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      The following recipe was chosen simply out of interest for the main ingredient. I was looking through recipes online for dinner when I caught one called “Orzo with spinach red peppers”. Normally this wouldn’t be too exciting, but I realized that I had no idea what orzo was or what it tasted like. My hunger for knowledge and food combined into a ravenous beast that had to be sated. That is the story of how I reluctantly spent $10 on a container of orzo, the original pasta.

      Ingredients: The recipe I used was from myrecipes.com (link: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/orzo-with-spinach-red-peppers). The ingredients were easily obtained from the Publix around the corner. The onion, garlic, and pepper were in the vegetable section, and there was an exceedingly large amount of frozen spinach in the frozen food aisle. I substituted the olive oil for my trusty bottle of canola oil, which I’ve had since I moved into my apartment. I still have parmesan from the frittata, and the orzo was hidden in the pasta aisle. Given that it took me nearly ten minutes to find the container, I can only assume grocery stores hide them for only true chefs to find.

      The Process: The most confusing part of the recipe was that the spinach was supposed to be thawed and squeezed dry. Having no context for what to do, I put the spinach in my big bowl and waited for it to defrost. After a more familiar experience with boiling water in a pot, I set off on chopping up the vegetables for my meal. The onion and garlic were no problem, but the bell pepper proved to be far more interesting. Having only a single kitchen knife, I had to carefully slice out the seeds and wash out any that remained. Five minutes and two close calls with my fingers later, the slicing and dicing was finished.

    The water was suitably boiled by the time I was done, and I began measuring out two and a half cups of orzo into it. The best part of my measuring cups is that I have every size except one cup itself, which was lost in a tragic baking accident. Luckily, I had a hefty mathematics background to assist me in this perilous trial. I concluded that three cups of the 2/3 measurement and one cup of the ½ measurement would suit my needs perfectly. With a hearty pat on the back, I set about squeezing the spinach into a separate bowl to dry them while the orzo and vegetables cooked. As the orzo finished, I drained and combined it with the vegetables for a very satisfying looking dinner.

     How it tasted: I tasted my first bowl with a small sprinkle of parmesan on top, and I was not disappointed with the taste. It was like a bowl of macaroni, but with sweet pepper instead of cheese. The onions and garlic gave it a powerful taste, and I felt like it was a fancy dish from a four-star restaurant. Adding to the fact that I now have leftovers for the next two days, I would call this dish a success. Good work orzo, I might consider buying you again if you’re ever on sale.

     Price: The orzo was expensive, but the various vegetables and other ingredients were around $6-7. And since I still have some orzo left over, I would estimate the dish cost around $13.50. Looking at the large amount of leftovers as well, I’d say it was a good price.

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      What is a quiche? Is it something to have at a fancy dinner? Is it like a pie but not a dessert? I’ve heard many a joke about making quiches for some reason, but I’ve come to realize that I have never had a quiche in my life. Today I plan to change that and find out once and for all what the deal is for this mystery meal. Also, is it normal to have friends that joke about quiches?

      Ingredients: The recipe I used was from the online PDF “Good and Cheap” by Leanne Brown (link: https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf). This page is full of great ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner which I would love to use sometime. This is the first dish that required butter, so I popped off to the corner Publix and grabbed a bundle of sticks that were on sale. I used the same pre-sliced vegetables that I had for my stir-fry, and got a sweet buy-one, get-one free deal for the cheddar as well. The rest of the ingredients I had on hand, but I will probably need to buy more eggs after this. Eight whole eggs for a dish leave my omelet possibilities sadly diminished.

      The Process: I started the recipe by heating up the butter in the skillet, then throwing the onions in to caramelize. I then greased my trusty baking dish up with butter and spread the onions at the bottom. My confidence growing, I put the chopped vegetables in the dish and prepared to beat the eggs into submission. It was at that point I realized that there was no way I was fitting eight eggs in my little glass bowls. Thankfully, my improvisation skills kicked in and I decided to split up the beating process into two stages. The first round would be four eggs and the cup of milk, and the second round would be the last four eggs, the cheddar, the salt and the pepper.

    After a congratulatory pat on the back, I poured the egg mixture into the dish and let it cook for an hour. My heart racing and stomach aching, I stared longingly at the oven and hoped that the wait was worth it. Minute after minute passed as I struggled to survive, gasping in relief as the timer dinged and signaled the end of my long journey. Finally, I could experience the wonder that was the vegetable quiche.

      How it tasted: It tasted like an omelet on steroids, with everything I love about omelets in it. Cheese and mushrooms make up a wonderful combination, and the peppers give it a sweet flavor as well. Was it worth an hour wait? It’s up for debate, but it was still a great dinner to have.

     Price: The package of vegetables was $3.30, which is reasonable given the large variety. I used a cup of cheddar, but i still have a bag and a half for $3.00 so I’d say it’s a steal. Despite taking out a fair portion of a carton of eggs, it was only about $2.20 for it all. The onion was $1.99, which wasn’t too bad. I’d estimate the total price for the dish as $8.50, which split over the course of three meals is pretty good. The only price I’ll worry about is the one my heart will take for eating all this cholesterol.

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       As I was looking for my next meal, my eyes wandered over to what I affectionately dubbed the “noodle nook”. It’s called the noodle nook because it is a corner of my room dedicated to housing the vast stockpile of ramen I own. Before starting this blog, I would eat ramen every other day since it was cheap and easy to cook on my own. While not exactly healthy, it made sure that I didn’t starve during my day-to-day activities. Now looking at this pinnacle of pasta, I wondered if there were any ways to make a dish that didn’t make me feel regret when eating ramen. And that is how I found the recipe for this ramen frittata.

      Ingredients: The recipe I used was from womansday.com (link: http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/recipes/a8986/ricotta-frittata-120192/). It looked relatively simple, and most of the ingredients I had already for various breakfasts and future recipes. The green peas were the Publix-brand bag you usually warm up in the microwave. I managed to grab some shredded parmesan and cheddar on sale for a buy-one, get-one free deal; I now have an excess amount of cheese to do with as I please. The ricotta was also easy to buy, but the only part-skim ricotta was in the large variety. Wanting to follow the recipe as close as possible, I decided to take the larger option. The ramen I chose from my pile was Maruchan brand beef flavor, mainly because it was the one I have the most of.

     The Process: This dish was interesting to cook simply because it was the first time I had ever used the oven in my kitchen. Embarrassingly, most of my “homecooked” meals (i.e. ramen and Hot Pockets) have only needed a hot stove or the microwave to heat up. The oven was pre-heated while I began the more familiar task of boiling water for the peas. I determined that whoever wrote this recipe for Woman’s Day was using the more modest 16-ounce container of ricotta cheese; I smartly decided to use half the container on the mixture and save the rest for a rainy day.

    After nearly pouring a full tablespoon of pepper in the mix (Cooking tip number two: always double check the measurements), I began the process of boiling the peas and noodles. After confirming that they were suitably softened, I drained the pot and added them to my mixing bowl. After this, I transferred the new concoction to a suitable baking dish and vaguely patted it into a flat surface. Feeling more confident in my cooking skills, I put the dish in the pre-heated oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.

    Anxious to try out my frittata, I pulled it out of the oven and tried to cut out a square for myself. It was at that moment that I realized my oven was either not cooking at a high enough temperature, or my constant opening to check it had slowed the process considerably. I, unsure of whether a frittata was supposed to be mostly liquid, looked up more information and learned that the top should have risen and been more solid if it was done. Twelve more minutes in the oven solved the issue, and my first frittata was finally done.

     How it tasted: I enjoyed this dish immensely, savoring every bite I took. The peas and cheese blended together to make an almost-sweet taste. It was like eating a cheesecake, very chewy and with the slightest spice to it from the pepper. While the recipe suggested putting diced tomatoes on it, I went for a simpler route and just splashed some hot sauce to give it more flavor. I think it works out to be nearly the same anyways. All in all, much more filling and satisfying than your average ramen dinner

     Price: The price of ramen is ridiculously low, with a full 12-pack box of Maruchan going for $2.27. A carton of 18 eggs is about $4.00, so three of them is about $0.66. Frozen peas are around $1.50, and the ricotta was about $3.60. Since I only used half, I’ll call it at $1.80. My estimate for the price of the dish is $5.46, which is pretty darn good for a quick pasta dish.

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     I’d say that my favorite color is turquoise, with a slight bias towards green in the mix with blue. But my second favorite color is purple, and there is no vegetable more purple in my mind than eggplants. They fascinate me, and are also quite delicious from the few times that I’ve eaten them. I wanted to find a simple dish that included eggplants (or aubergines if you’re from Britain), and I think this pasta dish is perfect for that.

      Ingredients: The recipe I used is from the online PDF “Good and Cheap” by Leanne Brown. It’s got a bunch of great recipes in it that are useful for any meal. Pasta was easy enough to find, and the canned tomatoes were located conveniently in the same aisle. The eggplants were in the vegetable aisle, and I was quite excited to buy one and cook it later. I have an inordinate amount of cheese currently, so it was no problem to find some Parmesan. I used canola oil instead of olive oil, as it was on hand and I have a pretty large container.

      The Process: I boiled the water with a practiced air, professionally filling my pot with the skill of a man who’s done this a thousand times. As it warmed up I sliced the eggplant into cubes, marveling that it was solid on the inside. I always suspected it, but I guessed that they might be hollow like a bell pepper. On further analysis, it was a ridiculous idea to begin with. After cubing the eggplant, I put the cubes in a skillet and brown them for a while. After around five minutes, I added the diced garlic, chili flakes and tomatoes. I began boiling the rigatoni pasta so that both would finish at the same time. After that it was as simple as mixing the two together in the pot and pouring some in a bowl.

      How it tasted: I enjoyed this dish quite a bit. The chili flakes gave it a good spice that wasn’t overpowering, letting the flavor of the eggplant hit your tongue just right. And the pasta was cooked great, with just the right amount of sauce for each bite. I even went back for seconds and thirds. I highly recommend this option, as is was both much easier and much tastier than I thought of at first glance.

     Price: The eggplant, our centerpiece for the dish, cost $1.78. The pasta was on sale as two boxes for $3.00, which means it was around $1.50 here. The tomatoes were $2.00 a can, and an onion costs $1.74. Garlic costs $2.00, but I used one clove out of eight so I’d say it was closer to a quarter. I estimate it at around $5-6.00 for the whole thing, which can be broken down by splitting it over the course of 2-3 days. A fair bargain for the humble eggplant dish.

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     I wanted my first dish to be something so easy, even I could not screw it up. After careful consideration, I decided against talking about the ham and cheese sandwich I made for lunch. But what else is so easy that you could make it with little to no solid recipe in mind? Dear readers, I introduce to you the wonders of the stir fry.

      Ingredients: The recipe for the stir fry is from allrecipes.com (link: http://dish.allrecipes.com/super-easy-stir-fry/), but even there it was more guideline than recipe. The great thing about stir fries is that you can make them from just about anything, from fresh ingredients to leftover Chinese food in your fridge. In this case I used a pound of ground chuck for the meat and a pre-sliced set of mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers from Publix as the main dish. The sauce for the stir fry was made from chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and white wine vinegar.

    A few of the more astute readers might have noticed that I deviated from the sauce recipe in a few ways, but it still tasted delicious despite this. I used Worcestershire sauce because I didn’t have soy sauce, but both are used interchangeably in another recipe so I decided to experiment. The white wine is because I could not find any rice wine during my shopping trip, so I improvised and picked a cheap bottle of vinegar that sounded good.

      The process: Cooking the stir fry was straightforward from the moment I started. I rolled the ground chuck into meatballs and threw them on the skillet, letting them sizzle from a light pink to a tasty brown. I moved them to a plate and put the vegetable slices in next, cooking them for about five minutes before placing the meat back in to warm up. I mixed the sauce in a bowl while the vegetables were cooking, then poured it in with the meat and let it simmer for three minutes.

     Here’s a small cooking tip I picked up from my mother when she taught me how to make omelets: You can use a fork instead of a whisk if you don’t have one. Just put your eggs or other ingredients in a bowl and move the fork in a rotating motion at a reasonable pace. It saves you a few bucks, and you have one less utensil to wash at the end!

  How it tasted: The meat was sweet and juicy, as well as filling when I was done. The vegetables added some tang to it as well, mixing extremely well with the sauce mix. The bell peppers and onions merged with the meat, creating a flavorful mix that’s better than your average visit to McDonalds. The whole dish took less than 45 minutes, and I have enough left over for tomorrow. An extremely satisfying meal that I would recommend to anyone who wants their food hot and fast.

     Price: Ground chuck is about $5.00 a pound, but I’m willing to spend that much for the pleasure of real meat. The chopped vegetables were $3.30 a package, which is pretty good considering the variety used. The broth was $2.00, but I’ve got a bunch left over to heat up in a soup later. The vinegar was $1.93 and the sugar was $3.00, but now I don’t need to buy them when I need it for a recipe. All in all, the stir-fry cost around $16.00. But it’s alright, my business courses have taught me that all successful startups have fixed costs to enter markets. This was just the initial buying of everything I’ll need to be a professional bargain chef. And considering the taste, I’d say it was well worth the cost.

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Let’s do this

      Welcome to my blog on cooking and eating cheap and delicious meals! My name is Jonah Smith, and I am by no means a professional chef. My previous experience behind the stove can be summed up with two foods: Ramen and grilled cheese. I want to improve my culinary expertise and make something that won’t make me feel disappointed whenever I look at it. The biggest hurdle in my way is that I’m living on the budget of a college sophomore, which leaves me with around $50-60 per week to buy groceries.

      Most people would look at that kind of cash and reside themselves to eating noodles and takeout for the rest of their college days. But no matter how appealing that may sound, I am determined to prove that I can eat better and healthier than the average man. So join me as I stumble through some of the most interesting recipes on the internet and find a way to eat like a king while spending the money of a pauper.