What "poor man's" meal would you continue to make ... - Page 5

Enufstuff · ‎03-12-2010

This just may be a northeast thing, but I and my children have always loved American chop suey. It is basically, ground beef, chopped onions, canned tomatoes and elbow macaroni.

People around here may have different variations. My mother used the above ingredients, but I add a can of Hunt's tomato sauce and I use San Marzano tomatoes.

qvcfreak · ‎03-10-2010

When I have only one breast left, a piece of fajita and 1/2 a smoked sausage. I cut everything in small pieces, I cook chicken and fajita, then add sausage, bell pepper and onions. Make flour tortillas and make delicious tacos

Rockycoast · ‎03-02-2016

@Enufstuff wrote:
This just may be a northeast thing, but I and my children have always loved American chop suey. It is basically, ground beef, chopped onions, canned tomatoes and elbow macaroni.

People around here may have different variations. My mother used the above ingredients, but I add a can of Hunt's tomato sauce and I use San Marzano tomatoes.

@Enufstuff Yes! American Chop Suey is the best. Add shredded cheese to the above ingredients and that is how my mom made it. Delicious! I also love Tuna noodle caserole. Canned tuna, macaroni, cream of mushroom soup and canned peas. mmmm, yummy!

Shoppergal · ‎03-10-2010

I love my "poor man's roast" that my mom taught me. I grew up pretty poor (although I didn't really realize how poor we were until I became an adult) and mom would make a roast with hamburger. It consisted of hamburger patties, onion, potato, carrots in a roaster pan covered with cream of mushroom soup. Delicious! I will never stop making this. We love it and the house smells soooo good whil it is cooking.

panda1234 · ‎04-27-2015

@amyb wrote:

@panda1234 wrote:
For me it would be Pastina, Italian comfort food. It consists of Pastina which is very small pasta cooked in beef or chicken stock until all liquid is absorbed.You can add butter and grated cheese to it at the end. So simple, so good.
Amen, girl. So simple. So good. Such comfort. Adding egg to it is great too, sometimes.

I'd continue to make, forever, my mom's Pasta Fajiole. It IS my #1 comfort food, for so many reasons. Others, sometimes, make theirs with sausage, pepperoni, some veggies...but mom's was simple and sooo good, with couple cloves of whole garlic, touch of oil to start the garlic in, tomato sauce, (add water to that too) pinch red pepper flakes, pinch Italian seasoning, cannallini beans and ditalini pasta. Put some grated cheese or even some shredded mozzerella on top. It's "home" & "mom" to me. 😋🍲

Side note...mom always told the story that when she was pregnant with me, she'd walk from work to her mom's every Friday night when her mom would have made her pasta fajiole for her. I swear it got in my blood from then. lol. Mom always said "mine is good but my mom's was even better." I don't recall my gram's as much, and of course, to me, my mom's was best.

Cheap, poor man's meal, for sure...probably how those thrifty, Great Depression Italians came up with it.

@amyb @I make my pasta Fabiola the same way with the exception of adding water, I use beef or chicken stock. Also, a rind from parmigiana Reggiano won't hurt.

panda1234 · ‎04-27-2015

@RedTop wrote:
The exact same ones I cook now!

I was surprised to learn in 9th grade Civics class that I was poor; I didn't feel/look poor, nor did I see any of my family as poor. We had as much, if not more, than our friends and neighbors. We never did without anything and food was always on our table.

Biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, dried beans and cornbread, fried bologna and spam, filled my belly back then and still does today. I eat what I like, and what my body will accept, due to food allergies.

@RedTop So funny I grew up the same way. We just had fried bologna sandwiches for lunch yesterday. The only difference today is that bologna is now $6.00 a pound. We were poor as well but didn't know it. Everyone had the same as we did, a much kinder time.

lgfan · ‎10-19-2012

Bologna sandwiches with potato chips. It was my favorite childhood lunch and I still like it as an adult.

panda1234 · ‎04-27-2015

@Othereeeen wrote:
Check out this You Tube site...."Great Depression Cooking with Clara"..

She is an elderly lady (90s when the videos were made by her nephew, who memorialized her on video, in her kitchen, cooking meals from the Depression...)

I LOVE Clara!!! She reminds me of my own Mom....especially her hands as she prepares veggies...(My Mom passed at 95...a thin little independent lady who also loved to cook!)

Take a look!!!

Here's one to start:

https://youtu.be/p-GVl7scrYE

And she did it all with NO look-at-me appliances in fourteen colors...just a pairing knife and a couple of pots and pans!!! Just like mom!

@Othereeeen @I watched a few of Clara's videos. I love her and her stories from the depression. Thank you.

Enufstuff · ‎03-12-2010

@Rockycoast Tuna casserole is something I also make now and made for my children. Mine is pretty much like yours but I use frozen peas (cooked first) and I use cream of chicken soup.

Flatbush · ‎07-18-2015

@panda1234

I frequently fed this to my little daughter. She was very picky and would eat this. Not that easy to find here in Southern California, but I search for it and use it now in my soups.

My dh never heard of it lol

But then I never heard of summer sausage either!