We changed things up a bit for Frugal Feasting to Frugal Appetizer Party. We had a little trouble with the budget since we had more dishes and more meat. Enjoy the recipes!

Menu

Mexican Caviar

Macho Bread

Spicy Crackers

Bam Bam Biscuits

Pig Candy

Spicy Crackers

2 sleeves Saltine Crackers

2 oz vegetable oil

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 package dry Ranch salad dressing mix

1 gallon Ziploc storage bag

Place all ingredients into the storage bag and “toss” lightly until the oil/seasoning blend had coated all of the crackers – about 10 minutes or less. These can be stored for a couple of weeks.

Mexican Caviar

1 large can petite diced tomatoes

1 can black eyed peas

1 small can green chili peppers

1 small can black olives

1 lime

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 jalapeno

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for 2-3 days to maximize the flavor of the dish. Serve dish at room temperature with corn chips.

Macho Bread

1 loaf French bread

12 slices Swiss cheese

1/2 lb bacon

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 stick butter

1 tbsp mustard

pinch garlic powder

Melt butter and sauté chopped onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Slice bread at an angle and place on a large piece of foil. Put one slice of cheese in each slot. Mix mustard with the cooked onions and butter; then pour over the top of the bread. Add bacon to top of bread; maybe poking a few pieces into the slots. Adjust foil to cover sides of the loaf, but do not cover the top of the bread (cook open-faced.) Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Pig Candy

1 lb thick sliced bacon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp Cayenne pepper

1 oz finely chopped pecans

Chop pecans until fine and add to brown sugar and cayenne pepper to make a dry mix. Cut bacon into 3 sections if baking, or cut in half if grilling (see below for information on grilling vs. baking.) Coat both sides of the bacon with mixture. Bacon can be grilled over medium heat, flipping every 3 minutes so the sugar doesn’t burn. Grilling should only take about 10 or 12 minutes total. Bake bacon in the oven using a cooling rack or something to keep the bacon out of the grease while it cooks. This helps the bacon become crispier. It isn’t necessary to do this, but it makes crispier bacon. You can put the bacon on a rimmed cookie sheet and make this appetizer. Bake until bacon is crisp (400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes.) Remove from oven, remove from pan to drain excess and let cool.

Bam Bam Biscuits

8 biscuits

1/2 lb pulled pork

Use a little four on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you. Flatten biscuits by hand as much as possible. Add a “pinch” of BBQ to the middle of each pressed biscuit. Roll biscuit into a ball so the BBQ is in the middle. Sprinkle with a little Cajun seasoning if you like it spicy. Bake biscuits at 350 degrees for about 16 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. Use a BBQ dipping sauce.

Meal Total Cost:

$29.04

Lint Roller

Original purpose: Restoring your black turtleneck to its fuzz-free glory. Aha! Use: Dusting a lamp shade. Run the roller up and down the outside to get rid of small particles that shouldn't be there. Reward: The satisfaction of knowing that every surface in your living room will pass the white-glove test.

Mesh Vegetable Bag

Original purpose: Toting home potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. Aha! use: Scrubbing up after dinner. Cut ends open, scrunch, and add soap and water. Reward: After a gooey mac-and-cheese cleanup, you can throw this freebie sponge away guilt-free.

Lemonade Kool-Aid

Original purpose: Quenching your thirst. Aha! Use: Cleaning lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher. Pour a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and run the (empty) dishwasher. Reward: Citric acid in the mix wipes out stains; you don't have to.

Vegetable Oil

Original purpose: Frying up a tasty batter.

Aha! use: Shining leather shoes. Use a damp cloth to wipe away dirt, then apply a small drop of oil to a soft cloth and rub the surface to remove scuff marks.

Reward: A polished look from heel to toe

Lemon

Original purpose: Adding zing to soups or salad dressings. Aha! use: Removing tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards. Slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing. Reward: A house that smells like a lemon grove rather than chemicals.

Baking Soda as Silver-Polisher

Original purpose: Making cakes rise. Aha! Use: Polishing silver. Wash items, then place on aluminum foil in the bottom of a pot. Add a baking-soda solution (¼ cup soda, a few teaspoons salt, 1 quart boiling water) to cover for a few seconds. Reward: A chemical reaction that gets the black off the gravy boat.

Salt

Original purpose: Unlocking flavor in your favorite dishes. Aha! use: Cleaning up a spilled egg. Heap a handful of salt on the mess, leave for two minutes or so, then wipe up. Reward: The egg sticks to one paper towel instead of sliding off five or six.

Coasters

Original purpose: Keeping wet glasses from making rings on Mom's mahogany coffee table. Aha! use: Catching escaping drips of sticky stuff from bottles and jars in cupboards. Reward: Shelves that don't require a full wipe-down after every spoonful of honey, slather of jam, or glug of olive oil

Car Wax

Original purpose: Shining up the sedan. Aha! use: Polishing faucets, sinks, tile, even shower doors. Turtle Wax leaves behind a protective barrier against water and soap buildup, so your hard-earned sparkle will last past the next tooth-brushing. Reward: A gleaming bathroom all week long

Newspaper as Food-Container Deodorizer

Original purpose: Daily source for information. Aha! Use: Food-container deodorizer. Stuff a balled-up piece of newspaper into a plastic container, seal it, and let sit overnight. By morning the paper will have absorbed food smells. Reward: That lingering curry scent is yesterday's news.