Alright, since you asked, LOL. I'm going to put down a sampling of ideas I have written out as I've been planning for our weeklong trip. Each of these meals costs between 99 cents a plate and 2.00 a plate.
PIZZA:
1 tablespoon active yeast
3/4 cup warm water (about 105 degrees, think the temperature of a hot tub)
2 3/4 cups flour** (tip: you can use varying types of flour. White flour creates a fluffy crust, wheat flour adds density, texture and flavor. I usually use 3/4 cups wheat flour and 2 cups white flour for a little added flavor and to make it more filling without weighing it down and making the crust too hard and dense)
1 tsp. salt
oil
2 tomatoes (vine ripened and RIPE are the are best. The quality of your tomato will greatly enhance or detract for your pizza!)
2 cups cheese of your choice (a combo of romano, parm. are favored here)
toppings of your choice
In a small bowl, disolve yeast in warm water. Stir until dissolved and let it sit until *slightly* foamy, this usually takes ten minutes or so.
In Large bowl, mix flour and salt, add yeast mixture and stire together until dough begins forming. Use your hands to continue working the mixture until it holds together and is no longer crumbly.
Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, usually ten minutes. Form into a ball.
Grease a large bowl with oil, put the dough in and let it rise at room termpature until doubled. One hour can often do it, but two usually works better and creates a fluffier crust.
Punch dough down and gently stretch by hand into 12-14 inch crust. Or, you can use a lightly floured rolling pin.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
You have several ways of handling the tomatoes. I always dice them and throw them in the food processor and blend for about two minutes. Then I pour them through a wire mesh strainer to catch all the seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste and it is a *wonderful* tasty, easy, sauve to be used in various dishes. It will be lighter than a typical jarred sauce because the water content of the tomato hasn't been drained away. But, the tomato taste is powerful, despite the "weak" appearance.
If you don't have access to a blender or a strainer, you can simply dice the tomatoes, crush them with a heavy glass in a bowl and then spread them over the pizza. You might find you need more tomatoes to cover the pizza if you handle it this way.
Once the tomatoes are on, sprinkle cheese to your desired thickness, and add your desired toppings. (We are part of an agricultural coop and I have been getting summer squash out my ears every week, so I am currently putting squash on everything!) Toppings will usually be about one cup.
Cook pizza at 450 for ten minutes, then cool oven to 400 hundred and cook for another ten.
(Another hint: Pizza cooks up the crispiest on a pizza stone. You always preheat the pizza stone for about twenty minutes before placing a pizza on it. With no pizza stone, a cookie sheet, dark and with no nonstick coating is second best. Also make sure you preheat it, so the crust will crisp!)
CALZONES:
Use the same pizza dough recipe as above. Once dough has risen, punch it down and seperate into four pieces. Roll each ball into a six inch circle. Add tomato sauce and cheese as listed above, or whatever toppings you have on hand! Cooking directions are the same!
POTATO FLAUTAS AND SPANISH RICE
Flautas are best made with corn tortillas, but flour tortillas are perfectly fine. most likely on vacation there's no justification to buy a whole bag of masa harina (corn flour) for just one set of tortillas. If you have the flour already, best make the floured ones!
9 tortillas
2-3 red potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheese
additional fillings optional
Potatoes:
Boil a small pot of water with a dash of salt. Quarter two to three medium sized red potatoes and add to water. Let water come to a roiling boil and cook potatoes until tender, about another 15 minutes. Mash them.
flour tortillas:
3 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (like Cristco)
1 cup hot water
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Cut in the shortening until the whole mixture looks like small course crumbs the size of peas. (I use a pastry blender, but a fork or your hands works equally well. Kids particularly love to help with this part!)
*slowly* add water until dough forms. Too much water will make the dough too sticky, too little water, dough will crumble and not stay together. Always handle dough with your hands slighly wet.
Form dough ball on floured surface. Knead it a few minutes until smooth. Make 9 seperate balls and then roll each ball into a six inch tortilla.
Heat a heavy skillet on high heat (NO OIL. MUST BE DRY HEAT!). Cook tortilla on one side until just golden (this will be a matter of 20 seconds, use a fork to lift and see if its done) and then flip to the other side and repeat.
On each tortilla, spoon potato mixture leaving 1/2 inch around all sides. Sprinkle on cheese if so desired, add cooked chicken if so desired. Roll up each tortilla.
In a skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. Add Flautas and cook until golden brown and crispy (about five minutes or so).
spanish rice:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet pepper
3-4 tomatoes, cut up in a bowl to save the juice
1/2 cup shredded cheedar
3/4 cups rice
clove of garlic, minced
oil
(Hint, the tomato provides the main base of this dish. The onion and the pepper definitely add zest and flavor, but if you don't have these ingredients on hand, you can omit them. The dish will be a little blander, but you can add salt and pepper to zip it up)
Cook onion, garlic, sweet pepper in a couple tablespoons of oil.
Stir in the rice and tomatoes, add a cup of water, and a dash of salt and peper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly gone and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese if you wish.
QUICHE AND BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Quiche:
pastry crust
5 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half/milk/or cream (Hint, as you pick a product with a higher fat content, the dish gets more and more filling and rich. We love to use heavy whipping cream!)
sash slt and pepper
1/4 cup onion (optional)
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cup cheese (your choice, depending on your taste! Cheddar, romano, parmesan, mozzerella all work well or you can mix cheeses)
1 cup additional filling (optional, but adds flavor and texture. We've been using summer squash lately, but ham, bacon, or another vegetable works well)
To Make Pastry Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening (like Cristco)
4-5 tablespoons cold water)
in a bowl, mix together flour and salt, cut in the shortening until you have small pea sized crumbs (again, use pastry blender, fork, or your hands)
Sprinkle in water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is slightly moist (again, too much water, too tough and sticky, not enough water, dough doesn't hold together)
Form dough ball, slightly flatten on a floured surface. Foll into a circle 12 inches in diameter.
Throw in a 9-inch pie plate (you can use a cake plate if needed, though the crust won't come over the sides)
Bake at 450 for 8 minutes, then 400 for four minutes
In the meant time, combine the beaten eggs, onion, milk, salt, pepper, flour, cheese and whatever filling you choose in a large bowl. Pour into baked pastry crust and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes. This quiche will serve about six.
buttermilk biscuits:
3 cups flour (white)
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cups shortening
3/4 cups buttermilk
Sift flour and dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you do not have a sifter available, cover the bowl and lightly toss together for a few minutes.
Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (again, pastry blender, fork or hands)
Add buttermilk and mix with a spoon until soft dough forms
Place on floured workin surface. Knead the dough until smooth, about 15 to 20 times.
Roll out into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits with cookie cutter, a lid, or form by hand. This recipe will make 8/9 large biscuits, 12/13 medium sized biscuits.
PANCAKES AND OMLETS:
1 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons melted butter
dash of vanilla (optional)
chocolate chips or fruit (optional)
Mix dry ingredients together. Add in egg, milk, then melted butter. Add optional fillers if you have them. Grease skillet and spoon batter with a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Makes 8 large pancakes that way, more or less depending on how much batter you use in each pancake.
each omlet:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter
dash pepper
optional fillings (cheese, squash, bacon, whatever you want!)
In a small bowl mix eggs, water, pepper, salt
Add butter to a skillet on high heat. When melted, turn down heat to medium low.
Add egg mixture and stir constantly until solid pieces just begin to form. Stop stirring and wait until egg is set, but shiney.
Spoon optional filling across the center. Lift and fold one edge towards the center. Remove from heat and fold the other edge towards the center.
ROASTED DRUMSTICKS, VEGETABLES AND CHEESY RICE BALLS
Keep butter at room temperature. Coat each drumstick with a thin spread of butter, add a dash of lemon juice if available.
Grease pan with butter or oil. Throw in whatever vegetables you have handy...potato, squash, carrot etc. etc. Place drumsticks in pan and cook at 450 degrees until the skin begins to crisp and brown (we use a convection oven, so I can't recall for conventional ovens, probably 15 minutes?) Turn drumsticks and repeat. Put oven temperature at 350 and continue cooking until juices run clear, about thirty minutes. Baste occasionally.
cheesy rice balls
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked rice (3/4 cups uncooked rice, boil in plain water for 20 minutes or until liquid is gone and rice is tender)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cups grated Parmesan chese
dash salt and pepper
1/4 shredded cheese (whatever you want)
1 cup bread crumbs
oil
In bowl, lightly beat two eggs. Stir in cooked rice, butter and cheeses, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll rice mixture into 1 inch balls.
Lightly beat remaining egg. Roll rice balls in egg, then bread crumbs.
Pour oil in skillet an inch thick and heat. Add rice balls and fry until golden brown on all sides (you will need to turn them to ensure this, and it will be about 5 minutes)
FARMER CASSEROLE
3 cups red potato, in small cubes
3/4 shredded cheese
4 cups beaten egg
1 1/2 cups milk/cream
dash salt, dash pepper
1 cup optional filling (squash, bacon, ham etc)
coat 2 quart casserole dish with butter. Arrange potatoes on the bottom, sprinkle with cheese and optional filling.
In bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, pour over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
Whew. I feel like I have been typing forever, so I will stop there. Although, if any one is interested in any more recipes from me, I would be glad to add some later.
Here's the thing, to encompass every single item I gave a recipe for, all I need is:
Flour
Eggs
Butter
cheese
tomatoes
potatoes
salt
pepper
cheese
milk
rice
yeast
shortening
baking powder
baking soda
buttermilk
oil
chicken drumsticks
Most of these ingredients are incredibly inexpensive and can be used for multiple things. For example, I plan on using my extra potatoes for other side dishes throughout the week...roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns for breakfast. Any extra tomatoes can be used in an impromptu salad. Once you have the buttermilk, it's easy to make multiple batches of biscuits and have them for breakfast every morning or a snack during the day. Rice can be made with just butter. Eggs can be cooked over easy and thrown on some toast.
Of course, there are whole bunch of optional ingredients. YOu can get more chicken, or choose to have bacon with your pancakes or in your casserole. Or you can simply see what inexpensive vegetables are on sale at the grocery store and pick those up and use those to top your pizza, fill your calzones or flautas etc.
I also plan to make a couple of loaves of bread, and then we can make sandwhiches-- egg salad, peanut butter, etc. have toast in the morning etc. etc. All the ingredients listed above also cover making a variety of breads and rolls.
For our family of four, most of the time we have leftover from the portions I make above, and we use them for lunch. But all said and told for a family of four, the above listing of ingredients would cost no more than 50 to 75 dollars and feed us for a week.
PIZZA:
1 tablespoon active yeast
3/4 cup warm water (about 105 degrees, think the temperature of a hot tub)
2 3/4 cups flour** (tip: you can use varying types of flour. White flour creates a fluffy crust, wheat flour adds density, texture and flavor. I usually use 3/4 cups wheat flour and 2 cups white flour for a little added flavor and to make it more filling without weighing it down and making the crust too hard and dense)
1 tsp. salt
oil
2 tomatoes (vine ripened and RIPE are the are best. The quality of your tomato will greatly enhance or detract for your pizza!)
2 cups cheese of your choice (a combo of romano, parm. are favored here)
toppings of your choice
In a small bowl, disolve yeast in warm water. Stir until dissolved and let it sit until *slightly* foamy, this usually takes ten minutes or so.
In Large bowl, mix flour and salt, add yeast mixture and stire together until dough begins forming. Use your hands to continue working the mixture until it holds together and is no longer crumbly.
Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, usually ten minutes. Form into a ball.
Grease a large bowl with oil, put the dough in and let it rise at room termpature until doubled. One hour can often do it, but two usually works better and creates a fluffier crust.
Punch dough down and gently stretch by hand into 12-14 inch crust. Or, you can use a lightly floured rolling pin.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
You have several ways of handling the tomatoes. I always dice them and throw them in the food processor and blend for about two minutes. Then I pour them through a wire mesh strainer to catch all the seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste and it is a *wonderful* tasty, easy, sauve to be used in various dishes. It will be lighter than a typical jarred sauce because the water content of the tomato hasn't been drained away. But, the tomato taste is powerful, despite the "weak" appearance.
If you don't have access to a blender or a strainer, you can simply dice the tomatoes, crush them with a heavy glass in a bowl and then spread them over the pizza. You might find you need more tomatoes to cover the pizza if you handle it this way.
Once the tomatoes are on, sprinkle cheese to your desired thickness, and add your desired toppings. (We are part of an agricultural coop and I have been getting summer squash out my ears every week, so I am currently putting squash on everything!) Toppings will usually be about one cup.
Cook pizza at 450 for ten minutes, then cool oven to 400 hundred and cook for another ten.
(Another hint: Pizza cooks up the crispiest on a pizza stone. You always preheat the pizza stone for about twenty minutes before placing a pizza on it. With no pizza stone, a cookie sheet, dark and with no nonstick coating is second best. Also make sure you preheat it, so the crust will crisp!)
CALZONES:
Use the same pizza dough recipe as above. Once dough has risen, punch it down and seperate into four pieces. Roll each ball into a six inch circle. Add tomato sauce and cheese as listed above, or whatever toppings you have on hand! Cooking directions are the same!
POTATO FLAUTAS AND SPANISH RICE
Flautas are best made with corn tortillas, but flour tortillas are perfectly fine. most likely on vacation there's no justification to buy a whole bag of masa harina (corn flour) for just one set of tortillas. If you have the flour already, best make the floured ones!
9 tortillas
2-3 red potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheese
additional fillings optional
Potatoes:
Boil a small pot of water with a dash of salt. Quarter two to three medium sized red potatoes and add to water. Let water come to a roiling boil and cook potatoes until tender, about another 15 minutes. Mash them.
flour tortillas:
3 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (like Cristco)
1 cup hot water
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Cut in the shortening until the whole mixture looks like small course crumbs the size of peas. (I use a pastry blender, but a fork or your hands works equally well. Kids particularly love to help with this part!)
*slowly* add water until dough forms. Too much water will make the dough too sticky, too little water, dough will crumble and not stay together. Always handle dough with your hands slighly wet.
Form dough ball on floured surface. Knead it a few minutes until smooth. Make 9 seperate balls and then roll each ball into a six inch tortilla.
Heat a heavy skillet on high heat (NO OIL. MUST BE DRY HEAT!). Cook tortilla on one side until just golden (this will be a matter of 20 seconds, use a fork to lift and see if its done) and then flip to the other side and repeat.
On each tortilla, spoon potato mixture leaving 1/2 inch around all sides. Sprinkle on cheese if so desired, add cooked chicken if so desired. Roll up each tortilla.
In a skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. Add Flautas and cook until golden brown and crispy (about five minutes or so).
spanish rice:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet pepper
3-4 tomatoes, cut up in a bowl to save the juice
1/2 cup shredded cheedar
3/4 cups rice
clove of garlic, minced
oil
(Hint, the tomato provides the main base of this dish. The onion and the pepper definitely add zest and flavor, but if you don't have these ingredients on hand, you can omit them. The dish will be a little blander, but you can add salt and pepper to zip it up)
Cook onion, garlic, sweet pepper in a couple tablespoons of oil.
Stir in the rice and tomatoes, add a cup of water, and a dash of salt and peper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly gone and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese if you wish.
QUICHE AND BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Quiche:
pastry crust
5 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half/milk/or cream (Hint, as you pick a product with a higher fat content, the dish gets more and more filling and rich. We love to use heavy whipping cream!)
sash slt and pepper
1/4 cup onion (optional)
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cup cheese (your choice, depending on your taste! Cheddar, romano, parmesan, mozzerella all work well or you can mix cheeses)
1 cup additional filling (optional, but adds flavor and texture. We've been using summer squash lately, but ham, bacon, or another vegetable works well)
To Make Pastry Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening (like Cristco)
4-5 tablespoons cold water)
in a bowl, mix together flour and salt, cut in the shortening until you have small pea sized crumbs (again, use pastry blender, fork, or your hands)
Sprinkle in water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is slightly moist (again, too much water, too tough and sticky, not enough water, dough doesn't hold together)
Form dough ball, slightly flatten on a floured surface. Foll into a circle 12 inches in diameter.
Throw in a 9-inch pie plate (you can use a cake plate if needed, though the crust won't come over the sides)
Bake at 450 for 8 minutes, then 400 for four minutes
In the meant time, combine the beaten eggs, onion, milk, salt, pepper, flour, cheese and whatever filling you choose in a large bowl. Pour into baked pastry crust and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes. This quiche will serve about six.
buttermilk biscuits:
3 cups flour (white)
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cups shortening
3/4 cups buttermilk
Sift flour and dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you do not have a sifter available, cover the bowl and lightly toss together for a few minutes.
Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (again, pastry blender, fork or hands)
Add buttermilk and mix with a spoon until soft dough forms
Place on floured workin surface. Knead the dough until smooth, about 15 to 20 times.
Roll out into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits with cookie cutter, a lid, or form by hand. This recipe will make 8/9 large biscuits, 12/13 medium sized biscuits.
PANCAKES AND OMLETS:
1 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons melted butter
dash of vanilla (optional)
chocolate chips or fruit (optional)
Mix dry ingredients together. Add in egg, milk, then melted butter. Add optional fillers if you have them. Grease skillet and spoon batter with a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Makes 8 large pancakes that way, more or less depending on how much batter you use in each pancake.
each omlet:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter
dash pepper
optional fillings (cheese, squash, bacon, whatever you want!)
In a small bowl mix eggs, water, pepper, salt
Add butter to a skillet on high heat. When melted, turn down heat to medium low.
Add egg mixture and stir constantly until solid pieces just begin to form. Stop stirring and wait until egg is set, but shiney.
Spoon optional filling across the center. Lift and fold one edge towards the center. Remove from heat and fold the other edge towards the center.
ROASTED DRUMSTICKS, VEGETABLES AND CHEESY RICE BALLS
Keep butter at room temperature. Coat each drumstick with a thin spread of butter, add a dash of lemon juice if available.
Grease pan with butter or oil. Throw in whatever vegetables you have handy...potato, squash, carrot etc. etc. Place drumsticks in pan and cook at 450 degrees until the skin begins to crisp and brown (we use a convection oven, so I can't recall for conventional ovens, probably 15 minutes?) Turn drumsticks and repeat. Put oven temperature at 350 and continue cooking until juices run clear, about thirty minutes. Baste occasionally.
cheesy rice balls
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked rice (3/4 cups uncooked rice, boil in plain water for 20 minutes or until liquid is gone and rice is tender)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cups grated Parmesan chese
dash salt and pepper
1/4 shredded cheese (whatever you want)
1 cup bread crumbs
oil
In bowl, lightly beat two eggs. Stir in cooked rice, butter and cheeses, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll rice mixture into 1 inch balls.
Lightly beat remaining egg. Roll rice balls in egg, then bread crumbs.
Pour oil in skillet an inch thick and heat. Add rice balls and fry until golden brown on all sides (you will need to turn them to ensure this, and it will be about 5 minutes)
FARMER CASSEROLE
3 cups red potato, in small cubes
3/4 shredded cheese
4 cups beaten egg
1 1/2 cups milk/cream
dash salt, dash pepper
1 cup optional filling (squash, bacon, ham etc)
coat 2 quart casserole dish with butter. Arrange potatoes on the bottom, sprinkle with cheese and optional filling.
In bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, pour over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
Whew. I feel like I have been typing forever, so I will stop there. Although, if any one is interested in any more recipes from me, I would be glad to add some later.
Here's the thing, to encompass every single item I gave a recipe for, all I need is:
Flour
Eggs
Butter
cheese
tomatoes
potatoes
salt
pepper
cheese
milk
rice
yeast
shortening
baking powder
baking soda
buttermilk
oil
chicken drumsticks
Most of these ingredients are incredibly inexpensive and can be used for multiple things. For example, I plan on using my extra potatoes for other side dishes throughout the week...roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns for breakfast. Any extra tomatoes can be used in an impromptu salad. Once you have the buttermilk, it's easy to make multiple batches of biscuits and have them for breakfast every morning or a snack during the day. Rice can be made with just butter. Eggs can be cooked over easy and thrown on some toast.
Of course, there are whole bunch of optional ingredients. YOu can get more chicken, or choose to have bacon with your pancakes or in your casserole. Or you can simply see what inexpensive vegetables are on sale at the grocery store and pick those up and use those to top your pizza, fill your calzones or flautas etc.
I also plan to make a couple of loaves of bread, and then we can make sandwhiches-- egg salad, peanut butter, etc. have toast in the morning etc. etc. All the ingredients listed above also cover making a variety of breads and rolls.
For our family of four, most of the time we have leftover from the portions I make above, and we use them for lunch. But all said and told for a family of four, the above listing of ingredients would cost no more than 50 to 75 dollars and feed us for a week.
