So here's a thread of some ways I love to use cheap and simple ingredients, both in cheap and simple meals AND in "fancy" ones, depending on my resources and energy/pain levels! Obviously these are just my own suggestions from my own experience so if you have others, hop in!

Pre-minced garlic! I'm obsessed with it. I use SO much garlic in my cooking, but peeling/pressing/mincing by hand isn't always possible. You can use it in place of fresh garlic AND it keeps for ages. I always have huge jars in my fridge for whenever I need it!

I love to take cheap olive oil and add TONS of the jarred garlic and a bit of salt, then pop it in the oven at 275 for a couple hours. It infuses the oil with rich flavor and makes the house smell AMAZING and it is perfect for dipping bread in and making yourself very very happy.

Brush that oil onto some thick slices of bread, top with cheese, and toast in the oven until the cheese is golden, sprinkle with some parsley. Drizzle it on top of some potato soup like you're at a fancy restaurant. Add some to guacamole for a deep ~*something*~ flavor.

Wanna be fancy? COOK A STEAK IN THAT STUFF. Strain it so the garlic pieces won't be in the pan (they'll burn - I mean if you like that much char you do you though, live your life), sear a well-seasoned steak in it, then brush the drippings on the steak after resting it. Heaven.

The next item on the list is...wait, they were shittalking salt? I've never not had salt in the big container in my house. Who has the time to grind a fuckton of salt for a marinade or whatever? It's salt. We probably don't need tutorials for salt. Moving on.

Jarred parmesan cheese, baby! Look, we all know this stuff. Sprinkle it on your spaghetti. Sprinkle it on your Texas toast. Shake shake shake it over like...basically anything that has carbs, okay? That stuff is great.

One way I've used it is over green beans! I tossed them with olive oil (HEY YOU CAN USE MY GARLIC OIL FOR THIS), salt, pepper, and a bit of lemon juice (HEY YOU CAN USE THE PLASTIC LEMON FOR THIS), then roasted in the oven. Let them cool, then toss them with some slivered-

-almonds and a couple shakes of that Parmesan in the jar and listen...it's so GOOD. I have served this exact thing cold at a picnic and it's so fresh-tasting and summery and delightful, and it takes almost no effort. You can also do this with asparagus!

I've also added this stuff to creamy pasta sauces because there's just ~*something*~ about it that simply...tastes nice. If you're a breadcrumbs on baked macaroni and cheese person, you can amp them up by mixing in some of the jarred Parmesan there too! Add it to boxed mac too!

OH HI LEMON JUICE IN THE PLASTIC LEMON MY OLD FRIEND. Listen, I love this stuff. I always have fresh lemons in the house, but problem is, my son eats raw lemons (peel and all) constantly so sometimes we run out, and since we're living through a panettone I can't just grab more.

The plastic lemon is fine. It's FINE. It's bright and citrusy and lovely. Hey, you can take Miracle whip, jarred garlic, plastic lemon lemon juice, salt, pre-ground pepper, a bit of oil, and whatever herbs you want and make a BANGIN creamy salad dressing. Homemade dressing rules.

CW alcohol

Make a super ~*fancy*~ iced treat! Mix 2 cups of white wine, some lemon juice, sugar to taste, and about 3/4 cup of water, toss in some frozen or fresh fruit if you want, and let freeze. Boom, summertime dessert worthy of happy hour. Plus it's pretty!

Next up, we have PRE-SHREDDED CHEESE! Sure, it's a slight challenge if you need it to melt, but like, it'll melt, you'll be fine. Hey, you know what's delicious? Pizza rolls. Take crescent rolls (oh hey they're also on the list), add some cheese and whatever other pizza toppings-

-you like, roll 'em up, brush with a little oil (hello garlic oil from the first part of this thread my old friend) and sprinkle with some JARRED PARMESAN, and bake. Dip 'em in jarred pasta sauce if you want for a cheater's marinara. Or not, it's your life.

Have you seen that TikTok thing where people cut a tortilla and add toppings and fold it up and sear it? Do that. Shredded cheese is perfect for that - just put whatever you want into the tortilla and you're good to go.

Also does anyone else just. Eat shredded cheese sometimes? Like as a snack? Shit's delicious okay. Again, I have a kid, so I am one with the shredded cheese. You can use it in a fantastic macaroni and cheese, it just takes a little more patience and milk to get the melt right.

Let's see, what's next...ah, yes. Pepper. It's. It's pepper. IDK what to tell you. It's fuckin pepper. Are we really going after people for having some pre-ground pepper in their homes? I have literally never not had that in my pantry.

OH wait here's a thing you can do: kind of a cheater's cacio e pepe (don't @ me Italy I know this is not authentic). Boil pasta in salted water until it's halfway done and reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Put pasta in a medium skillet and add the pasta water and PEPPERRRRRRR

I use so much pepper for this okay. I love pepper. Anyway, for the cheeses, you can do the traditional cheeses but I cheat and use a few Laughing Cow wedges. No shredding necessary, they melt real nice and it's creamy and tastes decadent. Just cook until the pasta's done and boom

It's certainly not ~*fancy*~ but this was a go-to for me after long work hours when I wanted some indulgent carbs to go with my Desperate Housewives marathon. 10/10 recommend.

ON TO THE CRESCENT ROLLS I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE. One of my favorite foods, I am not kidding, is jalapeno popper crescent rolls. My personal mixture is cream cheese, shredded cheese, pineapple tidbits, and bacon. Add a spoonful to the roll, tuck, and bake. Yum.

But crescent rolls are AMAZING for this exact reason - you can stuff those suckers with anything you like. Cream cheese and jam for a danish-y type taste. Chocolate chips for a cheater's pain au chocolat. Nutella and berries. Taco meat, cheese, and whatever veg you like.

Cream cheese, shredded cheese, chopped spinach, and chopped artichoke hearts, a little salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice. Spoon, tuck and roll, bake. Brush with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. SPINCH ARTICHOKE DIP ROLLS. Make those for a party when we can have those again.

Okay hydration break, back for more in a bit.

CREAM! OF! WHATEVER! SOUP! Not limiting myself to the cream of chicken in the photo. Look...I'm white. I live in the south. I speak Casserole. Cream of whatever is a staple ingredient in a lot of casseroles! And it makes them taste great!

And casseroles are a FANTASTIC way to make an easy dish to get you through several days or feed a bunch of people at once for a low price. I have great affection for an old school tuna noodle casserole, not gonna lie. Shit's delicious.

Here's a thing: I once experimented while making a pan of mac and cheese because I wanted the creamy texture that comes with a cream cheese mixture but didn't have any, so I just. Added a can of cream of chicken and adjusted the salt down. Simple and it was HEARTY.

It had a little extra something that was satisfying and made it taste more like a meal than a side. It was great. This stuff is great to have on hand for so many reasons.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER? I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW GREAT THIS STUFF IS. Besides being a great sub for folks who can't have dairy or keep kosher, It's just. It's good okay. I grew up on Country Crock, I'm no snob. I love this stuff.

Spread it on bread, sprinkle on some parmesan or drizzle some garlic oil. SNACK. yum. Melt it downW and add some herbs and drizzle it on popcorn and feel ~*fancy*~. I cook with this stuff all the time, it's great!

Wanna be ~*fancy*~? I have literally made like, a fake compound butter with this stuff. You literally just mix it with other stuff and boom you have a compound butter. Okay, I'm simplifying compound butter but only SLIGHTLY.

A slightly laborious one but one that will like, blow minds: pit a few cherries and chop 'em up nice and small. Mix with some of this not butter stuff, add a few dashes of liquid smoke, garlic, and some chopped chives. Let it chill and spread on bread for a little something diff.

I like making that cherry one for guests - it's really simple but it always impresses, and turns pink so it's pretty! It's a cute one for Valentine's Day.

Let's see, what's next...wait why are we mad about hand mixers. Fuck you. I love my hand mixer. I have one that cost like $12 and it has served me well for like 13 years. Hand mixers are awesome. Next.

RAGU. JARRED PASTA SAUCE IN GENERAL. Look, this stuff is fine on its own. Toss with pasta, shake the jarred parm over it, boom, dinner is served. That is nostalgia in a bowl for me, and it's a perfectly fine meal on its own. But if you wanna fancy it up, here's what I do.

Mince some onion and cook it in oil on medium-low until it's clear and fragrant. Add as much garlic as the ghost of your Italian grandma bids you add. I also add chopped roasted red pepper (you can buy this jarred!), sometimes a little diced zucchini and/or eggplant if I have it.

A little salt and pepper, some herbs, what have you. Add the sauce and add a few dashes of balsamic if you have it. Stir it up good and let it simmer until that same nonna tells you it's ready (about half an hour). It's an easy way to jazz up the sauce and add some nutrients.

Last but not least, Miracle Whip. I already mentioned a way to turn this stuff into a great salad dressing, so here are a couple other ways you can use it!

It's a great mix-in for chicken/potato/egg salad! A lot of these call for mayo but Miracle Whip works just fine.

I've made a killer dip combining chorizo, roasted peppers, cream cheese, shredded cheese, lime juice, some MW, and whatever seasonings felt Right (hell just use half a packet of fajita seasoning if you want, I'm not your real mom). Top with more cheese and bake and serve w/chips.

Oh speaking of seasoning packets those are also awesome but you don't usually need to use the whole thing to get a ton of flavor, so stock up and use half at a time and taste as you go, chances are you can stretch one packet for two meals.

Anyway back to MW. Hey did you know adding mayo to cake makes it like, BONKERS fudgy? And you won't taste it! MW works well there too. I know it sounds weird but trust me, you can use it like you would mayo or sour cream for those recipes and it's just Good.

Okay, I think I've tackled everything off the top of my head that the Twitter villain of the day shat upon. If I think of others I'll add them, and if you have any please feel free to suggest!

The name of the game is feeding yourself.

Whatever your budget, whatever your abilities, whatever your time, whatever your skills. You deserve to eat what makes you happy and no one gets to shame you for that. Ingredients are just one part of what makes someone a cook. Go forth and find a new favorite food!