On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:06:38 GMT, Frogleg <[email hidden]> wrote: [snip]
Quoted message said:Can't anybody come up with a few main dishes, sides, soups or salads that are a delight and don't
include some particularly expensive brand of chestnut puree? Is the only food worth eating the
product of free-range pheasants and out-of-season endiive?
No one suggested souffles and quiches. or simple fruit [censored] for dessert. Soups and stews are
often economical, but I'd like to see some more individual main dishes and crafty use of meat. A
new thread on 'elegant salmon loaf' has possibilities, 'though I wasn't thinking of 'open a can of
this and a can of that.' Not excluding it, either.
Come ON people. I'm a fan of white chicken meat, but whole fryers were on sale last week for
$0.48/lb. Wouldn't a roasted chicken surrounded by potatoes, carrots, and onions be cheap and good
eats with dark- & light-meat eaters around? *This* is the kind of thing I was looking for.
Easy now, thread drift happens. No use getting too worked up over it or your blood pressure
will never go down while reading this group. 😉
I think people have mentioned plenty of ideas in this group as a whole, although you might
get more specific responses if you were to Google or ask on misc.consumers.frugal-living.
I tend to try and keep things fairly simple, just because it suits my skills and the time
I have available to me. A few examples of very basic meals, some I've done these past
couple weeks:
--pan-fried fish (dredged in seasoned flour), then with a bit of sherry, soy sauce, water, ginger
and scallions added to the pan and made into a sauce, served with rice and steamed broccoli --roast
beef, a chunk of bottom round rubbed with salt, pepper and studded with slivers of garlic, served
with a baked potato and steamed asparagus --chicken breasts, marinated in Italian dressing and baked
(can also be grilled or cooked on Foreman grill), cut into strips and tossed with romaine lettuce
and sliced onion in a simple salad, dressing of your chocie --grilled ham and cheese --salmon
croquettes, recipe at end of message --omelet, herbs are a nice addition if you've got them, but we
like grated sharp cheddar, and sauteed mushrooms/onions, too --Dimitri's great recipe idea for
baking some pork spare ribs on a bed of sauerkraut, chopped cabbage, sliced onion, with a sprinkling
of caraway seeds, can add a splash of white wine or apple juice, eaten with mashed potatoes --
cabbage roll-like stew with half and half mixture of ground pork and beef, simmered on stovetop,
extra cabbage and sauerkraut --Mimi Hiller's sticky chicken (recipe in RFC cookbook) with parsley
potatoes and a salad --Don't remember the Chinese name for it offhand, but a whole chicken rubbed
with salt and let sit in the fridge overnight, next day poach it (boiling water, put chicken in, let
sit a minute or two, take it out, bring water back to boiling, put chicken in, cover pot and turn
off heat, let sit for an hour) and served with rice, maybe a dipping sauce (oyster sauce, hoisin,
etc.) and some sliced cucumbers--leftovers work great in chicken salad --saute some garlic and
onion, add some canned diced tomatoes and a can of good tuna, let simmer a bit, and serve over pasta
Well, the list goes on. I'm sure that a great many people make fairly simple dishes quite often, but
it may not occur to them to discuss them because... well, they're so simple.
Ariane
P.S. I've never had pheasant and probably wouldn't recognize an endive if it bit me on the ass. <g>
* Exported from MasterCook *
BAKED SALMON CROQUETTES
Recipe By : Southern Living 1981 Annual Recipes, page 22 Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Fish Salmon
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ --------------------------------
15 1/2 ounces Canned pink salmon -- Drain, reserve juice Milk
1/4 Cup Butter 2 Tablespoons Onion -- finely chopped
2/3 Cup All purpose flour
3/2 teaspoon Salt
4/4 teaspoon Pepper 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice 1 Cup Bread crumbs, or crushed Corn Flakes
5. Drain salmon, reserving liquid; add enough milk to salmon liquid to measure 1 cup; set aside.
6. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add onion and cook until tender. 3 Add flour,
stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
7. Gradually add milk mixture; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and
bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper;set aside.
8. Remove skin and bones from salmon; flake salmon with a fork. Add lemon juice, 1/2 cup bread
crumbs, and white sauce, stirring well.
9. Refrigerate mixture until chilled; shape into croquettes. Roll in remaining bread crumbs.
10. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet; bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
