Cinco de Mayo Recipes: 5 for Under $10

Chili Dip

This simple dip from the Ortega website can be whipped up in about 10 minutes once you have all the ingredients. Like most dips it’s best served with chips, but we recommend making someone else buy those. 

•     1 can (15 oz.) chili with beans ($2.29 for Hormel brand)
•     1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened ($2.49 for Philadelphia brand)
•     1/3 cup Ortega Salsa - Thick & Chunky (about 50 cents at around $3.00 per jar)
•     1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (less than a dollar at $2.79 for 8 oz.)
•     1/4 cup sliced ripe olives (less than 50 cents at $2.49 per 15 oz. can)
•     1/4 cup (about 2) chopped green onions (79 cents for a bunch of scallions)

Total: $7.57

From the site: “Place cream cheese on serving platter; top with chili, salsa, cheese, olives and green onions. Serve with chips.”

Flan

Finally, let's make a traditional Mexican dessert: flan. This recipe can be found on About.com. It requires ramekins, which you might not have in the kitchen and thus pushes the total cost of this one beyond $10. Still, they're relatively cheap and can be used for other dishes like crème brulee.

•     1 and 1/2 cups sugar
•     6 large eggs ($1.25 at $2.49 per dozen)
•     1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk ($2.49 per can)
•     2 13 oz. cans evaporated milk ($3.18)
•     1 teaspoon vanilla

Total: About $6.92

The full instructions are a bit lengthy, so we suggest heading over to About.com to view the full recipe. Despite its relative complexity, it should only take about 20 minutes to a half hour, though it will also need an hour to cook and another hour to cool in the fridge. Start early.

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