MAKING 3 DINNERS for $9 | Budget Meals for Two | Ardent Michelle

[@lenoraw1098]

Thank you for inspiring me again this week. Love from Oklahoma! 😁

[@ArdentMichelle]

You are so welcome! 😁 Glad you're enjoying my content. 🥰 Thanks for letting me know!

[@pom-momtina6254]

Hearing you talk about the Korean dramas that show people eating 'just' a potato for dinner reminded me of how my grandmother told me that when growing up during the depression, her mother would bake potatoes in their wood stove, wrap them in foil, and put one in the kids' pocket to keep their hands warm on the long walk from the farm to school each day. Then, they would eat the potato for lunch. I thought it was genius!

[@ArdentMichelle]

That is truly a great idea! Potatoes are so filling too!

[@allyrooh3628]

I don’t think there’s a meal out there that can’t be made better with potatoes. They’re just a perfect food. Hope you have a great week Michelle.😊

[@ArdentMichelle]

Couldn't agree with you more. 😁 you too. Hope your week is awesome!

[@spicychickpea97]

Cream of chicken soup over rice was a staple for me as a kid when I had to make my own dinners because my mom was working overtime, so that first meal really speaks to me. I’ll still make it sometimes when I’m sick.

[@ArdentMichelle]

It should be on rotation simply for how easy it is to throw together. We all need those types of meals in our busy lives. I'm with you on wanting comfort food when sick. 👍 I'm the same way.

[@cheriemonami]

I love when you make meals from what you have on hand. I need to learn that skill. I tend to have a full pantry and nothing to eat. Same with my fridge.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Been doing a lot of this lately 😂 I'm so hungry for fresh veggies though. Planning something different for next week.

[@Cookie7294]

You'd be surprised. I start with an onion and garlic and then add chopped leftover vegetables from the fridge. If you have lentils, or canned beans, or rice or pasta, you can end up with a hearty meal in a pot. I cook soup every week to use up vegetables. It's my go to supper.

[@cheriemonami]

@@Cookie7294 I can hear that you don't understand how my brain doesn't make those connections. I'm much more comfortable doing Sudoku or thinking about physics. LOL.

[@Cookie7294]

@@cheriemonami ❤️ I would prefer to read, gotta eat though. I'm lucky to have watched my mom produce good meals from whatever was in the house. 😁

[@cheriemonami]

@@Cookie7294 Yes, you are lucky. I'll eventually get it. Just needed a good teacher and lots of practice.

[@aprilw7561]

Tuna gravy yep with biscuits. And white gravy with pepper and sausage

[@kathy.7475]

Cream tuna on toast was a favorite when I was growing up. Mom made the cream sauce from scratch, just butter, flour and milk.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Yes, it's so easy to make milk gravy, plus I think it tastes so much better.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I'm hearing lots of people grew up eating this.😁

[@michellescoggins1129]

Hi Michelle! I was a single mom for many years and had to get creative lots of times with very little ingredients. One budget treat I always liked to make my kids was onion rings! They are very versatile, in that you can make them with just flour, oil and whatever seasonings. you may like. Here is how I made mine: sliced an onion, separated the rings and placed in a bowl of cold water. Prepare a bowl of flour and the seasonings of your choice, whisk then separate half of the flour mixture to a plate. Add water, milk or even beer to the flour in the bowl, whisk until the consistency of pancake batter. Shake excess water off each onion ring, dip in dry flour mixture until evenly coated, then into batter., again, shaking off excess. Fry in hot oil, not too hot, until golden brown. Lately I tried a slightly healthier version by dipping my floured onion rings into egg, then into panko bread crumbs. I sprayed a baking sheet with cooking spray, placed each ring on the sheet, then sprayed the tops. I baked at 350 for about 10 minutes, turned them over then baked another 5 minutes or so. They were delicious and very crunchy! I absolutely love your channel an look forward to seeing your new videos each week!

[@ArdentMichelle]

I was planning to make onion rings in one of my recent videos but don't think I ever got to it. Thanks for the reminder that they are a great inexpensive snack and who doesn't like onion rings?!?!? So glad you're enjoying my videos 😁

[@martinemjt]

to make it a little fancier you can push your bread in cupcake mold and bake.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Oh yes...brilliant 👍 I love this!

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Hope your family member gets fully recovered soon. Time and money are resources. As a project manager, we always say: Good, fast, cheap - you can only have two at one time and that’s a good principle to remember. Good here is good tasting, good for you and good for the planet. Usually cheap and fast won’t fit that definition of good. So yes, cheap and good means lots of cooking.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Well said! 👍

[@michelleutter8521]

My Grandma taught me how to make creamed potatoes and peas. She grew up during the Great Depression. She also taught me to slice onion really thin and eat it as a sandwich with butter or mayo.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Grandmas know good food 👍

[@rebekahhansen1112]

Yes, potatoes on toast is Depression era . People would also make fried potato sandwiches. Last week while visiting my son i made very similar to the 3 dishes you made. I also made mashed potatoes with ground beef gravy on toast . Yum.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Oh that sounds good with mashed potatoes 😋

[@hockenberryholler3150]

@@ArdentMichelle or bean patties on white bread...

[@ArdentMichelle]

@@hockenberryholler3150 I eat that in a different form on a regular basis. Thinking black bean patties on a hamburger bun 😂

[@robininva]

Kind of “funny.” We’re eating baked potatoes and peas (and fried chx strips) AND milk gravy…for lunch today. I’m noshing while I’m watching! A great thickener for your potatoes….is potato flakes, the kind for instant mashed potatoes. It’s a great soup thickener, too!

[@ArdentMichelle]

oh yes, that's a GREAT idea 👍 Sounds like a nice meal.

[@RachRolls]

Yes, potato flakes are also a great thickener if you're following a gluten free diet!

[@bethanygreiner8581]

The tuna and cream soup goes great on spaghetti for tuna tetrazzini.

[@ArdentMichelle]

oh yes...great idea👍 I had forgotten about tetrazzini.

[@erinrich4343]

That first meal was a staple in my house growing up. We always used cream of mushroom soup and had peas on the side. ☺️

[@ArdentMichelle]

I haven't had cream of mushroom soup in so long. I used to like it with egg noodles.

[@missbetty7231]

I froze roasted tomatoes from our garden in gallon bags. One thing I do with them is a tomato stew. Tomatoes, onion, a carrot, 1 or 2 Potatoes. Sauté onion and carrot, add turmeric, garlic, paprika. Cook tomatoes down in a cup or so of veg broth or water. Stir in potatoes and some white beans or peas. Serve alone or with rice, maybe crusty bread if you have it.

[@ArdentMichelle]

yum 😋

[@thelisaofmonalisa4829]

It's so interesting to see how folks have variations of similar meals

[@ArdentMichelle]

that's exactly what I was thinking!

[@mommajo]

I love these recipes! I make an inexpensive curry potato soup using milk to make it a little more creamy at the end. Ive never thought of adding spinach!

[@ArdentMichelle]

I've been in a curry mood lately. I've also been eyeing a curried cabbage soup that I added to my recipe bucket list. 👩‍🍳

[@colettebishop2173]

Curried pumpkin or butternut squash is amazing too, especially with a bit of coconut milk or plain yoghurt.

[@mommajo]

@@colettebishop2173 oh my, I've never had that. Will have to try it 😁 Thanks

[@cilantroyepazote5160]

Maybe a budget menu where you make double portions so you eat the same thing monday and tuesday, then the next dish wednesday and thursday, a third dish friday and saturday. This way of cooking is common in some latin countries as it saves gas and time. 😊

[@ArdentMichelle]

and that's actually how I normally cook. Cook once eat twice. I think I also get a little overly excited when I'm exploring all of the possibilities with a set of ingredients 😂

[@im7mommy]

My family is PA Dutch (German and Swiss, really). I grew up eating chicken and waffles and I make it as a comfort food for myself. I make it now when I am homesick. I make a chicken gravy with a little onion and celery and use leftover chicken or (even canned chicken if it’s just for me). Serve over waffles. It looks dreadful, but it’s so good. Some people also add peas or carrots, but I prefer veggies on the side. The first recipe could be used for that, too. It wouldn’t be nearly as tasty as all homemade, but still good. We’ve had tuna gravy over waffles, too. But that may have just been my industrious mom winging it.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for sharing this. Sounds very good! 😋

[@Brianna_Little_Apple_Mama]

Sh*t on a shingle I saw on Trisha Yearwood’s show 😂. My grandma has definitely had this.

[@ArdentMichelle]

love that name 😂

[@maidsua4208]

Carrot soup is something we use here in Scandinavia. Onion in oil until the onion is transparent, garlic if you have it in the house. Then water or vegetable stock, carrots and preferably a potato. Cook until cooked through. Then I run it in a blender or use a mixer until the soup is nice and thick. Season it with salt and pepper, and then some have chilli in it and some have lime in it. Here we use lime. In the winter, lime can be expensive if you have a tight budget here, so I freeze it if I only use, for example, half. And if you have some parsley, use it to decorate the soup. Thank you so much for all your creativity! I think you must be the most creative person on KZbin food channels!

[@ArdentMichelle]

awe...thanks so much for the nice complement 🥰 and also thank you for sharing this. I'm adding this to my bucket list to make soon. 👩‍🍳 Sounds yummy!

[@MelindaWalker-p4x]

I sometimes add oatmeal to my soups to thicken them and make them more filling - works very well in corn/ potato chowder

[@rivahcat8247]

Personal suggestion: when using canned potatoes, however cut, rinse and drain them very well before using them. The can liquid is NOT pleasant! Thanks for another great budget video!

[@ArdentMichelle]

You're welcome and thanks for the tip 👍

[@donnakinsman6814]

We ate this all the time when I was a kid. The tuna gravy.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I love how fast it is to put together.

[@Patchouliprince]

These days a loaf of bread is so expensive! I switched to making loaves of sandwich bread at home. I use yeast, sugar, salt, flour, and water. Much cheaper than just buying it from the store all the time

[@emily--m]

You know ..... who cares if a chef turns over in his grave at your cooking. What's important is how much us viewers absolutely love you. FYI ....everytime I take some me-time and watch your vids, my rescue cat that I've had for 20 years hears your voice and wants to watch you with me😊. Now thats a thumbs up 👍

[@ArdentMichelle]

awe...that's awesome that your cat watches with you! 😁 Love that!

[@tonyabrown7426]

Oh please make that potato and onion soup recipe that you added the evaporated milk too! great video thanks for sharing

[@estherhurst4741]

Thanks! Gotta try that curried potato and spinach soup! You rock, Michelle!

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hi Esther 🥰 You're so good to me! Thank you so much for supporting me! I'm grateful. 💜

[@meganfitzpatrick4067]

Tuna and cream of mushroom soup over rice. So good!

[@ArdentMichelle]

I've had just mushroom soup with rice and that's good too.

[@cedarvalleycrafts7042]

A budget meal I make is chicken a la king. A way to use left over veggies, a cheap roux, and left over bread.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for sharing this. 😁 I'll have to make this on my channel. Added to my recipe bucket list. 👩‍🍳

[@happygardener28]

As a take off on each meal, mixed vegetables are good in nearly everything, including stirred into mashed potatoes. Spinach, kale, any chopped green adds loads of micro nutrients also, typically greens are easy to grow and can be a window sill crop. Homemade biscuits or flat bread can be as cheap as store bought bread without the chemicals, and don't take much time.

[@cindyg5064]

I just made creamed tuna over toast last night. I use cream of mushroom soup.

[@janelibrizzi3362]

My mother used to make tuna on toast with cream of celery soup and se would add diced green peppers. I LOVED it.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I need to use green bell peppers more.

[@WorldOfWonder66]

What great video. I really enjoyed it ☺️ I haven't thought about these kind of recipes in a long time. Thank you very much. Another thing that can be use in the gravy/sauce are the small single package of lunch meat. They cost about the same as canned meat and gives many other flavors to choose from. I had totally forgotten about this. I use to do it all the time when my kids were young. Thank you again 🙂

[@ArdentMichelle]

My pleasure 😊

[@ladyj.klmnop]

With the probability of turkey shortages, can you make a family (4) Thanksgiving meal using canned turkey?

[@ArdentMichelle]

That's a great idea. 👍 I don't see that canned turkey is currently available at my Walmart but I'll look for it.

[@twilightshealy4152]

Turkey is delicious...but its the enhanced Stovetop stuffing, cranberry sauce and green bean casserole that speaks Thanksgiving to me.❤😊

[@cathyb3790]

My mother used to make “Cream peas on toast” she always said use the best ( Green Giant ) canned peas ,,she would make the white sauce with minced onions in it so good ,,

[@ArdentMichelle]

@@cathyb3790 some viewers say that the canned peas disintegrate but maybe the Green Giant ones don't. Those are fancy 😂

[@cathyb3790]

@@ArdentMichelle I would only buy the Best peas for that recipe and use them right away as I am not fond of canned peas ,,,plus my Mom knew I would buy the cheapest brand 🤪 and she did not want me to be disappointed that it did not taste like her recipe ♥️ I myself have not heard of canned peas disintegrating,,,interesting 🧐🧐

[@behindyourlook7087]

Hey lady it’s Sunday and I’m ready. Keep up the good work from SA

[@ArdentMichelle]

Good morning 😁 and congrats on being the first comment 🥳 Thank you so much. Hope you like this video!

[@robinholbrook8296]

Hi, yes made white sauce with boiled potatoes all my life. Very good! Also good with penne pasta and green peppers and onions.

[@ArdentMichelle]

yum!

[@teresitap5778]

As always,looks delicious ❤

[@VictoriaFerland-gu7rb]

You make my day brighter and just under $18 still was an amazing feat to produce the wonderful meals. It was a big challenge. POTATOES were a main staple. Potato in almost any way is good with me. SOUP. Potato soup definitely a favorite. With just onion or with corn and or corn and hot dogs. ROUX a brown butter ROUX is absolutely acceptable and used in many dishes. It adds a rich slightly nutty flavor. Canned soup. My favorite was mushroom. There’s a canned soup recipe my daughter and dad liked. A box of stuffing mix and some chicken. I think the recipe was on the creamed chicken soup or stuffing mix. I added frozen broccoli sometimes and it was a big hit at pot luck dinners. Thank you again for the great ideas ❤

[@ArdentMichelle]

awe...thanks so much 💜 I'm glad you liked my video. Thanks for sharing your meal idea. I'll look into it.

[@Bobawob]

Omg, mom used to make cream tuna over toast. I hated it 😂

[@ArdentMichelle]

That's funny 😂 the creamed potatoes with peas was yummy!

[@DeterminedDIYer]

There was ALMOST a piece of chicken in that condensed soup! lol.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I know right?!?!? 😂 I was gonna mention that. Haha 😂

[@tmdavidson1478]

For a savory creamed tuna on toast try putting a good pinch of dried thyme in the roux.

[@ArdentMichelle]

oh yes...good call. I bet that's good. 😋

[@dcstaysbusy]

I treat my cast iron pans exactly the same way other than I often dry and keep my pans in the oven after a baked meal to use the residual heat. Also, if I fry potatoes or something that easily comes off and leaves a little oil, I’ll just use a mesh scrubber to clean the pan under hot running water.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for the input on this

[@janicepruitt3458]

Your recipes look like yummy comfort food.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thank you so much

[@rubygreen-y4e]

I wait til my cast iron skillet is cool and then sprinkle it with salt and then scrub it out with hot water . My skillet was my great grandmother 's and that is how she washed it out to. After I wash it out and dry it off with paper towels then I coat it with either lard or shortening .

[@ArdentMichelle]

That's so interesting. 🤔 I've never heard of salt being used. Grandmas know best though 👍

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@rubygreen-y4e]

@@ArdentMichelle , I have always done it that way and have never had a issue with anything sticking to my skillet. And yvvw

[@D7cooper]

Thanks for your help. I enjoyed this video. My favorite from your recipes here is the Curried Potato and Spinach soup. I'm thinking of using canned spinach - I don't usually like canned spinach, but the strong spices might cover that canned flavor. I add a tablespoon of peanut butter to ramen noodles, minced onions, garlic powder, and peas or a packet of meat (tuna or chicken). Drain a can of mixed vegetables into a tomato soup. Stir fry coleslaw with onions and pour 1-2 beaten eggs over the softened vegs to make a quickie frittata//quiche. I haven't followed any Korean dramas although I have heard about them. I have followed BTS; in addition to their music, they've a variety show called "Run BTS." That's a fun show. No matter how charming the actors in Korean dramas could be, I would not move to South Korea to capture drama romance. The idea reminds me of mail order brides minus the money angle.

[@ArdentMichelle]

yeah...I'm with you on that. No jetting off to South Korea for romance. 😂 Glad you like this video 😁

[@annelemaitre302]

My mother would make creamed eggs on toast at Easter to use up the hard boiled eggs. It's just slices of hard boiled eggs in a milk gravy.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I just recently learned about that. I'll have to make it sometime. 👍

[@rajimac]

I couldn’t eat the tuna soup on bread meal. I’d rather make a simple tuba spread and eat it with toast. Chop a quarter of an onion finely and sprinkle salt on it to sweeten the onion. Mix the tuba, onion , a spoonful of mayonnaise , a springy of curry powder a spoon of natural yogurt and pepper and mix it all together . A squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar gives it a bite. Yum yum

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for sharing your ideas 😁

[@richardschmidt2430]

Oh, AM, you had me rolling on the floor!!! You are such a peach! Your sauce looked beautiful! No being aghast here! :) Dawn @ Rich & Dawn in MN :)

[@ArdentMichelle]

I'm glad you enjoy my sense of humor 😂

[@richardschmidt2430]

@@ArdentMichelle Sense of humor is what makes the world go round! :) Dawn @ Rich & Dawn in MN :)

[@richardschmidt2430]

If I don't have celery, a lot of times I will use celery seed for that flavor, I just grind it up first. :) Dawn @ Rich & Dawn in MN :)

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for the tip. I wasn't sure if that was how it works with that. 😂

[@veradegernier2622]

Greetings from England! I just discovered your channel and will watch all videos. Thank you for sharing. In a few months I am retiring and moving to Canada. Cooking on a budget will be very much needed. Can anyone please give me an idea how much a single person spend on groceries. Any Canadian watching this channel?

[@ArdentMichelle]

Welcome to my channel 😁 I have lots of Canadian viewers. Maybe they will help answer the question.

[@uweschroeder]

I wouldn't store the evap milk in it's original can when opened. Maybe that's outdated information since cans have plastic liners these days, but it's what my mother taught me decades ago to prevent the can from oxidizing and leaching metal into whatever is in it. Guess these days we're not leaching metal but plastic components. Personally I always store leftovers from cans in glass containers (I don't use plastic containers) You're correct, a traditional bechamel does have nutmeg as flavoring. I'd still consider a roux with milk a bechamel though (despite what the French people say). That said - using oil makes it something very different than a bechamel. Oil just does not add buttery flavor which is a main part of bechamel. The color you're using doesn't play a role in labeling though: you're making a gravy and not exactly a bechamel, so even the French couldn't possibly complain about a flour thickened brown gravy. In the end none of it matters - you have to like the outcome, that's all that counts. If I may say so: that "parmesan cheese" makes Italians and French people rumble in their graves. I know, you do budget meals and that's all nice and dandy, but I'd much rather omit the cheese and just use a bechamel without it than adding that highly processed stuff that has little to do with parmesan. Heck, I'd use cheap emmental or gouda instead. Here's a tip: if you want parmesan flavor at a much much lower pricepoint, get Mexican Cojita cheese. It's affordable and surprisingly close to Parmesan cheese for that. Trader Joe's has a good price on it.

[@bethbrec]

Thank you for showing these ideas. It sure helps the budget!

[@ArdentMichelle]

You are so welcome! 😁 I'm glad it's helpful. I appreciate you letting me know! 🥰

[@kaelynnmartin6521]

I made creamed peas with potatoes for church potluck last week

[@ArdentMichelle]

I bet that was a hit 👍

[@pek5117]

Thanks for the video Michelle. Curry soup looks nice.

[@ArdentMichelle]

My pleasure 😊 Glad you like it. More curry recipes to come.

[@anitaknight8235]

As kids, we ate mashed potatoes over toast with creamed peas on top. So yummy

[@ArdentMichelle]

love mashed potatoes.

[@wolchfam]

I love your videos. You always have great creative ideas. The soup looks delicious and I have all those ingredients on hand so it’ll be on the menu this week. Thank you.

[@ArdentMichelle]

You're welcome 😁 I'm so glad you are enjoying my meals.

[@melanieroberts2221]

Cream of celery would be good as well with tuna over toast

[@ArdentMichelle]

Great idea 👍

[@kristydickens1283]

We used to to the tuna gravy with leftover ham, turkey or chicken. We'd use a roux with broth and milk rather than canned soup. It can be topped with cheese and popped under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese a bit. It's a premium Thanksgiving leftover meal.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Love the sounds of this 👍 Thanks for sharing!

[@gracehall9199]

I have a few potato’s, onions, frozen cauliflower and broccoli, and fresh carrots, edamame, and red lentil noodles, and just ordered protein powder. That’s going to have to last me for another week or 2. I think I’ll be cooking beans this weekend. 🤔

[@ArdentMichelle]

I bet you can make some delicious meals with those ingredients 😁

[@billthain8286]

The French always use butter and never oil.

[@cherrywilson6267]

Butter isn’t vegan

[@journey2joy578]

We would have the creamed peas and potatoes with chopped hard boiled eggs.

[@ArdentMichelle]

This is so interesting because someone mentioned egg gravy earlier as another Southern dish and that was the first I had heard of it. That makes sense though...because it makes a complete meal. Definitely going to have to make this on a future video! 👩‍🍳 Thanks for sharing!

[@christinad132]

Regarding your comment on K dramas… I recently got hooked on the K dramas and the Korean series on Netflix. King the Land was amazing. They r very clean and proper compared to American shows. King the Land 👍👍👍

[@ArdentMichelle]

oh thanks for sharing this. I'm currently watching Grey's Anatomy (again) and will need another drama when this is over. I'll check King the Land out. 😁

[@mollygardens6646]

I’ve eaten mashed potato tacos at my Mexican friend’s house. She had extra people at her house for an extended time so it was a budget meal.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I love mashed potato tacos. I've made them on my channel, but I was just sitting here planning out my next video (that includes sweet potatoes ) and wondering how they would be in a taco. Might not work though....🤔 might need something to balance them.

[@kathy.7475]

I make black bean and sweet potato quesadillas. They are very good.

[@TheWildsissy]

It’s dangerous to keep canned foods open in the refrigerator. I just learned this a few years ago myself. Definitely put it in another container.

[@ArdentMichelle]

it's fine for a few days though.

[@ksacosta69]

Grits and buttered toast was our budget breakfast growing up. We always added a little butter and salt and pepper. It was very filling. Now that's I'm older I like to add cheese then top my grits with a lightly fried egg. The yolk is natures gravy. Plus grits can be used for dinner also. Add some butter, garlic, green onions, cheese...and maybe a spoonful of gravy. Yummy! I bet grits could be used to make a rice pudding type of dessert too.

[@ArdentMichelle]

grits have been on my bucket list and I've also been wanting to make a ragu with polenta of some kind. I had one at an Italian restaurant one time and it was so good. Thanks for sharing this. 😁 Saving this comment to remember to try this.

[@karlalockard4870]

I enjoyed watching your video! I hope that your family member feels better soon! Be careful and stay safe!❤️🙏🏼🥰

[@ArdentMichelle]

Yay! 🥳 I'm so glad you enjoyed my video! My son is much better. Thanks so much. So far I've managed to avoid covid 🤞

[@theresaaltongregg4569]

Aldi soup is over cooked and tasty. Great Value at Wal-Mart soups and vegetables are delicious.

[@susankohl6697]

A fried egg on top would be great! 🥰

[@ArdentMichelle]

Great idea!! 👍

[@lindawilson290]

Great job for under nine bucks, AM! If it's not too personal, why do you not eat tuna? ~ Hope your relative w/Covid is feeling much better. Have a great week.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hi Linda 😁 I've just never liked any fish or the taste of anything from the ocean. Although I do like seaweed. 😂 Thanks so much. My son is feeling much better. You too, have a great rest of your day!

[@lindawilson290]

Thanks, AM. So glad to hear your son's on the mend.@@ArdentMichelle

[@gailgulliver8970]

Thank you Michelle hope your little one is feeling better I oil my cast pans after every use we are quite damp in U.K. so if you don’t they can soon rust but we are having a mini heat wave🎉 in the south at the moment wet in Scotland though ..I do flat bread and Nann breads in mine ..they turn out great ..xxx

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hello 😁 He's actually my big one now. 😂 He's almost completely recovered, and I've managed to avoid getting covid for a second time that someone in my house has had it 🤞 That makes sense as to why you need to oil the skillet every time. Thanks for sharing this info. I would love to have your flat bread and Naan bread recipe if you ever care to share. You can also email me at [e-mail]

[@marypeterson1053]

Looks so good.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thank you 😁

[@hoovesandpaws]

I am from the deep south. We fix gravy with what we have on hand...we just need a fat, water or milk, and flour or meal or a combo of the two along with salt and pepper. We sometimes add things to our gravies. Things like sausage, ham, spam, leftover porkchops, onions and peppers, the trinity...you get the drift. One of my favorite meals is homemade hand rolled biscuits with cornmeal gravy. Ohhh and my alltime favorite: red eye gravy over rhem hand rolled biscuits. Where I'm from, we don't use a cutter! Either handpat em or drop em. My mother was depression era...I learned how to make something delicious from what's on hand without going out and spending money.

[@mrssomuchmore7193]

I have never heard of cornmeal gravy before! I love reading theu the comments! I keep on learning so much! From northwest WI here😊

[@hoovesandpaws]

​@@mrssomuchmore7193 I prefer to melt my fat of choice, add in my meal with a bit of flour, whisk it around and add in my milk or water and add in a bit as I need to get it the consistency I want. And add in my salt and pepper.

[@mrssomuchmore7193]

@@hoovesandpaws thank you!! I'm going to make a note of this and try it! Is it more cornmeal or more flour? And what's your favorite foods to use this gravy with (other than biscuits)?

[@ArdentMichelle]

I've never heard of cornmeal gravy either. 🤔 Oh, this is so exciting 😁😂

[@ArdentMichelle]

going to try this! 👩‍🍳 Thanks for sharing with us!

[@charlottekearn5185]

Hi Michelle, I love these simple recipes, very budget friendly and I like that its fast to put together. I sent you a message on Patreon but not sure if you read it yet. In case you didn't I wanted you to know I sent you something. It should arrive in the next day or two. Charlotte

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hello 😁 No, I haven't read your message yet. Too busy on Friday editing.😂 I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks for letting me know.

[@muttersmenu2422]

I used grain bread and instead of tuna I added diced canned chicken in the soup. Adding some fresh veggies or green leaves will add some vitamins to the meal. Love creamed peas tipped over a jacket potato but now I will try your recipe😊

[@ArdentMichelle]

Great tips to spruce this up a bit 👍 Also like the idea of using the creamed peas on a baked potato.

[@bobdole7292]

100% not just with the cream soups but with the soups in general- some of the off brands have very weird tastes and are inedible

[@ArdentMichelle]

I do prefer making my own.

[@arthrodea]

That clip of the K-drama was a woman eating a Murasaki potato (Japanese sweet potato - it has purple skin and creamy white flesh inside). They sell them at trader joes and they are DELICIOUS! they have a sweet honey taste to them - very different from the orange sweet potatoes you find in US grocery stores. You should try them! I just bake them for about an hour, peel and eat - like the woman in the video clip.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Definitely going to pick one up the next time I'm at H Mart or Trader Joes. Thanks for sharing this info. I don't think I've tried one of those yet. I've been using up some orange sweet potatoes this week for my next video and I've been loving them mashed, so I'm definitely in a sweet potato mood.

[@ironwolfF1]

A minor upgrade to recipe #1...add a small can of peas (less than 70 cents) for a big boost, both in food value & flavor.

[@stacel1972]

My favorite meal with my granny. Thank you. 💜 The curry/potato soup is one I will try very soon. I truly enjoy your videos ( you are 100% my favorite KZbin influencer)perhaps when you do an in depth very low budget week you can break it up into 2-3 videos so you have time to edit etc since it’s so time consuming?

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hi Stace 😁 thank you so much 💜 I appreciate the complement. I'm honored to be your favorite. 🥰 That's a good idea. I didn't mention it but I had actually planned out a video that required even more cooking, but I nixed it due to time constraints plus it was vegetarian with lots of Mexican and Latin American influences.....and I had just finished some Mexican fusion meals. It's all I can do to not make that type of food every video. 😂😂 It just lends itself so well to budget cooking though. Anyway...hope you have a great rest of your day!

[@notsomomlife]

I never thought about cream soups as gravy

[@ArdentMichelle]

I hadn't really either.

[@javamt4]

a tip on cast iron, you are not supposed to use soap. if I need to scrub I use salt and a damp paper towel;.

[@ArdentMichelle]

You can use soap if you dry, season and care for the pans the way I showed in this video.

[@Crafty_Chari]

amazing!!

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks!! 😁

[@victoriastewart7116]

I made creamed tuna over your kentucky biscuit recipe last week! I made a béchamel sauce instead which is cheap too. it was soooo good! I really liked your biscuit recipe a lot! will be my go to. It was such an easy recipe too.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I'm so glad you liked it! 🥳 Yay! Thanks for letting me know. I was out with one of my sons the other day and he wanted to buy KFC at the drive through- I just ordered one biscuit for myself and it was so dry- I was thinking- my biscuits were better than these. 😂 - usually they're quite good though, they must have just been old. Anyway- so glad you like that recipe!

[@shelzp7272]

My favorite budget meal involves a box of Zatarains Jambalaya mix and a can of rinsed dark red kidney beans which I add after cooking the rice according to the instructions on the box. I usually have celery, onion, carrot so I might add those but it’s fine with just the two items. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I also think it’d be good with a box of ricearoni although I seldom use that product.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for sharing this. 😁 I've just added it to my bucket list.

[@CathieG]

Hi friend 😍🤩 Geesh this week went so fast! I feel like I just watched your other one. 💕 Hope everyone’s feeling better 😊

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hi Cathie 😁 yes, my son is much better. He mostly just slept for a few days but I've been avoiding him for over a week. 😂 You must be busy if time is going by quickly. Me too. Hope you have a great week!

[@Laguns-ij4hn]

you could thaw the spinach first and drain the excess liquid. I love a potato soup. When was young, mom and grandma would make potato soup with milk, potatoes, butter, onion, salt & pepper. I low calcium levels and dont drink milk normally. This simple soup always makes me feel better. Ive changed up things with additonal seasonings, evaporated milk, half and half, cream, etc. Sometimes I will substitue leeks for the onion. so yummy.

[@ArdentMichelle]

I've actually been thinking about leeks a lot lately. 🤔 I'll probably be making a soup with them sometime soon!

[@Laguns-ij4hn]

I love Leeks. My daughters dont like onions. I can substitute Leeks. I thought it was just me who didnt like the Aldi Cream of Chicken. I do like Campbells or Walmart GV. Another good base for soups or gravies is the Campbell's Cream of Chicken of Chicken with Hebs. Unfortunately no GV is available. I can add minute rice to the soup and its a meal. My daughter (14) is having a bad year medically. One of her meals cream of chicken W/ Herbs with rice.

[@ArdentMichelle]

@@Laguns-ij4hn Thank you for sharing this with us. I'll look for that soup and add this to my bucket list of recipes to try.👩‍🍳

[@Laguns-ij4hn]

2024 is not turning out to be a good year medically. i thnk her condyloma is coming back only after two months. She has something called pemphifus (sp) vegetens which is very rare her condyloma is back it hurts when she sits. she bleeds out her bum. The PV is aweful.ans rare caise a lot of the symptoms but nobody will try to treat her. i am at my with emd. she has pv which may impact her new heart valve. im at a loss. i dont want alignore my older daughter. im just at a complete loss. ive tried low fod diets, no diets, gluteb free in my house. dad is somethimg else.

[@Funtimez85]

Or you can use can Chicken instead of tune

[@kippytx]

I have Covid right now too. I enjoyed your video today

[@ArdentMichelle]

Hi Lucinda 😁 Sorry to hear you're sick 😞 Hope you get better soon. I still haven't had it. This is the second time someone in my house has had it but I've managed to avoid them and not get it. I've had some gnarly headaches but nothing else. Glad you like this video. Thanks for letting me know.

[@sherrylewis9327]

I care for my cast iron the same way except I use a solid shortening (Crisco). Learned from Mom so this method has been working over 60 yrs and still non-stick.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thanks for sharing this. 😁

[@alicehunsaker7876]

I love your videos ! I ate fried potato sandwiches a lot . Also I would mix up a jiffy corn bread mix , spread in pan , snuggle some hot dogs in it and bake , tastes like corn dogs , serve with a can of beans ! Was wondering what you drink ?

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thank you so much 😁 Glad you're enjoying my content. I need to make that with the jiffy corn bread and hot dogs. Thanks for sharing. Saving this to my recipe bucket list. As far as what I drink, I drink coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day. Sometimes I'll drink milk too and at times I'll drink smoothies. But day in and day out, I stick to water. I used to love to drink sweet tea and an occasional coke on the weekend but I've tried to cut out all the extra sugar from that, and I've come to love water.

[@dianacornwell2258]

Thank you for your hard work.

[@ArdentMichelle]

You're welcome 🥰 Thanks for watching!

[@Rebelartist83]

The difference between the southern milk gravy and the other is usually the amount of flour and often bacon grease and you can find that Cavenders in low sodium variety..but I think the difference is some have milk some have bacon fat and some have eggs and the french influenced alot of southern cooking especially in Louisiana and Tx and the carolinas and that peas on toast thing is pre great depression but got repopulair during the depression and its better with chicken but thats our family..btw I think the turkey thing is curbing avian flu but nobody said Thanksgiving had to be turkey im probably going to trade my brother at church some home made pickles for some of his venison or just do a huge pot of stew..lol but if anyone is looking for canned turkey Amazon at the moment has i think 25 cans of turkey spam for the price of a small turkey so what 15$ bucks..so its already degutted and cleaned for you and you can save the cans and cash them in at your local scrap yard lol ..and nice video Michelle these are handy to know

[@ArdentMichelle]

Turkey spam sounds like a nice combination. 😁 I need to start thinking about my Thanksgiving video! 🤔

[@Rebelartist83]

@@ArdentMichelle turkey spam is 100% turkey and it might not be the white meat but it's still the bird lol and last time I checked so a couple of weeks ago before we got paid Amazon had a case that cheap and even if you only have 5 cans chopped up in a thanksgiving casserole for your family it's not a waste when you can save the leftovers for another meal or your reg life or another video haha they also had pallets of canned veggies like 24 cans for 12$.. where I live in Texas we have crazy winters and still recovering from the great snow blitzkrieg of 2020 and it's only recently Houston got the green light to stop boiling their water..my friends make prepper jokes nope I'm just stocking up for winter and am lazy and don't like to get out no more than I have to. but where they see so many canned goods I see meals like if you have a bunch of canned peas and you don't want to fool with a big meal you can take them and make pea soup or your canned veggies and make veggie stew lol .I'm not rich and have a small apt but I think my friends just crack frugal jokes and like how like you and others I think on the cheap and what I can get on the cheap but I'm an electric wheelchair user and don't get out unless it's for church or a Dr appointment or a errand with a friend so I buy enough till the next pay day and only stock up if I have to so yeah we're having a DT thanksgiving cause ours delivers but it'll have stuff from the food pile and whatever i can can..but nobody said thanksgiving had to have what's expected so if your next month video was a spread of your favorite meals through the year and your boys like it then who cares if you have say koshari and your peas on toast and what sesame chicken or your biscuits and gravy with buddig beef or other stuff you made its the thought that counts and thanksgiving is alot more than stuffing your face haha

[@ArdentMichelle]

@@Rebelartist83 Agreed 😂

[@Rebelartist83]

@@ArdentMichelle haha people sometimes loose sight of that I think I remember my dad's mom telling me during the depression in thanksgiving they had potato soup and I think whatever fish her dad could poach from a ranchers pond..mom's dad put it a little more succinctly growing up during WW2 he said if the family mule died you don't question where the thanksgiving pot roast and rest of the meat for the month came all you knew is Frances didn't die from anything harmful to humans and the vet told ya that as he processed him and hauled him away and gramps also was like don't question where your new winter boots came from either the next month..I guess the thanksgiving pot roast also made great boots and shoes.. but they simply were saying it could be worst you could have it alot worst.and any foods a gift no matter how crummy lol anyway I'm sure your video be great as usual and I've definitely gotten some ideas 😆 take care and God bless and have a wonderful day

[@MamaStyles]

I feel the same way about peas esp canned ones 🤮 😂

[@vonlipi]

Have you tried tomatoes and eggs? It is a Chinese recipe and I heard it could be done in the rice cooker.

[@ArdentMichelle]

No, but I will look into this. Thanks for mentioning it. 😁👩‍🍳

[@WildroseHomemaker]

Girl that “cream of” soup is $2.58 at my nearest Walmart 😅😢 Great idea though. Also, gravy is life so thanks for another awesome video!

[@ArdentMichelle]

that can only mean one thing....you're in Canada 😂 I prefer using the bouillon and making my own sauce. It's tastier anyway...but less convenient when you want to throw something together in a few minutes. Glad you like my video 🥰

[@WildroseHomemaker]

@@ArdentMichelle haha you are correct! Thanks for the reply, long time follower. Take care!

[@danasandlin2435]

I haven't looked this up, but I think that a roux actually browns the flour; a bechamel does not brown the flour, but the sauce is kept white; and a mornay sauce uses cream and maybe a spot of butter (I don't believe that the other two sauces use butter)--I always think of the mornay sauce as being a richer sauce than the other two (the 2 poor cousins to the mornay)...dts/usa

[@danasandlin2435]

I believe that your video shows a roux sauce (browned)...dts/usa

[@danasandlin2435]

besides tumeric tea, you could also make golden milk, with tumeric...dts/usa

[@ArdentMichelle]

yes the first one was a roux

[@ArdentMichelle]

I did some research for this video. A roux can be any color.

[@gracehall9199]

That tuna dish would’ve been good on a potato for someone that needed a little more food. I’d honestly still be starving, bcz I’m a bigger eater.

[@ArdentMichelle]

Understood 👍 I agree.. the potato is a good idea for a more filling option.

[@WorldOfWonder66]

Praying for your family 🙏🏻 I like the shorter videos better anyway 😉

[@ArdentMichelle]

Thank you 🥰

[@kell_checks_in]

If you have flour and milk and butter/oil already, couldn't you just make a white sauce for the first item?

[@ArdentMichelle]

yes, absolutely!