Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite foods.  I do not get to cook it very often as I have a husband and daughter who wont eat it.  (The husband doesn't like cheddar cheese and the daughter won't because she is very picky about the kinds of noodles she will eat.  I think it is a visual thing for her! -- She will eat the boxed kind all day long, but wont even touch a freshly baked homemade macaroni and cheese.

The above recipe is one that has been handed down threw my family.  My grandmother makes it and so does my dad, using basically the same recipe.  There is a story behind this recipe that my grandmother likes to tell.  My grandfather did not eat macaroni and cheese when he and my grandmother married.  She cooked it and he ate it, but he didn't really care for it.  When my grandmother had her kids, she had a young lady that would come help her out.  She would not eat the macaroni and cheese either.  My grandfather looked at the young lady on day as they sat down to dinner and told her, "You better eat it.  She'll keep putting it in front of you until you do!"

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
2 cups noodles
1/2 pound cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
10 plain crackers 
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil noodles until just done.  Drain.
2. While noodles cook, mix eggs, milk and crackers together.
3. Add butter and melt it into the noodles.  
4. Slowly add egg mixture.
5. Add cheese, leave a little aside to sprinkle over the top, and stir to melt cheese slightly.
6. Pour all into a greased pan and add a little cheese onto the top.
7. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Notes
You can make this ahead of time and set in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.  You may need to add more milk as the noodles will soak some of it up.

You can use any kind of cheese you like.  The one above was mostly sharp cheddar with a little bit of Mexican blend cheese that I had left from a taco night. 

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Is homemade worth it?

2 cups noodles = $.50
1/2 pound cheese = $2.99
2 eggs = $.28
1/2 cup milk = $.13
10 plain crackers = $.25
1/2 stick butter = $.25
salt and pepper = $.01

In total, this mac-n-cheese costs $4.41.  I feed 5 people with the above mac-n-cheese and had enough left over for 3 more servings. My father ate two servings. So, in total, this made 9 servings.  So, one serving costs $.49.  

You can buy a box of Kraft mac-n-cheese for $1.25.  You have to add milk and butter to this to make it.  So you will add $.10 for the milk and $.06 for the butter.  I can feed 2-3 people off of this as a side.  So, one serving costs $.45 if you assume 3 people are eating.

Summery
Homemade mac-n-cheese = $.49
Kraft mac-n-cheese = $.45

So it is still cheaper to eat out of the blue box... but homemade is SO much better!  And, if you are like me and get a box of noodles for $.19 with coupons and the cheese on sale for $1 off, then homemade would be cheaper!

Hash Browns

I love hash browns.  I learned to make these from my grandmother.  Whenever she had left over buttered potatoes, she would make these for us.  They are great for breakfast or as a side dish.  If you are so inclined, you can also add some cheddar cheese to these as well.

Hash Browns
Ingredients
2 cups buttered potatoes (about 3 potatoes)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Lightly saute onions in the butter.
2. Add the potatoes.
3. Flip potatoes once the bottoms are golden brown, after 5 minutes.
4. Continue flipping every 5 minutes until all sides are golden brown and the potatoes are heated threw.

Notes
For the buttered potato recipe, click HERE.

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How much do these cost?

2 cups buttered potatoes = $1.05
1/4 cup onion, chopped = $.20
2 Tablespoons butter = $.25

This recipe costs $1.60 to make. 

Green Beans

I grew up eating green beans this way.  My grandmother calls these Weight Watchers green beans.  I'm not sure if she got the recipe from them or if she made it using their ideas, but nevertheless, this is my favorite way to eat green beans!

Green Beans
Ingredients
1 can green beans
1 Tablespoon onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beef bullion cup

Directions

1. Drain green beans from can and cover them with water.
2. Add onion flakes, salt and bullion.
3. Bring to boil then turn on to simmer for at least 30 minutes.  

Notes
I usually just leave them on low after they boil until dinner is done.

One can feeds my family of 3 perfectly.

If you are using salted green beans, you can omit the extra salt.  I typically buy unsalted canned beans so I always ad a little

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How much do these cost?

1 can green beans = $1.00
1 Tablespoon onion flakes = $.06
1 beef bullion cube = $.12
1/2 teaspoon salt = $.0014

One recipe of green beans costs $1.18.  

Buttered Rice

I made this simple recipe when my parents can to town.  Normally, I cook rice in some sort of broth for flavor, but that night I did not have any on hand.  I just made buttered rice.  I grew up eating this all the time.  My parents wondered why I did not make it in a rice cooker.  I responded saying that it takes much longer to cook that way, and I think it is just fine in a pot!

Buttered Rice
Ingredients
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Bring water, salt and 1 Tablespoon of butter to boil on the stove.
2. Pour in rice, cover and turn down the heat so rice simmers.
3. Let the water cook out.  This takes about 20 minutes.
4. Fluff rice with a fork and add the other Tablespoon of butter.
5. Once melted, gently stir in the butter.

Notes
I always check the rice at about 15 minutes.  If there is any water left in the rice, I let it continue cooking.  Make sure not to leave the rice on the eye after the water is boiled out.  It will stick and burn very quickly.

This recipe makes just enough for our family of 3.

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How much does this cost?

1 cup rice = $.50
1 teaspoon salt = $.007
2 Tablespoons butter = $.13

So, one recipe costs around $.64. 

Buttered Potatoes

This recipe is one that I grew up with.  It is incredibly simple and can be quite tasty.  I always make enough for leftovers because I have a few recipes that calls for already cooked potato chunks, so I just use these.

 

Buttered Potatoes
Ingredients
6 potatoes cut in chunks
1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Put potato chunks in a pot and cover with water.  
2. Boil potatoes until they just fall apart when you stick a fork in them.  The time will depend on how large your chunks are.
3. Drain water and add butter, salt and pepper.
4. Lightly stir to coat all potatoes.  

Notes
This recipe is what I use for my family of 3.  I always cook to have leftovers, so this is twice as much as we will eat on any given night.

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How much does this cost?

6 potatoes cut in chunks = $1.84
1/2 stick of butter = $.25
salt and pepper to taste = $.01

So, one recipe costs $2.10.

Recipes that use buttered potatoes

Hash Browns

Parmesan Encrusted Potatoes

I was looking for a new potato recipe since I seem to cook the same kind all the time.  I found a recipe for Parmesan potatoes and tweaked it to my family's liking.  I omitted the creamier cheese and just went with the Parmesan and baked it on a baking sheet instead of a casserole dish.  They came out great!  My daughter even ate a good amount of these, and she hardly ever tries anything new!

Parmesan Encrusted Potatoes
Ingredients
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup butter, melted
6 potatoes, cut in chunks or wedges

Directions

1. Mix flour, cheese, salt and pepper in a bag.
2. Coat the potato chunks in the butter.
3. Put the potato chunks inside the bag with the flour mixture. 
4. Hold bag closed and shake until all potatoes are covered.
5. Pour potatoes on a greased (I spray Pam or canola oil) baking sheet.
6. Cook in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.

Notes
I made half this recipe when I first made it for my family of 3.  We had leftovers.  These potatoes are very filling.  I would recommend 1/2 of this recipe if you have a family of four.

I also lightly salted these when they came out of the oven. 

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How much do these cost?

1/4 cup all purpose flour = $.03
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese = $.249
3/4 teaspoon salt = $.005
1/3 cup butter, melted = $.33
6 potatoes, cut in chunks or wedges = $1.84

The cost of the pepper is negligible since it is such a small amount. 

The total cost of this side dish is $2.45. 

Beefy Rice

This is one of those recipes that I just kind of made up to use up some beef stew that we had left over.  There was no meat left, but lots of yummy broth and veggies.  I measured the broth and then cooked the appropriate amount of rice, and here it is, beefy rice.  Never waste!  I hate throwing stuff out.

Beefy Rice
Ingredients
2 cups beef stew leftovers
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup rice

Directions

1. Put broth and butter in a sauce pan and bring to boil.
2. Pour in rice
3. Turn down heat and let simmer until the moisture is gone, about 20 minutes.
4. Fluff rice and serve.

Notes
For the beef stew recipe, click HERE

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How much does it cost?

1 Tablespoon butter = $.50
1 cup rice = $.40

I am not counting the beef broth since it was the left over of another recipe that many people would have just thrown out anyway.

So, this side dish cost about $.90.

A prepackaged flavored rice mix is about $1.25.  So, you would save $.35 per recipe.  We cook rice about once a week, so each month, we would save about $1.40 and $16.80 per year.


Summery
Prepackaged flavored rice = $1.25
Beefy Rice = $.90

Meal ideas for Beefy Rice

Beefy Rice with Meatballs