(Troy cutting up asparagus - pronounced "ass-par-ah-gus.)
(Aaron ruining tending to the rice.)
(Our finished steak dinner.)
However, since my friend Katherine and I have been spending extra time with the boys, we felt like we should repay them by cooking dinner all by ourselves. Since we're girls on a budget, we decided to challenge ourselves by trying to compose a meal that would only cost $10. After doing a little Internet research for ideas, we came up with the idea of chicken enchiladas. Luckily for us, we had a good portion of the ingredients already, so we could definitely work within our budget.
We ended up buying the chicken, tortillas, tomato sauce, cheese, and some of the seasoning at the store for...$12. Wahhh we went two dollars over our budget. It was a valiant effort, though. We probably could have found some cheaper alternatives, but when it comes to food, you do have to have a little quality, right? I mean, this stuff is going into your mouth and throughout your system. We're trying to create affordable, but edible meals over here.
Katherine and I had enough supplies to make one batch of enchiladas that we followed from a recipe (for the most part...ok maybe not really). This batch was turning out to be really soupy, though it smelled amazing. After baking it, it was still a little soupier than anticipated, but boy were they delicious!! All the guys loved them. Tim and Aaron (Troy's other roommates) had the brilliant idea of buying us more supplies so that we could make another batch.
This time, we used tomato paste and less water, creating a much thicker sauce. Also, I sort of improvised on the spices and just tossed in things that smelled good since we ran out of our other seasonings. Alas, it smelled a little too much like pasta sauce, but I was hoping that it would turn out and that the baked spices would come out a little stronger. This is our second batch:
Though this batch looked way better being more filling and less sloppy, we all agreed that the first batch of enchiladas was better. It wasn't that this second batch tasted bad, it just didn't have as great of a flavor as the first. What can I say? I'm learning and next time I know to maybe have a heavier hand when it comes to my spices. These were still very tasty, though (do you like how I get so defensive), as we all have had them for leftovers and I'm kind of craving a bite now. So there you have it, my frugal little foodies. Enchiladas are super easy to make and can still be quite affordable.
We ended up buying the chicken, tortillas, tomato sauce, cheese, and some of the seasoning at the store for...$12. Wahhh we went two dollars over our budget. It was a valiant effort, though. We probably could have found some cheaper alternatives, but when it comes to food, you do have to have a little quality, right? I mean, this stuff is going into your mouth and throughout your system. We're trying to create affordable, but edible meals over here.
Katherine and I had enough supplies to make one batch of enchiladas that we followed from a recipe (for the most part...ok maybe not really). This batch was turning out to be really soupy, though it smelled amazing. After baking it, it was still a little soupier than anticipated, but boy were they delicious!! All the guys loved them. Tim and Aaron (Troy's other roommates) had the brilliant idea of buying us more supplies so that we could make another batch.
This time, we used tomato paste and less water, creating a much thicker sauce. Also, I sort of improvised on the spices and just tossed in things that smelled good since we ran out of our other seasonings. Alas, it smelled a little too much like pasta sauce, but I was hoping that it would turn out and that the baked spices would come out a little stronger. This is our second batch:
:]
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