It’s like a restaurant but without the tip

I love to eat at restaurants. Rather, I used to love restaurants. With the exception of some sushi places, and a few small chef-owned jaunts, it’s just not worth it. I’m especially tired of eating at the chain restaurants. The quality of the food, and often the service, has declined while the prices have gone up! Everything looks good on the menu but the real dish never measures up. Don’t even think about the ridiculous amounts of fat and calories. Then there is the sticker shock of the bill and you still feel obligated to tip a less than attentive waiter. Lately, I’m just finding restaurants to be disappointing and expensive.

There are lots of ways to save on eating out. Order water instead of soda or pricey drinks, skip dessert and stop for ice scream on the way home etc. Many blogs and articles have been written on early bird and coupon dining. Instead, I’ve been looking at recipes for my favorite dishes and stepping up my cooking skills as a way to enjoy good food without the cost of a night out. So far I have found allrecipes.com to be the best recipe site. The instructions are generally easy to follow and the reviews are really helpful. I also love thekitchn.com. Faith has a great writing style and interesting recipes.

I’m a huge fan of ethnic food. Italian is really easy to make. In the summer, tomatoes, peppers and squash are easily found at farmers markets and local stands. In the winter, you can pick up canned tomato on sale and still reap the benefits. Ratatouille and great sauces are not difficult. Make a big pot of really good tomato sauce on the weekend and you have a couple of dinners for the week. You can have spaghetti with sauce one night, then make an easy eggplant or chicken parmesan another. Pan fry thin slices of eggplant or chicken thighs till they are cooked through. Then then place them on a sprayed baking sheet. Top with mozzarella or provolone cheese and bake at 350 till the cheese melts. Top with some warmed up sauce and shredded parmesan and your done. Actually, most leftovers topped with cheese and a good tomato sauce are tasty.

Asian and Indian are two of my favorite restaurant standards. I’m working on gaining some skill at these. I found a fabulously easy recipe for Chana masala, a chick pea based Indian dish that is easily made spicy or mild. There are, as with any Indian dish, some spices you don’t have in your pantry, but if you like Indian food, you should invest in them. Get familiar with small ethnic grocery stores. Many “exotic” ingredients or spices can be found really cheap there.

Japanese Soba noodles with peanut sauce is really good, and easy to make. So are stir fried frozen veggies with curry powder and coconut milk.

Check the web. Look for a good recipe book at the library or thrift store, or dust off one of your own. You’ll be surprised at what you can do in the kitchen.

On the subject, some recipe sites have an ingredient search. You enter the ingredients you want or have on hand, and the search will return results based on your entries. This is really helpful when you are on a budget and trying to cook from what you have without an extra trip to the store.

Holidays on the cheap

I know you will see a million articles and blogs on how to do things for the holidays in frugal ways. Here are the ones I’ve found to work without making all your gifts out of used potholders.

Holiday Meals: If you have a large gathering, or even a small one, ask each of your guests to bring their favorite or “specialty” dish. It’s not wrong to ask what they’re bringing or suggest a dish. “Aunt Mabel, everyone loves your pecan pie, would you consider one for this year?” That way you don’t have four string bean casseroles. Planning ahead is also important. Look at the store specials and buy what you can on sale. Frozen turkey, thawed in the fridge three days beforehand is way cheaper than a fresh one. If you’re not a traditionalist or having just the family, consider a chicken or just the turkey breast, or not a turkey at all. If you are really strapped, and invited somewhere else, accept the invitation and ask what you can bring.

Christmahanakwanzika: Okay it’s Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza put together, but it is gift giving season no matter what. Among our friends I’ve told them we are just giving to the children this year. Most parents do appreciate this and are happy to save a bit of money too. You can still give a card addressed to the family.

If someone’s having a party, it’s customary to come with a hostess gift. These are easy, a few pretty soaps, dollar store ones are nice enough wrapped with rolled wash cloths and a ribbon are a nice gift. Use a pretty leaf or twine for festive additions to the wrapping. Baby gifts like bibs or a plush toy or rattle are easy to find in most places. For small children 3 to 6 year olds, a couple of match box cars, or dress up toys are great from the dollar store.  7 to 12 year olds: playing cards like uno or old fashioned gifts like yo yo’s, paddle balls or a small box of legos can be found cheaply. Over 12 is a bit tougher. If you’re not absolutely sure, stay away from the latest trends. Chances are the trend is old by the time you know about it. This age group is picky. I hit the office supply store:  a new set of earphones, a usb drive in a fun shape or color, cool pens, pads, journals etc. The dollar section at Target is a good place for this but you have to have some discipline to stay away from the rest of the store.

Office exchange: While your at the office supply store, get a good deal on some nice pen sets. If you are really broke, a mug from the dollar store with some tea or hot chocolate pack with a ribbon is always your best bet.

Don’t forget the thrift shop. There are always nice candle holders, dishes and mugs for super cheap. Buy a few pretty china dishes and then bring cookies, brownies or other food gifts. It’s a great place for baskets too. I’ve found so many name brand dishes from noritake to crate and barrel. You will be surprised.