Category Archives: frugal living

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money, Make Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

If you read my posts, you know that I love gadgets. Cameras, computers, and kitchen appliances are all fun for me to use and experiment with.

I love discovering odd appliances that turn out to have practical uses. Case in point, vacuum sealers. Cast in point number two, bread machines.

Bread machines were the darling kitchen gadget of the early 1990s, but fell out of favor when the keto/caveman craze hit. People were not eating bread, so there was no need for bread makers. However, in 2026, many of us are back to more balanced diets. Personally, I believe in eating a variety of foods in moderation. I never gave up on my bread machines, and I’m still amazed at their versatility.

As we face inflation and the Trump tariffs, it becomes ever more important to find ways to save money, and cooking at home is one of them. Using a bread maker can not only save you money, it can also give you a better product.

Beyond loaves of bread, all bread makers can make dough to be used for a variety of foods, from pizza to breadsticks. With a bread maker, making dough is as simple as “dump and go.” Ninety minutes later, you have dough to shape and bake in your oven. The result is delicious homemade bread that will impress. All with a very low work-to-result ratio.

My son’s girlfriend came over for a casual weekday dinner. I was making a simple casserole and wanted to make the meal just a little more special, so I threw together some homemade dinner rolls. They were delicious, so let me share the recipe with you. This recipe is from the Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook.

I measured the ingredients and put them into the bread machine’s baking pan in the order listed. I measure most ingredients by weight; for instance, one cup of flour is around 120 grams. I do use measuring spoons for lightweight items like salt and yeast. Measuring by weight is not only more accurate, but also easier. I place the baking pan on my kitchen scale, tare the scale to zero, and weigh my ingredient. Then tare again for the next ingredient.

The machine will mix, knead, and ferment the dough. This is what it looks like when the cycle is completed.

I’m not very good at eyeballing the dough into equal rolls, so I measured it and then divided the weight by the number of rolls I was making. This recipe makes 15 rolls; however, I only have one muffin pan that makes a dozen, so I made slightly larger rolls by dividing by 12. My math said each roll should be around 60 grams. I’m not going for precision, so this roll at 62 grams is just fine. Pro tip: I let the dough rest for about 10 minutes after turning it out of the pan onto a floured surface. This time relaxes the dough, making it easier to work with.

I flatten each roll as above. I’ll have a bit of flour on my hands so the dough doesn’t stick to them.

I drew the corners of the flattened dough into a ball and pinched it together.

I placed each dough ball into a greased muffin tin, pinched side down. Yes, these are not perfect balls. I’m a guy and a simple cook. They will still taste great. You may be concerned about the condition of this muffin pan. It has been used for over 30 years, producing thousands of baked goods. It works great, and I love it.

Place the tin in a warm, draft-free place and cover it with a light cloth. A clean cotton dishcloth works well. Let the dough rise for around 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190 °C).

The rolls after the rise.

Bake 12-15 minutes. These rolls were baked for 12 minutes. If you’re unsure if they are done, you can poke them with a food thermometer. if the internal temperature is 190F (85C) they are done. If you want to be fancy, paint a little melted butter on the rolls. I’m not fancy, so I didn’t.

I let the rolls cool for around 10 minutes and then gently took them out of the muffin tin. You can also make free-form rolls on a cookie sheet or turn them into Parker House rolls by dividing each dough ball into three balls and placing the triplet in a muffin cup.

We ate some rolls still warm. I placed the rest into a Rubbermaid container for the next day. They reheat well with a short round in the microwave.

There you have it. Very simple, yet delicious. As good as any bakery roll, but less expensive. A perfect accompaniment to just about any meal, and what smells better than bread baking?

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money, Make Chicken and Stuffing Casserole. Cheap and Easy!

I’m a competent cook, but I’m not a hobby cook. I don’t mind putting a meal together, but it isn’t the driving force of my life. In fact, the only part of cooking that I truly enjoy is playing with kitchen appliances. I’m a gadget guy.

Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes are affecting me just like everyone else, but it’s clear I can reduce my day-to-day costs by cooking at home.

My son’s girlfriend came over for a weekday dinner yesterday. She has had dinner here many times and is more like a family member rather than a guest. However, I know she doesn’t do well with acidic foods, especially those with a lot of tomato products; so many of my “go-to” recipes were shelved for yesterday’s dinner. I wanted to make something she would enjoy, but it had to be easy for me, too. In this case, I upped the ante a bit by making some homemade yeasted rolls in a bread maker. I’ll likely post that recipe soon. The rolls were made the day before and kept in a Rubbermaid container. All I needed to do was make the stuffing casserole and microwave some vegetables. Easy peasy.

This recipe is from Lil’ Luna, but I have seen similar ones from many authors. It is definitely a recipe conceived in the 1970s, as it relies heavily on pre-packaged foods. With that said, it is cheap, extremely simple to make, and it tastes good.

Screenshot

I made the stuffing and set it aside. I used water plus Better Than Bouillon instead of chicken stock. You could just use water, which may be a better option as the stuffing and soup are already salty. At this point, also preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

I dumped all of the other ingredients into a 9 x 13 pan. It would be a good idea to spray the pan with a non-stick spray… but I didn’t, and it was fine. I’m using 1/2 of a Costco roasted chicken. I’ll buy a chicken, pull off the meat, and freeze it into two vacuum-sealed bags. This chicken was from 2024 (it is now 2026), and it was perfectly good as vacuum seal bags prevent freezer burn.

I mixed up the concoction and then added 1 drained can of mixed vegetables. You could use any vegetable, canned or frozen (thawed), that you like. Options include peas and carrots, green beans, mushrooms, or just carrots.

I then spread out the mixture.

I then sprinkled the cooked dressing over the mixture and baked it for about an hour at 375°F (190°C). You want to bake the casserole until it is bubbly and the dressing has browned a bit. I like to “over-bake” a bit to really firm up the casserole, but you do you.

Here it is plated up with a homemade yeasted roll, broccoli, and some jellied cranberries.

The dinner was a hit and served 4 of us; 2 lunch servings were left for the next day. It uses a lot of processed foods, but it’s quick to make, cheap, and tastes good.

Let’s do a price break down:

(From the Aldi US website on 1/8/26)

Stuffing mix. $1.05

Mushroom soup. $0.79

Chicken soup. $0.79

Chicken $2.50 (1/2 of a Costco $5 roasted chicken)

Canned Veg. $1.09

Butter. $0.41

Sour Cream. $1.00

Total $7.63. or $1.27 Per Serving

For these cost savings, I’m using Aldi-branded foods. The chicken is from Costco, their famous $4.99 roasted chicken. I’m only using one-half of the meat, so one chicken can be used for several meals. I’m using canned vegetables, but frozen could be substituted for a small additional up-charge. You can also use canned chicken. In that case the meal could become a shelf-stable option that you keep on your “just in case” shelf.

Add whatever sides you like to bulk out the meal. This may be a good meal to try if you are new to cooking or if you are trying to teach your kids how to cook. Teaching your kids how to cook is a great gift. I taught my kids, starting simply when they were young, and they are all competent adult cooks. They are saving money, just like me…and possibly you!

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money: Make My Sister’s Chili

My sister has been cooking her entire adult life. Her kids are grown and long gone, but they visit her frequently. She loves that they remain close to her and her husband, but there is a problem. Some of her adult children, their partners, and her grandchildren have special dietary needs. Some are vegetarians, others have gluten intolerance, and still others have issues with dairy.

Meal prep for Christmas is especially challenging, as some will arrive early and others late. This year for Christmas dinner, she went an untraditional route and made two giant pots of chili. One with ground beef and the other with Impossible Beef (synthetic beef). Not only was her choice a practical solution, but her family loved the results.

My sister used a recipe she found online from the YouTuber, “Clutterbug,” but I’ll just call it “Nancy’s chili.” It is the easiest chili recipe I have ever made, and when I served it to my family for a weekday dinner, they thought it was delicious, too.

Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes have made everything more expensive. This recipe is not only very economical but also very flexible, as you will see from the substitutions I made.

The following recipe fed three adults for dinner and there was enough left over for three lunches. Let’s check out the recipe.

Brown 1 pound of ground beef. I had a 1.5-pound package of ground turkey, so I used that.

Drain 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans. I had a can of pinto beans, so I substituted those. However, my sister says that black beans are the best choice. You can use frozen corn if you wish.

Add a large jar (32 oz) of Marinara sauce to the ground meat. This jar is 32 ounces. If your jar is a bit smaller, go with that and add a little water.

Add the drained beans and corn.

I used these packets of taco and chili seasoning, and they worked well. My sister swears by the brand that she listed in the recipe above. She bought her chili seasoning on Amazon. These are from Aldi.

Add the taco and chili packets and mix in.

Cover, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Let this mixture cook for at least 30 minutes, longer if possible. You may want to give it a stir now and then. Low heat is critical as you want to blend the flavors, but you don’t want to burn the food to the bottom of the pan.

Here is the chili served. Any type of onion on top is a plus. I’m using shallots as I had a few, but a chopped regular onion or a green onion would also work. I added a little shredded cheese and some sour cream to fancy it up. Crackers (of any type) are nice. My mom always served oyster crackers with chili, but we had these Ritz-type crackers on hand, so I used those.

This chili was very thick and filling. If you like a thinner chili, just add some water to the pot. I made a lot of substitutions, but they were all using similar ingredients. For instance, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and pinto beans instead of black beans. It is OK to do this, and the more you cook, the more comfortable you will become with substituting ingredients.

Many dishes involve similar basic steps, so once you master one dish, you will likely become more comfortable with cooking another.

Over time, I have stockpiled basic ingredients in my kitchen. For this chili, I already had everything I needed in my freezer and pantry. A great place to buy ingredients is Aldi, where spices, canned/frozen vegetables, and other items are reasonably priced.

Let’s say you are making a recipe that uses one can of crushed tomatoes. Just buy two and keep the other one on hand for a future meal. I always have items like tomato products, flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices on hand. Additionally, I have ground meats, chicken, and sometimes pork products in my freezer.

I use convenience products at times, for instance, the Kirkland Marinara sauce that I used in today’s recipe. I’ll always have a couple of cans of condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup on hand. I understand they are not the healthiest products, but they make tossing a meal together simple. Just like the crushed tomato example, it is easy to pick up an extra can of this or that and build a mini stockpile of staple ingredients. I don’t want every mealtime to involve a trip to the grocery store, as that can be a hassle when making a real meal 5-7 times a week.

Remember, last night’s dinner can easily become today’s lunch. I almost always did this when I was working, and my son has picked up the same habit. Another alternative is what one of my daughters does. She makes a dinner for 4, divides it into 4 meals, and has dinner prepared for most of the week. Another daughter has a routine with her breakfasts, often preparing 3-4 easy ones at once. These simple practices can dramatically reduce your cooking while still saving money. Since I cook for multiple people, I’m a bit less regimented. However, we always seem to have leftovers that are consumed one way or another over the next few days.

My son took some of the chili to school for lunch. I had a bowl for lunch yesterday, and I’ll eat the rest today. Think about that, three dinners and three lunches, all with one super easy meal prep. Also, look at the cost savings. Let’s assume a very reasonable $12 per meal if purchased at a restaurant or fast-food joint. Twelve dollars multiplied by six meals equals seventy-two dollars. That doesn’t count tax or tip, and let’s be honest, you can’t even buy a value meal at McDonald’s for $12 in 2026.

I couldn’t find the Costco prices on the ingredient list, so I searched for items on the Aldi site. To make this chili using Aldi ingredients, the total cost would be $9.43, or $1.57 per meal (not counting toppings). If we assume a $12 restaurant/fast-food meal, we are looking at more than 700% savings!

I know financial times are rough, but there are things that we can do to reduce costs. One of the easiest ones is to cook at home.

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money: Make Panera-Style Fall Squash Soup In An Instant Pot

I love Panera’s squash soup, and I always feel a bit sad when the season is over and the soup is retired for the year. However, it is one of the easiest soups to make if you have an Instant Pot, and it is entirely adaptable to cooking on the stove or even in a slow cooker. You will need to add more time for the vegetables to soften completely if you try one of these alternative methods.

This recipe makes quite a bit of soup, and it is inexpensive. However, with inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, some may have to economize further. This very flexible recipe can be modified in a variety of ways to fit your tastes and your budget.

I made some homemade French bread to serve with the soup, but a store-bought French, Italian, or sourdough bread would also be nice.

Check out the recipe, this one is from thedizzycook.com. However, you can find over a dozen other variations on this soup theme. Here is the recipe.

Using a potato peeler, peel the waxed skin off a couple of medium-sized butternut squash until you reach the bright orange meat.

Using a sharp knife, trim off the squash’s bottom and top. Cut the squash in half. Use a tablespoon to remove the seeds and membranes, then discard them. I’m sure there’s a way to bake the seeds, like pumpkin seeds, but the yield would be too small to bother with.

Cut up the shallots and the peeled carrots into large chunks. I have shallots, but you could use an onion if that is what you have on hand.

Sauté the shallots in a bit of cooking oil until they are translucent, then add the carrots and squash to the Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker).

Add the various spices. I’m using “tube ginger” for convenience. Instead of honey, I added around one tablespoon of brown sugar. For fun, I added a shake of nutmeg and cinnamon. It is OK to substitute and be creative as long as you don’t go too far afield.

I added the apple juice. We don’t drink much juice, so this little 8-ounce “lunch box” apple juice worked out well.

I added the broth, but used chicken instead of vegetable broth. Why? Because that is what I had on hand. Pro tip: I have a big jar of “Better than Bouillon” that I typically use when I need broth (mix with warm water). It takes up little space and keeps well in the fridge. It is less expensive than those boxes of broth, and I always have it on hand. It will add some salt to the recipe, so go light on adding salt and adjust it when the dish is done.

I pressure-cooked on high for 15 minutes, then let the soup rest for 15 minutes more. I released the pressure and tested the vegetables to make sure that they were super tender.

I pulled out my 35-year-old Vitamix to blend the soup. You could use any blender or even a stick blender. I had to blend it in batches. I also added a couple of ounces of cream cheese I found in the fridge, along with about 1/4 cup of half-and-half. These added richness to the soup, though optional. I returned the blended soup to the Instant Pot and adjusted the seasonings. In my case, I added about one tablespoon more of brown sugar because the Panera soup is on the sweet side. However, adjust the soup to your preference.

Here it is, all creamy and delicious, served with homemade French bread. The bread was as easy as adding a few ingredients to a bread machine, pressing a button or two, and walking away. By the way, I added some nuts and a drizzle of half-and-half just for the presentation.

Squash soup is perfect on a cold day. This recipe makes quite a bit and can be frozen if needed. It was delicious!

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money: Make Real Mac and Cheese

Few foods are more comforting than Mac and Cheese. It is perfect anytime, but especially good on a cold winter night. Mac and cheese is amazingly flexible, and you can make it as deluxe or as simple as you wish.

The recipe I’ll be using today comes from Thechunkychef.com, but it is similar to many other mac and cheese recipes. As usual, I’ll be making a few tweaks. Remember, you can make reasonable modifications or even omissions to many recipes and still get good results. Are you suffering from inflation and the Trump tariff taxes? This mac and cheese casserole is cheap, but it tastes deluxe. It is so much better than the stuff in the blue box.

I’m usually responsible for making dinner on Wednesday, and this Wednesday, my son’s girlfriend was coming over for dinner. She stops by often enough that dinner doesn’t have to be a big deal, but I’m mindful that her digestion doesn’t handle spicy or tomato-based foods well.

I had just baked some 7-grain bread, but I wasn’t sure how that would go with mac and cheese, so I made a quick batch of corn muffins. As for the mac and cheese, I told my son that creating it would be a father-son job. He was happy to help.

See the photos for the ingredient list and procedure. Remember that I will be making some modifications; never fear!

Boil some elbow macaroni in salted water for one minute less than what the box says. Drain. You can use other types of pasta if you wish, but elbow macaroni is the classic shape.

Melt a stick of butter over medium heat, then add 1/2 cup of AP flour, stirring constantly. Cook this mixture for about a minute.

Add about 2 cups of the half-and-half while continuing to stir and cook the mixture for a couple of minutes. I used some whipping cream that we had left over from Thanksgiving instead of the half-and-half. You could use milk or evaporated milk if that is what you have.

Add the milk, the rest of the half-and-half, and the spices. Continue stirring until the mixture looks thick.

Remove the white sauce from the heat and mix in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese. I like sharp cheddar, but you can use whatever you prefer. You can use only cheddar, or you can use several different cheeses (as the recipe’s ingredient list suggests). It is all good. You can also use less cheddar if you are trying to economize. It won’t be as cheesy, but it will still be delicious.

The recipe calls for Gruyère cheese, but I couldn’t find it. I settled on Gouda. Heck, it is also a “G” cheese… I’m a simple guy and not a cheese expert! Add about a cup of this cheese and stir it in.

This is how thick the cheese sauce should look.

I added a little mustard to the sauce, just because. Nope, it isn’t in the original recipe, but I think it adds something.

I mixed in the partially cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce.

I placed about one-half of the mixture into a greased 3-quart casserole. A 9 x 13 works the best.

Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the mixture.

I went off recipe and also sprinkled on a little Parmesan to give the dish a little umami kick. That is totally optional.

Side note. We had some leftover fancy crackers from Thanksgiving, so I put them in a bag and crushed them. I then added some melted butter to the bag. The recipe didn’t call for a topping, but I like mac and cheese with one. Another option would be to use some crushed-up potato chips. Buttered and crushed Ritz crackers work exceptionally well.

I added the remaining macaroni mixture and topped it with the remaining reserved cheese plus a little Parmesan. I then added the buttered crushed crackers on top and baked the mac and cheese for about 20-25 minutes, uncovered, at 350°F (175°C). I baked the casserole until it was quite bubbly around the edges. I used this as my timing guide, so I’m not exactly sure if I baked it for 20 or 25 minutes. Then I let it sit for around 15 minutes before serving.

Here it is out of the oven.

Served with a homemade corn muffin and some broccoli. I know, it seems like our vegetable is often broccoli! We must like it.

That’s it, folks. Another super simple and delicious dinner. Today, it was only my son, his girlfriend, and me eating. This dinner was very economical to make, and there is a lot left over (about 3/4 of the pan). It will reheat well in the microwave for lunches. Mac and cheese also freezes reasonably well.

You can reduce the recipe costs further by using less cheese, and you can get by using only cheddar if that is what you have. The half-and-half adds richness, but you can use only milk if you choose. Sharp cheddar is the way to go, but any melty cheese will work in a pinch.

Yes, it was delicious… do you think I would post it if it weren’t?

Happy eating!

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money: Make Lemon Garlic Chicken

Inflation and Trump’s tariffs got you down? Cooking at home can save you money, but many have lost this skill and now consider home cooking to be microwaving a frozen dinner. If that is your home cooking life, you may think that the only way you can get a decent meal is by going out to a restaurant. However, many restaurant foods are the same pre-made, generic-tasting dishes from companies like Sysco (my personal opinion). They are no different from the food that you buy from the grocery store freezer cabinet.

Now, you may think that I’m some domestic wonder, part physician, part house husband. That would be inaccurate. I have always believed that both men and women should be capable of the routine tasks necessary for living.

I could always cook, and I am rarely intimidated by any challenge (OK, I am terrified of heights, so I’ll give you that). Julie is still working, and I’m retired, so it makes sense that I utilize some of my free time in this way. This also let me teach my kids how to cook. Skills they are now putting to good use as they live independently. Lastly, I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy. Some people find misery in everything. I do the opposite. Why not turn cooking into something fun? Play around with a gadget. Learn something new. Share the knowledge. Now, the “drudgery of cooking” is transformed into something completely different.

You don’t have to be a hobby cook to make dishes from scratch. The more you do it, the simpler it is to do. What may seem overwhelming at first becomes second nature over time. Everyone has to eat, and if you make your meals from scratch, you will have delicious food that is significantly less expensive than restaurant, frozen, or (now) even fast food. The recipes I post are effortless yet delicious.

This recipe for lemon garlic chicken (from Cooking with Coit) is straightforward to make and tastes like it was prepared at a nice restaurant. It uses a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Should you run out and buy an electric pressure cooker? Well, you should, but you don’t have to. You can modify this recipe and make it on a burner, in a slow cooker, or in the oven. You need to increase the cooking times and such, but it is possible.

Here is the recipe!

Oh, by the way, you can make less if you wish. If you are only cooking for two, use four chicken thighs. If you are cooking for one, do the same and reheat the leftovers for easy follow-up meals.

Screenshot

Start by mixing the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and sprinkle your spice blend on them.

Heat the Instant Pot using the saute mode and add some oil. Brown the chicken in batches, starting with the skin side down. It should only take a couple of minutes per side. When browned, remove the chicken to a plate.

Now, add the butter to the pan. Those crusty bits on the bottom of the pan are pure flavor gold. We will liberate them later in the recipe.

Add the onion and garlic and soften them. This will take a few minutes. The onions will get slightly translucent.

Add the Italian Seasoning and briefly cook the spice to release its flavor. This takes less than a minute. Make sure to stir, and don’t let the spice burn. I didn’t have enough Italian Seasoning, so I did one tablespoon of that and one tablespoon of oregano. You could try other spices like rosemary to change things up.

Deglaze the pot with the juice of one lemon (about 2 ounces). The acid in the juice will remove the very flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Use a wooden spoon or other non-damaging implement to scrape. Then add the 1/3rd cup of water.

Return the chicken to the pot. I was making eight thighs, so some of them were above the liquid. I spooned the “sauce” over the top pieces before pressure cooking.

Pressure-cook on high for 8 minutes, then perform a natural release. This means you allow the pot to drop pressure on its own. That will take around 10 minutes after the cooking time. If the pressure isn’t down after 10 minutes, it’s OK to release the pressure at that point. If you release the pressure too soon, the juices in the chicken will be forced out, making the meat a bit tougher. However, if you are in a hurry, you can do a quick release. You may have noticed that I’m not using an Instant Pot. All electric pressure cookers are similar enough. Buy the one that you like or use the one that you have. This recipe could also be made in a stove-top pressure cooker. If cooked on the stove, I would reduce the cooking time by approximately 1 minute, as they cook at a slightly higher pressure.

After cooking, remove the chicken to a serving plate. I like thicker sauces, so I mixed around one tablespoon of cornstarch in a little cold water. I turned the pot back on, sauté until the sauce bubbled, and mixed in the cornstarch. This made a nice, thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken.

Ready to serve and extremely simple to make. I added a little chopped parsley, but that is just for show.

Served with a simple rice pilaf and some broccoli. As good as (honestly better than) restaurant food.

Making food from scratch can be very easy. You know the quality, the ingredients, and it is less expensive. What else do you need?

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money: Make Lasagna!

Those of you who know me understand that I’m an introvert. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have any friends. I highly value my friends, and I’m fortunate that they tend to stick with me.

I graduated from college in the 1970s, and I have stayed close to some of my classmates since that time. We get together in various ways throughout the year. A few months back, we were invited to dinner at our friends Debbie and Val’s home, and it was a delightful evening. Debbie made a delicious dinner of homemade food. I’m sure it was a lot of work. A few nights ago, Debbie, Val, John, and Barb came over to our house for dinner.

Naturally, I wanted to serve them a nice dinner. At the same time, I didn’t want to spend the visit cooking in the kitchen. Most people like lasagna, but there is a big difference between the frozen stuff you can buy at the grocery store vs. the lasagna that you can order at a nice Italian restaurant. Homemade lasagna seemed like a good menu choice.

I could make the lasagna the day before and pop it into the oven when they arrived. I decided to serve the lasagna with some homemade cheddar cheese/onion/herb bread. Julie would make a substantial salad to complete the meal… and, of course, there would be snacks and dessert.

I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com labeled “The World’s Greatest Lasagna” with a 5-star rating. This was not a bargain recipe. However, the 9 x 13 dish served 6 of us that night, then my wife, son, and me the next day. There is still some left over for lunch or two. Also, there are many ways to reduce the cost of this dish if you are being blasted by inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, while keeping it a very acceptable weekday meal. Let’s get into it!

Here is the ingredient list from Allrecipes.com. I did modify a few things, which I’ll explain in the photos below.

Add some cooking oil to a large pot and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions, then the garlic to soften. Then add the ground beef and mild Italian sausage to brown. The only Italian sausage that I could find was in casings. I removed the sausage from the casings for this recipe. The packages of ground meat and sausage were heavier than the amounts listed in the recipe. I used them in their larger amounts; it is OK to be flexible.

Add the various spices and mix them in. Use only one teaspoon of the salt, the rest will be used in the Ricotta cheese mixture.

Chop up some parsley per the ingredient list. Add half to the above mixture.

Add the sugar. This doesn’t make the sauce sweet; it just tames down the acidity of the tomatoes (see next photo).

Add the various tomato products and mix in.

Add the water. I’m more of a cook-by-feel guy, so I’m just using one of the cans to measure the water. You do you!

This is what the sauce should look like at this point.

Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and then cover and turn down the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook the sauce for at least 1.5 hours to blend the flavors.

In a bowl, combine the remaining parsley, Ricotta cheese, 1/2 t of the salt, and egg. I had a bigger tub of ricotta, so I added two eggs. I also added around one teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the mixture.

Boil the lasagna noodles for around 8 minutes. Then drain and rinse in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook.

Start the layering. First cover the bottom of the pan with sauce, then noodles.

Then, a portion of the Ricotta cheese mixture. Portion the Ricotta cheese depending on how many layers you are doing. I was doing three layers.

Then some Mozzarella cheese.

Then some Parmesan cheese.

Continue to build your lasagna, ending with Mozzarella cheese. I did put some additional Parmesan cheese under the Mozzarella, instead of on top of it, for this last layer.

Heat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for around 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for around 30 minutes more. If you are making a two-layer lasagna, reduce the cooking time to around 25/25 minutes. I used a thermometer to ensure the center of the dish reached at least 160°F (70°C). In my case, I cooked the lasagna for about 35 minutes with the foil off. The extra time was needed because the casserole had been refrigerated before baking.

I don’t know how a dish will turn out unless I have made it several times. This was my first time making lasagna in many years (sans the frozen stuff), so I relied on my wife and friends for their opinions. They all said it was delicious, so I call the lasagna a success.

It was a lot of work, but the second time around it would be much less, since I would know what I was doing. I highly recommend making it the day before for an effortless dinner party. The homemade sauce made it delicious, but you could substitute jar sauce. Additionally, you could use ground beef instead of the ground beef/Italian sausage mixture, or omit the meat for a more economical weekday meal.

Can you believe that we were once young college kids!

Here is a photo to prove it! I’m the guy with the mustache! So young, so young!

Peace,

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money, Make 15-Bean Soup!

My parents fed seven on a single salary, and much of that economy was due to my mother’s cleverness. Soups, stews, casseroles, and hot dishes are filling and delicious, and they make the most of their ingredients. Something essential during inflation and the Trump tariff taxes.

I was cleaning out our freezer to make room for new purchases when I came across a large block of ham I vacuum-sealed in April 2022. I thawed the ham and tasted it, and it was absolutely fine. That is the power of a vacuum sealer. However, now I had to do something with the thawed ham. The possibilities are many, but I thought I would go with a soup option on this blustery fall day.

I had a bag of dry 15-bean soup beans in the pantry, and that sounded like the perfect foil for the ham. This recipe makes an enormous amount of soup. Four of us ate it, and we put at least four portions in the fridge for future lunches. I also vacuum-sealed and froze another four portions for a future meal. All in all, a very economical dinner.

Let’s take a look at the recipe from http://valerieskitchen.com. I did make a few changes, which I’ll discuss in the following photos.

Several brands sell a 15-bean mix, or you may find a bag of 16-bean or 14-bean soup mix. They are all interchangeable. This bag was from Aldi, and the beans were of excellent quality. Always sort out flawed and broken beans and discard any little rocks. I have never found a rock, but it is always a good idea to look.

I soaked the beans overnight in double the water. Soaking is unnecessary if you use a pressure cooker. If you used unsoaked beans, you will need to increase your pressure-cooking time to about 40-50 minutes. If you plan on making this soup in a slow cooker or on the stove, you will need to soak the beans first. I believe soaking improves digestibility and reduces unpleasant bean “side effects.” It also reduces the pressure-cooking time to 30 minutes.

Here are the ingredients that I used. In addition to the recipe, I added 1/2 of a sweet pepper. I used an enormous amount of ham as I had defrosted a large block. However, about half of that could be used. You could use any other smoked meat, from bacon to smoked sausage. In fact, you could use cut-up hot dogs if you wished. The chicken broth was made from “Better Than Bouillon.”

Here is a close-up of the spices that I used. I added minimal salt, around 1/2 teaspoon. I was going to adjust the salt at the end of cooking, but the soup was salty enough just from the ham and bouillon. If you don’t have all of these spices, that’s OK. Use what you have. Oregano is an inexpensive and handy spice that adds interest to many dishes. I could have used just that, along with the salt and pepper. With that said, all of these spices are affordable if you buy the Walmart, Aldi, or Dollar Store brands. I didn’t use the seasoning packet that came with the beans, as that is mostly salt.

Using the saute function on my pressure cooker, I lightly browned the ham in a little oil.

I added the chopped onion and garlic and continued to cook the mixture for a few more minutes

In went the spices, which I cooked for about 1 minute more.

Then 8 oz of tomato sauce. Different recipes use different tomato options. Some use a can of crushed tomatoes, some use fresh tomatoes, and some use tomato paste. It makes no difference.

I added the rest of the vegetables.

Then the pre-soaked beans.

Finally, the chicken broth. I used about 6 cups of broth instead of the 4 cups of broth and 3 cups of water stated in the recipe. Less liquid was needed because the beans were already somewhat hydrated from pre-soaking.

I pressure-cooked the beans for 30 minutes, then waited 15 minutes to release the pressure. If I had not pre-soaked the beans, I would have pressure-cooked them for 40 minutes (or possibly 50 minutes). I used a wooden spoon to mash some of the beans to thicken the soup, but that is optional.

Here it is plated up. I served it with oyster crackers, a little cheese, and sour cream. I paired it with some of my homemade whole wheat bread. I like to break off chunks of the bread to dip in the soup; that’s just me. The great thing about soup is that it always tastes better the next day.

This batch was huge and will feed us for several meals. By vacuum-sealing and freezing a portion of the leftovers, I’ll be able to thaw the soup later for an easy, delicious meal.

I hope you know that no recipe is set in stone. You have many options to customize recipes based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Just try to pair like with like. If you don’t have 15-bean soup mix, try another dry bean that you do have. If you don’t have ham, try another flavorful meat. One idea is to save a ham bone and ham scraps from one meal and turn them into an almost-free future meal. Ham bones and scraps freeze well. If you vacuum seal them, they can last for years in the freezer.

Happy eating!

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money, Make Chicken Paprikash For Dinner!

Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes got you down? Cooking your own meals from scratch can help despite rising grocery prices. Homemade food is significantly less expensive than dining out, and in 2025, it is now cheaper than fast food. Additionally, it tastes better.

Paprikash is a simple Hungarian stew that originated hundreds of years ago. Peppers thrived in southern Hungary, and paprika is ground peppers. Sour cream was introduced into this simple dish at the turn of the last century, adding a bit of luxury to this humble stew.

Paprikash is a dish my mom made as part of her dinner rotation. You could call this part of my international dining experience, as we are not Hungarian. In that rotation was Chop Suey, which I thought was real Chinese food growing up, but it’s not. I was so sophisticated! (That is a joke.)

I love dishes that are simple to make, don’t require many ingredients, and are delicious. Chicken Paprikash fits that bill. I’m making it in a pressure cooker, which is what my mom did. However, it could also be made in other ways, for instance, using a heavy pot (Dutch oven) on the stove or in the oven. In that case, you would need to adjust the liquid a bit and stew the meat longer. Just search for a recipe that uses your particular cooking method. For example: “Chicken Paprikash made in the oven.”

You will find that there are no absolutes for this dish. Some recipes use more or less paprika, others use different chicken parts. Personally, I think this dish is best with bone-in chicken thighs, but I had boneless chicken breasts in the freezer, so I used those.

The best recipes are flexible, as they allow you to use up what you have or what is on sale. Most soups and stews fall into that category, and as you gain confidence in your cooking, you will soon be substituting ingredients while still achieving delicious results. Let’s move on to the recipe.

Easy Chicken Paprikash

This recipe is from the website dadcooksdinner.com

Here are the ingredients. They are pretty simple. I’m using cut-up boneless skinless chicken breasts, as that is what I had in the freezer. I’m seasoning the chicken with seasoned salt, which contains salt, pepper, and paprika (among other spices), for ease. I’m using paprika from the Walmart spice brand, as that is what I had, but a quality Hungarian paprika would be better. I’m mentioning substitutions to illustrate that it is OK to substitute. The result will be a bit different, but it will still be delicious. Substitute like with like. By the way, paprika is made from sweet peppers, so this dish is very mild and not hot.

Melt some butter in a pot. In this case, I’m using an electric pressure cooker (AKA Instant Pot) on the “sear” setting.

Brown the chicken in batches to prevent overcrowding; overcrowding steams the chicken rather than browning it. Remove it from the pot.

Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for around 1 minute more. Garlic is high in sugar, so if you add it too soon, it will burn.

Add your spices and the tomato paste and cook for around 30 seconds. This “blooms” your spices. However, if you do this for too long, you will burn them, and you don’t want to do that.

Add the cup of chicken broth. I’m using hot water with some “Better Than Bouillon.” You could use real stock, boxed chicken broth, or even bouillon cubes. Use what you have on hand. Remember that bouillon concentrates are salty, so add salt sparingly. You can always add more salt when the dish is completed, but you can’t take it out. My finished dish was salty enough with the small amount of salt that I added along with the salt in “Better Than Bouillon.” Note: I only added around 1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus the seasoned salt that I used to season the raw chicken. This, with the “Better Than Bouillon,” was more than enough salt.

Return the browned chicken to the pot.

Pressure cook for 15 minutes on high. Let the pressure come down on its own. Alternatively, you can release the pressure 10-15 minutes after the cooking cycle has completed. That is what I did. If you release the pressure as soon as the cycle has finished, your chicken will be drier, as the sudden pressure change will force some of the juice out of the meat.

While the chicken was cooking, I boiled up some noodles on the stove. Noodles are traditional, but you could use any starch you have on hand: mashed or boiled potatoes, rice, or even toast as the base of the dish.

I mixed the sour cream with around a cup of the hot broth from the stew until smooth, then returned it to the pot. I tasted for a seasoning adjustment, but it wasn’t needed. I tend to like thicker stews and soups, so I thickened the stew by mixing a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch in around 1/3 of a cup of cold water and then poured (while mixing) that into the bubbling stew. This is an optional step.

Here it is, served with some of my homemade bread maker bran and flaxseed bread. My wife and daughter both said, “This is really rich and delicious,” without solicitation.

Cooking from scratch will become easier the more you do it. I hardly think about it. When you become confident in making one type of dish, making the next similar one is a snap. If you can make soup, you now have the skills to make stews. And so it goes.

Ease money stress by doing things that put you in charge. Cooking from scratch is one of those things.

Bon appetite!

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money, Make An Anglo-American School Lunch For Dinner!

Inflation, the Trump tariffs, and the country’s general negative disposition have me a bit down. It is time for me to return to a simpler time, and what better way than with a nostalgic meal?

This idea started a few weeks back when the family was watching an episode of “The Great British Baking Show.” During that episode, the contestants had to make school lunch items, including “school cake.” School cake is a cake with simple white frosting, set in a pool of custard.

The cake was especially evocative for Julie, who spent a semester in England during her undergraduate days. She was housed in a dorm, and they often served school cake for dessert. She has talked about it ever since.

It would be interesting to combine her school-day favorite with one of mine, Sloppy Joes. Since I was going to make the combo for dinner. I decided to class it up just a bit by making the buns and the cake from scratch. However, I was completely uncertain about the custard, as I had tried to make some in the past and was told it was incorrect. Because of this, we found some Birds Original Custard powder at the World Market. I would use that mix for the custard sauce.

Naturally, it would be just fine to make this meal more simply by buying the buns and using a cake mix. However, I had the time, so I decided to go the homemade route.

Let’s go through the recipes!

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Recipe from Ourlittlebluehome.com

I made the dough in a bread maker using the dough setting.

I divided the dough into six pieces (I really could have done seven or eight) and formed each piece into a ball, which I placed on a greased cookie sheet. I slightly flattened the dough balls, covered them, and let them rise for 30 minutes. I then brushed each bun with egg wash. I baked the buns at 350°F (175 °C) for around 12-15 minutes until nicely browned.

Here are my buns. These were Will’s favorite part of the meal. I did an entire post on making hamburger buns on October 10th. You can find that post here: https://www.drmikekuna.com/2025/10/10/

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Don’t use the canned stuff. Making Sloppy Joes from scratch is super easy.

Recipe from NatashasKitchen.com

I’m using frozen ground beef from a year ago. However, because I vacuum-sealed it, the meat was as fresh as if I had bought it yesterday.

These are kid-friendly, simple ingredients. A small onion, 1/2 of a pepper (traditionally green, but this is what was in the fridge), and some garlic.

The sauce is equally simple: Tomato sauce, yellow mustard, a little brown sugar, and some Worcestershire sauce. Just mix it all up.

I’m using an electric Dutch oven, but you can use a pot on the stove or even a frying pan.

Brown the hamburger, then season it with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the chopped pepper and onion, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and bring the mixture to a boil, then down to a simmer for around 15 minutes. That’s it!

I toasted the buns in a toaster oven and heaped on the meat. I’m serving today’s meal with chips, but I also recall having these sandwiches with fries and sometimes tater tots. The Sloppy Joes were my favorite part of the meal.

And now for the dessert. I had tried to make school cake once before, but I had no reference point. I simply guessed. Today, I used Dame Prue Leith’s recipe, modified to a smaller quantity by the bakers at theviewfromgreatisland.com. This is a much heavier cake; it is more like a flat pound cake, but it was delicious!

Cream the softened butter, then slowly add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla and mix in.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between additions.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined

Pour into a greased 9 x 9 baking pan. The batter is very thick, and you will need to “maneuver” it into the corners of the pan.

Bake at 350°F (175 °C) for 22-30 minutes. Bake until lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Wait until the cake has cooled completely and frost it with the simple frosting listed above. Apparently, sprinkles are an important part of this recipe; naturally, I included them.

I wasn’t certain on the custard, so I went with Bird’s, a British brand.

Here is the school cake. The custard (per Julie) is supposed to be as thick as gravy and warm. The school cake was Julie’s favorite part of the dinner.

Tonight, we went down memory lane and had a delicious, economical dinner. Everyone liked it. I will definitely be making it again.

Nostalgia rules, at least it did today!

Mike