Thrifty Tip for Trying New Food

Do you like to try new dishes?

Do you enjoy decadent meals where you don't have to do anything - cook, wash the dishes or even plan the menu?

Here's an insider tip for an inexpensive way to enjoy these delicious meals that are normally costly affairs reserved for special occasions -- look to local universities, cooking schools, technical and community colleges!

I work at a community college with a wonderful Culinary Arts associate degree program. Part of the students' training, beyond the basics of learning what does and doesn't work in dishes and technical skills, is how to develop a menu and serve a crowd. At our institution, the Culinary program is called upon for many catered functions, where students cook, transport, serve, bus etc. throughout the meal.

But one of their best offerings is their International and Classical meals. During these events, a student is selected as Head Chef to designs a menu around an international or classical cuisine. Their fellow students then fall in as sous chefs, waiters, expediters and other kitchen staff. This presents the class with a real-life experience of working in a fast-paced kitchen, for real guests.

And these events are marvelous.

Of course, the students are learning so there are some recipes that fall short - under seasoned, awkward presentation, and some table services that are lacking - but for the price, you can't beat the experience.

Here, the international lunches are three courses and only $10! For $15 the springtime classical dinners feature between eight and ten courses (one of which is a full-sized entree)!

I rarely get a chance to take advantage of the lunches, what with being chained to my desk and all, but I don't miss a dinner!(Scroll down for the most recent menu!)

I've been partaking in these meals for about five years now and have had a blast - we've tried dishes we wouldn't usually order, cuts and ingredients that are normally out of our price range, and experienced the "high life" - I don't normally get a palate cleanser with my meals at home.  Furthermore, it's such a wonderful, carefree way to spend an evening. It's like being back on our cruise!

Most community and technical colleges offer academic programs with  similar such events. They may also cater their own school cafeteria and greatly reduced prices, sell goods or cater. If you have a community college in your area - NC has 58! - take the time to review their website for information on their program and ask their faculty how you can support the students. And if there's a culinary school anywhere near you, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least attempt to reap some benefits!

Beyond your own enjoyment, these events are incredibly helpful to the students who are the future (and oftentimes, current) food service workers in your area. Your critiques and this experience is teaching them and preparing them to be the most skilled workers they can be.

Also, if you're thrifty with more than just your food budget, look closely at locations with cosmetology, therapeutic massage and medical programs (such as respiratory therapy, physical therapist assistant etc.). These programs are also likely to offer reduced-price or free services to community members. Just think of all the professionals you encounter on a daily basis - they had to get their training and practice somewhere. Why not literally invest in the development of more skilled practitioners?

What have you got to lose?

Here is the January Classical Italian menu. 

Appetizer: Salmon crudo

Soup & Salad: Wild mushroom soup & caprese salad

Fish Course: Proscuitto-wrapped halibut

Not Pictured: White grape sorbet

Pasta/Egg Course: Fettuccine carbonara 

Not pictured: Strawberry basil sorbet

Entree: Seared lamb chops with wild mushroom risotto & braised Swiss chard

Dessert: Banana & mascarpone cheese ravioli with 

toasted pistachios & chocolate sauce

Recipes for a Romantic Valentine's Celebration at Home

This was our third Valentine's Day together as a couple and our track record for celebrating is pretty weird.

• Year One: matinee viewing of "A Good Day to Die Hard;" fun, but not a 10 on the sexy-ometer. 
• Year Two: I ditched a sniffling, sick J to rush to my best friend's side and watched her give birth to her third daughter, aptly called Potbelly; J cooked a lovely dinner while I rushed home totally in a tizzy with a flat tire. 

 And here we are at Year Three - wanting to do something truly special without shelling out a lot of money or having to make elaborate plans. So what did we do? We cooked a delicious dinner at home that was simple, yet elegant and then tackled one of our bucket list recipes - French macarons.

Of course, the evening was not without a theatrical twist. A huge wind storm with gusts upwards of 40 mph ascended on our neighborhood and we frantically tried to batten down the hatches and get our outside cats inside. Which meant J was running around moving lawn tools and wood to keep it from blowing away Twister-style and I had to make a mid-gale run to the store for cat litter. Quite sexy, really. 

GoJoe quickly made herself comfortable & began shedding everywhere.

But even with the dramatic interlude, dinner still turned out great and we had a wonderful evening together cooking, eating, Scrabble-ing and praying our house wouldn't blow away. 

And that brings me to my first Date Night (at Home) Tip:

If you're wanting to have a special evening together, you don't need to go for something super complicated. Life happens and gets in the way and if you choose a classic, easy-to-prepare menu it will probably stand up against obstacles or be easily repaired. 

We chose dishes that we love and have mastered, but added some new twists and cooking methods. For dinner we had ribeye steak with herb butter, cauliflower puree and sweet glazed carrots. These carrots are J's speciality; my mom requests them every time we have a big family meal together. And making cauliflower puree couldn't be more simple (steam cauliflower florets, blend in food processor with 2 T butter and/or EVOO, s&p and any other flavorings you'd like). We experimented a little with the steaks.

Date Night (at Home) Tip: Valentine's Day means BIG sales at grocery stores on normally expensive items like steak, lobster, shellfish, fresh salmon etc. This is a great opportunity for Date Night and to 1. keep an eye on your store's meat counter near the end of the sale, they'll reduce "older" items on top of the sale price, and 2. stock up and freeze extra meat. Now you'll have cheap supplies for V-day and your next romantic night in, too!

In the summer time, a grilled steak is wonderful. However, after using this method, we believe pan searing and basting is the best way to cook a steak. Period. We consulted this super handy article from Buzzfeed for instructions.

Here are the highlights:

1. Forty-five minutes before cooking dab any excess moisture off of your steak and season liberally with salt & pepper. Leave on a plate for at least 45 minutes to come to room temp. 
2. Twenty minutes before cooking, start heating your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat to get it screaming hot. Yes, they are serious when they say cover your smoke detector; I'd like to add you should open a window or two...
3. Pat dry your steak again of any moisture the salt pulled out. 
4. Add 2T vegetable oil (not EVOO) to your pan and get the oil hot - shimmery and just beginning to smoke. 
5. Turn the heat to high and add your steak. Leave it alone for two minutes - DO NOT TOUCH IT!
6. Flip and sear the other side. Again, LEAVE IT ALONE. 
7. Continue flipping every few minutes until it reaches 120 at its thickest point. 
8. Lower the heat and add 3 T butter to the pan and let it melt. Then, add around 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (rosemary or sage would also be yummy - be creative!) 
9. Spoon the butter and herbs over the steak until it reaches your desired internal temp. 
10. Remove from heat and let your steak rest for at least five minutes. 

Since we were going for super decadent steaks, I also prepared an herb butter earlier in the day. This is an incredibly easy way to impart extra flavor and juiciness to a steak. I stirred half a stick of softened unsalted butter with about 3 T of chopped fresh thyme (removed from the twiggy part); rolled it into a log in plastic wrap and returned it to the fridge. When plating your hot steak (or mashed potatoes or anything you'd like herb butter on) place a 1/4" medallion on top and let it melt all over the food.

Date Night (at home) Tip: Even if you're eating take out, never underestimate how much a cute tablescape can "set the mood." Take the time to set the table with nice plates (use the good china, why else do you have it?!), pretty glasses, and unscented candles. I even broke out our cloth napkins and my cat napkin rings! A little effort goes a long way - that goes for dinner, romance, manners and so many other areas of our relationships! 

For the "entertainment" portion of our evening, we decided to attempt to make French macarons.

Via pastrygene.com

These are allegedly one of the hardest, most finicky pastry recipes out there. Food Network magazine (where we got our recipe) actually devoted an article to their difficulty and explained the immense struggles of their test kitchen in preparing the meringue sandwiches. So, we were nervous. But we'd seen a boy on MasterChef Junior make them, and he's 15+ years younger than us and that was somehow comforting.

After making them I will say that it's more trouble to find inexpensive almond flour than to make the macarons. They are undoubtedly time consuming and it takes some skill to make uniformly shaped wafers, but if you can make meringue you can do this! And, pretty much anyone can make meringue.

P.S. They're gluten-free, filled with fruit preserves
& use very little sugar. I think these count as healthy.. 

Last year, in my frantic excitement over a new niece, I flubbed the chocolate souffles I had planned to accompany J's V-day menu. I actually was "cooking" the mixture on the stove for 5+ minutes before I realized the eye was off. But this dessert was a success!

We made the blueberry cheesecake and pineapple versions featured in the FN recipe. And they were delicious. Furthermore, I don't know why I haven't been blending cream cheese and jam all these years! The wafers are crispy and light with very subtle flavor and the creamy filling is so sweet but still delicate. This is tea party food at its finest! I can only imagine how big of a hit these beauties would be at a brunch!

Quick tip: Macarons don't store well as sandwiches,
 so if you're not eating them right away, hold off on the filing.
Fill immediately before serving. 

While they were delicious, it's more important to me how much fun we had together making them. We were talking while we measured, dancing as we mixed and playing Scrabble when they were in the oven. It was good, quality time together sharing something we both enjoy.

And that's my final tip:

Date Night (at home) Tip: You don't have to be cliche or meet archaic romance standards. Do something you enjoy. That could be something you share a passion for, like cooking, or have your partner teach you about something they love but you know little about, say salsa dancing. It's all about sharing experience and joy. 

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and hope this article inspires more romance (or at least better food) in your life.

XOXO,

J & A

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip: 3 Ways!

The Super Bowl is always a big deal in my family. Not for the game itself (at least with 3/4 of our guests) but for the fun, commercials, 25-cent bet, and no-holds-barred food fest.

Last year, we went slider crazy with burgers, mini-meatballs and buffalo chicken sliders on our favorite Kings Hawaiian rolls. This year we kept to traditional tailgating flavors with wings, layered fries, mini-meatballs sliders and a buffalo chicken dip.

I have an obsession with all things "buffalo chicken" and my end-of-the-world comfort food has and always will be chips and dip, so this was a logical menu item. Instead of using a highly processed (and expensive) "cheese product loaf," that would be heavy on calories, I lightened things up and used healthier ingredients.

This dip had all the good things going for it that you look for in a successful party dip: bold, assertive flavor; hearty texture; some filling protein so you don't mindlessly eat the whole bowl; and tailored ingredients so that if you did eat the whole bowl, it wouldn't be a total disaster.

I used Frank's Red Hot and it was pretty spicy, but the cheeses and dairy toned it down some. The spice level can be adjusted of course, but if you pick the right vessels for dipping - like cool celery or cucumbers - it would be a perfect balance. It's got some built-in tangy flavors from the blue cheese and cream cheese that beautifully simulates a wing dipped in blue cheese dressing!

This is an especially great "in-a-pinch" recipe for surprise company or impromptu parties because most of the ingredients are in your pantry, but are also relatively inexpensive. The chicken itself even lends itself to creativity, well. We had some frozen chicken breast tenderloins that I boiled in salted water until they reached 160 degrees, then hand-shredded them. But this would be a great way to use leftover chicken (fried, baked, grilled) and if you're in a hurry, a store-bought rotisserie chicken would be a great time saver.

With three cups of shredded chicken, this dip is thick; which means you have to use structurally sound chips, but it also sets it up well for my two other uses!

Pro Tip from Dan Pashman at The Sporkful: A dome is one of the toughest shapes in the world, so if you're going for optimum dipping, use Tostito's scoops bowls backwards. Push it through the dip as a dome (like a thimble on your finger) instead of as a bowl. More dip and less broken chips! 

Remarkably, we had leftovers after the party and I was able to reinvent the dip! The following evening, J spread a thick layer of dip between two slices of whole grain bread and made a delicious grilled cheese!

Pro Tip: If you're looking for a gorgeous, golden brown crust on your grilled cheese, liberally spread mayonnaise on the outside of the bread. The sugars in the mayo will caramelize and make for a beautiful sandwich - but be sure to always go low and slow with grilled cheese, they go from perfect to burnt in a second!

The next day, I was able to use the final serving of dip (about 1/3 of a cup) to make a filling and yummy lunch. February is National Avocado Month and they're on sale everywhere, so we had plenty on hand. I reheated the dip then added cubed avocado and stirred into a pseudo-burrito bowl. I brought corn tortilla chips, too, but this mix was good enough on its own. The avocado infused another layer of creaminess and smooth flavor that soothed the spice of the buffalo sauce.

The dip was wonderful on it's own as a party food, but the fact that I was able to continue to reinvent it into new dishes made it all the more appealing. Win-win!

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip
Adapted from: Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

4 oz. reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese), softened
1 c. plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (a yogurt cup is 5.3 oz. so you either need 2 or can supplement the remaining 2.7 oz. with low-fat sour cream)
1 c. shredded part-skim Mozzerella cheese
1/2 c. hot sauce (if you want the flavor but not as much spice, try 1/3 c. then add more as needed)
1/2 c. crumbled light blue cheese
1 T. ranch dressing mix
3 c. shredded chicken

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an oven-safe dish with non-stick cooking spray (I suggest a 1 qt. or 8x8 pan)

In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses to soften the cream cheese further. Add in additional ingredients and stir until well-mixed. Transfer to baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on top.

Garnish with sliced green onions and blue cheese crumbles. Serve warm.

Taste Test: Red Velvet Oreos

Apparently inspired by an viral online hoax, Nabisco has thrown down the product development gauntlet and release a limited edition run of red velvet Oreos.

I love red velvet desserts. It's not just my penchant for food coloring that does it, but there's something so homey and beautiful about a red velvet cake. Red velvet is primarily flavored by loads of chocolate, but the addition of buttermilk and/or vinegar adds tangy-ness and depth that you don't normally get with plain chocolate. And cream cheese icing is a gift from Heaven. I love cream cheese as is - on bagels, club sandwiches, in cheese cake or just straight from that silver packaging - but it's really superb when manipulated in a sweet way. Creamy icing with a perfect balance of tartness and sugar paired with deeply earthy cake is the best of the best, to me. It's really a riff on Southern culture as a whole - our food, our attitude and way of life - sweet and smooth with a bite, and an outward appearance that's just a little too much.

A favorite red velvet recipe -- brownies. Click HERE for the recipe. 

Needless to say, I was thrilled that the rumor came to fruition and that they're now available at our local Ingles market. Up to this point, I have refused to try any of the bastardizations of a classic that Nabisco has tried to pawn off as an Oreo. I have no desire to eat a cookie that tastes like watermelon, peppermints or birthday cake; so this taste test is truly an act of faith - that Nabisco and the institution of red velvet won't let me down.

First, let me say that anymore Oreos are a ripoff; $4 for a pack is absurd. We caught these on sale for 2/$5.50 but the "specialty" packs are smaller, this one being the smallest one yet with only "about" 20 cookies. The packaging is almost an afterthought because of the small size; it's off center! Stay tuned for this summer's Rick Moranis blockbuster, "Honey, I Shrunk the Oreos."

Secondly, they aren't that pretty. Red velvet cakes vary in coloration from bright, brilliant reds to deeper, wine-like hues. I love assertive red velvet cakes; part of what sets them apart is their color, so let it shine through. These cookies are on the darker side and almost look brown. You eat with your eyes first, and I think it'd be a more effective product if the coloring was more bold.

But those aren't the make or break cookie critiques. Let's look at the critical quality points of an Oreo: the cookie, the creme, the twist and the dunkability.

Simplicity at its best, an Oreo has two distinguishable, judge-able parts. 

The Cookie: 

Eaten on their own, the cookie wafer is noticeably sweeter than the traditional chocolate wafer. And it does have the deeper, signature flavor that distinguishes red velvet from plain old chocolate. I was impressed with the cookie and enjoy eating them post-twist as much as I do the original flavor. 

The Creme:

This creme is Sweet, with a capital "s." It does have the tangy flavor of cream cheese but the sugar factor is on over-drive. It felt like the creme in these sandwiches was actually creamier that the traditional cookie's, like icing; smooth and soft. But it was actually gritty from the sugariness. 

LEGO Amanda is thrilled (or scared) that these cookies match her sweater vest...

I once did an exercise with elementary students about instructions and how to read/write for detail. They had to write step-by-step directions on how to eat an Oreo. Their answers varied in degrees of success, but the true lesson was that everyone eats Oreos differently (this is a good diversity exercise, too!). Despite our varied methods, most people have at least experimented with twisting the sandwiches apart and dunking them in milk. 

The Twist:

I am a habitual twister. Traditional Oreos have a great structure and texture such that you can almost always twist the top and bottom cookies into two independent parts. One free of creme and the other with a smooth, unblemished layer of creme. I like to twist, eat the plain cookie, peel the creme off in one sheet, eat it in one bite then finish the now-naked cookie. Probably because this sweet creme is so soft and creamy, it sticks to both cookies and makes for a messy twist. Technically that's just an aesthetic issue, but those built in Oreo-eating habits are hard to break. 

The Dunkability:

Drinking big glasses of milk wrecks my stomach, but if there are Oreos around, I'll pour a cup just for dunking. There's so many different schools of dunkers. J is of the soft, but not too soggy camp. I barely get my Oreos wet before I pull them back out. But sometimes, I do enjoy letting a cookie almost disintegrate in the cup. Again, probably because of the creme, the structural integrity of the cookies is compromised. In milk they start falling apart drastically quicker than their normal counterparts and get softer faster. If you're pro-soggy cookie and you use a spoon to cradle your cookie mess, you'll love these. If you seek a gently softened Oreo or are dipping with your fingers, you need to make a mad dunk in and out to get the perfect consistency. 

I would say that this experiment did not hurt my love for red velvet but didn't improve my opinion of Nabisco's recent Oreo tampering. They're pretty good and fairly true to the intended flavor but they're not the Oreos of my childhood. I love the plain chocolate and vanilla cookies. They're 100 years old and we still buy them. My overwhelming sentiment is, that like so many things in life, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.