In the food editor: Mother shares six recipes for family dinners under $ 10

In recent years, the chef of the Armed budget challenge week provided candidates with $ 20 and some frozen or canned vegetables. If one of the participants in 2013 was able to add a bottle of wine in the grocery shopping, I wonder if $ 20 is really a challenge. As a mother of two adolescent children, $ 20 seemed a challenge for me.

So if the new book by Jessica Fisher "Good Eats" landed on my desk recently I knew I had to lower the bar. In his book, Fisher, a wife and mother of six WHO coupon its way out of debt restructuring, shares 200 recipes that together for $ 10 or less. Seriously $ 10.

His trick is coupons. It is smart shopping.

"It's about who has the best prices," says Fisher, who made his home in the San Diego area and has agreed to join the Board in this week's tax revenue. She said that the menus in the book are designed around a single window.

"If you do not have the mentality of clipping coupons or sales of hunting, consider the handful of places where you do not know this business and the prices are for the things they buy, check," he says. Of course, if you see a good price for canned beans or other non-perishable inventory items.

He suggested menu planning and shopping once a month.

"I know that the vast project that sounds a month needs -. .. Except for milk and products that you shop holds in stores that do not need things"

Do not skip your recipes, the meat, but that shows how to stretch. Buy beef tri-tip, for example, then cut taco place as a center for meat-the-board is used. Shrimp and cilantro tossed with pasta or spicy Cajun sausage and rice stirred.

Tips are scattered throughout the book. Cooking a 5-pound bag of dried beans in a pot and end up with the equivalent of 15 cans of beans. Freeze in 2 cup portions and the cost is around 33 cents, from 50 to 75 percent cheaper than canned beans.

Visit the website of Fisher, goodcheapeats.com, check out his blog and check out more tips and recipes.

Top tomatoes: were busy a few weeks ago, when candidates in our Chef Challenge week, collect recipes mystery basket challenge BLT, which was on the table of the judges of a competition of some sort, such as tomatoes.

Earlier this summer, asked Nature Sweet amateur chefs recipes tomatoes on their website centered submit. Elected three women in a culinary competition live in a tent in the parking lot of the Jewel-Osco Store Roselle Road in Schaumburg participate, this was the second time the competition rolled in the suburbs since its inception in 2003, the three cooks ingredients from a common pantry derived and came up with very different recipes.

Julie Beckwith of Crete won $ 2,000 grand prize tomatoes leader glorys challenge after impressing the judges, including me, with its rustic Pizza Margherita. Arrange made with wood grilled tomato pesto to your recipe.

The season slip tomato Do not be, without judging.

• Contact food editor Deborah Pankey in dpankey@dailyehrald.com or (847) 427-4524. Be her friend Facebook.com/DebPankey.DailyHerald follow on Pinterest, Instagram or TwitterPankeysPlate.