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This week's winner for best advice for saving money on food goes to Elvia Montanez of San Dimas, CA. Elvia knows how to cook from her pantry, thus reducing trips to the supermarket and being creative with what she has on hand. She shared her recipe for a tuna sauce, which her mom used to make on Fridays during Lent.

This week's winner for best advice for saving money on food goes to Elvia Montanez of San Dimas, CA. Elvia knows how to cook from her pantry, thus reducing trips to the supermarket and being creative with what she has on hand. She shared her recipe for a tuna sauce, which her mom used to make on Fridays during Lent. Elvia serves this sauce over rice but we loved it on linguine with a few capers tossed on top.

"My parents and I are Cuban immigrants. This recipe was a way to make ends meet as my parents were working on that American Dream. It brings back nice memories." So true that cooking on the cheap is pleasurable and memorable.

Here is Elvia's recipe, with my suggestions. Enjoy!

Tuna in Sauce (Tuna en salsa)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna packed in water, drained
2 cups or as needed tomato sauce (can really stretch the recipe with a 26-ounce jar pasta sauce)
1/2 cup dry white wine
Dash salt
(I added a pinch of crushed red peppers and 1 tablespoon capers)
Cooked rice or pasta

Place the olive oil in a medium heavy saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and stir and cook over medium-low heat until the onion softens, 3 minutes. Add the tuna, tomato or pasta sauce, wine, salt and seasonings. Stir until the mixture bubbles up, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice or pasta. Makes 4 servings.

My Cheap Tip of the Week:
This summer we've been making all our breakfasts from scratch. Not only are pancakes, waffles, French toast, omelets, and sausage and biscuits cheaper when you make them yourself instead of buying them frozen, but there are two other huge benefits. Number one: taste! Number two: your children learn to cook. I have one daughter who makes unbelievable pancakes and waffles, filled with blueberries or chocolate chips. My son (10) is learning how to make an omelet--he has successfully made his own twice--and helps with the dipping of sliced bread into eggs and milk for French toast. With the school year so rushed, summer is our time to slow down and learn something along the way. In the end, hopefully, we'll save money on groceries, too!

Keeping sharing your ideas for saving money on food and gasoline to anne@cakemixdoctor.com.