recession stew

with my impending last day of work looming over me, my survival instincts have finally kicked in. gone are the days of multi-cheese purchases at murray’s. i’ll be sticking with kraft singles for the time being, or maybe even america’s choice (cringe).

luckily, my favorite soup in the world, corned beef and cabbage stew, is also cheap as heck. a simple analysis proves that this brokeman’s broth is actually cheaper than an item off of the mcdonald’s dollar menu. behold:

cabbage (chopped up into big chunks): $1.29
corned beef: $1.89 for a can
noodles (wide, elbow or orrechiette): i purchased mine for 98¢, but they’ll usually run you a good $1.29 so let’s just use that figure
water: free
salt & pepper: free (from mcdonald’s when i stopped in there to ogle the dollar menu)

fill a large pot with 6 cups of water and bring to boil. then drop in the cabbage. after 3 minutes, drop in the pasta and cook for as long as the package specifies. lastly, drop in the corned beef, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.

the total comes out to $4.47, but will feed 6 people. 75¢ a head!

if you want to be really fancy, you can drop in some mini mozzarella balls or tofu.

paperless recession specials

these deals are perfect for these uncertain economic times and you don’t even have to print them out! just text the paperless coupon to yourself and show the cashier on your cell.

free bean burrito or taco when you buy one at taco bell

free order of burgers ($15 value) with purchase of specialty drink in lounge at pop burger

88¢ falafel sandwiches at snackalicious

free pitcher of beer with 5 or more friends at wicked willy’s

deals courtesy of 8coupons.com

super simple somen

we are officially recessed. and i don’t mean in a good way like when class is over. although that’s a pretty clever play on words when you consider that many of us are going to have to give up many of the finer things in life and rough it for a bit. don’t fret - somen is an elegant white noodle similar to angel hair that’ll help you maintain your class through these hard times. plus it’s cheap. don’t you just love that?

super simple somen recipe:

for noodles:
3 bundles of somen (for 2 people)

for mentsuyu dipping sauce:
1 tsp hon dashi granules (this is what the package looks like)

1 tbsp hot water
3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
soy sauce to taste (about 1 1/2 tbsp)

bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil.
add the noodles and cook according to the instructions on the packet. if the instructions are in japanese, just cook the noodles for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
drain the somen in a colander and (unlike for italian pasta) run cold water over the somen, rubbing and washing it gingerly.
for the mentsuyu, dissolve the hon dashi granules and sugar using the hot water in a small bowl. then, mix in the soy sauce and warm water.
serve the noodles in ice water with the mentsuyu in small bowls on the side, or for a fancier presentation, place the noodles in wine goblets with any leftovers you might have in your fridge (spinach, cooked carrots, and scrambled eggs are good choices) and pour the mentsuyu over the noodles.

why is this a site?

swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.