There's NO food in the house!

The Grinch left a crumb that's even too small for a mouse! I think we've all had this thought - it goes hand in hand with "I have NOTHING to wear."

My church has been doing a series called RESET the last few weeks (click the RESET button for more details). It is a lot about finances and the recession etc. We were reminded of what the definition of "being rich" is - having more than you need. This has hit home for me. I'm so guilty of running to the store to pick up stuff when I feel like it, even if I am doing so in a cheap fashion. So, I went home and reorganized my cabinets and fridge and decided to commit to making a meal out of the smorgasbord of things I had.

I found several meal options in my stores. I decided on broccoli soup with garlic bread and salad. I had bought the can of soup on a whim and forgotten I had it. The garlic bread was leftover in the freezer from another meal, and we had bagged salad in the fridge.

I heated the soup on the stove and popped the garlic bread in the oven. I then threw a little shredded cheese on the soup.

This is what I came up with:


Cost Estimate/Breakdown
Can of soup: $1
Leftover Bread: 1/2 $1.50 box of bread = $.75
1/2 bag of salad: $1.50

Total cost: $3.25/2 = $1.63 a person

So the next time you say "There's no food in the house!" Just take a look and see what you have. You might be pleasantly surprised to see how rich you are.

Bringing the Pub Home

Sooooooooooo...I'm working on this great show at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It totally owns me. Here's the thing: when you work the kind of hours we do, there is a lot of eating out. Which costs money that I don't really have. I decided to stop feeling like I HAD to join the other stage managers when they went out. This means a little more planning, my friends. And sometimes some settling for something that will nourish you, but might not be the most delicious thing ever.

This is not a post about food that is not delicious, not to worry.

This week I bought some ground beef that was on Manager Special. For you snobs out there, listen up! If food is on Manager's Special it just means that they need to get it off the shelves before the sell date. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS EXPIRED. In fact, I'm fairly certain that it is illegal to sell food past its expiration date. I mean, don't quote me or expect me to be a witness in court if you sue your local grocery store. I'm just the girl who write a blog about eating cheaply. Not an expiration date crusader. So, use or freeze by the date on the package. When I find a great deal, I'll often choose the freeze option.

I called Zell from work (Hilariously, I was being an extra in a pilot at my other job. I did some phenomenally bad acting which included eye rolling, sighing, and looking irritated that I had just been fired.) and asked him to set out the ground beef to thaw. Mama is makin' burgers tonight! I swing by Ralph's to pick up a few essentials for the meal: buns, sweet onions and beer. I picked up 2 kinds of beer - Winter Moon for making batter for the onion rings and Guinness for some cupcakes I'm making later this week.

To make the burgers:
1 lb lean ground beef
Ketchup
Worcestershire
Chips of any sort that are already in your cabinet (I used Vermont Cheddar Wheat thins)
Salt and Pepper

1. Put beef in a bowl. Add a hefty squeeze of ketchup, a lot of worcestershire, about a 1/2 cup of chips/wheat thins and salt and pepper to taste (Except you really shouldn't taste raw hamburger. It isn't good for you. Do not sue me for using the phrase "to taste"). This is another prime example of my "throw whatever I feel like in a bowl and hope for the best" style of cooking. It usually works out well.

2. Mix it with your hands. It's just easier.

3. Fashion into patties and throw on the trusty George Foreman. Or real grill if you are classy.

4. Once cooked to your specifications, put on a plate and add cheese. Let it achieve maximum melty goodness.



On to the Onion Rings:
I started with this recipe (also listed below with my changes in blue) and just riffed off of it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large sweet onions, sliced (I only used one onion.)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (Winter Moon) beer (I just poured generously and then finished the beer while I continued to cook.)
  
• I thought this was WAY too salty. I added about 2 T of clover honey. I didn't measure, of course, just poured it in.
  

Preparation:

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, oil and egg yolks. Gradually whisk in the beer. Refrigerate the batter 3 to 4 hours before using. Slice onions into rings; separate rings and dip in the batter. Deep-fry in batches in 370° oil until golden brown. Ok, so I don't have a deep fryer. It would be bad if I owned one. I put veggie oil in a pot, heat it up and checked the temp. Clearly, use tongs when doing this. ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER (courtesy of Zell): Do not burn down your house or hurt yourself. This oil will be very hot. Line a plate with several layers of paper towels to soak up excess grease. Put onion rings on plate as they are finished.

I loved Zell's response to the onion rings. "They taste like the ones at the restaurant!"

Your finished meal may or may not look something like this:



Now it is time for our favorite part:

Cost Breakdown
**Please note: these are estimated costs because my receipt is no where near me.

1 lb Ground beef: Ralph's Manager Special $2.67
6 onion buns: Ralph's Manager Special $1.99
1 sweet onion: Ralph's $1.69 a lb/2= $.85
6 pack Winter Moon $6.99




2.67

1.99

.85

6.99

_______
$12.50/4 = $3.13 a person

Happy hours

A quick link to some happy hours in the area with good specials.

http://tastingtable.com/ecs/1520.htm?sid=420653

Eat Local Month

Hello -

Sorry I haven't posted in forever, but if it makes you feel better I haven't cooked at home for 2 weeks. :( I was working on a show called AH! Or as I say it: ah exclamation point. Check it out here: http://www.ah-opera.org/.

Apparently it is "Eat Local Month". One of my favorite things I subscribe to is Tasting Table Los Angeles. This morning I got an email that told me about Silver Lake Farms, a local organic veggie delivery situation. It is $200 up front, but it is for 10 weeks, thus breaking down to $20 a week for a box of organic veggies. This may or may not be in your budget, but I found it interesting.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out!

Adeline's Play

You ask me, "Emily, what should I do with all of this money I'm saving on food?" Let me tell you.

One of my friends, Kit Steinkellner (I met her at the Sundance Theatre Lab last summer) has a show that is performing at the Los Angeles Theatre ensemble this weekend. She is a great playwright and I'm really hoping I can make it to her show this weekend. Tickets are only $20. A little too much for you right now? How about $15 if you buy them in advance. Need just a smidge cheaper? Hit up Goldstar.com. Tickets here are $10 with a $3.50 processing fee. It is the closing weekend, so get your tickets! To learn more about the show, click here.

PS - Please don't sue me for showing the poster on the old blog. : ) Just let me know if I should take it down.

Veggie Potato Skins

I don't know about you, but I love me some TGIFridays action. Their potato skins are delish. And will probably kill me, but I at least have their $5 dollar Happy Hour Margarita(s) to wash down the artery-clogging delight. This helps me forget how bad they are.

With my last post, we made baked potatoes. Perhaps you are like me and tend to over-cook. I of course baked 3 potatoes when I only needed one. This is the first step in making your very own "skins". Please be advised: I made these the next day and have simply been too lazy/busy with my new puppy to post. The potatoes have not been sitting around for a week.

You will need:

2 previously baked potatoes
Butter or Fake Butter of choice - I really Can't Believe It's Not Butter!
Spinach
Mozzarella
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sour Cream/Plain yogurt

1. Cut sides of baked potatoes as thick as you desire your skins.

2. Apply butter/fake butter to potato, followed by spinach and shredded cheese.

3. Pop in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until potatoes are hot and cheese is melted. If you prefer your cheese a little brown on top, place in oven or toaster oven for a few minutes.

4. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Cost Breakdown
2 baked potatoes at the 99 cent store($.10 each) = $0.20
1/4 bag of spinach at the 99 cent store = $.25
1/4 bag of shredded cheese from WalMart = $.50

$.20
$.25
$.50
______
$.95

Side Dishes Demand To Be a Meal

Quick little lunch post, this is easy peasy. Or you could eat it for dinner. This does not change it's difficulty level

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Raw Spinach
Pear
Feta
Dressing of choice (Optional)
Potato additions like butter, sour cream, cheese, etc

1. Bake potatoes in an oven. Or toaster oven. Or microwave. (I usually microwave for about 6 minutes, maybe more) I realize with this post, I don't really officially know how to bake potatoes. I just put them in a hot oven for a while until I think they are done. I have realized this is foolish. Here you can find many ways to bake a potato.

2. Once spuds are baked and ready, make a simple spinach salad. Slice pear and top spinach with pear and feta. Add dressing if desired. I used an Italian. Not an actual Italian - there is no pretty boy named Bonaventure (an Italian name meaning good luck) making my salads.

3. Add desired toppings to potato. I like to use plain non-fat yogurt instead of sour cream. Thank you, Jen! You really can't taste much of a difference.

Serve and eat!


Cost Breakdown

Bag of Potatoes: $1 @ 99 cent store - We'll just say this equals about $.10 a spud even though it isn't near that much.

1/4 Bag of Spinach: $1 @ 99 cent store/4 = $.25

1/2 pear: $.79 @ Ralph's/2 = $.40

2 TB of Feta: $.36 a serving (Confusing math time, GO! There are 14 tablespoons of Feta in a $2.50 container.)

I'm not breaking down the cost of dressing and toppings. The feta equation hurt my brain.

$.10

$.25

$.40

$.36

______
$1.11 a person!

So today we have learned I need to learn how to actually make baked potatoes and some info on how to name your Italian child.

Time to Testify

Zell and I went to Ralph's this week. There was a cart full of groceries and the bill was $120. Ouch. After my Ralph's Card it was $88. Still a little painful. Then I pulled out the coupons. After the coupons, the bill was $59. It was a total of savings of $61.45. I believe the correct term is Holler.

Sloppy Joeys

The other day, Zell and I had Sloppy Joeys for lunch. Don't be fooled by the adorable and ingenious name, they are merely miniature Sloppy Joes. You too can have the mad culinary skills I possess.





You will need the following ingredients:

Main event:
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 can Manwich or other Sloppy Joe sauce variety
1 French Baguette

Side items:
1 peach
1 cucumber

1. Brown beef in a skillet.

2. Then it is time to drain - now before you do this - DO NOT DRAIN INTO THE SINK.
This is a rookie mistake that will require a plumber and following that, a bill. However, draining in the trash can can cause a melted garbage bag and following that, a huge mess. So, I like to do a little trick that I learned when I worked at Bagel and Deli in Oxford OH. Granted, we used the technique to make ash trays when smoking was still legal inside. Take aluminum foil and a can. Fold the foil around the can. Repeat at least once to prevent leaking

3. Slice french loaf in small pieces. If desired, toast in a toaster oven or oven. I like toast.

4. Put sandwiches together, slice fruit and veggie and serve!

Cost Breakdown

1 lb ground beef: $1.99 at Trader Joes
1 can of Manwich: $1 at the 99 cent store
1/2 a french loaf: $1.49/2 $0.75 at Ralph's
1 peach: $0.79 at Ralph's
1/2 cucumber: $1/2 $0.50 at Ralph's


$1.99
$1
$0.75
$0.79
$0.50
______
$ 5.03/2 = $2.52 a person PLUS leftovers!

Love Quesadilla

I am sorry to have deserted you for so long! Life gets busy sometimes, doesn't it? To recap my life, since we last spoke I have worked on a new musical in Hollywood titled Baby It's You. I filled in for the Assistant Stage Manager for a few days and it was a really fun show. I also have been doing some odd jobs, working on my teacher's bathroom (where I have learned how to put up dry wall, put up cement board, countersink, use a stone saw and lay tile!) and cat sitting/house sitting for another teacher. So, if you are still interested in my little blog, be excited! Because there will be several posts to come.

Side note. I am sitting in my teacher's house watching her TV and there is an "Encore: Love" movie channel. Awesome, I know. But riddle me this: why is Superbad playing on it?

Back to the point. Back to blogging.

My friend Jordan came to a party with the most delicious veggie dip. I couldn't get a hold of him, so I decided to guess at the recipe. It turned out to be a decent dip (though not at ALL as good as Jordan's), but and even better quesadilla filling! Quesadillas are one of my 2 year old niece, Violet's favorite foods and once even held one up and informed us it was a "Love Quesadilla" her mom Jen made her.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 quesadillas)

1 can Sweet Corn
1 can Beans (I used Ralph's Organic 3 bean)
Shredded cheese
Tortillas
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Citrus Juice of sorts (I used Orange and Lemon Juice)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1 Tomato



1. Open both cans of corn and beans. Drain and put in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup of juices - Use your own discretion here. Do you want a more sweet or more tart flavor? I'm sure you've noticed I subscribe to the "throw a bunch of crap in a bowl and see if it turns out delicious" system of cooking.
3. Add 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, using your personal discretion yet again.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now here is where you can use this as a dip. I found it to be a nice cold summer substitute for hot dips. But, I was not 100% satisfied. I let it sit in the fridge for a day and marinate.

Quesadilla continued...

5. Heat pan on stove. Depending on your pan type, you may or may not need non-stick spray. I found it made my tortilla greasy. Ew. Cover 1/2 of tortilla with mixture, top with cheese. Fold over tortilla. Flip when it seems appropriate. This can be difficult. Don't worry if some spills out. It will remain delicious.

6. Serve with tomato slices. Or whatever suits your fancy.

COST BREAKDOWN
1 can of Sweet Corn (99 Cent Store): $1
1 can beans (Ralph's): $1
Bag of Tortillas (99 Cent Store): $1
1/2 Bag of shredded cheese (Walmart, $1.98): $.99
1 Tomato: $1

$ 1
$ 1
$ 1
$ 1
+ $ 1
________
$ 5/4 = $1.25 a person

I know that a lot of the ingredients I listed aren't on the cost breakdown. This is where we come to a little tough love. There are things I like to call essential ingredients. Sometimes you have to make an investment. Much like the $20,000 additional loan I just had to take out for my last year of grad school. Only on a much smaller scale. Olive oil won't be $20,000. And if it is, leave the store immediately. Once you've made the investment, it will sit around your kitchen waiting for you to use on your next adventure. Again, much like my degree will be sitting around waiting for me to use it.

On that note, here's to eating on a budget!

It's like opening a can of money

Ok...Maybe not that lucrative or easy. But, I take my recycling in for cash. I figure if I'm gonna save the earth, I may as well get some milk money.

Today Zell and I took cans and bottles to the Vons on Lyons. It's pretty easy - just take the tops off of all bottles and separate by type. (For some reason, the recycling place at this Vons is no longer accepting glass which is what used to get me the most money.)The employees will then weigh each can and add it up. And by can I mean can full of cans. Not individual cans. They will hand you a receipt that you take inside the grocery store and a cashier will give you cash. It also works as a form of payment in the store!

Granted, it isn't a lot of money. But when you don't have much, every little bit helps! We got $5.46, which was more than enough when we went to the Post Office to ship a DVD and buy the postcard stamps I needed. Other times, I've taken myself to lunch. Or Happy Hour. Or Zell could have purchased Turtles in Time: Reshelled for the XBox 360.

You too can find a location that takes your discarded cans and bottles and gives you that cash money.

$100 Barnes and Noble Gift card

Hey all -

Since we are always looking for ways to save money, I wanted to share a link to a fellow blogger's giveaway.

http://www.frugalcreativity.com/2009/08/barnes-noble-giveaway.html#comment-form

Surprising use for Lemons

So, I have several lemons that were a gift from a coworker. However, as I do not eat lemons terribly often, I am not sure if they are good anymore for eating as they are a little more squishy than I would like. Don't you fret! This citrus will not go to waste! I also happen to have a garbage disposal that is getting that garbage disposal-y scent. Cut the lemon in 1/2, then the 1/2 into smaller pieces. Place in garbage disposal. Run accordingly.

Trust me. Lemons are great for cleaning. They have antiseptic and antibacterial qualities. If you don't believe me, check the internet . They are also WAY cheaper than those weird little balls you buy at the store to clean your disposal.

Chicken Schmarmesan

Now that you have clipped your coupons - or maybe just thought about it - let's make a meal! Do you think it's too expensive to have friends over for dinner? Lies. Bold. Faced. Lies. How about dinner for 4? Tonight, I made dinner for Zell, Chuck and myself. (And someone gets leftovers for lunch tomorrow!) Did I mention it only cost $1.80 a person? I ate this a lot growing up and I have since deemed it Chicken Schmarmesan. A poor man's version of Chicken Parmesan, this is both delicious and easy to make.

For this meal you need the following ingredients:

- 4 Chicken Patties
- 1/2 bag of Pasta
- 1 can spaghetti sauce
- Shredded Mozzarella
- 1 bag broccoli

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make sure to check that there isn't already anything in there. Some people just keep pans in there for storage. But once, in high school I didn't check and someone had put one of those grocery store roasted chickens in there. By turning the oven on, I managed to melt the damn container. My house smelled like burnt melted plastic for about a week and a half. And lest we forget, Carrie Bradshaw uses hers for her sweaters. And no one wants baked cashmere.

2. Place Chicken Patties on cookie sheet. Bake them for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through.

3. About 5-7 minutes into baking the chicken, put a pot of water on to boil. Once boiling add pasta. Once pasta is cooked, make sure to drain. Spaghetti soup would be gross.

4. At some point you should heat the sauce. This can be done in a sauce pan or the microwave. I put mine on simmer when I put my pasta water on to boil. I would advise you not to heat your sauce on high. This creates little volcanic eruptions in the sauce which get all over the stove. And unless your stove is marinara colored, this is annoying.

5. After you flip your chicken patties, make the broccoli. I cheated and made mine in the microwave. And you couldn't even tell.

6. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, open the oven and spoon sauce onto each patty. Then sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce. Now, close the oven. Bake 5ish minutes or until cheese is brown.

7. Now your meal is done! Serve on plates and make sure all burners are off.




COST BREAKDOWN
*note: This meal may have been cheaper if I had gone generic, but I was feeling super classy today.

1 Box Frozen Tyson Chicken Patties $3.20
- Originally $4.49 (Ralph's Card - $.49, - $.40 coupon/Doubled)

4 oz Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese $.99
- 8 oz bag $1.98 at Walmart

1/2 bag of Pasta $.50
- 1 small bag of pasta $1.00 at 99 cent store

1 can (26.5 oz) Del Monte 4 cheese Pasta Sauce $1.00
- At 99 cent Store

1 bag (16 oz) of Ralph's Brand Frozen Broccoli $1.50

$3.20
$ .99
$ .50
$ 1.00
+ $ 1.50
__________
= $7.19 total/4 = $1.80 a person


Responses from the Critics backslash Dinner Guests:

"This is neither 'the wrong stuff' or 'garbage'. This is frozen food, and yet, delicious!" - Zell

"Parmesanerific? If that's even a word..." - Chuck

First Grocery Run of the Blog/The Coupon Countess

I had a great dinner with my friend today and told her about this blog. This got me very inspired to get started on it! So what did I do, you ask? I sat in my living room and clipped some coupons. Very exciting, I know. You may be shocked to hear that some feel coupon clipping is tedious and unglamorous. And as my friend Jordan would say, I am secretly a 40-year old soccer mom. I prefer to think of it as being a Coupon Countess - a fabulous (and yet frugal) form of royalty. In other words, coupons... are bitchin'. That IS the technical term.

Let's get into the types of coupons out there. There is of course your "store card" discount which acts as an instant coupon- keep an eye out on these sales. When you combine this with your actual paper coupons - the true power of the coupon will be revealed. Added bonus: Many grocery stores such as Ralph's and Kroger double paper coupons up to $1 or $1.50. For paper coupons, you will most likely find them in a Sunday paper - I get mine from the LA Times. There will usually be 2 little booklets of coupons in a Sunday paper and sometimes a bonus and personal favorite P&G Saver booklet. Now that you have your coupon books, 'tis time to cut. Grab your scissors and sit in front of your TV. I recommend cutting coupons whilst watching Brain Candy - my favorite flavors include: Real Housewives of NYC and New Jersey (Seriously. These women throw tables. Quality. Entertainment.), Gossip Girl, The Daily Show (the informative flavor of BC), Anything involving Seth Rogen, and generally any variety of reality TV will do. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can use scrapbooking scissors to spice up your life. Who doesn't love small pieces of paper with scalloped edges?

For those of you who are looking to kill fewer trees or perhaps you just enjoy the internet, there are many sites for you! My favorite is http://shortcuts.com. On this site you can link online coupons to your Store Savings Card. Current Partner stores are

• Baker's
• Carrs
• City Market
• Dillon's
• Dominick's
• Fry's
• Fry's Marketplace
• Genuardi's
• Gerbes
• Hilander
• JayC
• King Soopers
• Kroger
• Kroger Marketplace
• Owen's
• Pavilions
• Pay Less
• QFC
• Ralph's
• Randalls
• Safeway
• Smith's
• Smith's Marketplace
• Tom Thumb
• Vons

The best thing about coupons is, sometimes the online coupons double up with your scanned coupons. Prime example: Today I bought a 4-Pack of Fiber One Yogurt. (Side note: I love to talk about the importance of fiber. You laugh. You won't be laughing when you don't get enough fiber.)

4-pack Vanilla Fiber One Yogurt
Actual Retail Price: $2.99
Ralph's Club discount: - $0.20
Shortcuts coupon: - $1.00
Scanned coupon: -$0.40
Double Coupon: -$0.40
Final Yogurt Price: $0.99

That is just one example of The Coupon Countess's mad skills. Today I bought 7 types of fresh produce, laundry detergent, body wash, frozen meat, milk, salad dressing, snacks and 3 Air Wick products at Ralph's. My total bill (retail price) was $68.58. By keeping an eye on sales and clipping coupons my bill was $35.43 - a savings of $33.15! 50% of my Ralph's bill. Totally worth cutting some paper while shamelessly watching bad TV.