Reducipe - The Blue Box Special

Posted on November 4, 2007 by Melissa
Filed Under Reducipes

Reducipe
Pronunciation: ri-doos-uh-pee
Function: noun
1 : a recipe that can help lower your food costs in a variety of ways
     a : by scaling back an expensive recipe to be less pricey but still just as tasty
     b : by turning an already inexpensive meal into something special
     c : by using leftovers in creative ways to stretch their use

This is the kind of recipe that takes something very cheap and turns it into something special. On days where we have limited fresh food in the house this recipe is a winner. It may not be as cheap as straight up mac & cheese but this recipe transforms the mix so that you can barely tell you are eating boxed dinner. The Blue Box Special elevates a humble boxed dinner into something more exciting, filling, and palate-pleasing.

Eric loves this recipe and even raved about it to his friends. The trick to making this dish pop is getting the hot dogs really crispy on the edges. That adds a nice texture contrast and makes the dogs extra flavorful. Make sure to use a high quality hot dog if you can. We use Hebrew National hot dogs, they are sooo good and aren’t too expensive when you match a sale with a coupon. I have a fridge full of them from when I was able to get them for $0.75 a package. Good thing they keep a long time!

The Blue Box Special

1 box Macaroni & Cheese mix
Milk and butter for preparing mix (amounts specified on box)
1 package hot dogs, sliced (Hebrew National preferred)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of leftover shredded cheese (Cheddar or Colby preferred)
Handful of frozen peas, thawed
Black pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni as directed on the box. While the macaroni is cooking set a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the hot dogs and cook them until they get crispy on the edges. Remove the hot dogs to a plate.

Add the onions to the remaining oil in the hot pan. When the onions are just about translucent, add the garlic. Cook until tender then remove from heat.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain thoroughly, and put the pasta back into the warm pot. Mix in the milk, butter and cheese mix like you normally would when preparing mac & cheese. Stir in the spices and the peas while the mixture is still very hot. Add in the hot dogs, onions, and cheese, stirring carefully. Enjoy!

Serves 4.

We tend to use store-brand mac & cheese but this box of Kraft was given to us by my mom when she cleaned out her pantry. We noticed it was expired but I still used it. How can boxed pasta go bad? :-)

We also used a handful of Monterey Jack because I was out of cheddar. No biggie, just use whatever cheese you have on hand. Adding the cheese helps give it richness and helps disguise the powdered cheese taste.

Ingredient	Cost	Ingredient	Cost
Mac & Cheese	$0.33	Onion	$0.87
Milk	$0.12	Garlic	$0.05
Butter	$0.24	Spices	$0.05
Hot Dogs	$0.75	Cheese	$0.18
Olive Oil	$0.15	Peas	$0.22
		Total	$2.96 or $0.74 a serving

For the price calculations I decided to use the cost of my store-brand mac & cheese because I didn’t think it would be fair to not count my box of Kraft (it was free). I also used the recommended amounts of butter (4 tbsp) and milk (1/4 cup) to make the boxed mix. You can also lower the cost by using canola oil instead of olive oil. Enjoy!

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Comments

10 Responses to “Reducipe - The Blue Box Special”

Kimberly on November 4th, 2007 1:31 pm

Well, that’s a fun spin on macaroni… I’ve done the hot dog thing but this really spices it up, like a little adult meal for a not so good cook like myself…. thanks, I’ll give it a try!
Dory on November 4th, 2007 2:16 pm

HOORAY for Mac n’ Cheese! It’s on sale this week at my local store, so I’ll definitely give this a shot :) I love mac n’ cheese and hotdogs anyway, but I always think about how bad it is for me… Then again, I suppose if you use good ingrediants, it isn’t TOO terrible. I wonder if the cheese powder could be sub’d out for something more healthy.
Louise on November 4th, 2007 3:13 pm

How can boxed pasta go bad, you asked???? Pasta can get those annoying bugs in them that flour gets… weevils???? not sure what they are called but if you dump your pasta into a pot of water and something strange floats to the top of the water, you will toss out that pan mighty fast. Apparently the bugs are attracted to the glue used to glue the boxes shut.
Louise in Alberta
sahil simon on November 5th, 2007 2:04 am

did you know how cheese was invented? It wasnt necessity, it was an
accident, http://www.swissworld.org/en/switzerland/swiss_specials/swiss_cheese/history_of_cheesemaking/
my15000DollarYear on November 5th, 2007 9:27 am

Just wanted to mention that I love your idea of trying out tips from the Tightwad Gazette, but I do have a request. Could you try out more tips that are not recipes? I’d love to see more of those!
ValleyGirl on November 5th, 2007 5:12 pm

I often prepare KD with veggies and meat of some kind — usually tuna and peas, but often sausage or ham and peppers mixed with salsa, too. Mmmm, yum! Not exactly classy, and I probably wouldn’t serve it to guests (unless they were my daughters’ friends!), but it’s amazing how a few simple additions can make a cheapo meal a little more appealing and healthy without making it a whole lot more expensive. (love the picture again!!)
Melissa on November 6th, 2007 2:41 pm

@Kimberly - I’m glad I could help! This recipe is really easy and almost fool-proof.

A few more tips: Make sure not to saute the onions and the hot dogs together because the hot dogs won’t crisp up properly before the onions start to burn. Also - it’s even tastier if you fry the onions in bacon fat! It’s sooo bad but sooo good, hehe.

@Dory - Powdered mac & cheese isn’t too bad for you if you leave out the butter. It is salty but the fat content is pretty low. I don’t even WANT to know what the fat content is in my real mac & cheese recipe! :-)

@Louise - Ewww! You are right - the pot would be in the sink if I saw that. Thanks for the heads up. I haven’t encountered those bugs yet so I’ll keep an eye out for them.
Melissa on November 6th, 2007 2:52 pm

@sahil - Welcome! I had heard that cheese was an accident. A very happy accident. It is my favorite food!

@My15000DollarYear - Certainly! The Tightwad Gazette tends to be a lot of food-related tips, stories, and specialized tips. I tend to gravitate towards the recipes but this next round of challenges will be non-food related just for you! Thanks so much for the comment!

@ValleyGirl - Yeah - just a few spices and extra ingredients can really perk up a cheap favorite. I find peas and onions are easy additions to just about anything! I have also tried adding salsa and it isn’t bad.
Amy on November 8th, 2007 4:33 pm

Oh, I love recipes like these. I add a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tuna to make a fun lunch for myself. I think it grosses my husband out to no end, but I think it tastes delicious.

There is also another recipe that I like where you prepare the macaroni as directed but add a can of cream of chicken soup and diced chicken. It makes it taste completely different.

Thanks for the ideas!
Melissa on November 15th, 2007 9:42 am

@Amy - Welcome! I like your idea of adding tuna and tomatoes. I bet a little mayo mixed in would really add a tang that would compliment the flavors well.

The chicken idea seems interesting. Kinda like a creamy cheese-chicken casserole. Not a bad idea!