$5 Meal Exchange

Addison and I met up with some of the ladies and kids from our neighborhood today for a $5 meal exchange. The idea was to bring a dish that cost $5 or less to buy all the ingredients. We were all to bring the dish and extra copies of the recipes to share. We met up at the park by the community center here in base housing so while we were eating and chatting like mom's do, the kiddos were able to run and play, hopefully wearing themselves out! It was a fun lunch and what a great idea! So anybody out there looking for a fun and unique idea for a get together, I highly recommend it! Who doesn't love to eat, socialize, spend less money and get new recipes??? I am thinking of two different events in the future that I am going to steal this idea for... Here is the recipe I used today... (Over the next few days, I will post some of the other recipes I got today - many yummy, yummy things!)

One-Dish Pasta and Veggies

1 1/2 cups of uncooked pasta - any kind (I used corkscrew cause the kids like it)

1 cup carrots

1 cup broccoli

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cheddar Cheese Soup

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

* Cook pasta according to package directions. Add carrots and broccoli the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain.

* Mix soup, milk, mustard. Add pasta and veggies. Stir together.

I always add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste - as well as peas and a bag of shredded cheddar. (Other veggies that are good in it are squash, zuccini, onion, corn, tomato - you can use really whatever you have.)

ENJOY!