Eating on a Tight Budget. Well, almost.

After posting that I was going to chronicle what I ate and the price of what I ate in a recent post, I had a very pleasant wrench thrown into my plans. My parents and sister came down to visit and my mom prepared a delicious spaghetti dinner.
So my plan on chronicling the price of everything I had to eat that week will have to be postponed.
That being said, some useful things came from the spaghetti and meatball extravaganza. (Extravaganza may be a bit of an overstatement considering I am used to eating it, but I have been subjected to my own cooking for a month or so now and I realize how much better my mom is at cooking than me.)
One thing to remember to try and do at college: eat at the table.
While I have been known to eat my cereal on an ottoman in front of the TV, I enjoy it when I get to eat like a civilized human and not like Donnie from the Wild Thornberrys.
This next part will sound cheesy, but I am the same guy that seriously contemplated buying this CD.
Get your roommates together and eat at the table. Now if you have roommates you can't stand, this obviously does not apply. But my roommates and I sit down for a "family" dinner once a week, and it is always a good time.
One good thing to think about cooking for a family dinner is hamburgers. They are very easy to cook and are always a crowd pleaser.
My simple recipe is this:
Buy lean ground beef, but not too lean. Ideal meat to fat ratio is 92% meat versus 8% fat.
Make sure to use seasonings. McCormick's Steak Seasoning is my go-to seasoning for burgers, but I also add in a couple of Italian seasonings occasionally. Also, do not forget a little salt & pepper.
Then, simply make the patties, fire up the grill (or frying pan) and cook. (My suggestion? Once you think they are done, cook them another five minutes at least. I am notorious for eating mildly raw meat, and it is not something I am proud of.)
As I mentioned in previous posts, baked beans is a perfect complement to burgers.
For more adventurous recipes, the folks at allrecipes.com have compiled a good list of different burgers. But for my money, I'd just keep it simple. As my grade school teacher Ms. O'Brien always said, keep it simple stupid. (She wasn't the nicest lady.)