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Change of Plans

Our supper plans for the nite have changed- I believe I originally planned for homemade pizza tonight- but yesterday I was rotating food in the freezer (oldest stuff to the front) and found a package of round steak that has been in the way back of the freezer for a very, very long time. I checked it- the meat looked good (i.e. no freezer burn or discoloring). I partially thawed it- still looked good.
So I am cooking it.  Here’s what I decided to do- and let me just say right now that I love to tweak recipes, I love to come up with new recipes and I never, hardly ever, measure.

Okay- I placed the partially thawed steaks into the crockpot. I got out a mixing bowl and mixed a can of cream of mushroom soup with half a can of water and then added a thawed package of beef gravy (found in the freezer yesterday and no, it’s not as old as the steak- only a couple of months) and stirred it all together.

I rummaged in the fridge and found a package of sliced mushrooms that if left to their own devices will grow fungi upon fungi. So- I tossed the sad (still edible) mushrooms on top of the steak. I then spied the small onion DH had brought in from the garden last nite. So- I diced the onion and dumped it (very ceremoniously) on top of the mushrooms, which were placed on top of the steak (oooh, I feel a House that Jack Built wording there . . . .) in the crockpot, which sat on the countertop of my kitchen, in the home we bought- not built (he, he- I’m done with that now).

Okay- next I poured the gravy/soup mixture on top of the whole shebang, placed on the lid and cranked that puppy up on high.
We have not eaten the fruits (um, steak) of my labor yet but it smells enticingly, mouthwatering-ly delicious. I will, of course, let you know afterwards if it was as edible as it smells.

Now I must add cost considerations- I love this part. I am counting the steaks as freebies; not only because I can (I’m the cook after all) but because they’ve been in the way back of the fridge for oh so long that I have no clue where they came from let alone how much they cost (the way I see it- if it’s been in my house more than a year- it’s practically free!).  The can of soup cost me 69 cents. The gravy was frozen leftovers from a couple of months ago- so it’s free too. Onion- homegrown- free. Mushrooms were $1.69. So the grand total for that yummy smelling concoction is $2.38.  Yippee!
I’ll serve it with a side salad (salad greens purchased on sale for $2.00- we’ll eat about a third tonight= $.67- figure in dressing and cheese and tomato; add an additional $.98) so salad costs= $1.65.
And a side of fried sliced herbed potatoes drizzled with ranch dressing. Potatoes- free- from garden. Herbs- free- from garden. Ranch dressing- um, I’m guessing it would amount to about 10 cents worth that I’ll drizzle on top (I purchase ranch dressing in a huge-mongously large container as it is a staple in this home- I kid you not).

$2.38+1.65+.10=$4.13 for supper.

I also have to admit that I won’t be serving the sherbet shakes that we’d planned for dessert tonight- I didn’t like the price of sherbet at the store we ended up shopping at this week and so I didn’t get it. Instead we’ll be having: Chocolate Chip Snack Cake for $1.50.
Gotta say that's a pretty good deal and I'm a gal who loves a good deal!