Denny's Dinner at home- $4.94

So, last week I begged my husband to let us go out for dinner. He grudgingly agreed. After we got our bill, I immediately felt guilty. I knew that I could have easily made the same dinner at home for significantly less.

So, I started my next quest. I went out and bought the best ingredients. I started at my 2 favorite store in the world...Costco. I bought ground sirloin burger 1/3 lb patties ($13.99 for 18), a 12 pack of gourmet hamburger buns ($2.39), and a bag of cremini mushrooms at Trader Joe's ($2.19)

Ok, so I have the essentials, now lets build a burger. First, I saute the mushrooms in a little garlic and oil.

Next, cook the burger on the grill.

I add the cheese ( Denny's uses swiss, but I have Monterey Jack, so that will have to do.)

I also bought store bought seasoned french fries. Albertson's were on sale for $2.00. I used half of the bag.

Top it off with a root beer, which I got on sale with the cheese, and our meal is complete.

TOTAL COST: $4.94 for both of us.

(even if you add the 2.00 in propane to grill the burger, this sure beats the $17.93 I paid, WITH A BOGO COUPON, at Denny's)

We ate this right up, so no pic. But I do plan on making this again soon, so I will post one then.

Just a Note: I am a big advocate of adding oats to ground beef to stretch it...DON"T DO IT HERE! I tried it and the burger totally fell apart. It was not pretty!