Phew – where did this week go?! It seems like I was just opening Monday’s emails, and now it’s Friday already. I think this week flew by especially fast due to all the summer weddings, graduations, and other special events that seem to be happening all at once. I haven’t even done any coupon shopping this week; I haven’t needed to, because of this:

I made this massive pan of chicken and potatoes on Monday, and we’ve gotten several meals out of it. Between this and the wedding buffets we’ve attended, we were pretty much set for meals this week.

I tried this recipe for Garlic Chicken and Roast Potatoes, which I highly recommend; it was delicious. I made a few modifications to the recipe to suit my taste – I substituted olive oil for butter, chopped the garlic, and halved the potatoes instead of chopping them into little pieces. I also slow-cooked it on a lower temperature than directed for about an hour and a half, which made it very tender. Jai thinks this is probably the best chicken he’s ever had, so we give this recipe two enthusiastic thumbs-up!

And it was also a very frugal meal. The chicken cost .34 cents, and I used roughly .20 cents worth of garlic. I also used nine potatoes, which came from a ten-pound bag that cost $1.79. I’m going to guess and say that I probably used less than .59 cents worth – I still have a giant bag left over. The maple syrup was a sample that I received because I am writing a review of the product for Contest Corner. So total cost for this pan of chicken, which fed both of us for multiple meals? About $2.33.

Oh, and I got the foil roast pan on clearance at Walgreens for .25 cents!

I also made a pancake brunch this week, which is worth mentioning because I discovered a frugal ingredient substitution:

For Christmas 2008, I made homemade gifts for everyone on my list, including bags of pancake mix. I ended up with more than I needed, so I still have a few bags in my cupboard. The mix calls for 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and 2 cups of milk. I had just ran out of eggs, and didn’t have time to go to the store, so I did a Google search for substitutions. You’ve probably heard of substituting applesauce for eggs in cakes and brownies, but did you know that it works in pancakes too? I read mixed reviews of the results, but I’m an adventurous cook with loads of applesauce in the pantry, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. I used 1/2 cup of applesauce in place of the eggs, and the pancakes turned out great.

Have you discovered any frugal recipes this week? I’d love to hear about it!