My Sweet Valentines Dinner Cheap

December 3, 2007

Yes, you can have your very special Valentines dinner even if you’re not as rich as you think you should be. All it takes is €4.48 and some effort to make your special lady, man happy. Let’s start with the setting. You can get 75% off on clearance after X-mas red and white taper candles if you think ahead. You can also get red ribbons, lace tablecloths, and red napkins after X-mas for € .39 to € .78.

Search for garage sales for one or two place settings of china for €.39. If you are already too late, don’t forget to buy your Valentine’s Day items after next years X-mas. Of course if you really think ahead, you can buy everything on sale 50% after Valentine’s Day and hide them in your closet till next year. But of course, everybody needs food even if you live together with your beloved one!

For the menu (€4.48 for 2 people):

French Onion Soup
Tomato Basil Salad

Maple Glazed Chicken
Lemon Potatoes
Red Velvet Cake

Tea or coffee with desert
Water with lemon slices

French Onion Soup (€.87)

1/2 cup mozzarella or Swiss cheese, grated (.39)
1 bay leaf
2 slices day old French bread (.15)

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.07)

2 onions, thinly sliced (yellow works best) (.19)
2 cups beef stock (made with bouillon cubes or beef bones) (.07)

Melt butter in a skillet. Sauté onions until slightly brown. Add onions to beef broth in saucepan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Pour into bowls. Place bread on top of each bowl of soup, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Then set under broiler and cook until cheese is melted and brown. This soup will simmer in the crock pot on low overnight.

Tomato Basil Salad (€1.7)

2 Tbsp. oil

a cup fresh basil leaves, chopped into small pieces (.39)

4 large peeled tomatoes (.62)
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 large peeled tomatoes (.62)

1 Tbsp. wine vinegar (.07)

Dice tomatoes and combine with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and basil. Serve. You could also add cubes of mozzarella cheese.

Maple Glazed Chicken (€1.09)

4 pieces of chicken (1 purchased on sale at 1.05 per lb.)

4 tsp. lemon juice (.03)

1/4 cup maple syrup (.03)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.03)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice and butter together in small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and place chicken in it. Salt and pepper the chicken. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour on glaze. Bake for 15 minutes more or until juices run clear.

Glazed Carrots (€.24)

6 Tbsp. brown sugar (.07)
1 tsp. cinnamon (.03)

1/2 stick margarine (.03)
1 tsp. ginger (optional) (.03)

1/2 lb. fresh carrots or baby carrots (.08)

Clean carrots and cut into bite-size pieces. Steam for 10 minutes in a small amount of boiling water just until tender. Melt margarine in a large skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Cook 12 minutes. Add hot carrots, stirring well to coat. Remove when shiny and well glazed.

Lemon Potatoes (€.60)

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice (.03)
2 Tbsp. margarine (.03)
1 tsp. chives, chopped (.07)
6 new potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, cut in halves or quarters (.39)

1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. lemon peel, grated

dash pepper
dash of nutmeg (all spices)

Clean and steam potatoes 20 minutes (until tender). Heat remaining ingredients just to boil. Pour lemon butter over potatoes and serve.

Red Velvet Cake (€.39 for 2 servings)*

1/2 oz. red food coloring
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa

2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3/4 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar

Cream together butter, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and buttermilk. Mix well. Add flour and buttermilk alternately. Beat until all the lumps are out. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes clean. Frost with Red Velvet Frosting.

Red Velvet Frosting

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour

Cook milk and flour until thick, stirring constantly. Cool thoroughly. Beat milk and flour for 1 minute until fluffy. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add to milk and flour and add vanilla. Mix well. Frosts one Red Velvet Cake.

* Or purchase a box mix on sale for €62 cents, canned frosting on sale €54 cents, and €39 cents for eggs, etc. to make the cake €1.16