Thursday, April 3, 2008

Recession food

36 cents.


I knew the economy was faltering (and some people believe it's a full-blown recession), but my uneducated economic opinion was confirmed with a recent trip to the grocery store. Never before have I found the boxed corn muffin aisle so vacant as the other evening. Only a handful of boxes of corn muffins remained. Either someone was really hungry for corn muffins  or fellow grocery shoppers and cooks have discovered the inexpensive versatility of the food. Take a box of corn muffins, add the more expensive ingredients 1/3 cup of  milk and  one egg, and you can have a base for a Mexican pizza. Top with cooked and crumbled ground turkey (about a dollar less a pound than ground beef and much healthier for you) combined with taco mix, add some salsa, cheese and sour cream. It's so easy to make, and best of all, I keep most of those ingredients on hand. 

Do you have any recipes for inexpensive meals? Share them in the blog for an upcoming feature on the Taste page. 


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There has always been something comforting about the presence of Ramen noodles in the grocery aisle — something my kids like to eat and often choose over more expensive options. It tells me not only that I have the luxury of buying something other than the cheapest thing in the store but that I'll always be able to afford a tasty meal (25 cents a pop), no matter how bad times get. I guess corn muffins fit in that category. I well remember that our "treat" growing up was not ice cream or cookies but cornbread crumbled up in a glass of milk. It's a treat to this day.