$10 buck dinners!

It’s summer time and that means BBQ. Which also means mac salad. Which always reminds me of Kauai. And where am I going with this? Ha! If you’ve ever had a plate lunch, you know what I mean. That creamy goodness that just blends perfectly with BBQ or Kalua Pig or Masubi. Melt in your mouth goodness. Yum! I bet you’re getting hungry just reading this post, aren’t you? Well hook it up!! See for yourself. Make your own plate lunch and enjoy.

BBQ’d Chicken Thighs:

4-6 Chicken thighs, bone in or boneless (leave on skin)- $4.56
Marinade:
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing – $.20
2 tsps salt – pantry
2 tsps paprika – pantry
1 tsp garlic powder – pantry
1 Tbsp onion powder – pantry
1 tsp pepper – pantry

COST: $4.76

Combine all ingredients for marinade. Place thighs in a ziptop bag or glass bowl with cover. Pour marinade over top, seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

After 3 to 4 hours, preheat grill to medium heat. Place chicken thighs on preheated grill and cook for about 20 minutes turning occasionally. Remember, chicken is done when the meat has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You can usually tell because the juices are clear and watery, but if in doubt, use a meat thermometer.

Hawaiian Mac Salad:

1 pkg elbow macaroni (cooked till tender and fat) – $.89
1 3/4 to 2 cups mayo (best foods is choice, but not necessary) – $.75
1/4 cup grated onion (not minced, grated) – $.20
1 carrot grated – $.15
Salt, pepper and paprika to taste – pantry

COST: $1.99

Place cooked pasta in large bowl and stir in grated onion. Not minced or chopped, but grated. This is key!

Next, add the mayo. Start with 1 3/4 cups and see how you like it. You can add a little milk too, if it feels too thick. If you feel it’s too dry, add 1/4 cup more mayo. It’s really to your taste. Experiment.

Last, add grated carrot, salt and pepper to taste. Stir again, top with paprika and refrigerate till ready to serve.

For an easy and healthy veggie side, steamed broccoli (3 spears) $1.97 is perfect. Just add a 1/2 cup water in a pan, cleaned and cut broccoli spears, salt and bring to boil. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook till desired tenderness.

GRAND TOTAL: $8.72

Everyone has a recipe for lasagna, so I’m not gonna claim mine to be better or special. I’m just gonna give you my version and promise you that it’s easy and affordable, but most of all, delicious!

On this particular night, I had leftover provolone cheese from steak sandwiches, so instead of the usual 3 cheeses, this lasagna became 4. It’s not required to have provolone, but when you have something to use, use it! Extra cheese is NEVER a bad thing, right?!?

I just want you to know, the 3 main cheeses necessary are ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan. With those 3, you can’t go wrong!

Easy Four Cheese Lasagna:

1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked al dente – $1.15 ($2.29 per pkg-use 1/2)
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (You can make your own with tomato sauce and herbs) – $1.29
1 12 oz can dice tomato with basil – $.65
1 cup ricotta cheese – $1.27
1 cup cup shredded mozzarella cheese – $2.09
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese – $.75
6 slices Provolone cheese (optional) – $.80
1 lb Ground Beef, Chicken or Turkey (I used Chicken. If was only $.99 a lb!) – $1.02
2 eggs – $.66
1 small onion, finely diced – $.15
1 Tbsp dried basil – pantry
1 tsp diced garlic – pantry
1 tsp dried oregano – pantry
1/2 tsp salt and pepper – pantry
1 Tbsp Olive Oil – pantry

COST: $9.83

Cook lasagna pasta as directed on package. Slightly al dente is best.

In large skillet, brown ground chicken (or beef). Make sure it’s crumbled well. Add oil, if necessary and when nearly cooked, add diced onion, dried basil, oregano and garlic. Cook for 2 mins and set seasoned meat aside.

In medium glass bowl, beat eggs. Add mozzarella, Parmesan and Ricotta. Stir and set aside. In another bowl, mix your spaghetti sauce and diced canned tomato. Now you’re ready to layer.  Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 350 before you start layering.

Using a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, drizzle olive oil on bottom and place one layer of lasagna noodles.  Next, add meat by sprinkling (approx 1/2 your meat mixture) over noodles.  On top of meat, add about 3 heaping tablespoons of your cheese mixture and spread over meat.

Split your tomato sauce into 1/3′s and spread the first 1/3 over the cheese layer.  Top with lasagna noodles and begin next layer.  Meat, cheese, sauce and end with lasagna noodle. Top with remaining sauce and provolone slices.

Cover and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. If you want a nice browned color, you can uncover for the last 15 mins of cooking time.

I had a ton of left over salad from our Steak Sandwich dinner the night before. You could serve this wonderful lasagna alone or with garlic bread.  It’s a very hearty meal, so you can count on dinner for 8, if you need to.  Otherwise, lunch leftovers will be abundant!

GRAND TOTAL: $9.83