Gourmet Meals For Less: Paula Deen

Rollover Roast Pork Loin and Gravy with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes

I started receiving Everyday with Rachael Ray last year in the mail,

and have really enjoyed the section on budget recipes she features every month. Occasionally on her show and website she will share her "Rollover Meals".

The premise of the plan is that you can cook the bulk of your ingredients the first night, and roll them over for two more days...so that you end up with three unique meals. Now Rachael does not imply that these meals will come in at $10 or under, but I wanted to give it a try. So my first attempt at her "Rollover Meals" consisted of the following three meals:

Rollover Roast Pork Loin and Gravy with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes
Rollover Roast Pork and Black Bean Chili
and
Indian Curry Roast Veggies over Spiced Rice

So join me over the next three days to see if I can succeed in creating convenient rollover dinners while staying under $10 a meal.

Continue reading "Roll Over Menu....Day 1" »

I love Paula Deen!

Maybe it's because she reminds me so much of my mother-in-law,
(beautiful silver hair, southern accent, excellent cook....)

(can't you see the resemblance....wish you could hear her talk..y'all!)

or maybe it's because I know I'm not truly southern (well half southern if my Arkansas side counts, and yes dad it does) and really want to be, or possibly because I love good comfort food. Anyway, I love Paula's recipes and her cheery, informal style of cooking. I have cooked several of her recipes in the past and they always turn out wonderful! I thought I would share one with y'all today...

Shrimp Creole over Sticky Rice with Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins.

This is proof you can cook shrimp for cheap and in a crockpot!

Before you get started I want to share my favorite little crock pot secret...they are not frugal, technically, but they are a life saver and they have increased my desire to use my crock pot a 100 fold. So for the cost of a hamburger and coke off the $ menu you can make your crock pot cooking experience much more pleasant. They are....

Now hubby and I no longer fight over who has to clean out the crock pot...it's a beautiful thing, go get yourself some!

Crock Pot Shrimp Creole by Paula Deen
Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoon olive oil (PI)
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers (bell peppers freeze beautifully slice your whole pepper and freeze half. We had a garden this summer so I am fortunate to have tons in my freezer but if you don't then) approx .50
1/2 cup diced onions .25
1/2 cup diced celery .25
1 clove garlic minced (PI)
1 teaspoon chili powder (PI)
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes .79
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce .49
1 Tablespoon hot sauce (PI)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (PI)
1 teaspoon white sugar (PI)
salt and pepper to taste (PI)
1 1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp $6.24
green onions to garnish .10 (optional if you don't already have some or will not use them for something else)

Prepare white rice according to directions. (I used Jasmine rice because it's extra sticky, use what you have or buy the jasmine and use for other dishes. If you've never tried it you should it's delish!)
4 servings .75

Directions:

Preheat crock pot to high. In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions, celery. Cook until softened. Add garlic and chili powder and saute until caramelized. Remove from heat and pour into crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire, white sugar, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about approximately 10 minutes until shrimp are pink and have started to curl. Serve over hot rice. Topped with chopped green onions.

Martha White Southern Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 large egg slightly beaten .08

2 cups Martha White Self Rising Cornmeal (It has to be Martha White....because Bessie Stokes (Ma-maw) said so) .75 because of large amount used

1 1/3 milk or buttermilk (use buttermilk...trust me on this one. This is a great way to use up that buttermilk from the Salmon Croquettes) .75

1/4 cup pure vegetable oil.

Directions:

Heat oven to 450°. Combine all of the above ingredients in medium size mixing bowl. Mix well. Spray 8" oven proof skillet, 8" square baking pan or 12 muffin tins lightly with cooking spray. Pour batter into desired pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes if in pan, 20 minutes if baking muffins or until golden brown on top. Serve with butter. Yum!

This recipe serves 8 so technically this could be two meals for four people. But who are we kidding we will eat all of this ...

with enough left over for hubby to take to work....maybe.

Total Cost: $10.70
(this meal serves 6 heartily and 8 smaller portions, hubby took a big helping to work the next day...so close enough to $10 in my book, and it was under $10 for us because of our garden produce we froze this summer)

*(PI) indicates Pantry Item.

This should satisfy the stomach of any good Southerner and the wallet of budget gourmets.

Enjoy...y'all! (couldn't resist)

P.S. This was a first time recipe for our family and a HUGE hit! We will be eating this one again...two thumbs up!

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