“Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart.” - Wolfgang Puck
Dining out is one of my husband’s and I favorite date night activities. We love exploring new local restaurants, that are serving up some of the best and unique dishes in our city. Yet, dining out can get a bit pricey, and after selecting an amazing bottle of wine to share, ordering an appetizer, two entrees, and possibly a dessert - the bill for G and I may average on $100, and this is before the tip! Eating out is something we try to reserve on special occasions, or when we are really craving some of our favorite restaurant’s food.
Lately, G and I have been getting the inspiration to cook high quality meals at home. This task isn’t as hard or pricey as one may think. We like to purchase produce that are in season, and meats from the best sources.
Today, I am sharing how we made two restaurant quality dishes for under $50. Also, I’m dishing out a few tips on ways to get some of the best dinner items for less.
Salmon Dinner
What’s on the plate?
Atlantic Salmon: $10
I was able to catch this filet was on sale, at my local Fresh Market and it was a steal! The prep on this fish was super easy, about 2 hours before cook time, I generously coated the filet with olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a dash of fresh ground black peppercorn and lemon pepper seasoning.
Red Chard: $2.50
I used a half of a bushel of red chard for my dish. It was super easy to cook as well! A little bit of lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, salt, fresh garlic, and red pepper flakes - all ingredients that I keep stocked in my pantry at home!
Red Potatoes: $1
A decent sized bag of red potatoes cost about $2, and I used 1/4 of the bag on this plate! I made potatoes for both dishes, and we still had half of bag left over for another dinner.
Fresh Herbs & Seasonings: $1.50
Seasonings and herbs can be a bit pricey, but the trick it to buy them gradually. I buy fresh lemons every week, and used them generously on this dish. Typically a small bag of lemons, are approximately $1.50, and 6 are included. The other seasonings that were used, I always keep handy, like black peppercorns, sea salt, lemon pepper, and red pepper flakes - these item’s I didn’t include in the total price.
Home Value $15 | Restaurant Value: $27
Rack of Lamb Dinner
What’s on the plate?
Rack of Lamb: $22
Our local butcher at Fresh Market recommended the perfect rack of lamb, and from there gave us a few tips on the best rubs and seasonings. For the dish we actually only used half of the rack - and G had plenty left over for the next day! We also used steak seasoning for the lamb, since it’s a red meat, a lot of the ingredients in the seasoning complimented the lamb. Also, a dijon mustard based sauce, was then coated on the lamb in preparation for the cook.
Red Chard: $2.50
Previously stated above, I split the bushel evenly between both dishes. This was the perfect option, because we used the same produce between both dishes! By doing this, it really helped stretch out our budget.
Red Potatoes: $1
As mentioned above for the Salmon Dinner, the total cost of a bag of red potatoes, is approximately $2. I used about 1/4 of the potatoes for this dish as well.
Fresh Herbs & Seasonings: $3
For this dish we used fresh dill, garlic, and thyme. Dill and thyme are something that i do not keep on hand regularly. We had to purchase these item specifically for the entree. Both items cost about $1.50 each, and were used primarily in the dijon mustard based sauce.
Home Value: $28.50 | Restaurant Value: $39
Tips
Build your spice rack - It’s so key to have a variety of seasonings in your pantry. I love experimenting with flavors. Some of my go to herbs and seasonings that I use on a daily basis is: black peppercorn, sea salt, oregano, red pepper chilli flakes, lemon pepper seasoning, just to name a few. This will help you build variety into your dishes.
Find sales at your local grocery store or farmer’s market - I love Fresh Market, because they are always having amazing deals in the meat and produce sections. Sign up for the weekly newsletters to see the popular items that they are slashing the prices on. I always buy a few extra seafood or meat items and freeze them to cook at a later time. Also, I shop at Trader Joe’s for all of my produce - they have great deals, and many of my seasonings and fresh herbs come from there.
Shop for in season produce and keep fresh herbs on hand - Buying in season produce can be a bit cheaper. Also, keeping items like fresh ginger, peppers, or garlic can really help elevate a dish.
It was super fun cooking with the hubby, and it was an awesome date night in. Learning, exploring new recipes, and making things out of the ordinary was so cool. It is truly wonderful trying new things, while saving a few dollars at the same time!
In the end, both dishes came to a total of $43.50, plus there were some leftovers! You cannot beat that at all.
Fell free to share some of your favorite dishes you like to cook at home, that give you the ultimate restaurant inspiration.
XO, Analise