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The write-ups are short and so are the recipes! Thenfeedthem.com focuses on providing tasty, easy, simple recipes for time-crunched, hungry, frugal, cash-poor people. Or just about everyone at some point or another.

No, there's not a lot about me here. I'm a writer, cook, and normal person, most of the time. I'll tell you a little about my life in my posts but not much (I'm kind of boring).

The filler is the food, not my life story! And, after all, "food is love." I hope you are filled to capacity. And cook to fill others, too!

A Different Snow Day Beef Stew: Stovetop or Slow Cooker

Feb 17
2 min

A Different Snow Day Beef Stew: Stovetop or Slow Cooker

This is a great savory beef stew for a snow day, as the stew pretty much cooks itself while you play in the snow, plop on the sofa with a book, or work from home. You can let the stew simmer on the stove for 2-3 hours or just pop everything into the slow cooker and let the stew do its thing. Either way, you'll have a wonderful warm and filling dinner. This version of beef stew is a little different from the usual. It includes the standard onions, carrots, and celery, but

What to Serve for a Cheap Valentine's Day Dinner? Beef Roll Wellington

Feb 11
3 min

What to Serve for a Cheap Valentine's Day Dinner? Beef Roll Wellington

The recipe I'm offering you today is a favorite, easy, inexpensive, and impressive dish that's perfect for Valentine's Day. I've never quite figured it out, but my husband, son, and many other men love meatloaf. I've spent major bucks on fancy roasts, only to have the simple meatloaf disappear more quickly and be appreciated more. So, with that in mind, instead of stretching your budget into uncharted lands, why not opt for something fairly inexpensive and that's still q

Need a Cheap, Easy Christmas Dinner? Try Meatballs in Florentine Sauce

Dec 23, 2020
3 min

Need a Cheap, Easy Christmas Dinner? Try Meatballs in Florentine Sauce

Sometimes you don't want to cook prime rib or some other fancy Christmas dinner that will break the bank, harden the arteries, and won't necessarily get eaten. Instead how about trying an entree that's inexpensive, good, and just a little fancy? I've posted the recipe for Meatballs in Florentine Sauce before, and it's delicious enough to post again. What are Meatballs in Florentine Sauce? They're simply meatballs in red gravy (i.e., sauce) with spinach mixed into it. The

Back to School Supper: Macaroni-Beef Bake

Sep 8, 2020
2 min

Back to School Supper: Macaroni-Beef Bake

Here's an incredibly easy supper for back-to-school week: slow cooked Macaroni-Beef Bake. The meal "bakes" in the slow cooker, is inexpensive to make, yields a lot of food for dinner or leftovers, and is mild-tasting for finicky appetites. The bake definitely falls into the category of "comfort food." Although I use macaroni in the bake, you can substitute another smallish tube pasta, like ziti, if you prefer. Whichever pasta you choose, don't skip the step of microwavi

Cheap and Good: Spinach-Stuffed Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce

Jun 5, 2019
3 min

Cheap and Good: Spinach-Stuffed Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce

Sometimes coming up with dinner options that don’t take too long, aren’t too expensive, and that appeal to multiple people with different tastes isn’t that easy. Over the years, I’ve found that ground beef or turkey are my go-to meats, particularly because both are readily available at most markets and either can be turned into something good relatively quickly. But what to cook that might be a little different from “hamburger helper”? My husband, who is a meatloaf lover,

Cheap Valentine's Day Dinner: Beef Roll Wellington

Feb 12, 2019
3 min

Cheap Valentine's Day Dinner: Beef Roll Wellington

Most of the magazines, newspapers, and internet feeds are full of ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day in style--meaning expensively. Nonetheless, not everyone has the means to pull together a fancy, costly meal regardless of how much they love their family or significant other. Instead of stretching the budget into uncharted lands, why not opt for something fairly inexpensive but still quite special? Beef Roll Wellington is simply a dressed up meatloaf. Beef Wellington rec

Super Sunday Dinner: Sausage Stuffed Beef Rolls

Feb 2, 2019
2 min

Super Sunday Dinner: Sausage Stuffed Beef Rolls

I originally published this recipe more than a year ago, but I decided to re-post it because it's perfect for Sunday night dinner and makes an especially good choice if you want something special, hearty (but not too fattening), and delicious to serve to guests before (or during) the Superbowl. The assembly process for the beef rolls is quick, and I've adapted the recipe so that you can cook the beef rolls in a slow cooker, which means that, once they've cooked, you can leav

Cheap Monday Supper: Meatballs in Florentine Sauce

Jan 28, 2019
3 min

Cheap Monday Supper: Meatballs in Florentine Sauce

Today's offering is inexpensive but good and even fancy enough to feed guests. Meatballs in Florentine Sauce--a recipe I've posted before but is delicious enough to post again--are simply meatballs in red gravy (i.e., sauce) with spinach mixed into it. The recipe is simple to prepare, but it tastes quite good--hence the froufrou name. The meatballs are soft and flavored with herbs and Parmesan cheese, and the simple sauce is far better tasting and more nutritious than the

Simple Beef Stroganoff with Spaetzle

Nov 28, 2018
2 min

Simple Beef Stroganoff with Spaetzle

If you're tired of eating Thanksgiving leftovers and need an alternative simple, inexpensive, and quick meal how about hamburger stroganoff? In this case, with spaetzle noodles for something a little different? The hamburger stroganoff is pure comfort food--warm, full of earthy mushrooms, and with plenty of sauce to dress the noodles. Even better, the stroganoff--noodles and all--cooks in one pan for easy cleanup. Because Thanksgiving often features rich food from which y

Back to School Supper: Macaroni-Beef Bake

Aug 28, 2018
2 min

Back to School Supper: Macaroni-Beef Bake

Here's an incredibly easy supper for back-to-school week: slow cooked Macaroni-Beef Bake. The meal "bakes" in the slow cooker while you do other things, like fill out school forms, take your kids to soccer practice, or walk the dog. The Macaroni-Beef Bake is inexpensive to make, yields a lot of food for dinner or leftovers, and is mild-tasting for finicky appetites. Yes, it's Italian-style, but the bake isn't spicy-hot. It definitely falls into the category of "comfort f

Quick and Easy Supper: Giant Baked Beef Empanada

Jun 1, 2018
2 min

Quick and Easy Supper: Giant Baked Beef Empanada

Empanadas are little meat pies, sometimes baked and sometimes fried. They originated (probably) in Spain, but certainly made their way to the New World at some point. Many versions of empanadas proliferated in South America, in homes and shops. At their most basic, empanadas include a filling that is wrapped in a bread dough. The version I'm offering here is far from authentic, but it's really good and quick to make. It's also economical, using only half a pound of groun

Feed a Crowd: Cheap and Easy Tamale Bake

Jan 31, 2018
2 min

Feed a Crowd: Cheap and Easy Tamale Bake

Need to feed a crowd for the big game or just because? How about an inexpensive and incredibly easy tamale bake? The casserole isn't authentic--far from it--but it is exceptionally good and great for a casual get-together. No one will walk away hungry. Just put out the tamale bake, a big green salad, chips, guacamole, salsa, green onions, and sour cream, and you've got a great spread. If you want an extra side dish, you could add a bowl of rice, but it isn't necessary.

Cheap and Elegant Main Dish: Beef Roll Wellington

Jan 9, 2018
3 min

Cheap and Elegant Main Dish: Beef Roll Wellington

In January, many people want to invite friends to their homes to celebrate the new year, watch sports games and movies, and just hunker down in a warm and comfy place. Nonetheless, pulling off a special dinner party main course isn't easy in the midst of post-Christmas budget blahs. Yes, chili is an option, but I wondered if I could come up with something that would be more elegant, tasty, and keep the dinner costs in the $25 range. All of the roasts I considered were too

After Christmas Dinner: Italian Wedding Soup

Dec 26, 2017
2 min

After Christmas Dinner: Italian Wedding Soup

I usually make Italian Wedding Soup for our Christmas Eve supper (see the posting for "In the Advent Kitchen -- December 24"), but I decided to wait until after Christmas this year. The soup is incredibly easy, economical, and people really like it. They'll want seconds, or thirds, or .... The soup also is a nutritious "meal in one pot." Italian Wedding Soup is loaded with lots of carrots, spinach, and tender little meatballs. Dried basil and Parmesan cheese in the meatb

Bavarian Pot Roast: German Comfort Food

Dec 7, 2017
2 min

Bavarian Pot Roast: German Comfort Food

I posted the recipe for this roast a few days ago for the second Sunday in Advent, but, if you missed it, here it is again--this time with a photo. I confess that the roast isn't photogenic. It was mostly hiding in the savory sauce in the slow cooker. Nonetheless, the Bavarian pot roast--surrounded by vegetables--is ideal for a cold December day. The roast is subtly spiced with ginger and a touch of allspice and, with plenty of red wine in the sauce, smells wonderful whil

Slow Cooked Beef Cabernet

Nov 3, 2017
2 min

Slow Cooked Beef Cabernet

Now doesn't "Slow Cooked Beef Cabernet" sound much better than "beef stew"? I love beef simmered with red wine, herbs, and plenty of vegetables. I also like the way the aromas from the slow cooked, wine-rich stew hit me when I enter the house in the evening. Even more, I appreciate not having to take the time in the evening when I'm tired to scrounge up dinner. It's in the slow cooker, bubbling and ready to eat. Yes, this is beef stew, but a slightly dressed up version w

Involatini: Sausage Stuffed Beef Rolls

Oct 18, 2017
2 min

Involatini: Sausage Stuffed Beef Rolls

In Italy, involatini refers to bite-sized bundles of food. An outer layer--meat, vegetable, or poultry, usually--is wrapped around a filling of some sort. An Italian restaurant that we visit on special occasions makes a "chicken rollatini" that is their Americanized version. The restaurant version features chicken wrapped around ham and cheese and topped with a creamy marsala mushroom sauce. It's quite good and very, very rich. I decided to take a different tack and use

Saturday Night Meatloaf Anyone?

Sep 16, 2017
3 min

Saturday Night Meatloaf Anyone?

I know families cannot subsist on biscotti alone. Nonetheless, sometimes coming up with dinner options that don’t take too long, aren’t too expensive, and that appeal to multiple people with different tastes isn’t that easy. Over the years, I’ve found that ground beef or turkey are my go-to meats, particularly because both are readily available at most markets and either can be turned into something good relatively quickly. But what to cook that might be a little different

Back to Work Stew

Sep 5, 2017
2 min

Back to Work Stew

Labor Day has come and gone, and now we have to get back to work, school, and the many other activities that stuff our days. If your early September schedule is hectic, why not try to minimize the kitchen hassles and satisfy the hungry hordes (or at least your family) with something that pretty much cooks itself? How about a savory beef stew? You can let the stew simmer on the stove for 2-3 hours or just pop everything into the slow cooker and let the stew do its thing whi

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