Pricebook

To see this typed out it looks like nothing but this is hours and hours and hours of work.   I live north of Houston and would love to merge lists with anyone else that has one going!  I have gone to Target also but nothing made the lowest price so didn't get listed.  I will keep this updated and add more items as I grocery shop too.


Produce:
Garlic peeled Sams 3-13-10 $3.47/2#  $1.74/#
Grapefruit(Texas Ruby Red) Kroger 1-10-11 $3.99/10#  .39/#
Mushrooms(large) Sams 3-13-10 $3.98/24oz 16.6/oz
Onions(yellow) Sams 3-13-10 $6.98/10#  .698/#
Potatoes Target 1-10-11 $3.99/10#   .39/#
Red grapes Kroger 7-2-10  .99/#

Meat/TVP:
Bacon(ends) Grocery Warehouse 3-13-10 $15/20# .75/#
Beef 80/20  Sams 3-7-10     $20.09/9.75 lbs  2.06/lb
Beef 80/20 Kroger 3-18-10 $9.95/5#  $1.99/#
Ham shank HEB 4-3-10 #1.29/#
Hot Dogs(Beef) Sams 3-13-10 $18.58/10#   12 cents/oz
Pepperoni Sams 3-13-10 $11.74/5#  $2.35/#
TVP (Bob's) HEB 4-3-10 $2.29/10oz   23cent/oz
Brisket Kroger 7-2-10      .99/#

Frozen:
Birds eye stir fry veggies Sams 3-13-10 $6.98/72 oz  9.7cents/oz

Baking/pantry:
Baking powder aluminum free Kroger 3-18-10 $2.69/10oz 27cents/oz
Brown Sugar Sams 3-26-10 $4.58   4.09cents/oz
Chicken Bouillon Sams 3-26-10 $4.87/25 oz 19cents/oz
Cornstarch Sams 3-13-10 $2.28/35oz  6.5cents/oz
Flour bleached Randalls 3-29-10 $1.29/5#  26cents/#
Flour Whole Wheat Kroger 4-3-10 $2.29/5#  46cents/#
Flour soy Kroger 4-3-10 $2.39/1.5#  9.96cents/oz
Honey Sams 3-13-10 $11.67/80oz  15cents/oz
Instant Dry Yeast Sams 3-26-10 $4.16/2#   2.08/# 13cents /oz
Milk dry powder Sams 3-13-10 $11.88/4.4lbs  16.875cents/oz
Oatmeal Sams 3-26-10 $6.98/9# 4.8cents/oz
Olive Oil (Bertolli EVOO) Sams 3-13-10 $13.98/2Lt  21cents/oz
Pinto Beans Sams 3-26-10 $26.79/50#   53.6cents/#
Pectin liquid Walmart 4-3-10 $2.87/6 oz 48cents/oz
Powdered Sugar Sams 3-26-10 $4.54/7#  64.86cents/lb
Rice Sams 3-26-10 $14.54/50#  29 cents/#
Salt Walmart 4-3-10 33 cents
Sugar Walmart 1-10-11 $1.56/4#   40 cents/lb
Unflavored gelatin  Kroger  3-18-10   $6.89 8 oz (86cents/oz)
Vegetable oil(Wesson) Kroger 3-18-10 $1.99/48oz  4 cents/oz

Canned goods:
Baked Beans(Allens) Sams 3-26-10 $4.38/115oz can  61cents/#
Diced tomatoes Sams 3-26-10 $2.88/102 oz  2.8cents/oz
Mushroom stems/pieces Sams 3-13-10 $5.88/100 oz  5.9cents/oz
Peaches sliced Del Monte lt syrup Sams 3-13-10 $4.98/106oz  4.7cents oz
Pudding(chocolate/vanilla) Sams 3-13-10 $3.98/112oz  3.6cents/oz
Tomato Paste Food Fair 3-7-10  49 cents/6 oz  8.2 cent/1 oz
Tomato Sauce Sams 3-26-10 $2.78/106 oz  2.6cents/oz
Tomato soup(Campbells) Kroger 3-18-10 $1.39/26oz  5cents/oz


Pasta:
Ramens Sams 3-13-10 $5.88/36  16.34cents/each


Dairy:
American cheese Sams 3-7-10 $9.72/160 slices/5#  $1.94/lb
Butter HEB 4-3-10 $1.50/#
Butter Sams 3-13-10 $7.12/4# $1.78/#Sliced
Cheddar cheese(shredded) Sams 3-13-10 $11.12/5# $2.22/#
Eggs white Sams 3-26-10 18 ct 2.54  14 cents/egg
Milk whole Walmart 4-3-10 $2.38/Gallon
Mozzarella cheese(shredded) Sams 3-13-10 $ 10.43/5# $2.09/#
Yogurt vanilla yoplait Walmart 4-3-10 .45  (Target .50 1-10-11)


Drinks:
Fair Trade Coffee 3-7-10 $9.88/40oz  3.95/lb
Tea single bags Kroger 3-18-10 $1.49/100/8oz  18cents/oz
Tea family bags Kroger 3-18-10 $1.31/5.4oz 24 cents/oz

Cleaners/laundry:
Dishwasher detergent Sams 3-13-10  $7.98/192oz  .04/oz
Gain fabric softener Sams 3-13-10  $9.48/133Fl oz  7.35/oz
Wind Laundry detergent Sams 3-13-10 $14.28/32.5lbs  44cents/lb

Condiments:
BBQ Cattlemens Sams 3-13-10 $8.88/1Gal  6.9cents/Fl Oz
Ketchup Sams 3-26-10 $3.48/114 oz  3.1cents/oz
Pace Picante $8.56/138 oz 6.2 cents/oz
Soy Sauce Sams 3-26-10 $4.98/64oz  7.8cents/Fl Oz


Bread:
Hamburger buns Sams 3-7-10  $1.88/16 buns 12 cents/bun
Flour tortillas Sams 3-26-10 $4.48/30 tortillas   15 cents/tortilla
Whole wheat bread Sams 3-7-10   2/$3.66 20 oz  $1.47/lb

Misc:
AA batteries  Sams 3-7-10  $10.98/48  23 cents each
AAA batteries Sams 3-7-10  $12.98/48  27 cents each
Diapers Target "club pack" 124 for $19.99  16 cents each
Foil Sams 3-13-10 $17.84  18"X500'  2.38cents/sq ft  .035 cents/linear ft
Popcorn Sams 3-26-10 $16.58/50#  33.16cents/lb
Scott 1000 TP Sams 3-13-10 $18.88  3456 sq ft .0055/sq ft  ($23 at Sams 12-2010 .006/sq ft)
White vinegar Sams 3-26-10 $3.38/2 Gallons   $1.69/Gallon

Corn Dogs

Tonight was supposed to be pizza but I am out of mozzarella so I had to come up with something else(since I had no urge to go to the store today).  I don't deep fry so this was not my first thought...of course it went over fantastic with the kids and I just hope they don't think we'll be eating them more than once every year or two. I used the recipe off hillbilly housewife.

• 1 cup milk
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/3 cups corn meal
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds hot dogs
• flour for dusting (about 1/2 cup)
• Hot Fat for Deep Frying
• Popscicle sticks

In a large bowl combine the milk, eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Mix it very well. Sprinkle in the baking powder, corn meal and flour. Stir it all up to make a slightly thick batter.

Take your hot dogs and dry them off on paper towels. Dust the hot dogs with flour, coating them completely. The cornmeal batter won’t stick to the hot dogs unless they are coated in flour. The batter just slides right off of the wieners naturally slick outsides. Shove popscicle sticks into the flour coated hot dogs. Set the hot dogs aside.

While all of this is going on, it’s a good idea to get your hot fat to heating up. You want the temperature to be about 375F. Allow the fat to preheat so it is almost smoking by the time you are ready to add the corn dogs.

Now, to coat the floured hot dogs with batter you have two choices. You can swirl the hot dogs in the bowl of batter until they are coated, and then drop them into the hot fat. If this is a little difficult I know of an easier way. Scoop some of your corn meal batter into a narrow jar or cup which is as tall as your hot dogs are long. Fill the jar or cup about 3/4 of the way full. Dip your hot dog into the batter while you hold onto the stick. Swirl the hot dog to coat it evenly. Be careful or the batter will overflow. Raise the wiener above the cup and let any excess batter drip off. Quickly place the battered dog into the hot fat. The fat will bubble up and cook the outside of the batter, making the corndogs the exact same shape as the ones you buy at the store.

Only fry a few corn dogs at a time. If the corn dogs crowd each other they don’t fry very well. I only fry 2 or 3 at a time. Turn the corn dogs when the bottom side is well browned. Use tongs to remove the cooked corn dogs from the fat. Allow them to drain on paper towels. Repeat the process, coating and frying a few at a time, until all of the corn dogs are cooked. Refill the narrow jar or cup with batter from your bowl as necessary. Continue until all the hot dogs are coated or until you no longer have enough batter to coat the hot dogs efficiently.

If you don’t want to waste any unused batter, it can be dropped by small spoonfuls into the hot fat, and fried until brown. Serve these along side the corn dogs.

If desired, you can make small corn dogs by cutting hot dogs into thirds, or quarters. Poke a toothpick up into the end of the hot dogs. Coat and fry them as described above. These are nice for fancy days, and for kids parties. Provide plenty of ketchup and mustard for dipping.

This recipe makes about 12 to 14 corn dogs.

Tortellini soup

I took a recipe from thefrugalgirl.com and modified it to use what I had on hand.  The neighbor gave us the BEST carrots and I used green onions from our garden.  I saw the first tomato starting to turn red so it won't be long and the tomatoes will be fresh and homegrown too.

1 pound sausage(I used bulk natural breakfast sausage)
1 medium onion(or green onion)
1 clove garlic(I used three but we loooove garlic)
5 cups broth...for this I used 5 cups water and 5 chicken boullion cubes from the mega pack I bought at Sams
1 can tomatoes(about two cups)...diced, stewed...whatever kind
8 ounce tomato sauce
1 cup sliced carrots
1 medium pepper(I used half of a yellow bell pepper)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano(I used a good amount of italian seasoning for this and basil)
1/2 cup red wine(thought I had an open one but it wasn't so 1/2 a cup went in the pot and a big glass went with me for lunch)
16 ounces of frozen tortellini...originally this called for 8 ounces of fresh or 4 of dry(cooked before adding) but with a 3 year old and 1 year old the more pasta the better, right?

Brown the first three ingredients.  Throw in the rest except for the wine and tortellini and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the tortellini and wine, cook for 1-3 minutes(I did four just to be sure the tortellini was done).  Serve.  Yum!  I meant to throw on some parsley at the end since mom gave us a huge plant but the wine made me forget.  ;o)

Carrot Raisin Salad (Lubys)

Got this off recipezaar.  While I love Lubys I never order carrot raisin salad...I only make it at home to use up carrots but I quite like it.  This was done this without pineapple and it's great!

Ingredients
2 lbs carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup raisins, plumped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions
1Shred carrots using a large hole grater or food processor.
2In a large bowl, comine the shredded carrots, raisins and pineapple.
3In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and powdered sugar until well blended, pour over carrot mixture and toss lightly to coat.
4Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Hamburger gravy with mashed potatoes

From Hillbilly Housewife and Mandi's week on recipechallenge.  This was good!  I added a lot more salt than a teaspoon for sure though.




2 Pounds of Hamburger (as lean as you like)
1 Medium Onion chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 quart milk
5 pounds potatoes


Brown your hamburger and onion in large skillet till cooked. Drain off any fat and put into bowl to hold. In large skillet melt butter then add flour with salt and pepper added in. It will clump up and look not right, its OK, cook with faith! Add the quart of milk all at once and begin to stir. It will take quite a little while (like 10 min or so) till the white gravy begins to thicken, but it will. After it is thickened add your hamburger and onions that have drained. Of course serve over your mashed potatoes. We love to throw a few (about 2-3 garlic toes) into the pot of potatoes to be boiled to cook with the potatoes. Mash the garlic toes in with your potatoes. Serve the hamburg gravy over your garlic mashed potatoes. Very economical and very filling.

Homemade Granola

This is straight from The Tightwad Gazette.  We like our granola sweet so this works perfectly for us especially over homemade yogurt :)

Mix 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup veggie oil and 1/3 cup honey in saucepan and heat until sugar is melted.

Combine 5 cups oatmeal, 1/2 cup dry milk, 3/4 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a cake pan.  I used a bowl to make mixing easier and then moved it to a cake pan.

Pour sugar mixture over dry mixture and mix well.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Let cool in pan.  Store in airtight container.

I doubled the recipe and cooked it longer so mine is a little darker than it really should be but it's still great!  I didn't add raisins at all but I'll include the directions for it.

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

5 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup raisins*

1/2 cup dry milk

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

Mix brown sugar, oil and honey in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Combine dry ingredients in a large cake pan.  Pour sugar mixture over dry mixture and mix well.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Let cool in pan.  Store in an airtight container. 

Optional: add nuts, wheat germ, coconut, dates etc

*add raisins after cooking

Bow Tie Pepperoni Pasta Salad

I made this early in the day to go with dinner but the kids had a light lunch so they ate almost the whole bowl!  They said it tasted just like pizza:)

16 ounces bow tie pasta
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package pepperoni
1 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
Directions
1 Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2 Add Bow Tie Pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or all dente; drain.
3 While pasta is boiling, brown pepperoni in skillet until crisp on both sides and place on paper towels to absorb the grease.
4 Toss pasta with pepperoni, italian dressing, parmesian cheese and italian seasoning.

Homemade Yogurt

Another project I've wanted to do forever and finally have time to do!!  The kids were especially excited but we all love yogurt here!  *updated 6-10 for adding sweetness!

Cost: I was paying 3.50 for a quart of yogurt at the grocery store.  This recipe makes 4 quarts.  The milk is about 2.50 a gallon and then I bought a small yogurt for starter that was .45.  Total of 2.95 or 74 cents a quart! Frugally fantastic!

I followed the recipe here :)

I threw my four quart jars, lids and bands into the dishwasher then put the full gallon of whole milk into a pan to heat.  I did stir fairly often to be sure it wouldn't stick, burn or develop the film on top.

When it got to temperature(185-195F) I put it into the sink with coolish water...I changed the water a few times with coolish again.  My pot came with a warning that changing temperatures quickly can cause the bottom to separate and liquify...ack.

Once that got down to 120 degrees I added the 6 ounce container of yogurt with live cultures(I used Yoplait vanilla) and whisked it all together well.  *The third time I made this I waited until I had two quarts left and I added a bit over 1/2 cup of sugar and whisked until it was blended then continued as usual hoping it wouldn't be runny.  It turned out just as thick and perfect as ever!

I skimmed the bubbles off with a spoon then poured into the four jars, added caps and bands then put into the cooler with a gallon of water(120 degrees).

Three hours later I came back and moved them to the fridge.

Waited overnight and it was thick and awesome!!!

The kids were loving it...with strawberries(and sugar).

Another frugal meal plan

Spicy Crockpot Pinto beans and leftover cornmeal pancakes
Pizza with sausage/tvp and salad
Pizza with pepperoni and salad
Scalloped Potatoes N Franks and applesauce  (getting close to having to do this in the outside roaster or cut it from our regular frugal menus since we're close to a/c time)
Bumblebee soup with bread(trying to put in 1Tbsp vital wheat gluten into each cup of all purpose unbleached flour instead of buying more bread flour until I use up the vwg)
BLT wraps w/ pasta salad (subbing creamy italian for regular italian)
Tasting is Believing Chicken with rice
Ramen helper with beef/tvp mix
Pintos and cheese with Paula Deen's layered cornbread
Hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes with steamed veggies
Beans and rice with  salad or fruit
Baked ziti with steamed veggies
Cheese enchiladas (I'll use whole wheat flour tortillas)  with homemade refried beans and rice
Black bean soup with homemade pumpernickel bread
Breakfast for dinner--sausage, eggs, potato cakes
Mac n cheese with ham and potato bread

And other things I want to make:
Tortellini ham and bean salad
Granola(from Tightwad Gazette book)
Oatmeal cookies 
Oatmeal pancakes
Make grape jelly

Cornmeal pancakes

Mandi posted these on her week and I finally made them.  We all liked them but I'd prefer to have them with a main meal with no syrup on them:)  

The picture is a double batch.

Cornmeal pancakes

 

Recipe #75499

 

http://www.recipezaar.com/Cornmeal-pancakes-75499

by integrity1st

 

45 min | 20 min prep

 

10 pancakes

 

    * 1 1/3 cups cornmeal
    * 1 1/4 cups flour
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    * 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups of milk with 2 tbsp. vinegar in it)
    * 2 eggs
    * 4 tablespoons butter or margarine

 

   1. place cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl mix buttermilk and eggs (Mix milk and vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes then add eggs to mixture and stir if not using buttermilk) add wet ingredients to dry ingredients then stir in melted butter.
   2. stir.
   3. pour batter on lightly greased pan or griddle.
   4. flip when surface bubbles appear.
   5. Serve with maple syrup or regular pancake syrup.

--

Cheddar Chive Bread

This recipe is from CD Kitchen.  This turned out really tasty but I added more flour as the bread machine was doing it's thing and still never had it turn into a nice ball of dough.  Then it fell while baking...definitely one to play with to perfect!

1 1/2 cup water
3 1/4 cups Bread Machine flour
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
OR
2 tablespoons freeze-dried chives
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons regular active dry yeast
OR
1 1/2 teaspoon bread machine or quick-acting active dry yeast

Directions:
Bake on White Bread cycle

Note: Do not use the delay bake option with this recipe