	Ellen Brenner San Diego Budget Meals Examiner \| Bio My Bio Subscribe RSS Feed Favorites

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A life long food geek and freelance writer, Ellen credits her mom, a child of the Great Depression, with teaching her how to dine fabulously on a budget. E-mail Ellen at etbrenner@gmail.com.

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San Diego Budget Meals Examiner's Articles

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Budget holiday recipe: simple sweet potato/apple casserole with hint of maple syrup

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Thanksgiving for many people these days is not just one family feast, but an extended weekend of potlucks and gatherings of friends and co-workers....
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Budget recipe: whole chicken in crock pot, easy and versatile

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We've sung the praises of supermarket rotisserie chickens, but that noble bird does have some drawbacks--it's often more highly seasoned than one...
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Budget recipe: Halloween Peep Treats are silly spooky fun for all ages

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They appear as if by magic around every holiday--those marshmallow goodies with the fun shapes and bright colors. Marshmallow Peeps used to just be...
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Budget cooking tip: smoked turkey parts give beans great flavor

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Cooking beans with smoked meat is a time-honored thrifty kitchen strategy. The cheap bony and/or fatty trimmings from hogs especially--knuckles,...
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Fall recipes: Chinese soy-sauce braised pork belly

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Pork belly, the cut we're more familiar with when turned into bacon through curing and smoking, has become all the rage among food cognoscenti in...
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Fall recipes: Beet and beet-green borscht

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At first blush, you wouldn't associate borscht, that sturdy Eastern European staple, with sunny seasonless San Diego. But the small local farms that...
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Budget recipe: easy versatile lentil salad

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For those of you who want to enjoy the thriftiness of dried legume dishes without the lengthy cooking time (or the pressure cooker learning curve)...
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Budget cooking tip: "Better Than Bouillon" perks up beans, meatless recipes

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So you’ve been reducing your meat intake to save money on your food budget, but your inner carnivore is feeling less than satiated by your...
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Budget recipe: crock-pot carnitas make great Chargers football party fare

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The Chargers are finally done with low-impact preseason games, and distracting off-field news stories, and ready to start the season with a bang in...
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Rotisserie chicken: budget meal solution when it's too hot to cook

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Behold the ubiquitous Rotisserie Chicken, fixture of many a supermarket deli section, its savory aroma tempting shoppers to the little...
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