Friday, December 7, 2007

Hail The Queen Of Tater Tots

So….dinner last night after grocery shopping consisted of tater tots and hot dogs. The kids and Chris are just thrilled with the fact that they are now allowed to eat frozen tater tots.

Well, score points for mom!

Breakfast was a rushed affair this morning and consisted of cinnamon toast, bananas, and milk.

Lunch was leftover tots and hot dogs

Dinner is at a birthday party we were invited to.

Gotta love those birthday parties.

I just want everyone to know that this is a process for me. I DO NOT have all the answers, I’m just experimenting and trying to knock my budget down. If you have some great ideas along the way that you would like to share, send me an e-mail. I’d like to spread the word and you will definitely get credit and linkage if you have a blog.

Tomorrow the REAL cooking starts. We will be having guests for dinner so I’ll need to pull out the stops and make my meager shelves produce magical delicacies.

Hmmmm…..we’ll see how that goes.

2 comments:

Chelle said...

I am so looking forward to following your grocery challenge! Do you plan your meals ahead of time, or are you planning your meals around the deals that you find?

Amanda said...

Have you ever made tater-tot casserole? If you find a great sale on ground beef or ground turkey, and have some cheap tots or fries, this is super easy. You can vary it as you like, but here's the basic recipe. I make this much for a family of four, and we can reserve half for leftovers.

** 1.5-2 pounds ground beef or turkey, browned. Or chopped-up leftover hamburger patties.
** 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or two helpings of the Tightwad Gazette cream soup mix)
** splash milk as needed for mixing ease. Omit, if desired.
** 1 small can of mushrooms, drained -- OR -- some leftover sauteed mushrooms and onions -- or french style green beans is also good.
** 1c shredded cheese, pref. cheddar, but whatever on sale or leftover works.
** frozen tator tots or fries to top. About 1/2 large bag for tots, less for fries.

Mix everything together, top with tater tots and sprinkle on a bit of cheese. Bake at 425 until tots are browned and the whole thing bubbles around the edge (appx 35-45 minutes). This stuff is so good, and I have never, ever met anyone who doesn't love it.

~~~~~

Tightwad Gazette Cream Soup Recipe (from Book II):

2c. dry milk
1 1/4c. cornstarch, or 2 1/2c. flour
1/4c. chicken buillion powder (or beef, etc)
2T. dried onion flakes
1/2t. pepper
1t Thyme (optional)
1t. basil (optional)

Mix all the ingredients, and store in airtight container. If the mix is made with cornstarch, add 1/3c. mix to 1 1/4c. water; if made with flour, add 1/2c. mix to 1 1/4c. water. This makes a concentrated casserole consistency. For soup consistency, double the water.

Store brand soup: 64 cents for one 10oz. can.

Homemade: Recipe makes ten 12oz. batches at 18 cents per batch.