Each person also will bring the non-meat items of their assigned recipe for the entire group. For example, at our last party my recipe was Taco Soup. Since there were six of us, I brought the equivalent of 6 cans of diced tomatoes, 6 cans of corn, 6 large cans of tomato juice, 6 bags of cheddar cheese and 6 bags of corn chips, as well as enough taco seasoning to flavor everyone's meat.
This is where the savings happens. Instead of buying these cans individually, I took advantage of Aldi and GFS and spent approximately $25 to supply my ingredients to the group. My meat for the night cost around $12 due to the fact that it was purchased on manager's special and had been waiting patiently in my freezer. Altogether, I was able to provide six meals for our family of 9 for $37. This averages to be about $6 per main dish. Many in our group have smaller families and split these dishes in half making the average $3 per meal!
Aside from the ingredients, a list is provided of supplies that will be needed to make our night run smoothly. We learned after our first cooking experience together that a lot of time can be wasted waiting to use a can opener!
Here's an example of our last Assignment List:
Here is what you will need to bring with you prepared for our cooking night:
The non-meat items for your recipe x 6
½- 1 pound of cooked smoked sausage
4 boneless chicken breasts cooked with ½ jar salsa and then shredded
2 cups diced ham
16 oz cooked chicken breast cubed (4 cups)
1 ½ pounds ground beef cooked with 2/3 cup onion
1 pound of ground beef browned
8x8 baking dish
10 gallon sized freezer bags
Plastic Wrap
Foil
Large mixing bowl
Large Spoon for mixing
Measuring cups/spoons
Tomorrow I'll share specifics regarding preparing for the recipes for assembly as well as some more shopping tips.
2 comments:
I like the idea of bringing your own meat so you can control the price and bring the kind you have on hand or your family prefers. Great idea!
Hello! I found your page through Money Saving Mom. My family and I have had a couple cooking sessions. Thanks for taking the time to write this blog. I'm sure it will be a great help!
Jenny in Ohio
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