Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes & Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week : A Cookbook

by Melissa d'Arabian, Raquel Pelzel

Overview

Melissa d’Arabian, host of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners and season 5 winner of The Next Food Network Star, makes good on the $10 promise of dinner for four in her debut cookbook.

For home cooks who care about what they feed their families and want to stretch their dollars, Melissa is the best guide for putting delicious meals on the table. She focuses on savvy budgeting, efficient shopping, and full-flavored cooking. Ten Dollar Dinners has 140 recipes and more than 100 creative, practical tips on great money-savers (“Clear-Your-Pantry Week”); inventive takes on old standby dinners (try her Moroccan Meatloaf); and how to get ingredients to last longer (keep your green onions in a glass of water and they will regrow several times over!). And with a coding system to help you create your own $10 menu, Ten Dollar Dinners celebrates spending with purpose, cooking with love, minimizing time spent in front of the stove, and savoring your homemade meal.

Melissa is a pro at creating satisfying meals that adults and kids alike will enjoy, using everyday ingredients and transforming them into delicious dinners. Her Potato-Bacon Torte (which, at 50 cents a serving, was one of her winning recipes on The Next Food Network Star) shows how basic and inexpensive supermarket ingredients can be turned into an amazingly satisfying dish. Her Roasted Vegetable Tian is a great way to take advantage of deals in the produce aisle. The Four-Step Chicken Piccata offers a plan for getting food on the table in just minutes, using almost anything in the pantry.

Anyone can use this book—especially those who want to save money—and feel great about cooking sensibly for elevated, simple meals that are healthy family-pleasers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307985156
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	08/14/2012
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	250,338
File size:	141 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

MELISSA D’ARABIAN was the host of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners and Cooking Channel’s Drop 5 Lbs with Good Housekeeping. Melissa is the season 5 winner of The Next Food Network Star and has also appeared on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate and Food Network Challenge. Melissa has a BA from the University of Vermont and an MBA from Georgetown University. She lives with her husband and their four young daughters in San Diego.

Read an Excerpt

Salmon Cakes
 
Serves 4
 
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
 
1 large russet potato
2 bacon strips
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Zest of 1/2 lemon
14-ounce can wild salmon
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
 
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the potato and cook until a paring knife easily slips into the center of the potato, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and, once the potato is cool enough to handle, peel it and place it in a bowl. Use a fork to break up and fluff the potato. Set aside.
 
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon on both sides until browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate (save the fat in a small bowl), cool, and then crumble. Place the bacon in a medium bowl and set aside.
 
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat in a small skillet over low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the onion cool, then add to the bacon along with the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, and lemon zest, stirring to combine. Add the salmon and then the potato, mixing gently after each addition. Then form into 12 small patties.
 
4. In a small, shallow baking dish, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and pepper. Press both sides of the salmon patties firmly into the bread-crumb mixture to evenly coat both sides.
 
5. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the salmon cakes in 2 batches until they’re golden on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes total, adding more oil when necessary. Serve warm.

Table of Contents

introduction 8

making ten dollar dinners work for you 15

how to use ten dollar dinners 16

strategies for saving 18

the ten dollar dinner pantry 25

1 appetizers & snacks small bites to start things off 29

2 soups a meal in a bowl 63

3 salads fresh, healthy, and budget-friendly 87

4 fish & seafood strategies for pricey proteins 113

5 chicken the irreplaceable chicken dinner 137

6 pork & beef here's to meat on a budget! 169

7 vegetables as a main or a side 201

8 starchy sides opportunities to save your budget 237

9 pasta a budget staple 263

10 dessert a sweet last impression 281

11 breakfast bonus chapter! 317

acknowledgments 352

recipe cost index 355

index 359

Editorial Reviews

Melissa’s real life experience as a wife and mom make her the perfect person to help all of us get dinner to the table.”
—BOBBY FLAY
 
“Melissa really gets it. She is a mom who knows firsthand that cooking on a budget can be delicious, inspiring, and healthy. She brings it all here with flair and the comforting presence of a good friend.”
—ELLIE KRIEGER
 
“Who knew that something as tasty and fun as steak with caramelized onions could be so cheap and easy to make? Melissa’s Ten Dollar Dinners broadens the horizon of dinnertime possibilities and deliciousness. This is a great resource for new, affordable cooking ideas.”
—ALEX GUARNASCHELLI
 
“I am a father and husband before I am a chef, so when it comes to mealtime I want to use simple recipes that utilize the freshest foods possible. That’s what Ten Dollar Dinners is all about. I also like to cook with my family, which means that Melissa’s recipes are perfect for us to create together.”
—ANDREW ZIMMERN
 
“Here’s a mom, raising and feeding four cute daughters, while giving a nod to her French husband’s palate, as well as conquering the corporate world. Plus her pie crust rivals a pastry chef’s! I knew Melissa was a winner from the start. Her recipes save you money and her tips make sense—saving you time so you can go out and enjoy life as she has.”
—SUNNY ANDERSON
 
“Melissa proves that delicious food doesn’t have to cost big bucks. I love her blend of California freshness, French flair, and frugality.”
—ROSEMARY ELLIS [editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping]

From the Publisher