need some relatively easy,cheap supper meals

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Janet I AM proud of you. I've not gotten that motivated myself. lol

Although I'm doing beef stew when I get home from krogers with this weeks garden harvest.

Get a crock pot. Either new or 2nd hand. It's an investment you'll love. Put the food in and forget it. Can't beat that. Meat comes out very tender every time. You can get cookbooks cheap for a zillion recipes for it too.
 

greenrene

Member
Ooooooooooo, I'm jealous of your deer meat!!!! When we lived in KY, we always had a freezer full of deer meat - husband is a hunter, and it was my go-to protein. Now that we live in FL, deer meat is a rare treat.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I finally relented and let Tony start hunting again once the boys grew up and I wasnt stuck with them at home every weekend. Im not as thrilled with all his fishing because all he wants to do with that is fry it and while that is good every once in awhile, I get tired of fried fish. We lived on it when we lived in Myrtle Beach and the boys were little and we were so poor but it did feed us. Now its just, blah, fish again...lol. He loves it because he grew up on it and really, its not very good baked or grilled or maybe we just dont know how to make it well. We have tried marinades and lemon and stuff like that but its just blah. We cant get fresh salmon which we do like baked or grilled. This is all ocean fish or catfish.

Hunting season starts here in a few weeks I think. It stops New Years weekend.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Catfish... works best deep-fried. It's just too oily for anything else.
The other fish... do you know exactly what he's bringing back? Makes a difference on how it gets cooked...
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
Am I the only one who remembers buying 1/2 and 1/2 ground beef with soy meat in the late 70's? It wasn't bad. I've often wondered why they don't make that available. It's more appetizing that pink slime.

Sorry - not a lot of ideas on cheap meals without a crock pot. I did use my big dutch oven that way, though. Just keep it on the stove on low and stir/scrape every 30 minutes to prevent burning.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
If you get ocean snapper, mahi mahi, grouper they are ALL wonderful and healthy. Catfish...not. DDD
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I know we do get some form of snapper but there are a ton of different kinds and once in a blue moon a grouper. FL is much closer to grouper territory and it is a lucky person who gets a grouper up here. I know there is some form of red fish. I have no idea what all the fish are called. I think one is called a grunt.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Snapper is going to be your better eating fish of the ones listed. That one, you can bake: either whole, or in slabs, dab it with butter, sprinkle generously with lemon pepper, and bake in a really hot oven (like 425F or so) just until it is done. It cooks FAST. Sprinkle a bit of lemon juice over top.
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
Its funny cause the boys won't eat meat cooked in a crock pot - they say it just doesn't look right. But I throw it in a roasting pan, dump a bag of dry onion soup on it, then a can of cream of mushroom soup (no water) , put in the potatoes, carrots and celery, cover and let it cook slow for a few hours then I remove the lid and let it brown for a little while. Onion and mushroom soup makes a really good gravy. If we are lucky to have any left, leftover meat and gravy make a good open face sandwich

Marcie
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Marcie...we call that roast beast.

IC, I dont like lemon pepper and I dont like my fish cooked whole with the bones in it. I have been spoiled because Tony has filleted my fish for so many years now that I am too lazy to take the bones out now. I actually do like catfish because we can fry it or make catfish stew.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Janet the best thing about fish is that you can bake it or broil it using only heavy duty aluminum foil with the edge folded up to look a bit like a pan. You get the oven ready, grab & double fold the foil, Pam or oil or butter a bit on the alum foil, toss the seasoned fish in and let it cook. It's fast. When you serve it on plates all you do is fold up the foil "pan" and toss it in the garbage. I am for easy peasy, lol. DDD
 
S

Signorina

Guest
My boys love French dip and Italian Beef sammiches cooked in a crock pot. Pulled pork too. The meat gets shredded or sliced very thinly - so it doesn't have that "gray, been boiling in my own juices or cream soup all day" look and the sauces are tangy enough so it doesn't taste like crock pot meat. Recipes are super easy:

Both the Italian Beef and the French Dip call for a 4-6 lb "cheaper cut" beef roast. I've used a chuck roast, a pot roast, a tip roast, a rump roast - whatever is on sale. If you buy a smaller one or bigger roast - adjust the cooking time and liquid amounts.

For french dip - throw it in the crock pot with 2 cans of condensed french onion soup, a can of beef gravy and a bottle of beer. Add some garlic and fresh pepper. (If you don't have those things on hand - use some sort of "clear" - preferably beef soup - or liquid. Broth, consomme, prepared buillion, lipton onion soup + water etc. In a pinch, I've subbed in a can of chicken broth for a can of french onion soup. NO CREAM SOUPS.) Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Slice or shred, serve on buttered toasted rolls with melted cheese and sauce on the side to "dip" I keep the canned items in my pantry and a roast or two & rolls in the freezer so I can make it at any time. Use any cheese you wish. Traditionally, it is provolone - but we like swiss or pepper jack.

For Italian Beef, throw the roast in the crock pot, add a jar of pepperocini peppers with- their juice (hot or mild, your choice - sometimes called "vinegar peppers", Jarred banana peppers work too. Or Cherry peppers- just a jar of pickled peppers-not jalapenos - in juice) and sprinkle the roast with a packet of "italian dressing mix" like good seasons. If you don't have that - use garlic salt, oregano etc. You can add some bell pepper slices too. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred and serve on Italian rolls or sliced italian bread-like a sub roll.

Pulled Pork:
2 onions, sliced thin
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs paprika
2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½tsp sugar
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Place onions in crock-pot. Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper;
rub over roast. Place roast on top of onions.
Combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic
salt and cayenne; stir to mix well. Drizzle about 1/3 of vinegar mixture
over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.
Cover crock-pot; cook on low 12-14 hours. Drizzle about 1/3 of reserved
vinegar mixture over roast during last ½ hour of cooking.
Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat and onions. Serve with on hamburger buns with
remaining vinegar mixture.

My family loves pulled pork. I made pans of it for easy child's grad party this year and it was gobbled up. PC18 likes his mixed with a little bbq sauce. It also freezes really well.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Another good crock idea to make pulled bbq with lower calories and fat is to use both a small pork butt/shoulder and a lean port tenderloin. Trim 1/2 the fat from the shoulder and place them both in the crock with your own homemade sauce recipe. Once they are cooked the full time and pulled, you mix up the meat and you will never know the difference. It saves a ton of fat from your intake!!

Sharon
 
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