6 Cheap & Cheerful Suppers, 1 not-so-cheap Easter dinner

Wednesday (about $1.80 for 5)
minestrone soup (using lots of leftovers from the fridge and freezer)
scratch cornbread squares topped with melted cheddar
scratch chocolate cake (from freezer) topped with blackberry coulis (frozen blackberries pureed with some blackberry jam, and other fruity liquids from the fridge and freezer, such as leftover cranberry sauce from previous week).

I have to give credit to Kris, here, on the cake. She made mention of serving cake with just a bit of topping, and not full-blown frosting between layers and all around. That inspired me to do a much simpler topping for this cake, for a weekday dinner dessert.

Thursday (about $2.15 for 5)
turkey in gravy over
brown rice
mustard glazed carrots
cabbage slaw

Friday (about $1.85 for 5)
kale frittata
leftover Yorkshire pudding and brown rice (need to use those up)
chunky marinara sauce and cheese over frittata, and Yorkshire pud/rice
sauteed onions and peppers

Saturday (about $1.65 for 5 -- I was cooking all day in preparation for Easter, so dinner was a hodgepodge of stuff)
garbanzo bean salad in a mustard vinaigrette, with chopped carrots, celery, asparagus and shallots
deviled eggs
potato casserole (part of Sunday's casserole, baked up in a small baker)
watermelon pickles
rhubarb sauce (I cut too much rhubarb for Sunday's pies, so made sauce with the extra)

Sunday (about $13.00 for 9)
Savory Spiced Peanuts
ham
cheesy potato casserole
cold marinated asparagus and celery salad
dinner rolls (brought by friends)
tossed salad (brought by friends)
watermelon pickles, carrot sticks and deviled eggs
scratch rhubarb custard pie
bought vanilla ice cream

Monday (about $3.45 for 5)
Denver omelettes (ham, green pepper, onion, cheddar-jack cheese filling)
brown rice, all topped with food processor salsa
leftover rhubarb pie

Tuesday (about $1.50 for 5)
rice and beans (cooked in turkey fat/oil and with spices, onions, garlic and canned tomatoes)
topped with food processor salsa and cheddar-jack cheese
cabbage and celery slaw
slivers of pie drizzled with homemade blackberry syrup

*none of the estimated costs include beverages, usually milk for 3, water for 2. Tack on another 30 to 40 cents per night for the milk. And with Easter dinner, we also drank 2 bottles of Martinelli's sparkling cider, at $1.99 per bottle, making Sunday's Easter dinner cost about $17 including beverages.

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Savory spiced peanuts

These were a hit as snacks before our Easter dinner. And I didn't have to buy anything special to make them -- Woohoo! They'd be an awesome snack to offer while watching the big game on TV, or at a summer BBQ, or in a jar as a special little treat for Dad on Father's Day. (I'm personally filing that last little idea away for this coming Father's Day!)

Savory Spiced Peanuts

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups peanuts (I used regular, canned peanuts that have been roasted and salted)
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 teaspoons of chili powder (more or less according to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 to 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
popcorn salt, to taste (any salt will do, the popcorn salt is fine, so it adheres better to the nuts)

In a skillet over medium, heat the oil. Add pepper flakes and heat for 30 seconds. Add peanuts, and stir and cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder, cumin, and sugar, stir and cook 1 minute more.

Remove from heat. Add garlic powder and salt, toss well.

Drain and cool on a piece of paper. Store in an airtight container.


The seasonings on these are all to taste, and amounts could vary depending on the freshness of your spices. I like the greater amount of sugar and garlic powder.

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