Would love to share frugal recipes. I swiped this one from the onedollardiet site that nikebunny posted in a CMT thread.

Refried Beans

2 cups dry pinto beans
1 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. chili flakes
salt to taste.

Rinse the pinto beans and soak them overnight. Rinse well. In a crockpot add pinto beans, 8 cups water, garlic, chili, and salt. Cook on high heat for approximately 8 hours. When beans are very soft, pour off water to drain beans, but save some of the water aside. Use a potato masher to mash beans to desired consistency. Add the reserved water as needed. Let cool and store in the refridgerator. They will thicken as they cool.
When you reheat the beans, add water a little at a time until the are the desired thickness.

Cost:
Whole batch: $0.51
Serving: $0.07

I forget where I got this from, a magazine maybe?  It's very yummy and cheap, especially when chicken's on sale and if you

keep spices on hand.  The barley alone makes a great side dish for other dinners.

Herb-Roast Chicken with Barley Bake     serves 4

1 whole broiler-fryer chicken (about 3 lbs) OR 4 split chicken breasts

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp each dried sage, rosemary and thyme leaves, crumbled fine

1/4 tsp each paprika, salt and ground red pepper

4 tsp olive oil

1 C. med-pearl barley, rinsed

1/2 C. chopped onion

3 C. chicken broth (or use 3 bouillon cubes and 3 C water)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or use about half as much dried dill)

 1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove giblet packet and excess fat from chicken.

2.   Mix garlic powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, paprika, salt and red pepper.  Rub all over chicken.

3.  Coat bottom of a large ovenproof skillet or small roasting pan with 1 tsp of the oil.  Add chicken, breast side down.

     Roast 20 minutes.

4.  Heat remaining 3 tsp oil in a heavy 1 1/2 qt rangetop to oven casserole over medium heat.  Stir in barley and onion.

    Cook 5 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times til barley is lightly browned.  Add broth and dill, bring to a boil and cover.

5.  Insert a long-handled wooden spoon into body cavity of  chicken and gently turn breast-side up (if skin sticks, loosen

    with metal spatula)  Place casserole containing barley in oven next to chicken.  Bake both 40 minutes or til barley is

    tender and drumsticks move easily and juices run clear when a thigh is pierced.

6.  Remove chicken to a serving platter.  Let stand 5 minutes.

7.  Fluff barley with a fork.  Spoon around chicken and serve.

Yay, I'm glad to see some recipes posted. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who wanted to save on my grocery bill.

Ramen Noodles with Veggies and Ham

1 pkg of Ramen noodles

1 cup peas & carrots

1/2 cup ham diced

Brown ham. Meanwhile, boil noodles, drain most liquid before adding seasoning. You don't want it soupy.  If veggies are frozen, add them to the noodles when water begins to boil. Otherwise add them near the end.

You can sub any veggie or meat that you like in this recipe. I've used corn and spam.

Here's a quick, pretty cheap soup recipe I got from a magazine.

Cabbage, Potato and Baked Bean Soup

2 tsp vegetable oil

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 small onion, chopped

1 lb. green cabbage, shredded

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp pepper

1 can (16 oz) pork & beans in tomato sauce (any variety)

1.  Heat oil in a 3qt saucepan.  Add potatoes, celery and onion and saute 5 minutes or til onion is tender.  Stir in cabbage, cover &

cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally til cabbage is crisp-tender.

2.  Add broth, bay leaf and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or til potatoes and cabbage are

tender.  Remove bay leaf.

3.  Stir in beans and cook 10 minutes longer for flavors to blend and beans to heat through.

There are over 200 low cost recipes on this web site http://www.miserlymoms.com/

On the right side of the home page, click on the link that says "Frugal Recipes Yum!"

I can never get recipes to format right when I copy and paste them here, but I'll toss 'em in anyway and maybe y'all can print them out and make them look right! These are a couple of my good, cheap stand-bys:

Crockpot Beef Stew (buy the stew beef on sale, of course!)

2 pounds stew meat cut into bite-size cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
4 carrots, sliced (or a couple handfuls of baby carrots)
3 potatoes, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, chopped

Place beef cubes, flour, salt and pepper in a large ziploc bag and shake until the meat is coated well.

Place meat in crockpot and add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 4-6 hours. Stir occasionally if you're home while it's cooking.

Chicken and Biscuits (rotisserie chicken is good in this if you can get it at a good price, or use leftover roast chicken or "sticky chicken" (recipe below)

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, sliced
2 cups frozen peas/carrots mix
2 1/2 cups cooked diced chicken
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In large saucepan melt butter. Add flour to form thick paste, then add broth, stirring constantly until thick like gravy. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over biscuits.

Serves 4.

Sticky Chicken

4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. white pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. black pepper

1 large roasting chicken

1 cup onion, chopped

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub spice mixture into the chicken well, inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a Ziploc bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight (or freeze). When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with chopped onions, and place in a shallow baking pan. Roast uncovered at 250 degrees for 5 hours. After the first hour, baste chicken every 30 minutes with pan juices. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Rice Casserole

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (on sale, of course, or use bone-in breasts or thighs, whatever's cheap)

1 T. canola oil

3/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

3/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (or canned)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups uncooked instant brown rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (or bread crumbs: cheaper)

2 T. minced parsley

In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil for 4 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute peppers, onion, mushrooms and garlic until tender. Stir in the rice, broth, corn, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.

Transfer to a 9x13 pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with chicken. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear. Sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

Serves 6.

Chicken-Pasta-Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, drained, and torn   

   bite-size
1 head green leaf lettuce, ditto
1 medium red onion, chopped very fine
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 bottle Caesar-style dressing
1 pound grilled chicken breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
12 ounces rotini, cooked and rinsed in cool water

Mix well and enjoy. This makes a HUGE salad, good for potlucks or picnics...for a smaller family meal, the recipe can be halved.

Corn Chowder

one (10 oz.) box frozen corn kernels

½ cup cubed, peeled potato

½ cup chopped onion

1/3 cup water

2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon granules

¼ tsp. pepper

1 ¾ cups milk

 1 T. butter

2 T. flour

In large saucepan, combine corn, potato, onion, water, bouillon, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, or till corn and potatoes are just tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 1 ½ cups of the milk and the butter. Whisk together the remaining ¼ cup milk and flour in a small bowl. Stir this into the soup. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Makes 4-6 side-dish servings; 2-3 meal-size servings.

Here are some more--I have all my faves typed into my computer, so it's really easy to post them wherever I want!

Ham, Potatoes and Peas Casserole (I've noticed that ham is getting pretty expensive, but if you find a good sale, this can be a cheap dish. Good using up for leftover holiday ham, too.

1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups ham, cubed
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup your favorite cheese, grated

Add celery and salt to boiling water, cook for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and cook 15 minutes longer; drain and reserve liquid. Add enough milk to reserved potato water to equal 1 1/2 cups liquid.

Kielbasa, Cabbage and Potatoes (again, look for kielbasa on sale, and the rest is dirt cheap. Super fast, too!)     

 1 1/2 cups water
 4 medium red potatoes
 1 1/4 pound turkey kielbasa
 1 medium green cabbage

Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Wash and cut potatoes into halves or thirds. Cut sausage into bite-size pieces. Cut cabbage into 4 wedges, removing the outer leaf layer and the hard core.

Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup (this one is great because you can use up all the leftover veggies in the fridge! I keep a baggie in the freezer with leftover veggies from suppers to throw in soup, too. You can also toss in leftover bits of meat.)

1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth
1 (11.5-oz.) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (V-8)
1 cup water
1 large potato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen green beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
salt and pepper to taste
Creole seasoning (I use Emeril's Essence, but I think any mix of dried herbs/spices would be fine, or whatever seasonings you have on hand)
   
In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients, season to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Salmon Cakes

1 pouch pink salmon (7.1 oz.)

¼ cup finely chopped red pepper

¼ cup finely chopped green onion

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 T. lemon juice

¼ tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 large egg

1 cup dry bread crumbs

Flake salmon into medium bowl. Stir in pepper, onion, mayo, lemon juice, and Old Bay. Stir in egg and 4 tablespoons of the bread crumbs. Divide and form mixture into 8 balls. Place remaining crumbs on plate and roll each ball in crumbs. Flatten into cakes about ½” thick, and fry in olive oil until golden brown on both sides.

Serves 4.

Dill Sauce:

¼ cup sour cream

1 cup chopped cucumber

1 T. chopped dill (1 tsp. dried dill)

pepper

Here are three that I make alot.. I shop the sales and we have an Aldi store here so that saves tons! There is only me and hubby so we have leftovers or his parents next door come and eat with us... we still usually have leftovers. Serve with a side salad and you're good to go...

Ham casserole

Cubed ham.. the kind that's already cubed or julienned is what I use...about 1/2 a pkg. cut up small..I save the left over ham for salads

2 cans mixed veggies

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 box stuffing mix

Mix the stuffing with about a cup of water , mix and set aside. Mix the ham, soup, and veggies together. Put in a 7x11 pan. Fluff up the dressing and put on top. Bake at 350 about 45 minutes.

Chicken Pie

I use the chicken tenderloins when they are on sale but any chicken will do.. about 1 lb. is good, cooked and cut up small.

2 cans mixed veggies

1 can cream of chicken soup

Crust:

1 stick melted margarine

1 cup milk

1 cup self rising flour

salt and pepper

Mix the chicken, veggies and soup and pour in 7x11 pan. Mix the crust ingredients and pour on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or till crust is golden brown.

My families favorite... Tater Tot Casserole

Large bag tater tots

1 jar ragu double cheddar cheese sauce

1 lb shredded cheese..or more if you're like me..lol.. I buy the blocks and shred them myself. More work but cheaper..

cooked hamburger.. about 1 1/2 lbs.

Start with a layer of tots..then meat, cheese sauce and cheese. Layer till 7x11 or 13x9 pan is full. Bake at 350 45 to 50 minutes.

4 Ingredient Chicken Quesadillas

Canned chicken or leftover chicken

Cheese

Chunky Salsa or tomatos

Tortilla shells

Layer first 3 ingredients on tortillas, pan fry until cheese is melted or golden brown.

(Kinda) Sweet/Sour pork

8 pork chops, (any type)

2 tbsp flour

1tsp each salt and pepper

1 (20oz) can pineapple chunks and juice

1/4 cup ketchup

1 onion cut up

1 green pepper cut up

1 (16 oz) Lachoy or similar sweet and sour sauce

1-2 tbsp white vinegar (I use 2)

Coat pork w/flour salt and pepper.  Brown chops.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Put pork in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Pour remaining ingredients on top.  Bake 350 1 hr.  Serve with white rice and vegetables.  Yummy. 

I buy pork chops when on sale, along w/the other items on sale, and keep around.  Very fast and delish.

ETA--- credit goes to orion/oxford eagles #3613 cookbook.

This is not a recipe, per se, but the radio show Splendid Table has added a page called Splendid Cheap Eats.

1. Cut meat or fish into bite-sized pieces. Season cornstarch with salt and pepper. Place in a bag. Add seasoned cornstarch and fluff to cover well. Set aside
2. Drain juice from pineapple can into 2c measure. Add soy sauce until it measures 1cup. Set aside.

3. Add EVOO to bottom of heavy bottom stir fry pan. Heat to Med High. When hot, add dusted chicken or fish from cornstarch. Stir once. Cover for 5 minutes.

4. Add pineapple chunks to pan. Stir once. Cover and return to heat for 5 minutes.

5. Add pineapple juice/soy sauce to pan. Stir to get bits off bottom of pan. Cover for 5 more minutes. Done

6. Serve over Mmm Good rice. Below