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Subject: |
Poetry on a Plate! |
| Date: |
2008-01-31
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Poetry on a Plate!
The $7 Gourmet Valentine's Dinner for Two
livingonadime.com
Even when you don't Valentine's have much cash on hand, you can have
a special dinner for Valentine's Day. You can create a special
Valentine's Dinner 2 people for under $7.00. The secret to a frugal
romantic dinner is the setting so lets start with that. If you were
thinking ahead purchase 75% off on clearance after Christmas 10-15
red and white taper candles. You can also purchase red napkins, lace
tablecloths, and red ribbon after Christmas for .50 - $1.00
Look at thrift stores and garage sales for one or two place settings
of china for 50 cents each. If it's to late this year remember for
next year after Christmas to purchase you Valentines' items. You can
also purchase things on sale 50% after Valentine's Day and keep for
next year. Of course if you're with the one you love, who needs food
for Valentineís Day!
For the menu
French Onion Soup
Tomato Basil Salad
Maple-Glazed Chicken
Glazed Carrots
Lemon Potatoes
Red Velvet Cake
Water with lemon slices
tea or coffee with desert
French Onion Soup ( $1.15)
2 onions, thinly sliced (yellow works best) (.25)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.10)
2 cups beef stock (made with bullion cubes or beef bones) (.10)
1 bay leaf
2 slices day-old French bread (.20)
½ cup mozzarella or Swiss cheese, grated (.50)
Melt butter in a skillet. Saute onions until slightly brown. Add
onions to beef broth in saucepan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Pour
into bowls. Place bread on top of each bowl of soup, and sprinkle the
cheese on top. Then set under broiler and cook until cheese is melted
and brown. This soup will simmer in the crockpot on low overnight.
Tomato Basil Salad ($1.44)
4 large peeled tomatoes (.79)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar (.10)
2 Tbsp. oil (.05)
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped into small pieces (.50)
Dice tomatoes and combine with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and basil.
Serve. You could also add cubes of mozzarella cheese.
Maple-Glazed Chicken ($2.14 )
1/4 cup maple syrup (.05)
4 tsp. lemon juice (.05)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.05)
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 pieces chicken ($1.99 purchased on sale at $1.99/.lb)
Preheat oven to 450. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice and butter together
in small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and
place chicken in it. Salt and pepper the chicken. Bake for 10
minutes. Remove from oven and pour on glaze. Bake for 15 minutes more
or until juices run clear.
Glazed Carrots (.37)
½ lb. fresh carrots or baby carrots (.12)
½ stick margarine (.05)
6 Tbsp. brown sugar (.10)
1 tsp. cinnamon (.05)
1 tsp. ginger (optional) (.05)
Clean carrots and cut into bite-size pieces. Steam 10 minutes in a
small amount of boiling water just until tender. Melt margarine in a
large skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger.
Cook 1-2 minutes. Add hot carrots, stirring well to coat. Remove
when shiny and well glazed.
Lemon Potatoes (.75)
6 new potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, cut in halves or quarters (.50)
2 Tbsp. margarine (.05)
½ tsp. lemon peel, grated
1 ½tsp. lemon juice (.05)
1 tsp. chives, chopped (.10)
¼ tsp. salt
dash pepper
dash of nutmeg (all spices)
Clean and steam potatoes 20 minutes (until tender). Heat remaining
ingredients just to boiling. Pour lemon butter over potatoes and serve.
Red Velvet Cake (.50 for 2 servings)*
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. cocoa
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 oz. red food coloring
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
Cream together butter, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add the rest of the
ingredients except the flour and buttermilk. Mix well. Add flour and
buttermilk alternately. Beat until all the lumps are out. Pour into a
greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350< for 30 minutes or
until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes clean. Frost with Red
Velvet Frosting.
Red Velvet Frosting
2/3 cup milk
½ cup flour
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cook milk and flour until thick, stirring constantly. Cool
thoroughly. Beat milk and flour for 1 minute until fluffy. Beat
butter and sugar until creamy. Add to milk and flour and add vanilla.
Mix well. Frosts 1 Red Velvet Cake.
*Or purchase a box mix on sale .79 and canned frosting on sale .69.
plus .50 for eggs etc. to make the cake $1.48
Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper are the editors of LivivgOnADime.com For
more free tips and recipes visit our web site at livingonadime.com. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
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