Love her or hate her, Sandra Lee can stretch a dollar.
For her latest Food Network show, the queen of "semi-homemade" cuisine is teaching her viewers "Money Saving Meals" with tips on how to make dishes like this French toast without breaking the bank.
"This show is like Suze Orman meets Julia Child," she told Slashfood Thursday in the Food Network test kitchens.
Get her three tips on how to save at the grocery store and the French toast recipe after the jump.
1. Use Spice Blends Instead of Herbs
Lee, who grew up cooking for her four siblings while the family was on welfare, says the easiest way to save money at the grocery store is to buy spice blends.
"I'm a McCormick Schilling seasonings girl," Lee said. She recommends buying blends like pumpkin spice and taco seasoning rather than individual herbs to knock a Hamilton off your food bill.
2. Buy (Slightly) Fattier Meat
"Meat is probably the most expensive thing [on the shopping list]," she said, adding that a meal isn't a satisfying meal for her without it. By trading 90 percent lean ground beef for 80 percent lean, shoppers can save on average 80 cents a pound, she said.
3. Hold the Alcohol
Save the booze for special occasions like holidays and birthdays. "We do a lot of mocktails," Lee said.
French Toast with Brown Sugar Banana Syrup
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
For Syrup:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
For French Toast:
1 loaf challah
2 cups milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
To Make Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine butter, pumpkin pie spice, molasses, brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, add bananas then lower heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Remove syrup from heat, cover and keep warm. Serve over French toast. Cook's Note: Also makes a great topping for ice cream.
To Make French Toast: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice bread into 12 slices. Reserve 2 slices plus the ends for Lee's bread pudding recipe. Place remaining 8 slices on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 3 minutes.
Remove and lower oven temperature to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, flour, vanilla, brown sugar and salt. Spray a 12-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Working in batches of 4, dip the bread into the batter and soak both sides. Remove allowing excess to drip back into the bowl and place in the hot skillet.
Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the toast to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in a 250 degree F oven. Repeat with remaining slices of bread. Save remaining batter and extra syrup for bread pudding recipe. Serve hot with Brown Sugar Banana Syrup.
Yield: 4 servings
Sandra Lee
Sandra Lee on the set of her new show "Sandra's Money Saving Meals."
Food Network
Sandra Lee on the set of her new show "Sandra's Money Saving Meals."
Food Network
Sandra Lee makes an appearance at the 2009 South Beach Wine and Food Festival Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village on February 22, 2009 in South Beach, Fla.
John Parra/WireImage
Sandra Lee makes an appearance at the 2009 South Beach Wine and Food Festival Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village on February 22, 2009 in South Beach, Fla.
John Parra/WireImage
Television personality Sandra Lee attends the "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade" magazine launch party at the Empire Hotel Rooftop on Jan. 28, 2009 in New York City.
Jason Kempin/WireImage
Sandra Lee and Sir Elton John attend "An Enduring Vision," the seventh annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Benefit, at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 11, 2008 in New York City.
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
Sandra Lee attends Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project's 'Hulaween' at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Oct. 31, 2008 in New York City.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
New York State Attorney General-elect Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee attend the third annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball at Cipriani's 42nd Street, Nov. 28, 2006 in New York City.
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Lee's show, "Sandra's Money Saving Meals," debuts on May 10 on the Food Network.
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