Cook's Exchange: Meat stretchers help cut grocery expenses
I have sticker shock at the meat counter these days, and some say the prices will continue to climb. Blame it on weather and crops or whatever.
Hamburger meat that is 80 percent lean has hit $4.19, and 93 percent lean is $4.94 or thereabouts. I am a bulk shopper when it comes to hamburger and chicken breasts. I come home from the store and separate the meats into meal portions that can be defrosted quickly for fast fixes.
That has changed. My food budget doesn't allow bulk beef purchases. It is too expensive. I bought 3- 1/2 pounds and portioned out three freezer bags of meat. Make no mistake, we didn't eat hamburger every day, but over a couple of weeks. I like to keep our diets diverse with chicken, fish and no meat.
Over the course of two weeks, I used one package in a baked cowboy casserole, another in tacos and the largest package for a meatloaf.
We had enough meatloaf left over that I used the meat in spaghetti. I had never done this before, but the flavor was spot on. When my husband commented on the sauce, I told him that was last night's meatloaf. He had an odd look on this face. I proceeded to explain that I simply separated the loaf into ground beef pieces and added my usual spaghetti sauce fixings. All the family liked it, and I felt so thrifty, something for which I've never been known.
A friend of mine is a frugal shopper. She heads straight for the reduced meat section on Tuesday, the day before supermarkets change their weekly ads. She gets some good
buys.
When we shop together, she goes her way and I go mine and we meet at the car. This way we get our shopping done quickly. On a recent trip, she came running up to me with "This sirloin steak looks good, and look at the great price. It's not enough for my family, but is for yours."
I agreed, and home I went with three-fourths pound of sirloin. Some days, I cook only for my husband, grandbaby and me because of my daughter's work schedule, so I need only two adult portions and enough for a 2-year-old.
Because I wanted to stretch the steak, I decided to pair it with an easy Asian dish that I found in "The Best of Mr. Food Cookbook Series" published by Oxmoor House.
We all loved this recipe, and my husband, being the son of a former meat market owner, couldn't believe I got so much meat out of less than a pound of beef.
Trick: The sirloin was lean and partially frozen, so I was able to get those thin slices that many Asian restaurants serve in their dishes.
Dietitians and nutritionists have said for years that we do not need as much meat as we consume. I did add a side of plain white rice because if my grandbaby would not eat the noodles, I knew she would eat the rice.
Surprisingly, she and my husband both loved the dish, and my daughter ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, saving her from buying lunch.
If meat prices are pinching your budget, this dish is a good one, complete with vegetables, starch and meat. It takes less than 12 minutes from start to finish.
If you have some good cost-cutting recipes, please send them to me to share with readers.
EASY ASIAN BEEF AND NOODLES
3/4 pound boneless sirloin steak
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 cups pre-packaged coleslaw
2 (3-ounce) packages beef-flavored ramen noodle soup (I used the roast beef flavored)
1- 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Cut steak diagonally across grain into very thin slices. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and onions; stir-fry 1 minute. Remove steak mixture from pan; keep warm. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon slaw; stir-fry 30 seconds. Remove slaw from pan, and keep warm.
Remove noodles from packages; reserve 1 seasoning packet for another use. Add water and remaining seasoning packet to pan; bring to a boil. Break noodles in half; add noodles to water mixture. Cook noodles 2 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Stir in steak mixture, slaw, and soy sauce; cook until thoroughly heated.
Serves 2-3.
-- From "The Best of Mr. Food Cookbook Series" published by Oxmoor House.
Home sweet coconut
"I know of no better place for a good piece of coconut cream pie than your own table," Betty A. Hill of Wiggins said. "It doesn't cost as much, and you have more than one slice."
Linda Saxon Nix agrees. "I don't know of any place on the Coast that serves a good, homemade-tasting coconut cream pie," she said. "I do, however, have a recipe that I've had since the '50s for the very best coconut cream pie ever. My best friend from childhood's mother, Mrs. King, was a wonderful pie maker."
Both women share their best coconut pies today.
Hill said her pie can be changed to a chocolate cream by increasing sugar to 1 cup and adding 3 tablespoons of cocoa.
"When baking pies, I use extra large eggs to have more meringue. I bake in glass plates as the crust doesn't stick. I use Pillsbury rolled crusts," said Hill. "I sprinkle a little flour on a cloth, then crust and sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour on top and rub it in. I bake crust while cooking custard.
"I saw your request for places that served coconut pie," Hill said. "I couldn't resist sending in this recipe. Maybe some wife or husband would like to make their own."
COCONUT CREAM PIE
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
2 cups milk
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
1 small can Angel Flake coconut
In heavy saucepan, combine dry ingredients. Place egg yolks in small bowl. Beat yolks and add a small amount of milk. Stir small amount of milk into dry ingredients. Add eggs and remaining milk. Add vanilla and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk until pudding stage. Remove from heat. Add coconut, saving some to sprinkle on top. Pour into baked 9-inch pie crust.
MERINGUE
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
Cook cornstarch and water together until thickened and clear. Set aside.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar then cornstarch mixture. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Spread over custard being sure to seal at edge of crust. Sprinkle coconut over top. Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
-- Submitted by Betty A. Hill
MRS. KING'S COCONUT CREAM PIE
"I don't have her recipe for meringue, so use your own recipe for meringue using the egg whites left over, and if you want a mile-high meringue, use more egg whites," Nix said. "It is finger-licking good!"
1/2 cup flour or1/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rich milk (2 percent or whole milk)
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut (I use frozen -- it is best, but back then it was either fresh coconut or canned coconut)
Mix all dry ingredients. Bring the milk to the scalding point (do not boil). Add milk gradually to the dry ingredients. Cook in a double boiler, stirring about 10 minutes. Add the egg yolks and cook until thick. (I now use a microwave for these steps.) Cool, then add the vanilla and fold in the coconut. Pour in a baked pie crust.
-- Submitted by Linda Saxon Nix
Puppy chow for people
John Brown wants a recipe for puppy chow, the snack food, not dog food. Readers, please send me your puppy chow recipes. It is a mixture of square cereals, powdered sugar and sometimes chocolate.
Squash au gratin, please
"I lost my favorite recipe for squash, a summer squash au gratin," said Frances Saucier. "If you have this recipe, please share."
Readers, do you have a summer squash or yellow squash au gratin recipe? If so, please send it my way for Saucier.
Healthy chicken curry
Reader Brenda Roberts of Ocean Springs, Miss., wants a healthy, low-sodium chicken curry recipe.
"I am a diabetic and heart patient. Can you help me?" she said. "Being that I am a heart patient, I can't have a lot of sodium or fat. I hope someone can help me."
Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net and takes contributions or requests at Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.
This story was originally published October 1, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cook's Exchange: Meat stretchers help cut grocery expenses."