Cheap Meals: Using leftovers - pulled pork flatbread pizza

So a reader commented to me (hi Binney!) that it would be helpful if I were to post some more recipes here, especially recipes using inexpensive cuts of meat.  If you've been to the grocery store recently, I'm sure you've noticed that meat, along with everything else, is doing nothing but increasing in price.  The cheaper cuts of meat are looking more and more affordable; the only problem is that many people don't know how to cook a cheap roast and have it come out palatable.

The less-expensive types of meat - including chuck roasts (beef) and shoulder roasts (pork, also called picnic roast or Boston butt) - are less expensive because they have more tough connective tissue, aren't boneless, have a less bold flavor, and/or have less fat marbling.  These particular types of meat generally need to be cooked for a long time, often with confounding methods like braising.  It's easier to just slap a pork tenderloin in the oven for 40 minutes and be done with it rather than fuss with a pork shoulder that has to cook for hours. 

Well, buckle in and haul out your Crockpot.  Let's talk pork.

The other day Andy and I stopped at Giant Eagle to grab some strawberries.  While we were there I discovered a display of pork shoulder roasts for $.99/lb; that's a fantastic price and, with a little too much excitement, I loaded them all in the cart.  Pork shoulder is one of my favorite cuts of meat because, with a little care, it makes a rich and delicious pork roast that you can prepare a million different ways.

Sunday night I tossed a 4lb roast into the Crockpot with some water, a couple shakes of vinegar, a couple shakes of liquid smoke, a couple shakes of Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and a few dashes of red pepper flake.  I left it cook on low overnight while we slept, and in the afternoon I added a squirt of ketchup to the liquid.  Once the ketchup mixed in with the liquid, I basted the meat a few times - the sugar in the ketchup helps form a flavorful coating on the meat.  About an hour before we wanted to eat, I half-uncovered the Crockpot and turned the heat to high, which allowed for a crust to form on the meat and for some excess liquid to evaporate.  I also added some sliced onions on top of the meat for some extra flavor.
And that was that.  Once the meat was done I removed the bone with a pair of tongs, broke the meat into chunks, and served it with some veggies and flatbread.

Dinner 1 - devoured.  And there was still more than half the roast left. 
Rather than just reheat the roast and repeat Monday's dinner, tonight I turned it into something completely different.

Using a fork, I shredded the remaining pork and heated it in a saucepan with a bit of hot sauce and just enough barbecue sauce to moisten.  I french-cut half an onion, preheated the oven to 375*, and got out two pieces of flatbread.  You can buy flatbread at the store or you can very easily make it at home.
On a foil-lined baking sheet I put down the flatbread, evenly spread some of the shredded pork on it, sprinkled on some onion slices all pretty, and topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese.  If you want more barbecue sauce just drizzle it right on, but don't go overboard or the flatbread will be soggy.
Then just pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the flatbread is crisp and cracker-like at the edges.  Cut it into manageable pieces with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

We got four full meals out of the 4lb roast and there's still a bit of pork left over.  We'll call it 5 servings in total.

Pork $4
Spices, liquids, seasonings to cook it $.50
Flatbread $.50
1 onion $1 (half used in the roast, half on the pizzas)
Cheese $.50
BBQ sauce $.25
Total for 5 servings $6.75, or $1.35 per serving.

You seriously can't mess up either of these quasi-recipes.  The Crockpot does all the hard work for you while you sleep, work, or are in class; all you have to do is chuck the food in there and spend 5 minutes finishing the roast at the end.  I put the flatbread pizzas together in about 10 minutes, with another 10-15 minutes baking time - nothing to it!

Cheap Meals: Crockpot Chili & Cornbread

Cheap meals are good.  Really easy, cheap meals are even better.  With fall comes a craving for chili 'round here, so I put on a crock full of my regular recipe before bed Monday night.

I was feeling adventurous, though, and tried a little something different.  To be honest, I wasn't sure it would even work.  I mean, theoretically it should work, but I had lingering doubts. 

Could I throw some cornbread batter on top of the chili and bake it in the Crockpot?

Yes, yes I certainly could.



Crockpot Chili & Cornbread
serves 6-8

Turn a 5qt or larger Crockpot on low heat.  Add 1lb of ground beef straight from the freezer.
Yes, you can put frozen ground beef in a Crockpot and it doesn't screw anything up.
Add two 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes, juice and all. 
If you prefer no beans or canned beans, add two tomato cans of water.  If you want to have flavorful beans that simmer with the meat and seasonings, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup dry beans.
Add a chopped up onion.
Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 shots of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, a tablespoon of cumin, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a shake of cayenne pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.  If you like your chili spicy, add minced hot peppers, hot sauce, or additional cayenne & some red pepper flake to your preference.
Stir it up as best you can. Put the cover on the Crockpot and let it cook on low for 8 hours.  It's best to do this right before you go to bed.
After 8 hours, stir the chili well to break up the beef and if it looks a little dry add some more water.  If you're using canned beans, add a can of those now.  Add a package of frozen corn (or a can of corn, drained), stir well, and taste to see if it needs any more seasoning.  A pinch of salt or maybe some more hot sauce is usually all you'll need.
Now the chili can sit there and cook for 8-10 more hours just fine if you need to go to work or something.  So go ahead and do that, but if you're using dry beans add another cup of water to be on the safe side.

An hour before you want to eat the chili, get yourself a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and prepare it according to the directions on the box.  Add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the batter.

Then just take a spoon and plop the batter directly on top of the chili in your Crockpot.  Try to put in on there somewhat evenly, but it doesn't have to be perfect.  After another hour cooking on low heat, the batter will have spread out to create a delicious cornbread crust over top of the chili, nicely browned around the edges and soft and moist in the middle.

Scoop the chili into bowls with the cornbread part on top and enjoy!

Price breakdown for non-heavy coupon use:
1lb ground beef:  $1.99-2.19 (as always, buy on sale in bulk and freeze in 1lb portions)
2 cans tomatoes: $.50-2.00 (buy on sale when you can, but you can usually find these for about a buck each)
1 cup beans or 1 can beans: $1-1.25
1 package frozen corn $1-1.50
Spices/seasonings/onion: $1.50-2.00
Jiffy mix prepared with milk and 1 egg: $1.25-1.50
1/2 cup cheese: $.10-.50
Total cost: $7.34-10.94, per serving cost $1.22-1.82 (six servings) or $.92-1.37 (eight servings)

You shouldn't need much more to round out this meal since it's got the cornbread cooked right with it, but some saltine crackers ($.25-.75 for a sleeve) or a nice green salad ($2-4) wouldn't hurt.

I love using the Crockpot, and I especially love it when you've got a recipe like this where all the cooking is happening while you're asleep or at work/school.  I also love recipes where you can tinker with them as needed.  Don't want the cornbread on top?  Don't do it.  Want to use some bell pepper instead of corn?  Go ahead!  Beans vs. beanless?  Your choice!  Mild vs. blow-your-face-off spicy?  Just omit any of the hot stuff or add a crapload of habaneros or some Dave's Insanity Sauce.  Don't have all those spices on hand?  Use a packet of chili seasoning from the spice aisle, I won't tell.

Cheap Meals: Cheesemaking

Anyone with a stove and two brain cells to rub together can make cheese at home. 

We'll take a look at two different kinds today, both of which are made with everyday ingredients, everyday equipment, and in many cases can be a means to use up leftover dairy.

You'll need three items to get started: a good sized soup pot, sauce pot, or other large cooking vessel; a colander or strainer; and a finer straining medium.  For the last one, you'll see a lot of recipes telling you to use cheesecloth.  Hey, that makes sense, right?  It's right there in the name!  CHEESEcloth! 

Well, look.  Not everyone will agree with me here, but since I don't keep cheesecloth sitting around, I don't use it.  Instead I use either non-printed paper towels or coffee filters.  I have those, and if I don't they're significantly cheaper to buy than some cheesecloth.  For these two simple recipes, you really don't need to spend the extra money; use what you've got.


Let's start with the simplest of the two: yogurt cheese.

Have you ever bought a carton of plain yogurt to use in a recipe and found yourself with a bunch of extra yogurt you have no idea what to do with?  Before you throw it in the bin or feed it to the dog, invite some friends over for poker night and serve them up some gourmet snacks.
Take your colander/strainer and line it with cheesecloth, paper towels, or coffee filters.  Place the colander over a bowl of some sort to catch the drips.  Dump your excess plain yogurt right into the lined colander and stick everything in the fridge overnight.  If you want to get real fancy, mix in some garlic, herbs and/or spices to the yogurt before you start.
In the morning, you'll have a tangy, spreadable cheese in the colander that's like a soft cream cheese.  Serve it with crackers or veggies.  Brag about your amazing kitchen skills.
You can also use fruit yogurt, or add cinnamon and a little sugar to plain yogurt, and use the resulting cheese as a spread for muffins, cake, banana bread, biscuits, or anything that could use a little extra sweetness.


The second type is a fresh cheese that's similar to ricotta.

If we happen to have milk that's hit its expiration date, or if it's starting to smell a little off, I turn it into cheese.  If your milk has gone chunky just pitch it, but even slightly sour milk is safe and tasty to use.
Line your colander with cheesecloth/paper towels/coffee filters and set it in the sink.
Take your milk and measure how many cups you're using.  Pour it into a good-sized pot, and heat it over medium heat.  Stir it periodically, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go.
While the milk heats, measure out one tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of milk you used and set it aside.  You can use whatever kind of vinegar you've got on hand - I've used malt, cider, regular white vinegar.  It doesn't really matter.
Watch the heating milk carefully, and once it hits a simmer - that is, when bubbles just start to break the surface - move the pan off the heat, add the vinegar all at once, and stir it well.  Let it sit for 5 minutes and stir again.  You should see lots of white cheese curds floating on top of a yellowish or tan colored clear liquid (whey, as in curds and whey).  If the liquid isn't clear, put the pan back over the heat for a few minutes until it is.
Carefully pour everything into your lined colander.  Make sure you scrape out any cheese bits still in the pot!  Let the cheese drain for 30 minutes to an hour.
(Just a note for easy cleanup - as soon as you empty the pot, fill it with warm water and set it aside to soak for a little bit.  Some of the milk will coagulate on the bottom, and it's a breeze to clean off if you soak it for an hour or two.)

Once drained you should have a lump of crumbly, soft white cheese.  Sprinkle a little salt on if you'd like and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.  Use it the same way you would ricotta or queso fresco.  Add a little to any pasta dish - or add a lot to a lasagna!

Cheap Meals: Pasta Bake

I was raised in a large, close-knit, Slavic/German Midwestern family.  We ate dinner together - my mom, my sister, my grandparents and I - every single night.  Sometimes an aunt or uncle or one of our friends joined us.  The TV wasn't on, the phone was ignored if it rang, we all sat at the table and talked about our day over dinner.  There were always at least 5 people eating, and there were always leftovers. 

For this reason, I have a complete inability to cook for fewer than 10 people at a time.  It's not a proper meal to me unless the plastic containers come out afterward to be stuffed with leftovers - leftovers which are either reheated and eaten as-is in the next couple days, or which are recycled into future meals.  To the left you'll see an actual photo of one of our family meals for eight.  Elbow to elbow, loud, laughing, and yet more food in the kitchen that didn't fit on the serving dishes; we don't screw around.

We're not a wealthy family.  We're, at best, solidly middle-class, and we're headed by my grandparents who both lived through the Great Depression.  Our massive spreads of food are almost entirely "economical" if not downright cheap.

I can do fancy and expensive, but by habit I cook cheap.  Granted, the foods I considered cheap last year are downright penny-pinching with this whole coupon thing, but even without coupons you can eat well for less.


Pasta Bake
Serves 6
1lb ground beef, browned
1lb pasta (penne, shells, spirals, elbows, anything that isn't in strands like spaghetti), cooked slightly less than al dente
1 jar pasta sauce, thinned with 2 TB milk or water
1 cup shredded cheese
Salt, pepper, basil, oregano, minced garlic, other seasonings

Preheat the oven to 375*
Dump the cooked pasta into a 13x9 baking dish.  Or use a couple round casserole dishes.  Use whatever you've got as long as it's oven safe.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well.
Season the ground beef to taste with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, garlic, and anything else you like.  I always put either a couple shakes of hot sauce or a minced hot pepper from the window garden in there.
Mix the ground beef in with the pasta & sauce and pat everything down evenly.
Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over top and cover with a lid or foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, uncover, and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

Price breakdown for non-heavy coupon use:
1lb ground beef $1.99-2.19; buy on sale in large packs and divide into 1lb portions to freeze.  $2.19 is the highest I'll pay per pound for ground beef.
1lb pasta $.50-1.00; without sales or coupons you can get a pound of pasta for a buck, so I never pay higher than that.
1 jar pasta sauce $.50-2.00; it's well worth searching out sales & coupons on pasta sauce and stocking up when you can.  Some everyday cheap brands have HFCS and artificial flavorings, while the more expensive ones tend to use actual ingredients and no HFCS.
1 cup cheese $.25-1.00; buy store brand, or buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself
Seasonings: $.50
Total cost: $3.74-6.69; per serving cost $.62-1.12

Round out the meal with a package of frozen veggies ($1-1.50) or fresh veggies if $1-1.50/lb and 1/4-1/2 loaf of homemade bread ($.15-.30) for a total of $4.89-8.49, or a per serving cost of $.82-1.42

You can make the meal even cheaper if you find a better price on sausage or ground turkey.  You can also switch out ingredients; for example, using chicken thigh or drumstick meat (often in the range of $.89/lb on sale) and a jar of alfredo sauce.

This is a great place to toss random fresh veggies you've got in the refrigerator that need to be used up.  That sad little onion or the wilty-looking spinach find a new home cooked with the meat and mixed right on in.  Hey, you'd probably throw it out tomorrow anyways, right?