Cheap Eats

So the theme for tonight was making more with less. I went to the store with the goal of getting all the food I needed for the next week for $30. I am very proud of myself for spending a total of $35.49 with 6 bags of groceries. So I decided to see what I could make with the following ingredients that were on sale or I already had in the fridge. I decided on a play of a childhood favorite, Hot dogs and Mac and cheese.

Quick Mac and Cheese Bake:

1 box Mac and cheese + ingredients listed

½ pkg ranch dressing mix

2 tbls mayonnaise

2 pieces of sliced bread

A bit of olive oil

Make according to the directions on the box. As soon as you start boiling your water, brush two pieces of sliced bread with olive oil and put in the oven or toaster oven on 250. Bake until crispy. After Mac and cheese is ready, mix in ½ pkg ranch dressing mix, 2 tbls mayonnaise, and ½ c. shredded cheese. Place in a shallow baking dish and crumble bread on top. Bake for about 10 min at 350 or until top is golden brown.

For the hotdogs, I did a quick search online and found this recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Glorified-Hot-Dogs/Detail.aspx

Glorified Hot dogs:

Hot dogs

Sliced cheddar cheese

Dill pickle (sandwich stacker or whole)

1 slice bacon for each hotdog

French baguette

Salad dressing

Toothpicks

Cut hot dogs in half-length wise. Place strips of cheese and dill pickle between the two halves and wrap with bacon. Secure ends with toothpicks. Cook hotdogs in a skillet or on the grill until the bacon and hotdog are cooked through (about 3 min each side). To make them a little more fancy I also used a baguette instead of the hot dog buns and instead of mustard or ketchup I used the Greek vinaigrette dressing we had in the fridge. All in all it came out pretty well and I have more than enough left overs of the Mac and cheese for lunch tomorrow!