Mix-n-Match Skillet Meals

The following recipe is one I prepare regularly to use up leftovers or clear out the cupboards. I keep a copy of this taped to the inside of my pantry door at all times. With Mix-n-Match Recipes, I'm always amazed at the meals I can create from simple, basic formulas. I also save money by choosing ingredients I have on hand. Sometimes I even surprise myself with a delicious nearly-gourmet combination or two!

Mix-n-Match Skillet Meals

Choose one food from each of the following groups:

Breads and Cereals (1 cup raw)

• Macaroni
• Spaghetti
• Rice (white or brown)
• Noodles
• Bulgar
• Any pasta

Sauce (1 can soup plus 1.5 cans milk, broth or water)

• Cream of Mushroom
• Cream of Celery
• Cream of Chicken
• Cream of Potato
• Tomato Soup
• French Onion Soup

Protein (1 pound or 1 cup cooked)

• Chopped beef
• Chopped pork or ham
• Ground beef or turkey
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Mackerel
• Cooked dry beans
• Frankfurters
• Keilbasa

Vegetables (1.5 to 2 cups canned, cooked or raw)

• Carrots
• Peas
• Corn
• Green beans
• Lima beans
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Mixed vegetables<
• Celery
• Green Pepper
• Whatever you have around

1/2 to 1 cup cheese (any kind) can be stirred into sauce at the end of the cooking time.

1. Choose one food from each of the four groups above. Stir together in skillet.
   
   
2. Season to taste with salt, pepper, soy sauce, onion flakes, garlic, or whatever spices you enjoy.
   
   
3. Bring to a boil.
   
   
4. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover pan and simmer 30 minutes until pasta or rice is tender. Stir occasionaly to prevent rice and pasta from sticking. Stir in cheese, if desired. Serve.
   
   

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Or, to bake in oven: mix all ingredients in casserole dish and cover tightly; bake at 350 F for one hour.

The Mix-n-Match Recipes booklet also includes recipes for: soup, quiche, skillet meals, casseroles, dessert breads, muffins, and more. To order Mix-n-Match Recipes, send $4 + $1 shipping and handling (for addresses outside the USA add an additional $1) to: Simple Pleasures Press, PO Box 941, Auburn, WA 98071-0941 (be sure to specify Mix-n-Match Recipes when ordering).

Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance writer, wife and homeschooling mother of three) is the author of the new book "Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month" (Champion Press, 1999). She also publishes the Simple Times Email Newsletter and teaches classes in her church and community on living within your means. Visit Debi on the Web at: A Simple, Frugal Life http://members.aol.com/dsimple/index.html

You can browse Deborah's book, "Frozen Assets,"
Subscribe to the free twice-a-month email newsletter, Simple Times, by sending a blank email to: subscribe-simple-times@hub.thedollarstretcher.com from the booklet "Mix-n-Match Recipes"

Copyright 1999 Deborah Taylor-Hough

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips @stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!

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