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I have to say that we must have been spoiled because the only low cost (or what I consider low cost) meal was spaghetti. I'm actually surprised because my parents both came here from Hungary in the 50's, no family, no job, no money. My dad ran Shell stations (worked as a mechanic) in Maplewood & Union, had rent, a house payment & 3 kids. We did have really tough times although I never remember not having some kind of meat. She used to buy a lot, every time she went shopping, she had a certain amount of money to spend & would stock up the freezer and buy extra paper products, laundry soap. I remember my dad yelling that we didn't need all of that, the joke was that she came from a poor family & she was hording stuff; which isn't funny, but the things she horded were funny back then.
Now my hubby can tell stories. He comes from a family of 8, his dad was the principal at a few schools in NJ, out by Freehold. He tells stories about not having milk, they used powdered, no sugar cereals, ate lots of oatmeal. They would go to their grandmothers, where she would take them shopping and buy them what ever cereal they wanted.
My freezer is usually stocked. I watch the sale papers, then when meat goes on sale I buy a lot of it. I refuse to pay over $2 per pound on pork or steak, chicken was usually $1 per pound, now of course with gas/diesel prices those numbers have increased by $1 per pound but I do manage to find great sales still.
Stuffed peppers are better when you use red peppers, and it's all in the time you cook it. Most people over cook them. A treat for us was using my dad's Hungarian yellow peppers, I bet if anyone had my stuffed peppers when dad was alive & had his garden you would think you died and went to heaven. I need to find a Hungarian that can get me some seeds.
My dad Matty in his Phillips 66 uniform Watchung, early 1970's
this is a great picture of dad!! Dad is smiling because there was no check engine lights back then!!!
Location: Jersey City.... some of the time, anyway.
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Cheap Food
My father was/is a good cook, but my mother.... well not so much.... try not to think of too many of the horrors.
That said, even in recent years, Ive had a few lean periods, and even when the cash flow was good, I get paid only once a month (on the 15th) so there were weeks when I had to eat whatever was left in the house or otherwise feed on the cheap. I live alone, so I can worry a bit less about 'balanced' meals and such, but there are still creative and cheap ways to keep fed (notwithstanding sponging off friends, crashing University receptions, etc).
A loaf of store brand wheat bread is a good starting point.... you get a feel for what are the better store brands btw.... Super Target has great house brands, FWIW. Good for PB&J sandwiches..... cheap and surprisingly filling and nutritious... Too many in close proximity and you get very sick of them fast. Hot dogs: a few critical notes here.... they CAN be disgusting, but you can do pretty well if you are creative. ONLY Oscar Meyer Wieners... by far the best. An 8-pak of bun length franks for $1.52 takes you a long way. Split lengthwise, spiced (garlic and onion powder, bbq spice) grilled on the backyard gas grill, and put on a bun (or toasted wheat bread if no buns) with a little bbq sauce makes a great quick meal.
As far as hash goes, I prefer roast beef hash to corned beef, however it is all in the cooking. Poorly prepared it is a horror show, but nice and dry fried in a cast iron pan with spices and the proper prep, it is a very good bit of chow.
Decent but inexpensive ground chuck can make good burgers.... the right spices, buns, bbq sauce and some cheese (American if fine, but it has to be real cheese. imitation cheese-food just melts into a puddle of oil) makes great burgers. Boneless chicken thigh cutlets are less tender but more flavorful than breasts, and reasonable lat under $3 a pound. Tenderize them by pounding them flat with a mallet and otherwise treat like burgers.
A favorite cut of pork is a tenderized pork sirloin. Looks like a cube steak , but pork. Cheap, and has to be cooked just right, or its tough.... I make it on a grill, but done right, it falls apart in your mouth and tastes like the best pork you have ever eaten.
If you haven't noticed, I consider myself something of a connoisseur of 'chow on the cheap'. One of the biggest keys is to avoid anything pre-packaged..... you just wind up paying for the packaging.
SLUMGULION
That's what my mom called it. Basically, it was a base of pasta or rice, and whatever was left over or available was thrown in it. Left over meats, veggies, gravy, sauce, soups.... you name it. Sometimes it was actually really good, sometimes, not so much. LOL
SLUMGULION
That's what my mom called it. Basically, it was a base of pasta or rice, and whatever was left over or available was thrown in it. Left over meats, veggies, gravy, sauce, soups.... you name it. Sometimes it was actually really good, sometimes, not so much. LOL
Reminds me of "Golash"... meat in gravy over egg noodles..another favorite. Of and Chicken and Dumplings..loved that as well. We should all start a NJ Old Fashion Cooking while on a budget cookbook : ))
Oh yeah, cereal for dinner too... when cereal was pretty cheap. LOL
Might be having that tonight..lol : )) Frosted Strawberry Mini Wheats - my fav!
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Cheap Food
