Pizza Rolls

This is a VERY simple and versatile recipe. Great for lunches, after school snacks, or whatever.

Make one recipe of my pizza dough. Divide it in half. Roll out one half to about a 12×6″ size. Spread pizza sauce on it, then top with your favorite pizza toppings (nothing too chunky). Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Roll up as you would for cinnamon rolls. Repeat with second chunk of dough. Place, cut-side down, on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 435*F for 15-20 minutes.

My family is pretty unadventurous when it comes to pizza toppings, so I did one batch of pepperoni with mozzarella cheese, and one batch of ham with cheddar cheese.

Mizu Taki

I have found ethnic foods to be a good source of frugal meals. This is a new one we tried just this week and it was good. I used leftover chicken for this dish.

1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 – 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
5 cups chicken broth
1 head napa or Chinese cabbage, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice

Cook rice according to package directions.

Place chicken and broth in a pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cabbage to broth mixture and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Blend together the soy sauce and lemon juice in a separate bowl or measuring cup.

Serve rice with chicken mixture on top. Individuals can sprinkle their own dish with desired amount of soy sauce mixture.

Serve with:
Cucumber Onion Salad
Orange Slices
Fresh Bread, if desired

What We Had For Lunch

Cook a 954g package of pasta. (I used Farfelle.)

While that’s cooking, saute in olive oil:

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

1/2 green pepper, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

Once that’s all nicely cooked and smelling delicious, dump a 28oz. can of diced tomatoes into your blender. Whir that up until it’s nice and smooth. Pour it into the pan with the veggies. Add some basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Then add two drained cans of tuna.

Pour your sauce onto your cooked, drained pasta. Voila! A quick and simple, delicious and nutritious meal! You can add a salad, if you want. And if you really must, serve something special for dessert (yogurt with granola and/or fruit would be good).

Honey Baked Squash

2 lbs. squash

2 Tbsp melted butter, divided

2 Tbsp honey

Nutmeg

Wash and seed the squash. Cut into 3″-4″ pieces. Set skin side down in baking pan and drizzle 1 Tbsp of melted butter evenly over top of pieces. Cover. Bake at 350*F for 45-60 minutes until fork tender. Blend together the remaining 1 Tbsp butter and the honey. Pierce squash pieces in several places with a fork and drizzle honey-butter mixture evenly over them. Sprinkle with nutmeg to serve.

Serve with: Green Beans, Waldorf Salad, and fresh bread with jam

Potato Hash

This meal is very versatile. I’ve posted the basic recipe here, but you can add other veggies of your choice, or ham or bacon or other meat. And it’s about as cheap as meals can get! It makes a great breakfast, as well.

one potato for each person

1 large onion per 5-6 potatoes

Butter (approximately 1 tsp per potato)

Peel potatoes. Use a cheese grater to shred the potatoes into a big pot. Cover with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Strain potatoes using a fine mesh strainer. Melt butter in pot. (If you’re using bacon or other meat, you might want to omit the butter and just start with the meat in the pot.) Add onion and potato (and any other veggies you’re using). Fry, stirring occasionally, until browned and fairly dry.

Serve with: Applesauce, Maple Yogurt, Fruit Salad, and eggs (if desired)

Refried Beans

This makes a huge amount of beans. Freeze portions in ziplock bags.

5-1/2 cups (or 2 lbs.) dry pinto or black beans

3-1/2 quarts water, as needed

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp chili powder

4 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp salt, to taste

Cook dry beans. Melt butter in frying pan. Add oil and onion and garlic and saute. Placed cooked beans, reserving bean liquid, in mixing bowl; add onion, garlic and remaining ingredients. Blend beans with electric mixer or by hand with potato masher or ricer, adding amount of reserved bean liquid until beans are the consistency desired.

Serve with: Grated cheddar cheese, Broccoli, and Tossed Salad with Taco Chips OR

Sliced hard-boiled eggs, Rice, Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Use for: burritos, tostadas, Super Nachos, or as a side dish

Ukrainian Meal

This is my own concoction based on a dish we were served at a dear friend’s home. It is reminiscent of the kind of food my grandma used to make. If you’re not a fan of cabbage or sauerkraut, give this a try anyway, but just double the rice. You might be pleasantly surprised!

3/4 head of cabbage, shredded or one large jar of sauerkraut, drained

1 large onion, chopped

bacon or sausage (you decide how much – it adds the flavor)

1 cup rice, uncooked

2 cups water, or more

Fry cabbage and onion in large pot with bacon or sausage. When onion and cabbage are soft, add rice to pot and cover with the water. Put a lid on the pot and let it simmer until the rice is cooked. You might need to add water as it cooks.

Serve with: Corn and cooked carrots