Inspired!

Tonight I watched the movie "Julie and Julia" and I was so inspired! I wanted to jump into my kitchen and just start cooking. Then I realized that not only is most of my food packed, but that I wouldn't even begin to have half of the ingredients necessary to cook in this fashion. This is some serious looking stuff. Plus, I definitely don't have the know how. But as I was sitting there watching this movie, I thought to myself I'm so sick of casseroles.

Ahhh....the casserole. The thrifty mama's go-to dish. You can make anything into a casserole or hot dish. Throw a bunch of ingredients together, a can of soup, stick it in the oven and voila! you have yourself a meal that has lots of leftovers. Oh yes, I am queen of the casserole. However, isn't it possible to be a thrifty mama and eat stuff other then casseroles? It has to be! I looked up the famous Beef Bourguignon dish and I have to say, other then the beef chuck and the bacon, the ingredients aren't as scary as I thought. I bet I could get beef chuck and bacon on sale. Actually, right now I have a coupon for the good bacon and as you know, I have boneless beef roast in my freezer. Would that work, I wonder? The rest of the ingredients, I could get at a somewhat cheap price.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to run out and make Beef Bourguignon tonight but I think I might have to try it for a special occasion! Also, my new goal is to branch out from casseroles. Don't get me wrong, you'll still see me making casseroles and soups. I love lasagna. I also like the quick, simplicity of throwing together some hamburger, a cream of mushroom soup, some corn and cheese and having it taste pretty darn good (plus, let's face it, my daughter loves that stuff). However, I'm not going to become a casserole queen. I'm going to branch out and try new things AND I'm going to stay within my budget of $60 a week darn it!

So, here is my question for you! What is your favorite non-casserole and non-crock pot recipe? I would love to see different recipes that are thrifty!