5 Meals for Entertaining for Under 15 Bucks!

1. Lasagna with Garlic Bread and a Salad

1/2 box of Lasagna Noodles ~ .75

Large Marinara from Prego ~ 1.88

Ricotta ~ 1.68

2 cups shredded Mozzarella ~ 2.58

2 cups self Shredded Cheddar ~ 1.75 (buy cheese in bulk and shred)

1 pound Ground Beef ~ 2.50

1 can 8 ounce of tomato sauce ~ .30

Salad Mix ~ 1.50

Garlic Bread ~1.99 at any Bakery or Freezer aisle

Par boil Noodles until al dente and drain, they can have a little bite since they will cook in oven, brown ground beef mix with marinara and can of sauce and set aside. Get a 8*8 glass pan and spread a little sauce on bottom and place single layer of noodles down, cut to fit if needed. Then top with some more sauce, a little bit of each shredded cheese and take ricotta and spread little dollops over the top , it will melt in oven so don't put a ton on then layer again and again until you have run out of ingredients or your happy with the height of the lasagna. Place tinfoil over and bake 350 for 45 minutes. Ooey Gooey Lasagna goodness.

Serve with Garlic Bread and Salad and you have a simple yet delicious lasagna meal. Makes better leftovers the next day!

TOTAL COST~ 14.93 cents for a complete meal for 4-6

2. Beef and Cheese Enchiladas with  Cucumber Salad

1 pound ground beef ~ 2.50

4 cups shredded cheese ~ 3.50

2 can Old El Paso 15 ounce Enchilada Sauce ~ 4.00

1/4 onion diced ~ .20

20 corn tortillas ~ 1.99

1 packet of  Taco Seasoning ~ .50

4 cucumbers ~ 2.00

1/4 onion red onion diced ~ .20

Okay brown up ground beef  with 1/4 diced onions and once browned add taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water simmer and set aside burner off! Okay warm corn tortillas so they are pliable by taking 4 paper towels still attached together, get them wet, then wring out and place tortillas inside like a little present and microwave for 2 minutes. Now that the ground beef is cooled add in half your cheese and mix. Then take a bit of enchilada sauce, probably 1/2 a can of sauce, and pour on bottom of the 8*11 glass pan. Then take a corn tortilla lay flat and place a Tablespoon of mixture on tortilla and roll it up. Place seam side down in sauced pan and keep going until they are all made. Once they are all made pour rest of sauce over and make sure to get it in between each enchilada and then layer rest of the cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake 350 for 30-45 minutes. Serve when ready! To make the cucumber salad mix in 1.5 cups of miracle whip with diced red onion 1/4 cup white vinegar and a sprinkle salt and black pepper. Mix well then stir in cucumbers and serve. Enjoy dinner and the low cost it brings!

TOTAL COST ~ 14.89 for dinner for 4-6 people

3. Blackened Chicken Alfredo with Garlic Toast and Steamed Broccoli

1 pound chicken breasts boneless ~3.50

1 box of fettuccine ~ 1.00

Bertolli Alfredo Sauce ~ 1.99 a jar

2 pounds Broccoli steamed ~3.00

Garlic Toast from bakery or freezer ~ 2.00

Season chicken with blackening seasoning before grilling them. Once cooked set aside covered with tin foil to keep warm. Then boil up some water with 1/8 cup of salt after it has boiled add the salt in. Salt will ruin pan if placed in from the beginning. Once water is boiled and then salted add in the fettuccini and cook until al dente..usually 10-12 minutes but try one before assuming its done. Once pasta is drain add in a Tablespoon of Olive Oil or butter to prevent sticking and cover until ready to eat. In another sauce pot add in Alfredo sauce to warm and slice chicken up nicely. Don't forget to steam your broccoli which will take roughly 15 minutes. Serve pasta down the chicken on top and ladle Alfredo sauce over and serve with the warm garlic bread and your beautiful green vibrant broccoli.

TOTAL COST ~ 10.49 for a complete crowd pleasing meal!

4. Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Buttered Peas

4 pounds of peeled potatoes diced and parboiled mixed with 1/2 cup warm milk and 4T butter and mash it with a potato masher until creamy ~ 1.50

10 pieces of Hormel bacon lined on saran wrap single layer touching each other ~ 3.98
1 pound ground beef ~ 2.50
1/2 packet Lipton Onion .50
3 Slices of Sweetheart Bread or Wonder Bread or Whatever white bread you like toasted crumbled into tiny bits as close to breadcrumbs as possible ~ 15 cents
2T. Ketchup ~ .05
2 eggs ~ 24 cents
1/2T. ground pepper
1/8c. milk
1t. garlic powder
5 slices of Sargento or whatever brand of Muenster Cheese ~ 1.00
Birdseye Frozen Peas microwaved  ~ 1.25

1. Lay pieces of bacon out in a single layer but touching each other on saran or tinfoil...set aside
2. In a bowl add beef, Lipton onion soup mix, crumbled bread, ketchup, pepper, garlic powder, eggs, and milk and work together...add more milk if bread seems dry....don't want a goopy meatloaf should form into a ball nicely.
3. Okay lay half of mix on the bacon making a football like shape across the meatloaf, place cheese on top, then cover with rest of meatloaf.
4. Now start wrapping bacon around tight ends meeting ends.
5. Now you could wrap this up and refrigerate until the next day or a couple hours or you can go to next step.
6. Heat up a skillet pan to medium high and oven to 375
7. When pan is hot then place seam side down!!!! on fry pan...brown the bacon up around the meatloaf...take heat to medium...once bacon is burnt its icky so lets not burn it:)
8.When browned then place seam side down in an oven safe pan and bake until done in center 30 minutes approximately!
9. Pull meatloaf out of oven and rest for 5 minutes while you get rest of dishes together and then cut and serve. Serves great with  mashed potatoes and peas :) Enjoy!

TOTAL COST ~ 11.17 Feeds 4-6 people easily

5. Beer Can Roasted Chicken with Herbed Wild Rice and Steamed Asparagus

1 whole chicken cleaned washed and cavities cleaned... dry off with paper towel ~ 6.00

1 lemon ~ 33 cents

Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Box mix ~ 1.98

2 pounds Asparagus cleaned and steamed ~ 3.98

1 can of beer ~ 1.00

So simple way to make a chicken as good as a store bought rotisserie.... Turn your BBQ on high on outside burners...2 middle should be off or on very low to prevent flare ups.... Let it heat up...In the meantime clean and pat dry your chicken and oil it and season it according to liking... the oil is going to help create that beautiful brown crust...If you don't eat the skin then don't worry about the calories...If you eat the skin well a little oil isn't going to phase your system then. Take a large beer can 16 ounce I used and dumped half of the beer out...you wont taste the beer so don't fret it...but if all else dump the beer out and add herbs and chicken broth in the can. Then place beer can on grill place chicken over the beer can like you see and I use the top rack to lean chicken on and rest the wings ...it looks funny but the taste in phenomenal! I let it cook for an hour at 450-500. My BBQ has a built in thermometer. When the thickest part of chicken (thigh area and breast I read) reads 170-180 I pull chicken off and rest 10 minutes on a big plate. After resting if you pull wing it should just separate from joint easily..another way you know chicken is done... and pull leg and the leg and thigh should just come off carcass easily with a slight pull. Then cut breast off and serve. Serve with rice made according to directions and some steamed asparagus, Enjoy!

TOTAL COST ~ 14.70 and feeds 4 adults easily!