Thrity Menu: Scampi

Try finding a recipe for scampi that does not use lots of expensive ingredients, such as the white wine.  Specifically, what I wanted to find was a recipe that I could conjure up without having to buy anything special............sorta the "poor man's" version.

I realized that aside from the economical point, I also wanted a recipe that allowed me to continue to be very flexible and utilize what I already had on hand.  Living so close to a grocery store, I could walk over and buy any ingredient I did not have on hand already.

Food prices have shifted upward about 15%.  Most news reports are not showing this much of an increase, but I think the news tells the story for increases just in the product, not in the distribution.  I have kept a close eye on my regular food purchases, and I see at least a 10% increase across the board.

So, thrifty mom becomes even more thrifty.  I do not want to compromise my family's food choices.  We will have to cut back on the times we do eat out now, but I can be creative to make that happen without too much of a sacrifice.  Because I have always been very good at not throwing away a single thing, I thought I'd finally sit down and put some of these tips online for others who may be experiencing a bit of sticker shock at the grocery store.

Scampi

There are a couple of variations to shrimp scampi if you research "poor man's scampi" - using chicken, popcorn shrimp or imitation lobster chunks.  What I have on hand is some flaked imitation lobster left over from a seafood dip recipe.  I did look at shrimp at the store, but at $5 / pound for the smaller shrimp in the frozen section, it was not in my budget this week.  I have about half a pound of the flakes, so to stretch those out, I will make more of the sauce to cover the pasta.

1 cup butter / margarine
3 Tab garlic (minced, chopped, dry)
1 teas flour
1/4 teas red pepper
1 Tab basil
1 Tab parsley
1 Tab lemon juice
1/4 teas nutmeg
1/2 cup milk *

Melt butter / margarine over low heat;  add all remaining ingredients except milk.  Heat to simmering, stirring often to keep from sticking.  Gradually add milk, stirring consistently.  Add additional milk to achieve a thickness you want.  I wanted my sauce to be thicker.  Stir in imitation lobster flakes and simmer on low until heated through.

Serve over cooked pasta.

Leftover Lunch - Creamy Chicken Casserole

Creamy Chicken Casserole

1/2 - 1 cup cooked and deboned chicken, chopped
1/2 can stewed, diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded vegetables (I use broccoli slaw)
1/4 cup chopped onion or 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup mango sauce (I bought mine from HEB)
Salt, pepper to taste
Enough water to cover

If you have enough ingredients on hand to double this recipe, you can double and then divide for 2 different recipes.

Combine all ingredients in a 3qt saucepan.  Add enough water to cover.  On low heat, simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add additional water if needed.  The mixture should be moist, but not watery when cooked down.

At this point, add either 1 cup dry pasta or 1 cup instant rice to the mixture.  Add 1 can tomato paste, 1 cup water and 1/4 cup half/half.  Stir well.  Simmer on low, covered until rice/pasta are cooked.  You can also put in a crockpot if desired.

The idea behind leftover lunch is to use as many leftover items in your fridge as possible.  Food prices continue to rise, so what I actually get to bring home gets smaller and smaller. I think often to the Great Depression and Relief Gardens which became known also as Victory Gardens at the onset of WW2.  Many smaller communities are seeing a rise in community gardens in the last few years.  Living in an apartment in a part of town without a community garden, I have to be creative to stretch my food budget.

Extreme coupon-ing and shopping sales may work for many families.  Even joining a wholesale club could be beneficial.  I've looked into all these options.  Utilizing part coupons and part sales, I also had to develop techniques and recipes to use every bit of food purchased to keep my costs in line.

When I can purchase chicken for $1 a pound, for instance, I buy quite a bit of it and portion it in zip bags.  Each portioned bag contains enough chicken for 2 -3 meals.  When I cook, I prep as many meals at the same time to cut down on the time I am actually in the kitchen.

Recently, I created menu lists for my oldest daughter who was leaving the nest.  When I asked her how I could help her with recipes, etc, she asked for directions on my cooking many things at the same time.  This recipe was on the chicken page.