$10 buck dinners!

Someone once told me they give Guinness to the ill in Haiti because it is so rich in nutrients. In our house, we call it Adult Chocolate milk. It seems to be so much more than just a beer. It’s great in bread, cupcakes and even pie!! Give it a try and see what you think. So tender. So flavorful. So easy!! 

Prepared Homemade Crust/Dough:

1 1/2 cups flour - $.60
1/4 tsp salt – pantry
1 stick very cold butter - $.60
4 to 5 tablespoons ice cold water

COST: $1.20

Combine flour and salt in large bowl; cut very cold butter and lard (even if you have to freeze it) into small dices and mix with flour mixture. Use your hands and fingers and squeeze and mix till flour and butter are well incorporated. Mixture will have some small pebbles, which is perfect!

Next, stir in cold water with fork or fingers (I prefer fingers) just until flour is moistened. Form a ball with the lightly mixed dough and wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge.

Steak and Stout Pie:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds beef (stew meat, round steak or other affordable cut) – $4.69
1/4 to 1/2 medium white onion, finely diced - $.15
1/2 bag baby carrots (carrots cut in half) – $.50
2 russet potatoes, peeled and largely cubed  - $.40
8 – 10 baby bella or button mushrooms (cleaned and sliced) –  $1.00
1 can Guinness Beer - $2.00
1 Tbsp crushed or minced garlic – pantry
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil – pantry
Olive oil – pantry
2 heaping Tbsps Flour – pantry
1 to 2 cups beef broth or water and bouillon –  pantry (I use water and bouillon — 2 cubes to 2 cups water)
1 sprig Thyme or a tsp dried – pantry
Salt and pepper to taste

COST: $8.74

Place a large pot over high heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and when starting to smoke, toss in your beef.  Make sure you have sliced or diced your meat into slices or cubes no bigger than 1/2 inch. Season with salt and pepper and sear on high heat for a few minutes. Remove seared beef and set aside.

Turn same pot to medium heat and toss in sliced or diced onions and fresh herbs. Cook for around 10 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. Add the sliced mushrooms and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and continue cooking and stirring occasionally.

After about 5 minutes or when mushrooms are done sweating, 2 Tbsps butter, 1 additional tablespoon olive oil,  2 heaping tablespoons of flour and mix. Cook this for 2 minutes and then bring heat up to high. Immediately add a can of Guinness beer, followed by broth or water (and bouillon) and stir.

Last, add carrots and potatoes and bring to boil. Once to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 1  to 1 1/2 hours or until the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender. Stir occasionally as sauce is very thick. You can adjust your sauce if it’s too thick by adding a little more broth or water. It it’s too thin, move lid and boil off moisture.

While stew is cooking, you can make your pastry dough (see above). And don’t forget to preheat your oven to 350 degrees prior to cooking pie.

When stew/filling is done, carefully pour into a pie dish, then lay rolled pastry on top. You can brush with beaten egg if you like and place in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is a nice golden brown. Delicious and perfect for a home cooked St. Paddy’s meal!

PS. If you wish, you could always use a store bought pastry. Making the pastry dough is probably the hardest part of this entire dish. So, if pressed for time, go the easy route. It will still be the best pot pie you’ve ever tasted.

Recipe adapted from Steak and Guinness Pie by one of my favorites, Jamie Oliver

GRAND TOTAL: $9.94

Oh jeez. I posted without even introducing anything. It’s been a long week. A tough one too. Anyway, here’s a meal that everyone will love. Seriously, who doesn’t love onion rings. I mean even my kiddo that hates onions, loves onion rings. Yeah. Crazy, but true! And you can pretty much fry anything in panko and have crunchy yumminess. haha! Anyway, here you go. Fish, Onion Rings and Brussel Sprouts for good measure. Gotta be somewhat healthy!

Brussel Sprouts:

1 lb (my hubby hates them, so this is really only enough for 3) – $.52 (What a sale! .$49 a lb)
1/4 cup water
salt (to taste) – pantry
1/2 tsp pepper – pantry
1-2 Tbsps butter or olive oil (optional) – for flavor

COST: $.52

Cover and steam in water to desired tenderness. I cut them in half, but you can leave whole. Plan on at least 6-8 minutes for firm. We like ours pretty well cooked, so it’s more like 12 minutes.

Now on to the fun part. Fried Fish and Onion rings!!

Panko Crusted Catfish (pan fried):

4 seasoned catfish filets (manager’s special) – $5.03
2 cups panko crumbs – $1.25
2 cups milk – $.50
2 Tbsp Canola or Olive Oil – pantry
1 tsp salt – pantry
1 tsp pepper – pantry

COST: $6.72

As you all know, my local Sprouts butcher runs specials during the week and this week one of the specials was catfish. They usually season them pretty spicy, so I soak them in milk for the kids and then season in panko crumbs (or corn meal and flour) and fry in a little oil, with a dab of butter. If you don’t have preseasoned catfish, you can season with salt, pepper and paprika or any other seasonings you like. Cook for 5 mins or so, per side, depending on thickness and flip. Key is to only turn once!

Now, here is where the problem happens. It’s pretty tough to fry it all and time it perfect so that everything’s hot. If you have a deep fryer, it might make life easier. If not, do what I do and use a deep sauce pan and fill with a few cups of oil. I started on the onion rings first and then went to fish midway. It worked pretty good. Nothing was left, so I guess everyone enjoyed the meal.

Beer Battered Onion Rings:

2 cups flour – $.75
1 egg – $.15
1 can beer – I was gonna have one anyway, so I call this a sacrifice
4 tablespoons butter, melted – $.25
2 large white or red onions, sliced into rings (they’re sweeter) – $.79
2-3 cups oil for frying – $.75
Salt – Pantry (I use a little in the batter and then sprinkle with salt after frying)

COST: $2.69

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg well. Add beer, melted butter and salt and mix again. Slowly stir the wet mixture into sifted flour and combine. You should have a thick pancake style batter. Add a little more beer or flour to get the right consistency. Allow the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.

Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees or, like me (I don’t have a deep fryer), heat oil in deep sauce pan on high. If you use a deep fryer, you will need a lot more oil, so make note. I use about 2 cups and it seems to work out fine in my sauce pan.

When oil is hot and ready, dunk 6 or so onion rings into batter and coat well. Place in hot oil (gently), one at a time, then use tongs to make sure they aren’t sticking. Fry till golden brown (turning once or twice) and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with your yummy fish and healthy brussel sprouts. Yum, yum!!

GRAND TOTAL: $9.93