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This classic French dessert is also a traditional breakfast dish with cherries cooked in a thick custard. To keep the budget in line, this recipe uses frozen berries soaked in brandy or liqueur, making the dish delicious! If you love fruit desserts, this is one of the best. Let's pretend we are waking up in Paris and have this dish with fresh cream! Julia Child's Cherry Clafoutis Recipe As America's French Chef on PBS, Julia Child introduced many traditional French dishes to US cooks. One of her favorites was Cherry Clafoutis, a thick custard dominated by fruit. It is not too sweet, but the sugar can be adjusted to the cook's preferences. French people eat this dish drizzled with fresh cream, but it's also a quick after-school snack. We eat this dish for breakfast on special days. It is very old-fashioned and very French. Remember that you can make this dessert with almost any fruit. I've made it with raspberries, apples, and pears. Experiment and find the fruit you like the best. Julia Child favored the traditional version, which uses cherries. What Type of Cherries or Fruit Should I Use? You can use fresh, canned, or frozen cherries. Cherries are seasonal fruits that are quite expensive out of season, so I use fresh cherries when they are in season and frozen when they aren't. To make frozen cherries taste better, I soak them in brandy, cognac, or liqueur for at least an hour. (You can even soak them overnight in the refrigerator.) The boozy taste is quite nice if you leave the cherries in alcohol for an extended period. When ready to use, lightly drain the cherries. (I admit that I save and drink the leftover cherry brandy.) If you are using fresh cherries, make sure to pit them. In a blender (or in a bowl with an immersion blender), combine milk, 1/3 c. sugar, three eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour, and blend well. Butter a baking dish that holds at least 8 cups. Butter it well, as this recipe really sticks to the pan if you don't. Pour just enough batter into the baking dish to create a 1/4-inch layer on the bottom of the pan. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, until the batter has set (not cooked, just set). Take the casserole dish out of the oven CAREFULLY. It will be hot. Lay the cherries over the set batter in a single layer. Sprinkle on the remaining sugar. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries. Place the casserole dish back in the 350-degree oven for 40-60 minutes, depending on its depth. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, remove it from the oven. Cool to warm or room temperature, and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Serve with cream or whipped cream. I did not cost out this recipe, but the bag of frozen cherries was $5. When I make it with fresh seasonal cherries, they cost about the same. You can cook this dessert for around $7.50.

Watching TV chefs prepare Cacio e Pepe might make it seem daunting. However, Cacio e Pepe is actually one of the simplest and most budget-friendly Roman dishes. With just spaghetti, cheese, and pepper, you can create this tasty gourmet pasta dish in less than 15 minutes for under $5. Traditional Roma Cacio de Pepe requires only cheese, spaghetti, and pepper and relies on technique instead of butter and cream. This sensible dish is the ultimate gourmet on a budget—it can feed four people for under $5. Cacio e Pepe is the most uniquely Roman of pastas and the greatest thing in the history of the world. –Anthony Bourdain Ingredients Cheese The cheese is the biggest expense in this dish. A true citizen of Rome will tell you that you need Pecorino Romano cheese to make Cacio e Pepe. That's easy in Rome but not so easy in many parts of the world. Here in Tampa Bay, I have a few options, like the Italian market in St. Petersburg, but the cost of good cheese there is often prohibitive. Most supermarkets carry Romano cheese, but it is made from cow's milk, not true sheep's milk cheese like Pecorino. I found affordable Pecorino Romano cheese in only two places: Costco and Sam's Club. Sometimes, they have a block of hard cheese, and sometimes it is pre-grated. The good news about the pre-grated cheese is that it contains no additives or anti-caking agents. This means it melts wonderfully. Ultimately, I could only find pre-grated Pecorino Romano at $11/pound in a one-pound container. I am not upset at this. I easily use this much cheese in the 3 months (or more) it will keep. A pound of Pecorino is equivalent to 4.5 cups of grated cheese. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of Pecorino and 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano. This is because the Pecorino cheese commonly available in the U.S. is too salty to use exclusively in the dish. You get a better result if you mix half Pecorino and half Parmesan. As for the quality of the cheese, this dish is priced at around $4 for four servings, featuring good bronze-cut pasta and authentic Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano. You might save $1 by using cheap cheese, but buy the good cheese if you use enough so there is no spoilage. If you don't, you can find a good Parmesan at Aldi for $4 for 8 ounces and an acceptable Romano at Walmart for around the same price. I use 1-2 pounds of Pecorino and Parmigiano every 2-3 months, so buying the larger, higher-quality amount works for me. However, the big picture is that the cheaper cheese still makes a good dish, albeit a less creamy one. Additionally, you may need to add salt. Pasta I use spaghetti in this dish, as they do in Rome. I try to use good spaghetti, which is bronze die-cut spaghetti. The pasta is rough, like sandpaper, because it is produced with bronze cutters. Unlike those made with Teflon. It makes much starchier water, and the sauce "clings" to it in a way that it doesn't with lesser-quality pasta. I used Rao's spaghetti, the best widely available pasta in American markets, for this dish. This pasta cost me $2.25 per pound on sale at Target and $2.50 at Walmart. Aldi has a good alternative available for around $2 per pound. This is about twice the price of bare-bones economy pasta, but it's worth it in this recipe. If you can afford a couple of dollars (or pounds, or Euros, or Canadian dollars) more and can find reasonably priced bronze-cut pasta, use that instead. The quality of the pasta is worth an extra $0.50 in this recipe. Foolproof Cacio e Pepe Step One - Set Up Add approximately one liter of water to a large pot. The secret is to cook the pasta in a modest amount of water, allowing the starch in the pasta to become more concentrated. Put another sauté pan on another burner. The two pots should be close together. Get a ladle and a pasta lifter or pair of tongs. Grind around a teaspoon of pepper in a pepper mill or a mortar and pestle. Grate your cheese very finely and keep it near the burner. Step Two - Cook Pasta and Toast and Sauce Peppercorns When your pasta water is boiling, set a stopwatch timer for your spaghetti. Turn on the second burner to medium and toast the pepper until it starts giving off an aroma. Put a ladle of pasta water from the pasta pot into the pepper sauté pan. Stir the pepper mixture and wait for the water to become thick and start making a sauce. Add another ladle of pasta water as the water evaporates, but keep at a low simmer. Continue stirring. Step Three - Add Cooked Pasta to Peppercorns Cook your pasta until it is al dente, which typically takes around 9 minutes for the type of pasta I'm using. If in doubt, undercook rather than overcook. The package of pasta you are using should indicate a cooking time for al dente. When the time is up, use tongs or a pasta fork to scoop up the pasta and put it in the pan with the pepper. It's okay if the pasta water transfers with the pasta. Turn off your pasta water. Step Four - Stir in Pasta Water Stir the pasta in the pepper and pasta water. It will become starchy, creamy water. Add another ladle of pasta water. Stir until a thick, even sauce covers the pasta. Step Five - Take the Pan Off Heat and Wait When your pasta is done perfectly, and the sauce is thickened, it's time to take your pan off the burner. Wait 2 minutes, stirring the pasta all the time. If it gets dry, add more pasta water. Step Six - Stir in Cheese and More Pasta Water Put about 1/4 c. of the cheese and stir until it dissolves into the sauce. Add another ladle of pasta water. Stir until everything is incorporated. Add another 1/4 c. of cheese, stir until creamy, and add more pasta water, if necessary. Stir until the mixture is creamy. "Flip" the pan or pull the pasta over on itself with a pair of tongs. Add the remaining cheese and enough pasta water to make a creamy sauce. If you add too much, stir a bit longer. If the pasta sauce becomes dry, add a little more water. Get the mixture the consistency that you like it. Step Six - Serve Immediately Serve immediately with more freshly ground pepper and some additional cheese on top.

Buttery shrimp are the only thing that could improve a delicious, from-scratch Fettucine Alfredo. If you source your ingredients wisely, this creamy, mouth-watering pasta dish will cost roughly $14 for four generous servings. Fettucine Alfredo is a beloved dish, and adding sauteed shrimp makes it protein-rich and irresistible. Good-quality frozen shrimp from Aldi, Wild Fork, or Walmart can be used to serve something decadent on a budget. Quality dairy ingredients—parmesan cheese and heavy cream—are reasonably priced at Aldi, Sam's Club, Sprouts, or Walmart. Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo is decadent, but you can make it in under 30 minutes for under $15. You can't talk in the pantry section of a US supermarket without seeing endless jars of premade Alfredo sauce. These ready-made variations on the classic dish are so disappointing you may have gotten the idea that you don't like Alfredo. Real Alfredo is a mixture of grated parmesan cheese and cream that tastes nothing like the jarred sauce. It is among the best seafood pasta dishes ever invented, with al dente noodles, crispy sauteed shrimp, and freshly ground pepper. Shrimp For this dish, try to find affordable 20-30 size RAW shrimp (20-30 per pound), with the shells on. Larger shrimp are nice but are often very expensive. This size is a nice compromise of costs and quality. Aldi has an option called "Jumbo" for around $6.50 for a 12 oz. bag. Walmart sells a "Colossal" raw shrimp for around $6 for a 12 oz. bag. They have a wonderful 12 oz bag of raw, peeled shrimp for around $7 if you want to upgrade to wild-caught shrimp. Wild Fork Foods is my favorite: a jumbo 16 oz bag for $7 and a large 16 oz. bag around $6.50. My Asian grocery frequently has shrimp or prawns for a similar price. Look for sales--I found /Jumbo Gulf (wild caught) shrimp a couple of months ago for $7/pound at our Detwiler's (IYKYK), and I stocked up. Whatever shrimp you choose, buy raw, whole shrimp. My experience with cooked shrimp is that they are often flavorless, mushy, or overcooked—or all three. Buy raw shrimp, season them, and cook them yourself. For this dish, I would peel them, but start with shell-on raw shrimp for the best results. Cheese Cooking show gurus will preach the importance of Parmigiano Reggiano in Italian cooking. Buying the highest-quality Parmesan cheese is wonderful if you have the money. One good option is to pay roughly $20 at Sam's Club for a 2-pound block. It's a good buy at $11/pound, but you must buy two. If funds are more limited, Aldi sells a very good 8-oz. wedge for around $4. This is more than good enough for this dish. Trader Joe's also sells good-quality Parmesan around this price point. Historically, I have made the trek to TJs just for the Parmesan cheese, but the parking lot congestion at my local store has pushed me to bulk cheese or Aldi. An unopened block of cheese can last upwards of 6 months in the refrigerator. Once you begin cutting the block, it will last two months or so. I would go for the Sam's Club block if you can use 2 pounds of parmesan cheese in two months. If not, snag a wedge every few weeks at Aldi or TJs. Whatever parmesan cheese you choose, you will need 1 1/2 cups grated. One cup is a little more than 3 ounces of cheese, so this recipe calls for 4.5 ounces. Do not be tempted to buy the grated or shredded little tubs. Pre-grated cheese does not melt properly because it's coated to keep it from sticking together in the tub. Get a block of cheese and grate it--it takes 30 seconds to grate a few ounces of cheese with a block grater, and it makes the dish. If you go for the Parmigiano Reggiano purchase at Sam's, 4.5 ounces will cost you $3.10. If you opt for the Aldi house brand cheese, the cost will be around $2.0. It just depends on how you like to buy. Other Ingredients I usually buy my heavy cream at Aldi for around $5.50 per quart. Walmart has a quart at an almost identical price. Sam's Club has a two-quart for around $8.75 if you use a lot of cream. That is a nice savings, but only if you use the cream. Remember that cream has a longer shelf life than whole milk. Heavy cream will last at least a month once opened because of its high-fat content and ultra-pasteurization. You can save a little with the larger size at Sam's Club, but it is only a bargain if you easily use 8 cups of cream monthly. If not, opt for the smaller size at Aldi or Walmart. This recipe benefits from whole fresh parsley and lemon. I always buy these at Aldi, but several other outlets have great prices. Aldi has a very good parsley for under $1. Walmart sells flat-leaf parsley for right at $1. Sprouts has it every day for around $1.50. Considering that you can use it on numerous dishes and dry it for later use if you find you aren't going to use it, it's a steal. I'm sure you didn't miss the fact that without the shrimp, two servings of Fettuccine Alfredo would cost around 4. That is just wildly inexpensive. If you hate cream, you can make a pasta water version even more cheaply with lower calories, but that is another post. The Process Step One: Bring 3.5 quarts of water to a boil and salt liberally. It should taste like seawater. Add about 1 T. of kosher salt, less of table salt. Step Two: Sauté the fresh sage in 2 T butter until crisp, then remove it to a plate. In about a minute, the sage will "sizzle" and become crispy instead of soft. Turn the sage over with tongs, cook for a few seconds more, and then remove it to a plate. Step Two: In the same butter, sauté the shrimp on the first side for 1-2 minutes, then flip with tongs and sauté for another minute. Remove the shrimp to a plate. Step Three: Add the lemon juice and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and warm until thick. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Step Four: Finish cooking the fettuccine to al dente. Drain and place in the hot cream mixture. Add the grated Parmesan and stir. Taste and correct salt and pepper. Add the Shrimp and stir. Serve immediately with crispy sage leaves. Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

In this classic recipe, chicken is simmered in white wine and broth with pearl onions and mushrooms and finished with a cream sauce. It's a cousin to Coq au Vin, but it's made with white wine instead of red. Julia Child's Chicken Fricassee is classic French country food on a budget. In Season 8 of The French Chef , Julia Child did an episode devoted to Chicken Fricassee and Coq Au Vin, which she called "sisters under the skin." Chicken Fricassee is cooked in white wine and broth with pearl onions and mushrooms and finished with a cream sauce. Coq au Vin is cooked in red wine with more robust flavors and served in a thick red wine reduction with bacon, pearl onions, and mushrooms. Chicken Fricassee and Coq au Vin are sisters, under the skin. –Julia Child The following are strategies for serving this dish for around $12. If you buy leg quarters in bulk, make broth with the scraps, and choose your wine carefully, you can make Chicken Fricassee and Coq au Vin for under $20. French country food on a budget, which is what we love at InflationBites.com Julia Child's Chicken Fricassee on a Budget Ingredients Chicken Fricassee is made from chicken, white wine, chicken broth, pearl onions, mushrooms, herbs, and fresh cream. It does not contain exotic ingredients and can be made cheaply. Chicken I use leg quarters bought in bulk when I cook Chicken Fricassee and Coq au Vin. Ten pounds of leg quarters cost $6-7 at Aldi and Walmart (although they can be hard to find at Aldi, where they often sell out). My last purchase was $6.70. (I have a good post telling you how to process these leg quarters and make chicken stock) You can easily make this dish twice for under $20 using leg quarters purchased in bulk. Stock As I stated above, I made 2-3 quarts of stock from the back scraps from a 10-pound bag of chicken leg quarters. If you add carrots, onions, celery, and a bay leaf to a pot full of chicken scraps and water and simmer for at least 4 hours, you will have a pot full of chicken stock. This stock can be frozen for months and is of much better quality than purchased stock. But it will be great even if you purchase canned stock to make this recipe. Wine I used a cup of Sauvignon Blanc purchased at Aldi for under $4, making the wine in this dish around $1. I have also found other great white wines at Trader Joe's. Use a dry white, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Pearl Onions You can find fresh pearl onions in many outlets for $3-4. Check at Walmart and Sprouts, as both outlets typically carry them. Or you can buy a frozen bag of pearl onions for around $2. These frozen onions have the advantage of being quite uniform and already being peeled. They are of good quality--keep a bag in your freezer. One bag will make this recipe twice. Mushrooms The ideal mushroom for this dish is a baby Bella, but any common white or brown mushroom will do. Clean your mushrooms and cut them into quarters. If they are very large, you can cut them into smaller segments. Herbs I used fresh parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf. You can use dried herbs or fresh. If you opt for fresh, look at Walmart, Aldi, or Sprouts: they sell herbs cheaply. Aldi sells parsley for around $1 and a flat of fresh thyme for under $2, Remaining Ingredients You need a couple of carrots, a couple of stalks of celery, and any type of onion, finely diced. This dish is finished with 2 egg yolks and 1/2 c. heavy cream, which can be found cheaply in any discount grocery. Techniques Browning the Chicken Chicken Fricassee is a traditional French dish in which the chicken is not browned, but cooked gently in butter until it "seizes up." Modern palates seem to dislike the look and feel of chicken that is not browned, perhaps because we have all faced a dish made in the microwave that is not browned but should be. My answer to all this is to sauté the chicken pieces until they are lightly browned in a mixture of butter and oil. Cooking the Pearl Onions and Mushrooms A traditional recipe calls for the pearl onions and mushrooms to be cooked separately. I often do this when making Beef Bourguignon or Coq au Vin, because they are cooked longer and involve heartier flavors. The onions and mushrooms fall apart if you try to cook the pearl onions and mushrooms with the braising beef or chicken. But in the case of Chicken Fricassee, you can safely make it a "one-pot" dish and cook the pearl onions and mushrooms right in the pot. Just delay adding the mushrooms until the dish has cooked for half an hour or so. In this way, the mushrooms will cook but not overcook. Braising the Chicken The chicken for this dish is browned slightly, then braised in wine and broth, with the mirepoix and herbs added. The pearl onions are also added as you begin braising the chicken. Braise the chicken gently: bring it to a gentle simmer and cook it for around 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 15-30 minutes. Making the Sauce After braising, take the chicken out of the pan and strain off the pan juices. Pull out the pearl onions and mushrooms, but throw away the rest of the vegetables and herbs left in the strainer. Put the juices back in the pot and simmer them. If they need further thickening, use a cornstarch slurry (1 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T water). Then, beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl and add the cream. Beat in about 1/2 c. of hot pan liquid into the egg yolk/cream mixture, and then pour it into the pot. Thicken up the sauce slightly. Finishing the Dish Put the chicken pieces, pearl onions, and mushrooms back into the pot and heat through. Serve with chopped parsley on white buttered rice. Julia Child"s Chicken Fricassee, classic French food on a budget.

Let's revisit the true, original recipe for Chocolate Mousse prepared by Julia Child in seasons 1 and 8 of The French Chef. Julia emphasized good technique rather than costly ingredients: this is our creed at InflationBites.com . Julia Child's Chocolate Mouse Julia Child prepared her Chocolate Mouse recipe twice on The French Chef, her groundbreaking television show on WGBH in Boston. In Season 1, Child made a version similar to the recipe in her landmark book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking . In Season 8, she made the recipe again, modified with easier techniques and a bit more foolproof. Like good cooks everywhere, she improved and simplified the recipe. Julia Child was not a snob: she emphasized cooking techniques over expensive ingredients. On Season 1 of The French Chef, Julia made this recipe with chocolate chips. In Season 8 , she admitted to using instant coffee. Despite this, some recipe sites will prepare Julia's chocolate mouse and admonish the home cook to buy only the finest chocolate or use only a particular liqueur. Stop it, already. Julia emphasized using good techniques to elevate common ingredients. Pay attention to whether your egg yolk mixture forms a "ribbon" or whether your chocolate is melted gently and is creamy. That is what makes a really great chocolate mouse. The other essential is adding more flavor through coffee, orange liquor, or candied orange peels. (I will advocate for candied orange peel, so be warned.) Ingredients First, let's take a look at the ingredients you'll need. One proviso to our readers: InflationBites.com is dedicated to fine cooking for less. We emphasize eliminating hard-to-find ingredients in favor of good basics and techniques. The secret to a quality dish is not spending money but paying attention to the details and learning good cooking techniques. So, let's look at what you need to make a great chocolate mousse. As Julia said, there are only four basic ingredients: eggs, sugar, chocolate, and butter. The rest are little additions for flavor. There are only four core ingredients: eggs, sugar, butter, and chocolate. The remainder are optional for flavor. Instant Sugar Julia uses the phrase "instant sugar" to describe the superfine (caster's) sugar she used in season 1 and her cookbook. She stresses the importance of using instant sugar because using granulated sugar might lead to an unpleasant granular sensation. This is because the cooked egg yolk mixture does not always get hot enough to melt granulated sugar (regular white sugar). By season 8, Julia abandoned instant sugar (perhaps highlighting the trend away from specialty baking sugars in US supermarkets). In that episode, Julia advocated putting the standard white sugar in the hot coffee and heating it just short of boiling. By doing this, the sugar is melted, thus avoiding any issues with texture. I present this version of the recipe in this post. Superfine sugar is expensive and hard to find: it is not sold at Walmart or Aldi, and I couldn't find it at Sprouts. I found it in my local Publix, but a small package costs much more than standard white sugar. This type of expensive, hard-to-find ingredient is what we avoid here on Inflation Bites. So, we will stick with Julia's solution to the superfine sugar problem: dissolve the standard white sugar in hot coffee. Coffee Since we are talking about hot coffee, this recipe calls for 1/4 cup of strong coffee. Again, use what you have on hand. I like brewing a stronger coffee and grind in my little French press. But if you have an espresso machine, by all means use that. If you don't brew coffee at home, there are some really good instant espressos out there at minimal cost. You can buy a large bottle of cold brew at Aldi and keep it in the refrigerator. The taste is superior (I used this on the day I took these pictures). Remember to use the type of coffee you like the best. Heat the coffee in a saucepot, and add 3/4 cup of sugar. Put the hot mixture in a liquid measuring cup or frothing pitcher to make pouring it slowly into the egg yolks easier. Liqueur In the original recipe, Julia called for the use of orange liquor. The first time I made this recipe, 30 years ago, I invested in a bottle of Grand Marnier. Grand Marnier is a blend of cognac and triple sec. It was far too expensive at the time on a student's budget. Each time I make this recipe, I look at my supply of liqueur, and I often make it differently based on my mood. Sometimes, I want a very strong liquor flavor, and I might go for rum, while at other times, I want a more delicate flavor with orange liqueur. You have many options for a good chocolate mousse, but the best option is the one you like the best. Triple Sec My favorite liqueur in Chocolate Mouse is Triple Sec. The alcohol content in different triple secs varies greatly, from 15% to 40%. My favorite tripe sec is This inexpensive triple sec is around $10 and is light on alcohol and long on flavor. Bols, which is 38% and a good budget option. De Kuyper is also good and quite inexpensive. Inexpensive triple secs are often 15% alcohol, but that is not problematic for chocolate mousse. I have noticed that many modern adaptations of Julia's chocolate mousse recipe cut the booze down to 2 tablespoons, or in half, perhaps showing a more recent preference for a more subtle liquor flavor. Inexpensive triple secs suit this because they pack a wallop of flavor without the strong flavor of the liqueur. For many people, that is a welcome alternative. While "boozy chocolate" is the current trend, Julia Child did not include liquor because she wanted the person tasting it to be aware of the alcohol. She used alcohol to enhance the flavor of the dish. Rum or Whiskey But here is the thing: Julia noted on The French Chef that any liquor or liqueur you liked could enhance this dish for you. She suggested rum or even whisky for those who wanted a stronger liquor flavor. I have tried rum, but I don't like it as much as triple sec or other liqueur. But everyone should determine this for themselves. Sometimes, I want the strong flavor of liquor and I go for rum in my mousse. Other Liqueurs Julia suggested that the flavor of orange liqueur complemented chocolate, but remember that other flavors also go extremely well with chocolate. Raspberry liqueur is wonderful in chocolate mousse and is also a favorite in this dish. Mint is another flavor that is insanely good with chocolate. Almond or nut-flavored liqueurs complement chocolate nicely. Chocolate or coffee-flavored liqueur intensifies the flavor of chocolate mousse. In short, use the liqueur you like the best. If you love it with chocolate, it will probably work well in this dish. Experiment with the flavor you love best! Non-Alcoholic Choices If you prefer not to use any alcoholic flavoring in your chocolate mousse, Julia recommended using vanilla or orange juice. If you make candied orange peels, the syrup left over from that process makes a great flavoring for chocolate mousse. Those flavored syrups you use to make your coffee drinks? They also make great flavoring for chocolate mousse. Chocolate Cooks posting this recipe online obsess about the type of chocolate to use. I'm not sure Julia would approve. In Season 1 of The French Chef, Julia made this recipe with chocolate chips . It was the mid-60s, and fake chocolate chips had not yet flooded the market, so they were a better choice back then than today. But still, Julia did not opt for fancy chocolate from Europe and throw shade on anyone who decided to use chocolate from the supermarket. Eight years later, when she made chocolate mousse again on The French Chef , Julia used baking chocolate squares but said she preferred to use Belgian or other Dutch chocolate. I suspect that these options were more available by that time. We should take a lesson from Julia here: she used what was available to her followers. When you make your chocolate mousse, use what you like that is affordable to you. On the day I took these pictures, I chose to use plain old baking chocolate: it is inexpensive and readily available. Walmart normally sells four oz. of this chocolate for around $3, but I found them on sale for $2.25 and stocked up. You can buy Baker's chocolate for this recipe for around $4 if you live near a Walmart. If you choose to use chocolate chips, it's even cheaper, although I warn you that the result is not quite as good as baking chocolate. There are some other great options out there. Trader Joe's is particularly strong in selling good-quality chocolate. Choose a semi-sweet or bittersweet variety. Target sells Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bars for around $3-4. Avoid "fake chocolate" or "chocolate flavored" baking chips. The result using these is below par. But apart from that, choose a chocolate you like. More expensive doesn't necessarily mean better quality: I get the best results using Trader Joe's chocolate for all my baking projects. Egg This recipe uses four whole eggs. You can use any large whole egg you prefer that is within your budget. Don't use extra-large or medium eggs, which will throw off the dish's balance. Remember, however, that this recipe calls for raw egg whites. (The yolks are cooked briefly, and as long as they reach a temperature of 160 degrees, they should be safe.) Many recipes use raw whipped egg whites, and the incidence of any food poisoning from egg whites is rare. But remember to use fresh eggs that you have handled appropriately. This is not a recipe to make with a month-old carton of questionable eggs you left out overnight on one occasion. Choose a carton of fresh eggs and handle them safely. If you are immuno-compromised, you may wish to use pasteurized eggs. This writer is a cancer survivor, and I know what it is to have to be careful at times. If you use pasteurized eggs, you will have difficulty whipping the egg whites. There are many videos out there showing how to whip pasteurized egg whites if they are whippable. (Check the carton before you buy.) Even if the whites can be whipped, it takes a long time and won't be as light. That's okay. The result will still be good. (And I said a prayer while typing that anyone reading this who is immunocompromised will be blessed with good health and a good appetite. ) Orange Peels I saved the best for last. Julia's original recipe calls for finely chopped candied orange peels. I made this recipe many years ago when I purchased candied orange peels--the kind my mom put in fruitcake. The result was not very good. I Adding finely dice orange peel to chocolate mousse. decided the "optional" orange peels in the recipe were a "no" in my kitchen. Recently, however, I have rethought this, and I hope you will do the same at some point. If you use orange liqueur in your mousse, it isn't complete without the orange peel. It elevates this dish and does not destroy the texture if you finely chop them. I made the candied orange peel recipe posted by The Pioneer Woman and the result was a good peel. Making candied orange peel: transform garbage into gourmet! This is now a favorite recipe, although I have changed it slightly: I remove about half the pith before processing them. The recipe is simple: orange peels, sugar and water. That's right, you make candied orange peel from something you would otherwise throw in the garbage or compost. Don't let that throw you off: they are just delicious. I roll some in sanding sugar and some without. I dip some halfway in chocolate. They make a lovely garnish for desserts. If you love an Old-Fashioned cocktail, a piece of candied orange peel is just perfect in the glass. If you ever decide to make candied orange peel, chop it finely and put it in your chocolate mousse. Candied orange peel keeps extremely well, so make a bunch and keep it in your refrigerator or freezer for later use. Techniques for Julia's Original Mousse Heating the Egg Yolks Julia's recipe called for beating the egg yolks over simmering or hot water until they thicken. This process is central to producing a good result and make the yolks safer to eat. While you can beat your egg yolks at length, here is a secret: the magic starts to happen when your yolks reach 115-130 degrees. They really don't start to thicken before this--get them creamy and light yellow so they are ready when the mixture reaches 115, but if you are getting frustrated that your mousse isn't thickening, it is probably because it simply isn't warm enough yet. Having said this, it is also important that you don't overheat your egg yolks. You should be able to put your finger (that "impeccably clean finger" only, please) in the hot mixture without feeling discomfort. Julia emphasized beating the yolks over the hot water by hand with a wire whisk, although you can certainly use a hand or stand mixture later after you take the yolk mixture off the hot water bath. Big picture: don't rush this step as it is the most important step to get your texture right. Dissolving the Sugar in Coffee In Season 8, Julia changed the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking to include dissolving the sugar in the hot coffee and adding this hot mixture to egg yolks that had been whipped over hot water. (The cookbook version called for beating the sugar into the egg yolks before heating.) I like this change a lot. Use care not to "cook" your egg yolks by adding the hot coffee too quickly, and do not cook the sugar and coffee into syrup (just heat it). This gives the yolks a head start on warming up and eliminates the need for superfine or instant sugar. Keep Beating Those Egg Yolks Continue beating the yolks and coffee mixture until it thickens. When this happens, remove the mixture from the water bath. Now, continue beating the mixture with a hand mixer until ribbons form (you can also do this in a stand mixer). The magic happens when eggs, sugar, and a little coffee are transformed into the mousse. Don't rush this step. When done, your mousse will "form ribbons." This means that when you pour the mousse off a spoon, it holds its shape briefly or "forms ribbons." This is extremely hard to capture while holding a camera in one hand and a spoon in the other, but look at the middle picture below. The mixture briefly holds its shape when drizzled off a spoon. Is it time to stop beating? Hardly, friend. Now it's time to beat the butter in, one tablespoon at a time. As you finish this task, the mixture should have cooled to room temperature. It's ready for the chocolate. Melt the Chocolate over Hot Water with Liqueur Place whatever liqueur you use in a glass or metal bowl over hot water. Break the chocolate into pieces, put it into the bowl, and cover it. Let the heat and time work: the chocolate will be melted in a few minutes. Whip it lightly with a whisk. If the chocolate isn't melting, heat your water a little. Add the Chocolate to the Egg Yolk Mixture Drizzle the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture. It should have cooled nicely. Gently incorporate the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture. Do not beat it at this point. From here on, treat the mixture gently so as not to "deflate" it or make it runny. Whip the Egg Whites In a stand or hand mixture, beat the egg whites. Notice the old copper liner to my Kitchen Aide mixer. This mixer and the liner are more than 30 years old. If you can nab an old Kitchen Aide and its valuable accessories from a family member who is downsizing or an estate or garage sale, do it. These mixers last forever. It seemed like a big expense then, but this mixer has made birthday cakes, care package cookies, and dinner party delights for those I love. Every birthday cake I have made my daughter has been made in this old Kitchen Aide. If you are getting married soon, put a Kitchen Aide on your registry. If not, put a Kitchen Aide on your Amazon wish list. Or save up for one. You will never be disappointed, even if the cake falls or the dinner party is dull. But whatever type of mixer you have (or even if you beat them by hand with a whisk), you should beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Don't beat them until they are dry, but make sure they are not runny. It All Comes Together Make sure your egg whites are stiff. Then, get a rubber spatula and fold the egg whites into the mousse. Fold it gently and incorporate it fully. Your mousse is complete. It needs another hour or so in the refrigerator to cool and set fully, but you can place it into individual serving dishes or just put the bowl in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. To serve, add a dollop of whipped cream and some candied orange peel sticks if you have them. If you opt for other flavorings (such as fruit or nuts), garnish with fresh fruit or toasted nuts, or don't guild that lily and serve without garnish. Bon Appetit! Julia Child's Original Chocolate Mousse .

This classic French dish is perfect: the short ribs tender and buttery, and the sauce is a classic of mushrooms, cream, and parmesan cheese with herbs. Wow your family without breaking the bank. Gourmet food without breaking your budget! When Julia Child advised American cooks on The French Chef how to save money while feeding their families delicious French food, she often advocated for cheap cuts of meat braised for long periods. After all, that is just what Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, and Veal Short Ribs are: tough or less-than-desirable meats simmered in wine until they are fall off the bone tender and then served with an amazing sauce. In the last decade, the cuts of meat used for these dishes have become more expensive, particularly beef short ribs. This cut of meat has become very trendy: Thomas Keller teaches a Master Class on cooking this delightful cut of meat over 3 days but advises the cook to secure the best possible short rib, although this is costly. Even more costly in the last few years, beef short ribs are selling for the same price as rib steak at my favorite online meat store. It's a short rib, for goodness sake. What would Julia say? It is becoming harder and harder to cook gourmet or fine food on a budget. The inspiration and original recipe for this dish comes from Half Baked Harvest, and it is a wonderful dish. But the cost of the original is very high, with beef short ribs and over two pounds of exotic mushrooms. This wonderful dish costs closer to $25 and is still amazing. One solution to the rising cost of beef short ribs is to use veal short ribs. I know veal is usually more expensive and has the additional concern of the humane treatment of the animal. However, people haven't figured out that veal short ribs are an inexpensive alternative when making braised short ribs or Osso Bucco. Wild Fork Foods delivers nationwide and sells veal short ribs for $6.50 per pound (a little over half the price that they sell their full-price beef short ribs), and I have seen veal short ribs at a similar price in the freezer section of my local supermarket. If you can find frozen veal short ribs (or beef short ribs) cheap, grab them and freeze them for later cooking adventures. A word on the humane raising of veal. In the 1990s, inhumane practices for raising veal came to light, and many people stopped eating veal. Most producers and sellers now certify that their veal is humanely raised. Wild Fork Foods only sells humanely raised veal. This daughter of a beef rancher assures you of this: while eating any meat involves the loss of the life of an animal raised for consumption, veal is raised humanely by most producers. The days of tethering calves is over, but always look for the certification that the veal was not tethered. We raised our beef for butchering at around 6-8 months. Veal is butchered 3-5 months earlier. But I do not see a moral difference between these two meats if the veal is raised humanely. Braising Short Ribs To begin this recipe, you will brown your short ribs. Do use a little olive or avocado oil in an oven-safe pan. Just because your short ribs have a cap of fat does not mean it is possible to brown them without a little oil in the pan. I like to start braising by browning some salt pork or pork belly in the pan. In a pinch, you can even use bacon. (I find the smoke on bacon a little overwhelming, so I use pork belly. I found a half-priced pork belly package on the day I found the veal chops, so I used that. Just as Beef Bourguignon and Coq au Vin are always enhanced with little bits of pork, Veal Short ribs should also get the boost of flavor that only pork can bring. But this is optional: leave the pork or bacon out if you do not eat pork or you wish to produce a simpler or leaner dish. After browning your bits of pork, remove them to a bowl and brown your veal in the oil and pork fat. Get it nice and brown, as caramelization of the veal is the source of flavor. 😊 Wine for Braising After browning the veal, deglaze the pan with some nice white wine. I used Sauvignon Blanc from Aldi (Winking Owl is the house brand) at under $4 a bottle. This is a simply wonderful brand of wine for cooking (or for drinking, for that matter). Sauvignon Black is a fresh, dry white wine and is perfect for braising veal. Keep a bottle of this wine on hand for cooking. The price and quality can't be beat. If you don't live near an Aldi, Trader Joe's has a house brand that offers a similar quality and price. Otherwise, look for a reasonably priced Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Don't buy an expensive brand of wine for this purpose. Use the remainder of a bottle opened for another purpose or buy an inexpensive option. Herbs This recipe calls for fresh sage and thyme. I keep fresh thyme in my fridge most of the time. Aldi sells a good option below $2 for a little flat, and thyme keeps very well in the refrigerator. At my previous home, I planted and kept thyme in my flower beds in the backyard. It grows anywhere and is resistant to drought and underwatering. Fresh thyme and sage enhance this dish. Sage is another matter: it can be harder to find. I found it on the day I made this dish because it was close to the holidays. Sage is my favorite herb, particularly in stuffing or with poultry. But it is also wonderful in cream sauces over veal or other meats. If you can't find fresh sage, use dried or rubbed sage. Be careful with ground sage: its intense flavor can overpower a dish. Broth: Homemade or Canned After adding wine and thyme to your pot, add 4 cups of stock. Use chicken instead of beef stock: it is nearly always of better quality. I love having homemade chicken stock on hand, but buy a quart size of your favorite chicken broth or stock for this dish. The pan liquid is not used for the sauce in this dish, and using up your homemade stock is completely unnecessary. You can even use Better Than Bouillon to make a quart of chicken stock. Certainly, do not buy veal stock: in this instance, it would be a waste of money. After adding your broth, you can place your veal and halved garlic heads in the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover with foil or an oven-safe lid, and place in a 325-degree oven for 2-3 hours. During the last hour, you can remove the lid. It makes the house smell heavenly. Once your veal is tender, remove the braising pot from the oven and let it rest. Mushroom Cream Sauce It's time to begin making your mushroom cream sauce. This sauce is made from a few simple ingredients: a pound of common mushrooms (I used 1/2 brown and 1/2 white), butter, thyme, and sage (fresh or dried), more of the wine, cream, and parmesan cheese. A word on these ingredients: All the ingredients in the photo to your left were purchased at Aldi, and their cost in this recipe is around $7. It is not necessary to spend more. The mushrooms sold there are good quality, if not exotic, for under $4. The cream is first-quality: keep a quart in your refrigerator, as it has a long shelf life. Aldi parmesan cheese is a good alternative to much more expensive cheese. Walmart also has very good options for making this dish, as does Trader Joe's and Sprouts. You could go to Whole Foods or other upscale supermarkets and buy these items for $20-30, but the quality of this dish would not be any better. One proviso: if you use a lot of Parmesan cheese, you can buy a large block of first-quality Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from Sam's Club or Costco and save money. If not, the smaller block from Aldi or Trader Joe's is great! To make the cream sauce, sauté the mushrooms in 6 T of butter on medium-high heat. Let the mushrooms brown and release their juices. Season with salt and pepper and add the herbs. The smell will be heavenly. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the bits in the sauce. Reduce the wine a little, and add the cream. Allow the cream to simmer very gently. Add the parmesan cheese and correct the seasoning. You now have a simply legendary mushroom cream sauce for around $7! Saving money and cooking delicious food looks good on you! Serving Veal Short Ribs with Mushroom Cream Sauce It's time to plate your dish. Serve a single short rib per serving on a bed of mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower if you eat low-carb. Place your short rib portion on the mashed potatoes and spoon the mushroom cream sauce over it. Sprinkle with fresh thyme or parsley. Veal Short Ribs in Mushroom Cream Sauce (around $25) Bon Appetit!!

This delicious, rich green curry is made with prepared curry paste, aromatics, vegetables, coconut milk, and a frozen seafood medley. For under $12, you can make this dish for four. Frozen Seafood Mix makes an inexpensive and delicious Seafood Curry! Making curry is a chance to "clean out the fridge" and use the vegetables and herbs you like and have on hand. The Value of Frozen Seafood Mix While shopping in my favorite little Asian store, I saw a bargain--a 14 oz. frozen seafood mix for $3.99. It looked great--shrimp, squid, mussels, octopus, and seafood legs (fake crab). I took this as a challenge to see how cheaply I could prepare a delicious dish, and I decided on a Thai curry because I had a bag of mixed herbs. (If you love cilantro, mint, basil, or other common herbs, check out your local Asian grocery. You can often get far more at a much lower cost than those little plastic trays at the supermarket. I always have these herbs at less than $5/week.) Curry Is Versatile: Use What You Have Making curry is a great opportunity to "clean out the fridge" and add the vegetables you love that are aging in your crisper drawer. I used zucchini, summer squash, The ingredients for Shrimp Curry cost around $12 for 4 servings. eggplant, and red peppers. You might use green beans, snow peas, green peppers, mushrooms, carrots, or Bok choy. Whatever vegetables you have on hand or are in season and affordable are good in curry. The essential ingredients for this dish are curry paste, coconut milk, seafood, and some type of vegetable. However, the dish is greatly enhanced if you freshen the curry paste with minced garlic and grated ginger, fish sauce, and lime juice. Add herbs if you have them, and top with chopped peanuts for crunch. Serve with jasmine rice and lime wedges. Thai Green Curry with Frozen Mixed Seafood

This delicious dish combines plump Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta and a creamy champagne sauce. It is date night fare and costs around $15 for four servings. In 1989, as a college student, I discovered this recipe in a fashion magazine. I wanted to impress a friend who was coming to dinner and this dish was just perfect. Over the years, I have made this dish many times, usually for close friends or dates I wanted to impress. It pairs perfectly with champagne, which makes the night feel so special. The original writer (I've looked for the original on this recipe and I just can't find it to give credit) suggested serving the dish with champagne and chocolate for dessert. This is brilliant, as they pair perfectly. If you think you can't afford this dish, remember that you can find a bottle of champagne that is good in this dish at Aldi for around $5 and at Trader Joes for slightly more. Any dry Brut style champagne will work --stay awared from extra dry or other sweet sparkling wines. Because you can use modestly priced shrimp and simple pasta, this dish can easily be made for around $12. I warn you in advance—this dish screams romance. It is easy to make and involves sparkling wine and decadent flavors. If you throw in the chocolate for dessert, you will have the best date night dish for anyone who loves shrimp and sparkling wine. The Perfect Ingredients Ingredients for Shrimp with Champagne Sauce on Angel air Pasta Before we begin cooking, let’s collect our ingredients. Quality matters, as it profoundly impacts the dish's flavor. Angel Hair Pasta : 8 oz, cooked al dente (Aldi, $1) Butter : 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil: 1 Tablespoon Shrimp : 1 lb., peeled and deveined (Aldi, $6 or Walmart, $6) Champagne : 1 1/2 cup champagne or sparkling wine, the drier, the better (Aldi, $2.50) Mushrooms : 8 oz, sliced (use cremini or button mushrooms) (Aldi, $2) Shallots : 2, finely chopped (Walmart, $0.50) Plum Tomatoes: 2 , diced  (Aldi, $0.50) Heavy Cream: 1 cup, divided (Aldi, $1.35) Salt and Pepper : to taste Fresh Herb of choice-- 3 T chopped Fresh Parsley or Dill (Aldi, $0.50) freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional): to garnish (Sam's Club, $1.00) These ingredients will help create a dish bursting with flavor and texture. Preparing the Ingredients Preparation is vital before cooking begins. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them. I like to brine my shrimp in 1 quart of water and one tablespoon salt for at least 30 minutes. This makes the shrimp plump and juicy. (Have you ever wondered why shrimp often tastes so much better in Chinese restaurants? Because brining shrimp is an essential part of the cuisine.) I like to use raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp in this dish. You can thaw your shrimp in the brining solution, but thoroughly devein and clean your shrimp. Finely chop the shallots and slice the mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the roma tomatoes in half, discard the seeds and inner pulp and slice the remaining tomatoes in 1/4-inch dice. Having everything ready before you start cooking will streamline the process, allowing the meal to come together effortlessly. Cooking the Dish Step 1: Put on Pasta Water Put at least 4 quarts of water in a large pot. Add 1 T of kosher salt and bring to boil. Step 2: Sautéing the Aromatics In a large skillet, heat 2 T of butter and 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, sauté until tender and add shallots and cook until translucent and remove to a bowl and set aside. Its fine to leave some chopped shallots in the pan, in fact, its preferable. Step 3: Cooking the Shrimp Put the Champagne in a saucepan with a teaspoon of salt and heat. When the champagne is simmering, add the shrimp and cook until cooked through. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside. Step 4: Creating the Sauce Add tomatoes and shallots and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Stir in 3/4 cup of cream and heat for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and mushrooms. Step 5: Cook Pasta Add angel hair pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, according to the package directions of the pasta you are using. Drain and toss with 1/4 c. of cream and 3 T of chopped parsley. Step 6: Serve Serve the pasta immediately on plates with shrimp and sauce. If desired (and not weighed down by no cheese with seafood rule), sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Perfect Pairings I always have a glass of champagne while I prepare this dish. Make sure you have a second bottle to serve with the finished dish. It goes perfectly. This sauce goes perfectly with orange and chocolate, so serve it with orange sections and chocolate truffles for dessert. If you have a bottle of Grand Marnier, marinate the orange sections in that before serving with the chocolate truffles or any chocolate you like. Tips for Success Use Medium to Large Shrimp : Use larger shrimp and devein them after removing their shells. Never buy cooked shrimp. Buy shrimp raw. I find they taste better if I peel and devein them myself. Don’t Overcook : Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. They should change color but should not "curl." Taste as You Go : Adjust seasoning as you cook. Add more salt, pepper, or cream to suit your preference. Presentation Matters : Serve in warm plates or bowls, garnished with extra parsley and parmesan cheese for a polished look. No garlic: Strong flavors like garlic ruin this dish (in my opinion). The champagne sauce is subtle and lovely, so you will never notice if you dump a lot of garlic in it. I'm a huge garlic fan, but not this time. It's date night, friends. Leave the garlic for another night. To Cheese or Not to Cheese: If you like cheese with seafood, I think it enhances this dish.

Dining at your preferred Italian restaurant can be costly, but you can prepare traditional pasta dishes affordably and effortlessly at home, accompanied by artisan bread and wine. Pasta Meal with Angel Hair Pomodoro and Fettuccine Alfredo Each of these pasta dishes costs around $1/serving, the homemade loaf is around $1, and the Aldi wine is around $4. Pasta Meals on a Budget First, let's start with the Pasta itself. You can make either Angel Hair Pomodoro or Fettuccine Alfredo for around $1 per serving in about 15 minutes. But to minimize costs, you must shop carefully. In this post, I will concentrate on buying ingredients and preparing pasta dishes so that the cost is low, but the quality and flavor are high. Fettucine Alfredo Tomatoes: This recipe calls for two cans of diced tomatoes. I recommend buying a case of diced tomatoes at Sam's Club or Costco. Sam's Club has an excellent Member's Mark brand for around $10 for twelve cans. In this way, you always have inexpensive diced tomatoes in your pantry. If a whole case of tomatoes is not in your budget, Walmart and Aldi also sell diced tomatoes for around $1/can. Aldi’s fire-roasted version is excellent. A dish like Pomodoro is all about the quality of tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, and basil. Angel Hair Pomodoro Olive Oil: Every cook should have a decent quality bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). I recommend buying a 1–2-liter bottle at Costco or Sam's, where decent quality EVOO is around $7.50/liter. Buy a good bottle and keep it in a cool, dark place to preserve its freshness. You will use this amount before spoilage if you do even a modest amount of cooking with EVOO, and it is much cheaper to buy this way than to keep purchasing smaller bottles at your regular grocery. Parmesan Cheese : Parmesan Cheese can be cheap or wildly expensive. Aldi sells excellent basic Parmesan cheese for around $4.20 per half pound (8 ounces). Trader Joe's sells a perfect domestic Parmesan for $7 Parmesan Cheese per pound, and it is typically my choice. Trader Joe's has an imported version for $12/pound. Sam's Club sells an excellent Parmigiano Reggiano for $12.50/pound, but you need to buy two pounds, which is a lot of Parmesan cheese. I typically spend around $7 for a wedge of Parmesan at Trader Joe's, and I've never been disappointed. The cheese you buy is entirely up to you and your budget, but this blog and especially this post are dedicated to cooking on a budget. So, I'll use three ounces of my $7/pound cheese for around $1.31. The only kind of Parmesan you shouldn't buy for this recipe is pre-grated cheese, which comes in a bottle. The pre-grated cheese is coated, so it melts badly, and the quality of bottled Parmesan is often too low for a recipe of this type. Pasta: This week, an excellent Walmart brand angel hair pasta made with 100% durum semolina costs $0.92 per pound. Sam's Club sells six-pound angel hair pasta boxes for around $5.50. In your local market, you can find inexpensive store-brand pasta every day priced around $1/pound, and many are made with 100% durum semolina. Herbs : This recipe calls for fresh basil, which can be expensive in some markets. One way around this is to use dried basil, which is fine, but I miss the fresh flavor. Another is to have an herb garden in your kitchen. I bought a lovely organic basil plant from Trader Joe's several weeks ago (along with a bunch of other herbs) for a kitchen window herb garden. My modest little herb garden in a sunny Florida window. The cost of each plant was just under $2.50. If you have a sunny window, consider growing an herb garden--mine is oregano, basil, thyme, dill, sage, and rosemary. Basil keeps increasing as you snip away, so you have no cost after setting up your garden. Fresh Basil I decided not to plant parsley or cilantro because these herbs are so widely available and cheap, and I wanted to use my limited window space for more expensive spices. If growing an herb garden is not for you right now, Walmart sells a generous amount of fresh basil for $2. Aldi often sells them for even less. A word on the cost and convenience of a loaf of homemade bread: I made this loaf for $0.83, and I will post about it, and Aldi often sells it and similar artisan loaves in the next week or two. Homemade Loaf with Dipping Sauce I love artisan bread, but it has become so expensive that I think twice before buying it, even at discount groceries. So, consider making a loaf yourself. Many people believe they don't have the time to bake bread, but it often takes no more than 15 minutes to complete the dough and get it rising. From there, you must check in every hour or so. From start to finish, this bread is around 3 hours, and the effect of having homemade bread at the table is worth keeping one eye on the dough for a little while. This bread recipe is from King Arthur Flour, and it boasts itself as "The Easiest Loaf of Bread You'll Ever Bake." See the link below. I love this recipe. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/the-easiest-loaf-of-bread-youll-ever-bake-recipe If you decide to try out this bread recipe link, two things bring the cost down: flour in larger bags and a brick of Instant Yeast. Instant Yeast These bricks are sold at Sam's Club for $5 for two one-pound packs. If you are an infrequent baker, keep one and give one to your best baking bud. Otherwise, store both bricks in your freezer. And never pay for yeast at the supermarket again and never run out. If a trip to Sam's isn't possible, you can buy a one-pound brick on Amazon for a little over $6. If you cannot purchase flour in bulk, Walmart cheaply sells five-pound bags of bread flour, and even King Arthur brand Bread Flour is under $1/pound. Serve your bread with either butter or a good olive oil dipping sauce. If you have purchased a good EVOO, making a good dipping sauce for your bread will be a cinch. Add a mix of dried herbs--basil, oregano, etc. and add onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and good salt. You can elaborate more with a little balsamic vinegar or finely minced garlic. You can even add fresh herbs. I like good olive oil with fresh basil and oregano. Finally, add a bottle of excellent wine. You can find a Whispering Owl Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio bottle at Aldi for around $3 per bottle. Trader Joe's has some Charles Shaw options in that range as well. This is not fine wine, but it is good wine. If you are on a budget, you can enjoy a bottle at dinner without concern over cost. Pasta Meals on a Budget: Angel Hair Pomodoro and Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta Date Night for under $7.

Crispy, delicious Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs served with mashed potatoes and Sauteed Peas and Onions. A homecooked meal for four for around $5. The secret to a tender and juicy chicken thigh is to keep it at a modest temperature --at least 120 but not above 190--for an extended period. If you can slowly sear a nice crispy skin on the thigh, then reduce the heat and cook it slowly at a low temperature, you will have a perfect chicken thigh. The good news with this method is that you only need the chicken thighs, salt and pepper, about 1 tablespoon of oil, and some fresh or dried thyme. There is no breading, no flour, no deep frying. No mess, no fuss. The result is a thigh with no carbs, so your keto and low-carb friends will love this dish. The Chicken This is made with chicken thighs - you can use drumsticks in a pinch, but don't substitute chicken breast. This is just not the right method to cook a chicken breast. Make sure you have thighs with the skin and the bone intact--the skin becomes crispy, so boneless, skinless thighs also don't work. You will immediately find that many outlets have fantastic prices on whole chicken thighs. I used 1.75 pounds of chicken thighs from Aldi, which were $1.59/pound when I purchased them. Aldi sells these thighs in smaller quantities, but you can get them cheaply at Sam's Club or Walmart. Wild Fork has a frozen option for $1.50 per pound. Look for thighs with plump and intact skin. You don't want your beautiful, crispy skin to fall off your chicken thighs. To serve four people, you need four good-sized chicken thighs, weighing between 1.5 pounds and 2 pounds. The Pan You will need a solid pan to slow-roast your chicken properly. Cast iron is a particularly excellent choice. The best pan for the job is a copper chicken fryer (a frying pan with high sides). Alternatively, a Dutch oven or other deep, insulated pot will do well. Choose a pan that will hold the heat well and distribute it evenly. This is not a job for a non-stick sauté pan. The Technique First, get your pan medium-hot, and place a tablespoon of oil in the pan. Place your chicken thighs, skin side down, in the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let your thighs be--no touching, moving, or flipping. Just do something and leave your thighs to cook for 20-25 minutes. They should have formed a wonderful "crust" at that time. When your thighs are perfectly browned, flip them over and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Add the fresh thyme to the pan and infuse the flavor into the drippings. Check the temperature on your thighs in the center-they should be about 165 at this point. Take your thighs from the pan and let rest on a plate. Pour off excess fat and begin browning the onions in the pan drippings, then add thawed peas. Make sure the peas are cooked, but don't boil them. It causes them to shrivel up and become tough and chewy. Season the peas and onions. Move to a bowl. The Sauteed Peas and Onions This recipe involves deglazing the roasting pan with onions and cooking peas in the drippings. This creates a wonderful vegetable side dish with loads of flavor. If you don't like peas, use any vegetable you wish, but don't leave all that flavor in the bottom of the roasting pan. You will notice the instructions ask that you warm but not boil the peas--boiling makes the peas shrivel up and look unappetizing. Make sure, however, that your peas are cooked. The Mashed Potatoes Start with four medium Russet or yellow potatoes. Peel and rinse and cut into quarters. Boil until very tender. Drain and add the butter, and use a masher to get a good, even texture. Add the cream and enough additional milk (if necessary) to get the texture you like. Use the pan drippings from the peas as gravy and add some butter. Crispy Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Pea and Onion Saute

You can make a homemade Ham and Egg Breakfast Sandwich for less than $1 a sandwich. Keep them in the freezer in the mornings when you have no time to cook, and you still want to save money. Homemade Ham and Cheese Breakfast Muffins Even fast food has become too expensive to have every day for many of us. The good news is you can make great copycat dishes at home for a fraction of the cost. These Ham and Egg Breakfast Muffins freeze beautifully, so you can always pop one in the microwave and have a hot breakfast on the go! A Ham and Egg Breakfast Muffin costs about $0.80/muffin and you can make a dozen for the freezer in about a half an hour. Ingredients To make 12 Breakfast Muffins, you will need nonstick spray, a dozen eggs, a dozen English muffins, 12-24 breakfast ham (Canadian bacon), twelve processed cheese slices, one-half stick butter, salt, and pepper. Ingredients for Ham and Egg Breakfast Muffins Split your muffins and place them on a cookie sheet. Butter each half if you prefer. Spray a 12-count muffin tin with nonstick spray. Break an egg in each well, break the yolk, and mix slightly with a fork. Salt and pepper each egg. Cook eggs in muffin tins in the oven. Place in a 350 oven until the eggs are firm when you press against them with a finger--they can be soft but not runny or mushy. This will take about 15 minutes, depending on the size of your tin and the eggs. Take the eggs out of the oven and let them cool slightly. Turn the oven to broil. Broil the muffins until toasty. Grill your muffins under broiler and top with egg. Place an egg on each muffin, then 1-2 slices of ham, then a processed cheese slice. Put the sheet back under the broiler for a minute or two, until cheese melts. Top egg with ham and a cheese slice and broil 1 minute. Take out of oven and place top on each muffin sandwich while the cheese is still soft. 12 Ham and Egg Breakfast Muffins ready to freeze. Wrap individually in parchment paper and place wrapped muffin in two-gallon Ziplock bags. Wrap in parchment and place Muffins in the freezer. Make sure they are cool, then place in the freezer. Freeze for up to 4 months. Put wrapped Breakfast Muffins in Ziplock bags and freeze. It is best to take a muffin out the night before and thaw it in the refrigerator, but you can also place it on a plate in the microwave and cook for about 2 minutes. Ham and Egg Breakfast Muffins

Flaky and moist fish fillets pair perfectly with homemade fries, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Most people love to order Fish and Chips at their favorite seafood joint, but you can save a bundle by making it yourself at home. Choose whatever reasonably priced white fish you can find and make homemade fries from russet potatoes. This meal costs around $12 for 3-4 servings. You can make a good tartar sauce and still be under $15. Many people have never tasted a freshly made fish filet- fried perfectly crisp on the outside and juicy and moist on the inside. Even in many restaurants, you get a premade frozen filet and mass-produced chips. Taste the difference that fresh fish makes- it will change how you look at fish and chips! The Fish Almost any white fish will make a good fried fish filet, but some are better. Americans will say that cod is the best fish for Fish and Chips, while a British person might choose haddock. I chose Barramundi for my recipe since I can access reasonably priced and good-quality Barramundi. Wild Fork Foods sells three nice-sized Barramundi filets for just under a pound, for $7.48. Barramundi, known as "Asian sea bass," is sweet and buttery and holds together with firm flesh. It is high in Omega-3, sustainable, and safe since it does not feed on other fish and is low in mercury. (Mercury is often of particular concern for pregnant women--direct questions to your physician.) The Batter The best batter for Fish and Chips is flour, cornstarch, baking soda, club soda or seltzer water, and seasoning. Yes, this is remarkably similar to Tempura batter, and you can use any leftover batter with vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms to make veggie tempura. Always make this batter at the last minute--or mix the dry ingredients and wait to mix in the club soda/seltzer at the very last minute. The batter should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter. It's okay if it's a little lumpy. Go easy on this batter. You don't want gluten to form. The fish should be washed and carefully dried with paper towels. Then, it should be dredged in a 50/50 mix of flour and cornstarch before being battered. The Oil While many people use oils with huge price tags, any good blended oil (vegetable oil) is great for deep frying. Corn and Canola oil are also excellent and quite inexpensive. It makes a good frying oil if it is neutral (it doesn't have a notable taste) and has a higher smoke point. Vegetable oil has one additional advantage: it can be reused. Make sure you strain the oil and refrigerate it in between uses. You should never use olive oil to deep fry, as it has a lower smoke point and is expensive. Save that olive oil for dressing and quick sautés. The Chips For chips, I use Chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe: Perfect Thin and Crispy French Fries Recipe ( seriouseats.com ) I can't see how to improve this recipe in a class by itself. Lopez-Alt starts with inexpensive and widely available russet potatoes. You peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch x 1/4-inch shoestrings and parboil these fries in water containing vinegar and salt. After boiling for 10 minutes, the chips are drained and cooled on a towel or paper towel-lined tray. After cooling, the potatoes are briefly deep-fried and frozen. When ready to serve, the fries are deep-fried from frozen and salted. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined tray. The fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. If you have a bag of russet potatoes that you are afraid will spoil before you can use them, you can process them and get them into the freezer in under an hour. The only critical factor is to get the oil hot, which is very hot--400 degrees. In between batches, let the oil come back up to 400 degrees. You will need a thermometer to get this right. Invest in one--it is a game changer. Make sure the oil cools to 325 degrees to fry the fish. You can use the same oil but should not fry the fish and chips together as they need different temperatures for optimal frying. Classic Fish and Chips- $12.27 for 3-4 servings.