As long as people are submitting easy hacker recipes, here's one of my staples: -Fill a saucepan with water and boil -While you're waiting, chop up one small

As long as people are submitting easy hacker recipes, here's one of my staples: -Fill a saucepan with water and boil -While you're waiting, chop up one small onion and heat some oil in a pan -Brown the onion in the pan with some garlic and spices (I prefer red pepper flakes, cayenne, and Chipotle Tobasco) -Once the water's boiling, toss in a packet of your standard cheap-ass ramen and the spice packet (or just random cheap noodles and some bouillon) -Crack an egg (or two if you want it thicker) into the mix and stir vigorously (it's easier if you scramble the egg first, but it dirties more dishes) -Dump the onion pan into the ramen mix and add more spices to taste Boom, you've got yourself some startup stew. Depending on the ramen seasoning you use, this can be vegetarian and eggs are a good source of protein. Basically the single most important rule for making cheap food at home is learning to love your spice rack. I have Sam's Club jars of red pepper flakes, onion powder, and garlic powder, plus a big tub of minced garlic and an arsenal of dried peppers and hot sauces. These things can make a $.50 meal taste bearable enough to eat all the time. Plus the different mixes of spices give the illusion of being a different meal... if you use your imagination a little bit. I see cooking a lot like hacking; once you understand how a dish works, you can take it apart and rebuild it to suit your tastes.