[stoney]

Just thought I'd get this started for ideas on cost effective baking and cooking. We try to eat organic meats and milk products due to all of the hormones. Due to this food get really expensive, really fast. I know a couple things that we make well from scratch at pennies on the dollar and was hoping to see what everyone else does.

Yogurt - I'm 1/4, but hoping round 5 will be better.
-- Cost: $5/gal of organic milk vs. $2.25/cup of organic yogurt

Pasta Sauce - We go Costco on this one. Giant can of diced tomatoes ($.025/oz), tomato paste ($.08/oz), fresh peppers, onion and mushrooms, 2# organic ground beef ($4/lb), and seasonings. We end up making a LOT probably nearly a gallon, so we freeze 2/3 and put the rest into mason jars. As the jars are heat sealed, they last about 1.5 months in the fridge.
-- Cost: ~ $.75/oz vs. $2.50/oz

Feta - This one I have not tried, as I have not eaten through our current container. My ex-step-mom used to make it and I learned how back then.

Bread - We hit the bread maker a lot. I just picked up 10lb of organic (the only non-bleached I could find) flour at Costco for $.55/lb. It's a bit more than I would want to spend, but I don't want to buy bleached flour. We figure this is saving us ~$2/loaf of comparable bread.

Pita - Same as the bread. I eat a lot of Middle Eastern food, so this saves me ~$10/week on pita alone.

Gyro Meat - Part of that a lot of Middle Eastern food. I usually split 1lb Lamb, 1lb beef to reduce the cost a bit. I usually end up getting 2 dinners and lunch every day from this. If you try this one, I don't recommend the water bath. Try cooking it on an elevated rack to let the fat drain off.
--Cost: ~$10 vs. buying Gyro's for lunch paying $9/day.

Humus - This is an easy one; not much to making this. We are able to make 3x as much for the same cost.

Pesto - Again, pretty easy. It would be cheaper if we could keep our damn basil plants alive. Any suggestions on how to do this on a south facing patio with 100% sun exposure? I know this is more gardening, but the cost savings transfer. We usually end up freezing a lot of it when we make it.
-- Cost: $3.00 for 2 cups vs. $5 for 1/2 cup

Granola - We don't make it, but found it's ~50% the price to buy Nature Valley bars and break them apart, rather than buy straight granola.


The biggest thing for us is making sure that we don't leave food uneaten. After our first week of having a compost bag our food waste dropped substantially. Feeling am 8lb bag of wasted food makes you think about how much you are actually wasting. I can't wait until we live somewhere that we can make a compost bin to use in growing our own garden.

 

[dante]

Oh, I'll play this game:

Granola
4 cups oats (Costco Quaker Oats are the cheapest)
1.5 cups cashews, crushed (ok, not the cheapest, but very tasty)
~1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup maple syrup (we use "Oak Bucket" which is 35% pure maple syrup, 65% cane syrup. zero corn syrup which is the main thing. ~$3/bottle, in between cheap fake and expensive real maple syrup)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into lasagna pan, put into 350deg oven for 15min. Stir. Put back in oven for 10min. Stir, but this time compress with the back of a spoon. Cook for 10min. Remove from oven, let cool for 10min. Stir. Done. The compression gives you more of a "clusters" type of granola. The cashews are easily the most expensive, and if you're looking to save money, substitute peanuts or something similar.

 

[dante]

Using a crockpot to cook cheaper cuts of meat -

Country Style Pork Ribs
Salsa
Yellow Rice

Cook the CS Ribs for ~8-10 hours with a jar or two of salsa, and by the end it's still juicy, falling apart, and tastes great. CS Ribs are 1/2 the price of pork chops, and end up tasting better.

Another way to get actual "Ribs" out of CS Ribs -

CS Ribs
Dry rub
Wood chips
Parchment paper

Dry-rub CS ribs with your favorite rub. Mine includes salt, pepper, brown sugar, pepper, etc. Soak your favorite wood chips in water for 15min then drain water. Make a "packet" out of the wood chips/parchment paper and place in the bottom of your crock pot. Use a knife to poke 1/2 dozen holes in parchment paper. Place CS ribs on top of parchment paper, put 1 cup water in the bottom of the crock pot, cook on low for 8 hours.

 

[JRogers]

I'd definitely recommend making granola. Way better than Nature Valley, very cheap and the smell of it cooking is worth the effort by itself.

I wouldn't use olive oil, but maybe that's just me (prefer a neutral oil for granola). Dante's recipe looks pretty good, but I'd also say to use whatever you have around. As long as the oats have some oil and some sugar on them it doesn't matter what's in it. Honey and brown sugar also work in addition to molasses and syrup. Any dried fruit or raw nuts are good. As is coconut, sunflower seeds, wheat germ and flax seeds.

 

[TN]

sprouts.....havent started any in a while, but I love them.
Sunflower sprouts, broccoli sprouts, mung bean, lentil, fenugreek, etc.....
you can make a sprouting setup for free out of an old jar which is a helluva lot cheaper than buying the sprouts in the store, plus they are fresher.

Mustard.....make homemaded mustard all the time that is better than any pricey store bought mustard. just buy some mustard seeds soak in beer or wine with some vinegar & salt for 24 hours then run it through your cuisinart.

salsa...find your own recipe. L's knows ours which is dee-lish.

Beer...once you brew enough to pay for your gear you can easily make a sixer of good beer for under $3/6pack.

stock....easy to make with old bones (chicken, beef, hookers, etc...). It is so much better than the stuff you buy at the store & practically free.

chicken...we only buy whole birds & butcher them ourselves. this also insures we have enough bones for stock.

been wanting to do our own vinegar from left over wine....but we never have any leftover wine.




If you cook from scratch it ends up being way cheaper than buying the crap that is in boxes, bags and it is WAY more healthy.

 

[jonKranked]

joker - for your basil - what exact issue are you having? you have to keep pinching the buds to keep it from going to flower. once it starts to flower, its done

 

[stoney]

joker - for your basil - what exact issue are you having? you have to keep pinching the buds to keep it from going to flower. once it starts to flower, its done

Winner winner chicken dinner. How do you know this?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Winner winner chicken dinner. How do you know this?

Common sense?

Here's the thing to do: get 2-3 large pots and start each pot 30-45 days apart. By the time the 1st pot is done the 2nd will be ripe for plucking and the 3rd will just be coming in. You can rotate the 1st back into the mix and do this perpetually.

 

[stoney]

Common sense?

Here's the thing to do: get 2-3 large pots and start each pot 30-45 days apart. By the time the 1st pot is done the 2nd will be ripe for plucking and the 3rd will just be coming in. You can rotate the 1st back into the mix and do this perpetually.

I live in a land where having a small deck/patio is a $200/m premium. Space is a little limited here.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I live in a land where having a small deck/patio is a $200/m premium. Space is a little limited here.

Just do two pots, then. You can never have too much fresh basil.

 

[stoney]

Just do two pots, then. You can never have too much fresh basil.

Hahaha. It's on my to do list, right after moving amongst other major tasks.

 

[stoney]

Pizza! We made some pizza last night that was really damn good. Homemade dough and sauce. We used bought pepperocinni's, roasted bell peppers, feta, and salami. Next round we will roast our own peppers and hopefully I will be making my own feta by then.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Enjoy doing all this stuff before the kids come along...

 

[stoney]

If I can make my base in CO - and internal transfers carry that along - Wifey should only need to work until we have a kid. After which point her business will supplement income, and she will be able to take care of kid, house, bills and food.

This has been discussed extensively.

 

[SkaredShtles]

If I can make my base in CO - and internal transfers carry that along - Wifey should only need to work until we have a kid. After which point her business will supplement income, and she will be able to take care of kid, house, bills and food.

This has been discussed extensively.

Hey - at least it has been discussed. Usually people don't even discuss important details like this.

 

[Inclag]

Anyone have a good pizza dough recipe for a breadmaker here?? I've tried a few interweb ones and they've been pretty poor. My Sunbeam mixing/kneading cycle lasts ~1.5 hrs and I'm unsure if there's any magic required with refrigeration/priming of the dough afterwards. So maybe that's contributing?

 

[Inclag]

I live in a land where having a small deck/patio is a $200/m premium. Space is a little limited here.

Home Depot -> Two (2 bulb, 4 ft. )fluorescent light fixtures & 10 pack lamps will run you about $35. It'll be in the $50's for 4 running fixtures + bulbs. Get a cheap wireform pantry-like shelf and keep your herbs indoors.

Get some real veggies out on that patio. Tomatoes, Peas in a pot, and peppers are plants that should thrive.

 

[stoney]

I use a french bread recipe (1.5lbs) then cut the dough in half. There is no real additional prep beyond cutting the dough in half and rolling it out on a floured surface.

You can take the remaining half and curl the bottom up underneath itself to get a half ball (mushroom top). We would just put them in the fridge and use withing 2-3 days when I was working at the pizza place in HS.

My recipie (iirc) is:
4c all-purpose flour
1 3/8c warm water
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar

I run it through the dough setting in the bread maker then pull it out for baking. I have been using half for pizza dough, then making a loaf of french in the over with the rest.

For the French loaf roll the dough flat in a rectangular shape, then roll the dough (length-wise). Place it on an oiled baking tray, then cover it with a warm, damp tea towel and let it rise 2x. One risen, cut 3-4 later cuts on the top, then coat in egg white. Bake at 400* for 12-15min and enjoy fluffy french bread.

I have been making my pizza, then just putting the bread in a few minutes later, as the timing it pretty close.

 

[-BB-]

Winner winner chicken dinner. How do you know this?

This is standard for almost ALL garden herbs. Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, Sage etc. But in Basil and cilantro it makes the biggest difference.

Over the weekend I planted my 2012 herb garden.

Items left over from last year include:
-Rosemary
-Oregano
-Thyme
-Sage
-Chives
-Horseradish (though I use it for the "greens", not the root yet)

Items I had to replace (either died from the winter or were dug up by the dog):
-Tarragon
-Basil (Regular and Thai Purple variety)
-Dill
-Lemon Thyme

Stone... Since you seem to be on this big DIY food kick, here is one for you. MUSTARD GREENS. This is the season!! You know those cute little yellow flowers you see on the side of the trail (about shoulder height) on the long stalks and the large green leaves? Well, that is "wild" mustard and the leave are VERY edible. The young ones can be eaten raw... as they get older and larger you just cook them up like you would some chard, collard greens, or.... get this... MUSTARD greens (since that is what this is after all).

With all the rain this year we are growing a bumper crop of mustard green in the arroyo behind our house. Plus, these are an invasive species brought here by Father Junipero Sierra to mark his "golden highway", so you are not only harvesting a 100% organic, biologically sustainable super food, but you are also thinning out non-native species that are crowding out the natives. And it is all FREE!!!

Other "trail-side" eats include wild fennel (great with salmon), and I'm determined to figure out a way to eat/harvest that wild thistle stuff. I'd imagine it is similar to an artichoke.

 

[stoney]

Home Depot -> Two (2 bulb, 4 ft. )fluorescent light fixtures & 10 pack lamps will run you about $35. It'll be in the $50's for 4 running fixtures + bulbs. Get a cheap wireform pantry-like shelf and keep your herbs indoors.

Get some real veggies out on that patio. Tomatoes, Peas in a pot, and peppers are plants that should thrive.

I would have to figure out how to keep our cat from getting into the plants then... possibly some chicken wire. Or I could just set it up in the closet.

 

[Inclag]

I would have to figure out how to keep our cat from getting into the plants then... possibly some chicken wire. Or I could just set it up in the closet.

Just remember if you set it up in the closet, your friends might get a bit suspicious...

Herbs in my experience tend to do fine indoors and don't require the space that vegetable bearing plants do.

Some things that have made a difference for myself have been;

- Speed up germination by planting pairs of seeds in cells, cover the cells with included cover or a saran wrap, then keep in a warm environment since they don't need sun at this point. Just heat and moisture. I have a heating pad I keep under my starter kit cells.
- After germination crack the lid open to circulate air.
- Pluck out the weakest of each germinated seed in each cell so there is only one plant.
- Once the leafs start opening on the plants hit them with the fluorescent lamps. 7AM-10PM. A few inches away to get good strong stems.
- After transferring pinching back/pruning does make a noticeable difference in vegetable size/flavor.

 

[stoney]

BB - I know about mustard, unfortunately we don't really have much up here. We used to eat mustard greens all the time while I was still down there. Just grab and much on trail.

 

[-BB-]

Trail Salad!!

The one thing I tried that did NOT work out well was to try and juice the mustard leaves. WOW, that was some strong stuff. Made my eyes water like an onion and my mouth burn like spicy mustard.







so after some research, I believe that the thistles are also edible:
http://gardenerstips.co.uk/blog/flowers/vegetables-herbs/thistle-be-a-good-plant/

Kind of like a Cardon or artichoke. I'm gonna try those out as soon as the flower buds start to appear.

 

[TheMontashu]

Pizza! We made some pizza last night that was really damn good. Homemade dough and sauce. We used bought pepperocinni's, roasted bell peppers, feta, and salami. Next round we will roast our own peppers and hopefully I will be making my own feta by then.

Trader Joes has fresh whole grain pizza dough for pretty cheep, and it's really good.

How do you make your pita? I can't get it right without one of those harth ovens, but then again, after spending time in the middle east most pita available around here is complete garbage.

If you're down with middle eastern food, felafel is pretty easy and super cheep to make.

 

[stoney]

I usually end up making flat bread, but that's what I prefer. Making pizza dough is really easy, so I make my own.

 

[kazlx]

For bread:

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

Works really well and super easy.

Like mentioned above, I use the crock pot quite a bit to cook cheaper pieces of meat. I will buy big chunks of meat like tri tips on sale and cook them in neutral seasonings to re-purpose multiple times during the week. Right out of the cooker for one meal, sandwiches, soup, etc.

We eat a lot of rice too. I love my Zojirushi rice cooker.

 

[valve bouncer]

We eat a lot of rice too. I love my Zojirushi rice cooker.

My son made a really nice marble cake the other day using the rice cooker. I bet you could make killer self saucing puddings and things like that with them too.
Also if you can ever get hold of any (they're pricey as buggery) matsutake mushrooms in the rice cooked in the rice cooker is tasty.

 

[kazlx]

Yea, the rice cooker makes great rice pudding, oatmeal and other things like that. Throw everything in, set the timer for when you want it done, it starts at the right time and is good to go at the time you set.