this takes time.
Return sausages to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. Just before serving, add a little more water if needed to make a bit of sauce by scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet.
Serve over bread for an open faced sandwich, in a bun, or maybe over rice.
TOTAL: $4.52 or $1.13 per serving for 4 people
MY RESULTS: This recipe is truly "adapted from" . I changed quite a few things from the original. As you can see from the picture, I used too much sausage (2) for just the two servings I made. The sausages from No Frills were exceptionally good. For $1.88/lb I was expecting them to render fat which would replace the butter in the recipe but they were very lean and there were no drippings! My husband can't eat green peppers so I used yellow and red but the green would work well and they were what was on sale. I put the sausage mixture on a slice of the Bavarian bread that Freshco had on sale but I think if you add a little water at the end to make sure there is sauce, it would be very good on rice. This is a satisfying meal and cheap! Love it!
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Sausage and Bean Soup - Serves 4-5
(I made this up!)
1 cup dry navy beans (250 g costs $.55 out of the 900 g bag on sale this week at Superstore for $2)
Water
About 2 tsp. salt, divided ($.02)
2 tbsp. olive oil ($.20)
2 Italian sausages from the package I bought last week at No Frills (2 x $.67 = $1.34)
1 large onion (from the bag of 7 onions I bought last week at Freshco for $1 ($.14)
2 carrots from the 3 b. bag /10 carrotsI bought last week at Freshco for $1 ($.20)
1 - 28 oz can of tomatoes ($.87 at No Frills this week)
1 tsp. dry basil ($.07)
1 loaf crusty bread ($1 from Superstore)
Pour the navy beans into a bowl and cover with cold water by at least 2". Soak them overnight (or all day). Drain and rinse them well. Put them into a saucepan and cover them with cold water by about 1". Bring them to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender. At the 25 minute mark, add 1/2 tsp. salt. When the beans are tender, remove them from the heat but leave them in the pot with the cooking water.
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute onion and carrots until carrots are tender, sprinkling with a little salt. Remove from the pan. Put the pan back on the heat, add the 2nd tablespoon of olive oil (only because we know these particular sausages are very lean). Remove sausage meat from the casing and break it into the pan with your fingers. Cook until done, breaking the clumps with a spatula. Return the vegetables to the pan, add the tomatoes, beans and the cooking water. Add enough water to bring the soup to the consistency you desire, probably about 2 cups. Add basil, a little more salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Serve.
TOTAL: $4.39, $1.09 per serving for 4 people
(I made this up!)
1 cup dry navy beans (250 g costs $.55 out of the 900 g bag on sale this week at Superstore for $2)
Water
About 2 tsp. salt, divided ($.02)
2 tbsp. olive oil ($.20)
2 Italian sausages from the package I bought last week at No Frills (2 x $.67 = $1.34)
1 large onion (from the bag of 7 onions I bought last week at Freshco for $1 ($.14)
2 carrots from the 3 b. bag /10 carrotsI bought last week at Freshco for $1 ($.20)
1 - 28 oz can of tomatoes ($.87 at No Frills this week)
1 tsp. dry basil ($.07)
1 loaf crusty bread ($1 from Superstore)
Pour the navy beans into a bowl and cover with cold water by at least 2". Soak them overnight (or all day). Drain and rinse them well. Put them into a saucepan and cover them with cold water by about 1". Bring them to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender. At the 25 minute mark, add 1/2 tsp. salt. When the beans are tender, remove them from the heat but leave them in the pot with the cooking water.
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute onion and carrots until carrots are tender, sprinkling with a little salt. Remove from the pan. Put the pan back on the heat, add the 2nd tablespoon of olive oil (only because we know these particular sausages are very lean). Remove sausage meat from the casing and break it into the pan with your fingers. Cook until done, breaking the clumps with a spatula. Return the vegetables to the pan, add the tomatoes, beans and the cooking water. Add enough water to bring the soup to the consistency you desire, probably about 2 cups. Add basil, a little more salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Serve.
TOTAL: $4.39, $1.09 per serving for 4 people
MY RESULTS: This is delicious, if I do say so myself! LOL! I just wanted to make something else (and completely different) that used the sausage from that big package I bought last week. So, sausage with peppers and onions served as an open faced sandwich, sausage soup with beans.... You can always just cook them and serve them with a little applesauce, a potato and a veg. You can do sausages and eggs. The list goes on.
If you would rather slice the sausage into little rounds so that you get a chunkier soup, that would work too. You could also use canned beans but this would hike the cost and you'd miss out on the tremendous amount of flavour the bean cooking water adds to the soup. This would be a great lunch to pack for your kids now that they are back to school. Enjoy! |
April 3, 2019
Hi! I haven't posted anything in a really long time, I know. I've been reading, quilting, being Nana, and experimenting with other cuisines. I am retired, remember? I love Cuban food and Middle Eastern food. It's fun trying out recipes that are out of my cuisine, using ingredients I've never heard used before - dried mulberries, mojo, etc.. They aren't always inexpensive but still worth the effort. I have also taught two small workshops on menu planning and grocery shopping for The Liberty Project and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The other day I thawed out a 4 lb. 3 oz. whole chicken that I had purchased at $1.77/lb. for a purchase price of $7.42. Today I am turning the last of it into soup but I wanted to show you what a good food investment whole chicken can be.
First Meal: roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy with broccoli on the side
Second Meal: Chicken Ranch Wraps from www.gimmedelicious.com
These were very good, used a small amount of chicken per wrap. I added the lettuce and tomatoes. |
So, this week Metro has Maple Leaf Prime whole chickens (antibiotic free) for $2.49/lb. Jes' sayin'.....
June 2, 2021
Eggs Benedict Quiche with Hollandaise Sauce - Serves 4
(from Sue Moran's website: www.theviewfromgreatisland.com)
1 deep dish frozen pie shell (or 1 Pillsbury roll-out crust for $1.50)
6 large eggs (this week No Frills had 30 eggs for $4.97 = $.17 each x 6 = $1.02)
1/2 cup Half & Half ($3.48/litre = $.42 for 1/2 cup OR you can use milk to lighten the recipe and save money)
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar ($4.99/4 = $1.24. Remember, 3" of the cheese bar will give you 1 cup grated.)
3 tbsp. shredded Parmesan (optional)
3 green onions, sliced thinly ($.99/6 = $.17 x 3 = $50. Pick the ones with the nicest greens and include as much of them as possible)
3 tbsp. snipped chives (free if you garden but optional if you include the greens from the onions)
1/4 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
5 oz. ham (or Canadian bacon) cut in small dice (leftovers are free! Food Basics has ham for $7.99/700g so 5 oz. = $1.46)
Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks (priced as above = $.51)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ($.99 per lemon = $.30)
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard ($.01)
1/2 cup butter, melted (I always pay $2.99 for a pound of butter and freeze them so, based on that, $.75 for 1/2 cup)
Set oven for 350F. If you are using a frozen crust and wish to upgrade the meal presentation, lightly oil (spray) a pie plate. Place the pie crust in the pie plate. I used the roll-out crust and one of my pie plates. If you are using frozen crust, you can also keep it in it's original tin.
Whisk or blend the eggs and Half & Half (or milk) until completely combined. Stir in cheese(s), onions, chives (if using), ham, salt and pepper.
Place pie plate on a cookie sheet to protect the oven from spill-overs and pour the egg mixture into the crust, making sure the goodies are evenly distributed. Bake 50 minutes or until slightly puffed and golden and it passes the toothpick test in the middle. Let cool about 15 minutes before slicing.
Sauce:
Put yolks, lemon juice and mustard in the blender. Turn it on to blend the yolks and while it is still running, drizzle melted butter into the mixture. If the sauce is too thick, add a tiny drizzle of warm water to thin it out. Add salt and pepper to taste.
TOTAL: $8.71 for 4 servings. Nice with a side salad.
NOTES: The click and drag to insert a picture of this delicious meal won't work so, sorry, no pix. This recipe was easy and inexpensive even with the crazy price increases in food costs we have been enduring during Covid-19. It's not that a quiche is particularly unusual but Sue Moran's idea of adding the Hollandaise sauce was inspired. It raises the level of this meal to something kind of fancy and the flavour of the sauce really compliments the quiche. I highly recommend the blender method for making the Hollandaise because it's easy and pretty much foolproof compared to making it on the stove where the sauce is prone to separating. I would have no hesitation about making this again, and probably again.....