Low-Budget Meals In a Minute
Ever go home and look in the fridge only to find it sadly, echoingly empty? Well, look again my friend... there are probably a ton of condiments in there just waiting to be made into a hearty meal. Here are some tasty new recipes I discovered while living on a limited income. Dish up some dinner, liven up lunch, whatever you like! Mmmm, MMMH!
Saltines and Ketchup
Ingredients: five saltine crackers, bottle of ketchup
To Make: arrange crackers on plate. Drizzle on ketchup. Eat. Delicioso!
Variations:
1. Make sandwiches with the crackers (but I wouldn't reccommend this if you're low on crackers because then you can't "stretch" the eating time).
2. Squirt out little drawings/messages to self with ketchup squeeze bottle (assuming you are lucky enough to have one of these). Tip: messages should be no more than 2 words due to limited space on cracker. However, you can always line up the crackers and just write one big sentence across. Fun with Food!
Hot Dog Roll and Mayonnaise with Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients: hot dog roll, jar of mayonnaise, at least 2 bread and butter pickles (otherwise it would just be "Hot Dog Roll and Mayonnaise with Bread and Butter PICKLE).
To Make: Find one of those rubber scraper things to scoop out dregs of mayonnaise from bottom of jar. Sniff mayonnaise to make sure good. If smells bad, decide HOW bad. Trip to bathroom, or trip to hospital? Assuming the former, go ahead with scraping of mayonnaise jar remnants onto hot dog roll. Add pickles. Eat.
Variations:
1. Chop up pickles and mix with mayonnaise (this is actually tartar sauce--WHO KNEW?), then spread on roll.
2. Cut roll in half. Put one pickle and one smidge of mayo on each half. Bon Appetit!
Condiment Surprise
The surprise is, no one can ever remember what goes in this. Not even you! Amaze and delight your friends with your own secret blend of ingredients.
Ingredients: Whatever condiments you can find in your fridge such as ketchup, mayo, salad dressing, taco sauce, A-1, Saucy Susan, etc., Pretzels
To Make: Mix all ingredients in bowl. Cook, stirring occasionally. Serve hot or chilled with pretzels on side or mixed in.
Jelly In a Bowl
Self-explanatory.
Shrimp Mocktail
Okay, with a little practice this one might actually fool your friends... but it takes a skilled chef to really pull it off right!
Ingredients: several pieces of stale bread, water, ketchup
To Make: Check bread for green spots; remove if necessary (remember though, that mold is a valuable source of protein, and we all know that protein builds muscle). Break bread into small chunks. Use water to form bread into sticky lumps, then roll lumps into little shrimp-shaped forms.
Arrange "shrimps" in fancy circle on plate, then place bowl of ketchup in middle. Tastes just like the real thing!
Salt and Pepper* Sandwich
For those times when you're really "in a pinch!"
Ingredients: Salt, pepper, bread.
To Make: Sprinkle salt and pepper on bread.* Eat.
*Omit Pepper if you don't like it.
*Omit Salt if you don't like it.
For more tasty treats, buy my book "Making Lunch Out of Nothing At All".
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with ten years of industry experience. Her current focus is web content and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like Toys"R"Us. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.com for rates and samples.
Latest News
Ocean County Sheriff's Department Issues Safety Tips The Manchester Times, NJ - Sheriff Polhemus stresses, "Use common sense when cooking, and don't be careless. The holidays, in most homes, means the smell of a good home-cooked meal. ... |
Extension office to offer tips on estate planning Brewton Standard, United States - In case you need help with cooking questions and we are not available feel free to call one of the Holiday Hotlines. They offer lots of helpful cooking tips ... |
Make Thanksgiving happy; follow safe-cooking tips The Columbian, WA - You should never leave your cooking unattended, a major cause of fires, and it’s best to make the kitchen off-limits to children and adults who aren’t ... Venice Fire Department - Cooking Tips Fire department shares safety tips for cooking Fire department offers tips for cooking safety |
Clorox Prepares for Holiday Cooking Season In-Store Marketing Institute (subscription), IL - Glad supports the in-store campaign with a dedicated website offering recipes, activities (including napkin folding and flower arranging) and cooking tips ... |
Cookbooks for the shopper and baker in you Scripps News, DC - Magazines and the Internet overflow with recipes and cooking tips (as do our own bookshelves). Yet we covet cookbooks, especially new ones, ... |
 Examiner.com | 20 last-minute Thanksgiving recipes and cooking tips Examiner.com - St. Louis Low-Carb Examiner Amy Dungan lets you in on Butterball.com tips, Thanksgiving turkey video lessons and recipes. Her article will teach you how to ... |
Woman’s Day Magazine and BlogTalkRadio Partner to Launch Online ... EON, WA - Jackie Plant and other Woman’s Day food editors bring the magazine’s test kitchen to listeners with recipes, cooking tips and information to make mealtime ... |
Children share cooking tips, holiday thanks Clinton News, MS - By Amanda Wells On Thanksgiving Day, who's going to cook that Butterball turkey, cornbread dressing and desserts galore? ... |
Teacher Tips: Cooking in the Classroom Well Fed Network - I thought I’d share some tips for cooking with children in the classroom. It is a fun activity and is a fantastic teaching method for kids who learn by ... |
Turkey Cooking Tips KBLG, MT - THE BIGGEST DAY OF THE YEAR FOR HOME COOKS IS JUST ABOUT HERE, AND WE HAVE SOME TIPS FROM HEALTH OFFICIALS TO HELP AVOID PROBLEMS. ... |
Resources
-
Health-E-Meals.com - Quick and Healthy Recipes, Snacks, Fitness Tips, Motivation, Links.
Healthy Solutions for Your Busy Life. Health-E-Meals.com offers a free healthy Cooking newsletter as well as other practical resources for making healthy living, eating and exercise a part of your busy life.